Nic’s chest tightened. He was doing a terrible job of lying to himself. In truth he wasn’t ready to say goodbye. It was selfish and stupid.
“I need to make a phone call,” Nic told Elena. “Will you let Brooke know we’ll be leaving in ten minutes?”
Calling himself every sort of idiot, Nic dialed Gabriel. When he answered, Nic got right to the point. “I’m bringing someone home with me. She’s come a long way to see me and I don’t feel right leaving her alone in Greece.”
“She?” Gabriel echoed, not quite able to keep curiosity out of his voice. “Is this going to cause problems?”
Nic knew exactly what Gabriel meant and decided not to sugarcoat it. “That’s not my intention. She’s Glen’s sister. I think I’ve mentioned her a few times.”
“The one who drives you crazy?” Gabriel sounded intrigued.
“The interfering one who flew here to convince me to come back to the Griffin project.”
“Just the project?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nic didn’t intend to be defensive, but with last night’s events still reverberating across his emotions, he wasn’t in the best shape to fence with a diplomat as savvy as Gabriel. “She’s Glen’s little sister.”
“And you talk about her more than any woman you’ve ever known.”
“I know what you’re getting at, but it’s not an issue. Things got a little complicated between us recently, but everything is sorted out.”
“Complicated how?”
“I didn’t tell her who I was until she came here looking for me and that upset her. I shouldn’t have left her in the dark. We’ve been...friends...for a long time.”
“Why didn’t you tell her?”
Nic rubbed his temples where an ache had begun. “I know this is going to be hard for you to understand but I liked being an ordinary scientist, anonymously doing the work I’m really good at.”
“You’re right. I don’t understand. I grew up knowing I belonged to the country. You never did like being in the spotlight. So you didn’t tell her you’re a prince. Do you think she would have looked at you differently if she’d known all along?”
“Brooke values a person for how they behave not who they are or what they have.”
Gabriel laughed. “She sounds like your sort of girl. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Honestly, it’s not like that.” He didn’t want his brother giving the wrong idea to their parents. “She understands my situation.”
“She knows that you’re coming home to find a bride? And she wants to accompany you, anyway?”
“I haven’t spoken with her this morning.” Not exactly a lie. “She doesn’t know I’m bringing her with me to Sherdana yet.”
“Well, this should make for an interesting family dinner,” Gabriel said. “I’ll make sure there’s a place set at the table for her beside Mother.”
And before Nic could protest that arrangement, Gabriel hung up. Nic debated calling him back, but decided it would only exacerbate his brother’s suspicions about Brooke. Playing it cool and calm around his family would be the best way to handle any and all speculation.
Grabbing his bag from his bedroom, Nic made his way toward the steps that Brooke had used to access the terrace two days ago. They led down the steep hillside in a zigzag that ended at a private dock. Brooke had already arrived at the boat and was settled onto the seat opposite the pilot’s chair. The smile she offered Nic was bright if a little ragged around the edges.
Thasos started the engine as soon as Nic stepped aboard and quickly untied the mooring ropes. Nic settled into the bench seat at the back of the boat and watched Brooke pretend not to be interested in him. He knew the signs. He’d spent years giving her the impression he was oblivious to her presence. Yet how could he be? She lit up every room she entered. Her personality set the very air to buzzing. Sitting still was probably the hardest thing she did. Yet when her brain engaged, she could get lost in a book or her writing for hours.
They’d shared many companionable afternoons while she was working on her second doctorate. Not surprisingly, she enjoyed sitting cross-legged on the couch in his workroom, tapping away at her computer keyboard or with her nose buried in a book. If he managed to accomplish any work on the weekends she visited, it was a miracle. Most of the time, he’d pretended to be productive while he watched her surreptitiously.
Forty-five minutes after leaving Ithaca, the boat maneuvered into an open space at the Fiskardo quay. A car would be waiting to carry them on the thirty-one-kilometer journey to the airport outside Kefalonia’s capital, Argostoli. If traffic was good, they would get there in a little less than an hour.