Fran’s eyebrows knitted together. “If she had plans to be alone with him, she should have been the one who fainted to realize you weren’t on vacation with me yet.”
“She’s not the type to faint. That woman is as cool as the proverbial cucumber, treating me like I was the interloper and not his wife. No doubt she was allowed to use the security hand code to get in while her sister was alive and Leandros never deleted it.
“Leandros disappeared into the study with her for a few minutes. When she came out again, she flashed me this satisfied smile and bade me a safe flight in the morning. Fran—how could she have known my plans if Leandros hadn’t discussed them with her? I don’t want her knowing my business. I tell you, that was the last straw.”
She groaned. “It would have been for me, too.”
“When he came to find me, I was in the kitchen getting some juice and didn’t say anything to him about her. He hovered around me until it drove me positively crazy, so I said goodnight and went to bed in the guest bedroom. It wasn’t long before he came in and found me on the phone with Aunt Sybil. He told me to hang up because he wanted to have a serious talk with me.”
“Did you?”
“Yes. I’ve never seen him in a rage before. He swore he didn’t know Karmela would be by. The more he tried to explain his way out of it, the more I couldn’t listen to him. Suddenly I felt so sick I passed out.”
“I’m not surprised. Under the circumstances it’s a good thing we’re flying home tomorrow.”
“Please forgive me, Fran. I’m ashamed to have to confess I got you to Athens on my terms, not yours. It was horribly selfish of me when you wanted to wait until September.”
“None of that matters. You need help.”
“So do you,” came Kellie’s cryptic comment. She stared hard at Fran. “You’re back late. I don’t need to ask if you had a good time with Nik tonight.”
“I did.” It was a night she’d always remember.
“With that droopy gardenia in your hair, I can just imagine. Did he put it there before or after he kissed you?”
“There was no kiss.” Except on her forehead.
“Not yet maybe, but it’s coming. It’s the Angelis charm working like clockwork. Just be careful you don’t get completely sucked in.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He already wants to go on vacation with you!”
“Kellie—he was only flirting.”
“No. Nik Angelis is a compelling force in the corporate world, and he’s an even more compelling sensual force when it comes to women. One of the secretaries in Leandros’s office says he’s had a string of them over the years. Leandros claims that when Nik wants something, he’s relentless until he gets it. I can see where his persuasion tactics are leading where you’re concerned.”
“In what way?”
“He wouldn’t think twice about asking you to quit your job at the hospital and move to Greece in order to become his niece’s nanny.”
Fran swallowed hard. “He already has. I turned him down. When the doctor at the hospital in Leminos mentioned he’d like to hire someone like me, Nik said something about having other plans in mind for me.”
“I knew it!” Kellie muttered. “He’s going to use every trick in the book to get you to take care of Demi. His plan is to make the moves on you to ensure victory. He’s counting on a beautiful, vulnerable divorcée like you to cave. Have you told him you can’t have children?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then don’t! That piece of information would be all he needed to get you to say yes. You can’t do it, Fran, or you’ll be facing even greater heartache than with Rob. He’s got enough money to buy anyone he wants, but not you—” Her eyes pooled with moisture. “I say this because you’re the best person I’ve ever known and you’re beyond price.”
“Oh, Kellie—” She gave her friend a long, hard hug.
“Promise me you won’t let him get to you. If you do, it will mean you’ve given up on marriage altogether. You and I have talked about you falling in love again with a widower who has small children. Isn’t that what you said?”
She pulled away from Kellie and wiped her eyes. “Yes, and you know it’s what I’d like to happen.”
“Then if you really mean that, don’t get any more involved with Nik. I promise that if you do, you’ll end up being stuck in the Angelis household as nothing more than a glorified servant. I don’t care how strong your maternal feelings are for Demi. The years pass quickly. Think, Fran! One day she’ll grow up and won’t need you anymore. Then what will you do? You’ll be too old for what you really want, and you’ll live the rest of your life with a broken heart! After we’re home I’ll concentrate on helping you meet a terrific guy. There are hundreds of widowers looking for a wife online through a dating service.”
“Ugh. That sounds horrible.”
“Maybe not. You deserve to meet someone fantastic and fall in love with him. It happens to lucky couples all the time. Second marriages can be wonderful if you’re not desperate, and if you take the time to meet that one person you can’t live without.”
“I know.”
“Then remember something else. One of these days Nik’s parents will bring pressure to bear and he’ll have to get married, thus joining the ranks of his married brothers. They’ll all have families except for you. So, what then? When Demi goes to college, will you go back to the States and get another job at another hospital, only to keep taking care of other people?”
The words stung, but she knew Kellie was saying them partly from her own pain and partly to help Fran think straight.
“You need to take charge of your life and live for you. I think you should have gotten out of your marriage the first time Rob said he didn’t want to adopt. That was a year into your marriage. Look at the time you’ve wasted! I never said anything to you about it, but I wanted to.”
Fran eyed her friend in surprise. “I had no idea you felt this strongly about it.”
She bit her lip. “You don’t know half of the things I thought about Rob and his utter selfishness where you were concerned. Your situation has made me take stock of my marriage. That’s why I’m planning to separate from Leandros. I refuse to hang around another year or two while he and Karmela are involved. I don’t know if they’re actual pillow friends yet, but don’t think she isn’t lying in wait for the opportunity.
“On our drive back to Athens yesterday, it was like talking to a wall. He’s in denial over her infatuation with him, but all the signs are there. After he tires of her, he’ll want someone else yet expect me to look the other way. I knew it was too good to be true that he fell in love with me, but idiot that I am, I was so crazy about him, I left the blinders on.”
She grabbed Fran’s arms. “Don’t do what I did—don’t be charmed by Nik and his Greek-god looks. Don’t let him get to you. Above all, don’t sleep with him. He can pour it on like Leandros. It’s their gift and their curse.”
“Kellie—I’ve never seen you like this before.”
“That’s because I realize my marriage was a mistake. Karmela was in the picture from the first time I met Leandros. The warning signs were there, but I didn’t pay any heed to them.”
Fran was shaken because, despite her friend’s bitterness, she was making sense.
“When I get back home, I’m filing for a divorce through my uncle’s attorney. I’ll stay with them until I figure out what I’m going to do.”
; “Do they know your marriage is in trouble?”
“Not yet.”
Fran folded her arms against her waist. She threw her head back. “Out of all the marriages I’ve seen, I thought yours was the most solid. I have to tell you I’m devastated over this.”
“I’ve been in agony since I realized Karmela was never going to go away. So don’t let Nik talk you into something that will be difficult for you to get out of. No matter how much that little girl tugs at your heart, she’s not yours! She belongs to the Angelis family. They circle their own and you won’t be an integral part of anything.”
Fran shot to her feet, not needing to hear any more. “Do you want me to come back to the apartment tonight?”
“No. That would be the last straw for Leandros. I need to show him I’m in control and can handle life on my own. He thinks I’m a pushover. Well, no longer! He should have married Karmela. I can’t imagine why he didn’t.”
She let out an anguished cry. “Tell Nik to drive you to the Cassandra. I’ve already made arrangements for you to stay there in our private suite. We’ll pick you up in the morning on our way to the airport.”
“I’ll be ready.” She leaned down to give her a hug. Her eyes misted over. “You have to know my heart’s breaking for you and Leandros.”
“Now you have some idea of how I felt when you told me Rob didn’t want to adopt after all. But you got through that terrible ordeal. Given time, I will, too.”
Fran blew her friend a kiss, then slipped past the curtain and headed for the E.R. lounge. Both men got up when they saw her. Leandros’s grave countenance haunted her. “How is she?”
“She’s surprisingly good and ready for us to fly home in the morning. I’ll watch out for her, Leandros. I’m so sorry this has happened. Obviously she needs her space. Once back in Philadelphia, time will have a way of making her see things more clearly. One thing I do know. She loves you with every fiber of her being. Don’t ever forget that.” Her voice shook.
His lips tightened. “I’ve forgotten nothing,” he rapped out. “If she still wants to fly home in the morning, I’ll fly her there in my jet. We have things to discuss. As you know, we’ve made arrangements for you to stay at the Cassandra tonight. Tomorrow morning my driver will be there to take you to the airport. I’ve booked you first class on a flight leaving at eight.”
CHAPTER SIX
THIS was Leandros at his most intimidating. The situation was out of Fran’s hands. She gave him a last kiss on the cheek. Nik grasped her elbow and led them out to the limo where he sat next to her.
“You’re staying with me tonight. It’s late, and it would be absurd for you to go anywhere else when I have a perfectly good apartment going to waste. Tomorrow will be a new day. After a solid night’s sleep you can make decisions. Who knows, you might even decide to finish your vacation here.”
The fight seemed to have gone out of her. “You’ve talked me into it. Thank you,” she half sighed the words. “I’m drained, as I’m sure you are. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your generosity.”
He flashed her a white smile that melted her bones. “At last I can do something for you.”
“How many times do I have to remind you that taking care of Demi was a joy?” All of a sudden her voice caught. “Have you had any word from your family yet?”
“Yes. My father called.”
“They must miss you terribly.”
“I didn’t get that impression. He phoned to thank me for bringing Demi home to them. He said my mother is a different person now that she has the baby to worry about. Demi fussed and cried all day, but the girls helped her and by bedtime she’d calmed down.”
“I miss her, Nik.”
“She’s never off my mind either. My father says having Demi there has chased away the darkness and spirits are improving. He also admitted he envies me for being able to look forward to work. I told him he retired too soon and should come back in the office for half days, or at least for several times a week.”
Nik was a wonderful son. Though Kellie had spoken the truth about Nik’s determined nature, there was a noble side to him she couldn’t dismiss. “That must have thrilled him.”
“He said he’d think about it, which tells me he wants to keep his hand in things. I told him something else.”
“What was that?”
“I’ve gone on vacation for a week and have left all the worry to my assistants. I suggested to Father he might want to check up on things while I’m gone.”
“And?” she prodded because his eyes were smiling.
“He didn’t say no.”
“If he’s anything like you, I bet he can’t wait to dig back in.”
“I’m sure you’re right. So you see, taking your advice is already paying dividends. If you hadn’t convinced me to let go, I wouldn’t have realized my father is still struggling with his retirement. I owe a great deal of what’s going on at the villa to you, Fran.”
Before she could think, he pressed a light kiss to her lips. It only lasted for a breathless moment, but the aftershocks traveling through her nervous system were as powerful as Kellie’s warning. Don’t do what I did—don’t be charmed by Nik and his Greek-god looks. Don’t let him get to you.
He grasped her hand. “Speaking of vacations, you could use a break from worry about Kellie. Left alone with Leandros who plans to stay in Philadelphia with her for a while, she’ll have time to consider everything and rethink her decision to leave him. Why don’t you stay on in Greece for a few more days? If you’re not there then Kellie and Leandros will be forced to confront their feelings. I know that Leandros won’t want a divorce.”
That sounded encouraging. Maybe Kellie had gotten through to him after all....
“To my knowledge, there’s no finer man. I get the impression Kellie is his whole world.”
“She worships the ground he walks on, too. I liked him the first time I met him and that has never changed. But I’m not married to him. Their personal problems are none of my business.”
Except Fran knew what was tearing her friend apart. It wasn’t just about Karmela. Sometimes Fran got the feeling Kellie was using Karmela as an excuse to cover her own insecurities. She’d married a powerful man whose first marriage had been happy. Kellie needed to talk to someone professional about her problems.
“In that case, let’s concentrate on enjoying our vacation,” Nik suggested.
Fran chuckled to cover the sudden spike of her pulse. “Our vacation? I didn’t know we were going on one.”
“Leandros wants time alone with his wife and you’re still here in Greece, ostensibly to travel. Does the thought of hanging out together frighten you?”
A small tremor rocked her body.
“I’ll ask you again. Are you afraid at the thought of being alone with me?”
Adrenaline spilled into her veins. “Why would I be?”
“Liar,” he whispered.
His response made her laugh before she removed her hand.
“Admit you’re afraid you’ll like it too much.”
He knew her too well. “Oh, I can admit to that already. It’s what happens when the vacation is over that bothers me.”
“Forget about the over part. When you’re on vacation, you’re not entitled to think, only to accept everything that comes as a special gift.”
Her lips curved. “Your spin on the subject is without equal.”
“I take it you can’t wait for us
to embark on our journey. Where would you like to go?”
“That’s easy. How about a hike to the top of Mount Olympus?” she teased.
“The home of the gods.”
“It’s so famous, I want to climb it. Though I might be out of shape, Kellie and I planned to do it before a tornado swept through Greece and changed all our lives.” She hated the throb in her voice.
“I can’t think of anything I’d like more. We’ll not only hike, we’ll camp out. It’s my favorite thing to do besides water sports.”
“And driving,” she added.
He grinned. “Your mind is a steel trap. This trip will be an experience to remember. I’ll throw all my camping gear in the helicopter and we’ll take off for Pironia tomorrow after breakfast. That’s the start of the trailhead.”
“You’ve climbed it, of course.”
“Twice. Once with my brothers and another time with my friends.”
She darted him a glance. “Is there anything you haven’t done?”
“I haven’t climbed all our Greek mountains yet, and I’ve never gone camping with a woman.”
“That’s probably the best idea you’ve ever had.”
Once again he broke into the kind of deep masculine belly laughter that shook the back of the limo and warmed her insides, neutralizing Kellie’s concerns for her for the moment.
* * *
Nik drew Fran to the side of the forest trail to allow a team of donkeys carrying packs to the refuge to go on ahead of them. This was a good place to stop for a drink of water. They’d been hiking for over an hour, passing and being passed by other hikers.
In another hour they would reach the refuge where everyone would spend the night. Nik had another place in mind where he would set up camp for them in total privacy. Tomorrow they’d climb to the top of Mytikas, the highest peak.
Baby out of the Blue Page 10