With her heart thudding, she got to her feet. “Nikos?”
He paused in the doorway, darting her a piercing glance. “What is it?”
With that intimidating look, the question she would have asked him never made it past her lips. In fact, she already did have the answer to what would have happened to them if he hadn’t had to leave the island to go on a covert operation.
Nothing
would have been different. Like her father, when he’d left her mother, Nikos would have said goodbye to Stephanie, telling her the lie that he’d see her again, and that would have been the end of it.
Until his accident, Nikos’s future had been tied up with another woman. As he’d told Stephanie a little while ago, Natasa wanted children....
CHAPTER FIVE
W
HEN
N
IKOS
BROUGHT
the dishes from the lounge into the galley, he found Yannis enjoying breakfast. The balding seaman needed a lot of food to keep going. He looked up. “What are your plans for today, Nikos?”
“After you finish eating, we’ll pull up anchor and head for Oinoussas. Once we’ve docked I won’t need you until tomorrow. That ought to give you some time to do what you want with Maria.” The widow who ran a small shop had become his love interest.
“She’ll like that.”
“But not you?” he teased.
Yannis stared at him. “What’s going on? You no longer act like you’re on the way to your own funeral.”
“I’m getting married tomorrow to Kyria Walsh at the church of Agios Dionysios.
That’s
what’s going on. I need to make preparations.”
His longtime widower friend looked shocked. “Married? To her? But what about Kyria Lander?”
Nikos started doing the dishes. He and Yannis took turns cooking and cleaning up. “She’s not pregnant with my child, Yannis. Stephanie is.”
“Ah...” The older man crossed himself. “This happened while you were on vacation in the Caribbean?”
“Yes.”
A huge smile broke out on his weathered face. “Now I understand. I told you the scuba diving there was the finest in the world. I’m glad you listened to me. She’s a real beauty, Nikos. It’s about time you had some happiness in your life. Does your father know?”
“Not yet.” Nikos was functioning on faith that she was pregnant and carrying his baby.
“There will be an explosion when your family finds out.”
“It won’t matter, because by the time they hear the news, she’ll be my wife. You’re going to be a witness, like you were for Kon.”
“I’ll be honored. Are you having a boy?”
“It’s too soon to know. Maybe in another month. For the present we’ll live on the yacht. Stephanie needs pampering and must eat for two. Since the last time I saw her, she’s lost her glow, and needs to take care of herself.” He refused to entertain the thought that she wasn’t pregnant.
The older man nodded.
“Just so you know, I’ve told her how I got injured.” He turned his head away from Yannis. “We have no secrets.”
His friend got up and added his plate and mug to the dishwasher. “That’s good. Otherwise, she’ll find out soon enough,” he said before leaving the galley. Since Nikos knew that, he would take steps to make certain Stephanie remained clueless about his PTSD.
After reaching for another roll, he headed for the lounge to phone Father Kerykes. They talked for a few minutes to settle on a time for the wedding, which was finally arranged to take place at four in the afternoon.
Next Nikos called Tassos, who seemed overjoyed to learn about the imminent marriage. He insisted that his wife and the Gregerov family would all be there to join in the festivities and take pictures. Later they would treat the bridal couple to dinner at their favorite local taverna.
Just as Nikos hung up, Stephanie walked into the lounge. Her closed expression told him little. “Did you reach your boss?”
She nodded.
“How did he take the news?”
“He wasn’t happy about it and complained it would be hard to find someone to replace me.”
“I don’t doubt it. You’re an expert diver and swimmer.”
“There are enough qualified applicants in the file drawer that he’ll have no problem. It’s my reason for resigning he doesn’t like.”
“How so?”
“Grant is the fatherly type and feels I haven’t known you long enough to consider getting married.”
“Did you tell him you’re pregnant?”
“I had to, otherwise he wouldn’t let it go. In the end he grudgingly wished me well and told me he was glad I wasn’t going to make another flight back to Florida, considering my condition. He’s really a wonderful man. I promised him that after the baby was born, I’d send him a picture of the three of us.”
Nikos liked the sound of that. But what if none of it turned out to be true? He rubbed the back of his neck.
You can’t afford to think like that, Vassalos.
“He’ll send me my final paycheck when I give him an address.”
“Good. What about your friends?”
She lowered her head. “I’ll phone them after we’re married.” She’d called Melinda from Chios to let her know she’d arrived safely. “Otherwise they’ll tell me to wait. I can’t deal with that kind of pressure right now.”
Nikos knew all too well about pressure, especially the parental kind. “In that case let’s go up on deck, where you can sunbathe on one of the loungers until we dock at Oinoussa. After that we’ll enjoy lunch in town. Among other things we’ll do some shopping for clothes, since you only packed enough for a day or two.”
Her jewel-like blue eyes fastened on him in apprehension. “What other things?”
“When did your doctor want to see you again?”
“In a month.”
“Was everything fine?”
“Yes, except that I need to take iron.”
“I saw the pills. To be on the safe side I want to stop in at the clinic, so we can meet the doctor who’ll be taking care of you from here on out. Dr. Panos looks after Elianna and Ariadne, who both live on Oinoussa and have great faith in him. You’ll need to set up your next appointment.”
To his surprise she looked relieved. “I’m glad you thought of a good doctor for me. I really like my OB. He was my mother’s doctor and has cared for me since my teens. It’s hard to gain trust with someone else.”
It was hard to gain trust, period, but since she hadn’t fought him on this, Nikos was in a better mood than he’d been since leaving the hospital more dead than alive.
* * *
They were coming in to dock at Oinoussa. To Stephanie it looked surprisingly large and beautiful. Tranquil. The town appeared to be draped over green hillsides, with several churches and charming houses displaying more of the local neoclassical style. Nikos told her there were no springs, so the water came from wells 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.
There were so many things she needed to learn about him. On the island they hadn’t gone anywhere except the resort, rarely interacting with anyone other than the staff. This was a totally different situation.
He collected her purchases and walked her out to the car, putting everything in the backseat. While he did that, she climbed in the front passenger seat, but he held on to her door so she couldn’t close it.
Stephanie looked up at him. “Aren’t we going to leave?”
His jaw had hardened. “I saw the look on your face in there. You want a traditional wedding dress? We’ll get you one. The most elaborate we can find.”
She was crushed. “No, Nikos. Please get in the car so we can talk without everyone hearing us.”
“There’s nothing to discuss. Come.”
After she got out, because he’d left her no choice, he locked the car and ushered her across the street to the bridal shop. An elegant, striking young woman, probably in her mid-twenties, caught sight of Nikos and couldn’t look anywhere else. When she spoke in Greek, he responded in English.
“We’d like to see your designer bridal gowns for my fiancée.”
Fiancée.
What a joke.
“Right over here.” She led them to a rack of sumptuous-looking dresses with price tags that meant this was a high end shop. “Go ahead and start looking.”
Stephanie hated being in this position. The whole time she examined each dress, she could hear the ringless clerk talking to Nikos in Greek instead of waiting on her. The younger woman was deliberately flirting with him. Stephanie had to get a grip. In the mood he was in, she knew he wouldn’t leave this shop until she’d found something for their wedding.
Last night, when she’d opened the closet containing his uniforms, she’d imagined him as a groom wearing the navy one with the gold buttons. With his black hair and olive skin, he’d look magnificent in it. Such an outfit required a wedding dress that lived up to it. If he was now intent on her wearing a designer gown, then she expected him to dress accordingly, too.