“Thank you for going the extra mile to cover tonight, but you look tired. After putting in a full day’s work already, you need to go home. I’ve let work pile up here and need to dig in. Good night, Giorgos.”
Instead of indulging him further, Lys started scrolling through her messages until he left her office. After a half hour, she had cleared most of her work and after telling Chloe to call her if there was a problem, she went back to her suite to get some sleep. Not that it was possible with this incredible ring on her finger.
* * *
Takis phoned her Wednesday morning while she was drinking coffee in her room. “Kalimera, Lys.”
Her heart thumped just to hear his deep voice. “How are you?”
“I’ll be better when I see you later. At breakfast I told my parents I’d like them to meet you. They want us to come over to the hotel at two when business is slow.”
Startled, she slid off the bed. “You mean today?”
“It surprised me too. My brother must have said favorable things about you. More than ever I’m convinced Danae was right about the engagement. My parents truly are anxious to see me settled.” But they didn’t know why Takis had asked her to marry him. “I’m leaving it up to you when you want me to come for you.”
She glanced at her watch. “Where are you right now?”
“In my car on the way to the house. The water and electricity are supposed to have been turned on. I want to get over there and check things out.”
“Then you have enough on your mind. I’m going to get ready and I’ll take a taxi to your house.”
“Lys—”
“No argument. I’ll bring sandwiches and salad from the hotel kitchen.” She rang off before he could try to reason with her.
Without wasting time, she called the front desk to let them know she was leaving the hotel. After hanging up, she showered, then washed and blow-dried her hair.
She didn’t have to worry over what to wear and reached for her simple black gown she could dress up or down. It had sleeves to the elbow and a round neck. She wore tiny gold earrings and sensible black high heels.
When she was ready, she called the kitchen and gave them instructions. One of the waiters was to meet her at the hotel utility van in the garage with the food. Next she phoned the hotel florist. After telling them what she wanted, she asked that one of the employees bring the vase of flowers to the van and set it on the floor. After retrieving the flowers, she drove out to Tylissos.
It wasn’t until she pulled up behind the two cars parked at the side of Takis’s house that she realized there’d been a car behind her. She’d noticed it on the highway after leaving Heraklion, but it passed her by as she turned off the engine.
But seeing a hard-muscled Takis walk toward her drove every thought out of her mind and she trembled with excitement. Dressed in a casual cream-colored polo shirt and tan trousers, he was so striking, her breath caught.
“I’ve brought flowers,” she said after he came around to open the door. “I hope your mother will like them.”
“It’s a perfect gift.”
“A woman can’t resist flowers.”
“I’ll remember that.” The way he eyed her made her pulse leap.
“They’re on the floor in back.”
He retrieved them while she brought the food and followed him into the house. But halfway through the living room she stopped because her eyes had caught sight of the fresco he’d rested on the mantel of the fireplace. The colors stood out, emphasizing the drabness of the room that needed a complete makeover.
He could see where she was looking. “I’ve been studying the fresco and think we need to pick one of the background colors that would look good on the walls.”
She darted him a glance. “Do you have a favorite?”
“Yes, but I’d be interested to hear what you like.”
“Well, I’ve loved this fresco for a long time and already know the one I’d use.”
“In that case let’s take it to the store and match the paint we want. I’ll put these things in the kitchen and we’ll eat later.”
As she watched him disappear, Lys imagined that deep down he was anxious about introducing her to his parents and needed to keep busy. That was fine with her because her angst about being favorably received was shooting through the roof.
They went out to his car with the fresco and drove into the village. The thirtyish female clerk inside the store had them sit at a table. She couldn’t seem to take her eyes off Takis even though she could see Lys wore an engagement ring.
After admiring the artwork, the woman set it on a chair before bringing in a dozen color strips for them to look through, but she addressed her remarks to Takis.
Though Lys knew Takis wouldn’t be marrying her if Nassos hadn’t given him half the hotel, she planned to help him redo his house. She adored him and wanted to help make it as beautiful as possible. This was where he planned to live until he died, so it had to be right.
His gaze fused with hers. “Let’s pick our favorite color and see how close we come.”
Being with Takis like this made every moment an exhilarating one. Among the various colors, her eye went to the pastel green shades until she found the perfect match in the fresco.
She would have reached for it, but Takis’s hand was quicker. He lifted a certain strip off the table and glanced at her. “I knew exactly what I was looking for. Now it’s your turn. Choose the one you prefer.”
Lys couldn’t believe it. “You’re holding it. Soft sage is my choice too.”
“You’re teasing me.”
“No.”
The smile left his eyes. “I’m beginning to think we’re dealing with something here beyond our control.”
A little shiver raced through her. “I admit this is amazing.”
“That was so easy, I’m afraid to ask what other colors you’re thinking of for the rest of the house.”
“How about these for the walls in the kitchen?” She picked up the Minoan red and canary yellow strips.
He looked astonished. “You’ve been reading my mind.”
“The borders on the fresco influenced me.”
Takis kissed her neck before getting up to talk to the clerk. He couldn’t have done anything to please Lys more just then. She made a silent choice of pale blue for one of the bedrooms upstairs, but didn’t say anything. Perhaps they’d make that decision later.
“I’ll be happy to help you with anything else you need.” The woman smiled into Takis’s eyes and couldn’t have been more obvious. Lys was glad to leave.
Again she thought she saw the same car she’d noticed earlier, but it disappeared around the next corner. After what she’d been through while the police were investigating the reason for Nassos’s death, she was probably being paranoid.
SOON THEY DROVE back to the house with the paint. While Lys carried the bags into the living room, Takis brought in the fresco and set it back on the mantel. “Shall we eat? I’m starving.”
Lys chuckled. “Aren’t you always?”
They walked into the kitchen, where he’d put the wrapped vase of flowers in the sink earlier. She set the food on the table and they sat down to eat.
Halfway