Finding Refuge by Lucy Francis Page A

pulled into the driveway. He surprised her by climbing out of the
truck and walking with her to the passenger door, opening it and handing her up
into the truck. His manners were impeccable, even when they were being totally
casual and just friends.
    “Is it safe to assume you want to be down in the valley? Or,
up here where the living is great but the commute’s a pain in the ass?” he
asked as they drove toward the canyon interstate.
    “If I manage to find work in Park City or Heber, I can
always move, but I think chances are higher I’ll end up somewhere along the
Wasatch Front.”
    He glanced at her. “So, centrally located for now.”
    “That’s what I was thinking.”
    He grinned. “I think I know just the place. Well, a couple
of them in the same general area. Nice, safe, lots of shopping and restaurants
nearby, good freeway access.”
    She shifted in her seat to face him. “Perfect. You read my
mind.”
    “I try. Need to stop by the office first for a minute, if
that’s okay.”
    “Sure.” That could be interesting. She learned a lot about
people from observing their workspace. Their personalities, what they loved, a
lot of their idiosyncrasies showed up on cubicle walls, desks, and computer
desktops.
    Travis’s gaze flicked to meet hers, then back to the road.
“How’s your day been?”
    “Busy. Let’s see.” She ticked items on her fingers. “I have
movers arriving Tuesday afternoon with my storage unit worth of belongings. Got
the job search underway. And for that added bit of extra excitement, I talked
to my mother.”
    His brows lifted and he shot her a curious look. “Sounds
like things are tense there.”
    Tense? Oh, yeah. “It’s complicated. I love my mother, I do,
and she can be really wonderful sometimes. But she’s opinionated and a bit on
the volatile side. She’s clinging harder to heritage and tradition the older
she gets, so I’m never sure how she’s going to react to things. Today she was
in a good mood, so I survived telling her I’m staying in Utah.”
    He chuckled. “Parents. What are you going to do with them?”
    “Exactly. I had to promise I’d get involved with the Greek
community here. We have such a small family in this country that the community
has always been the replacement for cousins. I think she’s afraid all the
ethnicity will drain out of me if I’m not surrounded by people who can pour
more in.”
    “Sounds like my dad and his emphasis on family ties. We’ve
had huge gatherings with aunts and uncles and cousins several times a year
since I was a kid, and attendance is mandatory. Good thing I like most of my
cousins.”
    “How big are these gatherings?”
    “The Miceli side of the family, my mother’s, is fairly
small, but on the Holt side, I have three aunts, four uncles, their spouses,
thirty-six cousins, most of whom are married now. And then there’s the herd of
children, my second-cousins. We’re flirting with twenty of those already, and
it’s just going to get worse as we get older.”
    Andri’s mouth dropped. “Are you sure you’re not Greek?
Sounds like our trips to see Ma’s family in Corfu.”
    “It’s a madhouse. You’d think the craziness would get to my
dad and he wouldn’t want to host family parties anymore, but I can’t even get
him to slow down at work, let alone unwind on the family thing.” He paused, and
a shadow flickered across his face. “I’m worried about him. He hasn’t felt very
well the last few weeks, but getting him to the doctor is next to impossible.”
    That sounded familiar, but she certainly wasn’t going to say
so. No sense inviting trouble. Her father was never fond of going to the
doctor, either, and it had ended badly. She wouldn’t wish that on anyone else.
    When they reached the construction company headquarters,
Andri went in with him. The doors opened into a large, airy space, with dark
gray stone floors and pale blue walls accented with gray wood and frosted glass
tiles. A few doors