“Kousina Sofia.”
“Your grandmother’s name.” Her eyes lifted to his face once more.
“That’s right. Sophie’s Kitchen.”
“She’ll be overjoyed.”
One black brow lifted expressively. “You believe in the afterlife?”
“Don’t you?”
“Yes. As a matter of fact I do.”
Reese was enjoying their exchange too much. “So…how will you fulfill your dreams to run a busy restaurant and balance your acting career at the same time?”
He closed the cover of the looseleaf binder before flashing her a piercing glance. “No one told you yet?”
She frowned. “Told me what?”
“I didn’t renew my contract. I’ve left the show, just like you.”
Alex had left the show?
“Today was my last day, too.” He answered the question she hadn’t voiced yet because she was so stunned.
“Your news has to be this year’s best kept secret-” she blurted.
“That surprises me. Usually everything leaks out.”
“Not this time!”
She took a deep breath while she tried to sort through this new development. Except that what he did or didn’t do was no longer supposed to be of any consequence to her. He was in love with someone else!
“What are the writers going to do about Fabio?”
“As I told you earlier today, he’ll go back to the monastery. Melissa will manage to infiltrate, believing she is torturing Fabio. But when he finally removes his hood, she’ll discover she’s been harassing the wrong monk.
“He’ll tell her Fabio has gone, and no one knows where he went.” Alex spread his hands. “That’s as much as Stan would tell me.”
Reese started to laugh. “Oh, boy. I can’t wait to watch when she hears the news.”
Alex chuckled. “I can’t either. Leah’s the best at being the worst.”
Though they shared an amusing moment, Reese was dying inside. He wouldn’t be on the show anymore. From here on out the woman who loved him and had the right to love him would claim his undivided attention.
It was still too much for her to process all at once. She had dozens more questions to ask, not knowing where to start first.
“H-how soon do you expect to open for business?” she stammered.
“Two months. Hopefully six weeks, but that would probably be pushing it.”
“I see. Are you going to live in Malibu, or commute from Culver City?” Her aunt had contacted a friend who’d helped him find a good apartment there.
“That depends on a variety of factors. I’ll worry about it later. Right now my main concern is to get this place ready. I’m of two minds how to treat the windows. I’ve known you quite a while and have discovered we have similar tastes in a lot of things. I’d like your opinion.”
“But I’m not Greek!”
“You’re a woman with a woman’s instincts for what works.”
“What does your girlfriend think?”
“I’m asking
“That sounds very contemporary.”
“It would be a concession for those tourists who’ve come from all over the world to visit Malibu and eat by the water.”
“That’s true. But I thought the whole idea was to reproduce your grandparents’ Greek villa.”
“It is.”
She frowned. “Don’t you see that the great charm of their home lies in the small-paned windows peeking out from plants and flowers growing all around?”
“Then much of the ocean view would be shut out.”
“They’ll get the view coming and going from your place. But when I think of Greece, I imagine an inn that’s a little darker on the inside. You know. Cozy and intimate. Take a look at this one picture.”
She reached for the looseleaf binder and opened it to the page she wanted him to see. “It’s so delightful to discover this adorable patio room partially hidden by all the greenery.
“That’s the secret of a place like this. You feel like you’ve come across this rare treasure suddenly. The element of surprise causes you to forget what’s outside. You want to go in and shut out the world for a little while. The small-paned windows give it the feel of an enchanted cottage.”
“Enchanted is an interesting choice of word.”
“People love to be transported by the atmosphere when they dine out. If I were you, I’d reproduce every square inch of their wonderful house. Let your guests get a real taste of what it’s like to eat in Sophie’s kitchen.”
“So you believe my idea will work?”
“You don’t need me to tell you that. After they leave your restaurant, they’ll savor the memory of it while they watch the ocean on their way to wherever they’re going.
“As for the locals, they live next to the water. They see it every day and crave a different ambience while they eat. I think I’d be a lot more concerned about finding me the best landscape artist there is to make your slice of Greek living look exactly like it does here.”
“That’s the next item on my agenda.”
“You shouldn’t have any trouble finding a good one. California’s nurseries are the best! They have everything you’ll need to make this authentic. Dad and Mom had one of the most beautiful yards in our neighborhood where I grew up.”
“Did you help?”
“Yes. My parents might have been workaholics, but when they took time off, they were outside weeding and making the garden more beautiful. I spent hours with them going to nurseries looking for the right plants and ground cover.
“If you let a professional study these photographs, I know you could make this one of the most sought after dining spots in Cali-”
Reese stopped talking because it had just dawned on her she’d been babbling on enthusiastically for the last couple of minutes. Alex couldn’t have gotten a word in if he’d wanted to. A smile lurked around his lips. She felt like an idiot.
“Sorry, Alex. I got carried away. When you asked for my opinion, you didn’t know you were going to be treated to a full-blown lecture.”
His hand reached across the table to cover hers. He squeezed gently before letting it go again, but the warmth of his touch remained.
“After playing opposite the timid Carly, who was always fearful of letting herself go, it’s refreshing to be with Reese Bringhurst, whose zest for life is contagious. Your instinctive response was exactly what I needed to hear. I happen to agree with you about everything you said.”
“I’m glad. What you’re going to achieve here will automatically guarantee you success.”
His white smile turned her heart over. “A majority of two. That’s all I’ve been waiting for to go full speed ahead with the rest of my plans. Come on.” He got up from the table and came around to help her. “Let’s make use of the rest of this day and find me a landscape artist.”
He took the looseleaf binder from the table and tucked it under his free arm. “After we’re through with our business, I’ll take you to dinner as my way of saying thank you for your input.
“I know a place near the Santa Monica Pier that fixes the best mahimahi you ever tasted. I remember how much you and Lilian liked it when the cast ate at that seafood restaurant in Laguna.”
Alex kept astonishing her with what he knew and remembered about her and her aunt. For him to go to this much trouble to help her get through this difficult day, he truly must have felt indebted to Lilian.
But since Alex was in love with someone else, Reese decided that their going out to dinner together was the wrong thing to do for everyone concerned.
