The internal courtyard seemed at first glance to be full of dogs. Nik strode over to the wall and scooped up a small, shivering mongrel and petted it almost absent-mindedly. Looking a touch defensive, he swung back and beg
an to introduce her by name to the four animals gambolling round her. ‘They’re all ours,’ he completed.
Even Prudence, the eternal dog lover, gaped at that news. ‘All…of them?’
Nik grimaced. ‘I couldn’t face leaving one behind.’
‘That is so sweet,’ she told him happily and gave him a huge hug. ‘You do such wonderful things for me.’
‘Such as?’
‘You sold your yacht so that I could have my dream house,’ she reminded him.
Nik vented an appreciative laugh. ‘And then luckily for me my wife inherited a yacht that was twice as big and twice as fast.’
‘Do you know how much I love you?’ she whispered.
‘I never get tired hearing it, agapi mou.’ He watched her getting muddy paw prints on her dress and found that he was smiling and couldn’t stop smiling. ‘I love you more every day.’
When he called her ‘my love’ Prudence could feel her heart swelling with sheer happiness. They walked back into the house and kissed with intense pleasure in each other before they strolled down to the dining room to enjoy their anniversary meal.