AllFreeNovel
Share Us
12
Angela walked faster the closer she got to the villa, her anxiety rising as she checked over her shoulder to see if Xandros was following. He was nowhere in sight.
He had come back for her on the day they were supposed to meet. But she’d already been married, with his child in the cradle.
Once his divorce was final, he’d come back again, still waiting for her.
It had taken her thirty years.
What horrible thing did that say about her? Maybe just that she was a frightened twenty-two-year-old girl engaged to another man, the wedding only a month away, and her mother’s words ringing in her ears. He won’t want you, he won’t want the child, he’s busy seducing another girl on another tour, and he’s forgotten all about you.
But he hadn’t forgotten. He’d come for her. Even if he’d married the next day.
She raced through the cobblestone streets and up the narrow stairs. She’d been fooling herself, thinking she could tell Sienna on this trip. Maybe all along, even as she was planning the trip details and telling herself she’d finally reveal the truth, it was just an excuse not to do it when Teresa urged her to. But Teresa had never understood how much Sienna hated her. She’d poured out all her secrets to her aunt and kept the truth from her own mother.
Just the way Angela had kept the truth from Sienna.
How could she tell her daughter now? She risked losing all the traction she’d made. Sienna would never forgive her for letting her think her father didn’t love her when the truth was that her mother had lied about who her real father was.
And now she had to add Xandros into the mix.
She dashed up the last set of stairs, tore open the terrace gate, and could only breathe again when she saw the French doors were open. Sienna hadn’t left yet. Rushing in, she stood on the terracotta tile and called her daughter’s name. “Sienna, are you still here?”
Her daughter loped down the stairs, dressed in a tank top, shorts, and sturdy walking shoes. Her bag was hooked over her shoulder, and sunglasses dangled from her fingers. “You’re back. I’m just about to meet Carter and the others, and we’re heading out to breakfast.”
The need came over Angela, so strong she could barely breathe. “I changed my mind. I’d like to come with you, if that’s okay.” She waited once more for Sienna’s disapproval. Her daughter wanted to be with her new young friends. She wouldn’t want her mother there.
But Sienna wrapped her fingers around Angela’s elbow. “That’s great. I wasn’t sure about being with a bunch of people I barely know.”
Angela felt the loss of her daughter’s warmth as her hand fell away. “But you know them. You spent almost the whole day with Carter yesterday.”
Sienna snorted. “I barely got a word in edgewise. That man can talk. And I didn’t say anything to his friends. They were hanging out at the other end of the boat or up top.” She frowned. “I hate making small talk with strangers.”
Angela was suddenly seeing another side of her daughter. She’d always thought Sienna was invincible, in control of any situation. But maybe that was just in a work environment. “Then I’m glad I’ll be there with you.”
Sienna shrugged. “Besides, I have nothing in common with Carter. I mean, really, who takes three weeks off every summer when he’s supposed to be growing a law career?” She rolled her eyes and huffed out a breath. “He works for his father, and that says it all.”
Disdain laced her voice, and Angela felt the need to defend him. “I’m sure he works hard the rest of the year. It’s good for him to let off steam.” She smiled. “Just like I’m so happy you’re here letting off steam with me.”
“I probably wouldn’t have come if I wasn’t already planning to leave the company.” She didn’t notice Angela’s wince. “The timing was perfect.” Then she looked at Angela’s shoes. “You’re ready for the stair hike, but where’s your water?”
“I’ll grab my day pack.” Angela took the stairs two at a time, as if Sienna would leave without her. Sunblock and tissues already in her fanny pack, she added some money, a credit card, her ID. Downstairs she grabbed two water bottles out of the fridge and shoved them in the pack’s holders before swiping her sunhat off the chair where she’d tossed it. “I’m ready.”
“We’re meeting at a little taverna, then we’ll walk to the cable car.”
As they closed the terrace gate behind them, Carter’s group was already trooping down their villa’s steps.
“You decided to come with us,” he said with a wide grin, briefly taking Angela’s hand. “Great.” Then he touched Sienna’s arm, turning her slightly and heading her down the stairs. “I’m glad you both wanted to come.”
“It’ll be a lot more fun climbing the stairs with a group,” Angela said.
His entourage passed them by and Carter called out, “Don’t step on the church.”
Two of the girls rolled their eyes, saying, “We can read, Carter.”
Of course, they weren’t girls but somewhere in their late twenties. These days, anyone under the age of thirty-five was a girl to Angela.
The alley was wide, and Carter held out his arms, allowing both Sienna and Angela to loop a hand through his crooked elbows. “It’s nice to escort two beautiful ladies.”
