“You’re rich, and you still work,” Markos says.
"That’s family money. I have to work to get it. If I’d married into thatClash of Crownsmoney, there's no way I'd work another day in my life, and I certainly wouldn’t be caught dead cooking for other people."
Oh my God. She really is awful."I admire her for not quitting. If a person has something they’re truly passionate about, it's much better to pursue it than succumbing to the boredom of retirement."
"‘Only boring people get bored,’" Markos says, quoting our father.
Zak appears with our appetizers, sets them down in front of us, and leaves again. I pop a bite of the roti into my mouth. The bread is crispy on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside, giving it the perfect texture. There’s just the right balance of saltiness to counterbalance the sauce that is both sweet and tart.
After a few minutes of companionable silence, Carolina takes a sip of her wine. "Theo, back to your evening with Nora. I'm just too curious to let it go."
"What do you want to know?" I ask, keeping my expression and tone neutral.
"I just can't imagine having a pleasant time with her, given the way she feels about people like us."
The phrase “people like us” irritates me. "Have you ever considered that she might have a good reason for the way she feels?"
"Of course not," Carolina says, looking taken aback. "How dare she lump us all together, as though we’re all exactly the same or something."
“Ironic, sinceyoujust lumped us together,” I say. "Let me ask you a question, Carolina. What colour is Zak's hair?"
"Who's Zak?"
"The waiter,” Markos says, quickly adding, "Server, sorry."
"I don't know. Brown?" Carolina says, looking perplexed.
"Hermano, do you want to take a guess?" I ask Markos.
"I don't know either. I'm going with blond, to cover the odds."
"The fact that you both have to guess says something, don't you think?"
She shakes her head. "What could it possibly say? That I don't memorize every detail about the person bringing us food? And what does this have to do with how much Nora hates us?"
"First of all, she doesn't hateallof us. And secondly, after spending some time with her, I'd say she has good reason for her disdain. Nora has spent a lifetime being ignored and ordered around by ‘people like us,’” I say, doing air quotes. “That would turn even the softest of hearts hard."
"I can't believe you're defending her," Carolina says, pushing her plate away. "We've been nothing but nice to her and yet she acts like we’re the root of all evil in the world.”
"Icertainly wasn't nice to her when we first met. I was demanding and rude, and even worse, I didn’t even realize it."
With a smug grin, Markos says, "You like her."
"Of course I like her,” I answer, my face heating up. “But not in the way you mean.”
"Obviously he doesn’t have feelings for her," she tells him, stiffening visibly.
“You’re wrong,” Markos tells her. “He likes her. I can see it in his eyes.” He laughs, then shakes his finger at me. “I told you! The first day we were here, I said you two would be perfect together. Looks like I was right.”
“You were not right,” I say, rolling my eyes. “I respect her as a professional and as a person. She’s intelligent, has a good work ethic, and happens to be very insightful.”And is also sexy and beautiful and fun…
He smirks. “The more you try to convince me you don’t like her, the more I know you do.”
“I don’t—” I stop myself, realizing he wants me to continue trying to prove my lack of feelings. “You know what? Think what you want,hermano. Your opinion is of no consequence.”
Looking at Carolina, he says, “He likes her.”
Ignoring him, I scoop up more of the sauce with the roti, my cheeks flaming with embarrassment. Apparently my poker face isn’t quite what it used to be.
