Chapter Twenty-seven
At Starbuck’s, Sophia sat outside under a big green umbrella on the balcony overlooking the cerulean blue water in the distance. The many small sailing ships making their lazy way past the harbor were idyllic, lending a postcard view to one of her new favorite places in the city.
Her hot Chai tea latte tasted heavenly and was her addiction no matter where she happened to be. In minutes, she saw Barney rushing toward her, and she pointed at the second cup waiting at the seat across from hers.
“You look pretty today.” Barney leaned over to kiss her cheek before relaxing in his own chair.
“No wonder Ellie thinks you walk on water. When you can spit out compliments like that, you probably get away with murder. How’re the kids? All five of the little monsters?” Sophia loved her nieces and nephew. Considering the youngest was the boy they’d kept trying for, the little hellion knew how to stand up for his place in the pecking order of the female circle surrounding him.
“They’re perfect, and so is she. Remember, you promised we could do a cocktail party for you while you’re here. Ellie wants to know what night will work best for you?”
“Since the barbecue – the one you forgot to tell me about – is tomorrow, how about the next night? I might be called back to work early, and I’d rather get all my commitments out of the way so I can just laze around for the rest of my time here.”
“I’m sure that’ll work. Knowing your penchant for keeping things small, she was only inviting the few friends you really care about and not all the rest of the freeloaders who always show up for a good meal. Unfortunately, Corinne and her family are leaving for Europe right after the barbecue, and my sister had to go to Athens for a doctor’s appointment. That leaves us, Yanis, Manos, and you.”
“Don’t go to a lot of trouble for me this time, Barney. I’mreally notin a celebrating mood. The fewer the better.”
“I hope you won’t mind, but Ellie’s cousin, Manos Savas, has been here for some time, and she’spromised to have him for ameal too. Would you mind if he came to your dinner?”
Giddy, but not wanting to show any reaction, she answered teasingly, “So, you can kill two birds with one stone, right?”
Barney winked. “You got me. That’s about it.”
“What’s this about a Russian party at the hotel? You mentioned them on the phone.”
Barney’s smile faded and he looked perturbed. Shaking his head to emphasize his next words, he said, “They’re loud and showy and expect constant special attention. I don’t know, there’s just something about them that gets to me.”
“Which part of Russia are they from?”
“SochiI believe.”
The same city where they picked upStasiaand the others. Hmmm.“Are theyjustmen or couples, families, what?”
“Mostly men, but a few have women with them, young, pretty but very unhappy women. I’m glad they’re only here for a week. It makes me nervous to see the men drinking in the bar and then acting like juveniles with those females. It’s not my place to question them, but I have to admit a few of the females look at me with such sad eyes, it’s hard not to step in.”
“What line of work are the men in?”
“I don’t know. They certainly aren’t scholars. And they’re loud and disrupt the rest of the guests. But they have money and expect the best, so who am I to question?”
As Barney sipped his latte, Sophia’s mind wondered about what Barney told her until she noticed a problem below them on the sidewalk. A man was hollering at his three kids and one of the smaller of the girls had decided to push his buttons. The little imp had her hands on her hips, her bottom lip puckered, and her sharp negative headshaking told the story that she was refusing to budge. The others were doing as they were told and getting into the car, but not her. She obviously had a mind of her own.
Seeing herself in the little one’s behavior, she was intrigued. Her Yaya would have handled her refusal by making a deal with her. She had a way of coming up with something Sophia wanted more than getting her own way – like a movie night with popcorn or a swim together at the beach.
But this man was nothing like her grandmother. His beet-red, sweaty face and ugly expression portrayed someone on the edge of losing his temper. He grabbed for the child’s arm, but quick as a rascal, she stepped away, looking scared, but standing her ground.
Sophia stood and ignored Barney’s warning not to interfere and then his sigh of resignation. She went down the stairs to where the scene had brought other looky-loos to see what all the noise was about, and they now had a crowd. The child, loving the limelight, had begun letting him have it with both barrels. “You can’t tell me what to do. You’re not my daddy. I want Mummy.”
At his wit’s end, the frantic male lunged unexpectedly, scooped her up, and had a battle on his hands. Not only did the little one put up a fight, she wriggled so maniacally, his grip loosened, and she’d have fallen off his shoulder if Sophia hadn’t been there to snatch her out of the air before she hit the gravel.
“Goddammit, Marion, stop being a brat!” Those were the words he yelled just as she broke loose.
Safe in Sophia’s arms, the child now crying hysterically started screaming back at him. “My name’s May, not… not Marion. I want my mummy.”
Sophia hugged her close and patted her back. She looked at the man barely holding it together and bit out one word that let everyone know she was now in control. “Explain.”
Sensing he stood before someone with authority, he fell back against the car and wiped his face with shaking hands. “Thank God you caught her. She’s a real monster, but I wouldn’t want her to have fallen.”
“Yet you purposely grabbed her so hard, she now has bruises forming.” Sophia had been rubbing the child’s back and noticed the discoloration beginning to appear on the preschooler’s arms. “Where’s her mother?”