had talked. In-depth discussions of things like families—and promises. He remembered her comment about doing the right thing no matter what. She evidenced a strong sense of honor.
If that carried through, she would not stay. Her quest had been completed.
Did that mean she’d return to London?
Nikos refused to examine why that thought rankled. He had already decided to dismiss her from the job at the restaurant. Now he wondered if that would be wise.
No sense alienating his grandparents. She’d either give it up herself and return to London or change her mind and accept Eleani’s offer.
He stepped off the boat and began swimming after her.
As Sara drew near the curve of the cove, she turned and began swimming back toward him.
When they met, they both stopped swimming.
“Want to go diving?” he asked. Seeing her so close, hair wet around her face, eyes sparkling with the delight she found swimming, he had the urge to kiss her again. How dumb was that?
“I’d love to.” She looked at the sky. “Will the storm hit soon?”
He glanced around, studying the growing gray clouds, still far enough away to be safe. “I think we’ll have an hour or so and still have a margin of safety to get back to the dock.”
“Then I’d love to.”
They donned the scuba gear from the runabout and were back in the water in less than ten minutes, exploring beneath the surface.
Nikos swam a bit behind Sara, to better keep an eye on her. He could tell she continued to find delight in the beauty beneath the sea. She chased fish, explored encrusted rocks on the sea bed and swam near one arm of the cove then pointed up. Surfacing, he followed her up.
She raised her face plate and took out her mouthpiece.
“Can we go a little around the side, to see the rocks?”
“The current’s a bit tricky there. You have to watch for surges. Are you sure you’re up to that?”
She thought about it for a moment. “Have you done it?”
“Many times. Some of the rock formations are amazing. It’s not very dangerous, just be cautious.”
“You lead, I’ll follow you.”
“I’d rather be able to see you.”
“Then side by side?”
“You stay on the sea side, let me be closer to the rocks.” If a surge came, he would be able to manage things better than she would.
“Thanks.” Pulling down the face mask and popping the mouthpiece back in, she dove beneath the surface.
The exploration was fascinating. It had been a while since Nikos had been over this section and seeing it anew as if through Sara’s eyes had him appreciating the beauty even more. He should take time to enjoy pursuits he enjoyed—like diving. He may not like what Sara had done, but he was suddenly grateful to her for rejuvenating his love for diving.
They turned just as a wave surge hit. For a moment Nikos was slammed against a rock, Sara bumping into him. He caught her before she could be swept to the rocks and held her close. The pressure abated and he kicked away, giving a wider berth to the rocky shore than before.
She pointed upward, but he shook his head and pointed back toward the cove and the boat.
In only a few moments they reached the boat.
When they surfaced and Sara took off her face mask and mouthpiece, she looked at him. “That was wild. Are you okay?”
“Fine.” His left shoulder and part of his back burned like fire. He knew he’d scraped the skin, and probably bruised some muscles with the impact. At least it had been him and not Sara.
“You must have hurt something. My bumping into you wasn’t a light tap.”
“I’ve had worse.” He looked at the clouds, now moving swiftly across the sky, some early fingers already overhead. “I say we get aboard and back to the dock.”
She looked up and quickly nodded. “It looks like it’s getting darker by the minute.”
Nikos levered himself out of the water and into the boat, pulling Sara in a moment later. Divesting himself of the air tanks, he winced when the strap rubbed against his shoulder.
“Let me see,” she said, half turning him. “Oh, oh, it’s bleeding. Do you have a first-aid kit aboard? You don’t want that blood getting all over you and everything else.”
“No first-aid kit. It’ll be okay.” It was starting to burn. The sooner they got back, the sooner he could take care of it.
“Wait.” She picked up her shirt, and before Nikos guessed what she was doing, she tore off a strip from the hem. Folding the rest into a large pad, she formed a makeshift bandage and covered the bleeding skin. “I’m not sure this will hold,” she said, trying to tie it on with the strip. “Put your shirt on over it, it’ll help hold it in place,” she said.
Helping him pull on the shirt, her hands brushed against his chest, against his back. Nikos drew in a sharp breath, her touch doing nothing to alleviate the pain of the scrape but raising his blood heat by several degrees. Finally she was satisfied.
“That’ll hold until we get back,” she said. “I think you need to see a doctor.”
“I’ll be fine. Let’s go.” He began to pull the anchor in. It dragged across the sandy beach but came readily. In less than five minutes he had the motor going and was backing away from the beach. The sea was running higher than when they started. Once out of the shelter of the cove, they felt the force of the wind. The water was choppy with large swells breaking every few moments.
He kept the boat on course and they made the dock safely. Two crewmen were there to help tie up. Bumpers had been placed between the Cassandra and the dock as the force of the wind bumped it into the floating dock.
“Brewing up quite a storm,” one of the men said.
“You’re bleeding through the shirt,” Sara said.
“I’ll be okay once I get into the house.” His shoulder was stinging. Still, once he washed off the salt water, he’d have a better idea of how bad it was.
“Go in and get changed,” he said as they walked along the dock.
“Are you going to be all right?” she asked.
He didn’t want her worried, but it was nice to have her so concerned. “I’ll be fine.”
He waited until she hurried up the dock and then headed for the house.
Once under the shower, Nikos knew the injuries were more than superficial scrapes. He’d need help with taking care of them. He dried off, donned a pair of
