Sweet Baklava Read Online Free PDF

divorce. Her father made a few feeble attempts to contact her, but her mom was so angry he gave up. He could have tried harder.
    Paula understood both sides, which made it especially diffi- cult, since she lived with her mother, who took one low-paying job after another whenever someone offered her a quarter-anhour raise. She kept talking about how she'd be rich one day and buy the car of her dreams and wear the finest clothes— clothes that didn't come from thrift stores or sale racks.
    She closed the photo album and placed it on top of the sideboard before turning around and closing her eyes. This had been an emotionally charged day—one she'd remember forever.
    Seeing Nick was both good and bad. He looked great— better than ever, in fact. And based on the way he looked at her and some of the things he said, he felt the same way about her. Her mother said she glowed whenever she was with Nick. Until they met, Paula never saw herself as pretty, but his soft, caressing gaze made her feel like she'd just been crowned Miss Alabama State Fair.
    The sound of the doorbell jolted her back to the moment. She leaned forward and looked through the peephole. What was he doing here? It hadn't even been an hour since she left Nick's homecoming party. With all her "spies" in the Papadopoulos family, someone should have called and warned her.
    After unbolting the lock, she flung the door open. He stood there grinning at her, a flower in one hand and a small pastry box in the other. "Hi."
    "Hi yourself." She took a step back and gestured toward the room. "Wanna come in?"
    "Sure, if that's okay." For the first time in their history, he seemed tentative as he stepped forward. "Your place looks nice. Very you."
    "Of course it's me. I live here." She paused. "Alone."
    "Yes, I knew that." He shuffled for a moment before thrusting the flower toward her. "I hope you still like white roses."
    Paula took it and smiled. "Love 'em. Thanks." She glanced down at the box in his other hand. "Did you bring me something to eat?"
    A playful grin spread over his lips. "Yeah, I sort of remembered the way to your heart—with the help of Aunt Ophelia that is. And I pulled you away before you had a chance to eat your favorite dessert." He held out the box.
    "Baklava! You brought baklava!"
    Nick belted out a belly laugh. "Some things haven't changed."
    "Not when it comes to dessert. Let me go stick this in the fridge."
    He feigned a hurt look. "You're not going to ask me to join you for dessert?"
    "Oops. Sorry. Want some baklava?"
    Folding his arms, he shook his head. "Not a chance. No way will I come between a woman and her baklava."
    "Your mama didn't raise a fool."
    As he followed her to the kitchen, he glanced around at her décor. "I recognize a few of these things from your mom's place. How's she doing?"
    Paula shrugged. "Fine, I guess." She opened the refrigerator and moved some items to make room for the prize in her hands. "I don't see her much now that she's remarried."
    "How about your dad? Is he still in Alabama?"
    "Are you kidding?" Paula straightened and looked Nick in the eye. "He's not going anywhere. That man's not about to leave his grits."
    "He can get grits here."
    She shook her head. "It's not the same. Daddy always told me he loves the South, and in his mind Florida is not the South. It's a relocation camp for Yankees."
    Nick burst out in laughter. "He has an excellent point. How about you?"
    "I like it here. Obviously." She leaned back against the counter and tilted her head. "So now that you've buttered me up with a flower and baklava, wanna tell me what you're doing here?"
    "You still don't mince words, do you?"
    "Why should I? Do you want me to be like everyone else?"
    "No, one of the things I like about you is your directness."
    "Okay, so when are you going to give me the same courtesy?"
    Nick hooked his thumbs in his belt loops and glanced at the floor before looking her in the eye. "I wanted to talk about some things that have been