“No. Gus and I met her at a cooking class and she—”
Taking a step back, my mother clutched her chest. “A cooking class! What is this? You take a cooking class from this girl? What can this girl cook better than your Mitera?”
Oh hell.
“No, Mama. I don’t know how she cooks to be honest with you.”
Her eyes widened in shock. “You date a girl and you don’t know how she cooks? Does she cook a good pastitsio? What about a spanakopita or baklava?”
I closed my eyes and prayed I’d get through this meal. “Mama, I’m not dating anyone and I highly doubt Kilyn knows how to cook any of that.”
Her face turned white and, right on cue, my father and Thaddeus walked in.
“Katerina, are you okay?” my father asked my mother, rushing to her side.
She held up her hand and gave me a look that should have turned me into dust.
“And why can she not cook those meals, Athanasios?”
Thaddeus tossed an olive up and caught it in his mouth as he leaned back and looked at me. Gus had already filled him and Nicholaus in on the hot girl in cooking class I met at the bar the night before.
“Yeah, Thano, why?”
I shot him a dirty look before turning back to my mother. “She’s Irish, Mama. I seriously doubt she knows how to make a baklava.”
Stepping back, my mother cursed in Greek while my father shook his head. “Not again,” he mumbled. “Katerina, the world is not filled with Greek women.”
Closing her eyes, my mother cried out, “Why do you try to break my heart, Athanasios?”
I stood and rolled my eyes. “I’m not breaking your heart, Mama, because I’m not dating Kilyn. I barely know her. What Rosemary saw was me out running and I happened to see Kilyn running. I was being polite in saying hi. She helped Gus and me out in class.”
She let out the breath she had been holding in. “This does not explain your betrayal of going to a cooking class!”
Thaddeus busted out laughing but quickly stopped when my father gave him a look.
“Katerina, let the boy explain before you go off jumping to conclusions.”
“Thank you, Dad.” Turning back to my mother, I said, “We are about to market pots and pans. We were doing research. Seeing what women like to use when they are in the kitchen.”
Anger moved across my mother’s face and I involuntarily took a step back. As did Thaddeus, hoping to escape the wrath of our Greek mother. Because when she got pissed. She. Got. Pissed.
“Am I not a woman?” Spinning around to look at my father, she shrugged. “Dimitris? Did you not marry a woman who knows pots and pans?”
I could tell my father was holding back a smile. “I did. I’m sure Thano was going to seek out your knowledge soon, my love.”
He walked up and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. Placing his lips on hers, he kissed her passionately. I’d long ago gotten used to my parents’ displays of affection. My father never could seem to keep his hands off of my mother. He’d give her the world if he thought he could, but he tried hard to make everyone believe he wore the pants in the family, which was not the case. He was true to his Greek roots—but our mother—she was hardcore old Greek.
Breaking their kiss, he winked and said, “Now, leave the boy be and let him do his job the way he wants.”
I swear my mother melted when in my father’s arms. He knew it too and worked it well.
“Fine. I’ll let it go.” Turning and pointing to me, she continued. “This time!”
Dinner proved to be like every other time I came home to eat. My brothers argued like cats and dogs. My mother informed me of the perfect girl for me. One of her Greek friend’s daughters. My father talked about going camping, even though we all knew he’d never take the time off from his practice to actually go camping. Aunt Maria, Uncle Nick, and my two cousins also showed up for dinner.
Getting up, I walked out onto the deck and stared out to the mountains. Closing my eyes, Kilyn popped in my head. I quickly opened them and ran my hand across the back of my neck.
What was happening to me? Why couldn’t I get her out of my head? I was torn between wanting to find out more about her and not wanting to forget Savannah.
Glancing over my shoulder, I watched my father take a seat. My father was a handsome man. For as long as I could remember, women would flirt with him endlessly. He never paid them any attention though. He only saw my mother and that was something I truly admired about him.