Sweet Baklava (21 page)

Amanda tilted her head back and laughed. "Now that's the funniest joke I've ever heard."

"I'm serious."

"As a heart attack?"

Paula looked over at Amanda and winked. "At least. Maybe more."

When they got to Amanda's house, her mother wasn't home. Paula was disappointed, but she didn't want to show it.

"Wanna go back to the shop now?"

Amanda looked out her window and shrugged, but she didn't say anything. Paula had a pretty good idea of how she felt, and she ached for the girl.

When her phone rang, she pulled it out of her handbag. It was Nick.

"Hey. I'm at my parents' house with Amanda's mom."

Paula felt sick to her stomach, but she didn't want Amanda to know, so she took a deep breath before talking to Nick. "I have Amanda. Want us to come there?"

"That's what I was hoping for."

"We're headed there now." Paula flipped her phone shut and turned the car toward Spring Bayou. "Amanda, honey, I want to warn you. We're going to Nick's parents' house."

"So?" Amanda still faced the window.

"Your mother is there with Nick."

Amanda's head snapped around so fast it startled Paula. "What?" she shrieked. "What is she doing there?"

"Don't ask me. Nick just told me she was there, and he wants us to come over."

"I don't want to go to Nick's parents' house."

Paula pulled over again and put the car in park. "Amanda, I know how much you're hurting right now, but you need to take the high road in this relationship with your mother."

"What are you talking about?" Amanda slumped down in the seat as if she could make herself invisible. "My mother hates me."

"She doesn't hate you." Paula pondered what to say then decided to just speak her mind. "I used to think my own mother hated me too, but Nick reminded me that she worked hard to make sure I had a roof over my head and food on the table."

"At least she didn't kick you out."

"No, you're right, she didn't. But
she
ran away a few times."

Amanda turned to face her head-on. "Your mother ran away? Are you serious?"

Paula smiled through the pain she'd dredged up. "Yep. When my mother hit her boiling point, she took off—sometimes for days." Paula forced herself to continue in spite of the sick feeling in her stomach. "When she got back, she acted like she'd never left. I learned to pretend . . . and to take care of myself."

"That's crazy." Amanda frowned. "So what did you do?"

Paula lifted her hands. "I did what any self-respecting teenager would do. I ate cookies for supper and stayed up late on school nights."

Amanda rolled her eyes. "Did she always come back?"

"Yep. And she never even mentioned leaving. It was strange, but I eventually accepted this about her. In fact, if we went more than a couple of months without her taking off, I wondered if I'd done something wrong."

"Your life was crazier than mine is."

"You can say that again." Paula turned back to her steering wheel and put the car in drive. "So let's go see what's going on with your mom and try to make some sense of all this."

"Is that possible?"

Paula hesitated for a moment then shook her head. "Probably not, but we can at least give it a try."

K
ate was having coffee with Ursa Papadopoulos, laughing and chatting. As soon as she looked up and saw Paula and Amanda, her smile turned to a scowl.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, focusing her attention on Paula. "I thought I was just going to see my daughter"

Nick stepped in the door behind Paula and Amanda, and when Paula didn't say anything, he spoke up. "I asked Paula to come in with Amanda. She's been beside your daughter through all this, and I didn't want anyone to forget that."

Kate smoothed the side of her very tight jeans and flipped her hand. "Whatever." Her gaze moved to her daughter, and her lips quivered into a smile. "So you really are smart, huh? Who would've figured?" She extended her hand to her daughter. "You must have gotten your brains from your father."

Amanda tensed, and Paula wanted to reach out and hold her. But she didn't. This was something Amanda needed to deal with—to confront head-on.

Nick stood behind Kate and gestured toward the door. Paula nodded and followed him. He turned and looked over his shoulder. "Coming, Mama?"

She wiped her hands on a dishrag and frowned. "But—"

"Mama, I really need to show you something. Now." The tone of Nick's voice was commanding. His game voice.

Once they were out of the kitchen, Nick's mother shook her head. "I'm not sure it's such a good idea leaving those two alone. Kate is a very bitter woman, and Amanda is such an innocent girl."

"Not so innocent, Mama," Nick reminded her. "Don't forget she stole from Papa and Uncle Arthur . . . and Paula."

"She's just a child."

Paula studied her. What she wouldn't give for a mother like her.

Nick placed his hand on his mother's shoulder and looked her in the eye. "In two years, she'll be a legal adult, and dealing with her demons now might keep her from paying a much bigger price for her actions."

His mother looked at Paula, who nodded her agreement. "I suppose you're right, Son. It's just so hard for me to see something like what's going on in there. You don't think Kate would hurt Amanda, do you?"

"She's already hurt her, Mrs. Papadopoulos," Paula said. "In the worst kind of way."

The older woman pulled her lips between her teeth as her eyes glistened with tears. "I wish there was something I could do."

"Let's see how things work out. Kate did tell Amanda to leave. She says she talks like that all the time but doesn't mean it."

"That's terrible."

"I don't think it's the worst thing in the world," Nick said. "Sometimes people need a break to appreciate the ones they care about."

Seizing the opportunity, Nick's mother smiled and nodded. "I have the bed in the guest room ready. You and Paula can go to her house and help her pack."

Paula was still hung up on Nick's last sentence. Her break from Nick had lasted years.

Nick chuckled. "Mama doesn't miss a beat, does she?"

"You better believe I don't. With kids like you and your brother, I had to stay on top of things."

"And you were very good at it." Nick paused before turning to Paula. "I wonder if Papa would be interested in hiring Amanda to work part-time."

"I don't think so," his mother said. "He's trying to cut back."

"I can probably give her a few hours if she really wants a job," Paula said. "Not many, though, and someone else will have to be there when she works."

Nick nodded. "That's fine. I just thought it would be a good idea for her to have something to look forward to after school, since her mother isn't home."

"Want me to ask her?"

"Let me talk to Kate first," Nick said. "I want her to be okay with it before we bring it up to Amanda."

Mrs. Papadopoulos decided to check on Kate and Amanda. "They might need some food."

Nick suppressed a grin, but Paula couldn't hold back a laugh.

Nick gestured toward the kitchen. "Then you better go find out before they starve to death."

His mother swatted at him with the dishtowel she'd been twisting then headed toward the kitchen. When they heard her clicking her tongue, Paula cast a puzzled glance in Nick's direction.

He smiled. "That's a happy sound. C'mon, let's go see what's going on."

In the kitchen, Paula saw Kate and Amanda smiling at each other. A strange mix of relief and anger flooded her. She was happy to see Amanda smiling, but she knew it was temporary. Kate was too needy to always put Amanda first, so the next time a problem came up, Amanda would have farther to fall.

"Looks like everything is fine now," Nick said.

Kate beamed. "I'm so proud of my daughter. She really is smart."

Nick shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Hey, Kate, can we talk for a minute?"

Kate pointed her thumb toward herself and lifted her overarched eyebrows. "You wanna talk to me?"

He nodded. "Privately."

Paula saw Kate's smirk as she stood up and followed Nick out the door, prissing the whole way. When she looked at Amanda, she saw that the girl was studying her.

"You know my mother thinks Nick is cute," Amanda said.

"A lot of people think Nick's cute," Paula replied, trying hard to keep the sarcasm from her voice.

"Just wanted to make sure you knew that."

"Thanks."

"Any idea what he's talking to her about?"

Paula shrugged. "Maybe, but I don't want to say until they come back."

Nick and Kate were gone for about fifteen minutes, but it seemed a lot longer. Amanda lit up when her mother returned.

"Hey, Amanda, how would you like to earn your own money?" Kate asked.

Amanda looked puzzled. Paula glanced over at Kate and Nick, who both nodded.

"I need someone to help out a few hours a week at the shop, and I wondered if you'd be interested."

Amanda's eyebrows shot up. "You want me to work for you? But—" She looked at her mother then cast her gaze downward.

"Are you gonna take this job or not?" her mother said. "In this economy, I don't see how you can turn something like this down. A good job is hard to find." She forced a shaky grin at Paula then turned back to her daughter with an equally forced stern look. "If you earn your own money, you can buy whatever you want without having to come to me for a handout."

When Amanda looked back up, tears were streaming down her cheeks. Paula wanted to comfort her, but she held back. It was her mother's job.

"Why are you being such a crybaby?" Kate asked. Paula noticed the corners of her mouth twitching into a smile, but she managed to keep it under control. She lifted her hands in mock surrender. "If you don't wanna work, just say so."

"But I do."

Kate rolled her eyes, laughing. "Teenagers." She glanced at Paula. "Are you sure you want to deal with this?"

At that moment, Paula had never been more sure of anything in her life. "Positive. We'll start out with just a couple of afternoons a week, after school. If you like the job, maybe we can give you some Saturday hours."

Amanda's tears quickly dried up, and she broke into a wide grin. "I'm gonna have a job. A real live job."

"Better get used to it," her mother said. "It's something you're gonna have to do for the rest of your life."

Paula cleared her throat. "One thing I'll have to insist on, though, is that you keep your grades up." Since Kate didn't mention it, she figured someone needed to. "You can come right after school and do your homework in the back room before your shift. I'll set up a desk and lamp."

All eyes were on Paula, but she focused on Amanda. "I want to be there when you work your first few shifts. After you get the hang of it, I'll probably have Alexa be your direct supervisor."

They remained in the kitchen chatting for another half hour until Kate looked at her watch. "I better get home. Bill might call."

"Who's Bill?" Nick's mother asked.

"My boss." Kate grinned. "We've been flirting since I started working for him, and he finally got the nerve to ask me out."

"Do you think that's such a good idea?" Mrs. Papadopoulos asked. "What if things go bad? Won't it be hard to work for him?"

Kate shrugged. "There are other jobs." She cackled. "Maybe Paula will think about hiring me."

Not in a million years.
Paula smiled and remained silent. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Nick's lips twitching in amusement.

After Kate and Amanda left, Mrs. Papadopoulos moped around the kitchen, preparing supper. Paula cast a puzzled glance toward Nick.

"What's wrong, Mama?"

"I was looking forward to having a house guest. I miss having young people staying here."

"Michael needs to visit more often with his kids," Nick said.

"That's what I tell him. You'd think St. Petersburg was on the other side of the world, as much as I see him."

"You know how the restaurant business is, Mama. Being the manager of his father-in-law's seafood place is a seven-day-a-week job."

"I know, I know," she said as she closed the oven door. "Maybe I can pull your father away from his sponges for a day so we can go see him."

"That's a great idea," Nick agreed. "When was the last time you and Papa took a drive?"

She shook her head. "It's been a long time."

Paula stood up to leave. "I guess I better get going too."

"Why don't you have supper with us?"

"I have to go to the Senior Center and check on some things, but thanks anyway."

"I'll walk you to your car." Nick placed his hand on the small of Paula's back. "I'll be back in a few minutes to help you set the table, Mama."

Nick had never loved Paula more than he did at that moment. She was always kind to everyone, but it was obvious her heart had grown even bigger.

"Thank you for what you did. Because of you, Amanda has hope."

"No," she corrected him. "Because of God, Amanda has hope." She looked at him with soulful eyes. "Nick, you know what I went through at her age. Without Christ, no telling where I would have wound up."

"Ya know, it's amazing how your mother was the one who brought you to church that first time—and she never went back."

"It was totally a God thing that kept me going."

"Just like when you and I met. Without you, I don't think I'd lean on the Lord like I do."

"Don't give me credit for that, Nick."

"See? That's what I'm talking about."

Paula laughed. "We need to keep praying for Amanda and Kate. I don't think their problem has disappeared as easily as it seems."

"Oh, I'm sure." He rested his arm on her open car door. "Are you working tomorrow?"

She snickered. "What do you think? Alexa has singlehandedly made sure I'll be working my tail off for the rest of my life."

"And you're lovin' it."

"Absolutely. The shop is my dream." She glanced down at the ground then back up at him. "Just like the Air Force is yours."

Nick watched her for a few seconds before tucking his fingers beneath her chin and lifting her face to his. "Paula, I don't know if this is a good time to say it, but I don't care anymore. I love you, and I want to do whatever it takes to be with you."

He felt himself go numb as silence fell between them. Finally, she swallowed and pulled away. "Nick, this isn't a good time to talk about us."

"When is it a good time?"

Her shoulders sagged. "You're going back to Texas soon, so I'm not really sure it's ever a good time."

"I won't accept that. There's still something between us, and you know it as well as I do. We're too old to act like teenagers."

She pulled her lip between her teeth as she met his gaze. Then she lifted her keys and jangled them. "I really need to go now. Why don't you call me and we can get together next weekend or something?"

Nick felt helpless when it came to Paula. On the football field, he'd been in control. With other women practically throwing themselves at him, he knew he could call the shots. But with Paula, the earth constantly shifted beneath him.

"I have a better idea. Why don't we make plans now?" Nick paused then added, "I'll pick you up Saturday around six o'clock, and we'll drive over to Tampa. Wanna go to Bern's Steakhouse?"

She smiled. "Now you're pulling out the big guns."

"I'll do anything it takes, Paula. I just want you back in my life."

"Okay, six o'clock is good, but we don't have to go to Bern's."

"I'll take you wherever you wanna go. Just name the place."

"Bye, Nick. See you Saturday." Without another word, Paula got in her car and pulled away from the curb. He stood there and stared at the street, long after she'd gone.

When he went back inside, his mother clicked her tongue again. "You've lost your touch, Nick. I thought you might convince her to stay for supper."

"My charm never worked all that well with Paula."

"Oh, but I disagree. She was the one who picked you, remember?"

He nodded. "But her technique was different. More intelligent."

"That girl is very smart," Mama agreed. "Don't let her get away."

"We have a date Saturday night. I plan to pull out all the stops."

"Good boy." She pointed toward the cabinet. "Get some water glasses and put them on the table. Your father called and said he's on his way home."