didn’t mix business with pleasure. No matter how much he enjoyed being with her, he would never overstep the bounds of employer-employee. He still didn’t understand the impulse that had caused him to issue the invitation. He was glad he had, however. If only to enjoy her pleasure in the simple exercise.
“I’d say I’d race you back to the boat, but you’re a stronger swimmer than I am,” she said. “This is so lovely. Can I swim every morning?”
“If you wish,” he said, beginning to lazily swim back. “Not when we are in port, however. The water near marinas is not so fresh.”
She wrinkled her nose, keeping up with his slower pace. “Too many oil spots. I’ve seen the rainbow colors floating on the surface.”
“We’ll be stopping at another island today. The ladies loved shopping yesterday. Today’s island won’t have a market, but there are shops and cafés. There is even an old fort sitting on a bluff with a terrific view. Maybe you can tour that.”
“We’ll stop before lunch?”
“You get another free pass. I’ll take my guests to lunch at one of the waterfront cafés. No lunch preparations needed.”
For a moment Sara looked wistful. Was she wishing she could join him? Suddenly Nikos wondered what it would be like to take a few days off. Get away from work, from duty, and just enjoy Sara’s company. Maybe when this cruise was finished he’d find out. Unless he became engaged to Gina by then. The thought surprised him. He’d started the cruise with that intent. Was he having second thoughts? The alliance would work to the benefit of both. Yet momentarily he’d forgotten his intent, his interest in Sara overriding his common sense.
“We’re going to have a lot of food left over if you keep changing the meals,” she commented.
The ship was getting closer every moment. When they reached it, she’d disappear to change and get to work. Nikos knew he’d not see her again today—unless she lingered on the aft deck after dinner. He could tell her again how much his guests enjoyed her cooking.
When Nikos was dressed for the day, he went to his desk and powered up his laptop. First order of business, catch up on e-mail and check in with his assistant at the resort. By now the power should have been fully restored. But there would be other minor crises to deal with. While he worked, Stefano brought his breakfast. An omelet as light as air, loaded with mushrooms, onions, spinach and green peppers was the first thing he saw. The walnut bread on a separate plate was still warm. The coffee was strong and hot. As he ate, he tried to visualize Sara preparing the meal. He frowned. He had no idea how cooks worked. His education was sadly lacking. One day he should check out the galley and see her in action.
When his cell phone rang, he answered.
“Nikos, it is your grandfather,” the familiar voice said.
“I know. I recognize your voice.” Nikos smiled. He had spent many summers on the island while his parents traveled. It still remained his favorite place.
“Your assistant tells me you are on another cruise. Where this time?”
Nikos filled him in and waited. There was usually a reason his grandfather called at this early hour. Informal family chats were unheard of.
“I’m thinking about buying another boat,” he finally said.
“Oh?” Nikos suspected his grandfather knew his son had called Nikos.
“I wanted you to vet it for me. And don’t be telling me I’m too old to buy a new boat. This one is for Eleani and me to go out together. No privacy otherwise.”
Nikos shook his head. The Cassandra offered plenty of privacy and was available whenever his grandfather wished. But he understood the older man’s reasoning. Last night he’d been very aware that he and Sara hadn’t been alone.
“I am committed for another three days, then must return my guests to the resort and await their departure before I can come home,” Nikos said, glancing at his calendar. He had no important meetings or commitments the following week. “I’ll come after that.”
Nikos always found it easy to relax on the family island. It had been a while since he’d visited. He could enjoy his grandparents’ company and really take a few days away from work.
“Good, plan to stay awhile. We have not seen you in a long time.”
“I will stay a few days. Give my regards to Eleani.”
He hung up, his mind already returning to the situation at hand. Why shouldn’t his grandfather and his wife enjoy a small boat? They might be older, but they were both perfectly capable of running their own lives. His own grandmother had died when Nikos had been a boy. When Spiros had remarried, to a widow, Eleani, Nikos and his family had accepted her as Spiros’s wife. She’d had no one. That had been almost ten years ago. She had easily become a vital part of their family and had been the best thing for his grandfather. Nikos liked her warmth and devotion to Spiros. And she’d shared that warmth with the rest of the family when they’d let her.
Nikos hoped he was as active when he was in his eighties. Hard to imagine now reaching that age. He could not picture himself married, much less very much in love with a wife in fifty years.
It was stupid to cast all women in the same light as Ariana, but he had a tendency to do just that. She’d professed undying love when they’d been engaged. But once he’d caught her with another man in bed, he’d had trouble believing it. The truth had been that she’d wanted the lifestyle Nikos could offer. She didn’t love him; she loved being with men—rich, poor, young, old. Ariana hadn’t been too particular.
To a young man who had been in love, it had been a double blow. First, that she hadn’t loved him and second, that he hadn’t been wise enough to realize that before finding proof. He’d learned the lesson well, however. Unless a woman had a fortune to match his, he would never consider her in the matrimony stakes.
Gina would make a perfect businessman’s wife. She was polished, aware of the demands of work and brought a wealth of contacts with the wine industry in Italy.
Yet still he hesitated. If left to him, he probably would not marry. Families were overrated. He knew from his own experiences and shattered expectations that it was an institution best handled carefully. Currently he set his own goals and had no one to blame except himself if things didn’t go as he wanted. A wife would be an additional responsibility. Still, he did want children, some boy or girl to leave the resort to. To teach the ways his forefathers had lived for generations. Would Gina be that wife?
He didn’t have to decide on this cruise, but he wasn’t getting any younger.
He quickly scanned his messages, replying to two that were urgent. Shutting off his laptop, he rose, ready to face his guests and offer some of the hospitality of the small island they were heading for.
The ruins were spectacular. He’d taken other guests on a tour of them in the past and everyone had raved about the antiquity of the stones and the view of the sea that seemed endless.
He hoped the Fregulias and Onetas would like it, as well.
Four hours later Nikos knew this particular outing hadn’t met with the same success as the visit to the market had the day before. The three couples had walked around the cobblestone streets of the old
