Saved By A Billionaire Brit Read Online Free PDF Page A

veiled and unveiled the distant village of Oia, a dance unappreciated. Sailboats aimed for an island village on the other side of the caldera. I would soon be aboard. New questions swirled inside my head, but I realized I wasn't alert enough to determine which questions made sense. Answers were ever more distant.
    When Robert returned to the hotel in a jeep, I tried to explain my newest shock to him. For a moment I thought he was going to swerve off a cliff on the way to Thira. He tried to reach over and hug me while he was driving. I was determined not to cry. My tears were too precious to waste on Rex. All those lies! A few tears slid down my cheeks anyhow.
    "Oh, hon, I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do to make things better. I can't believe Sharon deceived you like that." He twisted his head like a puppy looking at a crying infant, sitting there in the town parking lot. He held me tightly even as we climbed the stone walk toward the restaurant. I attempted some kind of mumbling reply. What could be more healing than lunch and a cruise atop an ancient volcano?
    I was astounded by the view from the restaurant in Thira. Though it was the same caldera, each angle gave a new vantage point. There were hotels and shops tumbling down the mountainside like a sculpture of white boxes. Beside the restaurant roof ran a paved walk, populated with tourists and the occasional mule train. It was easy to see how the Greeks invented democracy, a talking government. The shop keepers shouted and chattered endlessly, waving their hands for emphasis. I was surprised by the rhythm of the Greek language. It reminded me of Spanish. I expected something far more unfamiliar. The cream sauce on my pasta was too good to waste, so I forced myself to eat. Again.
    After lunch Robert pulled me hurriedly toward the cable car, an adventure in itself, floating down the massive cliff of many colors. We arrived exactly on time and slipped away from the dock surrounded by tourists. Thira's jumble of white and pastel buildings hovered far above us like icing on a cake. It was hard to believe it was real and not an illusion. Though I had seen Santorini in several movies, nothing prepared me for the view from the water. We sailed along the island to the village of Oia. It had a dock and winding, white steps all the way up the cliff. I suddenly realized how much I wanted to visit Oia.
    We turned back toward the center of the caldera and a small lava island. The water near the dock was a red, muddy color and filled with swimmers. Many of the passengers were talking about the hot-spring effect around the dock. Robert urged me to leave the boat for a short hike across the island, but my mental and physical conditions were primed for water, not hiking.
    "I'm sorry. I'd rather sit here and enjoy the view. Please go ahead with the group, then you can tell me about it." I smiled to encourage him. I didn't mention that the rough lava would ruin my shoes.
    While he was gone, I tried to relax. Not much can compare with Greek Islands, and Santorini was the most dramatic of the Cyclades. I slowed my breathing and entered a meditative state. It was difficult to maintain.
    The hiking group returned quickly, and I greeted Robert. "What did you see?"
    "There wasn't much, just red and black rock and smoking dirt."
    "The rocks were smoking too?" I asked.
    "Yes, smoking."
    "But you can't see the smoke from this side of the island."
    "I guess the hill hides it." He smiled and shrugged.
    "What do you think that means? Is the volcano active? I thought the last eruption was thousands of years ago."
    My self-imposed serenity vanished rapidly. Was I living inside an active volcano? There was a certain amount of fatalism in that. The day had come full circle, so far a most conflicting day. Once again I slipped into a fog of confusion. I do remember sailing to a third island on the far side of the caldera. The ship anchored for a swim. Even though the water was clear and deep,