The Corner Booth (26 page)

CHAPTER 52

It was almost closing time at the pizzeria. Tony was on his cell phone but waved to Cassie as she stepped through the door to the restaurant. With a smile, Cassie waved back and slid into the corner booth. Today was the first day that she had actually felt hungry, and she wanted to celebrate by eating Tony’s cooking. He had been trying for weeks to get her to eat, but anything that passed her lips made her feel sick to her stomach. Not seeing Sakis for a month had taken its toll on her body. She had done pretty much anything to try to get him out of her head and heart: going into work early and staying late, joining a gym and exercising her brains out. Emily and Sean tried their best to distract her too, but they both had their own very busy lives. Cassie knew at some point she would need to snap out of her depression. It was the only way she could move on. She never told Emily or Sean about the last conversation she had with Sakis and Stephan, only that the relationship was over in a big way. She wished the hurting would stop.

“Hey beautiful!” Tony slid in the booth next to Cassie. She looked different today. Better. No longer did she have that glazed, haunted look in her eyes. He hoped this was her turning point. “Hungry?”

“Am I ever, Tony. This was the only place I wanted to come.”

Waving to the help, a plate of hot food was placed in front of her within minutes. Cassie inhaled deeply.

“Thanks, Tony.”

“Feeling better then?”

Nodding her head, Cassie dug into the food with gusto. What little fog remained in her head evaporated the second the food made its way to her stomach. She could only eat a quarter of the food, but it was enough to actually make her feel normal again. She knew Tony was waiting for her to talk, and tonight she was ready. He had been so patient and caring over the weeks. In the beginning, she would sit and cry. He said nothing. After a couple of weeks, they made small talk and not once did he ask. So many times she had wanted to ask him whether Sakis ever came in, but then decided not to. It didn’t matter anymore. She was so grateful for Tony’s friendship. She really wanted him to know that.

“I can’t thank you enough for letting me just come and hang here, Tony. You have been great, but I know it couldn’t have been easy without knowing what was going on.”

Tony nodded, relieved that she seemed in control again of her life. “It was obvious you were in pain. Do you want to talk about it?”

Swallowing hard, she fought back the tears that hovered behind her eyes, refusing to cry anymore. “I just felt that it was time to end my relationship with Sakis.” Glancing at Tony, she sighed heavily. “But you knew that already.”

“He told me that you left the day after your fight. I think he expected it to be a short-term separation.” Tony wasn’t sure how much he should share of their conversation with Cassie. His loyalty to both of them was strong, but even he had a hard time not only watching her waste away, but watching his longtime friend become more despondent. He had never in his life seen two people more suited yet unsuited for each other. Sakis had not told him of the exact conversation.

“He is supposed to marry someone else. I couldn’t believe it. Weird. It wasn’t even as if we had talked about marriage, but when he mentioned it, it dawned on me that somewhere deep inside, I had hoped it was me who would be a part of his life.”

Reaching for her hand, Tony struggled for words of encouragement, but he had none. Sakis’s promise to marry Alejandra had happened before they had even left Greece for America. It was a promise that he knew his friend intended to keep. To not would shame his family.

“The bond of a promise can be strong shackles. I know it does not help you to hear this, but Sakis does not marry her for love, but to keep an oath that was made between two very powerful families. He had often spoken of his marriage, hoping that he would eventually love his bride. But now, seeing him with you…I am not sure that would even be possible.”

“Yet, they will still marry?” Cassie felt deflated.

Tony wanted to give her a shred of hope, but he cared for her too much. “There is no other solution. Even if Alejandra were to go to her family and tell them that she doesn’t want to go through with the wedding, the family would force her or there would be serious repercussions. I am so sorry, Cassie.”

Smiling wistfully at Tony, she shrugged. “Go figure, the one person I had to fall in love with I can’t have. Lesson learned.”

The bells above the door jangled loudly in the now empty restaurant. Tony didn’t even turn; he knew immediately who had entered. He only prayed silently that Cassie would forgive him for making the phone call.

Wide-eyed, Cassie searched his face. “Why?”

“Because you both need closure, one way or the other.” Sliding out of the booth, he didn’t even look at Sakis but went to the back to clean up from the day.

Sakis stood at the end of the table, drinking in her face with his eyes.
God, how he missed her in his life.
“May I?” He pointed to the booth, waiting for the nod before he slid in next to her. Placing his arm on the back of the booth, he was careful not to touch her.

“You are too thin, Cassandra,” he stated worriedly.

“I haven’t been very hungry lately, Sakis.” She looked at him directly. She had worked too hard this past month trying to forget him to let her guard down now.

“I have missed you.”

Anger flashed for a brief moment, before she tucked it deep inside her.

“Okay.”

Sakis frowned. She wasn’t going to make any of this easy. “I want you to come back to me, Cassandra. Please.”

“Sakis, there is nothing there for me.”

“There is me!”

“That is a lovely picture you are painting: you, your wife, and your mistress. Yeah, I don’t think so.”

Sakis knew it wasn’t fair, but he needed her back. His life without Cassandra stretched out bleakly before him. It was a thought that he wouldn’t even consider, even if he had to beg. “What if I worked to find a way out of my obligation? Would you reconsider?”

“Are you being serious right now, Sakis?” she whispered, not believing what she was hearing. Her heart leaped in her chest.

Reaching for her hand, Sakis entwined his fingers with hers, relieved when she didn’t attempt to pull away. “I love you. I can’t breathe without you. My life has lost all meaning. I know it is not fair to ask you to wait, but yes, I am being more than serious than I have been with anything in my whole life.”

Cassie couldn’t even believe that she was contemplating going back to their relationship. But if truth be told, she had already thought about compromising her own values to return to him. Here, he was offering her love on her terms.

Sakis knew she was conflicted. The fact that she hadn’t shut him down immediately allowed a spark of hope to ignite. He didn’t want her to feel pressured to answer. “Consider, at least, what I am asking. I cannot expect more than that tonight.”

“Can we go someplace to talk?” she asked softly. Cassie didn’t want him to leave just yet.

“Of course. Why don’t we go back to my place?” He laughed at her expression. “Talking only. I promise.”

Smiling, she appreciated the fact that both of them could find the humor in the situation they found themselves in.

“Stephan can drive—”

Cassie cut Sakis off in midsentence. “I will meet you there. I prefer to have my own car. Thank you anyways.” Cassie was giving in to the hope she felt in her heart that maybe they had a chance, but with the reality of how tenacious their relationship was, she needed the control of having her own vehicle, allowing her the opportunity to leave without being at the disposal of anyone.

Sakis nodded and smiled. “We will see you soon then?”

Tony waited until Sakis and Stephan left before he walked over to Cassie. He was proud of her. Kissing her on both cheeks, he squeezed her shoulders. “Stick to your guns, but follow your heart. I truly hope it works out for both of you.”

Laughing, Cassie looked up at her friend. “I was under the assumption that you didn’t approve of my relationship. I am going to assume that you have changed your mind?”

“You, my dear, are probably the only one on this planet who could convince the devil to return to heaven and beg forgiveness. He has changed since meeting you, for the better. I want that to continue. Come back soon. I cannot wait to hear how this turned out.”

CHAPTER 53

Stephan barely pulled away from the pizzeria when his phone vibrated against his hip. Missing the first call, he frowned at the caller ID. It was from one of the men who worked the security detail at the front gate. He didn’t have the opportunity to return the call before his phone rang again. This time it was Phil.

Punching the button, he listened as Phil almost frantically relayed the current crisis.

“What is it, Stephanous?” Sakis asked from the backseat of the car.

“Alejandra and her family have arrived at the house. Phil is asking for permission to let them enter. Were you expecting them?”

Cursing, Sakis slapped the seat in front of him. “No! Of course, you would have been the first to know. Tell Phil to let them through and that we are moments away.”

“Cassandra?”

“I will try to contact her.” After several tries, and his calls going directly to voicemail, he finally accepted that her phone had been shut off.

_______

Cassie’s mind raced as she made her way to Sakis’s home. She was still unsure of what she was going to say, or even how she was going to say it, but she wanted him to know that she would work with him on making their relationship work. It felt as if a thousand butterflies were let loose in her stomach as she pulled up next to the guard’s gate. She smiled as she recognized the face that walked to her window.

The guard didn’t seem to be in as good of a mood. “Good evening, Miss Oliver.”

“Good evening. Sakis is expecting me.”

After a quick call on his phone, he nodded for her to move forward as the gate slowly swung open. Cassie was shocked to see so many cars in the driveway, with drivers milling around. Sakis had not mentioned that he had company. Walking to the front door, she hesitated, unsure whether she should knock or just walk in before she decided to enter without any notice.

She heard voices coming from the kitchen, but a voice from the stairs called out to her.

“Excuse me? Who are you that you would enter without ringing the doorbell?”

Startled, Cassie turned towards the voice that was now making its way down the stairs. The woman was stunning. Her long black hair was braided but some kind of gold cord was woven into the braid. She was dressed casually in black slacks and a flowing white top, but having been around Sakis, she knew that each piece was expensive and of the best quality. Gold bangles clinked softly on her wrists, matching the gold drops in her ears. Her makeup was impeccable, her skin flawless and right now, her look of irritation reminded Cassie so much of Jennifer. She disliked the stranger immediately.

“Are you deaf or dumb? I asked you a question.”

“Alejandra!” Sakis’s voice ripped through the air.

Cassie stared curiously at Alejandra, unfazed by the woman’s comments. She had already filed her in the internal junk file because of her comment, which meant that she could not emotionally touch Cassie. Instead, she smiled at Sakis’s future bride and held out her hand in greeting.

“Hi, my name is Cassandra. Nice to meet you.”

Alejandra stared down at the offered hand and refused to return the greeting. Instead, she turned to Sakis, whose face darkened from the blatant snub. Cassie could tell he was uncomfortable with the whole situation. She could also tell that he was just as shocked to find Alejandra at his home as she was. “I am so sorry, Sakis. I was worried that someone had broken in and I was trying to prevent something from being stolen.” Her voice was sugar sweet and innocent. Her arm wrapped around his elbow, she continued. “I didn’t realize that you now allowed strays to just wander in off the street.”

Cassie wanted to laugh at the way Sakis tried to hold it together. Stephanous stood in the corner, silently observing everything around him, including Alejandra’s family, who had made their way from the kitchen to the foyer to see what the commotion was all about. Cassie figured that this was obviously not going to be the evening that she and Sakis would speak about their possible future together.

Wanting to help get him off the hook, she turned back to Alejandra. “I apologize. I just stopped by to see my boyfriend.” Turning slowly, she saw Sakis stiffen out of the corner of her eye. Smiling at Stephan, she made her way to him. “Do you have a few moments to chat, honey? Or maybe I should come back at a better time?”

Stephan smiled down at Cassie and gripped her arm before he glanced at Sakis, who waved them out the door. The relief was palpable from both men.

“By all means, take as much time as you need.”

CHAPTER 54

Laughing hysterically at the open-mouthed expressions from her two best friends, Cassie shook her head. “I wish you guys could see your faces right now.”

Sean spoke first. “I can’t believe you held it together so well. I would have turned around the moment I realized who she was. I want to be you when I grow up, for sure.”

Slapping Sean, Emily leaned forward. “Shut up, you! I want to hear what happened next.”

“Well, not much really. Stephan walked me to my car, told me how proud he was of me for handling the situation so gracefully, gave me a peck on the cheek and told me that they would be in touch soon.” Reaching for her drink, she leaned back in her chair. “That was a week ago,” she stated softly. “In fairness, I have talked to Sakis maybe three times this week, but he sounded incredibly distracted. With a house full of people, I am not surprised.”

Reaching for the bottle in the middle of the table, Sean refilled their drinks. “What happens now?” he asked curiously.

“I wait, again, I guess. There really isn’t anything left to do but that.” Putting on a brave face, she smiled. “If it was meant to be, it will happen.” She raised her glass and smiled at her friend. “Enough of my drama and stories. I want to propose a toast to my wonderful Sean and new buddy Ryan on their engagement. Who would have thought that the bachelor for life could actually be getting tied down, and way before me, it seems?”

_______

In Chestnut Hill, Sakis could not get Cassie out of his mind. She had been so good on the phone whenever he spoke with her. Listening to him apologize over and over again had to be getting old. As much as he hated showing up at his house only to find rooms filled with uninvited guests, it afforded him the opportunity to get to know Alejandra better. From the little bit that he was seeing, the only word he could describe her with was crazy. Her family was no better, constantly feeding into her hysteria. Even now, stepping out of the shower, he could hear her raging from the other room. The shouts became frantic enough to cause him to hurriedly throw on some clothes to see what the fuss was about. He didn’t have far to travel. A small crowd had gathered in the hallway outside of his bedroom; all were trying to get a glimpse into the spare bedroom, the same room that Cassie used to occupy.

Pushing through the crowd, he stared, shocked, as Stephan tried to reason with her as she slashed Cassie’s clothes that hung in the closet. There was not one piece of fabric that was spared from her anger.

“I will not have that whore’s wardrobe in my new home. I can’t believe that he allowed it to remain here.”

“Alejandra, please give me the knife before you hurt yourself. I will make sure that all of these items are removed.” Stephan patiently held his hand out.

“You can have the knife when I am done!”

“Alejandra!” All eyes turned to watch as Sakis stepped farther into the room. He was beyond furious. “Give Stephan the knife, right this instant.”

Everyone waited with bated breath. It looked as if she wanted to drive it into Sakis. Screaming loudly, she drove it into the closet door instead, where it quivered from the force. Stephan quickly removed it from the wood before he shepherded everyone out of the room. Closing the door to shut out the prying eyes, he glanced warily at Alejandra to make sure that she wasn’t going to attack Sakis. He swore that there was something seriously wrong with her mentally. Right now, she was calm, sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs crossed casually, as if the raging scene had never happened.

Agitated, Sakis ran his fingers through his hair. “Alejandra, why are you being this way? This is not the woman I grew up with in Greece.”

Alejandra stared at him coolly. “We were babies then. I hate to break it to you but life continued after you left, Sakis. I grew up. You have called once a month since we said goodbye all of those years ago and have only come back home four times. Yet, there I sat languishing all alone, waiting patiently for the call saying that it was time. Now, I am here and you go out every night. I am never invited past a certain time. I know you are meeting your whore. I will not tolerate it! We are to be married. Do you have any idea what I have had to give up so that we could keep our promise to our families? Everything! I have given up everything.” She looked as if she were going to lose control again.

“If that is the cause of all of this stress, then let us call off the marriage.”

Alejandra started to wail and rocked back and forth. “You are trying to ruin me. Ruin my reputation.”

Sakis looked at Stephan for help. Shaking his head, Sakis realized that further conversation with her tonight would be no use. As he headed for the door, he knew that they really needed to sort everything out. The more time he spent with Alejandra, the more he knew that he could never marry her. “We will continue this discussion tomorrow, when you have had time to calm down.”

Alejandra wiped at the tears and watched as he walked away. “That would be wonderful, Sakis. Thank you.” She smiled at his retreating back.

To Stephan, that smile gave him gooseflesh. It never quite reached the Greek woman’s eyes.