Chapter 15
‘Enjoy your breakfast.’
I hug Evie and Nick, who has dropped me home after the flight. It’s just after seven in the morning as we have jumped back two hours. I’m not looking forward to going to work today, although, luckily, I did sleep for virtually the whole flight.
‘We will. Don’t go getting used to being taken out for breakfast, though, hey.’ Nick winks at Evie, and I mouth the word ‘hotel’ when Nick isn’t looking.
Back at work, I manage to get through the day fuelled by coffee, before heading to my parents’ house to tell them all about the house.
‘You’ll have no money left at this rate, booking all these holidays,’ says Dad, reading his newspaper in the lounge after his evening meal, while I tell him my plans.
‘The apartments cost next to nothing, and I have my wages as well as my windfall, remember.’
‘Do you want us to pop over with you?’ offers Dad. ‘Have a look at the place. Maybe I could even lend a hand.’ Mum is shaking her head and grimacing in the background.
‘What your father means is, we were thinking of going over to Corfu for a week in the summer. We never did visit the Achilleion Palace when we last went over. Perhaps we should leave the builders to it, for now though,’ she suggests.
‘Isn’t the Achilleion Palace the place that was used as a location for a Bond film?’ asks Dad, folding his paper and putting it away, hopefully putting aside any ideas of helping with the villa renovation.
‘That’s right. For Your Eyes Only. I read about that,’ I tell him. ‘And actually, I haven’t been there either, so maybe I’ll come with you for a day trip.’
‘You can’t go skiving off from your own building project,’ Dad jokes, laughing.
‘I don’t need to be there all the time, I’m paying the builders,’ I remind him. ‘I’m sure they will know what they are doing.’
‘Oh, but you don’t want them taking the mick, having extra-long tea breaks and all that business.’ He shakes his head.
‘Can you just imagine your father being on the building site?’ Mum asks me when Dad has retreated to his greenhouse. ‘He’d be a complete nightmare, telling the other builders how it’s done.’
‘You’re probably right.’
‘Maybe you should just email photos to us from a safe distance.’ She chuckles. ‘Although we will come and have a look at it. It’s probably better if I’m with him, to save the builders.’ She winks.
‘Of course, Mum. Yiannis doesn’t have the best English, so maybe he wouldn’t understand Dad anyway.’
‘What about the other bloke, Damon is it?’
‘Dimitri. Oh, his English is very good. A lot of the young people who work in building and tourism have a good grasp of English.’
‘Just as well. You don’t want anything to be lost in translation when it comes to a house refurbishment.’ Mum frowns.
The mention of Dimitri’s name makes me think of his broad shoulders and dark wavy hair. Oh dear, this really must stop.
I have a very definite vision of how I want the place to look and hope the builders will share it too. I imagine a filigree black metal balcony and a water feature in the garden next to the olive tree that will need cutting back. I can’t believe the roof will have to come off first though. I feel slightly nervous as I take in the extent of the work that needs doing, and just hope that the house doesn’t reveal any nasty surprises as the work progresses. I wonder what I will be able to do to help, other than tidy up, and place debris into skips? At least the builders won’t be expecting endless cups of tea as there is no electricity at the villa. Maybe Dad’s right though, being there means at least I can ensure the building work stays on track.
My new house purchase is the talk of the office at the moment, everyone telling me how envious they are and asking if I will be hiring it out with mates’ rates. I never thought about sub-letting the place as I want it to be a home from home filled with my own clothes and personal items, although maybe I will consider it for close family and friends in the future.
The following two weeks drag as I watch the clock that surely must be running out of battery and is on a go slow. Even the days when I am working from home seem to be endless. Finally, it’s the day before I’m due to set off and I’m packing a bag when my phone rings. It’s Josh.
‘Hi, sis. When are you off then?’ he asks. We’d chatted for over an hour after my last trip, and I told him all about the house.
‘Tomorrow, for two whole weeks,’ I tell him, feeling a little flutter of excitement.
‘Sounds great. Don’t forget to send some photo updates.’
‘I will do.’
‘Actually, I was just wondering, would you mind having a house sitter for a few days?’
‘Are you talking about you? Of course I wouldn’t mind. I prefer the flat not to be sitting empty. Is everything okay though?’ I ask anxiously, as I hear as him sigh at the other end of the phone.
‘Yeah, don’t worry. I just thought I might bring George up to see Mum and Dad and spend an extra day after the weekend. I have a couple of days’ annual leave to use up.’
‘And Zoe isn’t coming with you?’
‘No, it’s full on at her work, she can’t get the time off. I thought I’d take George to Chester Zoo,’ he says, brightening. ‘He’d love it there; I know I did when we were kids,’ he says, instantly evoking memories.
‘Well, you’re very welcome to stay. Aw, I’m sorry to be missing George though, and you, of course. Unless you can get up here tonight that is?’
‘Great, if you’re sure? Zoe has a night out planned anyway, a leaving party in town with the work gang. I can be with you about six, if that suits?’
‘Perfect. See you later.’
‘Great, sis. And I’ll drop you at the airport tomorrow morning if you like, George will have me awake early.’
‘Thanks, Josh. I will see you later. Just one thing though, why aren’t you staying at Mum’s?’
‘I can’t deal with the questions for a whole weekend, about why Zoe isn’t with me. I’ll call them in the morning, invite them to the zoo before I head back.’
‘Fair enough. Safe journey.’
The rest of the day passes quickly, and just before five, Josh arrives and after dinner we head to the local park for an hour to tire George out before bed. While George explores the playground, we sit on a bench and chat, and Josh opens up about the cracks in his marriage, admitting he isn’t happy.
‘But I’m thinking you kind of guessed that.’ He sighs. He jogs over to George then, who needs a lift up onto a climbing frame.
‘I did. We can talk later, if you like, when George is asleep.’
After spending an hour at the park, we head back to the flat and George is soon safely tucked up in bed.
‘So, what are you going to do?’ I ask Josh as I take a sip from a small glass of wine.
‘That’s the thing, I don’t know.’ He runs his hand through his hair. ‘Zoe could never afford to buy me out, or vice versa, and if I contribute to the mortgage I couldn’t afford somewhere to rent, especially down south.’ He swirls his wine around in his glass.
‘Things are that bad then?’
‘’Fraid so. It’s sad, because I remember us being really happy in the early days of our marriage, but I feel like I’ve been acting a part in a film these past few years,’ he admits. ‘I don’t quite know what’s happened to us, but we are both pretty miserable. Sorry, fancy burdening you with all this the day before you head off to Greece.’
‘It’s fine, don’t apologise, you have to talk to someone. I think you’ve done the right thing coming here for a break, give each other a bit of space.’
‘Maybe.’ He gives a forced smile.
‘And if things don’t work out, have you considered moving back up north?’ I ask.
‘I’ve thought of nothing else but being so far away from George would break my heart.’
‘I get that. Well, you and George are welcome here anytime, you know that. And I’m sure Mum and Dad would tell you the same thing. Whatever you decide, you know we will all support you,’ I reassure him.
‘I know. Thanks, sis. It feels good being here.’
We head to bed then, and I can’t help wondering why relationships are so complicated. Not for the first time I think that when it comes to affairs of the heart, things are far easier when you are on your own. And it would take someone very special to change my mind about that.