porridge.
At Nikos’s expression, she laughed, remembering he didn’t like oatmeal.
“So how did you end up a chef?” he asked.
“I like to cook. My mother quoted that saying ‘Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life’ to me from when I was a little girl. I learned to prepare simple Greek dishes at her side when I was quite small. It seemed like a logical career for me.”
“And it’s worked out?”
“There’s a bit of a bias against female chefs. Especially in some of the more posh restaurants in London—the ones where I could really explore all kinds of exotic dishes. But I’m still young. I’ll keep pushing ahead. The fact I’ve worked for your resort will add a fillip to my résumé. Maybe I’ll have better luck when I return to London.”
“And must you return?”
“It’s my home.” Now they were getting close to her secret.
“But not too soon,” he said.
Sara shrugged. She knew she would not have a job once Nikos discovered why she’d been working at his resort. Yet he’d been the one to ask her to accompany him to the family island. In a way, he’d facilitated part of her quest. Would he see it that way? Would he understand why she’d had to resort to subterfuge to reach her goal?
She wanted to forget about seeing her grandmother. The thought shocked her. Ever since her mother had gotten sick, Sara had wanted to reach Eleani. Two years and counting. How could she even for a moment consider coming this far and not contacting her?
Yet being with Nikos had made her more interested in this exciting man than in seeking some unknown woman who had let her only child leave and never resumed contact. What good was any of it going to do at this late date? Her mother was dead. She had tried to heal the breach and been rebuffed. Why should Sara try?
Because of a promise.
She had made her mother a promise, and Sara would stand by her word.
No matter who got hurt? a small voice inside whispered. No matter that her mother would never know one way or the other?
A promise was a promise. She had to keep hers to her dying mother.
Nikos looked at a seagull gliding on the wind.
“We’re getting close,” he said.
Sara looked around. “How can you tell? It all looks the same as it’s been since we left the resort.”
“Birds live on land. This one is either from our island or Patricia, the nearest island where you can shop.” He glanced at his watch. “Besides, we’ve been traveling long enough.”
So their time together was ending. Maybe it was for the best.
“Despite what you say about your family, you’re happy to be going home, aren’t you?” she asked.
He nodded. “The island is special. The best place for our family—when we all gather together. I won’t see my parents this visit, but my grandfather holds a special place in my heart. I owe him more than most grandchildren owe their grandfathers.”
“Family ties are the hardest ones to break. They are strong no matter what the circumstances,” Sara said slowly.
“True. I’d do anything for him.”
She nodded, studying him gravely. “No matter what he asked?”
Nikos shrugged. “I can’t imagine him asking anything I would not be willing to do.”
“Even if it were hard or seemed pointless at some stage?”
“Even then. If it meant enough for him to ask me, it would mean enough for me to do it.”
Sara looked away. Nikos had reaffirmed her own beliefs. At least they had that in common—not that he’d ever know it.
“Did I miss something?” he asked.
“What?”
“The conversation turned very solemn all of a sudden.”
“I was just asking about commitment and family ties. Sometimes things happen. Promises are made. Remember that.”
“I think I can remember that—things happen, promises are made.”
She laughed, forcing away her dismay and focusing on the moment. She’d caught a glimpse of Nikos’s attachment to his family’s island. She suddenly yearned to see it—through his eyes if possible.
Before long he rose and peered over the railing toward the bow.
“There it is.” The excitement in his tone had Sara jumping up and going to stand beside him. He drew her in front of him, holding her steady against the motion of the yacht. She peered around until she could see ahead. Rain hit her in the face, but she could see the silhouette of an island dead ahead.
Sara leaned back against Nikos’s chest. She felt the shelter of his arms as he steadied them on the railing of the ship as it rose and fell meeting the waves head-on. She could stay here forever—though they’d be soaking wet in a few minutes
“It doesn’t look like much today, but see it in the sunshine,” he said by her left ear. “When we get closer, you’ll see the house on the highest point, with gardens surrounding it like a beautiful, colorful skirt. The beach is pristine and we work to keep all oil and waste from the yacht away from the sand. The cove I told you about is around the leeward side.”
“It’s larger than I thought it would be,” she said, as the island seemed to gain in size every bit closer they came.
“A few square miles. There is a small compound behind the house where the servants have their homes. Even a guest house, which my parents use when they visit.”
Even more important than finding her grandmother, Sara would find out where Nikos called home. See what kind of place he loved. Find out more about boyhood escapades. While he sounded as if he’d led a solitary life, he’d also had this glorious place to explore. Despite what he felt as a lack of parental involvement, they had done a fine job in giving him a safe place to live as a child that he still cherished today.
Sara definitely didn’t feel that way about the flat she’d grown up in. The best thing said for it was its proximity to the public gardens.
A deckhand was on the dock waiting to tie up the Cassandra. Other than that, no one was in sight.
Sara and Nikos had returned to the bridge to watch the docking procedure. Now the captain turned off the engines and snapped up his chart portfolio. “So we are here. Sailing again when?” he asked Nikos.
“A few days at least. You’re free to do whatever you wish here. I’ll contact you in plenty of time to prepare for our return trip. It will undoubtedly be after the weekend.”
Since it was Tuesday, Sara could look forward to at least five days to see over the island. She hoped the weather would
