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

Chapter 31

I tell Phoebe I will follow her to the hospital, before going inside and doing a quick change, as well as grabbing a phone charger to charge the phone in the car. The hospital in Corfu is around forty minutes’ drive away so I will need it.

‘Would you like me to come with you?’ offers Thea. ‘Or maybe I will call at the hospital later when the shop has closed?’

‘No really, I will drive. I have no phone battery right now, but I will call you later when my phone has charged and let you know how things are.’

‘Okay.’ She nods. ‘And let me know if there is anything I can do.’

I’m soon driving to the hospital, recalling the stricken look on Phoebe’s face as she held on to her friend’s hand.

Turning onto the highway, I think about all the people who hold grudges, even if deep down, they want to forgive. Maybe it’s because we always believe there is more time. But the future is promised to no one, as all too often, unforeseen circumstances can deny a person the chance to reconcile.

The traffic is quite busy being summer season, but just less than an hour later, I am pulling into the car park of the hospital. Grabbing my bag and phone that has charged enough to send messages, I enter the cool reception area of the hospital, where I find Phoebe sitting fidgeting with worry.

‘Claudia.’ She stands when she sees me. ‘I am so happy you are here. I never gave a thought to how I would get home. I was going to call my granddaughter.’

‘Don’t worry, I wasn’t far behind the ambulance. My phone had died,’ I explain. ‘How is Eliza doing?’

‘She is having the operation.’ She blesses herself. ‘The passing by of the artery.’

‘She is having a bypass? Gosh, she is lucky they caught her in time.’

I sit with Phoebe for a while before seeking out a doctor for an update, as it is getting late.

‘You might like to go home and get some sleep,’ he suggests. ‘Eliza will be heavily sedated after the operation. Phone the hospital later, and see how the operation went and maybe return tomorrow,’ he advises.

I grab us some coffee for the journey home and Phoebe sips it in silence beside me.

‘Such a waste of years,’ she says eventually as we drive. ‘A long time.’

‘I can understand why you fell out in the first place,’ I say gently. ‘Don’t be too hard on yourself.’

‘But I remembered your words.’ She turns to look at me. ‘My husband was not blameless, he was weak. And we have both been lonely women. I just could not forgive her, even though I missed her,’ she admits.

‘Well you are here now, when it matters. And you will be here again tomorrow when she wakes up,’ I try to reassure her, knowing how much courage it must have taken for Phoebe to be here. I take hold of her hand and she squeezes it tightly.

We sit in almost silence, when my phone rings. Phoebe answers for me and puts it on loudspeaker. It’s Thea and Phoebe fills her in on the situation. ‘Sorry, I meant to call you but the reception in the hospital was so bad,’ I explain.

‘Don’t worry. I will phone the hospital tomorrow, and maybe take her a treat if she is up for a visitor later in the day.’

‘I’m sure she would love that.’

We arrive back home, and after Phoebe heads into her house, I lie on my bed, scrolling through my phone.

To my dismay there is still no reply from Dimitri and I feel like a fool asking him for dinner. What was I even thinking? When he had finished the work on the house he simply said he would see me around, hardly an expression of any desire to spend time with me.

A wave of exhaustion takes over then, and I’m just dozing, when I hear the sound of hammering on my front door. To my surprise it’s Dimitri.

‘Dimitri. What are you doing here?’ I’m thrilled to see him standing in front of me.

‘I came to see how Eliza is. And to see you.’

‘At this hour?’

‘It’s only eight o’clock.’ He raises an eyebrow.

‘You could have phoned,’ I suggest.

‘That’s true, but I misplaced my phone. Turns out I left it on the boat, I have just been to retrieve it,’ he explains. ‘As I was passing, I thought I would call in.’

I tell him all about Eliza and how Phoebe is willing to put the past behind them.

‘Then something good has come out of it.’ He smiles. ‘I am pleased to hear it.’

We stand in the hallway for a moment, my senses stirred by his closeness and I pull my short cotton robe around me tightly.

‘I sent you a message earlier, but maybe you didn’t see it as you didn’t have your phone,’ I tell him.

He takes a second to reply, and I bite my lip anxiously, wondering if dinner at my place really was a bad idea.

‘I didn’t see the message, I am so sorry,’ he says, scrolling through his phone, frowning slightly. ‘I would love to have dinner with you,’ he says, and I am surprised at how relieved I feel.

‘Great.’ I feel excited by the thought of him spending the evening here.

‘And please, let me know if there is anything I can do,’ he says.

‘I will do.’

‘Right, well I am off to meet my father at the bar. I will call you tomorrow. Goodnight.’

‘Goodnight, Dimitri.’ There is no kiss, even on the cheek.

It’s now almost one in the morning, me having tossed and turned for hours, when I decide to call the hospital. It appears Eliza is just out of surgery, and her operation has gone well. I call Phoebe, because I can still see her lights are on, and give her the news.

‘Thank you, Claudia. Now I will sleep.’

‘Me too. Goodnight.’

The next morning I retrieve the recipe book from the drawer and head off to the supermarket to buy the ingredients for the evening meal. It’s a lamb casserole, flavoured with star anise, and I also have a recipe for flatbread using only flour and Greek yoghurt.

As I load my shopping basket, I feel a thrill at the thought of Dimitri dining in my house this evening. Maybe we can really talk, aside from building talk, that is. I choose a bottle each of a red and white wine. At least I can have a lie-in tomorrow, before my flight the day after.

I manage to gather all of the ingredients, and also pop in a couple of magazines for Eliza that Phoebe can take with her when she visits with Thea later today.

Back home, I arrange the ingredients in a pot, and set it on the stove to simmer, before giving everywhere a tidy. Once my house preparations are done, I spend the afternoon in the sunshine, tidying up the garden.

I head up for a leisurely bath, and light a candle in the lounge to ready myself. By the time Dimitri arrives just after seven, the room is filled with the welcoming scent of vanilla from the melting wax, and the delicious casserole.

‘Something smells good,’ he says as I welcome him inside. He’s dressed in long dark shorts and an apricot-coloured polo shirt. His hair is loose and he smells wonderful, as always.

‘Do you mean the cooking or the candle?’

I feel inexplicably nervous welcoming him into my home as it feels so intimate somehow.

‘The cooking, I think. Is there a hint of cinnamon? Oh, but wait, I am getting vanilla now,’ he says as we make our way to the lounge. He hands me a bottle of ouzo and I thank him, but tell him I will probably stick with wine.

‘Maybe a good idea to have just one shot. People have been known to do foolish things after a few of those.’ His eyes meet mine, and I rush off to the kitchen to check on the food and do a little taste. It needs more herbs, so I throw in a load of cinnamon and replace the lid.

‘So how is Eliza doing?’ asks Dimitri as I pour him a glass of red wine.

‘The operation was a success apparently. She will be there for several days. It was nice watching Phoebe reconnect with her old friend. Your aunt went with her to visit earlier.’

‘That is good to hear. All those wasted years.’

‘That’s what Phoebe said. I think it brought it home to her.’ We spend a moment in silence, in our own thoughts. ‘So how was your day at the harbour? I’m keen to know.’

‘Busy, thankfully. And I have also taken on a job to refurbish an old restaurant that someone has bought in the countryside. I’m looking forward to doing that, although it will be after the summer season has finished.’

‘Sounds good. Gosh you will hardly have a minute to yourself.’

‘It’s okay, the restaurant owner knows it will not be ready until next autumn, he is in no rush. It will be a slow project as it is little more than a ruin.’

He tells me the village in question hasn’t had a restaurant for many years, and the word is the locals will welcome it very much. He also tells me that two overseas buyers have bought two of the village houses that have fallen into disrepair.

‘There is hope that the small villages can be brought alive again, and I am grateful because it is a steady income for me.’

‘That sounds wonderful. I am really pleased you have the work, Dimitri. I can definitely vouch for your hard work.’

I glance around my cosy home.

‘This was quite easy. And a pleasure for me, as the homeowner is rather attractive.’

I always knew the attraction was mutual, but even so his comment has me feeling a little flustered.

I’m about to stand, when Dimitri pulls me gently by the wrist down next to him.

‘Why do you always run away from me?’ he asks. He is so close, I am sure he must be able to hear the sound of my heart beating like a drum.

‘Do I?’ I stutter.

‘You do.’ He leans back then, lacing his hands behind his head, and studying me. ‘I wonder what you are afraid of?’

‘Afraid? Who said I am afraid of anything?’ I smile nervously, before grabbing my wine and taking a glug.

‘I’m not sure, I was hoping you might tell me. I know nothing about your personal life really, only your job,’ he says, holding my gaze.

I think of how Dimitri told me everything about his ex, and I divulged nothing about my ex, but I find it just too humiliating to discuss. Then I remember that Dimitri’s ex is, in fact, back in town.

‘And what will happen if I don’t run away and stay right here?’

Dimitri moves closer then, and this time I lean into him. Just as the shrill of the smoke alarm in the kitchen makes me jump to my feet.

I am greeted by the sight of smoke spiralling from the pot, and when I lift the lid, I smell the unmistakeable aroma of burnt meat.

‘Oh no, how has this happened? I only checked it ten minutes ago,’ I say, cursing the timing of the smoke alarm.

I realise then that I had turned the heat up earlier and forgot to return it to a simmer.

‘Maybe I have had a narrow escape, if you have added this.’ He raises an eyebrow, pointing to the jar of mixed spice.

‘Oh no. I tasted it earlier, then added more of what I thought was cinnamon. That is a mixed spice that I use for baking fruit cakes.’

‘May I?’

Dimitri grabs a spoon and dips it into the casserole.

‘Actually, not as bad as I thought.’ He laughs. ‘It is like a lamb-flavoured Christmas cake,’ he says and I can’t help laughing.

‘Oh dear. Shall we order a pizza then?’ I say, not wanting the evening to end.

‘Or we could go out?’ suggests Dimitri. ‘Unless you would prefer to stay at home?’

‘Let’s go out. I’ll open the window a little to give the smoke a chance to clear,’ I say, before grabbing my bag.

‘Sure. There’s a nice place near the beach,’ says Dimitri as he finishes his glass of wine.

We chat as we walk, but I can’t help feeling the mood has shifted, although when we are seated at a waterfront table, the stars reflecting on the water, I feel myself relax. We both order lamb kleftiko, having both missed out on my lamb casserole.

‘Do you remember me telling you about my life here, and I mean all of it,’ Dimitri asks as we wait for our food to arrive.

‘Yes, of course.’

‘It occurred to me then that I know nothing about you. You say you have no boyfriend at home, but how can I be sure?’

‘What do you mean?’ I ask, aghast.

‘I mean, people come on holiday, they think the Greek men look for a holiday romance. But maybe the women who come here do the same,’ he suggests as he picks an olive from a bowl.

‘And yet it was you who kissed me the other day.’ I’m silently fuming. ‘Unless a peck on the lips has replaced a kiss on the cheek? And you really think I have a boyfriend back home?’

‘I am so sorry.’ He holds his hands up. ‘But honestly? I’m not sure what to think. I thought we were growing closer, then you run away. Maybe foolishly I hoped you thought of me as more than just your builder.’

A waiter arrives then and places a basket of bread down on the table.

‘It’s a bit complicated.’ I sigh. ‘I really don’t have someone at home, I wouldn’t do that. But I guess I am just trying to protect my feelings.’

‘You think I would hurt you?’

‘Not exactly, but I find it hard to trust. My ex wasn’t exactly all he seemed.’

Even now, thinking about how he cheated on both myself and his now wife makes my blood boil, but I am prepared to tell Dimitri everything. Especially as he thinks I may have someone back home.

As our meals arrive, I’m about to tell him my story, when I see the expression on Dimitri’s face change. I follow his gaze to the woman with the tumbling hair who he gave a lift to. His ex, Athena, who is sitting with a group of girls. She blows him a kiss and waves, before striding towards us. She’s stunning, dressed in a short silver dress, with legs that seem to go on forever.

‘Kalispera. Are you having a nice evening?’ she asks Dimitri.

‘Yes, fine. Athena, this is Claudia,’ he says, introducing me.

‘Oh hi, good to meet you. I have heard all about your villa.’ She smiles. ‘Right, I will leave you to enjoy your food.’ She places a perfectly manicured hand on Dimitri’s shoulder. ‘Are we still okay for tomorrow?’ she asks, before she departs.

‘I have already told you, yes,’ he replies, his jaw tightening as she heads back to her table.

‘And you wonder why I have trust issues?’ I say, trying to keep my voice even. ‘Here you are, dining with me and making plans with your ex for tomorrow?’

He sits quietly for what feels like an age and I sigh in frustration, my appetite having completely deserted me.