But while she missed the physical part of their relationship, it was Theo the companion, the friend, the man, that she missed, that she loved…
The clock on the wall chimed softly and Trish glanced up, startled at the time. Everyone in the office had left hours ago. Normally, she’d have been out the door by now, too. But Steven had picked Cassidy up from school and the only thing waiting for her at home was an empty house, a freezer dinner…and thoughts of Theo. As long as she kept busy, she could keep the memories at bay.
Trish powered down her computer, grabbed her bag and rose to her feet. Maybe she’d stop by the mall, buy that pair of shoes she’d had her eye on. She’d barely taken five steps when a shrill ring split the air. Trish glanced at the phone, planning to let it go to voice mail when she saw that the call was coming in on her private line.
She hurried back to the desk and snatched up the receiver. “Trish Melrose.”
“Aren’t we formal?” a familiar voice on the other end of the phone teased.
“Sally.” Trish plopped her bag on the desk and sat down. “How are you?”
“Fine now.”
Something in Sally’s voice put Trish on alert. “What’s up?”
“I’m moving to Italy,” Sally said with remarkable aplomb. “Next week.”
“What?” Trish shrieked before lowering her voice to a more manageable level. “Tell me everything.”
“It’s pretty simple,” Sally said. “Right after we got back from the cruise I put in for a transfer to my company’s Rome office. HR called on Monday and told me the transfer had been approved.”
“Rome?” Trish assumed Sally was moving because of Bruno. “Why not Naples?”
“No corporate office there,” Sally said. “But Rome isn’t that far. This way I’ll still have an income and we won’t feel that pressure to make something happen right away.”
“Is Bruno happy you’re moving there?”
“Ecstatic,” Sally said. “Call me a hopeless romantic, but I know Bruno is my Prince Charming and we’re going to be together forever.”
Trish found herself smiling into the phone. “You deserve to be happy, Sal.”
“So do you,” Sally said. “Now tell me about Theo…any news?”
Trish’s smile faded, but she forced a light tone. “What can I say? He’s there. I’m here.”
For several seconds Sally didn’t respond.
“I’ve got the solution,” Sally said finally. “Call him. Tell him how much you miss him. Maybe you could even fly over there and”
“Stop,” Trish said firmly. “I am not going to call or beg him to be with me.”
“I wasn’t suggesting you beg,” Sally said. “Merely that you show him what he means to you.”
“No.” Trish shook her head for extra emphasis. “I care about Theo but I can’t make this relationship work if that’s not what he wants, too. I made that mistake with Steven. The bottom line is…he’s got to meet me at least halfway.”
“I
WANT YOU TO BE
my best man.” Bruno stood by the helm of Theo’s large sailboat, his two girls playing down below.
“You and Sally are getting married?” Theo couldn’t keep the surprise from his voice. He’d been shocked when his old friend had flown to Corfu for the weekend…stunned when Bruno had told him that Sally was moving to Italy.
“Not right away,” Bruno said. “Sally wants to get to know the girls first.”
Theo felt a swift stab of jealousy. Why couldn’t Trish be the one relocating for the man she loved?
“What about Trish? I was hoping you’d have some good news of your own to share.” Bruno lifted a bottle of beer to his lips, a curious gleam in his eyes.
Theo wasn’t surprised at the not-so-subtle probe. The minute Bruno had shown up at his door he’d known that sooner or later his friend would bring up Trish. Theo glanced at his watch. Bruno had restrained himself for fifty-five minutes. A new record.
“Haven’t heard from her.” Theo lifted his shoulder in a careless shrug, the spray from the water stinging his cheeks.
He probably wasn’t being fair. He hadn’t called her, either. And he was the one who’d made it clear that what they’d had was over. He gave a sharp turn on the wheel.
The boat leaned to the right and Isabella and Anna squealed then giggled. “Do it again, Uncle Theo,” they called. “Do it again.”
Bruno eyed Theo with a speculative gaze. “I remember you being a good sailor. What happened?”
“Shut up,” Theo growled.
Bruno took another swallow of beer. “Did you even ask her to stay?”
“I asked,” Theo said between clenched teeth. “She said no.”
Bruno had never been the most sensitive guy, but couldn’t he tell Theo didn’t want to talk about Trish? Even thinking about her hurt. Though Theo would never admit it, for one brief moment he’d allowed himself to hope she would stay. That she loved him as much as he loved her. That she couldn’t bear to be away.
“Theo?”
Theo shoved the memories aside. He knew he had to give his friend something more substantial in order to get him to shut up. “Her ex won’t allow her to take her daughter out of the U.S.”
“You think she’s lying?”
Theo shrugged.
A knowing glint filled Bruno’s eyes. “Just as I thought. You gave up on her. Just like you gave up on your father.”
The words were like a fist to Theo’s belly and a slew of Greek expletives flew from his mouth.
“You push people away,” Bruno continued in a matter-of-fact tone, seemingly unfazed by Theo’s anger, “so they can’t hurt you. You did that with your father. Now you’re doing it with Trish.”
The conclusion was so ridiculous Theo had to laugh. “I didn’t push my father away. He’s never wanted anything to do with me. Remember?”
“You could have reached out to him.” Bruno glanced over to where his girls sat playing with their dolls. “He’s blood, Theo. The only father you’ll ever have. The older you get, the more you realize family is everything.”
Easy for Bruno to say. The man had more aunts and uncles than he could count, two lovely daughters…and a woman who was willing to leave her country to be with him.
“It’s not the same, Bruno,” Theo said. “Elias Stamos doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
“He let his daughters meet you.”
“They would have come anyway.”
“Still, he gave his blessing.”
“I’m nothing to him,” Theo said, his gaze fixed firmly on the water. “Nothing.”
“How do you know?” The question was direct. “Give him a call. And while you’re at it, do the same with Trish. Don’t be so quick to assume it won’t work.”
“Thank you for the advice, Doctor Tucci,” Theo said in a mocking tone.
“Anytime.” Bruno slid a hand into his pocket, pulled out a scrap of paper and shoved the tiny sheet into Theo’s hand.
“What’s this?”
“What does it look like? It’s a prescription.” Bruno grinned. “Sally gave me Trish’s home address and phone number. Dr. Tucci says take two aspirin and call Trish in the morning.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
T
WO DAYS LATER
Theo found himself on an elevator headed to the top floor of a five-star hotel in the heart of Athens. Bruno had barely left to return to Naples when Theo received notification that Elias Stamos had made a large donation to the foundation to help the wild horses of Kefalonia.
Theo had stared at the e-mail. Days before he’d have immediately turned down the money. But this time he’d hesitated. Not only because he knew what the sizable gift would mean to the horses, but also because, after his conversation with Bruno, the unexpected gift seemed to be a sign.
Before Theo could change his mind, he’d called Katherine and found out where Elias was staying. While Theo still wasn’t sure what he was going to say to the man when they were standing face-to-face, he was no longer willing to let the past determine his future.
The elevator slowed to a stop and Theo gathered his resolve. He’d give Stamos a chance. One chance. Then no one could say he hadn’t made an effort. The door slid silently open. Theo had barely taken two steps when he was confronted by two burly men in suits.
“I’m sorry, sir,” the taller one said as the other silently watched. “This is a restricted access floor.”
“I’m here to see Mr. Stamos,” Theo said.
“Is he expecting you?” the short one asked.
“We have an appointment.”
The two exchanged glances. “Your name?”
“Theo Catomeris.”
The tall one punched in a few buttons then glanced down at his PDA. “Your name isn’t on the list.”
“We have an appointment,” Theo repeated. “I’m his son.”
The men hesitated, then the short, stocky one said, “I’ll check. Catomeris, right?”
Theo nodded.
It couldn’t have been more than a minute before the man returned. He gestured to the door. “You can go in.”
The door opened into a living room that was larger than the entire first floor of Theo’s small home in Corfu Town. The walls and carpet were a soft gray, and the tables and sofas almost black. A few bright splashes of color came from decorative pillows and paintings on the wall.
Elias Stamos stood looking out the window. Theo had seen him on television many times, but was unprepared for the impact of seeing him in person.
He’d convinced himself this would be a relatively cut-and-dried meeting, so the myriad of emotions that rose up in him took him by surprise. There was something about knowing this man was his own blood…
The older man turned and Theo widened his gaze, a sudden image of how he was going to look in twenty-five years flashing before him. Katherine had been right, the resemblance was amazing.
Although in his midsixties, Elias could pass for a much younger man. Well built, tanned and fit, he had a youthful handsome face and an air of confidence that came with money and power. It was a combination that Theo knew most womenincluding his own motherfound impossible to resist.
Elias stared for a long moment, but if he saw the resemblance or was surprised by it, his face didn’t show it. “You don’t look at all like your mother.”
“That’s what I’ve been told.”
Stamos gestured to a large sectional. “Have a seat.”
“I won’t be staying long,” Theo said, not giving the sofa a second glance. His emotions were raw and close to the surface, a feeling he didn’t much like.
“I scheduled an hour,” Elias said conversationally as if he hadn’t noticed Theo’s curtness.
“I wanted to thank you in person for the donation,” Theo said stiffly. “It was generous and totally unexpected.”
Elias’s lips curved in a slight smile. “Your friend, Mrs. Melrose, is one determined woman.”
Theo stood there for a moment, confused, wondering if there had been some mistake. “I didn’t agree to do the excursions.”
“I know that.” Elias settled himself in a nearby chair and gestured to the maid who’d been standing in the background. “Single malt scotch.”
When she scurried off, Theo found himself taking a seat on the sofa. “So why did you donate?”
“Like I said, your Mrs. Melrose is very determined.” Elias surprised Theo with a chuckle. “Very passionate. Though I have a feeling that’s no surprise to you.”
Before Theo could respond, Elias continued. “She couldn’t say enough about those horses and the good you’re doing.”
Elias’s lips curved up in a wistful smile. “She reminded me of my Alexandra, so passionate but with a will of steel. My wife died, you know. Of cancer. It’s been ten years and not a day goes by that I don’t miss her.”
The maid returned with two glasses of whiskey on a tray. Elias drank his quickly. Theo took a sip, surprised Elias had been so open about his wife.
Theo had heard all about the blond pianist from England who’d married Stamos. According to Tasia, Alexandra had been nothing more than a spoiled rich girl who’d stolen the man who should have been hers. But his mother had failed to mention one very important fact. “It sounds like you loved her very much.”
Elias nodded. “Alexandra was the only woman I ever loved.”
Theo met the man’s gaze. “What about my mother?”
“I was no saint. I had women before I married. Lots of women.” Elias gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “Your mother, she told me she was protected, taking pills so there would be no baby. But she lied. She wanted my money. That’s all Tasia ever wanted…money and power.”
There was disgust in Elias’s tone and for a second Theo was tempted to argue, to defend his mother’s reputation. But he couldn’t because Theo knew what the man said was true. Wealth and its accompanying status were the only things that had ever mattered to his mother.
“You make it clear what you think of her,” Theo said. “What about me?”
“I suppose you’re wondering why I never came around.” A tiny muscle twitched in Elias’s jaw.