LITMIR.BIZ

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clothing was almost entirely resort uniforms. Suitcase by the door, she went to the porthole in her wall and gazed out. She could see land in the distance.

      They’d be back at the resort soon. And she’d accomplished nothing.

      Sara went up on the aft deck as the resort came closer and closer. The wind blew her hair back when she leaned over to look toward the direction they were heading. Shading her eyes with her hand, she looked up to the bridge. Nikos stared down at her. She caught her breath and looked away. For his sake she hoped the family situation was not an emergency.

      Leaning over the railing, she watched as the yacht was tied to the dock, the gangplank lowered and the passengers disembarked. Gina held on to Nikos’s arm as if she’d fall without his support. Senor and Senora Fregulia followed with their friends behind. No one seemed particularly upset, Sara thought. Maybe the family situation was a happy event—like a new baby born or someone got engaged.

      “We’re leaving,” Stefano said from the doorway. “The Cassandra sails again this afternoon. Captain wants to talk to you on the bridge.”

      “I’ll go straightaway, then pick up my bag.” She walked over and offered her hand. “It’s been a pleasure, Stefano.”

      “It was mine,” he said as he shook her hand. “I hope we sail again together,” he said formally. “I’m sure to see you around the resort.” With a slight nod of his head he turned and walked back down the short corridor.

      Sara climbed up to the bridge, loving the view of the resort from this height.

      “You wanted to see me?” she asked the captain when she entered the pilot house.

      He looked up from some papers he was reading. “Ah, Sara Andropolous. Mr. Konstantinos would like you to remain on board. We sail again in a few hours and he has requested you sail with us.”

      “I’m happy to stay,” she said, thinking what an understatement that was. “To where do we sail next?” she asked, almost crossing her fingers and toes.

      “To the Konstantinos family island.”

      Sara almost jumped with joy at the news. But conscious that all things could change, she merely nodded and smiled. “I like sailing on the Cassandra. I look forward to extending my time on board.”

      “Your meals are excellent. It’s no wonder Nikos wishes you to remain. I’ve enjoyed each one you’ve made.”

      She smiled in delight. “Always words to warm a cook’s heart. Thank you.”

      She did a little skip as she headed out. Walking down carefully to the main deck, she went to the railing and looked around. There were several luxury yachts moored in the resort’s marina. Three smaller boats were also tied up. The activity on the docks seemed lively and she enjoyed people watching.

      There was one person she was especially watching for.

      CHAPTER FIVE

      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

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