The Greek Villa: A beautiful and utterly addictive summer holiday rom com

Chapter 20

Early the next morning, I head to Thea’s bakery and buy up lots of the morning’s fresh offerings as I think it’s time for me to go on a bit of a charm offensive.

The builders are already at the house, but no sound of drills or hammers can be heard yet. Taking a deep breath, I knock on the doors up and down the road, offering pastries and cakes. Phoebe’s estranged friend smiles and embraces me, which comes as a surprise.

‘Do you speak English?’ I ask her and she tells me she speaks a little.

‘Sorry about the noise. When the villa is finished you are invited to a party, with the other neighbours. Will you tell them that?’

‘Nai, nai. Do not worry. That house has been a sore eye.’

‘An eyesore,’ I correct her.

‘Ah, I see. Eyesore, efcharisto.’

The other neighbours have congregated outside, and the older ladies whisper to each other.

‘Okay,’ says the oldest lady. ‘We come to your party. Maybe I teach you how to make the best cheese pie,’ she says proudly, which brings verbal protest from Phoebe and two other women. Just then the couple with the young children walk past and wish us all good morning.

‘You are renovating the house I see,’ says the pretty dark-haired lady, who looks around my age.

‘Yes, although we are starting a little later in the morning now, sorry about the noise,’ I tell her and she waves her hand.

‘It’s fine, we cannot really hear it too much at the end of the street. Besides, I am awake early.’ She nods to her toddler in the pushchair.

‘Well, you are very welcome to come over for drinks when the villa is finished. At least almost finished, which is maybe all I can hope for at this time of year.’

‘Thank you, I will look forward to that. Oh, and we did a renovation too,’ she tells me in a low voice as I walk towards the pram to say hi to her little boy. ‘And they complained also. Now? We are all good friends,’ she says, which I find very reassuring.

Back at the build, work has started, including the work on the roof. Yiannis begins the plastering and skimming of the outside walls and the noise of a concrete cement mixer drones and whirls as the sun begins to creep higher in the sky. The men work so quickly, I have faith that the main work will be complete by the time I head home.

It feels particularly warm today, and after a couple of hours, I notice the young labourers wiping their brows and flagging a little and figure maybe it’s time to bring out the ouzo. I nip to a shop and return with a bottle and some shot glasses, much to the delight of the workers.

‘Yamas,’ I say, raising a shot glass and grimacing slightly as I take a shot, encouraged by Dimitri. I also hand some slices of watermelon around and a short time later work is resumed, the builders refreshed. I remember Phoebe advising to give no more than one shot, just as a little pick-me-up.

‘I think maybe you did the right thing at the right time,’ Dimitri tells me. ‘What do you call it, hair of the dog?’

‘Hair of the dog, yes. Wait, are you telling me the boys are hungover? No wonder they were flagging after two hours, and I don’t mean literally,’ I say, glancing at the broken flagstones on the floor.

‘It is a little warm today, although I did notice them in the bar last night watching football, when I went to buy some beers. They are young! Maybe I should not tell you that.’ He pulls a face, seemingly regretting dobbing them in. But I guess he’s right, they are young men after all.

‘And you didn’t feel like joining them?’ I ask, wondering why he was heading home to drink alone, at least until he ran into me.

‘They are nineteen years old. I cannot keep up.’ He smiles.

It’s hard to gauge his age as he looks young, but he has a maturity that belongs to an older man. As I am pondering this, he inadvertently tells me he is twenty-nine years old when he mentions doing the same thing himself ten years ago when he was their age. So, Dimitri is five years younger than me, although I’m not exactly sure why that has even crossed my mind.

‘I remember one occasion when I stayed awake for almost two days,’ he says as he checks on the cement. ‘There were two parties I didn’t want to miss. I was working three jobs at the time in the summer, until all hours of the day and night. It would kill me now approaching thirty.’

‘Nonsense. You’re still a young, fit man and thirty is no age. I bet you could still go all night,’ I say, before wondering why on earth I said that.

‘Do you think so?’ he asks, a smile playing around his mouth.

‘Dancing, partying, you know what I mean. I’m sure you could keep up.’

I lower my gaze and concentrate on scrubbing a low wall at the front of the property in preparation to paint it, wondering why I manage to always say the wrong thing and get myself into a spin, when I hear an almighty crash followed by shouts inside the house.

At first, I think they are making the usual building noise, throwing old things into the skip, before Dimitri downs tools and races inside with me in hot pursuit. Please don’t say I am about to face some sort of building disaster; I’m not sure I could cope with it.

My worst fears are confirmed, as the sight in front of us has me covering my mouth in shock. Yiannis is suspended through the ceiling covered in dust, his leg seemingly trapped. I have a flashback to my dad and his mishap in the lounge. I scream then loudly, as the whole ceiling suddenly gives away and the room is covered in a cloud of dust.

Thankfully, Yiannis lands square on a mattress that had been brought downstairs from a bedroom ready to go in the skip.

‘Oh my goodness! Yiannis, are you okay?’ I rush to him in a panic, my heart racing.

‘I think so. Maybe God is watching. He saved me,’ he says, glancing upwards with his hands joined together.

Dimitri helps him slowly to his feet, and he visibly winces in pain.

‘It is my back,’ he says, rubbing at it with a look of pain on his face. ‘I think maybe I work no more today.’

‘I will take him to the hospital.’ Dimitri springs into action.

‘You don’t think he needs an ambulance?’ I ask, worried about any damage to his spine.

‘No ambulance.’ Yiannis dismisses the idea as he allows Dimitri to gently guide him to his van. ‘I have a soft landing.’ He raises his hands heavenward once more.

I selfishly think of the ceiling and try my best not to burst into tears.

Dimitri gives instructions to the labourers to carry on in his absence, shaking his head when they reply in Greek.

‘I think they were hoping for an early finish. I told them not a chance. Especially as we are now one man down.’

‘Thank you. Oh, I hope Yiannis is going to be alright, thank goodness that mattress was there to break his fall.’

Maybe someone was watching over him as I was going to place the mattress into the skip this morning, but never got around to it.

Phoebe appears outside then, fussing and asking if there is anything she can do.

‘Not unless you know another builder. Or maybe say a prayer for me when you go to church. Because if this house is going to be finished anytime soon, I think we are going to need a miracle.’

That evening I pour myself a glass of wine and the tears I have been holding in all day fall freely. When Evie calls, I tell her all about the build.

‘Oh my goodness! I hope Yiannis recovers quickly. What a nightmare though.’

‘I know. The season will be fully up and running soon, and I’ll have a half-renovated house.’ I take a slurp of wine. ‘And, actually, he will be okay. Dimitri called earlier telling me he has a slipped disc, so it’s strong painkillers and plenty of rest.’

‘How bloody inconsiderate of him,’ she says, making me laugh.

‘Oh, I know I sound selfish, Evie. I think I’m just panicking. He was a little slower than the other builders, but definitely the driving force with his years of experience. Saying that, I did meet a bit of a silver fox at the bar the other night who once worked as a builder. Maybe I could try and coax him out of retirement.’

‘Ooh interesting, I’m sure things will work out, try not to worry. Anyway, I just called to tell you about a night away with Nick. We booked a lovely hotel, and I even invested in some new underwear. It was wonderful, just what we needed. Thanks again for reminding me that marriage needs working at from time to time.’

‘I’m so glad things are working out, although I knew they would. You and Nick are made for each other.’

‘I know, and I can’t believe how stupid I was, drinking in all the attention from Kostas. Just as well I never did anything stupid. We’re going to try and get away once a month, or at least go out for dinner. The girls have been rolling their eyes at us, saying we are like a couple of teenagers, but I think they are pleased really.’

‘I’m certain they are. There’s nothing kids want more than their parents to be happy. Anyway, I’m off to watch a YouTube tutorial on how to render the outside of a house,’ I say only half-joking. The days are ticking away and it’s a pretty big job.

Dimitri calls me an hour later and tells me that Yiannis will be out of action for at least the next couple of weeks. Even then, he won’t be able to climb any ladders or get involved in any heavy lifting or working.

‘That’s awful, I hope he isn’t in too much pain. But I won’t lie, this has got me really worried about the build,’ I tell him.

Dimitri gives a deep sigh. ‘I know, but I promise we will work quickly. I have to tell you though that the labourers have only one more week before their family restaurants opens.’

‘And you don’t know of anyone else who needs a job?’

‘Not really, as I say all hands are on deck for the tourists soon. I know that my father has no desire to work these days as he is enjoying his retirement, apart from helping his friend on the tourist boats sometimes. It is less hard work, I suppose.’

I think of my own father then, and my brother. I realise I’m getting desperate when I even imagine Phoebe brandishing a saw and a spirit level.

This can’t be happening! Once more I wonder what I was thinking buying a villa online without viewing the interior. I’ve watched enough of those house-buying programmes to have known this. I could end up ploughing all of my inheritance into this project, I think to myself as I feel my stress levels rise. Why couldn’t I just be content with coming over here and renting the holiday apartment?

I calm myself down by breathing deeply and telling myself that at least the roof is almost in place, so the house will be protected from any sudden downpours of rain. The kitchen has already been demolished and disposed of, awaiting delivery of some new units tomorrow. Dimitri assures me they will take him no more than a day or two to install, but the main problem now is the ceiling above the room that will be the lounge. It will be alright, I tell myself. Everything will be just fine.

‘Really, that is not a big job,’ Dimitri tells me, when I mention it, but I think he really is just trying to stop me from becoming hysterical. The outside rendering is still unfinished – the other huge job which was being overseen by Yiannis. Suddenly it all feels like an impossible task and despite my best efforts at being positive, I pour myself another glass of wine and sob my heart out.

It probably wasn’t my best idea to walk around to the villa after two glasses of wine, to fully take stock of the situation. At least the rear garden is looking nice though, I think to myself as I push the gate open, thinking the flaking paint could do with another coat. The wooden bench set against a wall could probably do with a coat of paint too, maybe in the same colour.

I sit down and glance up at the house, glancing at the scaffolding in place ready for a job that will be completed goodness knows when. Not for the first time, I wonder why on earth I even thought about buying a renovation project. But then, sitting here in the balmy evening close to the ancient olive tree, I can already feel my senses being soothed. I have already made friends here and can’t think of a nicer place to have a holiday home. I tell myself that everything will be alright in the end and conjure up some positivity that I normally have tons of.

I stand to leave, when a spider the size of a saucer scurries towards me and my scream echoes around the neighbourhood as I jump onto the bench. A few seconds later, the back gate bursts open and in strides Dimitri.

‘Claudia, are you alright? I was just walking past, and I heard a scream.’

‘Yes, yes. It was just the size of that thing.’ I look through my hands and point to the walled area of the garden, but of course the spider has long gone.

‘Was it a snake?’ asks Dimitri unperturbed.

‘A snake? You’re telling me there are snakes?’ I ask, horrified.

‘Yes, but they are all pretty harmless. Nothing to worry about. So, it wasn’t a snake?’ Dimitri asks.

‘No, it was a spider. The biggest I have ever seen in my life.’ I give a little shudder as I think about it.

I take in Dimitri’s appearance then, his hair tied back, the white patterned short-sleeved shirt, and smart jeans. He smells good too.

‘What are you doing here alone anyway?’ he asks, a puzzled look on his face.

‘I don’t know.’ I shrug, feeling a bit silly. ‘I just wanted to see how far things had come and assess the damage. And see what I could do to help.’

I don’t know exactly what I was thinking, but I didn’t feel like sitting home alone this evening.

‘At this hour?’ He glances at his watch. It is almost eight o’clock.

‘Maybe.’ I can feel the tears threatening behind my eyes again, but manage to pull myself together.

‘Anyway, thanks for calling in. Please don’t let me keep you, as you are obviously on your way out for the evening.’ I muster up a smile.

‘If you are sure you are okay. Maybe I will walk you home first.’

‘No, really, it’s around the corner, and it’s still light,’ I say breezily. ‘But thank you anyway.’

‘Please, try not to worry.’ He turns to me. ‘Tomorrow the floorboards will be laid in the bedroom and the kitchen units will arrive. I will work until midnight if I have to,’ he says and I feel filled with gratitude.

‘Thank you, Dimitri,’ I say in a small voice. ‘Maybe I will walk with you a little way before I go home. You can watch out for any more spiders.’