Chapter Twenty-six
“Barney, why didn’t you tell me about HamiltonAlexopoulospassing away? Or about the family barbecue tomorrow?”
“Holy hell, Sophia. I’m sorry. It’s been so crazy at the hotel, I’ve completely lost track of the date. You wouldn’t believe it. Right now, Ellie has me running around Old Town organizing fancy tours of the Acropolis and the Grand Palace for a huge party of fun-loving guests from Russia.”
Her ears perked up when she heard him mention where his guests came from and his own location. “I’ll forgive you if you promise to meet me for a quick Chai tea at Starbucks. My treat.”
His voice brightened and agreement followed. “You and your Chai tea. I can be there in twenty minutes – if that works for you?”
“Perfect. See you then.”
Sophia turned back to Sam and grinned.“My cousin is extremely knowledgeable about what goes on in Rhodes. He owns one of the largest villas and spa luxury spots on the Island, so it’s in his best interest to be on many of the boards. His place is in a gorgeous spot, close toTsampikaandLindos.”
“It sounds special. If we weren’t on this mission, I’d invite you there for the day.”
Sophia shrugged and tried to hide her yearning to go to one of her favorite places. “We’ll see if maybe we can organize a break before my business on the island is done.”She almost blurted out about Barney mentioning his group of Russian visitors but decided to wait until she’d talked with him at the cafe. “By the way, will you stay here with Stasia while I’m gone?”
“Of course. But it’s getting a bit boring for her hanging in here at the house. If you promise not to highjack my bike again, I’ll take her for a ride to one of thebeaches out of town for lunch and a swim. It’ll stop her from worrying so much about her predicament. Do you have swimming gear she can wear, maybe a floppy hat so she can hide her appearance on the off chance someone recognizes her?”
“Oh, sure. Yaya has a closetful of clothes we haven’t had the time to deal with yet. Stasia can use whatever fits.”
“Good. It’ll give us something to do while you’re gallivanting around town and having fun.” He touched the tip of her nose as his way of letting her know he was kidding, and her instinct to rip his finger off never surfaced. In fact, she liked it… too much. Hell, she was beginning to like him too much, and that had to stop. She had a job to do. His next words broke into her thoughts, and she listened.
“You know, since I first arrived and spent a few hours exploring, I wish I could do more. This place is an unfound paradise. It’s true, they have cruise ships stopping most days, which brings the numbers of tourists to astronomical levels, but once they depart in the late afternoon, it’s heaven. It seems a shame not to get Stasia out and let her see for herself – let some good memories override the ugly ones.”
Realizing that Sam’s idea had merit, and it was better to amuse the girl rather than letting her wallow in her grief, Sophia quickly agreed. “I guess I can behave and take my car. My own Harley is in the garage and needs some tender loving care before it’s good for the road. I wish I had the time to deal with it.”
“Give me the keys. I do tender and lovingrealwell.” He stared into her eyes, and a hot mass of liquid heat drenched her lower groin area, making her clench her muscles. “It’ll give me something to do while you’re gallivanting with your cousin, drinking lattes and gossiping.”
If his audacious wink hadn’t followed his teasing, she might have taken offense at his choice of words. Yeah… no. That wouldn’t have happened. She got him, his humor, and his way of making her feel precious.