store number four, the first store we opened on the mainland.”
“So you’re a convenience store owner! Where are stores one through three?”
“On Paxos. My brother and I started our own chain years ago. They’ve spread throughout Greece.”
“Now you’re forcing me to guess.” She eyed him with an impish expression. “Do you have as many as a hundred perchance?”
“We reached the hundred mark in Thessalonika.”
Zoe gulped. “You weren’t kidding, were you? Does your chain spread as far as Florina?”
“Farther, but it might interest you to know we have a store in Kozani. It’s not far from the home of your ancestors.”
She’d just been teasing, but he’d come back with an answer that filled her with awe. “So how many stores do you have altogether? Wait—don’t answer that question.” Heat filled her cheeks. “I’m being rude to pry. Forgive me.”
“I don’t mind. 2001, including the one we recently opened in Crete.”
Zoe had tried to imagine the kind of money it took to run both centers. Now that she knew what kind of wealth was behind the foundation, she was blown away by the generosity of these men. “You really are perfect,” she whispered.
“You have a lot to learn,” he quipped, making her smile.
By now the limousine had turned down an alley and stopped at the side of a big complex. He got out with her bag and came around to help her. He had a remote on his key chain that opened the door to an elevator. They rode it to the top. When the door opened, she entered a glassed-in penthouse where she welcomed the air conditioning.
“If you’ll come with me, I’ll show you to the guest bedroom.” She followed him through a hallway to a room with a fabulous view of Athens.
“What an incredible vista! Am I the luckiest woman in the world to sleep here tonight or what? You’re far too good to me.”
“We do this for business people who come to be interviewed for store manager positions.”
“But I’m not exactly the kind of business person that generates a profit for you. I promise I’ll do my best to help the patients at the hospital.”
“I have no doubt of it.” He put her overnight bag on the floor. “The en-suite bathroom is through that door. This area of the penthouse is all yours until we leave for Paxos. Now I’m sure you want to freshen up and relax, but first let me show you the kitchen.”
She walked down the hallway to the other part of the penthouse with him. “There’s food and drink waiting for you if you’re hungry. Please help yourself to anything you want while I go down to the office and check in. If you need me, just phone me, but I won’t be long. After lunch we can go shopping if you’re up to it.”
“Thank you, Kyrie Giannopoulos.” He was beyond kind and so many other things she’d lost count.
“Call me Vasso.”
She smiled. “I’m Zoe.”
He’d removed his sunglasses. “Zoe Zachos. Has anyone ever called you ZZ?”
Another laugh broke from her. He had a bit of an imp in him. “No. You’re the first.”
She felt the warmth from his black eyes long after he’d left the penthouse. Before doing anything else she walked over to the windows in the living room. The site of the Acropolis seemed as surreal as the whole experience of meeting Vasso Giannopoulos for the first time.
He had to be a very busy man, yet he’d taken time out to interview her himself. His insight about the emotions she would experience by moving to Greece revealed he was a man of empathy and compassion. Because of his goodness, her life was already being transformed.
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