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“Please don’t say it.” Beatrice gave a dramatic shiver.
“I’m going to.” Cassie leaned in close, smiling. “It’s ro-man-tic.”
Beatrice grimaced. “I hate that word because it cheapens what Michael and I have shared.” She shot her a glare.
Cassie wasn’t intimidated. “I think it’s an amazing love story.” She held her hands up in the air. “It’s epic. Is that better?”
“Better.” Beatrice grinned.
“It’s also poignant,” Cassie said, a lump of sadness in her throat. “You could have had so much more time together.”
“We were both ambitious scholars.” Beatrice gazed out the window onto the small back garden, the hydrangeas and clipped hedges gradually enveloped in the evening shadow. “I was a young, newly tenured professor at Oxford, and Michael was traveling all over the world doing research. We spent summers together in some of the most incredible places.” Beatrice turned her attention back to Cassie. “And for that, I have no regrets.” Her voice held a touch of melancholy.
“Thank you for sharing this with me.”
“Now, I want you to promise me to stop pining over Owen. He’s not worth the trouble,” Beatrice said in the straightforward way the British have. “I’ve appreciated your assistance these past couple of years, but it’s time to pursue other opportunities. In fact, Michael has an opening for a specialist in ancient antiquities that would suit you nicely.”
Beatrice must be giving permanent retirement close consideration, which explained why she wanted to help Cassie find a new job. Michael Burke owned a non-profit company that worked to repatriate cultural artifacts. Cassie was grateful for the reference and excited to learn more but had one primary concern. “I’m not an archeologist or an art historian.”
“You don’t need to be.” Beatrice gave her a reassuring pat on the hand. “You’ll be working with a team of specialists. It’s a good fit for your research skills. You need to meet new people, and that includes men,” she added with a twinkle in her eye.
Cassie’s cheeks heated, recalling last night with Leo.
“Ah, you met someone.” Beatrice took a sip from her mug. “Tell me.”
“I met him a few days ago when I was in Santorini.” Memories of Leo’s kisses and passionate lovemaking passed through her mind. “He’s handsome, he’s intelligent, he makes me laugh, and I’ve never known anyone like him.”
“What’s his name?”
“His name is Leo.” It seemed strange to say his real name out loud. She looked carefully at Beatrice. “But he’s Eros to me.”
“Eros? Oh, my heavens.” Beatrice chuckled, fanning herself with a hand.
“Unfortunately, it’s over.” A fresh stab of pain reminded her how he let her walk away. It still seemed unreal and left her feeling a little numb.
“You never know. If it’s meant to be, you’ll see each other again.”
Fate played a hand in how they came together in the first place, and time would tell if it happened again. The pain subsided a bit, and she smiled at Beatrice, grateful for her wisdom. “I hope you’re right.”
Beatrice carefully got to her feet. “I’m not allowed to drink much, but this calls for a bottle of wine with dinner. I want to hear more about Eros. It will make whatever dreadful healthy meal Mrs. Mackay has conjured much more tolerable for me.”
“I’ve missed you. It’s good to be back.” She meant it. She would focus on this time with Beatrice and nothing else.
