Page 33 of Billion-Dollar Baby Shock

Dion said now, ‘No, you weren’t embarrassing me, at all.But I’m aware that you only came to Greece with limited supplies and I’m simply making sure you have enough clothes to get by.’

‘She made me try on evening dresses.She wouldn’t listen when I tried to tell her they weren’t necessary.’

‘Was it really that traumatic?’

Tara rolled her eyes.‘No, of course not, but I can buy my own clothes.These must have cost a fortune.I’ll pay you back.’

He waved a hand.‘No, you won’t.You’re the mother of my child, Tara.You’ve been helping to care for him since you arrived.It’s the least I can do.When was the last time someone took care of you?’

Those last words impacted her like a soft punch to the gut.‘What do you mean?’

Dion shrugged, his eyes hidden behind his shades.‘Just that…when was the last time someone checked if you had all you needed?Took you for lunch?’

A slew of images kaleidoscoped through Tara’s head of times when she’d made a fuss over her siblings’ birthdays or cheered one or another up with a trip to the cinema or made their favourite food when they were down.And it wasn’t as if they’d not done nice things for her, but they hadn’t had to worry about her… They’d taken her for granted, not that she’d ever admit it, or admit that sometimes it had hurt.

‘Not for a long time, I guess.’To her shock and horror, emotion rose up, making her eyes prickle ominously.She reached for the very cool sunglasses Michaela had furnished her with and put them on before Dion could see how his words had affected her.

Luckily he hadn’t seemed to notice.He said then, ‘By the way, I’ve had my legal team contact the clinic about the mix-up.’

Tara took off the glasses and looked at him.She couldfeel the blood draining south—she hadn’t even warned her sister Mary.‘I asked you not to.’

‘I had to.Their negligence could have affected people who were using their own sperm and eggs to create a baby.But I’m not suing.I’ve told them I won’t, if they conduct a thorough investigation and give me a report on measures they’ll take to ensure it doesn’t happen again.’

Relief swept through Tara.‘Thank you.And you’re right, they should have to answer for their negligence.’

The waiter arrived with their starters, light seasonal salad with zesty feta cheese that melted on Tara’s tongue.She decided to put the emotion, the clinic and boutique incident out of her head, for now, and enjoy the surroundings.

And Dion,whispered a sly voice.

Her gaze kept straying to him like a magnet.Even sitting down and while engaged in the very civilised activity of enjoying food at a clearly sophisticated restaurant, he still oozed a very masculine, sexual energy.So much so that Tara couldn’t help but find herself responding, watching his hands, and those long fingers, imagining him gripping her, squeezing her flesh—

‘Tara?’

She looked at him, feeling a little dazed.Maybe she really did have sunstroke.The very chic straw sunhat that Michaela had given her was on the table nearby and Tara planted it on her head.

‘Are you okay?’

She nodded.‘Fine, I’m sorry…so, apart from the villa, are you doing anything with the land you bought?’

‘Actually, yes, I’m building a luxury eco-friendly fully sustainable hotel and spa resort on the other coast.AndI’m involved in trying to resurrect the old and disused farming industry here—they have vines, olives, lemons…but it’s all died out.If we can get it going again the island has a chance of year-round employment, instead of seasonal.’

No wonder he’d been treated so warmly by the locals.Their mains were delivered now—a tasting board of different Greek specialities.Dion explained what the different foods were.Tara found herself unwinding even more as she indulged in the food and crisp white Greek wine.

Impulsively she asked, ‘Is the eco resort you’re building far from here?’

Dion shook his head.‘Not far, no, about thirty minutes.Would you like to see it?’

Tara felt shy.‘If you didn’t mind?Projects with sustainability at the core of their genesis are the ones I’m most interested in working on.’

‘Sure… I was planning on going to see it tomorrow but now is as good a time as any.There won’t be any workers at the weekend so it’ll be quiet.’

After lunch Dion drove them out of the small harbour town and this time they cut through the middle of the island.He pointed out the old olive and lemon groves.Where the vineyards had been.It all looked sad and overgrown and neglected but Tara could envisage it thriving again.It was an ambitious project but she had no doubt Dion could pull it off.

After a while Tara could see the glitter of the sea appearing again, and when they crested the brow of a hill they were suddenly looking down at a vast area all along a stretch of the coastline with waves crashing along a pristine beach.Behind a tall chain-link fence, Tara couldmake out low-rise stone buildings and little pathways between them.One larger, slightly domed building, which presumably would be the hub of the resort.It all faded into the landscape beautifully.

Dion stopped the car and said, ‘It’s laid out over twenty-five acres.We’re building stand-alone suites among the hills and sand dunes.There’s a private beach.Each suite will have its own private pool.There’ll be a spa with every kind of wellness therapy you can think of.’

‘Wow.’Tara was surprised to feel a little emotional.She confided, ‘You know, I haven’t been on holiday since my parents died and I’ve never been to a spa…’ She continued hurriedly, ‘It’s not that I’m sore about it, I just never had the chance, but this sounds amazing.Maybe when it’s open I’ll treat myself.’