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Roberto intended to stick with his bachelor status—even if some incorrectly labeled him a playboy. But he couldn’t deny his preference for no-strings-attached flings. He didn’t have a lot of them, but he wasn’t exactly a hermit either.
His bachelor status didn’t please his grandparents, who thought he was the age to settle down with a family. All his life there had been expectations set for him. It started back when he was barely out of diapers. He’d been enrolled in the most prestigious preschool. He had to excel at everything so he could attend the top boarding school. And then he was expected to graduate at the top of his class. As the only grandson, his grandparents had high expectations for him.
It was a lot of pressure to put on a kid. By high school, he resented his family’s expectations. By college, he was interning at the family construction business. When nothing he did lived up to his grandfather’s high standards, Roberto knew he needed to forge a different path—one of his own choosing. And that was what led him to join forces with a childhood friend in the real-estate business, much to his family’s disappointment.
Having lost sight of the elusive woman, he moved to the bar and ordered a drink. While he waited, he glanced around once more. Maybe it was just wishful thinking that he’d recognized someone. Still, it had been a good excuse to get away from his grandmother.
He was on his way to an open table off to the side when he spotted her again. This time he was certain he knew her. It was Stasia Marinakos. No other woman carried herself quite like she did, with her slender shoulders pulled back, her head held high and a warm smile on her face. How she could smile after all that she’d been through was beyond him. But she hadn’t lost her zest for life. And he applauded her.
“Stasia?” he called out. When she paused and looked around, he called out to her again.
At last, their gazes met. Her big brown eyes widened. He waved her over to join him at the empty table. It took her a moment or two to work her way through the crowd of people all eager to enjoy the morning sun.
“It’s so good to see you.” He gave her a brief hug.
Was it wrong that he wanted the hug to last a little longer? Of course it was. Stasia was his best friend’s younger sister. And if that wasn’t enough to discourage any interest, she was a grieving widow. Enough said.
He moved to pull out a chair for her. Once again, her eyes widened with surprise. Was getting her chair for her that unexpected? He mused over this as he returned to his own chair. He supposed that in all of the occasions that they’d spent time together over the years, he hadn’t actually spent one-on-one time with her before. There had always been a group of people with them.
She frowned at him. “You don’t have to act surprised to see me.”
“But I am surprised.”
She studied him for a moment. “My brother didn’t set this up?” She motioned between them. “Being on the same cruise so you can babysit me?”
“If he did, he didn’t mention it to me.”
“Oh.” She still looked perplexed. “He surprised me with the ticket. He said it was my birthday gift.”
“It’s your birthday?”
“Not yet. It’s next week.”
“We’ll have to do something special.”
“You mean more special than taking an extended cruise?” Her eyes twinkled with amusement.
“Maybe not. But we’ll have to mark the occasion.” And then he realized she might not be on the ship alone. After all, she’d been a widow for...what was it? Two years. Maybe she was moving on. “Are you sailing alone?”
“I am. How about you? Are you here with someone?”
He wondered if she’d noticed that the passenger list had an overwhelming number of young, beautiful women who appeared to be alone. “I’m not here with anyone. Not exactly.”
Stasia arched a brow. “You came on this cruise alone?”
Roberto nodded and surprise flickered in her eyes.
Xander had warned him that he was getting a reputation of always having a beautiful woman on his arm. He’d thought Xander was just having some fun at his expense. Maybe Xander had been serious after all.
