That's Amore! - Janelle Denison [37]
Her father.
"Damn." Nick leapt away and Efi jumped from the table and back into her jeans at the same time, both of them frantically putting themselves back together. If the thought of her mother seeing her in a compromising position was horrifying, having her father walk in…
Efi couldn't even bear to think of it.
She stared wide-eyed as Nick gave her a hard, fast kiss. "I'm going out the back. I'll see you later."
Efi gave him a shove. The door had barely shut behind him when she was swinging to face her father opening the other door.
She smiled at him, hoping she didn't look too flushed or flustered. "Papa. I wasn't expecting you in today."
Efi blinked. If she hadn't been expecting him in today, she certainly wasn't prepared for the person he'd brought with him. She stared at her younger cousin Phoebus, who had always been on the thin side and wore clothes that were much too big for him.
Her father put his arm over his shoulders, dwarfing the smaller man. "I figured now would be as good a time as any to bring Phoebus in to have a look around the place."
Efi's hormones were still running overtime. Especially since Nick had circled the block of buildings and popped up outside the front window, waving at her from over her oblivious father's shoulder.
"I'm not following you," she said to her father. "I thought Diana was going to fill in for me while I'm on my honeymoon."
Diana was her sister, younger than her by a year.
"She is, she is." He patted Phoebus's shoulder hard enough that her cousin winced. "Phoebus is going to be your permanent replacement."
A timer went off in the kitchen behind her, seeming to call an end not only to the cooking time of the koulourakia, but to her career as well.
"Pardon me?"
Her father had the good grace to look a little sheepish. "Your mama told me you might have a problem with the … how did she put it? Transition. Yes, transition."
"Transition into what?" Efi couldn't stop herself from asking.
"Marriage, of course. Is that something I smell burning?"
Marriage…
Was her father implying that once she and Nick were married this Sunday, she would no longer be working at the shop?
Yes, she realized, he was.
And that something burning was going to be her in two seconds flat unless he retracted his statement.
Her father mumbled something under his breath as he went back into the kitchen to save the cookies.
Efi took the opportunity to smile at her cousin, then take his arm and lead him to the door. "Thanks so much for stopping by, Phoebus, but my father's a little confused right now. It's an age thing, you know."
Her cousin nodded. "Tell me about it. My grandmother sprinkled sugar instead of salt on the salad last night. Worse, she didn't even seem to notice, saying it was the best salad she'd ever made." He skidded to a halt just inside the door. "Does this mean your father doesn't need me?"
Efi stopped herself from patting him on the head. "That's exactly what it means. Diana will fill in for me until I get back from my honeymoon."
"And then?"
And then what? she felt the urge to scream. "And then I'll be returning here myself."
"But…"
Efi opened the door, then nearly shoved him through it.
"Thanks again, Phoebus. Give your family my best, won't you? I trust we'll see you all at the wedding?"
She closed the door before he had a chance to respond and turned in time to watch her father storm through the kitchen door.
"Burned. Every last one of them."
At that moment Efi couldn't have cared less if half the shop burned to the ground.
"Where's Phoebus?" he asked.
"On his way home. Where he's going to stay."
"What did you go and do that for? I wanted you to show him some of the ropes before you leave."
"There's no need to show him the ropes, because I'm not leaving."
Her words seemed to take a minute to sink in. When her father's own personal lightbulb finally went off, the expression on his beefy, lovable face turned from confused to exasperated.
"Efi, you're getting married."
"Yes, I'm getting married. I'm gaining a husband, not losing