canopy soon dappled the path in shade, lowering the temperature significantly.
“Lovely,” she said as they walked in the quiet. The noise from other visitors at the ruins faded completely when they made a sharp turn. The trail made a series of switchbacks to enable the path to be easily navigated while ascending or descending the steep hill. “I imagine this dates from the Roman times. Soldiers probably used this very path to go to the village for supplies,” Sara said, envisioning men traveling up and down the trail.
“Maybe. Would you have liked cooking for the garrison?”
“Most men seem to appreciate good cooking. I’d make the best dishes in the Empire, and soldiers would long for this duty station,” she said, falling into the fantasy.
“I’d improve my spear prowess to get the duty assignment.”
Sara laughed. “No need. I’m happy to cook for you aboard the Cassandra.”
“And I’m happy to eat your meals.”
“Ah, how gallant. If I served oatmeal for breakfast, would you say the same?”
“Depends. I suspect your oatmeal would far surpass that which I ate at school in America.”
“Ah, so that’s the trace of accent I hear when you speak English,” Sara said. They’d spoken Greek most of the time, but she’d heard him once or twice speak in English and been intrigued by the faint accentuation on some words.
“I went to university there for two years for postgraduate work. Stayed in a variety of hotels to get an idea of what I liked and wanted for my resort.”
“I’ve never been. Maybe one day,” Sara said.
It was after two by the time they arrived at the fishing village. Sara was ravenous and uncertain how to respond when Nikos suggested they stop for lunch at one of the tavernas lining the small fishing harbor. She agreed and then had second thoughts.
Colorful umbrellas shaded the tables. The food was plain but delicious—fresh fish, grapes and some local wine. Conversation was awkward.
“Is your Italian supplier’s wine better than this?” Sara asked as she sipped the delicate white wine, casting about in her mind for other topics. The one in the forefront was too dangerous.
“This is excellent. Perhaps I should explore having more Greek wines,” Nikos said, as he sipped from his glass.
“Do you make all those decisions?” Sara asked. “Seems like you would have hired others to do that.”
“For the most part I delegate to the different departments of the resort. But I do like to keep an eye on every section. I shall suggest this to the sommeliers of two of our restaurants. Are you also a wine connoisseur?”
“Nope, not at all. But I know what I like,” Sara said. She smiled as she gazed around. Her milieu wasn’t small cafés with plain fare. She loved cooking meals with drama and flair. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate the appeal of a quiet place, and good basic food.
“Thank you for today. It’s been a treat,” she said.
“I’m pleased you’ve enjoyed it.”
“In Spain they have siesta after lunch. Eating makes me sleepy,” she commented, finishing the last of the food on her plate. Maybe she’d return to the ship and lounge on the aft deck, dozing a bit.
“In half an hour, you could swim again. Care to join me on a short swim? I have some diving equipment on board.”
“I thought you said swimming near docks wasn’t a good idea.”
“The yacht has a small runabout. We’ll go out into the sea a distance, away from the shore.”
Once again Nikos had surprised her. Warily she examined the pros and cons of another swim. The pros would obviously be the joy of swimming in the sea. And maybe getting more information from the man. Opposed to that was the proximity to Nikos. She was drawn to him each time they were together. The last thing she wanted was some kind of connection that would hinder her goal. She had nothing in common with the man. In fact, she wasn’t sure she even liked him. But her body seemed to have other ideas.
“Very well, I’ll go swimming. I’m not sure about the diving,” she said at last. And hoped she wasn’t making a mistake. But she was only in Greece for a short time. Why not make the most of unexpected chances?
Two hours later Sara and Nikos had changed, commandeered the small runabout from the yacht and set out. He’d convinced her to try diving. After donning the cumbersome scuba gear, Nikos and Sara slipped into the sea. The water was like silk against her skin. The sun sparkled on the surface like a million diamonds. Sara was treading water, feeling awkward with the air tanks strapped to her back, while Nikos once again explained the rudimentary aspects of scuba diving. She pulled down the face mask and stuck the mouthpiece in her mouth. Taking a breath, she found the air was cool and a bit dry, but she filled her lungs, excited about this adventure. It struck her as a bit odd that the man she was using to find her grandmother was willing to teach her how to dive. To even spend time with her. She would not look a gift horse in the mouth.
His hand grabbed hers. “Once we’re under the water, if you feel any discomfort or become nervous, squeeze my hand and we’ll surface immediately. We are not going deep.”
She nodded. He put his mouthpiece in and motioned with his free hand to begin.
She took a deep breath and held it as they slipped beneath the water. She’d done a little snorkeling on a vacation in Spain a couple of years ago, so expected the crystal clarity of the sea. A moment later she let her breath escape and breathed again. It was magical, being beneath the water’s surface and still breathing. She felt an affinity with the fish.
Nikos began swimming slowly, his hand tugging her along. She kicked her flippers and soon was swimming beside him. His fingers linked with hers and he matched his own pace to hers so they were in sync. Sara kept her eyes forward, resisting the urge to watch Nikos swimming. His body was honed from exercise and swimming. His broad shoulders and tight stomach muscles made her own heart flip over. She’d much rather watch him than look for any fish, but peripheral vision was severely limited with the face mask and it would be too obvious if she turned her head.
Nikos swam in a large circle, not wanting to be beneath the water too long on Sara’s first time. She seemed like a natural. Surfacing at one point, he asked her how she was doing.
“This is the greatest thing in the world,” she said once she removed her mouthpiece.
“Good.” He released her hand. “Try it on your own.”
She nodded, her eyes sparkling behind the glass. She repositioned her mouthpiece and dove beneath the water. He remembered that first rush when he’d started many years ago. Lately he’d been too busy to go diving. Maybe he’d take a few days at the island. There were several coves where colorful fish proliferated. Maybe Sara would like to see them.
He trod water for another moment. When he went to the island, he wouldn’t need Sara. She could resume her work at the resort restaurant. He’d have only the captain, the mate and Stefano as minimum crew for the short distance between the resort and island.
Unless
