Total pages in book: 14
Estimated words: 13270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 66(@200wpm)___ 53(@250wpm)___ 44(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 13270 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 66(@200wpm)___ 53(@250wpm)___ 44(@300wpm)
Maybe he’s not a cowboy, but he’s something else entirely. George is huge: at least six four with broad shoulders, strong arms, and long, powerful legs. What’s more, he’s wearing a sharply cut suit instead of the grungy plaid shirts and ripped-up jeans that my mom’s boyfriends usually sport.
“Um hi,” I say, my heart stuttering. “I’m Kayla. Nice to meet you.”
George’s smile is amused, and maybe even a little imperious.
“Likewise,” he says in a deep, smooth voice. “George Pappanapolis.”
I gape at him. Pappa what?
He chuckles, seeing my confusion.
“I’m Greek,” he says with a hint of a foreign accent. “I grew up in Europe, but came to practice medicine in the United States because of the incredible technology you have here. The research hospitals alone are a draw, with their wealth of resources and incredible amounts of money. You should be proud to be American,” he says to me. “You have access to the latest medical technologies.”
My cheeks flare.
“Oh, um,” I say like a dimwit. “I guess I never thought of that.”
Oh god. I’m not an idiot, and yet I certainly feel like one right now. I should be more up-to-date with current events but there’s just too much going on, and the medical landscape changes constantly. When Obamacare was put in place, I was already confused. Then the government set up the health exchanges, and now they’re trying to rollback Obamacare, of all things. It’s a constantly shifting sea, and to be honest, I can’t keep up.
“Yes, I’m glad to be American,” I repeat again, hanging my head like a nitwit. “So you’re from Greece?”
Oh no, why did I say that? He just told me he’s Greek, so of course he’s from Greece. I wish the ground would open up and swallow me just about now.
George merely laughs, throwing back his head to show off pearly white teeth. Wow, this guy looks like a movie star, and not a doctor at all. His skin is bronzed like many men from the Mediterranean, and he has dark black hair but also ice blue eyes. It’s a devastating mix, and I bet he’s got so many women after him.
So why is he with my mom? Yes, Victoria is hot but she’s about forty and getting raggedy around the edges with her too-harsh make-up and bleached blonde hair. He could get someone twenty years younger, at least. He could get any woman, of any age, come to think of it.
George merely laughs.
“Yes, I’m from Greece,” he acknowledges. “Where the gods sit on Mount Olympus to tell jokes while acting petty.”
It’s my turn to giggle. I know a bit about Greek mythology and I’ve always loved how Greek gods bicker like children.
“I know,” I say. “I especially like Dionysus because he’s half-man, half-goat, and likes to drink wine. Who wouldn’t want to be like him?”
At that, my mom steps in.
“What do you know about drinking wine, Kayla?” she sniffs. “One, you’re too young, and two, the stuff you and your friends have tasted is probably the cheap liquor. The drinks I serve my patrons at the casino is real high-class alcohol, and I know you haven’t had that.”
I roll my eyes a little. Victoria loves me, but she’s a space case. My mom is so out of it that I bet if you asked her right now, she’d have no idea what grade I’m in.
“Mom, they had some wine at Jerry Cohen’s bar mitzvah a couple years back,” I say glibly. “I tasted it there.”
Of course, I’ve had more than the wine at Jerry’s bar mitzvah, but clearly, this isn’t the place to clue her in.
“Oh that stuff!” Victoria says with a little wave of her hand. “Please, that’s not real drinking.”
I roll my eyes subtly. Plenty of kids at Jerry’s bar mitzvah got tipsy from the spiked punch, but I guess Victoria wasn’t aware of that. Anyways, I don’t want to think about paunchy Jerry Cohen and his bar mitzvah right now. I want to find out about my mom’s new boyfriend. Why is George with her again? He’s insanely gorgeous and those blue eyes make me go hot all over as he laughs.
“So how did you meet?” I ask, trying not to seem to curious. I’m sure it was on a dating site because that’s how my mom meets a lot of her boyfriends. But instead, Victoria surprises me.
“Well, we only just met today,” she says. “I served him a drink at the bar, and we got to talking.”
I squint a bit.
“Only today?” I ask dumbly.
George interjects then.
“Yes, and I was swept away by this woman’s beauty,” he says. “We got to talking and realized that we had a lot in common, which is why I proposed to Victoria,” he said, lifting her left hand to show a dazzling sparkler on her ring finger.