Chapter Thirteen

Nik emerged from his lawyer’s office in Paragolis, feeling pleased with the progress that had been made. The owner of the Villa Lemoni was wanting a quick sale and had been helpful in providing the information needed; the title deed had been obtained and the searches done. Now they would move on and get a final contract of purchase drawn up by a notary, who would also witness his and Frankie’s signatures and deal with any registration and tax issues.

He had planned to return to Agia Kalamaros tonight. But he was seized by the impulse to drive there now and catch up with Frankie, persuade her to leave her duties at KATS and have lunch with him. As he drove over the mountain, he thought again about Marco. The dig for the child’s remains had been tough and had stirred up the pain and guilt of his baby brother’s disappearance all over again, but it was looking unlikely that the bones discovered had belonged to him. It was a matter of waiting for the forensic results from Athens, which would be through in a few weeks. Maybe Frankie was right—maybe Marco was out there somewhere. He didn’t know what he believed; only that he would never stop hurting over Marco’s loss.

He brightened when he pictured Frankie. Buying and making plans for the renovation of the Villa Lemoni had added a stimulating new dimension to his business affairs, which made him smile because that hadn’t been a vital consideration for him when he’d made his proposition to her. She had been his goal. Of course, he’d got what he’d wanted on that score; making love to her was just as incredible and satisfying as he’d imagined it would be, and he couldn’t have enough of her in bed. But the really unexpected development had been their increasing closeness as professional partners and friends. He had discovered just how smart, spirited, and funny she was, and he appreciated how sensitive and supportive she’d been about the discovery of the bones. He realized now what had been missing in his previous liaisons, why he had grown tired of those passing encounters. Perhaps once the Villa Lemoni was renovated and sold, they could take on another property and their sexual relationship could continue. He would be content with that.

He briefly considered pulling over to call her and let her know he’d be coming by, but then decided against it. He was less than a mile from Agia Kalamaros; from here, he could see the terracotta roofs and white walls of the village tumbling down the mountainside to the sea. He would surprise her.

He nosed the Spider along the road to KATS and turned into the yard. He noticed there was a hire car already parked next to the Land Rover. Tourists come to visit? He looked at his watch. It was before noon and outside visiting hours. Perhaps it was a special arrangement. He hoped it wouldn’t stop Frankie from taking a break.

He walked up to the entrance and peered into the reception room. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw. Frankie stood in the arms of a blond-haired man, her eyes closed and her palms against his chest as he kissed her on the lips…

“I hope I am not interrupting anything?”

The familiar, sardonic male voice had her eyes flying open and pulling away from Andrew. “Nik!” She took a couple of steps forward, then stopped, her heart thumping when she saw the cold anger freezing his expression. She gestured towards the other man stood behind her. “This…this is Andrew…my husband.”

Nik nodded. “Your husband? My apologies for interrupting your…reunion.”

“It’s not what you think—”

“I think it is what I see. I will be in touch about the villa.” He turned abruptly on his heel and walked out.

Nik sat under the pergola alongside the pool, nursing a Metaxa. He picked up his phone from the table and looked at the missed calls from Frankie. She’d tried four times to contact him since this morning, but he hadn’t picked up. What was there to say? He’d found her in the arms of her husband, and, suddenly, those words she had uttered right after they had first slept together had come back to haunt him: ‘I’m loving him less and less as each day passes’. Less, but clearly she hadn’t stopped loving the man entirely. No wonder she hadn’t wanted to discuss her marriage. He would talk to her eventually because he had to, about the Villa Lemoni. But right now, he had no appetite for hearing her tell him that she was sorry but she had changed her mind and decided to rekindle her vows.

He took a swig of his brandy to rid his mouth of the bitter taste there. He stared into what remained of the dark-amber liquid in the glass and his thoughts darkened, old demons rushing back to join him. What had been that favorite saying of Monique, the French girl with whom he’d had a brief thing a couple of summers ago? Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. The more it changes, the more it’s the same thing. How right that was. People he’d loved had been taken from him. His birth parents, his adoptive parents, Marco, Natassia, his best friend, Christos… Not that he was in love with Frankie, but he’d begun to care for her in a way he hadn’t allowed himself to for a woman for many years. A self-deprecating smile played around his lips. It was ironic that, only hours earlier, he had been thinking about how there might be more for them after the villa was sold. But he’d been deceiving himself. Long-term relationships were not for him. Better that he returned to his old lifestyle of no involvement and no risk.

The buzzing of the intercom from inside the house broke into his brooding. Aspasia had gone home over an hour ago, so he would have to answer it. He attempted to ignore it. But, after a few seconds, it began sounding insistently again.

He downed the last of the Metaxa, and, reluctantly, he got up and went to the keypad in the hall. He could see Frankie on the mini video screen. Despite the graininess of the image, the distress on her features was visible. He decided to let her in. He would have to see her at some point, and he might as well get it over with.

When he opened the front door, he was greeted by her tear-streaked face. He schooled himself to remain impassive and stood to one side, gesturing for her to enter.

“Nik—”

“Go through to the patio,” he said abruptly. “We can talk there. Would you like a drink?”

“No… yes. Just some water, thank you.”

When he arrived with her glass, he found her perched on the edge of her seat, chewing her lip in that way he knew so well. She rubbed the heel of her hand against her damp eyes. “Nik, you need to listen to me—” she started.

He placed the water on the table. He was not in the mood for sob stories. “What more is there to say, pet hi mou? You have decided to get back with your husband.”

“No, I haven’t!”

He didn’t react to her protest but sat down and surveyed her unemotionally. “You were in his arms and he was kissing you.” He shrugged. “But if there is a chance to repair your marriage, I guess you should take it.”

She sank back in her chair and shut her eyes in a frustrated motion. “No! You’ve got it all wrong.”

“I do not think I have. I know what I saw. We agreed that we would be exclusive to one another while we have our arrangement.”

Her lids flew open, and she put her palms together in a begging motion. “I know we did, and that hasn’t changed. Please let me explain. I have no desire whatsoever to get back with Andrew. I was as shocked as you to see him. He turned up this morning without warning. But he didn’t want a reunion; he’d come to say to say goodbye.”

Nik raised an eyebrow. “Goodbye?”

“Yes, because the divorce will be canalized soon.”

He felt a leap of relief, but that was almost instantly dispelled by the persistent memory of her in her husband’s arms. “If that is so, why did I see him kissing you?”

Her features creased up. “Oh, Nik, I can understand how it must have looked when you came upon us like that. But believe me when I tell you that it wasn’t anything dodgy—just two people who’d shared a past letting go. He only pecked me on the lips, and that was after he apologized for what he’d put me through.” She clasped her hands together. “You know, I’m glad he came here and did that. I’ve had some difficult times since we split up, and it helped me to have heard him say sorry. In fact, I think that, in time, we may even be able to be friends.”

Nik couldn’t hide his puzzlement. “Friends? With this man who has betrayed you?”

She smiled. “Okay, so maybe it won’t happen immediately. But my instinct has always been that it’s healthier to forgive, even if you don’t forget. I don’t want to become bitter and twisted—and I nearly did, you know. But I think I’ve reached a place where I can be civil with him and his girlfriend now, and, in time, perhaps I will forgive. It’s for the best.” She tilted her head on one side thoughtfully. “I’m looking forward to getting my financial settlement. I can put in a court order for it to happen once the divorce has been granted. Apparently, I can do that from here, with no need to return to England, which I prefer. And the quicker that happens, the quicker I can pay you back for the Villa Lemoni.”

He sensed himself bristle a little. “I thought we had also agreed you would not pay me back?”

He noticed that she raised her chin slightly and, if he wasn’t mistaken, a little defiantly, before she replied. “Well, it was very kind of you to offer to waive repayment and let me take the profit from the resale. But I can’t accept all of that from you. It’s too much. I’ve always planned to pay you back eventually.”

Why did that sound like a rejection? Feel like a barrier that she was keeping erected between them, and just when he’d begun to anticipate they might get closer? The vision of her in the arms of the other man whose lips had been against hers hovered in his mind once again and stung at him like an angry wasp. She might be getting divorced, but had she really stopped caring for her husband? Her friend?

“Say something, Nik. We are okay still, aren’t we? You know I’m not a liar or a cheat.”

He mentally shook himself. He refocused and saw her blue eyes were wide and pleading. “Nai, we are okay, oraiotatos mou,” her responded almost mechanically. He rose up and walked around the table, halting behind her and bending to kiss the side of her neck, inhaling the fresh scent of her. But it wasn’t okay. A distrusting voice nagged at him now, after what he had witnessed and heard today. However, he also realized his driving need for her and her body couldn’t be pushed aside; it gripped him more strongly and tightly than ever. For now, he had to continue with getting his fill of her, get her out of his system. It was a risky strategy when they were legally bound together over the villa, but he would let time be the decider if her intentions were really true.