THE CRUISE WAS almost over.
And she’d concentrated on everyone but herself.
Stasia realized that was a pattern she’d developed in her life. First, it was Lukos. She’d given up her dream of a career in order to follow his career. And after she lost Lukos, she let Xander have a say in her future. Even on this cruise, she’d let Roberto distract her from her goals. It had to stop.
Stasia had stayed in her cabin that morning, not venturing on the tour of Rome and all its many splendors. She didn’t have any other excuses—any other distractions.
Everything was taken care of with Roberto. His project for his grandfather was complete. And he was about to step into his birthright. She couldn’t be happier for him.
She would miss him. More than she’d ever imagined possible. Her heart ached at just the thought of not seeing Roberto every day. And even worse, she could imagine him avoiding her at every turn after the way things on this cruise got way more involved than either of them planned.
She sighed. Worrying about the future wasn’t going to help anything. The best thing she could do was to make a final decision on her future.
At last she knew what she wanted—a chance to help people. It fulfilled her. It gave her a purpose. And it would help so many others.
She didn’t have to think any further. She knew what to do. But now she needed to take action—put motion behind her words.
Stasia grabbed her phone. She looked up the email correspondence from the woman at the hospital where Lukos had been treated and she placed the call. When she told the woman she would like to expand on their services and create a foundation, the woman promised to do everything she could to help smooth the way.
By the time Stasia hung up, she was smiling. This foundation would carry her late husband’s name. It seemed so fitting and she hoped Lukos would be proud of her efforts.
For so long she’d told herself she’d secluded herself because she had to figure out her life’s path, but the truth was she wanted a chance to lick her wounds—her deep wounds. And they hadn’t gone away, but they were healing now. The scars would always linger but they were now a part of her, just like Lukos would always be a part of her. She would never be the woman she used to be, but she hoped she would be a better person for having known and loved Lukos.
Now she was ready to start life once again.
And she’d foolishly thought she’d found the right person to share it with.
And she’d been totally wrong.
She might have said all the right things to Roberto when he’d declared their night together a mistake. A mistake? Really?
Because it’d felt like anything but a mistake. He’d been so passionate, so thoughtful, so giving. It was like the wall between them had fallen away and it was just the two of them on even ground.
She’d thought it had been the beginning of something real for them. She glanced down at the diamond ring on her finger. It felt so heavy. She slipped it off and placed it on the table next to her laptop.
She’d known what the deal was when she’d agreed to play his fake fiancée. Why should she think that would change? Her heart cried out: because it was what she’d wanted. Each day she’d spent with Roberto, they’d grown closer and she’d found out that he wasn’t the shallow playboy that she’d initially thought him to be.
He was so different—so much deeper—than she’d ever imagined. But there was one thing that hadn’t changed—his determination to remain a bachelor. His grandmother couldn’t change his mind. The flood of vivacious single women on the ship couldn’t change his mind. And she couldn’t change his mind.
She had to accept that he knew what was best for his life. And it didn’t include her—
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Stasia? Are you in there?”
It was Roberto. She had thought he’d be off sharing the information they’d uncovered with his grandfather. She didn’t want to see him again.
Knock. Knock.
“Stasia,” he yelled. “I’m not leaving until we talk.”
She jumped to her feet and rushed to the door. “Roberto, keep it down.” She glanced around to see if he’d disturbed any of her neighbors. She didn’t see anyone in the passageway. “Come inside.” Once he was inside, she closed the door. “What are you doing here?”
His brows rose. “Am I supposed to be somewhere else?”
“I thought you’d be with your grandfather. You know, to go over things.”
“My grandfather and I are getting together this evening. My grandmother dragged him off to Rome and she wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“I can definitely see your grandmother doing that. She’s a very determined lady.”
“Looks like you’ve been busy.” He moved to the table. “What are you doing?”
“Working on my five-year plan.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
She shook her head. “Not at this point. I’m finally getting started with the foundation.”
He approached her. “And that’s my fault.”
“Why would that be your fault?”
“Because I kept you busy worrying about my life and my problems.” He gazed into her eyes. “And I haven’t thanked you nearly enough.”
She shook her head. “You don’t have to thank me.”
“I disagree.”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Stasia ran a hand over her hair. “If I knew I was going to have this much company, I would have gotten dressed up.”
She moved to the door and opened it to find one of the ship’s crew standing there with a cart. What in the world?
“I’m afraid you have the wrong cabin,” she said. “I didn’t order food.”
Roberto rushed to her side. “Actually, you do have the right place.”
Stasia stepped aside while Roberto opened the door wide for the cart. And then he rushed to the table and cleared it so the man could set up what appeared to be two covered plates, a bottle of bubbly on ice and a dozen red roses. What was this man up to?
Once the table was set and the man was gone, Stasia turned to Roberto. “What are you up to?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You need lunch and I need lunch. So I thought we would eat together.” He approached her. “What do you say? Shall we eat?”
“Roberto—” she shook her head “—this isn’t a good idea.”
He held up the diamond ring. “Does it have something to do with this sitting on the table instead of being on your finger?”
Her gaze moved to the ring that twinkled at her, but she made no move to take it. “The cruise is almost over. You need to take it back.”
“And I’ve done a lot of thinking. What would you say if I said I didn’t want this to end?”
“What? But you just got done telling me that this was only temporary—a show for your grandparents.”
He reached out to her. His hands gently gripped her upper arms. “I made a mistake. You and I, we make a great team. If my grandfather offers me the CEO position, which I think was his motive behind this project, it’ll mean moving to Alexandroupoli. We can start a life there.”
Her head was spinning. A life with Roberto? He was saying all the right things except for the L word. And there was no way she would plan a future with someone who couldn’t say he loved her.
Wait. He said that he was moving. Alexandroupoli was quite a way from Athens. And she’d just made a commitment to start her foundation in Athens. It’d taken her a long time to figure out just the right thing to do with her life and this felt right. She couldn’t—she wouldn’t give it up. She had to break the pattern.
And there was the crux of the problem. Everyone wanted something from her. His family wanted her to marry Roberto. He wanted her to give up everything to follow his dreams.
She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t give up on herself again. She needed this foundation. She needed to know that she could do it. She needed to know that she could stand on her own two feet and follow through with her dream.
“Roberto, I said I’d be your fiancée for the length of the cruise. Not any longer than that.”
He stared at her for a moment. “I didn’t mean for you to continue being my fake fiancée. I want you to be there with me, by my side, in a real relationship.”
Her gaze searched his. There was nothing about love. He didn’t feel the same for her.
“I can’t do that. I’m staying in Athens. I’m starting the foundation. It’s something I need to do on my own.”
His expression hardened. “And what about us?”
“There is no us.” The words tore at her heart, but she knew in the long run that it was for the best. Roberto was not a man to be tied down. “We got caught up in the charade. It’s over now. We have to go back to reality. Alone. It’s the only way.”
His eyes grew darker as a muscle in his cheek twitched. He surely couldn’t be mad that she’d beat him to the punch. He couldn’t actually think they’d last. Did he?
“I should go.” And with that, he stormed out the door, closing it with a solid thud.