Amy Ruttan - A Date With Dr Moustakas

Why did the men on this island feel they needed to be pigheaded and stubborn to the point at which it cost them everything? Stavros with his brain cancer...his father driving his mother away...and him doing exactly the same thing to Naomi because he’d taken the New York job without consulting her. He’d just upped and left.

Maybe he was cursed?

On days like today it didn’t feel as if he had any kind of blessing from the gods smiling down on him. Not that the patron saint of Mythelios had smiled on him in a long time.

What about Evangelos?

Chris’s bad attitude melted away.

Yeah, there was Evan. Chris might not have the love of a woman, but he had his son to brighten his life.

And that was all he needed.

“I’m headed for lunch, Theo,” Chris called over his shoulder.

“See you,” Theo called back.

Chris ducked out the back door and headed along the faster route, through the winding streets to his yia-yia’s home. He’d just slipped off his shoes when there was a knock at the front door.

Lisa came down the stairs. “That’s my cousin. I’m meeting her for lunch. I’m just finishing feeding Evan and then I’ll be there.”

Chris nodded. “Take your time. I’ll let her know.”

Lisa nodded and headed back upstairs to where Evangelos was hollering for strained peas—quite loudly.

Chris opened the door.

“Sorry I’m late, I got lost,” the woman outside began breathlessly. “I— Chris? ”

“Hi, Naomi. So you’re Lisa’s cousin.”

He mentally rolled his eyes at the gods, who were surely laughing at him now.

* * *

Just. Great. What’s he doing here? Can’t I get away from him?

“This is where my cousin works. I thought you were...” Then she trailed off as she realized. “This is your home?”

He nodded. “It is. You’d better come in.”

Naomi stepped over the threshold and he shut the wooden door to help keep the heat out of the house. She’d seen this house when she’d first arrived on Mythelios. It was on the topmost part of the hill and it overlooked the sea. It was brilliant white, surrounded by the bright colors of the other houses. It had a huge balcony, and she’d imagined what it would be like to live there. To always see the sea.

She’d wondered about the family who lived there. Her cousin hadn’t said much about the people she worked for. Only that it was a family with money and that her charge was a young baby.

Baby? But Chris lives here.

Of course he’d found someone else. Of course he was married now. His heart hadn’t been broken when things had ended between them.

She remembered hearing about all the women he’d been with. He was a playboy in Manhattan, regularly seen out and about with a variety of famous women. And he had money, so of course he would be married.

“My cousin is a nanny,” she stated, feeling foolish.

“Yes. I’m aware of that,” he said, and his mouth quirked up in a half smile—the one that had always made her melt in the past. “It’s my son she cares for when I’m working.”

“ Your son?”

“Yes,” he said. “My son, Evangelos. He’s eight months old now.”

“What about his mother?” Naomi asked.

“My, you’re full of questions today,” he teased.

“I’m sorry. I just... You were always very clear that you never wanted a wife or kids. You didn’t want a family.”

“I don’t understand. Why can’t I come to New York with you?”

“You don’t have a position there.”

“So? I want to be with you.”

His muscles had tensed and she’d seen a look that had made her stomach churn.

“You knew this wasn’t long-term. I don’t want marriage. I don’t want a wife or kids. Don’t follow me, Naomi. Don’t waste your life pursuing me when I can’t give you what you want.”

“Circumstances changed,” he said now.

Yes, because I wasn’t the right woman for you.

And her heart ached as she thought about the baby— their baby—the one she had lost. She would have loved that child. She’d always wanted children.

So Chris had got that too.

“Well, I’m happy for you and your wife.”

“I’m not married, Naomi. Not much has changed on that score. I have a son, yes, but no wife. Evan was the result of a one-night stand with a woman who just wanted me for the money. She was going to get rid of the child unless I paid her quite a lot of money to have him. I didn’t want her to get rid of him, so...here I am. A single father.”

Lisa came down the stairs and in her arms was a baby.

Naomi was struck by how much the little boy looked like Chris. Same dark eyes and hair, but the little boy had the biggest cheeks she’d ever seen, and a gummy smile that completely lit up his face when he saw Chris.

“Sorry,” Lisa said, handing the baby over to Chris. “He got up late and then his whole schedule was thrown off.”

“It’s okay,” Chris said. “Enjoy lunch with your cousin. I’ll see you back here in an hour.”

Chris then turned his entire focus onto his son as he carried him up the stairs away from the hallway. The baby gurgled and laughed, and all Naomi could do was stand there in stunned silence.

Her heart was melting as she watched how loving he was with his son.

And thought how completely heartbroken it made her feel.

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