A Wedding For The Greek Tycoon (Greek Billionaires Book 2) (11 page)

No. Nestor’s gratitude would know no bounds for their benefactor, but she refrained from saying anything because Vasso didn’t want to hear it.

Zoe tried to gear up for what was coming. How awful that a conversation with him would take place in his house, the one personal area of his life she’d tried to stay away from. She loved it already just seeing it from the air.

He drove around the back of it. It had been built near the water’s edge. They entered a door into the kitchen area with a table and chairs. Though small like a cottage, huge windows opened everything up to turn it into a beach home, making it seem larger. No walls.

Everywhere you looked, you could see the sea. All you had to do was open the sliding doors and you could step out on a deck with several tubs of flowers and loungers. Beyond it, the sand and water were at your feet.

A circular staircase on one side of the room rose to the upper floor. It had to be a loft. The other end of the room contained the rock fireplace with a big comfy couch and chairs.

“Would you like a drink?”

She shook her head. “Nothing, thank you.”

“Let’s take a walk along the beach. The sand feels like the finest granulated sugar. I do my best thinking out there. We’ll slip off our shoes and leave them inside. You can wash your feet later at the side of the deck.”

After she did his bidding, she followed him outside. Night had descended. A soft fragrant breeze with the scent of thyme blew at her hair and skirt. She knew it was thyme because there was the same smell at the center. Yianni had explained what it was. He was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge.

She could talk to him the way she did with Father Debakis. The wonderful man had great children who looked after him, but he’d loved his wife to distraction and talked to Zoe about their life together. How heavenly to have enjoyed a marriage like Yianni’s.

When they’d walked a ways, Vasso stopped and turned to her. The time had come. Her body broke out in a cold sweat. To her shock, he cupped her face in his hands and lifted it so she had to look at him. Zoe couldn’t decipher the expression in his eyes, but his striking male features stood out in the semidarkness.

“I want to start over.”

She blinked. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I’d like us to do what two people do who have met and would like to get to know each other better.”

After everything she’d been thinking as to what might be the reason why he’d brought her here, Zoe was incredulous. “That’s the favor?”

“I know it’s a big one. Last week you made it clear you didn’t want anything more than friendship from me, but we moved past that after your arrival in Greece. I want to spend this weekend with you and all the weekends you’re available from here on out.”

The ground shifted.

She was positive she’d misunderstood him.

“Did you hear me?” he asked in an urgent voice.

“You
can’t
be serious.” She grasped his wrists, but he still cradled her face in his hands.

“Why are you acting like this, Zoe?”

“Because you’re carrying your sense of responsibility to me too far.”

“Does this feel like responsibility?” He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her long and hard until she melted against him. Zoe was delirious with desire after being away from him for a whole week. “Tell me the real reason you’re fighting me,” he said after lifting his head. They were both out of breath. “I know you’re attracted to me. You told me there’s no one else in your life.” The warm breath on her mouth sent a fire licking through her body.

“There isn’t, but Vasso—” she moaned his name, “I can’t be with you. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have changed my mind and stayed in New York. I would have found another place to work.”

His brows met. “You don’t mean that. You’re lying to cover up what’s really wrong.”

Making a great effort, she eased herself out of his arms. “You’re a very intelligent man. If you think hard about it, you’ll know why this won’t work. My cancer is in remission, but no one knows when it will come back.”

She heard him suck in his breath. “Guess what? Tomorrow I could go down in the helicopter and never be seen again. It could happen. But if I looked at life like that, nothing would get accomplished.”

“A possible helicopter crash one day compared to a recurrence of cancer are two different things.”

He raked his hands through his hair. “No. They’re not. No matter what, life is a risk.”

“But some risks are more risky than others, Vasso. To get close to you is like buying something you want on time. One day—much sooner than you had supposed—you’ll have no choice but to pay the balance in full. It will be too heavy a price to have to come up with all at once. I won’t let you get into that position.”

This time his hands slid up her arms. “You honestly believe you’re going to die soon?
That’s
what this is all about?”

“Yes. But I don’t know the timetable and neither do you. What I do know is that you watched your father die of the same disease. No one should have to live through the trauma of that experience a second time in life. You and your brother have fought too hard to come all this way, only for you to get involved with a time bomb, because that’s what I am.”

He drew her closer. “Zoe—”

“Let me finish, please? I saw the love Akis and his wife share. With a baby on the way they’re totally happy. He doesn’t have to worry that Raina is going to be stricken by the inevitable.

“Don’t you understand? I want you to have the same life
they
have. No clouds on the horizon. To spend time with me makes no sense for you. I’m a liability and I made Chad see that. He was smart and did the right thing for both of us.”

Vasso’s features darkened. “How was it right for you?” his voice grated.

“Because I would have been more depressed to watch his suffering over me when I could do nothing to alleviate it. Just think about what it felt like when your father was dying, and you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about. It would have been so much harder on me if Chad had been there day and night. I couldn’t have handled it.”

“I’m not Chad.” His hands slid to her shoulders. “Did you love him?”

Vasso’s question caught her off guard. “I...thought I did. There are all kinds of love.”

“No, Zoe. I’m talking about that overpowering feeling of love for another person that goes so deep into the marrow, you can’t breathe without it.”

He’d just described her feelings for him and pulled away before he read the truth in her eyes. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. If it’s all right with you, I’d like to go home.”

She turned back and hurried toward the deck where she could wash the sand off her feet. By the time he’d caught up to her, she’d gone inside and had slipped on her shoes.

“Before we go anywhere, I need to tell you something important, Zoe. Will you listen?”

They stood in the middle of the room like adversaries. Spiraling emotions had caused her to shake like a leaf. “Of course.”

“Something unprecedented happened to me when I flew to New York to interview you. I didn’t ask for it, but it happened. I haven’t been the same since. Like you with Chad, I thought I loved Sofia. She’d always been there. We’d been a couple for such a long time, it just seemed normal for us to get married.

“Luckily, she got impatient. While I was in the military, she couldn’t wait for me. Though I didn’t know it at the time, she did me the greatest service in the world because it was apparent she wasn’t the one for me.

“After surviving that hurdle, Akis and I led a bachelor existence for years. When Raina came into his life, it was as much a shock to me as to him. He’d been with other women, but she knocked him sideways without even trying, and transformed his life. I can promise you that if she’d been a recovering cancer patient, it would have made no difference to him.”

“That’s what you say because it’s what you want to believe.” She shook her head. “I can see there’s no way to get through to you on this.”

“You’re right. There’s only one solution to end our impasse.”

“Exactly. By ending it now.”

“I have a better idea in mind.”

Zoe couldn’t take much more. “I need to get back to the apartment.”

“I’ll take you, but I want you to think very seriously about my next words.”

She reached for her purse and started for the kitchen. “Will you tell me in the car?”

Without waiting for him, Zoe went outside and walked along the path to his Lexus. Afraid to have contact, she quickly got in and shut the door.

Vasso went around to his side of the car and started the engine. But before he drove them to the road, he slid his arm along the seat so that his fingers touched the ends of her hair. Immediately her body responded, but she refused to look at him.

“We need to get married.”

Her gasp reverberated in the interior. “
Married—
”

“The sooner the better. According to your timetable, we might have five years together before everything comes to an end. I want to give you children. I’d rather take those five years and live them fully with you, than walk away from you now and leave us both in pain.”

“I won’t be in pain,” she defended in a quiet voice while her heart ran away with her at the thought of having his baby.

“Well, I will.” He tugged gently on her hair strands. “After the way you kissed me back tonight, I know for a fact you’ll be in pain, too. I don’t need an answer yet, but I’ll look for one soon.”

“No—” she whispered in agony. “You mustn’t.”

“If I’d let the
no
s and the
mustn’t
s get in the way, I wouldn’t be where I am today. You and I don’t have the usual problems that beset couples. We know who we are and exactly what we’re getting into. We’ve learned how precious life is. We’ve been made brutally aware that there are no guarantees for the future, only what we’re prepared to build together.”

She swallowed hard. “What it proves to me is how far you would go to honor the wishes of Father Debakis.”

“He has nothing to do with this!”

“Then why would you be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice by marrying me and giving me a home when you know I have a very short life span.”

“Because I love you.”

“I love you, too, but I wonder if you remember the warning you gave me in New York. You said, ‘Be sure it’s what you want.’ How sad someone didn’t warn you to be sure it was what
you
wanted.”

“You’re putting up a defense because of your own insecurities.” He drove the car to the road and they headed for the village.

“Vasso, you don’t want to marry me. We’re both temporarily attracted to each other. You’re like any red-blooded bachelor might be, but you’re not in love with me. I refuse to be your personal project.

“I came here to work and pay you back for your generosity. Wouldn’t it be a great way to show my gratitude by becoming your wife? Then you’d be forced to take care of me for however long I have left.

“Forget children. No way would I want to leave a baby for you to raise on your own. Your father did that. I won’t allow history to repeat itself. You and Akis have been through so much, you deserve all the happiness you can find.

“Sofia Peri didn’t know what she was doing when she let the most marvelous man on earth slip through her fingers. If you’d married back then, you’d probably be a father to several darling children. I should never have come here.”

Yianni had gotten along fine before Zoe had arrived. The center would run smoothly whether she was there or not. If she flew back to New York, she could get a job as a cook. When she’d saved enough money she could finish her last semester of college. Then she could get a job teaching school and send money to the foundation every month. It was the best plan she could think of under the circumstances.

When she got back to the apartment, she’d phone Father Debakis and have a heart-to-heart with him. He was probably at dinner and could talk to her when he was through. The priest would understand her dilemma and give her the guidance she needed because heaven help her, she couldn’t make this decision without his blessing.

Vasso drove around to the back of the shop. She opened the door before he came to a stop. “Thank you for bringing me home. You made Nestor a happy man tonight.”

“And what about you?”

“You already know what I think.”

“We’re not finished, Zoe.”

“How can I convince you that this just won’t work?”

“I didn’t realize you were so stubborn.”

“Then be thankful I’m not the marrying type. You’ve dodged a bullet. Good night.”

CHAPTER NINE

F
OR
THE
NEXT
week Vasso worked like a demon, traveling from city to city to check on stores while Akis worked out of the Athens office. After the last conversation with Zoe, he knew she needed time to think about their situation without being pressured.

Now that it was Friday evening, he couldn’t stay away any longer and flew to Paxos. She would be on duty this weekend and couldn’t run away from him. After they watched a movie with some of the patients, he’d get her alone to talk until he convinced her they belonged together.

At five to six he tapped on Yiannis’s half-open door and walked in. Zoe wasn’t out in front, but he didn’t expect her to be.

He found the admiral pouring himself coffee from a carafe brought in on a cart from the kitchen. The older man was using the cup Zoe had given him. He turned to Vasso. “Ah. You’re here at last.”

By his sober demeanor Vasso sensed something was wrong. “Did I miss a call from you?”

“No, no.” He walked back to his chair. “Sit down so we can talk.”

Not liking the sound of that, he preferred to remain standing. Yiannis looked up from his desk. “I have a letter here for you. It’s from Zoe. She asked me to give it to you when you came by and not before.”

His heart plummeted. He took the envelope from him, almost afraid to ask the next question. “Where is she?”

“She flew back to New York on Tuesday.”

The breath froze in his lungs.

“On Sunday she came over, white as a sheet, and submitted her resignation. Zoe’s the best assistant I could have asked for, but the tragic expression on her face let me know she’s been suffering. She told me she was so homesick she couldn’t stay in Greece any longer. The sweet thing thought she could handle being transplanted, but apparently it was too big a leap. Kyria Lasko is helping me out again.”

His agony made it hard to talk let alone think. “I’ll find a temporary accountant from headquarters until we can find the right person to assist you,” he murmured.

“You’d better sit down, Vasso. You’ve gone quite pale.”

He shook his head. “I’ll be all right. Forgive me. I’ve got things to do, but I’ll be in touch.”

Vasso rushed out of the hospital and drove to the village at record speed. He parked the car and ran along the waterfront to the gift shop. The second Kyria
Panos saw him she waved him over with an anxious expression. “If you’re looking for Thespinis
Zachos, she’s left Greece.”

He felt like he was bleeding out. “I heard the news when I was at the center earlier. Let me pay her bill.”

“No, no. She paid me. Such a lovely person. Never any trouble.”

Not until now,
Vasso’s heart cried out.

He thanked the older woman and drove back to his house. After making a diving leap for the couch he ripped open the envelope to read her letter. She’d only written one short paragraph.

Forgive me for accepting your offer of employment. It has caused you so much unnecessary trouble. I’m desolate over my mistake. One day I’ll be able to start paying you back in my own way.

My dear, dear Vasso, be happy.

Blind with pain, he staggered to the storage closet and reached for his bike. He’d known pain two other times in his life. A young teen’s loss of a father. Later a young man’s loss of his childhood sweetheart. This pain was different.

Zoe thought she could spare him pain by disappearing from his life. But with her gone, he felt as if his soul had died on the spot. Vasso didn’t know how he was going to last the night, but he couldn’t stay in the house.

He took his bike out the back door and started cycling with no destination in mind. All he wanted to do was keep going until he got rid of the pain. It was near morning when he returned to his house and took himself up to bed.

The next time he had cognizance of his surroundings, he could hear Akis’s voice somewhere in the background urging him to wake up. He couldn’t figure out where he was. How had he made it upstairs to his bed?

His eyelids opened. “Akis?”

“Stay with me, Vasso. Come on. Wake up.”

He groaned with pain. “Zoe left me.”

“I know.”

“Did you see her letter?”

“That, and your bike lying on the ground at the back door.”

He rubbed his face with his hand and felt his beard. “How did you find out?”

“Yiannis called me yesterday worried about you.”

“What’s today?”

“Sunday.”

He opened his eyes again. “You mean I’ve been out of it since Friday?”

“Afraid so.” His brother looked grim. They’d been through every experience together. “You’ve given me a scare, bro. I was worried you might have driven yourself too hard and wouldn’t wake up. Don’t ever do that to me again.”

Vasso raised himself up on one elbow. “A week ago I asked her to marry me. Friday night she left her answer with Yiannis. I wanted her so badly I pushed too hard.”

“It’s early days.”

“No. She left Greece to spare me. Zoe’s convinced the disease will recur.”

Akis sighed. “Raina picked up on that the night you came for dinner.”

“For her to give up the job she wanted was huge for her. There’s no hoping she’ll come back.”

“Why don’t you get up and shower, then we’ll fly to my house. Raina has food ready. Once you get a meal in you, we’ll talk. Don’t tell me no. This is one time you need help, even if you are my big brother.”

September 23, Astoria, New York

“Zoe? Come in my office.”

She knew what the doctor was going to say and was prepared for the bad news. This was her first checkup since she’d left the hospital six weeks ago. The month she’d spent in Greece was like a blip on a screen, as if that life had been lived by a different person.

She’d decided not to call Father Debakis. No one at the church knew she was back in the US. Zoe prayed Ms. Kallistos hadn’t seen her slip in the hospital and would never know about this appointment.

Zoe had made up her mind she wouldn’t depend on the charity of others ever again. While she was staying at the YWCA, she’d been going out on temporary jobs to survive. There was always work if you were willing to do it. This was the life that had put Nestor in a depression. She could see why.

If any good had come out of her experience on Paxos, it had been to introduce him to Vasso who had not only saved his life through his charity, but had made it possible for him to go to college.

Vasso...
Zoe’s heart ached with a love so profound for him she could hardly bear to get up every day and face the world without him.

“Zoe? Did you hear me?”

She lifted her head. “I’m sorry. I guess I was deep in thought.”

He frowned. “You’ve lost five pounds since you were released from the hospital. Why is that?”

“With the recurrence of cancer, that doesn’t surprise me.”

“What recurrence?”

Zoe shook her head. “You don’t need to be gentle with me, doctor. Just tell me the truth. I can take it.’

He cocked his head. She had to wait a long time before he spoke again. “I’m beginning to think that if I told you the truth, you wouldn’t recognize it, let alone believe me. I
am
a doctor, and I’ve sworn an oath to look after the sick.”

“I know,” she whispered.

“But you think I’m capable of lying?”

She bit her lip. “Maybe not lying, but since you work with cancer patients, I realize you’re trying to be careful how you tell a patient there is a death sentence in the future.”

He leaned forward. “We all have a death sentence awaiting us in life. That’s part of the plan. In the meantime, part of the plan is to live life to the fullest. Something tells me that’s not what you’ve been doing.”

Those were Vasso’s words. It sent prickles down her spine.

“There’s no recurrence of cancer, Zoe. I’m giving you another clean bill of health.”

“Until another six weeks from now, then it will show up.”

He made a sound of exasperation. “Maybe you weren’t listening to me the first time I told you this. In people like you with none of the other complicating factors, the statistics prove that about ninety-one out of every one hundred people live for more than five years after they are diagnosed. And seventy-one out of every one hundred people live for more than ten years. Some even live to the natural end of their lives.”

She’d heard him the first time, but she hadn’t been able to believe it.
Was it really possible?

“Since you’re cancer-free and in perfect physical shape, I want to know the reason for your weight loss. It has to be a man.”

She struggled for breath. “You’re right.”

“Tell me about him.”

Zoe had refused to give in to her feelings since returning from Greece. But with the doctor who’d been her friend for a whole year pressing her for an explanation, she couldn’t hold back any longer and blurted everything in one go. The tears gushed until she was totally embarrassed.

“Before I see my next patient who’s waiting, do you want to know what
I
think, girl?”

Girl?
He hadn’t called her that in a long time. Surprised, she looked at him, still needing to wipe the moisture off her face. “What?”

“You’re a damn fool if you don’t fly back there and tell him yes. I don’t want to see you in my office again unless you have a wedding ring on your finger!”

September 25, Athens, Greece

When the ferry headed toward the familiar docking point at Loggos, Zoe was jumping out of her skin with nervous excitement. She’d taken the cheapest one-way night flight from JFK to Corfu and caught the morning ferry to Paxos Island. While on board she changed into walking shorts and sneakers. Everything else she owned was in her new suitcases. Luckily the largest case had wheels, making it easier for her to walk along the waterfront to the gift shop.

Kyria
Panos looked shocked and anxious when Zoe entered her store. “I didn’t know you were back. If you want the apartment, I’ve already rented it. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. That’s good business for you! I just wondered if I could leave my luggage here. I’ll pay you and be back for it by the end of the day.”

“You don’t have to pay me. Just bring it behind the counter.”

“You’re so kind. Thank you.”

“Did you know Kyrie
Giannopoulos tried to pay me for your rental?”

“No, but that doesn’t surprise me.” There was no one in this world like Vasso. “I’ll buy one of these T-shirts.” She found the right size and gave her some euros. “Mind if I change in your bathroom?”

“Go ahead. Whatever you want.”

Having deposited her luggage and purse, she left and was free to buy her favorite snack of a gyro and fruit at Vasso’s number-one store. Once she’d eaten, she rented a bike from the tourist outfit at the other end of the pier and took off for Vasso’s beach house.

Though she hadn’t lived on Paxos for very long, it felt like home to her now. The softness of the sea air, the fragrance, it all fed her soul that had been hungering for Vasso. Raina had said it best. “I thought I was American too before I married Akis. Now the Greek part has climbed in and sits next to my heart.” Zoe could relate very well.

She had no idea if Vasso would be home or not. If she couldn’t find him, she’d bike to the center and drop in on Yianni. He was a sweetheart and would be able to help her track him down without giving her presence away. She wanted, needed to surprise Vasso. It was important she see that first look in his eyes. Just imagining the moment made it difficult to breathe.

The ride through the olive groves rejuvenated her. Every so often she’d stop to absorb another view of the azure sea and the white sailboats taking advantage of the light breeze. She removed her helmet to enjoy it. While she was thinking about Vasso, she saw the local bus coming toward her. It slowed down and a smiling Gus leaned out the window.

“Yassou
, Zoe!
Where have you been?”

“In New York, but I’m back to stay!”

“That’s good!”

“I agree!”

After he drove on, she put her helmet back on and started pedaling again. She went through alternating cycles of fear and excitement as she contemplated their reunion. Zoe wouldn’t allow herself to be bombarded with negative thoughts again. She’d weathered too many of them already. Because of a lack of faith, she’d wasted precious time, time she and Vasso could have had together.

Zoe stopped every so often to catch her breath and take in the glorious scenery. She had no way of knowing if he’d be at the house, but it didn’t matter. This was his home. He would return to it at some point, and she’d be waiting for him.

* * *

Akis looked at Vasso. “What do you think about him?” The last person they’d interviewed for the assistant’s job at the hospital went out to the lounge to wait. Over the last week there’d been a dozen applicants for the job before him.

“I think he’s as good as we’re going to get.”

“His disability won’t present a problem and he’s ex-military. Yiannis will like that.”

Vasso nodded. Neither of them wanted to admit Yiannis had been so unhappy about Zoe’s resignation he’d found something wrong with anyone they’d sent for an interview. He’d rather do the extra work himself.

“Will you tell him? I need to get back to the house if only to find out if it’s still standing.” Since the Sunday Vasso had awakened to a world without Zoe in it, he’d been living at the penthouse when he wasn’t out of the city on business. He got up and headed for their private elevator.

“Hey, bro.” Akis’s concern was written on his face. “Come over for dinner tonight.”

“Can I take a rain check?” Akis and Raina had done everything to help, but there was no help for what was wrong.

“Then promise you’ll keep in close touch with me.”

“Haven’t I always?”

“Not always,” Akis reminded him.

No. The Friday night he’d read Zoe’s goodbye letter, everything had become a blur until Akis had found him on Sunday morning. By now he’d gotten the message that she had no regrets over leaving him. None.

While he’d waited in the hope that he’d hear from her, he’d gone through every phase of pain and agony. Maybe it would never leave him. Desperate for some relief, he flew to Paxos. When the helicopter dropped him off, he got in his car. After buying some roses in town, he headed for their family church on the summit.