“That’s what he believed, yes. The island changed his life, I don’t deny that. He moved the rest of his extended family here after my grandfather was born and started building the villa.”
“I suppose your parents never considered living here full-time?” she asked, hoping to learn a little bit more about what had happened to him as a child.
“No. My mother didn’t like being cut off from civilization.” His clipped answer was in stark contrast to his warm tone a moment ago. “As for my father, he did whatever my mother wanted, for a while at least. That included sending his seven-year-old son away to boarding school in a foreign country thousands of miles away.” His voice had turned even cooler, and she suppressed a shiver of unease at the bitterness in his words.
“Was that when she walked away?”
Belle held her breath and remained silent in the hope he would elaborate, but the silence stretched, awkward and heavy, and she was reminded again that there were areas in Nick’s life she wasn’t privy to.
“No. That came later.”
“Where is she now?” she asked.
“She lives in L.A. with her latest husband.”
Nick’s mother hadn’t attended their wedding. From what he’d told Belle yesterday, she now knew why.
She reached up to adjust her sunhat more firmly on her head. She glanced at his stony profile and tried again.
“How’s your grandfather? Is he in Athens?” Nick’s father had let go of the reins of the family’s shipping company when Nick was twenty-five. A U.S. Marine at the time, he’d given up his military career and, with the help of his grandfather—the only family member Nick was close to aside from Alex—had started managing the failing family business a year or so before his father’s death.
“The old man passed away three months ago.”
She gasped, her hand falling back into her lap with the shock. “Nick, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.” The words seemed inadequate for the memory of the man she’d met only once but who’d left an indelible impression on her. Even bound to his wheelchair, he’d had an overwhelming presence. She felt an even deeper sadness that she hadn’t been here for Nick.
Sadness and guilt.
Nick only shrugged. “He lived a full life. I think he was ready to go.”
She had no answer, so she subsided into silence.
After a few minutes, as if making an effort to dispel the morose atmosphere, Nick announced, “We’re almost there. Hold on, it gets a little bumpy from here.’
The smooth ride over the lush green vista gave way to a craggy landscape dotted with small rock pools and rising hills over which they traveled toward the northernmost tip of the island. As they crested the last hill, she held her breath in anticipation of the view from the plateau.
Her memory proved as fertile as the landscape before her.
There were six saltwater springs dotted around the island, ranging in temperature from extremely hot to mildly tepid, with the largest, the one they were heading for, somewhere in the mid-range and perfect for swimming in.
Beyond the pools lay the remains of a tiny Byzantine temple. Even though the structure was almost completely in ruins, four columns remained, stretching up to the blue sky in a timeless reminder of the island’s rich history. The ancient carvings etched into foot-thick stone walls had withstood the passage of time, as had the many treasures dotted around this special place.
Her attention was drawn back to the springs.
Warm, crystal-clear water flowed from a natural rock opening in the sheer cliff face on the other side of the hill and dropped in a short waterfall into a deep basin, which then ran via an underground stream into the sea. The basin was surrounded by a stand of tall eucalyptus trees forming a natural shade, but through it a stunning view of the sea could be seen from the pool. On one side of the pool a large flat rock offered the perfect diving-off spot and resting place, and it was there Nick headed after they left the cart. He led her down stone steps set into the side of the hill, one hand holding hers and the other carrying their picnic basket.
He deposited the basket on the rock, then took something else out of his pocket—a lethal-looking gun—which he placed on the other side of the basket.
Seeing her gaze on it, his lips tightened. “A necessary precaution. Okay?”
She suppressed her shiver. “Okay.”
“Swim first and then lunch?” he asked.
“Yes, please.” She stood for a moment, lost in the stunning beauty of her surroundings. She helped spread the blanket on the rock before following Nick’s lead, stepping out of her sandals and slipping off her yellow sundress. At his blatant appraisal, another blush crept up her flushed body.
“Any chance I can convince you to swim in the nude like you did the last time we were here? The guards are under orders not to disturb us.” His fingers hooked suggestively into the waistband of his trunks, ready to shuck them off at her word.
“You mean when you convinced me no one would find me sunbathing in the buff, only to have Alex pay us an impromptu visit in his helicopter and catch me in flagrante?” she asked wryly.