Heated words rushed to the back of Roberto’s throat. Why did his grandfather always look at him like he was a failure because he refused to do things the way his family thought they should be done? At least he was still here, unlike his parents, who were married but lived separate lives in separate parts of the world—separate from him.
Roberto wasn’t going to do what his grandfather wanted just to fit in and not make waves. His parents had done that, and now they were unhappier than any two people he knew. As it was, his grandparents had raised him because his parents couldn’t stand being at home for any length of time.
His early childhood had been a series of nannies. His parents had worked in the family business and socialized regularly. They were either too busy or too exhausted to deal with him.
At one point, Roberto recalled overhearing his mother saying that she regretted having him. Those words had been seared upon his heart. He withdrew from people. Even at the age of seven, he knew not to trust people because in the end they’d hurt you.
And then a huge fight between his father and grandfather had his parents packing and leaving—without him. Much later, Roberto learned there had been accusations against his parents of mismanagement and harassment.
Roberto spent the remainder of his youth moving between his grandparents’ vast estate and boarding school. His grandmother tried her best to fill the void in his life, but being abandoned by his parents left a scar that couldn’t be erased, no matter how hard his grandmother tried.
Roberto had vowed long ago not to have a family. He didn’t want to find out after the fact that he wasn’t cut out to be a father—just like his parents. He refused to subject a child of his own to a life like that.
But what about Stasia? Did she want a family? Sure, she’d made moves to join Xander in the business world, but something told him her heart wasn’t in it. He’d noticed her sometimes at the meetings with Xander. She’d been attentive and interacted, but she hadn’t smiled. Her face hadn’t been animated like it was when she got truly excited about something.
However, she had seemed happy when she was married. Was that what she wanted again? If it was, he’d have to be careful. If things between them escalated, he didn’t want to get her hopes up that he could offer her a diamond ring. It would never happen.
His gaze met his grandfather’s. “You don’t have to wonder. Stasia and I are together. She’ll be attending the wedding with me.”
“We’ll see how long this lasts.” And then his grandfather strode away.
Roberto shrugged off his grandfather’s disappointment. It was something he’d grown accustomed to over the years. Some things didn’t change.
His thoughts turned to Stasia. He wondered what she was doing right now. He thought of seeking her out, but then changed his mind. It was best not to spend too much time together—even if a part of him wanted to spend all his time with her.
* * *
It was too beautiful to stay in the cabin.
Stasia lifted her face to the warm sunshine. Maybe she should have taken Roberto up on his offer to take her on today’s tour. Where had they stopped? It took her a second to figure out which port they were at that day. With them sailing at night and docking at a new port each morning, it was a lot to remember. But then she recalled that today they were in Montenegro. Though exploring the old Mediterranean town appealed to her, she was holding out for Venice. She couldn’t wait to explore as much of it as time allowed.
In the meantime, she’d spent the morning in her cabin poring over aptitude tests and college catalogs and then running internet searches. She stared at her computer until her head started to pound.
She wondered what Roberto was doing, but she didn’t want to disturb him, as she didn’t want to take up all his time. It wouldn’t be fair. He deserved to spend his vacation any way he pleased—even if it meant working.
She’d made her way to the pool. There were a lot of young families around. The echo of children’s voices surrounded her. As she found an available lounge chair, she couldn’t help thinking she’d been robbed of this experience with Lukos. They’d been planning on having a baby. In fact, they’d just started working on a family when he’d received the most devastating news that he had cancer. For a man who’d exercised regularly and led a healthy lifestyle, this diagnosis came as quite a shock to both of them.
A little boy moved past her chair, holding on to his father’s hand. The little boy must be around two...about the age her child would be if their attempt at starting a family had been successful. An arrow of pain shot through her heart.
While Lukos had been in the hospital, he got to the point where he would send her away. Lukos liked to read or as he grew sicker he’d listen to audiobooks during his treatment. She never wanted to go far from him and so she’d made her way around the hospital. She’d ended up learning about all the volunteer programs out there. They’d intrigued her as she’d visited with the children as well as the elderly.
“Stasia?” Roberto’s voice drew her attention.
She turned to the side, finding him heading for her. He was wearing shorts that showed off his long, lean runner legs. Her gaze rose up over his trim waist, broad chest and strong arms. When she reached his clean-shaven chiseled jaw, she paused. Her gaze lingered over his very kissable lips. With a bit of a struggle, she drew her attention upward past his straight nose and stopped at his gray-blue eyes. There was amusement reflected in them.
She swallowed hard. She didn’t normally get caught checking someone out. In fact, she wasn’t in the habit of checking anyone out. But there was something about Roberto—something that had her thinking about what it’d be like to start over.
“Find something you liked?” he asked in a teasing tone.
Heat rushed to her face. “I... I just didn’t expect to see you today.”
“I can leave if you want—”
“No, please stay.”
He took a seat next to her. “I took care of some emails this morning, but I didn’t have anything else planned for the day.”
“So you aren’t a businessman twenty-four-seven?”
His brows lifted. “Is that what you think?”
She shrugged. “It kind of seems that way.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment as though mulling over her words for some validity. “I guess you’ve only seen me at the office and at business events. But I do other things.”
“Such as?” She was genuinely curious to know the other side of this man.
“I like to go running early in the morning just as the sun is rising.”
“It shows in those shorts. You have very nice legs.” Was that a bit of color in his cheeks?
“And I like to cook, but I must admit I don’t bother very often. More times than not I eat takeout at my desk. I always tell myself I’m going to leave the office at a reasonable hour but then I get engrossed in a project and lose track of time.”
“Or is it that you don’t have a reason to go home?” That was what happened when she visited Infinity Island. It was so hard for her to leave her adorable niece and family in order to return to a house full of nothing but memories.
It was funny how life played out. In the beginning, she was the one who found love at an early age, and for a long time, she worried Xander would never know such happiness. And now Xander was the one with the love of a family and she was the one walking through life alone. Life could be so unpredictable.
Roberto averted his gaze. “I’ve chosen work over a home life. It’s the way I like things.”
She wanted to argue, but she couldn’t. Choosing a career over having a family sounded much safer. “Maybe you’re right.”
This time his gaze did meet hers. Questions reflected in his eyes. “I’m right?”
She struggled not to laugh at his shocked expression. “Why do you look so surprised?”
“Because, well, no one has ever agreed with me before.”
There was a time when she wouldn’t have agreed with him either. But that boat had sailed, so to speak. Maybe it was time to let him in on her special project. “I’ve been looking for a job—but not just any job. I want one that fulfills me the way work does you and my brother.”
“I thought you were going to join Xander in some real-estate deals.”
She glanced away, catching sight of a little boy and his father rolling a bright red ball back and forth. “Don’t tell Xander, but real estate, it’s not for me.”
“Really? Because you seemed so anxious to work on the resort in Italy.”
“You’re right. I was, in the beginning. But I was mostly excited about being able to work side by side with my brother.”
“So what happened?”
It’d been a long time since someone was truly interested in her and her feelings. “I don’t know. Somewhere along the way, I figured out that this deal was really involved and long lasting. I just couldn’t imagine having my life tied to the project for years. It was just too cold—too impersonal.” She caught the frown flitting across Roberto’s face and realized how her words might hurt him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean you and my brother can’t find happiness in the work. It’s just not for me.”
“Fair enough. So what do you want to do?”
“That’s the problem. I don’t know. I know how ridiculous that sounds for an almost twenty-nine-year-old to not know what they want to do with their life. I married young, and with Lukos’s job, I knew we would be traveling a lot. I was all right with putting aside my career to support him, and we were talking—well, we were doing more than talking—about having a family. And then, well, you know...he got sick.” She sucked in a steadying breath. “So now I have no husband, no baby and no idea what to do with the rest of my life.”
Roberto reached out and took her hand in his. He gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry. Life isn’t fair.”
“Agreed.” But they’d been talking about her for far too long. “So how about you?”
“What about me?”
“I don’t know, but we’ve discussed my life enough for one day. Tell me something new about you.”
“Well, I just spoke with my grandfather. He needs my help.”
She wasn’t sure what to say at this point. His furrowed brow told her that whatever his grandfather had asked of him must be weighing on him. She wasn’t sure if it was her place to press him for information.
Roberto turned to her. “You have to understand that my grandfather has never asked for my help. My grandparents stepped up and raised me when my dysfunctional parents abandoned me. I don’t know what I’d have done without them. But I’m afraid I’ve failed them. I haven’t followed the path they wanted for me—working in the family business.”
“I always wondered about that. But I knew you had your reasons.”
Roberto got quiet. He stared off into space as though he were thinking something over. By the creased lines on his forehead, it was troubling him.
“It must be serious.”
Roberto shrugged. “I’m not sure. He said he had some reports for me to look over, but he was reluctant to go into details.”
“That’s rather mysterious, isn’t it?”
“Yes, very. My grandfather isn’t one to play games. He’s a straight shooter. But I’m sure you don’t want to hear about my family business.”
“I’m interested in whatever you want to share with me. And it’s nice to focus on someone else’s problems for once. I’d like to think that we’re friends besides being fake lovers.”
“We’re definitely friends.”
“Good. I was hoping you’d be up for touring Venice with me. We’ll arrive there in a couple of days.” It was heralded as one of the most romantic cities in the world and it just seemed like a place that she would like to share with someone—even her fake boyfriend.
He reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. “You can count on it.”
His touch warmed her skin and sent a shiver of excitement over her. What was it about this man that got her body all excited with just a touch?
Her gaze met his and held. She knew she should turn away, but she lacked the willpower. There was something mesmerizing about his eyes, as though they could see straight through her and read her very thoughts.
She wondered if he could sense that all she wanted to do on this beautiful day was get lost in his arms and revisit the kiss he’d laid on her the other day. If only someone would come flirt with her, perhaps Roberto would kiss her again.
All too soon, Roberto released her hand and got to his feet. “I’ve taken up enough of your day. I’ll let you get back to your planning.”
As he turned to walk away, she wanted to call out to him to stay. She wanted to tell him that she could figure out her future another time. But wasn’t that what got her in this tough spot in the first place? And without a definite plan by the time the cruise ended, she would end up caving to Xander’s plans because she wouldn’t want to hurt him.
And there was another reason she needed to hold back. This rush of emotions felt so new—so foreign. How could she possibly be falling for Roberto? Or was she just trying to fill that void in her heart?
Either way, she needed to slow things down. She didn’t trust herself where Roberto was concerned. And so she remained quiet as he moved out of sight.
DAY FIVE
Dubrovnik, Croatia
VENICE SEEMED SO far away.
Luckily Roberto hadn’t meant to keep his distance until then.
Stasia sat across the table from him. They’d just had lunch. Neither felt like going ashore. Instead they’d moved to the deck beneath the light blue sky. To keep up appearances with his family, they were spending a lot of time together. Every day they gravitated toward each other, and to Stasia’s surprise, she didn’t mind. In fact, she was enjoying having a friend on board.
While Roberto enjoyed an iced latte that she’d convinced him to try, she was sipping on a fruity umbrella drink. A gentle breeze rushed over her sun-warmed skin as they sat in comfortable silence.
“Roberto?” a female voice called.
In the next moment, his grandmother and a gentleman with silver hair who resembled Roberto, from his handsome face to his tall stature, approached. The man had some white in the temples that only accentuated his classic good looks. It was definitely Roberto’s grandfather. However, neither grandparent was smiling.
Roberto rose to his feet and gave his grandmother a hug. “Yaya, happy birthday.”
“Thank you,” his grandmother said. “Everything is arranged for the party this evening.” And then his grandmother smiled. Not one of those friendly, doting grandmotherly smiles, but one of those I-know-something-you-don’t-know smiles. And even though Stasia didn’t know the woman, it made her nervous.
“Good.” The straight line of Roberto’s shoulders eased. “Is there anything you need me to do—”
“Yes.” His grandfather spoke up. “I thought you’d be in your cabin working on that project I gave you.” The man frowned. Displeasure was written all over his face. “I should have known better—”
“I was just headed that way to get my laptop.”
His grandfather’s eyes widened in surprise. “I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts.”
“And you don’t want to give me a heads-up about what I’ll be looking for?”
He shook his head. “I want your unbiased opinion about the numbers.”
“Okay. I’ll do my best.”
“You have until the end of the cruise.”
Stasia felt for Roberto. How was he supposed to do what his grandfather wanted when the man was being so vague? And by the look on Roberto’s face, no matter what he said, pleasing his grandparents was
important to him. He may have fooled himself into thinking otherwise, but she could see the love he had for them written all over his face. And she couldn’t blame him.
Family was something special—something she no longer had. And now that Xander was married with a child of his own, he felt further away than ever before. And that was why she needed to carve out a life for herself. She needed to find a job that she was as passionate about as Roberto was about his work.
“We should be going,” his grandmother said. And then she turned to Stasia. “It’s so good to see you again. I hope we’ll get a chance to speak more this evening at the party.”
“But, Yaya, she...she wasn’t invited,” Roberto said, looking utterly flustered.
His grandmother reached out and patted his arm. “All the details have been taken care off. We’ll see you both there.”
And then his grandparents strolled off toward the double doors leading to the interior of the ship.
Stasia turned to Roberto before he could say anything. “I don’t know about this.”
“She’s suspicious of us. I mean, if we were really a couple, you’d come with me, right?”
Stasia hesitated and then nodded. “I’m just having a problem thinking of us, you know, that way.”
“If you’ve changed your mind—”
“No. I said I’d do this.” Even though she was now having second and third thoughts about what she’d agreed to. But she refused to let Roberto down.
“Forget it. I’ll go tell her the truth.” When he started after his grandmother, Stasia rushed after him.
“Roberto, don’t. I really wouldn’t mind attending the party. Those of your family who I’ve met, I like. And I’ve always loved big get-togethers.” She really missed her own grandparents and their extravagant parties. They’d always been so much fun, with singing, storytelling and dancing into the wee hours of the morning.
Wearing the Greek Millionaire's Ring Page 6