His Hidden American Beauty

The elevator bumped, threatening Niko’s balance. He shifted his weight. From beneath his half-closed lids, he watched Dr. Walcott do the same.

Something was different about her, something that intrigued him. An air? An attitude? A challenge?

Only problem was, Dr. Walcott didn’t seem interested. Could he change her mind? When had he last been challenged?

He rubbed his hand across his heavily stubbled face.

When he saw her eyeing him, he said rather self-consciously, “This boat has plenty of hot water, right?”

“The only reason you’ll take a cold shower onboard this ship is because you take one voluntarily.”

“I don’t see that happening.” He flashed his dimple.

She responded with the slightest of tight-lipped curves at the corners of her mouth. Polite, but just barely.

So much for winning her over with his innate charm. But, then, he wasn’t at his best.

A shower and shave and maybe a nap first. Then he might seek out the good doctor on the grounds of professional curiosity. She’d give him a tour of the facilities. He’d buy her a drink. They’d have a private meal on his room’s veranda and watch the sunset together—and maybe the sunrise, too.

“How is room service?”

“Very serviceable.” She bit her lower lip then squared her shoulders and took a breath as if she were about to plunge into the deep end of the pool. “I use room service quite a bit. They are very prompt. You should try the salmon mousse.”

“And maybe a bottle of pinot grigio to share with a new friend?” With the shipboard doctor, he wouldn’t have to worry about expectations and entanglements.

“I’ve never tried it that way. But, then, I’m not very good at sharing.” She glanced down at his bare finger. “I’m sure your girlfriend would enjoy the romantic gesture, though.”

“No girlfriend at the moment.”

She nodded her acknowledgement while she adjusted her grip on her cart, pulling it more decisively between them.

He’d gone too far, too fast. Message received.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, giving them both space.

He might be a romantic but he was a lousy long-term lover.

His ex-fiancée would be glad to expound upon that.

Impatient by nature, Niko had known there was some deep-seated, instinctive reason he’d never agreed to a wedding date. When she’d insisted he choose, either her or his work, he’d finally understood what that reason was.

Any woman who couldn’t love him for who he was didn’t love him at all. Sadly, after they’d both said their goodbyes, he’d realized he hadn’t loved her either. He’d just thought he should because his family had insisted they were the perfect couple. And his family always knew what was best for him.

When it should have been a tragedy, breaking off their engagement had been a relief. It had also been the last tie to living the ‘normal’ life his family wanted him to live.

This trip was his parting gift, his apology for letting them down, his peace offering for following his dream when he knew that was the last thing any of them would want him to do.

But his lifestyle change was tomorrow’s problem. Let tomorrow take care of itself.

The elevator jolted to a stop, putting the brakes on Niko’s runaway thoughts.

“Your floor?”

Annalise jerked as his voice called her back to the present. She’d gone away in her mind to avoid an awkward situation as she had so often in the past. But she’d never let down her guard like that while in a confined space with a man.

He was still leaning against the wall, but one eye was cocked open. How long had the elevator been stopped with the doors gaping open?

Keep it together, Annalise. With that admonishment, Annalise pulled the tatters of her self-discipline around her, took a deep breath and determined to carry on. She gave him a sheepish smile. “Lost in thought.”

“Been there, done that myself.” He pushed away from the wall.

She tugged her heavy cart to get the rollers moving over the rough separation between the elevator and the hallway floor.

“Need some help?”

“No. I’ve got it under control.” She was making more of this chance encounter than it really was, wasn’t she? No man like that would be interested in a woman like her, would he?

“I’ll be seeing you around.”

Not if I can avoid it. She wasn’t ready. Not now, maybe not ever, to feel an attraction to a man, especially a man as virile as this one.

“Enjoy your cruise.”

He raised a suggestive eyebrow. “I already am.”

She ignored the shiver that went through her. As she pulled her heavy load toward her clinic, she worked hard at dismissing the man who would forget about her the second the elevator doors blocked her from his sight.

Christopolous. If he was connected to her young patient, she knew all about how to keep her professional self apart from her personal self. But was that what she really wanted?

What she wanted was to have a normal reaction to a normal situation.

She couldn’t help taking a look back.

He was watching her, appreciation on his face. He gave her a long, slow, deliberate wink.

Almost against her will her mouth quirked up at the corners, acknowledging—and enjoying?—his attention.

As she felt the ship’s engines begin to churn far below her, she felt confused. She’d thought she was on an even keel, that nothing and no one could ever rock her boat.

Obviously, she’d been wrong.

Her little half-smile was more intriguing than the Mona Lisa’s.

She was perfect. A woman in her profession would understand that any romance Niko allowed himself to indulge in would end when the ship docked.

Niko watched the good doctor walk away on her long, strong legs until the elevator doors closed, blocking her from view. This trip was supposed to be about family, about paying back all the sacrifices they’d made for him—even if they’d never know that part of it. But surely he’d find time for himself, time for a harmless shipboard flirtation, wouldn’t he?

And if the good doctor wasn’t interested, there were plenty more fish in the sea, right?

A wave of exhaustion overcame him. His long hours and primitive living conditions must be to blame. That sinking feeling certainly couldn’t have come from the thought of possible rejection. His ego wasn’t that big, was it?

If so, his brothers would soon set it to rights.

Niko opened the door to his home away from home for the next three weeks. While not a huge cabin, it was certainly bigger than the tent he’d been sharing with a nurse and an anesthetist for the last month.

The private veranda was big enough to dine on—and do other things on, too. Yes, this cabin would do just fine.

The quick shower he took refreshed his energy as well as his attitude. The restorative powers of hot water and a bar of soap were nothing short of miraculous. Fresh underwear was a close second.

He picked out the least wrinkled casual dress shirt and pants from his rolling bag, shaking out the mustiness. Not too bad. Packing was a skill he’d had a lot of practice with.

From the connecting door he heard a hesitant knock.

“Uncle Niko, is that you?”

“Yes, Sophie, it’s me.”

He finished with the last of his shirt buttons then unlatched and opened the door between them and immediately gathered up an armful of six-year-old girl. Her bouncy black curls smelled of baby shampoo and her breath smelled of sugar and spice. Too much sweetness? A hint of fruitiness? Juvenile diabetes sucked.

“Sophie, when was the last time you checked your blood sugar?”

Before Sophie could answer, a voice worn with age but sharp nevertheless, said, “What? Not even a hello first, grandson?”

He looked past Sophie, snuggled on his shoulder, to the four-foot-ten-inch paragon who ruled the Christopoulos family with an iron skillet in one hand and baklava in the other.

“Hello, Yiayia.” He put down Sophie and bent to give a hug to the one woman who had always been there for him. “I’ve missed you.”

“There’s a way to prevent that. No one is making you stay away.” Despite her prickly words, her hug was warm and comforting. She took a step back to look up into his face, keeping both her gnarled hands on his arms as if she could hold him in place. “Wanderlust, like your uncle and your grandfather. At least you have sense enough to keep yourself from getting killed. If I hadn’t won this trip, I don’t know when we would have seen you next.”

Niko squirmed inside while he kept his smile brightly in place. “Livin’ the dream, Yiayia.”

His mercy missions meant everything to him. But his family would not be pleased if they knew he put himself in such danger, risking his life in areas where lives were lost in wars over water wells as frequently as they were from malaria. His thigh throbbed in memory.

The life of a an overworked, barely paid medical relief doctor was not the life his family had envisioned for him as they’d all sacrificed to send him to college and on to medical school.

He owed them so much. Could he do it? Could he follow his passion, leaving his family with loans and bills and kids to put through college—like they’d put him through all those years.

Yiayia pointed her bony finger at him. “The Christopoulos men are all lucky in love. Someday soon you will find the perfect woman and give me beautiful great-grandbabies.”

“Maybe someday, Yiayia.” It was easier to agree with her than to argue. And he certainly didn’t want to start off a three week vacation on her bad side.

He was so unlike his three brothers in so many ways. Not being cut out to be a family man was the one that hurt the most. He’d dated his fair share of women and then some but he’d not found one he wanted to spend a week with, much less a lifetime.

He flashed the smile that always worked with her. “You’ve set my standards too high, Yiayia. No other woman can compare.”

Yiayia reached up and pinched his cheek. “How can I stay mad at a face like this?”

Sophie had waited as long as she could. She jumped up and down to get attention. “I’m hungry. Ice cream, Yiayia! Ice cream!”

Yiayia’s eyes sparkled as bright as Sophie’s. “It’s included in the trip, Niko. Did they tell you that? Any time we want some. And fine dining each evening, too. Such a dream come true.”

It felt good to give back to the family that had sacrificed so much to give him his dream. They would have never accepted repayment for all the support they’d given him through the years. And they all certainly needed a break after the year and a half they’d just been through. If only he hadn’t had to set up such an elaborate ruse …

“All right, little one. Let me get my room key.” Yiayia turned to find the key.

Niko stopped his grandmother with a gentle hand on her arm. “Wait, Yiayia. What’s Sophie’s blood-sugar level?”

Yiayia had always made her little ones feel better through food and didn’t understand why it had to be different with Sophie—which was one of the main reasons why Niko had agreed to oversee Sophie’s care while onboard ship. All his brothers concurred that he had a way with Yiayia that none of the other three had.

“How do I know, Niko? You’re the doctor in the family.” She switched to Greek, a language Niko heard rarely and only among his grandmother’s contemporaries who had immigrated to the United States when she had. But he understood the gist of it.

Yiayia was resistant to taking the disciplined stance needed to protect Sophie’s health, thinking everyone was blowing it all out of proportion when her great-granddaughter looked just fine to her.

Niko gave her a stern look. “Where’s her blood-glucose meter?”

“In my luggage. I haven’t had a chance to unpack yet. She has to check in with the ship’s doctor thirty minutes before supper, anyway.”

Niko glanced down at Sophie, who was looking scared behind that pout she was sporting. The kid had been through even more than the rest of them.

In addition to being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes, her mother had lost a baby and almost her life through miscarriage when their restaurant had had the kitchen fire. All the trauma had been straining a marriage that had been made in heaven. Sophie’s home life had been tense day in and day out for a long time.

The only reason Niko’s oldest brother and sister-in-law had let their daughter come without them was because they were on the verge of emotional exhaustion and Sophie’s doctor had insisted it would be better for Sophie to be away from the stress and tension for a while. So they had stayed behind to keep the restaurant open and work on their relationship, knowing Sophie would be surrounded by aunts, uncles, cousins and Yiayia, who would all watch out for her.

“I’ll take her, Yiayia.” He checked his watch. “We’re a bit early but we’ll stop in and say hello to the doctor while you look for that meter.”

He’d promised his brother he would take care of Sophie. Who could have known his solemn vow would have the side benefit of bringing him together with the good doctor? Niko knew enough about life to make use of good luck when it presented itself.

And now he intended to take full advantage.

CHAPTER TWO

ONCE SAFELY IN her medical suite, Annalise took a deep breath, the first one she’d managed since that man had crowded her in the line boarding the ship.

Surrounded by the tools of her trade, she found her inner balance. If she could relive those brief moments as she boarded the ship …

But, then, going back in time wasn’t possible, no matter how hard she wished for it.

She dragged her clunking cases in front of the locked refrigerator reserved for medicines and inserted her key.

As Annalise put away the supplies she’d brought on board, bumping the bottles and boxes into uniform rows, she felt calm claim her. She pushed away the sheepishness she felt about overreacting. Emotional incidents happened on occasion, especially after such a trying day. Being ashamed of her reaction did nothing but undermine her success in coping.

The bell chimed, signaling someone had come into the medical suite. Officially, office hours didn’t start until tomorrow morning, but she had scheduled a visit with her juvenile diabetes patient to make sure they started off on the right foot. She glanced at her watch. Better early than late.

“But I don’t want to get stuck, Uncle Niko.”

Annalise heard them before she saw them as they entered the anteroom of the medical suite.

“Can’t be helped, Sophie.”

Sophie—it was the Christopoulos child.

That was his voice, wasn’t it? The elevator guy was with her little patient. Sometimes luck wasn’t in her favor.

Still, she liked it that he didn’t trivialize Sophie’s fears.

She’d checked the manifest earlier—solely to see where her little patient’s cabin would be and to verify that a small refrigerator had been moved into her cabin. She found it had been moved to the cabin next door, Niko Christopoulos’ room.

The girl was staying in the cabin next door to the refrigerator with her great-grandmother, Olympia Christopoulos. Twelve people surnamed Christopoulos, all with adjoining cabins or family suites, were on the ship, which had made the odds good she might run into him again.

She thought she’d braced herself for that strange feeling he’d caused in her. But her stomach gave a little flutter, knowing she’d soon be face to face with him again.

Apprehension? More than that.

Fear?

No. Not fear.

Anticipation, maybe?

Before she could sort that one out in her mind she rounded the corner and realized she’d downplayed his good looks in her mind. How could a real flesh-and-blood man be put together so well without magazine airbrushing to lend a hand?

He’d changed. He wore a charcoal-gray boxy button-down made of a silky cotton so fine it slid over his chest when he moved. Even though she wasn’t the touchy-feely type, she wanted to rub it between her fingers—purely for curiosity’s sake. And his white linen slacks looked loose, comfortable, deceptive. She remembered the shape of him in those jeans.

As he filled her office suite, she felt as if an electric current rode just below the surface of her skin. Unsettling was an understatement. But also energizing? Good? Bad?

She wasn’t sure.

Annalise stood a bit taller and smoothed down the lab coat she’d thrown over the chocolate-brown tailored slacks and matching loose blouse she’d changed into.

She felt acutely aware of herself as a woman, an awareness she always pushed down the list behind physician the minute she donned her lab coat.

What was happening to her?

Why now? Why him—okay, that one was easy. How could any woman not fail to go into immediate estrogen overload with him in such close proximity?

He held a notebook. The masculinity of his hand contrasted drastically with the notebook cover, which was totally overlaid with pink glittery stickers.

“Hi, again.” He stuck out his free right hand. “Niko Christopoulos, and this is my niece, Sophie.”

Sophie wore a baby-blue sailor dress with a large white collar and red cowgirl boots. Annalise could imagine the conversation between this little girl with the adorable stubborn jaw and the person who had helped her dress.

She took Niko’s hand, long-fingered and large enough to engulf hers, and that fluttery feeling intensified to an erratic quivering that grew as the seconds ticked by.

Using all her willpower, she made herself hold tight when she wanted to jerk back.

Then he quirked his eyebrow and glanced at their bonded hands.

How was she going to handle this?

Her fallback answer. Professionalism.

She released his hand and used her best patient care smile she’d practiced so hard to perfect. “Welcome, Sophie. I’m Dr. Walcott.”

“Uncle Niko is a doctor, too.”

“Really?” That didn’t surprise her. With his composure, Annalise was sure Niko Christopoulos could be anything he wanted to be.

Annalise squatted down to eye level with her patient, which gave her a good view of Niko Christopoulos’ expensive shoes. “And what do you want to be when you grow up?”

“A cook, of course. That’s what we all are—except for Uncle Niko.” She said it as if becoming a doctor instead of a cook was the most rebellious thing a man could do.

Niko shifted, causing Annalise to look up.

His eyes were tense and his mouth bracketed at the corners. “That’s not true, Sophie. Your mother is studying to become a nurse.”

“And my dad says it’s all your fault.”

He gave a deep, sad sigh as he held out his hand to help Annalise stand. “Maybe I should start over. Niko Christopoulos, black sheep of the family.”

Annalise wanted to make up an excuse to ignore his outstretched hand, but she couldn’t bring herself to reject the man even that small bit when he’d obviously been rejected enough by his own family. She knew how that felt.

“Dr. Christopoulos, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” As she said the niceties, he wrapped his hand around hers again, this time with the slightest of familiar pressure as if they were comrades in arms. Between his strength and his warmth she felt cocooned. Before she could feel trapped, he released her.

“Call me Niko. Professional courtesy, right? And you are …?”

She was a woman who rarely gave out her first name to strangers, liking the barrier titles and surnames erected around her.

“Annalise.” Saying her own name aloud felt so intimate, like a secret revealed. Trying to erase the uneasy feeling, she said in her most authoritative voice, “I understand you’re in charge of your niece’s blood-sugar checks while you’re aboard. Do you understand how to balance her food and activity with her insulin? Are you comfortable giving injections? I can give you a refresher course if you like. I know some doctors don’t give injections regularly.”

“Got it down.” His sister-in-law had emailed Sophie’s requirements and he had studied them on the plane.

“I don’t want a shot. I don’t like Uncle Niko being a doctor.”

Annalise shouldn’t get involved in family relations but she found herself saying, “I think it’s awesome your Uncle Niko is a doctor. He helps people feel better.”

“Daddy says Uncle Niko makes people’s noses smaller and his wallet bigger.”

This time Niko grinned, his cat eyes sparkling. “Guilty.” He gave Annalise a wink. “Although I can see my services are not needed here as you have a perfect nose. But we need your professional help, Dr. Walcott. We need to check Sophie’s blood sugar.”

Annalise had a huge moment of doubt. “You don’t know how to use her meter?”

Sophie looked down at her red boots. “Yiayia might have forgotten my blood-sugar meter in the car.”

Niko kept his smile firmly in place to hide his disappointment with Yiayia. She couldn’t seem to understand how important it was to monitor Sophie’s condition. Juvenile diabetes could get out of hand in a heartbeat.

“It’s hard for some family members to accept their young ones needing such continuous care,” Annalise said sympathetically.

Apparently, she saw behind his smile. He must be slipping. He was beyond tired. Could he catch a nap on deck after supper? A few moments of solitude would go a long way to preparing him to facing three weeks with his raucous family en masse.

Annalise pulled up Sophie’s charts on her computer screen. “When’s the last time you ate, Sophie?”

Sophie shrugged, uncharacteristically shy, and pointed to the notebook her uncle held.

Niko turned to the last entry and angled it so Annalise could have a look at the meal listed there. Fast food at a burger joint. There were better choices—much better.

Sophie was young, but she would still have to be taught to be aware of what she ate.

Annalise asked in a different way. “What did you have for lunch?”

“French fries.”

“Anything else?” Niko prompted.

“Aunt Phoebe made me eat my hamburger meat, but I didn’t want to and Yiayia said I shouldn’t have to because we were on vacation.”

“Aunt Phoebe did the right thing.” Annalise opened a cabinet and brought out a glucose meter. “Ready?”

Sophie folded her hands together behind her back and stuck out her chin. “No.”

Niko’s heart broke for her. Life wasn’t fair.

What method of persuasion would work best with her?

Of all his nieces and nephews, Sophie was the most stubborn of the bunch. She’d often been compared to him. What would have worked best for him?

“Sophie Olympia Christopoulos, I’m not going to treat you like a baby. You’re too brave for that. Now stick that finger out there and prove it to me.”

Niko could see the wheels turning in Sophie’s little brain and knew he’d scored. She stood up straighter and held out a finger. Right before Annalise rested the meter against it, Sophie broke. “Hold my hand, Uncle Niko, so it won’t go and hide again.”

Niko looked up at the ceiling, trying to find the strength before looping his fingers firmly around her tiny wrist. “All right. Let’s do this.”

“Are you ready?” Annalise moved quickly, pricking in mid-sentence before Sophie had a chance to tense up more. “It’s over.”

Sophie looked surprised. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“When Daddy does it, it hurts more.”

Niko could guess why. His brother probably let the drama build so high that the fear was worse than the prick.

It seemed a family meeting was in order.

The tug o’war that had been pulling at him all these months gave a jerk to his gut. He was the doctor in the family, the one they’d all sacrificed to put through medical school. The one they relied on for explaining these kinds of things. But he’d been out of town and out of touch more often than not.

And, if all went as planned, after this trip, he would be practically unreachable most of the time.