Chapter Twelve
Sophia sobered up quickly after her unexpected release of inhibitions. The earlier expression of happiness, an action she’d often performed as a teenager overcome with too much emotion, had only been shared with one other person. It was the kind of thing she’d done as a young girl on her bike rides with Yaya. Besieged with the freedom and joy of the experience, she wouldn’t be able to contain herself.
Having the same reaction while holding onto a man who she’d just met had thrown her into turmoil. Her brain had cleared long enough for her to know she could be in big trouble. There was something about this guy. Instinctively, she’d known in her heart that if Yaya had been alive today, she’d have liked him. How the hell that seemed so clear had her questioning her sanity.
Rather than taking chances of spending time alone with him, especially in the mood she’d found herself in, she’d chosen instead to put distance between them. Take this time for herself to reflect and sort out her next couple of days. She had a job to do and nothing could stand in the way of her getting those two kids back to their mother. She’d promised.
Driving onto a public beach parking area on Akti Miaouli Street, the main road across from the Mitsis Grand super expensive hotel, Sophia parked and sat on the bike, her skirts all tucked up and her leg resting against the handlebars. She watched the turquoise water darken and the lighter clouds around the glowing moon weave magic as it began its performance of a spectacular show for the day’s end.
She’d come here often as a young girl and watch her favorite scene, thanking God for giving her the wonderful life he’d allowed her to live. Her large family back in Canada, her ties to her father’s home in Newfoundland, plus her mother’s people here in Rhodes. She counted her blessings the same way she did every time she returned.
Suddenly, she heard something that took her completely away from her happy, slightly drunken musings. Sobs from someone nearby had caught at her heartstrings, and she couldn’t ignore the distressing sounds of sadness.
Leaving her motorbike, removing her one sandal, she wandered further along the sandy drifts where they had stacked up many of the day’s beach chairs and umbrellas. Following the whimpers of a young person in despair, she finally made out the figure of a slight female curled up on one of the loungers, crying her heart out.