“My poor little fish didn’t stand a chance.”
Andreas chuckled and put it in the cooler. She straightened his tackle box and put it away along with the pole.
“Let’s go below. I’ll gut the fish and put them on the grill.”
“While you do that I’ll start the potatoes and onions.”
“When we’re ready to eat, we’ll watch the moon fall into the sea. There’s no sight like it.”
* * *
His black eyes wandered over her. They gleamed with such intensity, she hoped her legs wouldn’t give out on her. With Andreas, no experience would ever be the same again. Being with him had colored her world for all time.
I’m fatally in love. The worst kind. When I’m back in California it will haunt me forever. But, fool that I am, until I leave Greece I intend to enjoy this time with you to the fullest.
Zoe hurried down the gangway to freshen up. When she entered the galley where she’d put the flowers he’d given her, she noticed he’d already cleaned the fish and was preparing the grill.
“You work fast. Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
He darted her an enticing smile. “I put out the skillet. The potatoes and onions are next to the cutting board. What else do you need?”
“Olive oil and a knife to begin with.”
Andreas found both items for her and she got busy. They worked in harmony. Once the vegetables had started to fry, she reached in the fridge for butter. “I’m going to need salt.”
He handed her a small jar from the shelf. Zoe looked at the label, which was printed in Greek, of course. When she took off the lid, she darted him a glance. “What kind of salt is this?”
“Sea salt, the purest of all salts.”
“I’ve never cooked with it before.” She sprinkled a little over the vegetables.
“It’s healthier than iodized salt and contains essential trace minerals our bodies need to stay healthy.”
Zoe stared at him. “How do you know so much about it?”
One of his black brows lifted devilishly. “If you could read Greek, you’d see that the manufacturer is A. Gavras, Messolonghi, Greece.”
“You’re in the sea salt business?”
He nodded. “At an early age my father warned me not to put my all my proverbial eggs in one basket or depend on the family hotel business to be there forever.”
“Your father was a w
ise sage.”
“I idolized him, so I invested all my earnings growing up and didn’t touch them.”
She smiled at him. “If every child were so intelligent.” The potatoes and onions were almost done.
“Don’t forget I didn’t have siblings. He was my world. In college I had a business professor who challenged the class to look for opportunities that weren’t necessarily high-tech or bitcoin ventures.”
“That’s unconventional thinking.”
“He sounded like my father.” By now Andreas had started grilling the fish. “I’d been working at our hotel in Messolonghi at the time and heard about a failing pharmaceutical plant sitting on property near the port. The owner had fallen into desperate financial trouble.
“On a whim I got in touch with the law firm handling the matter and was given a walk-through.”
“Not a whim,” Zoe broke in. “Sheer inspiration from a fine mind who’d inherited your father’s business acumen. I’m so impressed you can’t imagine.”