A wave of warmth washed over Eleni.
Despite what happened, and what was or wasn’t going to happen with Connor, it was great to have Laura as a friend.
Eleni reached out and hugged her tightly. “Of course, I’m glad. Very.”
* * *
Connor had stayed behind and was struggling with his clouded goggles.
Matteo swam over to him with a few strong laps. He knew Connor wanted to demonstrate his ability as a free diver, but his skills weren’t sufficient to qualify him as a snorkeler.
“I can’t see a thing,” Connor whined in a very unmanly voice.
Matteo took Connor’s goggles and examined them. “Did you clean them properly like I showed you?”
Connor’s face drew into an expression of disgust. “You mean, did I spit into them? Of course I didn’t. How gross.”
Matteo’s blood heated.
How did this Daddy’s boy expect to swim in the ocean when he had no way to see beneath the surface?
He started to clean Connor’s goggles. “You know, it’s important that you see what’s underneath you. We have sharks in this area and—”
“Sharks?” Connor’s mouth opened in a circle and his eyes darted left to right. His face lost all color, and his lower lip was trembling. “Maybe we should go back to the boat.”
Matteo stifled a smile. His comment had hit its mark. Then he recalled what Tariq had said. No jokes with the clients.
He handed Connor back his goggles. “Here. Don’t worry. If you’d let me finish, I would’ve told you that in this area we only get baby sharks. The bigger ones assemble around the Purple Rain site.”
Connor placed the goggles on his head. “I knew you were joking.” He chuckled, but it sounded forced. “Eleni and I have been to many tropical places, where I had the chance to see many full-grown sharks.”
Matteo’s shoulders stiffened, and his legs kicked the water harder. Did pushing the client’s head underwater count as a violation of Tariq’s rule?
“Ah, how great. It’s a pity Eleni won’t be traveling with you anywhere, anymore. Now that you guys are history.”
Connor pushed up his goggles to his forehead and squinted his eyes. “Really, did she tell you that?”
Matteo’s stomach burned. Why did he have to say that? There was no plausible explanation for why he had to provoke Connor like that. Besides the fact that he was a jerk. And that he wanted Eleni.
He stared into Connor’s eyes without blinking. “No, she didn’t, but she didn’t have to.”
Connor’s lips curled up. “So it’s your speculation? Or maybe your hope?”
Blood rushed to Matteo’s neck. Yes, he hoped Eleni wouldn’t fall under this man’s charm again.
Connor leaned closer to Matteo, his chin dipping slightly into the water. He coughed as the salty wave entered his mouth. When he could breathe again, he said, “I’m not sure what impression you’ve made of Eleni, but this island is only a short episode in her life. She’ll be traveling back with me and Laura to Boston.”
Matteo gritted his teeth. “Will she now?”
Connor nodded. “Yes, she’s entitled to more.” When he said the last word, he pointed at himself. “I like things to be clear. Eleni belongs to me. She’ll come back home with me. Period.”
The way Eleni had allowed Connor to put his arm around her shoulder on the boat came to mind. His heart squeezed. What was the point in arguing? If Eleni wanted this clown, then she should have him.
Matteo turned towards the boat. “Let’s swim back now.”
Without waiting for Connor’s answer, he started out with rapid moves. He raised his legs to the surface and kicked hard. When the water splashed, and Connor’s complaining voice sounded, Matteo’s stomach warmed.
It was a small revenge, but it helped Matteo feel a bit better.
When they reached the boat, Matteo helped Connor pull himself up to the deck.
Eleni leaned overboard, and her glance met Matteo’s. Her pupils were dilated despite the bright light.
Matteo’s gorge dried out.
“Aren’t you coming up?” she asked.
Matteo shook his head. “I’m going to retrieve the anchor. The surface is rocky. I don’t want it to get stuck.”
With that, he ducked his head into the water and started to descend.
The metallic shine glistened from the depth. Matteo swam with slow laps towards the bottom. As he got deeper and deeper, his head eased. Yes, wasn’t this why he loved free diving so much? Here, nothing could disturb him.
He reached the anchor, but instead of grabbing it, he got hold of a rock beside it. He floated in the deep blue, releasing his body to the current’s strokes.
The image of Eleni’s face with her hair down returned to him. A longing whispered through him with irrepressible force, and his ribcage flinched. Only yesterday he had kissed Eleni. And today he had to accept the likely scenario that she was going to leave this island forever. With Connor. Could he live with that?
His fingers tightened on the rock.
Oh, no. You can never lie to the water, because you’ll be lying to yourself. Those were his own words.
He released the rock and took the anchor. He started to swim up to the top.
Was he going to be able to embrace the unknown? His heart pounded in his chest.
Maybe. Maybe, he should try.
Chapter 30
Eleni walked on the beach. The smell of damp sand and salty ocean invaded her lungs.
Her heart pounded in her throat, and her head swirled with thoughts. She needed to be alone to think.
She quickened her steps and reached the large stone that signaled the end of the resort’s territory. She climbed atop it and pulled herself up to the narrow path leading alongside the cliffs. She paused and glanced around. To her left, the Deep Blue stretched out; to her right the waters of the Purple Rain glistened.
She turned right.
Her eyes wandered to the waves, and her breath hitched. Was she ever going to be able to look at their color without remembering Matteo’s eyes? Why did she have to learn what it meant to really love, if she couldn’t be loved back?
She had come to Triquol seeking shelter from her past. She’d thought she had a broken heart. Eleni bit her lip. How wrong she’d been. She didn’t know what true heartache was before.
She continued her walk, moving with hasty steps. As if the distance she put between her and Matteo was going to help. It wasn’t.
Did it matter then if she accepted Laura’s offer to return to Boston? Even if Connor gave his blessing and stopped chasing her, she was still going to feel miserable.
Eleni put her palms against her neck. A strong throbbing pushed against her skin.
But staying here, to keep on working for Matteo, wasn’t an option either. Seeing him each day, without being able to kiss him, would be too much to bear. What should she do?
A small flower wiggled in the breeze on the side of the cliff. It looked like a daisy, only its petals were not white but cobalt blue.
Why did everything on this island need to have this painful shade?
Eleni stopped and kneeled down.
As a girl, she used to play “love me, love me not” with these flowers. Should she let pure chance choose what she would do? It couldn’t be worse than having to decide herself.
Stay here, or stay here not?
She shuddered and ran her hand over the back of her head. Her fingers grabbed her hairpin. She pulled it out and laid it on the ground.
The wind caught her locks and made them dance around her cheeks. Matteo’s face when he had let her hair down popped into Eleni’s mind. Yes, a decision needs to be made.
She put one of her palms on the soil and leaned forward to grab the flower.
Her body slipped, and she shifted toward the cliff.
Eleni’s eyes widened, and she gasped. Her gaze darted to the rocks beneath her.
She tried to scoot backwards, but it was too l
ate. Her fingers grasped into the void, and she fell forward.
* * *
Matteo stared at the ceiling. How was Luke going to react? They had both worked so hard for their success. No, Luke would understand. He was a good friend. The best, actually.
Matteo got up and went to the kitchen.
Fluff was snoring on his cushion beside the cupboard.
Matteo filled the coffee machine and waited for it to heat. His fingers brushed against the vibrating red light. He’d have to put up with this disgusting coffee for way longer than he expected. Maybe he should remind Bianca of her promise?
A tingling invaded his palms. Well, nobody was going to keep Bianca from coming once she learned what Matteo had decided.
The vibration stopped.
Matteo pressed the button, and the dark liquid dripped into his brown ceramic cup.
The mug’s color reminded him of Eleni’s eyes. Not that the faded shade had anything to do with Eleni’s bright brown color.
Oh, no. Eleni’s eyes were breathtaking. She was breathtaking.
His blood boiled as he recalled Eleni walking away with Laura and Connor.
Why didn’t he stop her and say something right there?
Matteo shook his head. No, he had already made the mistake of being impulsive with Eleni.
She is entitled to more.
Connor’s words resounded in his ears. If Matteo decided to give up his plans with Luke, what could he offer to Eleni in exchange?
Matteo lifted his cup and took a sip. The hot liquid burned his throat.
He went to his desk and slouched on the chair. He fished his phone out from the drawer.
There was only one person in the world who might understand what he had to sacrifice. Was his father going to dissuade him?
As he dialed, he observed the map on his desk. He had almost managed to find the Pearl.
He swallowed hard. Yes, but he almost decided to renounce love in return.
His father’s coarse voice greeted him. “Mattie, what’s up, son?”
Matteo drew in a deep breath. It didn’t make sense to beat around the bush. He just had to come straight out with it. “Dad, I decided to quit my mission to find the Pearl.”
His father gasped. “Why? It has been your dream for years now.”
Matteo squeezed the phone in his hand. “Yes. But now I have another dream. One I can’t possibly bring myself to abandon.”
A silence on the other end.
His dad cleared his throat. “What’s her name?”
Matteo’s heart sank. How did his father know? “Eleni.”
“Eleni?” His father tried the name on his tongue. “So, you have finally fallen in love, haven’t you?”
Matteo’s heart jumped. Yes, he had. He never thought he would. He never planned on it. But he had. “Yes, Dad. This girl is different from anyone I’ve known before. It took me time to realize it. But I don’t want to lose her over my ambition.”
If he kept thinking of his plans of the diving school in the Amalfi Coast, Eleni wouldn’t be able to follow her own passion. Didn’t she say she regretted leaving Boston and her dancing career?
Matteo didn’t want regret to be part of Eleni’s future.
No, he would pick a place that was good for her. He could teach diving anywhere. Even if only in swimming pools and lakes. Of course, he couldn’t force Luke to join him. Matteo would need to let his friend follow their dream alone.
His father’s voice trembled as he spoke. “And you’re right my son. You shouldn’t.”
Matteo’s jaw dropped. He didn’t expect his father to agree with him. “So you aren’t disappointed in me? I already let you down once, when I left the company, and now I’m quitting again. And for the love of a woman. I know how you, after mom—”
“You don’t know anything. I’ve never been anything but proud of you, my son.”
Matteo’s heart dropped. “What do you mean?”
His father inhaled. “I know my unfortunate marriage cast a shadow on your life. Bianca took it differently than you did, but she was also younger. Anyways, I was glad when you finally decided to step up for your own happiness. You went to the island following your heart. If your heart is telling you to take a different path now, then that’s where you have to go. Especially if it leads you to the arms of the woman you love.”
Matteo bit his lip.
His father had never told him this. Matteo had thought that his father wanted him to succeed at his work. To build a career. Didn’t his father despise the idea of marriage?
“So you don’t think marriage is damnation for a man?”
His father’s laugh vibrated in Matteo’s ear. “Oh, no. Your mother and I weren’t meant to be. That’s why she left. Marriage is the finest thing on Earth for two people who love each other. The reason I never married again wasn’t that I don’t believe in the institution. Simply, I haven’t found the one. But you did, didn’t you?”
Yes, he did. Blood rushed to Matteo’s heart, accelerating its pace.
Two people who love each other.
He knew he loved Eleni. But could Eleni love him? Did that pain he saw in her eyes hide such deep emotions?
Matteo couldn’t be sure. But this was the risk of the unknown, and he had to accept.
“Dad, why haven’t we ever talked like this before?”
A scratching sound echoed in the speaker. “I’m not sure, Mattie. But I’m glad we did now.”
Matteo smiled. “Yes, me too.” He straightened his back. “Dad, I need to go now. I have to speak to Eleni. Please don’t say anything to the others just yet. I need to speak to Luke.”
There was a moment of silence.
“You’ve got it. Take care, son.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
When the line went silent, Matteo jumped up.
Did his father’s greeting sound slightly off-tone? Matteo had no time to consider why that might be. He had to find Eleni.
He carried his mug back to the kitchen then hurried to fetch his sneakers.
There was a knock on the door.
Who could this be? The dive center was closed.
Matteo’s heart jumped in his chest. Could it be Eleni? Maybe she was coming to speak to him?
He opened the door.
Cath’s freckled cheeks stood in the doorway. She was unusually pale, and her lips curved down.
Matteo’s hand hardened on the doorknob. Something wasn’t right.
“What happened?” he asked.
Cath’s eyes met his. “It’s Eleni. She has disappeared. I looked for her everywhere, but she’s gone.”
Chapter 31
Cath and Matteo sprinted along the beach, following Fluff. The dog stopped in front of a large rock and began to bark loudly.
Cath wheezed. “Did he lose Eleni’s scent?”
Matteo’s heart sank. No, that couldn’t be. Fluff had started out so confidently after they made him sniff Eleni’s clothes. He glanced at the stone, on which Fluff had placed his two paws. Could his dog be right?
Matteo shook his head. “I think Fluffy wants us to go up there.”
The dog, as if he’d understood his master’s words, scratched on the surface eagerly.
Cath’s voice wavered. “Why would Eleni go up there?”
A bitter taste invaded his mouth. It might have been his fault. Did she want to escape from him?
Matteo shrugged. “Maybe she needed some space to think. You know, with her ex showing up and all.”
Cath scratched her chin. “I don’t know, but it’s getting late. If she’s up there, we need to get her down.”
Matteo scooped up Fluff, and pulled himself onto the rock. He reached down for Cath’s hand and helped her climb up.
They rushed down the path alongside the cliff.
“Eleni, Eleni!” Cath called out several times, but no response came.
Fluff barked and broke into a sprint. He stopped a few meters from them and grabbed something from the grou
nd.
“What have you got there, buddy? Come here!”
Matteo hurried to his dog and took the small object from Fluff’s teeth.
As he glanced down, his insides froze. Holy heavens. It was Eleni’s hairpin, the one she had been wearing this afternoon. He could still see her blond strands curling around the silver butterfly.
Cath leaned closer. “What is it?”
Matteo held out his palm to her. “It’s Eleni’s. It means she’s here somewhere.” His eyes darted around on the empty hill. “Or at least she was.”
Cath grabbed at her throat. “But where is she now?”
Matteo walked to the spot Fluff had collected the hairpin from and kneeled down.
The soil bore fresh imprints. It was hard to decipher whether they were footprints or something else. The ground was scratched and smudged towards the cliff.
The cliff.
Worry snaked through him and he angled forward. He peeked down to the rocks underneath them and let out a sigh. There was no body.
His eyes fell to a tiny opening among the rocks. It was no bigger than a large melon, but a bright orange color reflected from it. What was that? Matteo’s throat dried out. Could that possibly be…oh, no.
Cath kneeled down next to him, pointing her finger at the same spot. “Look, there’s something down there. It looks like a cave.”
Matteo gritted his teeth. “Yes, I think it is, and I believe Eleni’s inside.”
Cath snapped her head toward him. “What? How? Why?”
“See that orange color there? Eleni was wearing an orange T-shirt this morning on the boat. I think she somehow slipped and ended up in that cave.” He straightened up. “Wait here, Cath. I’ll go down to take a look.”
Cath grabbed his calf. “You can’t. It’s suicide. Can’t you see how steep the wall is?”
Matteo shook his head. “I’m not going to be climbing.”
His glance focused on the water. There was a small part without rocks. If he managed to jump straight, he could make it. “I’m going to climb up from the water. It’s safer.”
“Safer?” Cath’s voice was a shriek.
Loving The Boss (Gems 0f Love Book 1) Page 17
