‘I had no idea that you came here,’ she snapped.
‘Of course not.’ Nico had to stop himself taking a step back when he heard the defensive note in her voice. It was obvious that he had touched a nerve, although he wasn’t sure which nerve it was. That remained to be seen. ‘It’s just a happy coincidence.’
He thrust that tantalising thought aside. Digging into the reason for her touchiness would be a mistake. He needed to remain detached, aloof, distant if he wasn’t to find himself being drawn into a situation he would regret. He and Amy Prentice had had an affair—that was the long and the short of it. He hadn’t made her any promises, hadn’t wanted anything more than they’d had. If Amy hadn’t got pregnant then he probably wouldn’t even have remembered her name...
Would he?
The question buzzed around inside his head like a pesky wasp around a jam pot but he swatted it away. He didn’t intend to go down that route—it was a waste of time. Maybe he hadn’t thought about her for a long time but he was very aware that somewhere in the depths of his mind, she had occupied a small space all of her own. Amy and the miscarriage had been a milestone in his life, even though he hated the idea. It implied that she had a hold over him and that was something he didn’t appreciate. He preferred to live his life on his own terms and not have to account to anyone else for his actions.
‘So how are you enjoying your holiday so far?’ he asked, pulling out a chair. There were several empty tables he could have chosen but he was determined not to make an issue out of this encounter. The more significance he bestowed on it, the more important it would become.
‘We’ve only been here for a day,’ she shot back then flushed when she realised how rude that must have sounded. Her tone softened as she glanced at her son. ‘It’s been great so far, though, hasn’t it, Jacob?’
‘Uh-huh,’ the boy mumbled, his mouth crammed full of sandwich.
Nico laughed with genuine amusement. ‘I’ll take that as a yes. Obviously, Jacob has worked up an appetite, so what did you get up to this morning?’
‘We went to the beach for a swim and then made a sandcastle,’ Amy told him, spearing a juicy black olive with her fork.
Nico looked away as she popped it into her mouth, not proof against the feelings it aroused as he watched her lips close around the ripe fruit. He took a deep breath as he picked up the menu and studied it. There was no point thinking about Amy’s beautiful mouth and the kisses they had shared. It was never going to happen again purely because he didn’t intend to put himself in the position of kissing her. Not if he had any sense! As he had already discovered, Amy had the power to disrupt his life and the last thing he needed was her turning it upside down. He mustn’t forget that the main reason he had moved to Constantis was for his health and he didn’t need the stress.
‘Dr Leonides, how lovely to see you!’
Maria Michaelis, who ran the café with her husband, Stavros, greeted him warmly as she came to take his order. Maria had been one of his first patients when he had opened the clinic. She was diabetic and had had many problems over the years, including the biggest one, her inability to get pregnant. However, after a change of medication, everything had been sorted out, although it was a little embarrassing that she now believed he was some kind of a miracle worker.
‘Kalimera, Maria.’ Nico stood up and kissed her. ‘How are you today?’
‘Very well, Doctor, thank you.’ She patted her swollen tummy. ‘This little one is certainly keeping me on my toes.’
‘You mustn’t do too much,’ he admonished her, sitting down. He glanced at Amy, wanting to include her in the conversation as it would appear more normal that way. And keeping everything normal was vitally important, he suddenly decided. ‘Maria is seven months pregnant with her first child and I keep telling her that she should rest more.’
‘How wonderful! Congratulations.’
Amy smiled at the other woman and Nico felt his heart skip a beat when he realised how lovely she looked. With her light brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and her face free of make-up, she looked far too young to be the mother of the child sitting beside her. His gaze moved to Jacob and he frowned when once again he was struck by a sense of recognition. Had he met Jacob’s father? Was he someone Nico had worked with in London perhaps? All of sudden he realised that he wanted to know about the man who had supplanted him in Amy’s affections and fathered her child.
‘Do you know if it’s a boy or a girl yet? Or have you decided to wait and see when it’s born?’
Amy was still talking to Maria and Nico forced himself to concentrate on the conversation. Maybe he did want answers but this wasn’t the time to start asking questions. He preferred to do it when he and Amy were alone. A shiver danced down his spine at the thought of them spending time alone together but he ruthlessly suppressed it. He wasn’t going down that route either!
‘I wanted to wait but Stavros couldn’t bear to.’ Maria laughed as she patted her tummy. ‘We’ve waited such a long time for this baby, you see, and Stavros had to know what it was. It’s a boy and we’re going to call him Nicolaus after the doctor because without his help we would never have had the chance to become parents. Dr Leonides did far more than we could have hoped.’
Amy smiled politely when Nico made some dismissive remark about only doing his job but she had to admit that she was surprised. Although the Nico she remembered had been an excellent doctor—thorough, committed, focused—he had never really related to his patients on a personal level. However, from what Maria had said, that was no longer the case.
The thought was intriguing. Amy had no idea what had brought about such a change in his attitude but she knew that she wanted to find out. She glanced at him, studying the strong lines of his profile as he gave Maria his order. Had something happened to make him reassess his outlook on life? He had been driven by the need to succeed when she had known him, by a desire to prove himself at the very highest levels, and yet she sensed that it was no longer the case. Nico might look much the same on the outside but inside he was a very different person, it seemed.
It was a disturbing thought when it made her see that she didn’t know him as well as she had thought she did. By the time his lunch arrived, Amy had had enough of thinking about it. She and Jacob had finished eating so she asked Maria for their bill. Nico looked up and frowned.
‘Please. You must allow me to pay for your lunch.’
‘Oh, no, I really can’t let you do that,’ Amy protested, taking her purse out of her bag. ‘If you can just let me know how much I owe you,’ she said, glancing at Maria. Maria looked uncertainly from her to Nico, obviously unsure what to do, and Nico sighed as he put down his knife and fork.
‘Let’s not make an issue of it. If you prefer to pay your own bill then it’s fine. I’m not going to argue with you, Amy.’
Amy flushed, realising how churlish it must have sounded to refuse his offer. She gave a little shrug as she put her purse back in her bag. ‘Then thank you. It’s very kind of you, isn’t it, Jacob?’
Jacob nodded, although she could tell that he was growing bored and wanted to leave. Maria said something to Nico and Amy saw him frown as he glanced at Jacob and shook his head. Although Amy had no idea what Maria had said, judging by Nico’s expression it was something that bothered him. All of a sudden she was struck by a need to get away. Maybe
