and a reservoir.
She looked over the yacht railing to the brilliant blue water beneath them. Everything was so clean and calm, it almost didn’t seem real. This heavenly island was going to be her new home. While Nikos talked of the many beaches she could explore, her mind was on her baby who would be born here, a baby whose father wasn’t a New Yorker named Dev Harris.
It started to hit her that she’d done something miraculous for her child, something her own mother couldn’t bring herself to do for Stephanie. Because she’d found Nikos, this baby would have a full identity from the very moment of its birth.
Experiencing a sensation of euphoria, she turned to Nikos, who’d come to stand next to her. His hard jawline and arresting Greek profile stood out against the white houses and tiled roofs in the distance.
Suddenly, his black-fringed eyes fused with hers. For a moment, the dullness that had robbed them of their vitality since she’d come here vanished, and they shone with that same energy she’d glimpsed on vacation. “What were you going to ask me?” he murmured in a voice an octave lower than normal.
Her heart raced, because there were times when they seemed to be so in sync, they could read each other’s minds. “What’s your full name?”
She watched his chest slowly rise and fall. “Theodoros Nikolaos Vassalos.”
Stephanie blinked. “Is Theodoros your nickname?”
“No. I don’t have a nickname. It’s my father’s name.”
“So when our baby is born, it will take your name first?”
“Yes, because it will be our first and only child.”
“Are there rules about naming it?”
“You can name our baby whatever you like.”
“But what if we follow the rules?”
“Then if it’s a boy, we’d name it Alexandros, after my father’s father.”
She experimented outloud. “Nikolaos Alexandros Vassalos.”
“That’s right.”
“And if it’s a girl?”
“After my mother’s mother, Melitta.”
“I like both names. Are they still alive?”
“Yes.”
She smiled up at him. “Our child will have great-grandparents, too. What a blessing,” she said as he studied her hair and features.
“Nikos?” Yannis called out.
“I’m coming,” he said, still staring at her with an enigmatic expression she couldn’t read. “Get what you need to take with you. We’re going ashore.”
On legs that felt like mush, she hurried downstairs to freshen up and gather her purse. In a few minutes the men had secured the ropes, and Nikos walked her along the dock to a parking area, where he helped her into a dark blue car.
“Feel free to use this whenever you want to come into town. I’ll give you a key when we’re back on the yacht.”
“Thank you.”
She noticed he moved a little slower, but considering his horrendous accident, it was miraculous he could walk without most people noticing anything was wrong.
“Are you hungry?” he asked.
“I’m getting there.”
“Did you take your pill for nausea?”
“Just a few minutes ago.”
“Good. There’s a taverna where you eat in the garden at the back. I’ll introduce you to some authentic food I love.”
Stephanie couldn’t wait to see what he chose for them, especially since these islands were home to him and he knew the streets and shops like the back of his hand.
The proprietor of the small restaurant beamed when Nikos escorted her inside. They spoke in rapid Greek before the older man led them through some doors to a charming garden in bloom with fabulous wild hyacinths and orchids.
There were a dozen or so tables filled with tourists and locals. After settling at a table for two, they were brought fruit drinks and appetizers. One dish, something yellow, was prepared with olive oil, onions and fava beans, Nikos told her. Another, called caciki, tasted like cream cheese with cucumber and was served with slices of freshly baked, crusty psomi bread. It was followed by shrimp risotto and the grilled calamari.
Stephanie made inroads on everything but the octopus. “Maybe another time,” she said to him. After his morose, brooding demeanor yesterday, the white smile he suddenly flashed her, the first she’d seen since her arrival, was so unexpected and startling that her breath caught. She found herself praying this side of him wouldn’t disappear.
“Dessert?”
He had to be teasing her. She shook her head. “Thank you. The meal was delicious, but I couldn’t possibly eat another bite or it might turn on me.”
“Since we can’t have that, let’s go buy you some clothes.”
They went back to the car and he drove to the other side of the village, where he stopped in front of a boutique. “Ariadne likes this store. She says it’s trendy. I think you’ll find something to your taste.”
Inside, Stephanie discovered some great short-sleeved tops, pants, skirts, a couple sundresses and several dressy, long-sleeved blouses in filmy material for evening. Along with those she bought more lingerie, sleepwear and a bikini.
An older woman waiting on her spoke excellent English and was very helpful. As she was putting a white sundress and jacket with small purple violets around the hem in a box for Stephanie, she said, “You will look beautiful in this.”
“Thank you.”
Nikos stood at the counter with her. “It will make a lovely wedding dress, don’t you think?”
Stephanie’s heart plummeted. She knew Nikos wanted their wedding to be simple, but she’d still hoped to wear something more bridal to her own nuptials. The saleswoman must have seen her reaction, because to Stephanie’s surprise she frowned at Nikos.
“A wedding dress? Oh, no. For that you need to go across the street.”
“It’s all right,” she quickly told the woman.
In order not to upset Nikos, Stephanie forced herself to recover from her disappointment in a big hurry. “I love this dress. It will be perfect. Here’s my credit card.” She’d come to Greece unprepared, and didn’t expect him to pay for a new wardrobe.
Too late, she realized her mistake. In front of the other woman he took the card away and replaced it with one from his wallet. Stephanie gave him a covert glance and saw that his dark expression was back. She should have guessed Nikos had too much pride to allow a woman to pay.
