Helena found herself lost in wild thoughts and was caught off guard when she realized he was talking to her.
She drew a deep breath and stared at him, only to get lost in the intensity of his gaze. Was that desire she could see in his eyes, or was she mistaken? She swallowed hard, and looking around, she realized they were left alone. Where is Sophie?
“She went to answer the phone,” he responded to her unspoken question.
Helena took a sip of her wine and tried to clear her thoughts. It’s the trip and all the emotions triggered by coming back, she tried to reason with herself. That’s why she was acting so weird. It had to be it… It just couldn’t be him causing the turmoil inside her and throwing her off balance.
She sat there silently, realizing she never heard what he had told her. Never mind, she thought. She had no intention of talking to him, after all. She would just wait until dinner was over, and then he would be gone.
“Why did it…” Dimitris started, but his voice trailed off as Sophie came back.
Helena saw the concerned look in his eyes, as he watched Sophie walking inside with a gloomy expression on her face and her lips pressed into a thin line.
What now? Helena wondered. However, she remained silent.
They finished their dinner in silence, and then Sophie asked them to join her outside on the veranda for coffee and dessert.
Helena was spellbound by the amazing view of the almost black waters of the sea at night, sparkling like liquid silver from the reflection of the bright light of August’s full moon. It was breathtaking.
She sunk into a lounge chair and closed her eyes, inhaling the fragrance of jasmine and roses mixed with the salty sea breeze. What a wonderful sensation!
Everything would have been so perfect, if he weren’t there. She couldn’t deny he was a very handsome man, but he was also so arrogant and irritating.
Helena remained silent until after coffee and dessert were served, trying to avoid looking at him. She could feel his eyes burning into her skin, and her heartbeat accelerated. His mere presence set her emotions to overdrive, and she couldn’t think straight. What is the matter with me? Why am I acting like this? she kept wondering. She had never met anyone before who had such an effect on her.
When Sophie went inside for a while, Helena stood up and walked over to the railings. She stood there, letting her eyes wander over the sparkling sea and the sky, covered with millions of stars.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” She heard his voice, soft and sensuous, next to her ear. She was taken aback by the proximity and turned to face him. Brushing her arm against his chest, she felt her skin burning from the touch. He was standing unbearably close… and he looked and smelled so good…
“Helena, I don’t bite,” he said, seeing her instinctive reaction to pull back.
“Oh! But I’m sure you do,” she replied, trying to steady her voice and make it sound sarcastic. But instead, it sounded deep and trembling. She was surprised to see the longing in his eyes—those captivating eyes of his, which could so easily make her pulse accelerate. She nervously wet her lips and took a few steps away, trying to place some distance between them.
“Why did it take you so long?” he asked, repeating the question he had asked earlier.
Helena glanced at him, puzzled. What does he care, anyway? Then again, judging from the look in his eyes, he did care.
“I don’t know,” she whispered simply, and her answer surprised even herself. She didn’t want to talk about this with anyone, but especially with him.
He stared at her for a few seconds, and Helena wished she could tell what was going through his mind.
She watched him take a step closer, and drew a deep breath. She had this crazy feeling he was going to kiss her, and time seemed to stop. She knew she should pull away, but she couldn’t—she felt immobilized. What if he does? she wondered, and was shocked to realize she wanted him to.
“I’m so sorry to leave you alone, but I had to make a phone call.” Sophie’s voice brought them back to reality.
Helena walked back to her lounge chair and sat down, while Dimitris leaned against the railings, squeezing them tightly.
“We’re all tired,” Sophie said, turning to Helena. “I think we better go to sleep,” she added and wished them goodnight.
Helena watched her walking towards the French doors, and was furious to see Dimitris showing no intention of leaving. She jumped out of her seat. “I’m going to bed, too!” She wasn’t about to stay out on the veranda with him. She didn’t trust him, and above all, she didn’t trust herself and her emotions.
She hastily followed Sophie inside. “Who does he think he is, acting like this?” Helena burst out—not being able to hold back any longer— and without waiting for an answer she went on, “How rude of him to remain here, while everybody is going to bed!”
Sophie stared at her, surprised. “But my dear child, Dimitris lives here,” she said.
Helena was left speechless.
Chapter Three
HELENA COULDN’T BELIEVE her ears. She stared at her aunt and couldn’t say a word. Who is that man? It was obvious he wasn’t just an employee, as she had assumed at first. He was very handsome and about her aunt’s age... That’s it, she thought. He was probably engaged to her aunt. That would explain his interference in family matters. However, even a fiancé wasn’t allowed to move in before the marriage— not in this part of the world. And she was sure he wasn’t Sophie’s husband… or maybe he was… How could she be so sure? Well, they weren’t acting like a married couple. Of course, there was a familiarity between them, but nothing like the closeness of a married couple.
Helena realized Sophie was staring at her, studying her face. She returned her look with one of confusion.
Sophie took her by the hand and guided her towards the stairs. “Come on,” she said. “There are a few things we need to talk about before we go to bed.”
A warning bell went off somewhere inside Helena’s head. Trying to ignore it, she followed Sophie to her room which was also on the second floor.
When they went inside, the room seemed familiar. Helena knew she had been there before. It was a pleasantly decorated room with cherry wood furniture and flower baskets which gave the room a lighter tone.
Sophie walked to the open French doors and invited Helena out onto the balcony. From there, they could enjoy the mystifying scenery of the night and feel the breeze caress them softly. Helena sunk into one of the lounge chairs and let her gaze wander over the black waters of the sea, parted in the middle by streaks of silver. The whole thing was surreal; she had this overwhelming sensation of being suspended in time.
Taking a deep breath, she smelled the fragrance of jasmine and roses. She closed her eyes for a few seconds, trying to relax. No matter what, she was home. It didn’t make any difference if Dimitris was there. That was her house, and she intended to stay.
Sophie sank into a lounge chair next to her, and they remained out there in silence for a while, just enjoying the stillness of the night.
Finally, Helena glanced at Sophie. For the first time, her aunt looked like she didn’t know what to say. A shiver raced up Helena’s spine, and the same warning bell went off somewhere in her head, again. What’s wrong? She could tell Sophie had something to say but didn’t know how to start. Helena wished silently it was nothing serious. It was the first time in years she was happy and didn’t want anything to ruin that.
“Helena, there are a lot of things you don’t know… After your father’s death, a lot of things changed,” Sophie started. Shifting in her seat, she took Helena’s hands in hers. “Your father wasn’t only an excellent captain but a very smart businessman at the same time, and he kept the business going while he was alive. After his death, our adopted brother, Thomas, took over. Without Angelos’ guidance, Thomas made a lot of mistakes. Two years after your father’s death, things got real bad, and Thomas had to sell part of the company to Dimitris' family. Little
by little, Stathis Nikolaou—Dimitris’ father—took over the rest of the company and everything else that once belonged to our family. Thomas stayed in the company as a Deputy General Manager, but he really has no control over anything and makes no decisions. Sometimes, I think they just keep him on because they know it would kill him not to work for the family business.”
Helena was so overwhelmed by all these that she couldn’t say a word. Everything was gone. All that her grandfather and her father had worked for were in someone else’s hands now. Even her home wasn’t hers any more…
Pulling her hands from Sophie’s, she got up and walked towards the edge of the balcony. Devastated, she realized that the man downstairs was the owner of all this and she was just a visitor. She felt her temper rising, thinking of him and his father taking advantage of her family like this.
Sophie must have read her mind, because she jumped up and took her in her arms.
“Helena, it’s not what you think. They didn’t do anything wrong. The company was going under, and we needed help. We needed someone strong to help us out, and Stathis Nikolaou was the right person. They had a shipping company of their own, and they were searching for more ships to expand. It was a blessing they were there; otherwise, we would have been out in the streets. Our families have been friends for years. Dimitris’ mother was my mom’s best friend, and she was devastated when Eleana passed away.”
“This wasn’t help,” Helena said bitterly. “This was taking over everything.”
“No,” Sophie insisted. “They didn’t let our company go under and our family be buried in debt. Business is booming, and we stay in the house and live comfortably,” she added and caressed Helena’s hair softly.
***
Helena remained quiet, and Sophie let go and took a step back to look at her face. She remained silent as well, giving Helena time to process all these new information. It must be really hard on her, Sophie thought. She came home after all these years, and now I have to lay this burden on her, too. Oh, how I wish things could be different. But there’s nothing I can do…
Sophie turned towards the sea, taking a deep breath. “Stathis died a few years ago,” she went on after a couple of minutes, “and Dimitris, who is a ship captain and was commanding one of their largest cargo ships up until then, had to give up his voyages and manage the company. He has a beautiful house in Athens, but Dimitris prefers the island. He runs the business from here, just like your father used to do. Thomas and his wife, Katie, live on the island, also, but right now he’s in New York on business. He should be back in a few weeks, though,” she said, then was silent for a moment.
Maybe I should tell her everything right now and get it over with, Sophie thought, but then again, she was scared of Helena’s reaction. Helena was way too young to understand, and she was brought up in England— far away from her homeland and its customs and traditions. We really need to be patient and give her some time to adjust... Then again, I need to prepare her for what’s coming…
***
“I would like you to get to know Dimitris,” Sophie said after a while. “He’s a really nice man.”
Helena bit her lower lip to stop herself from telling her aunt exactly what she thought of Dimitris. He was arrogant and had taken advantage of her family, and she would never forgive him for that.
Sophie stared at her with clear understanding in her eyes. “I know how hard this must be for you. I didn’t want to tell you yet, but after the tension I sensed tonight between the two of you, I wanted to set things straight.”
“Oh, Aunt Sophie, you should have told me!” Helena cried out. “I would have never come.”
“I knew you wouldn’t. That’s why I never said anything. I wanted you to come. This is still our house, you know,” Sophie said.
Helena wanted to tell her she was wrong about that, but she didn’t want to disappoint her aunt. She was so sweet and vulnerable, and she trusted everybody.
Her mind was working overtime. First thing in the morning, she was moving out. She couldn’t stay here a minute longer.
Now, she wished she had thought better before deciding to come here. But she always listened to her heart. Her mother had told her many times that her impulsiveness would get her into trouble one day.
Sophie’s voice brought her back to reality, “We should go inside. It’s chilly out here, and the wind is picking up. I think a storm is brewing.”
Helena followed her inside without saying a word. A storm was brewing as a matter of fact, but it had nothing to do with the weather… It was brewing inside Helena. Hastily, she wished Sophie goodnight and went to her room. Her heart felt really heavy in her chest, and she was blinded by hot tears running down her face.
In a desperate need to escape reality, she rushed to her balcony and stood at the edge. Holding tightly onto the iron handrail, she felt the wind blowing hard now. However, Helena didn’t mind. The turmoil around her was actually a reflection of what was going on inside her. Glancing up at the sky, she saw the bright moon halfway covered by heavy, threatening clouds. She lowered her eyes to the massive body of water stretching out in front of her. There was still enough moonlight to be able to see the white frothy waves, covering the black waters. She felt in tune with nature’s unleashed rage.
Closing her eyes, she listened to the howling of the wind and the sound of the waves smashing on the rocks surrounding the small private cove. She took some deep breaths and squeezed the handrail even harder. The rain started abruptly, and she lifted her face to the sky, keeping her eyes shut…
***
Helena had lost track of time, standing there, crying her heart out, when she started feeling really cold.
Shivering, she walked back inside and into her bathroom to change. She was soaked to the bone. Taking a quick, hot shower, she rubbed herself dry with a fluffy towel and put on her nightgown.
She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight. So much had happened in the last few hours… she had finally found her home, and it had been taken away from her again. Oh, how much she hated Dimitris Nikolaou. She wished she were miles away, in her cozy apartment back in England.
She lay down on her bed for hours, thinking about the past and the happy days she had spent on the island with her parents. She couldn’t help but wonder how different her life would have been if her father hadn’t disappeared. None of these things would have happened. Her mother would be alive, and they would still live on the island. The company and the house would belong to her family, and Sophie and Thomas wouldn’t have to depend on the generosity of Dimitris Nikolaou.
Wild thoughts whirled around in her mind—bittersweet memories mixed with thoughts about Dimitris. She couldn’t stop thinking about him. She hated him with all her heart. Oh, how much he must be enjoying this little game. He never said a word and let her keep on thinking he was just an employee. Then again, he never really said that… actually, he never said anything. What an intolerable person he was.
I’m leaving first thing in the morning, she decided. She couldn’t stay another day under the same roof with him. She was going to miss Sophie and this place, not to mention the fact she would never get any answers about what really happened to her father. Then again, she had no other choice. Of course, she could go to a hotel and stay for a few days. After all, it would be a shame to come back to the island after all these years and not even stay for a while. But how would she explain that to her aunt? Greeks were very sensitive about anyone rejecting their hospitality.
Well, she decided she really didn’t care. She had a life of her own, and she wouldn’t allow Dimitris to run her life as he was running Sophie’s and Thomas’. She was leaving in the morning, and that was it.
After she had made up her mind, she felt a lot better and finally drifted off to sleep.
***
When Helena opened her eyes next morning, the sun was shining brightly through the windows. She looked around the familiar room and felt warmth in her heart.
All of a sudden, she recalled last night’s events and jumped out of bed. She rushed to the French doors and stared outside. It was a mess— ruined bushes and toppled trees all over the place. The thunderstorm had destroyed the magnificently maintained yard. Even the small gazebo at the edge of the yard wasn’t spared by the wrath of nature’s outburst.
Feeling numb inside, Helena walked to her bathroom to wash up. Then she put on a pair on white shorts and a yellow top. Looking in the mirror, she saw the dark circles under her eyes. She hastily put some makeup on. Even though, she felt defeated and heartbroken, she wasn’t about to let him know that.
Raising her chin stubbornly, she walked downstairs. She didn’t want to be late for breakfast, and give him another reason to complain.
After having breakfast with her aunt, she would take her things to a small hotel on the waterfront, which she had noticed the day before when she got off the ship.
She walked around downstairs, but no one seemed to be in the house. Hearing voices from the veranda, she walked outside.
Sophie was sitting on a lounge chair with a glass of orange juice in her hand, and a very pretty young woman—about Helena’s age— was sitting right next to her. She had beautiful, long black hair and dark-brown eyes. Her skin was tanned like Sophie’s, only she was a lot prettier.
As Helena came outside, the conversation stopped. Sophie smiled at her and invited her to join them, but somehow, Helena felt she had interrupted something really important—she could feel the electricity in the air.
She glanced at the girl, who didn’t say a word; she only stared at Helena intensely behind half-closed eyelashes. Helena was uncomfortable being examined like this and experienced an instant dislike towards her.
Sophie introduced the girl—whose name was Stella—and explained to her niece that Stella lived down the street, and as soon as she heard they had a visitor, she came by to welcome her on the island. However, the expression in Stella’s eyes didn’t make Helena feel welcome at all.