“Oooh, how?”
“How, what?” Darcey checked her shopping list once more. They walked towards the vegetables section.
“How did they put him on the spot? Come on, it’s me, Luis. You tell me everything.” He stopped and did a dramatic turn with his feet to look at Darcey straight in the eyes. The turn almost looked like a ballerina’s pirouette.
She laughed at the sight of her graceful friend and grazed her hands on the fresh produce, picking a head of lettuce with the intent of studying it closely. “They asked him if he loved children.” She placed the vegetables in her cart and grabbed some parsnips and potatoes. “And mum told him that he would be my type, the same thing mum says to every single straight male friend that I have!” Darcey shuddered at the memory of her mum’s embarrassing comments to Nathan.
“Oh, I thought you had juicier details than that--like an experience with Mr. Cromwell, something that could make you blush.” Luis rolled his eyes in mock boredom. He turned his attention to the eggplants on display. They were apparently more interesting than Darcey’s story.
She remembered the kiss under the mistletoe. Her face turned as red as the tomato she was holding. Luis looked up after discovering none of the aubergine on display was good enough for his palate and Darcey wasn’t able to escape his scrutiny.
“Spill,” he demanded, waving a stalk of celery at her.
“You know my grandparents had their Christmas decors up as early as October, right? And…“ She hesitated, not really wanting to make a big deal about the kiss under the mistletoe.
Luis’ eyebrows rose and she surrendered. “There was mistletoe and we kissed. It wasn’t a big deal.”
He dropped the stalk of vegetable he was holding. It rolled to the feet of an old woman who looked up at Darcey and Luis with annoyance written on her face.
Luis chuckled. “Really, then why are you blushing?”
“Shush, I am not blushing.” Darcey pushed the cart, hoping to escape the old lady’s disapproving glances. “Trisha wanted lamb. Will that be OK with you?”
“No, we’re having beef, I had Moroccan lamb last night.”
Luis always had a way to convince the two girls without being bossy or manipulative. Well, he could be both but he was doubly lovable as he was bossy and manipulative.
“All right then,” Darcey replied. They made their way to the meat section. Darcey started to scope the meats on the shelves. “What type of steak or beef would you like?”
“Grade A, fresh meat, cut lean, mean and sexy.” His comment confused her. “What?” She laughed and was about to tease him when she looked up and realised Luis was staring at someone. Her gaze followed suit. The object of Luis’ attention was in his full glory, dressed in a tight shirt and sweatpants.
The tall man turned around, it was as if he knew people were eyeing him from behind. Darcey gasped. It was Dimitri, damp from what seemed like a sweaty workout session. His handsome unshaven face held a huge smile.
“Darcey, it’s good to bump into you!”
“Hello, Dimitri. You shop here, too?” The fluorescent lights in the store did nothing to downgrade his gorgeous face.
“Of course, this is the closest grocery to our flat.”
Stupid question, she thought to herself.
Luis, adding two and two together and realizing the beautiful figure before them could very well be Darcey’s Superman, extended his hand. “By the way, I’m Luis. It seems Darcey left her manners at the zebra crossing. And you are…?” Luis was excellent at pretending he had no idea what was going on when it suited the situation.
“Hi, I’m Dimitri, Darcey’s neighbour.” He looked down at the two friend’s shopping cart. “I see you guys shopped a lot.”
“Yeah, I’m making Sunday roast,” Darcey said.
“Maybe you’d like to join us,” Luis added as he shot her a cheeky grin.
“Really? Are you sure that would be fine?” Dimitri directed his question at Darcey.
As much as Darcey would rather spend time with her friends, she didn’t want to be rude towards Dimitri, ambush invitation from Luis or none. “That would fine. We’d love to have your over. Come around two. And you’re not a vegetarian, right?”
Dimitri raised an arm and flexed his muscles. “I need protein.” He winked at her.
Darcey laughed. Luis looked at Dimitri as if he was staring at a Hollywood star. The Greek bid them both goodbye and walked away.
“What a hunk! Darcey, I want to move in your building, too. None of my neighbours is even close to that. I think I’m going to lose the bet to Trisha.”
“Come on, it’s not set on stone. He could just be another one of those dates I’ve had that turns out to be nothing.”
Luis poked her ribs. “You know, you’re so wrapped up in your romantic world, one day when you’re single and ugly you’ll have no one else to blame but yourself.”
She knew Luis was teasing but the words hurt. That could very well be her future, a lonely and long existence full of regret. The fact that her heart no longer fluttered at the sight of Dimitri did make her wonder. The idea of being Lois Lane was no longer appealing.
“I guess you’re right.” She sighed, sadness filling her chest.
*****
Later at Darcey’s flat, Trisha opened a bottle of rose while Luis was busy arranging flowers Trisha brought over.
“You guys both behave when he gets here, understood?” Darcey wagged a French baton at her friends, her tone serious.
Taking a sip of her rose and inhaling, Trisha shrugged her shoulders, not saying a word. She wasn’t promising anything and Darcey had to accept that.
“Trisha, oh my gosh. He looks like a Greek Mark Whalberg, you know? And when he smiles, that’s it, I thought I died and went to heaven.” Luis rarely gushed this much over a guy’s looks, typically considering his taste too sophisticated, but Dimitri was no ordinary hunk.
“Luis, what is the friendship motto?” Darcey tapped his head with the baton, hard enough for it to make a sound and bring a scowl on her friend’s face
“Thou shall not lust over your friend’s boyfriend,“ Luis said, rubbing his head. “Calm down, Lois Lane. It’s just a little crush and I am human with human feelings! And besides, Nick is more my type, you know.”
“Yes, I remember how you wished you were Darcey when you first met Nick.” Trisha chuckled, shaking her head at the sight of her two mates behaving like teenagers.
A knock rapped on the door. “I’ll go get that, Darcey. You freshen up and Luis can finish setting the table,” Trisha ordered.
Darcey set the table with Luis. She heard Trisha introduce herself to the guest. Several seconds later Darcey saw Dimitri walk towards her and Luis. He looked freshly shaven and wore jeans with a crisp white polo shirt. His hair was slightly damp from a shower. Superman held a bottle of what looked like very expensive red wine and a bouquet of red roses.
“Make yourself at home.” Darcey smiled.
“Wow, smells good.” Dimitri gave Darcey a soft peck on both cheeks and handed her his gifts.
“Thank you, you really shouldn’t have.” Darcey brought the flowers up to her nose. The sweet gesture made her swoon, happy to know he still had ways to affect her.
As Trisha passed Darcey on her way to the kitchen, she whispered to Darcey, “I have seen him somewhere but I can’t quite place where.”
Darcey shrugged. Maybe her friend was mistaking Dimitri for another really hot Greek in London.
As soon as the table was set, Darcey invited everyone to sit. She went to take the meat out of the oven. Part of her ungloved hand touched a very hot part of the tray.
“Ouch!” she screamed and quickly placed the tray on the kitchen counter.
Dimitri stood up and grabbed her hand to look at it. “Where’s your first aid kit?”
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” Her face looked anything but fine. The burn was making her wince.
“Darcey?” Dimitri shook his
head, a determined look on his face. She pointed at the cabinet located right above him. He took the medical kit down and quickly found plasters and a skin ointment inside. He placed the burn ointment on the affected area carefully.
“Does it hurt? There, there.” His voice was soft and Darcey immediately felt relief on her skin. Her tense body started to relax.
Both her friends were clearly enjoying the public display of affection from the dining table. Trisha and Luis were grinning from ear to ear. After Dimitri was done dealing with the small burn, they all began eating and enjoying the feast.
Dimitri took a generous helping of potatoes and poured gravy all over his plate. After taking a bite of the succulent roast, he couldn’t help sing praises. “This is delicious, Darcey, I didn’t know you’re such a good cook.”
“She’s a domesticated goddess, you know, trained under a Le Cordon Bleu chef,” Luis supplied the information.
Trisha gave him a warning look. “So, Dimitri, which part of Greece are you from?”
“Athens, but sometimes I spend time in Mykonos and Santorini as well as I have family there.”
“Greece must be paradise. Sadly, I’ve never been,” Darcey said.
“Well, Darcey, you need not ask. I would take you anytime but I’m sure my parents would assume we would be getting married. I’ve never taken a girl home.” He laughed.
She didn’t join in his laughter. Her thoughts were elsewhere.
Luis chuckled. “Then your parents are just like hers. Lucky for you she hasn’t brought you home yet.”
Darcey shot him a look that made him choke on his wine. She noticed Trisha was studying Dimitri’s face intently.
“Dimitri, what’s your last name? I didn’t think you said it earlier,” Trish said.
“You didn’t tell me yours either. Lady’s first.” His tone was light and teasing.
“Trisha James,” came the reply without any hesitation.
“Luis Santander,” the other friend added. Mr. Santander took a sip of his wine and slowly placed the glass down. Everyone was suddenly quiet, waiting for Dimitri to reply.
“It’s Stenolakis.”
Trisha and Luis looked at each other. Darcey felt confused. She didn’t know what to make of the tension hanging in the air. “Come on guys, is this the first day of class where we go around the table and introduce ourselves? Hi, I’m Darcey Vaughn and I am your neighbour.” She chuckled nervously and took a gulp of wine.
“Stenolakis, as in Stenolakis Shipping?” Trisha asked.
“Stenolakis, as in Stenolakis wine, that wine you brought?” It was Luis turn to interrogate the very embarrassed looking Dimitri.
Darcey had a bewildered look on her face while Dimitri turned a deep shade of red. He looked like a schoolboy who was being punished by the headmistress for pulling some prank on the teacher.
“Yes, that might be the case,” Dimitri mumbled after several seconds of stark silence around the table.
Darcey grabbed her wine glass once more and took a huge slug, emptying the entire glass.
Chapter 13
As Darcey’s tasks at work became harder and more demanding, she skipped a lot of her jogging and hadn’t seen Dimitri since that fateful Sunday dinner. Lucky for her, taking care of Carmen made her workload bearable. The little girl always had something funny or smart to say.
“Darcey, what do you want to be when you grow up?” Carmen asked while she was colouring a book.
“Carmen, I am all grown up.”
“What did you want to be, other than working for mummy? We had career day today. A fireman came, a doctor, a lawyer, a zoologist and an actor.” Carmen mentioned the name of one of the student’s dad, a famous actor. This came as no surprise to Darcey as Carmen’s school was full of students who come from very wealthy and famous families.
“Well, I wanted to be a writer, but maybe I wasn’t good enough.” Darcey took a sip of tea. Conversations about her career never failed to fill her chest with anxiety.
“Is that why you’re not married?” Carmen grabbed a different crayon from a box.
The child’s question intrigued her. “Carmen, being married and becoming something for work don’t really go hand in hand. There are people who marry and don’t work at the career they want. And there are people who are successful yet stay unmarried.”
The little girl nodded, like she fully understood what Darcey was telling her.
“So, Carmen, tell me about Gregory. What’s going on with that?”
Carmen shrugged, her eyes and fingers focused on the pony she was colouring. “Oh, he’s got a girlfriend--Lucille.”
“Oh, that’s too bad.” Darcey felt guilty for asking about the little girl’s crush.
“It’s ok, I am only five. Lucille’s my friend, too, but she gave Gregory a card during recess and it had a heart on it.” She took a biscuit from a tray on her table and nibbled on it.
“And you’re fine with that?” Darcey couldn’t help but chuckle. Children could be so adorable.
“Yes, Gregory is my best friend and I’m happy when he is. I wish mummy and daddy would let each other be happy, too.”
Darcey’s smiled widened. She was so amazed at the wisdom found in the little five-year-old’s head. She placed her hand on Carmen’s soft cheeks. “Why are you so cute?”
Carmen gave her a confident smile and said, “I was born this way.”
*****
Later that evening, Darcey took Carmen’s brother, Max, to the Chelsea match. She asked Nathan to meet them at the venue after she got him a ticket through her boss’ husband. She wanted to take Nathan out as a token of appreciation for coming to her granddad’s birthday party.
After the driver dropped her and Max off, Darcey walked to the stadium’s entrance. She saw Nathan waiting by the front gate. He was wearing a white shirt, a sports coat, jeans and a Chelsea scarf that matched Max’s. The sight of him gave her a wave of warm feelings, feelings so pleasant she couldn’t help but smile widely as soon as he saw her.
“Max, this is my friend Nathan. Nathan, this is Max.” The boy gave Nathan a nod. Nathan held Darcey’s eyes, he looked as happy to see her as she felt. She looked down, afraid she was going to start blushing.
The trio joined the crowd of fans inside the football arena and Nathan started asking Max about football.
“Oh really, you’re part of the Chelsea Academy?” Nathan had a sincere look of admiration in his eyes as he looked at the younger boy, explaining to Max how he was a big football fan himself.
The nervous look on Max’s face faded away. “I really wish we beat Arsenal tonight. They’re a tough team to beat. I want Chelsea to win the Champions league.”
They proceed to walk into the area where they could pick up Mr. Leighton’s hospitality tickets.
“I’m going to grab some beer and a hotdog. What would you like some,
Darcey? Max?” Nathan asked.
“I would like water. I’m rather parched and maybe a hotdog as well. Mustard and a little bit of ketchup, please.” Darcey smiled at him.
“I’ll have a coke.” Max answered. “I had a big dinner and Darcey brought me a chocolate bar.” The young boy held up the Snickers bar Darcey brought him.
Nathan came back a few minutes later, drinks and hotdogs in hand. They found their seats without any trouble and Darcey sat between the two guys. Fans of Arsenals were screaming , “Go, Gunners!”
Max screamed, “Come on, Chelsea Blues!”
The game was fast-paced. Max got upset when one of his favourite players received a red card. “Come, on! We need him,” he yelled.
Darcey took a bite of her hotdog. She wasn’t much of a football fan but the crowd and being in the stadium full of excited energy gave her an adrenaline rush. She leaned towards Nathan. “You know, I really am not a big football fan but I must admit I’m having fun.”
Nathan stared at her with amusement in his eyes. He took a clean tissue out of a plastic bag from the hotdog stand, reac
hed over and dabbed ketchup from her lips. The act made Darcey jerk back a little. To Darcey’s surprise, Nathan picked up her hand in his and held it. He gave her a shy smile and turned his eyes back to the game. Max was too engrossed with the game to notice them.
Chelsea eventually won 1-0 against Arsenal, thanks to a free kick from one of the top players. Max and Nathan gave each other a high five. The three of them stood up and walked out as soon as the game was over, trying to beat the crowd. Max was to be picked up by a driver right by the stadium entrance.
Be Mine This Christmas: A Lovers in London Book Page 11
