The Greek's Angel

By Jessica Lloyd

Julia Lockett thinks her life is on a perfect path toward happily-ever-after when she discovers her fiancé in bed with another woman. Determined to put Jake in her rearview mirror, now all she has to do is learn to trust herself again. Unfortunately, it may be harder than she thinks to tear down her walls and let someone in again.

Alek Spiro is a Greek immigrant and soon-to-be attorney who has grown tired of blind dates and cheating lovers. When he inadvertently collides with Julia one afternoon outside a restaurant, Alek is immediately captivated by her green eyes. After they murmur apologies and part ways, he has no idea that days later she cannot seem to forget him either. When they are reunited again through a friend, their undeniable connection leads them to pursue a relationship. But when a chain of events upends Julia’s life, she may need Alek in more ways than she ever realized.

The Greek’s Angel is the story of a young woman who must overcome her troublesome past in order to love again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Aug 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781716805592

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Lloyd

Copyright © 2020 Jessica Lloyd.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored,

or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical,

or electronic—without written permission of the author, except in the

case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized

reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents,

organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products

of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

ISBN: 978-1-7168-0560-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-7168-0559-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020911916

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date:   07/01/2020

Prologue

Julia

Tonight will be the night. I flush as I turn my truck into Jake’s driveway and let my imagination work overtime on what will happen in less than an hour. Jake and I have been together for three years, and we still haven’t gone all the way. Still a virgin, I was planning to wait until my wedding night, but something came over me. I felt that this was the right time to give myself to him. There were a handful of moments where we almost …, but I would always stop us from going too far. He says he understands how I feel, but he is still a guy.

I park behind Jake’s silver truck and quickly hop down from my own. After closing the door with a soft click, I quickly check my reflection in the side mirror to make sure everything still looks good. I’m nervous. Wearing my favorite black jeans and a dark green button-down, I left the top few buttons undone to allow for a view of the V-neck, black tank underneath, hoping to show the perfect amount of curves to make Jake’s mouth go dry.

I’ve got this. I try to steady my breathing as I make my way up the path, pushing the door open slowly to avoid the familiar creaking. Jake is notorious for not locking his doors. I sent him a text earlier today to let him know that I needed to see him, and we agreed to have an early date night in.

Immediately, I know something isn’t right. He normally has every light in the house on, but tonight there was only a faint glow from the television in the living room. There are two empty wineglasses on the coffee table and a blanket in a heap on the floor.

On autopilot, I turn and walk toward his room. My heart is beginning to hammer in my chest.

Jake? I whisper.

I can see the light on through the crack in the door, and I freeze at the sound of a soft giggle emanating from the open space. As I reach the end of the hall, I push open the door and see my suspicions are confirmed. Jake’s bare back flexes as a delicate moan erupts from beneath him.

When I finally find my voice, I’m so disappointed that I can only think to say, How could you?

Jake’s back goes rigid, and he rolls to his side, eyes widening as he spies me in the doorway.

The slender blonde next to him scrambles to sit up, clutching the sheet to cover her bare chest. The woman sneers at me, Who the hell are you? She rolls her eyes, looks at her bedmate, and says, Jake, I didn’t sign on for a threesome.

Tiffany, Jake says.

Astonishment flickers across my face, and I speak directly to him. Three years together. This is what you do? I thought you actually loved me. Shaking my head, I can’t think. I guess sex is what you truly want. Nothing else matters to you as long as you’re getting laid. I pull off the engagement ring and fling it across the room. Hearing it ping in the wastebasket, I spit out my words like venom. Since you prefer a three-cent whore over something that’s real, I know I won’t be needing that

I turn on my heel and head outside. The sound of Tiffany cursing is muffled by a panicked Jake. He seems to be struggling to pull on a pair of jeans.

Out of breath, he rushes up behind me.

I can hear his footsteps, and I stop and turn.

He takes this as his cue to speak. Jules, I’m sorry. It means … she means nothing to me. With feigned frustration, he rubs the back of his neck. We were both down at Murphey’s, drinking and playing pool. We started taking a shot per ball we sunk … one thing led to another, and somehow, we ended up back here. Jules, wait!

I’ve had enough of his lies and turn to walk away.

He grabs my arm. Jules, wait!

I jerk my arm away and round on him again. "Are you insane? You told me you were staying home because you have work in the morning. That we could even have an early night in together. You knew I was coming over. This thing with her was not an all-of-a-sudden thing. I try to stop the tears from falling by taking a few deep breaths. I should have listened to everyone who warned me. Honestly, I had more faith in you … in us. I see my faith was misplaced. The sad thing is I came here to surprise you with exactly what Tiffany was just doing." So, many emotions pass, and I don’t know which one to grasp. Anger. Hurt. Embarrassment.

Jules …

Don’t, Jake. Please. I’m done with the lies. Go back inside. I make a motion between us. "This is over. Go have your fun with your new toy." I yank open my door, nearly knocking him over, and climb in without looking back.

I slam the door, start the truck, throw it into gear, and back out of his driveway—and out of his life for good.

On the way home, I let the tears flow freely. When I am unable to listen to my own breathing anymore, I flip on the radio to an old country station and roll down the windows to drown out my sobs with a steel guitar.

I pull into the parking lot outside of the apartment I share with my best friend Amber and slowly make my way home. The windows are dark. Maybe she’s not home, and I can put off her probing questions until tomorrow. Once I’m through the door, I shut it, sink down against it, and pull my knees up to my chest. I drop my head into my lap and let out a long sigh.

Jules? You’re back early. Was it any …? Amber stops in front of me. It’s not long before I feel her hand on my hair. Her chipper voice takes on an all-too-familiar motherly tone. Hey, what’s wrong, sweetie? Are you crying?

Yes. No. My choked sobs come out muffled against my knees. God, I just want to crawl into a hole and never come out.

Amber sits down beside me, drops an arm over my shoulders, and rests her head against mine. She lets her free hand brush my tangled, windswept hair to one side. You’re home early, crying, and you haven’t made it past the front door. With as long as it took you to straighten that mess you call hair, you wouldn’t have let it get messed up by just the wind. So, what happened?

Ignoring the question, I lift my head and wipe away the tears. I need a drink. Something hard.

Amber shakes her head with vigor. Oh no, you don’t. We aren’t going back down that road. She grabs my arms, likely assuming I would run off to find that drink. How about I make us some herbal tea, and you can tell Momma Amber all about what happened? She stands, pulling me up with her.

Leading me to one of the bar stools, she sets about making the tea. Knowing there’s no way to get anything past her, I tell her everything, including the look on the chick’s face when I called her a three-cent whore and how Jake looked panicked when I told him we were through. By the time I finish, she has made us both a cup of hot tea and dug out a pint of mint chocolate ice cream. I let out a small bark of laughter.

What? Now you’re laughing? Geez, and they say I’m bipolar. Amber rolls her eyes.

I shrug, shoot her a look, and stare down at my cup. Nothing. Just not how I imagined my night ending.

Amber grabs my hand. Sweetie, forget that douche canoe. If he’s going to do something like that to you, then it means you weren’t worth anything to him. I know it hurts to hear, but even you know it’s the truth. She shakes her head and meets my gaze. Now let’s take our tea and ice cream to the living room and watch some cartoons because now we both need a good laugh, whatcha say?

At my nod, we head to the living room. Plopping down on the couch, Amber turns on the television and flips to some old cartoons I haven’t seen since our childhood. She knows the best way to cheer me up is with cartoons. She has been my very best friend since we were thirteen. She had a rough childhood and was taken from her real parents and placed with a foster mom at nine. A few months later, a nice family, the Kimbells, adopted her. They had moved to North Texas right before her thirteenth birthday. I’m thankful they did.

We were living in Houston when my dad received a promotion and moved us to the same area. I was lonely and friendless. We were invited to the end-of-the-summer pool party and met the Kimbell family. Amber and I became instant friends. With everything that has happened, I don’t know where I would be without her.

She hands me one of the fluffy blankets, and before long, we have polished off our tea and ice cream. The memory of Jake in the arms of another woman disappears—for now at least.

Glyph.psd

1

Julia

I’m rudely awakened by the ungrateful morning sun shining through my bedroom window. I guess I forgot to close my curtains before falling into bed last night after I got home from work. As I slowly stretch and roll away, trying to avoid the light, the memories of that night come flooding back—just as they have been for almost a month now. The image of Jake in bed with that woman brings the threat of new tears. Until now, I thought they had gone.

I’m pulled from my reverie by a soft knock on my bedroom door.

Julia? You awake, sweetie? Amber’s voice is low enough that I almost don’t hear her. Your mom is on the phone.

Great. I have been trying to avoid her calls since that fateful night—and I had been succeeding until this moment. My mother is a sweet, caring woman, and I love her, but the one thing I don’t need this morning is the I told you so speech. She never liked Jake and always says he reminds her of a snake. Of course, any man other than my stepdad does.

Got it, I mutter, reaching for the landline beside my bed. Hey. I still feel a bit groggy.

Julia? Honey, how have you been? I haven’t been able to talk to you for weeks. Her voice is soft and gentle.

Mom, I’m fine … I promise. I have just been working long hours and crashing as soon as I get home. I can already tell where the conversation is going. I pin the phone between my head and shoulder, readjust myself to a sitting position, and lean against the headboard.

Honey, you don’t need to work yourself to death. It isn’t good for you. Her voice holds that motherly tone I know all too well.

Mom, please don’t start. Sighing, I know my whining makes me sound like I’m a little girl again, but I just don’t want to hear it first thing. I’m not feeling too well. And I need coffee. I rub my temples, pleading with the stabbing pain of a fast-approaching headache to go away.

What’s wrong, sweetie? You know you can talk to me. And there’s her attempt to sweet-talk the issue out of me.

Oh, it’s nothing. I ignore Amber standing in my doorway and glaring at me.

Well, I just wanted to call and invite you to lunch. Ben and I will be in town this afternoon and really want see you. That sounds more like a demand than a request. As much as I want to protest, I agree only because I know she won’t hear it.

We say our goodbyes and hang up. I take my time, hoping to avoid the questions I know Amber will bombard me with. When I finally look up, my best friend is still staring at me from my doorway.

You still haven’t told her, have you?

I flop back on the bed and roll my eyes at her. Leave it to Amber. And tell her what? That she was right about Jake all along? I roll onto my stomach and bury my head under my pillow. I feel the bed dip beside me, and Amber’s hand gently tugs away the offensive object.

Jules. She rests her head on top of mine, and we stay that way for a long moment. I know he wasn’t there during … but when you two had worked things out, I thought he had gotten his shit together and was going to be the man you needed. The man you deserve. I know it hurts. And I wish like hell I could make it better.

I feel the tears begin to slide down my cheeks, only to be soaked up by the sheets my face was buried in. Letting out a deep, resigned sigh, I try to rein