‘And has it achieved what you meant it to?’ I needed the reminder that this was all for a reason. For a definitive purpose which didn’t include getting carried away with fairy tales.
With a flick of his fingers he folded the paper and picked up his coffee. ‘If you mean are my business partners back on board, then, yes. But let’s not rest on our laurels just yet,’ he said.
Did that mean more socialising? More moments like those on the balcony? And why didn’t that fill me with horror? Why was my belly tingling with thrilling anticipation?
Questions and sensations stayed with me through a quick shower and lingered while I chose a bikini set, pulled a floaty spaghetti-strap sundress over it and slipped my feet into stylish wedge shoes.
Stepping out to join Axios and Andreos two hours later, on the landscaped lawn that led to the helipad, I noticed we were flying in a different, larger chopper.
Axios caught my questioning look. ‘This one is more insulated. To better protect Andreos’s delicate eardrums,’ he said, casting an indulgent glance at the baby nestled high in the crook of his arm.
Of course he would have a special helicopter that catered for babies!
With the sensation of having woken up in an alternative universe from which I couldn’t escape, I walked beside him to the aircraft.
The trip, unlike last time, flew by, and before I knew it we were skimming the beaches of Agistros, the azure waters of the island sparkling in the sunlight.
The villa was just as breathtaking as it had been a year ago, and this time, without deep trepidation blinding me, I was better able to appreciate it. Granted, there were other equally precarious emotions simmering beneath my skin, but just for today I let the dazed dream wash over me, revelling in simply being as Axios stepped out of the helicopter, reached to help me out and took control of Andreos’s travel seat.
Expecting tension, in light of the way I’d departed the villa the last time, I breathed a sigh of relief when the staff, headed by Agatha, spilled out with welcoming smiles. It was obvious that news of Andreos had travelled as they cooed over him.
When Agatha carried him off to the kitchen to supervise the picnic preparation, I drifted into the living room with Axios.
Dressed in the most casual attire I’d seen him in so far—high-spec cargo trousers and a navy rugby shirt—he nevertheless still looked as if he’d stepped straight off the cover of a magazine.
To keep myself from shamelessly ogling him, I drifted over to the set of framed photos on one of the many antique cabinets gracing the room. There was a slightly faded one of an old man, his distinguished and distinctive features announcing him as Theodore Xenakis. Ax’s grandfather. The man who’d been forced under duress to make an agreement that had changed lives—including mine.
Perhaps it wasn’t the best choice of subject matter to bring up on what was meant to be a lazy day by the beach. But after hearing Axios open up about his father, I wanted to know more. Yearned to learn what had formed the man whose name I bore.
Once we’d made our way down to a private beach, tucked into the most stunning bay I’d ever seen in my life, I found myself asking, ‘Did your grandfather ever live here on Agistros?’
He stiffened, but his tension eased almost immediately. ‘In the latter part of his life, yes.’
There was more to that statement. ‘Why? I mean, I’ve seen your family. I know you’re dispersed all over Athens, and on several family-owned islands. I also know that Agistros belongs to you. So why did he live here? Did he need care?’
For the longest time I thought he wouldn’t answer. When he did reply, his tone was low. Deep. As if remembering was painful.
‘Before his company fell on hard times my grandfather invested in real estate and gifted islands to every family member. Neo has an island twenty miles from here.’
At the mention of his brother it was my turn to stiffen. ‘I don’t think Neo likes me.’
Ax’s eyes glinted, a hard kind of amusement shifting in their depths. ‘He’s going through a...a situation.’
‘A “situation”?’
‘Something’s been taken from him that he wasn’t quite ready to part with,’ he said cryptically.
I frowned. ‘Someone’s stolen from him?’
‘In a manner of speaking.’
Recalling our conversation, I frowned. ‘A woman?’
Again, dark amusement twisted Ax’s lips. ‘Yes. And a formidable one, I hear.’
Realising he wasn’t going to elaborate, I pressed gently, ‘So...about your grandfather...?’
A trace of bleakness whispered across his face. ‘He left Kosima, his favourite island, for many reasons. But mainly because the strain of trying to save his company took a toll on his family, especially my grandmother. After she died we didn’t deem it wise for him to remain on Kosima by himself. So he came to stay here.’