It might not have been the most encouraging answer she could have gotten but it gave Trish something to build upon.
“I know,” she said. “There hasn’t been much time. It seemed like I’d barely left the taverna to meet Sal when it was time for the tour to start.”
“Sal?” He stopped and turned to face her.
He stood so close Trish could see the sheen of sweat on his brow and she realized his eyes looked more gold than brown in the light. Her heart did a little flip-flop in her chest.
“Sal?” he repeated.
“My friend.” Trish gestured with her head toward the back of the group. “The blonde.”
“The woman with Larry,” Theo said, his eyes dark and inscrutable.
“Jerry,” Trish said, automatically.
Theo’s gaze remained fixed on hers. “Is he a friend of yours, too?”
Trish frowned. Why were they talking about a salesman from Cincinnati when they had more important things to discuss…like Theo accepting the money so the wild horses could survive.
“Sally and I just met him this afternoon,” Trish said impatiently.
“I didn’t know you were in Corfu with a friend.”
“That’s not important.” Trish wished he’d quit talking and listen to what she had to say.
He started walking again and the road came into view. Time was running out. Dear God, they were almost to the van.
“Theo.” She grabbed his arm. “Please. There’s something I have to say to you.”
He hesitated only a second before stepping off to the side and letting the rest of the group follow the trail to the van.
“You want to apologize.” It was more a statement of fact than a question.
“Apologize?” Trish shook her head, suddenly confused. “No, I want you to reconsider my offer.”
“Offer?” A hardness edged the word.
“The bonus if you sign the agreement.” Trish spoke quickly, sensing a wall was on its way up. When she’d walked away from Theo earlier, she’d told herself she’d done her best. She’d asked. He’d said no. But this was no longer just about her. This was about the ponies. “Think of all the good you could do for these animals with that kind of money.”
He opened his mouth then closed it. Trish felt a surge of hope.
“New watering stations,” she said in her most persuasive tone. “Grain and other feed to last them through the winter.” She leaned close. “Enough money to ensure that no horse will have to die this year.”
A moment of longing crossed his face before his lips firmed. “
If
I agree to work with Elias Stamos.”
“
If
you agree to resume doing excursions for Liberty Line,” Trish clarified.
He waved a dismissive hand. “Same thing.”
A puzzle piece clicked into place. “It’s him. He’s the reason you won’t sign. You have something against Elias Stamos.”
She asked only out of curiosity. He’d made it clear he wasn’t going to do the excursions. While that didn’t bode well for her agency’s bottom line, Trish had survived tough times before and she would again.
“I gave you my answer.” Theo’s words were accusatory. “But instead of respecting that decision, you come on this excursion and interrupt my business for the sole purpose of getting me to change my mind.”
The idea was so ridiculous Trish couldn’t help but laugh. “You make it sound as if I’m stalking you.”
She expected him to laugh, too. Or at least crack a smile. But her words were met with a chilling silence. This conversation was going from bad to worse.
“Mr. Catomeris?” An older woman tapped Theo’s shoulder. “Will there be restrooms at our next stop?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Theo answered politely.
The woman looked at Trish. “Miss, your friend said to tell you she’s saving you a seat in the back of the van.”
“Thank you.” Trish smiled, then heaved a sigh of relief when the woman scurried off.
“I should get back to the group,” Theo said, but surprisingly he made no move to leave.
Trish shared his reluctance, knowing this was probably the last time they would be alone. Once she boarded the ship tonight, she would sail off to the next port and he would remain in Corfu.
“Goodbye, Mrs. Melrose,” he said finally.
“Goodbye…Theo.” Trish reached into her pocket and pulled out the business card she’d forgotten to give him earlier. “If you change your mind or just want to talk about the offer some more, I hope you’ll give me a call.”
Theo hesitated for only a moment before his fingers curved around the card she held out. “I won’t change my mind.”
“I understand you feel that way now,” Trish said. “But sometimes things change. Just remember I really want your business. I think we’d make a great team.”
“You don’t give up, do you?”
“The contract is important to me,” she said. “Now that I’ve seen them, helping these horses is important to me, too.”
“We need to get to the van,” he said. “So you can get back to the ship on time.”
Okay, so he hadn’t said he’d do it. But given time she knew she could persuade him. Unfortunately time was the one thing she didn’t have.
CHAPTER FOUR
A
T SLIGHTLY BEFORE
eight o’clock in the evening the harbor area in Corfu Town teemed with tourists. Many of them, exhausted after a day of tours and shopping, stood quietly, waiting to get back on the ship. Theo took his place at the end of the line.
Not in the mood to converse, he popped in some earbuds and let the music drown out the conversations around him. If only he could block out his thoughts as easily. But no matter how he tried, Theo couldn’t get Trish’s face out of his head. All the way down the mountain, every minute of the boat ride back to Corfu, he’d felt her eyes on him.
There was something about the woman that got under his skin. Coming on his tour, for example, had taken a helluva lot of nerve. And then approaching him again with that offer…
He stepped onto the gangway of
Alexandra’s Dream
, the flagship of Liberty Line. It had been a long day and it was going to be an even longer night. This evening he would meet his half sisters, Katherine and Helena Stamos, for the first time.
Theo’s looked up at the brightly lit ship. His mother thought he was crazy. Of course, she hated everything to do with Elias Stamos, including his children by his now-deceased wife, Alexandra.
The fact that Alexandra had enjoyed the life which Anastasia had thought should have been hers only fueled his mother’s bitterness. She was adamant that Theo have no contact with any of them.
But Theo was curious. Curious what they were like. Over the years he’d seen them on television many times so he didn’t think he’d have any trouble recognizing them. But what was there to talk about? They didn’t move in the same social circles or share the same lifestyle. And why had they even contacted him? A sliver of dread crawled up Theo’s spine.
His mother had been right. Having anything to do with the Stamos family was a mistake. For the briefest of seconds Theo considered leaving. But he’d given his word and, just like a handshake, his word meant something. Besides, he hadn’t gotten to where he was by running from difficult situations.
He paused halfway up the gangway and removed the earbuds, slipping them into his pocket. Sounds of music and laughter spilled over from the upper deck. The ship was supposed to pull out in the morning. This was one of those overnight port stays intended to give the passengers more time to enjoy Corfu Town by night.
He continued up the gangway behind a couple of chattering women. When he reached the top, he hesitated. Katherine had said she’d be there to meet him at eight. But it was already five after and there was no woman waiting. Only two staff members screening the returning passengers and a security guard sitting on a chair stood between him and the entrance to the ship.
His tour operator’s license had gotten him this far but it wouldn’t be enough to get him on board.
“Welcome back,” one of the staff said with a smile. “Your boarding pass, sir?”
Theo shook his head and offered an easy smile. “I’m not a passenger. I’m meeting”
The man’s smile disappeared. “I’m sorry, sir. Only passengers are allowed on the ship.”
“I understand that,” Theo said amiably. “However, I’m here to meet”
“It doesn’t matter, sir,” the man said.
“But” Theo began.
Out of the corner of his eye he saw the guard stand. He wasn’t surprised. Because of security concerns, most cruise ships were reluctant to allow non-passengers on board. That’s why Katherine was supposed to be here, to navigate him through security.
“I am so sorry I’m late.”
Theo heard the feminine voice even before the beautiful woman rounded the corner. Stylishly slim with light brown hair and a fair complexion, she looked more like her English mother than her Greek father.
“Gentlemen, it’s my mistake,” she said, in a soft, melodious voice. “I planned to be here with this before he arrived but I was detained.”
She showed the man the security pass and he scanned it then waved Theo forward. Katherine waited until they were in the hall before wrapping her arms around him in an impulsive hug that seemed to surprise her as much as it did him. He stiffened but didn’t pull away.
Her arms dropped to her side and she took a step back then held out her hand. “By the way, I’m Katherine.”
He took her hand in a brief shake. “Theo Catomeris.
“Thank you so much for coming.” The merest hint of pink touched her cheeks. “And just so you know, I’m not in the habit of hugging complete strangers. But the resemblance to…well, the resemblance is uncanny.”
Theo had seen Elias Stamos on television many times. He knew he bore a strong resemblance to the man, but in his family that was never mentioned. He didn’t know how to respond to Katherine’s comment so he remained silent.
“I’m so happy you decided to come.” Katherine punched the elevator button then gave a nervous laugh. “I think I already said that before, didn’t I?”
Theo just lifted a shoulder in a slight shrug. This was a difficult situation for all of them to navigate. At least she was talking. His ability to make small talk seemed to have vanished.
“I was surprised to get the invitation,” Theo said finally. “I wasn’t aware you knew I even existed.”
“Well, I…we…haven’t always known,” Katherine said. “But we do now.”
Theo sensed she shared his unease on how to manage the situation. Obviously meeting your father’s bastard son wasn’t something covered in most etiquette books.
“Have you had dinner yet?” she asked.
Theo shook his head.
“Good,” Katherine said, and he could almost see a little of the tension ease from her face. “Helena and I considered having dinner brought to the penthouse but we thought you might enjoy seeing some of the ship. The Empire Room is the main dining room.”
Her speech had taken on a nervous, edgy quality that he found oddly reassuring. At least he wasn’t the only one stressed over this meeting.
Katherine took a deep breath and continued. “It serves international cuisine so I’m sure you’ll find something to please your palate. It’s very impressive.”
“Spoken like a true PR person,” Theo said before he could stop himself.
Surprise skittered across Katherine’s face. “You know what I do?”
“Just what I read in the papers,” he said. “I know that Liberty is one of your firm’s biggest accounts.”
“Well, right now you seem to have the advantage,” Katherine said. “Because I don’t know a whole lot about you.”
“Not much to know.” Theo hoped dinner didn’t deteriorate into a question-and-answer session. The last thing he wanted to do was spend the evening being grilled about his past. Of course, enduring an hour of awkward silences didn’t hold much appeal, either.
They stepped into the elevator and Katherine punched the button for deck five. “Helena will join us there.”
“Is Helena younger or older than you?” Theo knew the women had been born a couple years apart but found it hard to keep the two straight in his mind.
“She’s thirty-five.” Katherine brushed a strand of hair behind her ears with a perfectly manicured fingernail. “I just turned thirty-seven. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m that old.”
“I’m forty,” Theo said. “By your calculations, I guess that makes me ancient.”
“Sometimes I feel like all the good years are behind me.” Katherine’s expression turned pensive. “Other times it’s as if the best is yet to be.”
“I understand what you mean,” Theo said, feeling a moment of connectedness with this stranger. At twenty, when Theo had envisioned his life, he’d been determined to have it all; a successful business and a loving wife and children. Lately he’d started to realize he’d been so focused on building his empire that the home and family he’d wanted had never materialized. Now he was forty years old, with nothing to show for his life except a fleet of boats and a profit and loss statement firmly in the black.