Читать книгу Greek Affairs - Кейт Хьюит - Страница 43

SARA sat in the shade of the aft deck writing to her friend Stacy when Nikos appeared. She had not left the ship, not knowing when it might sail and not wanting to miss her only chance.

“I brought your mail,” Nikos said, handing her a slim stack of envelopes.

“Thank you.” She glanced at them—all from friends at home. She smiled, looking forward to catching up on all the news. She had pretty much brought Stacy up to date in her letter and asked her to tell all their friends the situation.

He sat on the side of the chaise next to hers. “The captain spoke to you?”

“About staying aboard? He said we would be going to your family’s island. I’ve never known anyone to own an island.”

“It’s small, been in my grandfather’s family for generations.”

“Descendant from the Roman times?” she asked, thinking of their trip to the ruins.

“Hardly. It’s not strategic at all. In fact, the only way in and out is by sea or helicopter. No roads. And only one stretch of really usable beach. The rest is rocky.”

“Sounds private.”

“For various reasons it suits the family.”

“So this is your vacation after your cruise?”

“No, family business. We’ll only be gone a few days, once we leave port. However, bad weather threatens for the next couple of days. Just as well we brought the Fregulias and Onetas back when we did.”

“What—storms in your perfect Aegean Sea?” she asked with a smile.

He nodded, amusement in his eyes. “So we’ll make a run for the island when the captain thinks there’s a window of opportunity. In the meantime, since we’ll be leaving on short notice, I appreciate your staying close.”

She lifted her tablet. “I have letters to write. More, I’m sure, once I read those from my friends.”

He glanced at them, then at her.

“One from a special friend?”

She fanned them out and nodded. “Stacy and I have been friends since starting school. From the thickness of the envelope she’s written a lot.”

“I was wondering about a particular male friend.”

She looked again, then caught his meaning. Meeting his eyes she narrowed hers.

“That’s really none of your business, is it?” He may hold the key to getting to her grandmother, but he didn’t run her life.

He looked away, studying the masts of a large sailboat tied up nearby. “I was taking a friendly interest in an employee.”

“I prefer to keep my private life just that—private.” Plus she hated to admit to this dynamic man that there was no one special in her life.

He nodded and rose. “As do I as a general rule. Someone will let you know when we get under way. If you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. We will run with a minimum crew.”

Sara stared after him when he left, wondering what kind of complex she’d developed because of her background. The man had been cordial to her and she’d just about bit his head off. She didn’t want to give herself any ideas, so had nipped any personal talk. She couldn’t get past the man’s background, so different from her own. Yet had her mother not stood up to her own father and refused to marry the man he had chosen for her, Sara would have had a very similar background to Nikos’s.

Instead, her childhood had been a struggle. With no father in the picture, and a mother scarcely trained for work, money had always been tight. But her mother had made the best of things. Sara remembered happy evenings with only grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. It hadn’t mattered, her mother had made it fun.

She leaned back, lost in thought. She missed her mother so much. Damaris Andropolous had had a hard life, nothing like what she had once expected. Sara wished she’d lived to enjoy some of the fruits of Sara’s work. By the time Sara was earning enough money for a lovely flat, nice secondhand furniture and friendly neighbors, her mother had been too ill to enjoy it.

Life wasn’t always the way one wanted, she knew. Sara was alone in the world—save the grandmother she’d never met. She had no illusions the woman would embrace her with delight. She’d hand her the letter and that would be that. Sara had a full life in London. Her visit to Greece made for a nice change, but it was not permanent. She longed for the familiarity of home.

Stefano arrived with another crew member in tow, each carrying bags of groceries. Sara went to put things away, chatting amicably with Stefano as he helped.

“We will likely eat breakfast on board and the rest of our meals with the staff at the island,” he said. “That’s the way it’s been in the past.”

“Tell me what you know about this family island,” she said, hoping to glean some more information about the Konstantinos family.

“It’s pretty. The house is huge. The servant quarters are quite spacious, and we can use the beach unless there’s a house party, when it’s reserved for guests. I like making the trip. For the duration of Nikos’s visits, we’re on call, but never needed. Lots of downtime—and we get paid.”

“Sounds good. Will they need my help in the kitchen?” she asked, wondering how to ask the questions she really wanted to know—when and where might she see Eleani Konstantinos.

“No need,” Nikos said from the doorway.

She spun around, surprised to find him at the galley entrance.

“We have a fine chef who cooks to suit my grandfather. As Stefano says, you have the days to yourself. Will you get bored?”

“I doubt it. If there’s a beach, I’ll go swimming.”

“There are some coves around from the main dock that offer a variety of colorful fish if you care to go diving.”

Stefano kept stowing the groceries, but Sara knew he was listening avidly. Had he known Nikos had taken her diving? She felt her face grow warm remembering that dive—and the kiss that followed. Surely they’d been too far from the boat for anyone to see.

“Sounds like something to think about,” she said, conscious of Stefano’s presence. Did Nikos mean to go with her? Or after only one short lesson, would he trust her on her own? Did others of the crew dive? She didn’t want to go with anyone else.

Nikos didn’t seem in a hurry to leave. He leaned against the doorjamb and watched as she checked off the ingredients and Stefano stowed them. What was he doing?

“Did you need something?” she asked.

“No. Just wondered what was for dinner. It’s supposed to storm through the evening so we will stay put for the night. The aft deck isn’t protected. No need to cook if you don’t wish to. We can take our meals at the resort.”

“Or we take our meals in our rooms in inclement weather,” Stefano said.

“Then if you wouldn’t mind cooking, it would save the crew going out into the bad weather,” Nikos said.

“So individual trays,” Sara murmured, wondering if Nikos sat in solitary splendor in the dining salon or invited the captain to join him.

“Perhaps you’d care to join me this evening once the meal is prepared.”

Sara stopped and stared at Nikos.

Stefano stopped and stared at both of them, his head turning like a spectator’s at a tennis match.

Sara’s heart rate doubled. She studied him for a moment. “Why not? Thank you for asking. When I have everything ready, I’ll ask Stefano to bring up the tray.”

Nikos glanced at Stefano. The steward stared back, obviously at a loss for words. “If that suits you, Stefano.”

“Of course.”

Nikos nodded and turned to leave.

Sara looked at the steward. “Something tells me he doesn’t often ask the chef I’m replacing to eat with him.”

“Never. But then, Paul is not a beautiful woman.”

Sara laughed nervously. What had she just agreed to? “Neither am I, but thank you. I think I’ll prepare lamb with mint jelly. He liked it last time I made that.”

“As far as I know he has never been a picky eater,” Stefano said, busying himself with the last of the grocery placement.

“How long have you known him?” she asked.

“I’ve worked for the resort for six years. And been steward on the Cassandra for almost five. I wouldn’t say I know him, precisely.”

And never been asked to eat with him, Sara guessed. She didn’t know whether to be wary he had asked for her company or annoyed at the barrier it might raise with other crew members. She had to work with these people. She didn’t want any resentment.

Nikos wondered if he was making a mistake. He stood near the tall windows of the dining salon awaiting dinner. Stefano would bring it up in only moments. And Sara would come up, as well. It was unheard of for him to invite a crew member to dine with him. Though he and the captain had shared many meals on the bridge, he’d never shared one in the main salon unless guests were present and they wished the captain to share in the festivities. As to the rest of the crew, Nikos occasionally ate on the aft deck with them, but none had ever eaten in the salon when he was aboard.

The trip to the island would of necessity be brief. He had already been several days from the resort. But he hadn’t seen his grandfather in several weeks and wanted to spend a few days with him. He and his wife always made Nikos feel at home and urged him to stay as long as he could. The island held the best memories of Nikos’s childhood. He remembered exploring, learning to dive, learning to pilot the yacht. And his grandmother’s loving smile. Spiros’s second wife, Eleani, was as loving as his first. What was his secret to finding women to love him and for him to love?

He’d thought Ariana would be someone to grow old with. That relationship had proved false and left him wary of women and their motives. While he’d dated over the years, it wasn’t until he began to consider Gina as wife material that he’d grown serious. Until he met Sara.

She was nothing like the woman he wanted for a wife. She lacked … what? The cosmopolitan veneer he was used to? That made him feel cynical. Yet he was just as skeptical of her own delight in all things. How long would it take to find the key to Sara? Did she long for fame as a chef? For a high-prestige job? Or just pots of money and the lifestyle that went with it?

“Dinner, sir,” Stefano said, arriving with the tray. The table had been set a half hour ago. The steward placed the tray on the stand and began serving.

Sara entered, her cheeks rosy from heat in the kitchen. She’d obviously changed for the meal, wearing a simple dress instead of the resort uniform.

When they’d been seated, served and Stefano had left, Nikos poured a bit of wine in her glass. “A bottle from our own islands.”

She took a sip. “Lovely. So have you rethought Greek wines?”

“The resort has always served local wines, but perhaps we’ll expand the offerings. In addition, I have a new agreement for the next three years with Senor Fregulia. After that time I’ll review the consumption rate of both and make a decision.”

Sara longed to ask about Gina. But since Nikos had never brought up the subject, she couldn’t. But it seemed odd that he would dine with her if he were on the brink of asking another woman to marry him.

“Maybe the head chef at the resort will think up a special dish to go with the island wine and when ordered the sommelier can suggest this variety,” she said, nervous. Now that it was the two of them, it felt like a date. What would they talk about? Diving? The resort? Or could she steer the conversation to families and Eleani Konstantinos in particular?

She glanced at the windows on which rivulets of water ran down. The rain had started shortly after the groceries had arrived and not let up since. The ship bobbed by the dock, obviously impacted by the winds accompanying the storm. It had grown dark early with the storm.

“So it’s a good thing we didn’t head out,” she said, tasting the lamb. It was delicious. If nothing else, she’d fall back on describing how she had prepared the meal.

“We would have had a rough ride, but the Cassandra is very seaworthy, and this storm would have been a mere inconvenience, not a threat.”

“I wonder if I would have been seasick,” she said, watching him take a bite of the lamb.

“Delicious,” he said as he savored the flavors.

Sara smiled, relaxing a tiny bit. “Thank you.”

Talk revolved around the ship as they ate the meal. Sara asked how often he sailed, where he had been, what his favorite places were. By the time they finished, Sara was feeling much more at ease. And knew more about her boss. His experiences far surpassed hers in travel. This was her first extended stay anywhere outside of England. She loved listening to him talk about America and even his few months in the UK.

When they were finished Stefano quickly dispatched the dinner dishes and brought the trifle Sara had prepared. He also brought a bottle of brandy from the sideboard and two snifters. Pouring hot coffee from a silver pot, he stepped back and eyed the table, then looked at Nikos.

“Thank you, Stefano. You can clear the rest in the morning.”

Stefano bowed slightly, set the coffeepot on the table and left.

As soon as Sara finished her trifle, she folded her napkin and looked at Nikos.

“Thank you for inviting me to eat with you. I think I’ll return to my cabin now.”

“So soon?” Nikos asked. “It is still early. What would you do in your cabin?”

“Read, make plans for the next few days’ breakfasts.” She felt her nerves stretched taut. She resisted drawing closer to the man, yet every minute she spent with him was making it harder to resist. She tried to remember all her mother had said about the strong Greek men who rode right over women and their interests. So far she had seen no evidence of that, but she scarcely knew the man.

“Stay. The night is young. If you like, we can take our brandy up on the bridge. It’s dry under the shelter, yet we’ll be able to see the resort lights through the rain.”

She placed her glass carefully on the table. “What do you expect from me? If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’re flirting. I’m confused. I thought rumors said you were on the verge of marriage with Gina Fregulia.”

Her question caught him off guard. What did he expect? She worked for him, which precluded any close tie. Was he just fighting against tying himself down with one woman when he married? Or did he really want to know more about this particular woman?

“I want nothing except a pleasant evening. And perhaps a diving partner when we reach the island. The only family members there right now are my grandparents, who are not quite up to the activities I enjoy. Consider this a perk of the job. Beyond that, I expect nothing. And for the record, I did not ask Gina to marry me.”

“A diving partner,” she clarified, confused.

He shrugged. He was surprised that she knew of his earlier plan. Yet it was no secret. Gina had not given any evidence of being upset when she had left, but he knew she too had expected a proposal on the cruise.

She dropped her gaze to her brandy.

“Still, if you are close to becoming engaged, it wouldn’t do to spend much time with another woman. It might give rise to the wrong impression.” She looked up at him thoughtfully and added, “Even if it might be more of a business arrangement than a love match.”

He laughed softly, amazed at her daring.

“Don’t you believe in love?” she asked.

He took a breath. Talking about his family didn’t come easily. His roommates at school had heard the complaints, the frustration and then the resignation. Usually he maintained a careful facade that revealed nothing of his true feelings. Sara wanted to know more. Did he wish to tell her? Where to start and where to stop? Should he share the history of him and Ariana as well?

“Never mind,” she said. “I changed my mind. You keep your secrets and we’ll see how it works to be diving partners.” She poured cream into her coffee and sipped, her brandy only half-gone.

Her disinterest acted as a goad. “It’s no great secret. I don’t want a marriage that would end up like my parents’.

They had one child—me, but I didn’t fit into their plans or lifestyle. Nannies, tutors and boarding school made up my childhood. The few times I returned home for summer holidays or Christmas, I was lucky to find them at home one night to catch up on my life before they were off to another function or short trip abroad. If it hadn’t been for the island and the time my grandparents took to be with me, I might as well have lived my entire childhood in a boarding school.”

She stared at him. “Not much of a family life for a child,” she said slowly. “So different from mine. It was just my mother and me. My father vanished shortly after I was born. She gave me the best home in the world, despite our financial difficulties. I always thought if we’d just had a bit more money, things would have been perfect. Maybe I was viewing things wrong. Time and love are far more important than all the money in the world.” As her mother knew when she’d lost both her parents’ love and their money. It had been the loss of family she mourned.

“My parents are too wrapped up in themselves to care for a child. I feel the same way about the resort. It is very demanding. It would be a mistake to marry, father a child and then ignore him or her while putting the resort first.”

She tilted her head slightly, thinking. “I don’t believe you would do that. Firstly, you know what it’s like and would cherish your child too much to put him through what you experienced.”

He shook his head. “How can anyone be sure?”

Sara bit back her comment. She thought his view of marriage and families was sad. He’d obviously never experienced the close tie that love brought. Was that the Greek way? Marry for business or convenience, not for love.

Not that she had fallen in love, but she knew what it was like from observing her married friends. And one day she hoped she’d discover it for herself. She wanted an emotional tie as well as the legal one. As had her mother. Only, she hoped her marriage, should she ever have one, would end up much happier than her mother’s.

She drank the last of her coffee. She liked being around Nikos too much even when their opinions differed. He kept her guessing where he would lead the conversation next.

Time to leave, however. She dare not risk her emotions on a man who would do perfectly well without her.

She rose. “I really am retiring now,” she said.

He rose and bade her good-night.

She turned toward the door feeling just a twinge of disappointment that they hadn’t connected on a basic level.

“Sara,” he said softly.

When she turned, his eyes were focused on her.

She licked her lips, her heart racing. Butterflies had a field day in her stomach, and Sara felt as if time stood still. She recognized desire. That much was clear. She yearned for another kiss, but hesitated. It would only make her compare him to every man she kissed after Nikos; what if she became spoiled by his kisses and never found another to measure up?

Granted, she’d only been kissed in the sea, hardly the stuff of romance. Yet she had dwelt on that experience more than any other in her life.

“Sara?” he said again, stepping around the table and walking directly to her.

She stepped closer and lifted her face, her gaze fastened on his.

He closed the distance and cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.