LITMIR.BIZ

Скачать книгу

everyone is cut out to be a parent, but I think life is enriched by children. For most people anyway,” she said, thinking of her own father. He’d abandoned her mother when Sara had been two months old. He couldn’t take the interrupted nights of a newborn baby. He resented not having his friends over whenever he wanted. He hadn’t liked being a father. And the consequences were ones Sara and her mother had lived with for the rest of her mother’s life. Had he ever regretted leaving? She’d never know. She didn’t even know if he was still living.

      “Families aren’t always like you imagine. I often wonder why my parents had a child,” Nikos said.

      “So, no brothers or sisters?”

      He shook his head. “Probably a good thing in the face of things. There were no other children to be ignored and brought out only on occasion to show off.” He shook off the memories from his youth. He’d made his way in the business he wanted. As an adult, he could far better understand his parents.

      “You’re young to be alone in the world. No other relatives?” he asked.

      She shrugged. “No one I know. So it’s just me, until I find that special man to fall in love with and marry.”

      “I wonder if marriage is for me,” he said.

      Nikos took a breath. He usually had more finesse when warning a woman off who might have any matrimonial intentions. Not that he thought Sara was contemplating such a move. She had shown none of the flirting that he was used to. He was thinking of Gina. The trip was proving more important than he’d anticipated. The more he was around Gina, the more doubts crept in.

      He knew his duty to his family was to provide heirs. He would need to hand down his grandfather and father’s shipping business. Maybe he’d have several children and they could each decide what to do with their lives. He would not force any along career paths they disliked. But was Gina the right woman?

      “Everyone has to decide that for himself. If you fall in love one day, you might change your mind,” she said.

      If she only knew.

      “On the other hand, I suspect love is overrated. Good for some, disastrous for others,” she added, nodding.

      Nikos suddenly wanted to know why she said that. Had she fallen in love and been hurt as he had? If so, she had rebounded with optimism.

      “It does work for some,” he admitted reluctantly. “My grandfather and Eleani are a perfect example.”

      “Oh?” she said.

      “They married about ten years ago and are blissfully happy together. In fact, my father wishes me to check up on them soon.” He frowned, studying the horizon, and wondered why he’d thought to bring that up. He hadn’t even told Gina.

      “Is there a problem?”

      “No. But my grandfather has a crazy idea that my father wants me to talk him out of. If you ever saw my father and grandfather together, you’d understand why I act as a buffer between them. But it gets tiresome.” He stopped talking. It was not like him to share any family business with a stranger. Much less an employee. He didn’t know what kind of gossip Sara might be.

      Sara looked at him oddly, then turned away.

      “I know a path that leads to one of the beach villages if you’re up for such an adventure,” he said. She had no interest in his family situation. The sun was high overhead, and despite the breeze, the air was growing uncomfortably warm with the heat reflected from the stones. They could enjoy the walk and then find a taxi to return to the dock.

      “It’s mostly shady,” he added. “Or I can arrange for the taxi to return here to pick us up.”

      “Sounds more like an adventure to walk back down. Do you want some water before we start? I brought a couple of bottles,” she said, rummaging in the small tote she’d slung over her shoulder. She handed him a bottle and opened the second one, taking a long drink.

      “Warm but wet,” she said with a grin.

      Nikos drank the entire bottle, wondering what Gina would have made of the situation. She would have complained the ground wasn’t suitable for her shoes. The water was warm and not cool. The sun was too glaring.

      But he was not interested in taking her to ruins. Yet, as he watched the children running and shouting and obviously having the time of their lives, he knew he’d want to bring his own children if he ever had any. He’d want them to know and love their country’s history as he did.

      Try as he might, he couldn’t picture Gina with them.

      Sara, yes.

      The thought startled him. Sara still had that starry-eyed wonder as she took in everything. She’d urge the children on and demand to know every aspect of the history of a place to share with them. And probably make up stories about where the men had been from, or what they had left behind.

      The trail to the village was well marked and wide enough to walk two abreast. Just a few yards from the ruins, trees began. The leafy 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

Скачать книгу