“We had to learn it in order for our business to succeed.”
“Well, I’ll have to learn Greek for marriage to you to be successful. What’s the difference?”
“What kind of work would you do here?”
“If you opened up a new store along the harbor here on Anti Paxos, I could help manage it. If you hired another clerk, I could learn Greek from him.”
He shook his head. “A job like that isn’t for a woman like you.”
“Akis—you have a strange idea of who I am. I’m flesh and blood and need work like everyone else. I think it would be fun. Your mom and dad worked together.”
“That was different.”
“How?”
“Because you’re a physicist!”
“That’s not the only thing I do. I’m a master scuba diver and could give lessons to people on the island.”
“You never told me that,” he accused.
“Because it never came up.”
“Be serious, Raina. You’d go crazy being stuck here.”
“Not if you came home to me at night.”
“I can’t always be here.”
There was an edge of resolution to his delivery. A brittle laugh rose from her lungs like a death cry.
“I’d hoped you would want me here so much that I could convince you. But it hasn’t happened, so you win. There’s still some daylight left. Why don’t you send for your helicopter and we’ll fly back to Athens by dark. I’ll phone Chloe’s parents and alert them.”
His lips had thinned to a white line. “Is that what you want?”
“You know what I want, but it doesn’t matter. Go ahead and call your pilot. I’ll take a swim, but I’ll be ready when he arrives. Now if you don’t mind, I’d like my privacy to change.”
At first she didn’t think he was going to leave. She could feel the negative vibes emanating from him. If he didn’t go, she was in danger of screaming the house down.
Finally he disappeared and she got ready for her swim. For the next hour she played in the pool and lay back on the lounger. She had no idea what Akis was doing. Until the last second she prayed he hadn’t sent for the helicopter. But then she heard the faint sound of rotors and knew it was coming. A stake driven through her heart couldn’t have done more damage.
“Raina—you’re back!” Chloe’s mother clasped her with love and gave her kisses on both cheeks. “You’ve gotten a lot of sun.”
“We’ve been so many places. It was wonderful.” She hooked her arm through Nora’s and they walked through the house to the guest bedroom. They’d left Akis and Socus having a private conversation at the helicopter pad.
“I have good news for you.”
“What is it?”
“Chloe and Theo are having such a wonderful time, they’re going to extend their honeymoon another week. Which means you have to stay with us longer than you’d first thought. She knows you’re here and won’t hear of your leaving Greece until after they get back.”
Raina gave her a hug. “How about this? I’ll fly home in the morning to do business. But I’ll fly back when Chloe and Theo have arrived and we’ll have our reunion .”
“You promise?”
“Of course. I plan to leave early in the morning. Since it’s getting late, I’m going to go to bed now.”
“I’ll have breakfast waiting for you before you leave.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“I want to.”
“Thank you, dear Nora.” She hugged her hard, already feeling a loss so excruciating, she didn’t know how she would handle it.
After Nora left, Raina got ready for bed. The nightmare flight from the island with a taciturn Akis had pretty well destroyed her. When they’d landed on the pad, he’d helped her down and had whispered goodbye to her.
Just like that he’d let her go from his life. His words about Althea at the reception came back to haunt her. You saved me from being caught. For that, I’m in your debt.
“You’re welcome,” she whispered to the air before she buried her face in the pillow and sobbed.
As soon as the helicopter took off for the penthouse, Akis phoned his brother. Vasso picked up on the third ring. “How’s the vacation going?”
“It isn’t. Everything’s over.”
“What do you mean? Where are you?”
“I’m headed for the penthouse.”
“I’ll meet you there in ten minutes.”
Akis hadn’t been in the apartment five minutes before his brother arrived, but he’d already poured himself a drink. He held up the glass. “Want to join me?”
“No. You look like hell. Sit down and talk to me.”
“There’s nothing to say. I just said goodbye to Raina. She’s going back to California in the morning.”
Vasso sat down next to him. “Why?”
“It won’t work.”
“What won’t work?”
“Us!”
“Doesn’t she love you?”
He poured himself another drink. “She says she does.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“Look at me, Vasso!”
“I’m looking.”
“Do you see a man who’s worthy of her?”
Vasso’s brows knit together. “Worthy—give me a definition.”
“I’m not in her league and couldn’t be in a hundred years. She’s everything I’m not. In time she’ll start to notice all that’s missing and fall out of love with me. I couldn’t handle that, so I let her go tonight.” Exploding with pain, Akis got up from the couch. “I’ve got to go.”
“At this time of night?”
“I need to be alone. I’m going to fly back to Anti Paxos.”
“I’ll come with you.”
“No. I release you of the promise you made Papa to watch out for me. It’s time I took care of myself.”
“Wait—”
“Sorry, bro. I need to be alone.”
It wasn’t until Raina heard her phone ring in the middle of the night that she realized she’d been asleep.
She came wide awake and grabbed it off the night stand without looking at the caller ID. “Akis?” she cried.
“I’m sorry, Raina. It’s Vasso Giannopoulos.”
His big brother was phoning her? Her heart ran away with her. She clutched the phone tighter. “What’s happened to him? Has there been an accident?”
“Not an accident, but he needs help and you’re the only one who can fix this. I know it’s three in the morning, but I had to call you. When he left me at the penthouse, he was in the worst state I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“Where is he now?”
“He flew back to Anti Paxos. I heard him mutter something about being afraid you were leaving Greece forever.”
She took a deep breath. “I am. I have to be at the airport in three hours to make my plane.”
“Then it’s true.” Vasso’s voice sounded a little different than his brother’s, but he spoke English in the same endearing way.
“He said goodbye to me earlier when he dropped me off at Chloe’s. I took it as final.”
After a brief silence he said, “This is my fault for telling him about you. I did it because I wanted him to stop worrying about you. I don’t know what has gone on between you two, but I have serious doubts he’ll be able to handle it if you leave.”
“He told me what you did, but that’s not what is wrong. It’s a long story. He took me to eat dinner at the taverna Elpis owns. When she asked me if I loved him, I said I wanted to be his fiancée.”
“You what?”
Raina didn’t blame him for being totally shocked. “Don’t worry. He shut me down. I think it’s because he got mumps and because of his sterility can’t give me or any woman a child. He wants to do the honorable thing and give me a chance to marry a man who can.”
“I don’t believe that’s the reason,” he bit out, sounding like Akis just then.
“If it isn’t, then I don’t know what it could be.”
“Look, Raina. I don’t mean to interfere, but you can’t leave yet.”
“There’s no point in staying. I fought him all day long trying to break him down so he’d really listen to me. That hurts a woman’s pride, you know?” Tears crept into her voice.
“His pride is much worse. Do you love him?”
She got to her feet. “I love him to the depth of my soul.”
Raina heard a sharp intake of breath. “Then go after him to that place inside of him and wear him down until you get the answer you’re looking for.”
She bit her lip. “He’s given me his answer.”
“No. It’s a smoke screen for what is really bothering him. Trust me. If you love him like you say you do, don’t give up.”
“That’s asking a lot.”
“I’ll send a helicopter for you first thing in the morning.”
Her nails bit into her palm. “I’m afraid.”
“Your fear couldn’t be as great as his. He’s not as secure as he lets on.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because I’ve known him longer. And I’m afraid of what will happen if you disappear from his life. I’ll have the helicopter there at six whether you decide to take it or not.”