Page 70 of The Island Villa

“I didn’t scream.”

“You were about to scream. The air was pulled into your lungs, ready. There’s not a lot of screaming around here,” he said, “although I’ve been known to yelp occasionally if the water is really cold. I probably saved you from intrusive questioning by the Greek police. You’re welcome.”

His teasing was a balm, and she felt some of the tension leave her.

“All I wanted from that conversation with my dad this morning was to understand.” It wasn’t quite true, of course. What she’d really wanted was for her father to change his mind. For him to look at her across the table and say, I’m sorry, Addy, it was a moment of madness but it’s finished now. You’re right. This can never work. “I was hoping for a rational explanation as to how something that didn’t work last time could possibly work this time.”

Stefanos glanced at her. “And did he give you one?”

“No.” She frowned. “Well, he said it was love. As if that explained everything. As if that was enough, even though they’d presumably felt love before but it hadn’t been enough for them to work out how to be together. He seems to think I’m the one behaving oddly for not believing in the all-healing, all-consuming power of love.”

He headed along the coast, the wake of the boat leaving a trail of sparkling silver behind them.

After a few minutes, he slowed down and steered the boat into a little cove accessible only from the water.

Cliffs plunged steeply into the sea on either side, forming a horseshoe. A strip of white-gold sand nestled at the tip. The sea sparkled, jewel-toned and dazzling in the sunlight.

Stefanos cut the engine, and now the only sounds were the water lapping the sides of the boat and the soft rush of waves as they hit the beach.

“I’d forgotten how beautiful it is here.” She leaned down to trail her fingers through the crystalline waters. Far below, tiny fish darted between the rocks. The air tasted salty and fresh and she felt the cool breath of the breeze brush her heated skin.

“It’s one of my favorite places. And it’s always quiet. No access from the cliffs or the road, and the approach is tricky so only the locals come here.” He hauled the anchor from the bow and dropped it over the side. “So you don’t think your parents love each other?”

She withdrew her hand from the water. “I don’t know, but I think relying on gut instinct and emotion is an unreliable way to make what is one of the most important decisions of your life. If more people applied logic to their choice of partner, there would be fewer divorces.”

“Logic?”

“People focus too much on romance and not enough on practicalities. It’s important to identify your core values. If you value honesty, then don’t choose someone who has a loose relationship with the truth. If family is important to you, then don’t choose someone who has no interest in fostering family bonds.” Like Mark. How could she ever have thought that might work? “My father values loyalty, and yet he’s choosing to be with my mother again even though this will be her fourth marriage.” She saw his expression change. “You think I’m wrong?”

“I think the theory is good, but I don’t think human beings can be boxed as easily as you imply. For example, your mother may not have shown loyalty toward your father, but she has shown extreme loyalty to my mother.”

“That’s true.”

“And although I agree with much of what you say about the dangers of making a decision based on emotions,” he said, “I know many people who share my values but not for anything would I choose to spend the rest of my life with them.”

“I agree it’s not all about compatibility. There is an extra factor that isn’t so easy to define.” She looked at him. “You’re going to tell me that’s love.”

“I’m not telling you anything.” He reached into the cooler by his feet and pulled out two bottles of water. “But I think there’s plenty of evidence that emotions can bind people together strongly. Take my parents. Married for more than thirty years. Over a period that long, there are going to be times when a partnership faces challenges. Illness. Bereavement. So many things can go wrong. Times when logic alone would tell you to walk away. And yet people don’t.” He leaned across and handed her the water. “I’m saying that love can be the thing that holds people together. And I’m guessing that for a planner like you, love is a scary concept because it’s difficult to define and impossible to control.”

She took the water from him and pulled her hat from her head. The sun was baking and her hair was damp from the heat. She had a sudden urge to just leap over the side of the boat and plunge deep into the water.

“So I’m expected to forget logic and reason and accept that love is a sufficient explanation for this questionable decision my father is making?” She twisted off the cap and drank, the water soothing her dry throat. “Not that he wants my opinion. I’m supposed to greet his news with joyful acceptance, and I confess I’m struggling with that. I love him, and I don’t want to see him hurt.”

He lowered the bottle. “Are you sure it’s just about him?”

She put the rest of her water back in the cool box for later. “What do you mean?”

“Your parents’ divorce had a profound impact on you. I witnessed it. Your world ceased to be safe and predictable at an age when everyone needs that. I’m guessing from what you’ve said that since then you’ve done what you can to redress that. To make your world as safe as possible.”

“You’re taking sides with my father and telling me I need to rethink my life? I might push you overboard.”

“I’m not telling you that. I’m saying that it’s no wonder you feel the way you do. It’s human nature to avoid pain, and you’re afraid that what happened last time will happen again,” he said. “And even if their marriage works this time, it’s still a big change for you. It’s been your father and you for so long, but now things will be different.”

She stared at him, thrown by his words.

She was supposed to be the psychologist. She prided herself on self-insight and never hiding from difficult truths. But she hadn’t registered that as well as being anxious for her father, she was anxious for herself. That it wasn’t just his life she was worried about, but her life. Her future.

She associated her father with security. Consistency. Their relationship had been the one sure, safe thing in her life and the idea of that changing shook her more than it should.

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