“Were my parents there?” he asked.
Dani nodded. “They hadn’t moved yet.”
That sickening sensation gurgled through his stomach again. “Where did they go?”
“Cleveland. To be closer to Ophelia’s family. Since they no longer needed to be in the middle.”
“I can’t believe they left,” he said aloud, but to himself.
“I know,” Dani answered anyway. “My parents are leaving, too. Next month.”
“What? Where are they going?”
“Florida.”
“Wow, so they’re finally going to do it, huh?”
“Mm-hmm.”
There was a sullenness to her voice, which Theo understood full well. Once her parents were gone, no one would be left.
“What are you going to do?” he asked.
“Great question. Stay, I guess,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “Though they’re selling the house.”
“Are you serious?” he asked, raising his eyebrows.
“Yep,” she said, with an emphasis on thep.
It was hard to imagine Grand Rapids without his parentsorthe Guiterrezes. Carlos and Maria were some of his parents’ oldest and closest friends. They spent every holiday together. Every graduation. Every birthday. It was why Theo had initially viewed Dani as a little sister or cousin.
Until he didn’t.
Dani sighed.
“I suppose I knew someday I’d have to move out of my parents’ house. Spread my wings and all that shit,” she said, demonstrating her arm span in the water. She sighed again and looked over her shoulder at the sea in front of them. “It really is beautiful, isn’t it?”
Theo stared at her silhouette, illuminated by the moon’s glow. It didn’t really matter if Eddie would kill him—Theo would never forgive himself if he let anything happen to her.
“Sure is,” he responded.
“I know you’ve seen it a million times, but is it always this beautiful?”
“Absolutely.” His eyes remained transfixed on her.
She looked over at him, and he quickly turned his gaze to the Mediterranean. “How many times have you been to Greece?” she asked.
Theo ran a hand through his hair and thought back. “Oh, I don’t know. Fifteen? Twenty? Something like that.”
“Do you ever get bored seeing the same place over and over?”
“Nah. It’s never the same trip, and I don’t always go to the same spots. Sometimes I’m here for work. Sometimes to see family. Sometimes a stopover when I’m heading somewhere else. There are so many things to see in Greece. Stories to uncover. People to meet. Foods to eat.”
“Oh my God, the food!” she said.
Theo could practically see her mouth watering. His was nearly watering, too, watching her in the moonlight.
“It felt dirty eating Pierre’s food,” she continued, “but it was so fucking good.” She closed her eyes and licked her lips, bringing her hands up to her mouth, which had the unfortunate effect of pushing her breasts together. Unfortunate for him.
