Alexander Karas. Sous Chef. Ambrosia Café.
Thessaloniki
“Are you coming?”
The question sounded like it wasn’t the first time being asked, and Miles realized Alexander must have come back to check on him.
Alexander. Alex. He was totally an Alex. Miles could feel it.
He shoved the card in his front pocket and turned to face the man he was sure he was connected to by so much more than a name now.
“Yeah. Sorry. I’m, uh, gonna head up front for a bit and see my friends. See you in a few?”
Alex smiled. “I’ll save your seat.”
And without another word, he sat back down as Miles did his best not to look like he was rushing to Maggie—but he needed two questions answered, and she would know the first one.
He found her lounging against the window next to her seat, a sleeping Griffin resting his head on her shoulder.
“You look…rumpled,” Maggie said. “You never look rumpled.” She narrowed her eyes. “What were you doing, Miles Parker?”
He shook his head a little too violently, but fuck, she didn’t know how important this was.
“Mags…what’s the name of Elaina’s family’s restaurant?”
She pursed her lips and squinted her eyes.
“You know how much I suck at restaurant names, sweetie. They kind of get filed as unnecessary in the short-term memory department. I can ask Griffin when he wakes up.”
“Hey, what am I? Invisible?”
Miles turned to where he swore Jordan was sleeping just seconds ago.
“Ambrosia,” she said. “Ambrosia Café.”
Question number two—would Miles and Alex be able to leave the plane as strangers, safe from seeing each other again? The odds weren’t looking good.
Maybe it was a good thing the lavatory door wasn’t properly locked and things ended before they went too far.
He knew what Maggie would say if he explained. She’d call it serendipity, say it was meant to be just like when she met Griffin. But serendipity didn’t apply to him, even if knowing Alex’s name only made him want to know more. What would be the point in getting to know a man who lived thousands of miles away? What good would it do to even consider what someone like Alex would think about someone like him?
He didn’t know the answers to those questions, only that they were pushing through all the barriers he’d spent so long constructing.
One thing was for sure. Miles was screwed.
Chapter Nine
Griffin
When the seat-belt sign finally turned off, everyone stood and stretched. Griffin popped open the overhead bin, but he waited for Noah to take down his and Jordan’s bags before retrieving Maggie’s and his own. Noah gave him a tired half smile, acknowledgment that the truce was still in place, and Griffin let out a long breath.
It was still hard for Griffin to see the change in himself since Aberdeen. Waking up next to Maggie every day was a good reminder. So was going to a job that paid him barely enough to live on yet fulfilled him more than he could have imagined. Being offered the fellowship—he still couldn’t wrap his brain around that. And he still hadn’t told Maggie.
“You okay, Fancy Pants?”
Griffin snapped out of his daze to find both hands gripping the frame of the carry-on bin, yet he hadn’t made a move to actually bring their bags down to their seats. He grabbed Maggie’s first and handed it to her.
“Sorry. Just jet-lagged, I guess.” He slung his bag over his shoulder and across his torso. Then he pulled Maggie close¸ burying his face in her hair as he kissed the top of her head. “And I should be the one checking in on you.”
The passengers in front of them began to move, so Maggie didn’t have a chance to respond. Instead, she threaded her fingers through Griffin’s as they exited the plane, single file. Once out in the open air of the gate, the four of them stopped and waited for Miles. He walked off the jet bridge a few minutes later. But as Miles veered from the stream of passengers who were heading straight to baggage claim, the guy behind him followed him over to the group.
“Hey, guys,” Miles said, and Griffin cleared his throat, nodding just past Miles’s shoulder.
They all watched him turn toward the man who put his hand on Miles’s neck, pulled his head close, and whispered something in his ear.
“I know,” Miles said, loud enough for all of them to hear.
“Miles, sweetie,” Maggie said. “You gonna introduce us to your friend?”
Griffin watched the muscle in Miles’s jaw clench. He was no stranger to that almost inconspicuous tic; it was especially prevalent when Griffin first met Maggie and Miles regarded him as a threat to her happiness—and rightfully so. They were friends now, and Griffin knew the tension Miles was trying to hide was not meant for Maggie.
“Miles,” the stranger said, a grin spreading across his face. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Miles.” And then he kissed him, nodded to the group, and left the five of them standing there, jaws on the floor.
Miles grabbed his rolling carry-on. “Shall we?” he asked, and strode past them all.
They stood at the baggage carousel waiting for the final bag of the group—Jordan’s suitcase.
“It’s because it probably exploded,” she joked.
“Oh shit,” Griffin said as Jordan’s bag finally made its way around. As soon as he’d taken his phone off airplane mode, a voicemail had popped up. He listened to it now.
“What?” she asked him.
“What’s up?” Noah echoed.
“Have either of you turned on your phones yet?”
Jordan and Noah both retrieved their phones, her from her purse and Noah from his pocket.
“Oh shit,” Noah said when he looked at his screen.
“Shit is right,” Jordan replied as she listened to her voicemail that Griffin was sure was from Elaina.
“What’s going on?” Maggie asked.
Miles joined in. “Am I missing something?”
“Duncan’s missing,” Jordan said. “Elaina thinks he’s standing her up.”
Noah shook his head. “I don’t think he is.”
“Me, either,” said Griffin.
Noah handed Jordan his phone so she could read the text.
I’m in the Athens airport. Need your help.
Then Griffin handed her his, letting her listen to his voicemail.
“Oi, mate. I’m in a right mess at the moment and was hoping you could help. Athens airport, security holding cell number one. I owe ya one. I’ll explain when you get here. If you get here. Shite, can you get here?”
Jordan gave the phone back to Griffin, and he glanced at Noah, who nodded in silent agreement.
“Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?” Miles asked. “I’d kind of like in on the drama.”
Maggie grabbed his hand. “You gonna tell us about that kiss? Because—hello? Drama?”
Miles rolled his eyes, and Jordan spoke up.
“Duncan is missing, but he’s not standing Elaina up. He’s in some kind of trouble in the Athens airport.”
Griffin kissed Maggie on the cheek and then bit his lip before speaking.
“And Noah and I need to go get him.”
His heart sank as he watched Maggie’s eyes widen.
“You’re leaving?” she asked, and Griffin understood the fear in her voice. Maggie was in a strange place with people she barely knew.
Jordan grabbed Maggie’s free hand. “I’ll take good care of her, Griff. You guys just take care of each other.”
“You’re cool if we go?” Noah asked, and Jordan nodded.
“Of course. I just don’t get why he didn’t call Elaina. Her first couple of messages were really frantic, but then the last two were eerily calm, saying stuff about accepting his choice but wanting him to see what he’s missing.”