Page 24 of The Forgotten Wife

Abandoning thoughts that were growing more painful by the second, she sipped her lemonade and grimaced at the now warm, sour taste. Discarding it, she got up and moved slowly toward the open French doors, letting the soft breeze from the sea wash over her.

The sun had begun its descent on the horizon, and she watched its fiery journey over the sparkling water as it kissed, then finally fell into, the sea. She stood there until the rumble in her stomach alerted her to its demand for nourishment. Wondering what kept Nick, she turned indoors, only to find him leaning against the opposite doorjamb, his eyes riveted on her.

For a brief moment, she saw an emotion very much like the earlier bleakness within the grey depths. Something shifted inside her, but the look vanished a second later. She pushed her mostly dry hair away from her face, confusion clouding her thoughts. She had to be mistaken. What had he to feel bleak about?

Her thoughts scattered to the wind as he approached, arrestingly sexy.

“Dinner is just coming through. Shall we sit?” He indicated the table set for two on the far side of the terrace, which she hadn’t noticed before now.

Someone had obviously been under the misconception this was to be a romantic dinnera deuxand had set out beautiful flowers and elegant flatware.

“Did you put Demetra up to this?”

Nick’s smile was a little tight. “Nope. But I’m pleased she went to the trouble. Are you?” he asked.

She looked around, taking in the lit and sparkling pool. Fat aromatic candles burned around its edge, lending an extra intimate ambience to the atmosphere. She bit her lip. Under normal circumstances, she’d have been overjoyed.

“I guess I can’t fault Demetra for not knowing we haven’t shared a meal for a while.”

“That’s not what I asked, but you get a pass. As for Demetra not knowing, I wouldn’t bet on it.”

She stopped next to the table, the different slant on their seemingly innocuous meal hitting her hard. “She’s not hoping this is some big reunion, is she?”

Nick gave a casual shrug, but a layer of angry tension suddenly permeated the air. “What if she is? Are you going to throw it back in her face?” He pulled her chair out in stiff movement.

“Of course not.” Ingrained manners made her murmur her thanks when Nick helped her into her seat.

“Good.” He took his own seat and lifted the lid off the first platter.

The aromas of baked lamb and herbs rising from the dishes on the table made her mouth water. She helped herself to the tasty Greek salad and took a bite as Nick filled her water glass and then his.

He raised his glass to her. “Welcome home.” His smile remained tight, but the irate air had dissipated.

She carefully laid her napkin on her lap. “This isn’t my home, Nick. Not anymore.”

His gaze dropped momentarily but came back to hers in the next instant. “But it’ll serve its purpose for now, I think. Do you remember what ‘Althea’ means?” he questioned silkily, his voice a fascinating mixture of Greek and American accents that threatened to curl around her senses the way they had a long time ago.

“Yes, I know it means ‘to heal.’” The island had been a gift from Nick’s great-grandfather to his wife after they’d lost their first child in a tragic accident, and it had stayed in the Andreakosfamily since then, exquisite and untouched save for the villa that had been added to over the years.

“And that’s what you shall do here. No pressure from the outside world, just complete relaxation, as I’m sure the doctor will order when he arrives tomorrow.”

“Doctor?”

“Yes, I called him this afternoon,” he announced calmly and helped himself to salad.

Anger fizzed like a firecracker inside her. Nick hadn’t changed.

Not one iota. “And you didn’t think to check this with me first?” “I knew what your reaction would be.”

Taking a deep breath, she fought to retain her calm. “With good reason.Idecide what happens to my body, not you. Besides, one of your men checked me out on the plane. I assumed he had medical qualifications?”

“Yes, but a second opinion wouldn’t hurt. Dr. Kalamaras is the best. He’ll be here in the morning. And once he’s been and gone, you can take it easy, heal your body.”

But what about her heart? How would she go about healing that after the blow he’d dealt it?

Every instinct warned her to refuse Nick’s request. Away from him, she’d been sure she was getting over him and the breakup of their marriage. She’d been sure, too, that in time, the sight of every tall, dark-haired man with a sexy, loping gait would cease to remind her of what she’d lost.

As if sensing her thoughts, he murmured, “What are you so afraid of,pethi mou?”

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