as if swimming laps. When she was almost too tired to lift her arms again, she waded ashore and moved her towel to a spot of shade where she lay down and tried to keep her mind empty.
But scenes from the day replayed. Nikos’s anger. His aloof stance by the window. His hard eyes. She couldn’t get any of them to vanish and wondered if she’d be doomed to repeat those scenes over and over all her life.
Finally the soothing warmth of the breeze and the gentle lap of the sea lulled her into the welcomed oblivion of sleep.
When Sara awoke, she was not alone. Nikos sat not five feet away. She sat up slowly, glancing around. There was no other boat.
“You came by the path?” she asked.
“You took the boat.”
“I thought you had work to do.”
“I finished and thought I’d take a swim.”
She gestured to the water. “Have at it.”
“You should not have gone swimming alone. It can be dangerous.”
“As if you care,” she replied petulantly. She wished she could recapture the feelings she’d had when they’d been here before. Blinking her eyes to keep tears at bay, she stared across the sea. Why had doing the right thing for her mother ended so badly for her?
“I do not wish an accident to befall anyone,” Nikos said. After a moment he spoke again, “Why didn’t you tell me? We talked about family. Why not say you were estranged from your grandmother?”
“I was afraid you’d know instantly I was trying to reach Eleani and stop me.”
“Things might have been better if left as they were.”
“I promised my mother I would do my best to see her letter reached her mother. Would you have me renege?”
“Your mother is dead. She would not have known.”
“But I would have known I hadn’t kept a promise. Would you have broken a promise, Nikos?”
He was silent for a moment. Then reluctantly he said, “No, I would have honored my promise as you did. I think there might have been a better way to handle things.”
“I tried the normal means. I could not make contact. It seemed like an act of fate when I got the job at the resort. I was so close. And when I was chosen to work on the Cassandra, I knew it was right. I’m sorry you feel I used you. In a way I guess I did, but I never lied to you about anything.”
He didn’t say anything, just stood and walked to the water. Sara watched as he dove in and swam away. He turned when he was some yards off shore and began to swim parallel to the beach. The cove was not wide. He swam laps. Sara watched every stroke, wishing he’d asked her to join him.
She rose and picked up her towel, shaking off the sand. She waded to the boat and tossed in her towel, then plunged into the silken water. Keeping out of Nikos’s way, she swam hard, trying to tire herself out so she could sleep tonight. If he didn’t arrange transportation for her soon, she’d have to stay through the weekend. How awkward that would be. She’d have to explain things to the crew—not that it was any of their business, but they had befriended her when she joined on and it was the right thing to do. If it fed gossip, so be it. Better than rampant speculation.
Sara lost track of time. She plowed through the water, growing tired but pushing on. Zoning out while swimming helped her forget everything. There was only the water and the sky. Finally almost too tired to move, she stopped to tread water for a moment. Looking around, she spotted Nikos in the boat. For a second her heart skipped a beat. Would he leave her here? She’d never find the pathway back.
Unlikely. He sat in the boat, watching her. She began to swim slowly back. Her arms and legs felt like limp spaghetti. Her breathing was still hard. But she also felt at peace for the first time since she walked up to the house that morning.
“Need a hand?” he asked when she reached the boat.
She shook her head, standing in the shallow water.
“Then push the boat off and get in. It’s time to go back.”
She went to get the anchor. Nikos coiled the line as she brought the anchor to the boat. She pushed the bow away from the beach, facing it seaward. Then she scrambled aboard. Taking her towel, she dried her face and arms. Tying it around her, sarong fashion, she sat in the copilot’s chair. Nikos had started the engine as soon as she boarded, and once she was seated he opened the throttle until Sara felt as if they were flying.
Before long they were tied up behind the looming back of the Cassandra.
He turned off the engine and looked at her.
“Now what?” she asked.
“My grandfather would like you to join us for dinner,” he said evenly.
She thought about it for a moment. “Okay, I guess.”
“I thought you’d say that,” he replied.
She looked at him. “What do you mean by that?”
“It seems likely that having made your presence known to Eleani, you’d expect to enjoy the benefits of being her granddaughter.”
“You think that’s why I told her? I don’t know her at all. I don’t consider I’m due any benefits of being her granddaughter. She owes me nothing. I owe her nothing.”
“You’re wrong. If what she says is true, and I believe it is, she didn’t know about you.”
“She should have taken the time to find out,” Sara grumbled.
“Women of her generation usually bend to their husband’s dictates. Her husband told her Damaris was fine. What was Eleani to think—that he lied?”
“He did lie.”
“But she would not have thought that. If anyone is at fault or to blame about anything, it’s Stanos. He’s dead, so can’t be held accountable. She should have known, and maybe she should have tried herself to find Damaris—especially after he died. But she didn’t. She thought everything was the way it was to be. Now she knows the truth. Give her a chance.”
“So which side are you on? You practically accuse me of kissing up to her for the so-called benefits—which you don’t think I’m entitled to. Then you defend her actions and suggest I get to know her better.”
“The relationship between you and your grandmother is not my business. You two have to find your own way.”
“And the relationship between us?” she asked challengingly.
“There is no relationship between us.” Nikos stood and stepped to the open part of the boat.
“There is. Or was. Even though you don’t want to call it that, we had the beginning of a relationship,” she said, standing and balancing herself against the rocking.
“You may think so.”
“Come
