Chapter 21 #2
Theo woke to an empty bed and a flood of bright sunshine through the large window overlooking the terrace. It bounced off the white sheets, the whitewashed walls and the gauzy white curtains, which were more romantic than practical.
He spotted Tiffany at the railing, staring out at the sparkling panorama, the hem of the dress she’d worn yesterday fluttering around her calves in the breeze, tendrils of hair that had escaped her high messy bun blowing around her nape. And just seeing her there felt like sunbeams in his chest.
His villa had been enthusiastically lauded by anybody who had ever visited, but her quiet, breathy ‘Ohhh Theo ,’ and her inability to find adequate words for it, had meant more than any hyperbolic praise.
Because that was exactly how he felt about his home.
And Mykonos. The island was such an integral part of him it was impossible to define.
And her genuine pleasure in all its quaintness and quirks had spoken to him as they’d walked to his place yesterday.
Her enthusiastic appreciation for the authenticity of the island, beyond the touristy flash of Chora, had been refreshing.
Other women he’d brought to the island had wanted to shop in the boutiques or hang out at all the in places. The popular beaches and the buzzy bars. And that had been fine because he enjoyed that too.
Or he had, anyway.
Until Tiffany’s delight in the backstreets, in their riot of colour and their clashing contrasts between old and new, had made him see it through fresh eyes again.
And the way she’d smiled at the locals who had greeted him, and been so utterly at home in his favourite little local taverna, had cemented the feeling that she got him.
Understood him in a way that no other woman had. Him. Plain old Theo.
Not Theo Callisthenes, the billionaire. Not Theo Callisthenes, the CEO. Not Theo Callisthenes, the playboy with the black Amex and the superyacht.
Theo, the kid who had grown up listening to old Greek men spinning tales of mermaids.
Theo, the teenager who had fucked up and hurt one of his closest friends.
Theo, the uni student who’d been attacked by an old lady with a frilly pink umbrella.
Theo, the man who loved his family so deeply he liked being surrounded by framed reminders.
And that was big. And new.
She’d said last night that she’d been swept away in the fantasy of it all, and he’d admitted he had been too, and the fact they’d both been feeling the same thing had been the straw that broke the camel’s back as far as the dare had been concerned.
What had started as a physical need for her had become, in that moment, something else.
Something bigger. Something she hadn’t been able to explain. But he’d felt it too. That moment hadn’t been about sex, it had been about connecting.
With Tiffany.
And that drove him from the bed because he didn’t know the first thing about connecting with just one woman. Spending time with just one woman.
But he knew he wanted to.
* * *
Ten minutes later, Theo was stepping onto the terrace where Tiffany was still at the railing admiring the vista.
He passed the table and flashes of last night replayed in his head.
The table, the shower, his bed, the pool.
Then back to his bed before their hunger had been slaked and exhaustion had dragged them into a deep slumber.
He didn’t know how he could want her again so soon and so urgently – but he did. It was more than that though; the desire to see her on his terrace was just as urgent. Summoning all his willpower, he slipped in beside her – not behind.
‘You look like you belong here,’ he murmured.
Because it was the truth. He’d thought that yesterday as he’d watched her tapping away on her keyboard, pausing occasionally to stare at the sea.
And last night as she’d eaten spanakopita and laughed at his jokes.
And definitely right now, standing barefoot in yesterday’s dress staring at the view as if trying to commit it to memory.
She startled a little and he wasn’t sure if it was because she hadn’t heard him approach or because his words had discomforted her.
Quickly recovering her poise, she smiled at him before grabbing his hand, unfurling his fingers and placing the opal and diamond ring in his palm.
‘Thank you, Theo,’ she said as she curled his fingers over it. ‘For everything. For all of this.’ She gestured to the view and villa. ‘And for Mikey.’
Theo frowned, alarm spiking his pulse. Why did this sound like goodbye? ‘Are you… leaving?’
She nodded. ‘I think it’s best.’
What? Wait… No. ‘Because of last night?’
‘Uh huh. And the day before that. It’s been amazing but it is all a fantasy, and I thought I’d be okay going back below deck, but after all this’ – she gestured to the view – ‘I think it’ll just be too weird.
And I think the rest of the crew will pick up on the vibe and it’ll be weird for them, too.
I know I still have a month left on my contract but?—’
Theo, his brain grappling with this surprise turn of events, interrupted with a dismissive wave of his hand. ‘Don’t worry about it.’
‘Thanks.’
Thanks? She seemed so… calm while a deep pit of what the fuck tore wide open inside him. ‘Where will you go?’ Which wasn’t what he wanted to ask but seemed the most obvious thing in the situation.
‘I’m not sure. I want to finish my book so I’ll probably look at some long-term housesitting gigs. I joined an agency after I left ōceanós.’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘You should stay here.’
The offer was out before Theo had fully thought it through, but it made perfect sense. The villa wasn’t used a lot of the year and would be even less so as summer wound down, and she wouldn’t be gone from his life. They’d have time to figure things out.
‘Theo… no.’ She shook her head. ‘Thank you though.’
‘Gratis,’ he hastily assured her in case she thought he was after rent.
She laughed again. ‘It’s not that. It’s just…’
Just what? She clearly adored it here. ‘Why not?’ he pressed. ‘You said yourself it’s inspirational.’
‘And, quite coincidentally, very convenient to you.’
Yes. That was very much the point as far as he was concerned. A smiled curved his mouth. ‘Would that be so bad?’
‘Theo.’ She sighed. ‘Yes.’
‘Why?’
‘Because you and I can’t do that.’
‘Or maybe,’ he suggested tentatively, ‘we can?’ Okay, yes, it appeared that he was contemplating having his first ever not one-and-done thing but, it turned out, when Tiffany was the woman, it didn’t feel so scary.
Not that she appeared to agree as she looked at him aghast before she pushed away from the railing muttering, ‘No, no, no. This can’t be happening.’ Which obviously was not a good sign…
With a cold lump of dread in his stomach, Theo turned to watch her pace a few steps before turning back to face him, her arms folded across her waist like armour.
‘You only think you want this because it’s a novelty to you. But it’s not just us and our hearts?—’
She stopped abruptly, like she hadn’t meant to say the word heart but it was too late – Theo had heard it. Did that mean she was feeling more, too?
‘We have others to think of,’ she continued, clearly deciding that barrelling right on would negate what she’d said.
‘Because when whatever you think this is ends, which it will because you’ll get tired of being with one woman all the time and I have trust issues with men who can’t keep it in their pants, your brother and my friend will be forced to take sides, which might very well cause them some difficulties.
They’ll have to pick and choose who they invite to what places and which events, like their baby’s christening and birthday parties, and they’ll probably argue about which one of us is going to be the godparent.
Your family would probably feel the need to take sides as well and I’m betting it won’t be Kelsey’s.
And we’ll be responsible for an entire family feud. ’
Theo blinked at the mishmash of worst-case scenarios and diabolical conclusions delivered in an increasingly strident tone. She was breathing a little hard after her word vomit, which made him wonder how long she’d been stewing on this crap.
‘Okay.’ He nodded calmly because she was quite worked up, as though even the thought of something happening between them had her running scared. ‘But what if none of those things happens and we just don’t put any pressure on ourselves and just roll the dice? See how it evolves?’
That was how people did this couple thing, right?
She shook her head vehemently. ‘I can’t see how things evolve with you. Look at you.’ She flapped a hand up and down in his direction. ‘You’re gorgeous and filthy rich and we have amazing sex and you live in this place that just blows my mind. And it would be way too easy to get in over my head.’
Theo hadn’t ever thought being wealthy would be a negative with a woman, but his gut was telling him it wasn’t his money, it was the getting in over her head that was making her skittish.
‘But you’re thirty-five,’ she continued, ‘and never been in a relationship your entire life. And I’ve had my fair share of one-night stands too, Theo, so I have no issue with them, but when I’m rolling the dice with a guy, I need to know he knows how to do that.
My father couldn’t keep it in his pants but at least my mother hadn’t known that before she committed to him.
What kind of fool would I be knowing about it and walking into it anyway? ’
Well… fuck. There it was. Thanks to her father, Tiffany’s trust in men was permanently dented and she was protecting herself from the kind of emotional turmoil she’d endured as a teenager. Risking her heart must be a huge leap of faith, especially on a guy who’d never committed to any woman.
He couldn’t blame her for having doubts about him, but to be judged on her father’s past behaviours seemed particularly unfair. But then when was life fair?
Her phone rang. ‘Don’t answer it,’ he pleaded. If they could just hash this out, he was sure he’d be able to talk her off the ledge.
‘It’s Mikey’s ring tone,’ she said, stalking to the table and snatching it up. ‘Hey, Mikey,’ she said with forced brightness as she headed for the railing.
‘Mikey? Mikey!’ She frowned as she came to a halt. ‘Slow down, I can’t understand what you’re saying.’
Alarmed, Theo took a couple of steps towards her as she said, ‘What? What about Dad? Is he hurt? Did he get bucked?’
A hot prickle slid down Theo’s spine as he watched a cloud of confusion on Tiffany’s face change into something else as the colour drained from her cheeks.
‘What do you mean, he’s dead?’ Fingers covered her mouth as she glanced at Theo, her eyes wide. ‘But… how?’ She listened then and didn’t say much, just nodded a couple of times before saying, ‘I’ll get there as soon as I can,’ and hung up.
She stared at her phone for a beat or two, as though she was having trouble remembering how it had got there, before she looked at him. She was ghostly pale and her fingers were trembling as Theo stepped closer only to have her shake her head and ward him back with her hand.
Steeling himself against her rejection, he said, ‘What do you need?’
‘I have to go home.’
He nodded briskly. ‘Give me ten minutes, I’ll arrange it.’