stood up. “It was nice meeting you both,” she said. If they only knew.
“I’ll be down at the ship by six,” Nikos said, also standing.
She nodded and walked away, longing to turn and question her grandmother without delay.
But, selfishly, she wanted an evening with Nikos. That would really be a date. She might as well make her last day at the island memorable.
It was shortly before six when Nikos boarded the Cassandra. He’d worked straight through after leaving the lunch table. He looked forward to showing Sara the neighboring island of Patricia. While not large, it was considerably larger than the family one. The main center had many shops and cafés. The seaside town still had a definite charm that appealed to visitors. And the food was excellent. They’d take the runabout. No need to take the yacht.
He checked the galley on the way to the aft deck. It was pristine but empty. Stepping out on the deck, Nikos hoped she was there. He didn’t want to have to figure out which cabin was hers.
Sara sat in the shade, reading. Two of the crew were also on the deck, one sleeping in a chaise, the other with a fishing line tossed over the side of the yacht. For a second Nikos wondered what he’d do if he caught a fish. Who was going to prepare it if the chef was dining on Patricia that evening?
Sara looked up. “Hi.” She wore the same dress she’d worn when they’d dined in the salon. He hadn’t thought about it, but she’d hardly had time to pack another since she didn’t leave the ship during the few hours they had at the resort.
The fishing crewman turned to see who she was talking to. Seeing Nikos, he started to get up, but Nikos shook his head.
“Ready?” he asked Sara.
“Yes,” she said, rising swiftly.
In less than ten minutes they were in the runabout heading around a point of the island. When they reached the open water, the wind kicked up. Nikos looked at her.
“Not too much?”
“It’s wonderful,” she said, raising her face to the setting sun. “Business satisfactorily completed for the day?” she asked. Nikos loved the way the wind blew her hair back. He remembered the silky feel and couldn’t wait to touch it again. Concentrating on driving the boat, he tried to ignore the rising desire for Sara.
“Yes. The evening is mine.”
“Your family island is lovely. You’re lucky to have such a place to visit. Will it be yours one day?”
He glanced at her and nodded. “But not for a long time, I hope.”
“So you need to get married and have children to leave it to,” she commented, her eyes shut.
Who would he pass it on to? The thought surprised him. For the first time he thought about the future in terms of family. His grandfather was growing old. Already in his eighties, he wouldn’t be around forever. There were few bonds as strong as those between Spiros and Nikos. He had never felt the same love from his own father. When Spiros died, it would leave a huge gap in Nikos’s life.
And what would fill that gap? Work at the resort? To what end?
After the cruise, he wasn’t sure he was ready to ask Gina to be his wife. He wasn’t looking for the love his grandfather had found twice. Some men were luckier than others.
But he realized he had no one to teach to dive, to share the beauties beneath the sea with—except friends. No child to instill with family history and to leave his life’s work to. What happened when he grew older?
His grandfather was proud of Nikos’s accomplishments. He knew his father respected what he’d accomplished, even if it wasn’t in shipping. But he wanted more than respect. Nikos realized he wanted love. He’d thought he’d found it with Ariana, only to be shown how false that had been.
Could he find it elsewhere? Did it even exist?
“Thank you for bringing me today. It’s another memory to add to my Aegean summer memories,” she said.
Summer memories. Nikos had a few special ones himself.
Was that what Sara thought of this, a memory of a summer spent in Greece? Would she really return to London after a while? He expected her to resume her job at the resort when Paul was well enough to rejoin the Cassandra. Would she stay a year, maybe two or three and then return home? He wasn’t sure he wanted Sara to leave.
CHAPTER EIGHT
SARA loved Patricia. From the first moment she stepped from the dock area onto the old cobblestone streets she was enchanted. White buildings almost touching, red tiled roofs peaked, flowers everywhere, it was a dazzling town. The sidewalks were narrow, scarcely giving room for them to walk side by side. Twice when they met others, Nikos pulled her close with an arm around her shoulders, to allow the others to pass.
“I want to see everything,” she exclaimed.
“Fortunately, that won’t take long. It’s a small town,” Nikos replied.
He steered her to the town square where the old church dominated one side. The other sides were crowded with shops and small cafés. Sara was tempted to stop at one of the tavernas for a drink but didn’t want to spend the time sitting when there was more to see before it got dark.
“Come, I think you’ll like this one,” he said as they rambled around the old square. Entering one of the specialty shops, Sara stood transfixed for a moment. It appeared the shop had all the spices in the world. She drew a deep breath, savoring all the different aromas she could detect.
“Wow, I could spend an entire day here!” She began walking up one aisle and down another, stopping from time to time to sniff a special spice or herb. Gathering small bottles of different spices as she walked, she glanced at Nikos from time to time, worried he’d be bored and anxious to leave.
He patiently walked beside her, looking around with interest.
“This will have to do,” she said, her hands full of small bottles. “I can’t wait to use them in special dishes. Fresh spices and herbs make all the difference.”
Nikos insisted on carrying the shopping bag when they left.
“I called for reservations at seven,” he said. “We don’t want to be too late returning to the island. Another shop or two, then we must head for the restaurant.”
“I’m ready now if you want to head that way,” she said. “Tomorrow maybe I can try a dish or two with the spices. Do you think Dimitri would let me use his kitchen?”
“Yes. As long as you let him assist. He’s always looking for new food to please my grandfather.”
“Then I’ll ask him. I can’t wait.”
They walked along the sidewalk, gazing into the windows, stopping once or twice to discuss something they saw.
As they approached the restaurant, Sara was struck with how ordinary it looked. She’d expected a man like Nikos to go for an
