She had offended him in some way without realizing it.
He liked her too much, was afraid of falling in love with her and had made up his mind never to see her again.
He had decided she was not his type.
He had been in a terrible accident and was lying helpless in a hospital somewhere.
He was dead.
When Alexandra could stand it no longer, she telephoned Eve. Alexandra forced herself to make small talk for a full minute before she blurted out, “Eve, you haven’t heard from George Mellis lately, by any chance, have you?”
“Why, no. I thought he was going to call you about dinner.”
“We did have dinner—last week.”
“And you haven’t heard from him since?”
“No.”
“He’s probably busy.”
No one is that busy, Alexandra thought. Aloud she said, “Probably.”
“Forget about George Mellis, darling. There’s a very attractive Canadian I’d like you to meet. He owns an airline and…”
When Eve had hung up, she sat back, smiling. She wished her grandmother could have known how beautifully she had planned everything.
“Hey, what’s eating you?” Alice Koppel asked.
“I’m sorry,” Alexandra replied.
She had been snapping at everyone all morning. It had been two full weeks since she had heard from George Mellis, and Alexandra was angry—not with him, but with herself for not being able to forget him. He owed her nothing. They were strangers who had shared an evening together, and she was acting as though she expected him to marry her, for God’s sake. George Mellis could have any woman in the world. Why on earth would he want her?
Even her grandmother had noticed how irritable she had become. “What’s the matter with you, child? Are they working you too hard at that agency?”
“No, Gran. It’s just that I—I haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
When she did sleep, she had erotic dreams about George Mellis. Damn him! She wished Eve had never introduced him to her.
The call came at the office the following afternoon. “Alex? George Mellis.” As though she didn’t hear that deep voice in her dreams.
“Alex? Are you there?”
“Yes, I’m here.” She was filled with mixed emotions. She did not know whether to laugh or cry. He was a thoughtless, selfish egotist, and she did not care whether she ever saw him again.
“I wanted to call you sooner,” George apologized, “but I just returned from Athens a few minutes ago.”
Alexandra’s heart melted. “You’ve been in Athens?”
“Yes. Remember the evening we had dinner together?”
Alexandra remembered.
“The next morning Steve, my brother, telephoned me—My father had a heart attack.”
“Oh, George!” She felt so guilty for having thought such terrible things about him. “How is he?”
“He’s going to be all right, thank God. But I felt as though I was being torn in pieces. He begged me to come back to Greece and take over the family business.”
“Are you going to?” She was holding her breath.
“No.”
She exhaled.
“I know now that my place is here. There isn’t one day or one hour that’s gone by that I haven’t thought about you. When can I see you?”
Now! “I’m free for dinner this evening.”
He was almost tempted to name another of Alexandra’s favorite restaurants. Instead he said, “Wonderful. Where would you like to dine?”
“Anywhere. I don’t care. Would you like to have dinner at the house?”
“No.” He was not ready to meet Kate yet. Whatever you do, stay away from Kate Blackwell for now. She’s your biggest obstacle. “I’ll pick you up at eight o’clock,” George told her.
Alexandra hung up, kissed Alice Koppel, Vince Barnes and Marty Bergheimer and said, “I’m off to the hairdresser. I’ll see you all tomorrow.”
They watched her race out of the office.
“It’s a man,” Alice Koppel said.
They had dinner at Maxwell’s Plum. A captain led them past the crowded horseshoe bar near the front door and up the stairs to the dining room. They ordered.
“Did you think about me while I was away?” George asked.
“Yes.” She felt she had to be completely honest with this man—this man who was so open, so vulnerable. “When I didn’t hear from you, I thought something terrible might have happened. I—I got panicky. I don’t think I could have stood it another day.”