The Ex (18+ Only) [COMPLETED]

EPILOGUE: In Which She Trades in Her Last Name

EPILOGUE: In Which She Trades in Her Last Name

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 The man standing before me was a shadow of his former self. He looked sick with worry, his usually olive complexion pallid. I’d noticed the weight loss, the way he constantly looked ready to tear his own hair out – if he had any – but hadn’t said anything until now.

“OK, Petro – what’s her name and does she know you’re in love with her?” I fired at him, placing my hands on my hips and looked him over again.

Petro’s face turned redder than the terracotta floor that made up the balcony. “I don’t know what you mean, Francesca.”

Just then, a girlish laugh rang out from inside the dining area and Petro turned to the open sliding door, a wistful expression on his face. Oh, yeah, Petro had it bad for Yaya’s nurse.

Kon ambled out the door, a bottle of sunscreen in hand. He jerked his head at one of the chaise longues. “You want to fry your ass in that bikini, Frankie?”

I grinned back at him, sitting at the chair he’d gestured at, and within seconds, he was sitting behind me, massaging sunscreen onto my back. Petro was trying to make a quick escape when my words stopped him.

“Petro here has a crush on Diana.”

Konstantin let out a bark of laughter at his best friend’s obvious discomfort, his body vibrating against mine. “A crush, Petro?”

“No,” he said vehemently, “I simply…enjoy her company.”

“Careful there,” warned Kon, his hands rubbing circles on my shoulder blades. “Frankie will be planning your wedding by the time you’re done explaining how much you enjoy her company.”

I rolled my eyes although he couldn’t see them. Shielding my eyes from the sun, I looked up at the man I too considered a close friend. “You’re almost forty, right?” He nodded an affirmative. “Well, Diana told me she’s thirty-five and tired of young men who don’t know what they want. If you want her, ask her out, Petro.”

“Just make sure Yaya doesn’t end up the third wheel on your first date,” Kon advised, on the verge of laughter. “She’s sly like that.”

“I think it’s so cute that you like her but come on, she’s been on the island for over a year now. Make a move.”

“Isn’t that what you advised us once upon a time?”Kon added, running his hands over my legs I shivered.

“Are you two quite finished now?” said Petro, and it was remarkable to notice that his entire head, bald top and all, was completely crimson. “I have work to do. You know, Kon, work that you pay me to do.”

Chuckling, Kon waved him off and Petro all but sprinted back into the house, eager to escape us.

“Do you think he likes her because she’s so gorgeous or because he’s actually talked to her and thinks she’s fun?” I asked Kon, curious. In all the years I’d known his right-hand man, Petro had never once expressed interest in anyone.

 “May I remind you that it wasn’t my remarkable intelligence you fell in love with, Mrs. Kouriakis?” was Kon’s teasing reply.

“Oh? What was it, then?” I leaned back into him and the chaise-longue squeaked under our combined weight.

“We both know what it was.” His lips nipped my earlobe.

“Your ability to change a diaper without making a face or throwing up?” I threw back at him.