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Her choice needed to be something meaningful. She needed a purpose, a compelling reason to get out of bed in the morning.
Her husband had done his best to watch out for her, leaving her enough money that, when combined with what she’d inherited from her family, it would keep her quite comfortable for the rest of her life. But she couldn’t wake up in the morning, enjoy her coffee and drift through the rest of the day. That wasn’t how she’d been raised.
She needed a reason to get excited. She needed a goal to strive for and even some setbacks to overcome to remind her of life’s many blessings. But what she didn’t need was being patted on her head and dismissed because people thought she wasn’t up to the challenge.
“Okay. I’ll go.” She forced a smile to her lips. All the talk of Lukos had deflated her mood. He should be going with her on this adventure, but she knew he would always be in her heart—it just wasn’t the same.
“And when you get back, I’ll have a business deal or two for you to look over. If one of them isn’t to your liking, I’ll keep looking until we find the right deal for you.”
She didn’t say anything about her waning interest in the real-estate market and wanting to strike out on her own. But she wanted a firm plan before she said anything to anyone.
“Thank you.” She hugged him again.
This cruise was going to be a turning point in her life. She’d take her laptop with her and make it a working trip. When she got back, she’d have her life all planned out.
DAY ONE
Two weeks later... Athens, Greece
“DID YOU MAKE IT to the ship in time?”
“Why would I be late?” Stasia stood on the busy deck. She pressed the phone to her ear, straining to hear her brother over the voices of dozens of excited travelers.
Xander sighed. “Must you answer a question with a question?”
A smile pulled at Stasia’s lips. “Why must you act like the overprotective brother?”
She knew the answer. Xander felt guilty because he was happily married with a baby girl, not to mention living on a private Greek island. And she, well, she was alone now.
Not so long ago, she’d been happy when her college sweetheart had become her husband. Back then, they’d had dreams—lots of dreams. However, it was all cut short when a stomachache turned out to be so much worse than the flu.
From that point, their dreams radically changed. Instead of wishing for exotic vacations, they started wishing for just one more Christmas, one more birthday, one more month, one more day. Stasia halted her thoughts. She pushed away the heart-wrenching memories before she drowned in them.
She’d been on her own for nearly two years now. There had been a lot of tears shed over that time—her first Christmas alone, her first anniversary alone. And when filling out forms, her hand would hover over the married box before ultimately checking single. It hadn’t been easy learning to be a widow—not at all.
Eventually she’d been able to donate Lukos’s clothes, including his tailored suits and silk ties. It took a long time until she could bear to slip off her wedding ring and place it with Lukos’s in the back of her jewelry box.
Her thumb nervously rubbed over her ring finger. It was something she’d started to do when she’d waited in the doctors’ offices and hospital waiting rooms. Feeling the smoothness of her wedding band and knowing the love behind it had somehow bolstered her strength to face the horrible diagnosis Lukos had been given.
She glanced down at her now bare finger.
She was on her own. Each step had taken time. Some steps were big and some were tiny. Each of them had pulled on her heartstrings.
“I... I worry about you.” Xander’s voice cut through her thoughts.
“I know you do.” And she knew it wasn’t easy for him to admit it. Xander had always held his feelings close to his chest. “And I appreciate it. But it’s okay. I’m okay.”
“So you’re on the ship?”
She nodded, and then, realizing he couldn’t see her, she said, “Yes, I am.”
“Good. Now watch out for any smooth-talking men. Don’t fall for their lines. Tell them to push off or else your big brother will take care of them—”
