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

Chapter 26

Dimitri arrives at exactly nine o’clock the next morning, dressed in mustard shorts and a black T-shirt, his hair up in a man bun.

‘Punctual. I like that,’ I say, closing the door of the apartment behind me.

‘I always try to be. Unless there is a good excuse, I find lateness a bit rude.’

‘Me too.’

Thank goodness there is no awkwardness after the brief kiss last night. Maybe it meant nothing to him.

‘Then I guess that is something else we have in common.’ He smiles as we walk to his car, a silver saloon that is attractive, but not flashy, a bit like Dimitri himself. ‘You look very nice,’ he adds.

‘Thank you.’

I feel nice today, and my white dress shows off my developing tan from my time here. I pop on my straw fedora and we head off.

‘I feel a little guilty going off for the morning, but then the main building work is almost done.’

‘You deserve a break,’ I reassure him.

‘You have worked hard too. I almost feel we should pay you a wage.’ He turns and winks at me.

‘I needed to keep an eye on you lot. Crack the whip.’

‘Now there’s an image,’ he teases.

It occurs to me that maybe I have been around the villa a little more than I needed to be, once the work took hold, but maybe something – or should I say someone – has had me wanting to be in their presence. I hope Dimitri doesn’t think that. He wouldn’t, would he?

‘Obviously, with it being my house I needed to oversee things,’ I tell him, suddenly feeling a need to explain my constant presence. ‘It has to be just right, especially any permanent fixtures.’

‘Of course, I would be the same,’ he agrees.

We turn off the coast road, and are soon climbing higher in the hills. Half an hour later, we pull into a village and park up. We are going to a restaurant Dimitri knows, which is good, because I wouldn’t have spotted it almost obscured by trees.

There’s an old water well in a tiny square in the centre of the village, flanked by a small church and a children’s playground. As we walk, I notice a lot of the houses look to be in poor condition, with paint-peeling doors and rotten wood window frames; some of them are completely abandoned, and I comment on this.

‘It happens a lot in the smaller villages. A lot of young people leave for the towns and cities,’ explains Dimitri. ‘There is nothing here for them, other than maybe farming or taking on cafés or restaurants handed down by their parents.’

As we enter the restaurant, we are welcomed warmly by the owner, and we are shown to a wooden table on a balcony outside with a spectacular view across the valley below.

‘Wow, you were right about that view.’ I glance at the lush, green plants, a common sight in Corfu due to its climate, alongside colourful shrubs with flashes of red and yellow in the verdant forest.

We dine on a delicious breakfast of eggs sprinkled with paprika and fried potatoes topped with feta and sprinkled with oregano, all served with slices of chunky bread. I enjoy a fresh orange juice whilst Dimitri sips his strong coffee.

‘This food is seriously good, a lot nicer than some of the touristy places I have been to.’

‘I have been here many times over the years. The owner knows my father. He takes a real pride in his food, whether it is breakfast or food for a large family gathering.’

Glancing around the sleepy village, and noting the number of abandoned houses, I ask Dimitri how the taverna has managed to survive.

‘It’s on a tour stop. Jeep safaris and coach trips stop here for lunch. It’s how a lot of the traditional village tavernas survive,’ he explains.

‘That makes sense, I guess.’

‘It does, the islands rely heavily on tourism. During the winter months the village restaurants make very little money, serving only the locals, although many families do come together and enjoy a Sunday lunch.’

We finish our delicious breakfast, and the owner offers us a raki, which is a little early in the day for me, but Dimitri accepts a small one to be sociable. They knock it back together with a yamas.

‘I could get used to this,’ I say with a sigh as we drive on, the window open and Greek music playing on the radio. ‘I’m really not looking forward to the weather at home. My brother told me it’s raining.’

‘Are you close to your family?’ he asks as we drive around a bend without any fencing along the road that looks down across the valley, which makes me feel a little nervous.

‘I am. Especially my parents as I live so nearby, but I was close to my brother growing up. I still am actually, even though he lives down south now.’

‘My older sister moved away too. I stayed around here because I get regular building work, both renovating property and new builds in the surrounding area. She lives in Corfu Town now,’ he tells me. ‘But she visits fairly regularly, much to the delight of my mother. And me. They cook up a feast in the kitchen when they are together.’

I ask him whether things are still very traditional in the sense that women do a lot of the cooking.

‘With the older generation, maybe yes, it is true. But many of my friends like to cook, as do I. Maybe next time you come over, I will cook for you.’

‘Thank you, I would like that. Can you make those fried potatoes and eggs for breakfast then?’

‘So you will be staying for breakfast?’ He swings his head around and I want to die of embarrassment.

‘Well, I mean, you know any time of day, that would be nice.’

I decide to be quiet for the rest of the journey, and just admire the scenery as we drive along the country roads. As we climb higher, a brown tourist sign soon points us in the direction of the ruins of the Byzantine castle called Angelo Castro. As we approach the castle, it looks as though it is perching on the clouds.

‘Good job I didn’t wear my high heels then.’ I step outside the car and point down at my white trainers.

‘It is not as daunting as it looks, the steps up are large and flat,’ Dimitri tells me, before heading to a small kiosk to pay the entrance fee.

The old stone steps are flanked by ancient olive trees and the constant trill of cicadas as we make our way up the steps is soothing to the senses. As we climb higher, the ascent easy – Dimitri was right about the flat steps – the view becomes more and more stunning. When we arrive at the top, I turn and take in the panoramic view below that is simply breathtaking. A sea of blue, emerald and every shade in between, is lapping a small sandy beach and a valley beyond filled with trees has pops of colour from vivid red flowers on shrubs. A white boat glides along against the outline of distant hills, and the sight of it all almost takes my breath away.

‘That’s Paleokastritsa,’ Dimitri informs me, following my gaze.

‘Down there?’

‘Just there.’ He takes my arm and gently points it out. As he moves closer, I take in his scent, his closeness and feel my own heartbeat thump. If he tried to kiss me now, I’m not sure I would be able to resist.

For a few seconds, I just stand and gaze, then snap away with my camera phone, marvelling at the stunning vista below.

‘Shall we have one together?’ suggests Dimitri.

‘Sure.’

He takes his phone from his pocket, and moves in closer to take the perfect selfie. When he shows it to me, we look like a happy couple relaxing in the sun and I have to admit I think we look pretty good together.

‘That’s lovely, will you send it to my phone?’

He fires the picture across immediately, and I can’t resist sending it to Evie.

We take our time, exploring the castle ruins, climbing over rocks and reading the information boards. I can’t help smiling at a teenage girl positioned on a wall, head thrown back and posing with the dramatic background as her friend takes a photo, no doubt for a social media account. I saw a café down below, just off the car park, and realise I am dying for a frappé. A text pops through from Evie in response to my photo, full of love hearts, and makes me smile.

‘I think it’s time for a drink soon, but first let me show you something.’

Dimitri leads me to a crumbling stairway, partly obscured by trees, and takes me by the hand, leading the way as we carefully descend the steps. A few seconds later, I am stunned to discover we are standing inside a tiny chapel cut into the rock. It has white walls and a small altar, even one or two religious artefacts on the wall.

‘Oh my goodness.’ I glance around taking it all in. It feels so cool down here, away from the burning heat. ‘A church, it’s beautiful. It’s so tiny.’ I touch its white, cool walls thinking of all the people who have been here over the centuries.

‘Maybe it was larger at some point, but this is all that remains now, as a visitor centre. Much of the castle was destroyed in the Byzantine wars.’

As we descend the steps back towards the car park, I tell Dimitri how much I have enjoyed the castle visit.

We enjoy a drink at the café, overlooking the valley again, and I catch another glimpse of the sea stretching out into the distance. Glancing at my watch, I suggest we leave the visit to the monastery for another day.

‘If you wouldn’t mind. I don’t want to be rushed getting ready this evening for my flight,’ I explain.

Uttering the words, I wish I could stay here for a while longer, and discover all of the things the island has to offer. But I guess there is plenty of time for that in the future. Maybe I’m feeling it now because I am in such engaging company, something I have come to realise getting to know Dimitri, away from the villa build.

‘Of course. We have all the time in the world.’ He smiles.

Driving back to the village, I feel refreshed by the day out today, and still feel enchanted by the tiny chapel, with the almost hidden staircase. I admire the surroundings once more, still hardly able to take in that this could be something I do regularly, driving out to the hills.

‘I can’t tell you how much I have enjoyed today, thank you so much,’ I tell Dimitri as he drops me off outside the holiday apartment.

‘Believe me, the pleasure was mine.’

He moves in closer to kiss me, I am certain of it this time, and I feel my skin tingle in anticipation.

But I’m ready this time; to hell with the consequences, I think to myself. I’m about to close my eyes, when Dimitri is almost flattened by Prudence, who has jumped up at him.

‘Prudence, here. Here.’

Dimitri follows the voice and his eyes widen in surprise.

‘Auntie Lena, what are you doing home? I didn’t think you would be back until tomorrow.’

I smile at the fact he still calls his aunt ‘auntie’, before remembering I used to call Jack ‘uncle’ too, which always amused him as I grew older.

‘I was feeling homesick,’ she jokes.

‘Really?’ He looks surprised.

‘No.’ She smiles. ‘Although I was actually sick. Nothing more than a virus I think, or a cold,’ she reassures him, noting his concerned look. ‘But I wanted my own bed.’

Dimitri told me his aunt and her husband had been away on a month-long cruise and then stopped off in Thessaloniki for a friend’s wedding.

‘I was about to take Prudence out, although she has had an hour this morning on the beach,’ he tells his aunt. ‘And where are my manners. This is my friend Claudia.’

Friend, that is exactly what I am.

‘Claudia! So pleased to meet you. Phoebe has been telling me all about the work on the house. It is looking good.’

‘Thank you so much, it’s good to meet you too. Your nephew and his team have been working very hard.’

We chat for another minute or two, before Dimitri strolls off, the intimate moment between us vanished. He tells me he will collect me later to take me to the airport.

Inside the apartment, I close my eyes and try to imagine Dimitri’s lips on mine, holding me in his strong arms.

Maybe it was a good thing Prudence appeared when she did. Because I can’t imagine how I would feel to be leaving this evening, knowing we had shared a thrilling kiss.