Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
G race was outside, waiting on the pavement opposite the language school, at five to eight in the morning. The streets were quiet, and she could see all the way up the coast road. There wasn’t a car in sight. Will was going to be late picking her up for their hike. Her eyes followed a black dot that was making its way down the hill at speed. As it got nearer, Grace realised that it was a motorbike. And a big one at that. She’d guess a Harley Davidson. Her father had been a motorbike fanatic and had made Grace and her sister experts at identifying bikes in the street, sometimes by sound alone. Neither of them had ever wanted to own one, to his obvious frustration.
The bike turned left along the port road. Will was definitely not going to make it on time. The machine came to a halt a few feet from where she was standing, and the helmeted driver got off and waved.
No, please no. He had to be joking.
Will took off his helmet and beckoned her over.
Grace was too shocked to speak. She’d envisaged a scenic car journey to the other end of the island. She hadn’t been on a bike for probably thirty years. The memory of holding on tight to her dear dad as he navigated the Oxfordshire roads on his Triumph flashed into her mind. He’d taken her out for a spin most Sundays when she was growing up. Her sister had hated the whole thing, and her mum flatly refused to go. It had been her special time with her dad.
Will had his smirk on.
‘Surprised?’
‘You could say that.’
‘No need for a car here if you can ride a bike. And nowhere to park it anyway.’
‘It would have been nice to get a little warning.’
‘Ah, that would have spoilt the surprise.’
Grace pointed at her shorts and T-shirt.
‘But I might have worn something different.’
Will’s eyes travelled the length of her body, down to her shoes. It was like being in an airport scanner. She wasn’t asking him for a weapons assessment.
‘No, you’re fine.’
He opened one of the saddlebags and tossed her a helmet.
‘Catch!’
At least he was wearing a helmet and had one for her too. From what she’d seen, a large majority of Greeks didn’t bother with helmets, especially in towns. They also managed to talk on their phones, drink coffee, carry small dogs and huge bags of shopping and balance children on their laps while riding.
‘Thanks.’
Will put his hand on the leather seat. She swore he gave it a little stroke.
‘So, before we set off, I’d better give you a few basics about what to do and what not to do on the bike. The most important thing is that you lean the same way as me round corners.’
Grace snapped on her helmet and climbed aboard the machine with ease.
‘No need. I was brought up around bikes.’
Will’s face was a picture.
* * *
She clung on tight as they climbed back through the town. Thankfully, Will had given her plenty of solid muscle to hold onto. Privately, she’d been concerned that she might be a bit rusty on bike etiquette, but her muscle memory kicked in in seconds. It literally was like riding a bike.
Perhaps a change of scene would stop her worrying about the meeting with Giannis the following morning. Lying in bed last night, she’d realised that she wasn’t ready to go home. Even if she was sacked, but decided to stay on for a holiday, it would be virtually impossible, and incredibly expensive, to secure any accommodation on the island in August. But she was racing ahead again.
The town dropped away as Will eased back on the throttle and the houses became more and more spaced out. She’d read that very few people lived in the north of the island, just a few farmers and the odd taverna owner. The land was rocky, and the road just a dirt track in places. As they wound up and down the hills, the slower pace let Grace take in the ancient stone terraces cut into the rock, which fell in layers to sea level.
The sheer isolation of the place gave it the feel of a lunar landscape. Grace wasn’t sure she’d venture out here on her own. She held onto Will a little tighter.
The bike pulled up at a spot at the very tip of the island and they dismounted. Grace knew she’d ache like hell later, but she’d enjoyed it far more than she’d let on to Will. There was a small white building ahead and space for a few cars. Will pointed in the direction of what Grace could now see was a taverna.
‘Fabulous place to go in the winter for people brave enough to make it out here. They have a fireplace with a big roaring fire and the most amazing roast pork.’
A part of her was sad that she’d never get to see that.
Will stowed their helmets and pulled a rucksack onto his back.
‘Ready?’
‘I’m always ready.’
He turned away, but not before Grace saw the smile. What was it about him that made everything she said sound like it came straight from a Carry On film script?
Will strode off towards the headland.
‘We can see the whole way round the island from here. The views are amazing.’
Grace didn’t want a geography lecture, but her thoughts were silenced by the beauty of her surroundings. She turned a full circle where she stood and took in the promontory running down to the sea, the secluded beaches that you could only get to by boat, and the other islands way off in the distance. The morning sun splintered into a million pieces on the sea as she breathed in the smell of wild garlic.
‘We’ll take that path’—Will pointed to his left—‘and walk for a couple of hours before finding somewhere for our elevenses. It’s single file most of the way as the path’s so narrow. Does that sound OK?’
She wasn’t sure anyone under the age of forty would use the word elevenses.
‘Perfectly manageable.’
An hour into the walk, the urgent need to pee made her drop behind a little. Maybe she could just duck out for a moment and then catch up with him. She didn’t want to make it obvious. Just as she prepared to nip off the path, he turned back.
‘Everything OK back there?’
Grace indicated with her head towards the bushes.
‘Just need to…’
‘Why didn’t you say? Thought you’d slackened the pace.’
Slackened the pace? As far as she knew they weren’t on some army manoeuvre. Maybe she’d missed the memo.
Grace pushed back some branches and went as far away from Will as she could. She found a little clearing which seemed ideal. She was just pulling up her pants when the sound of something crashing through the bushes made her leap out of her skin.
She couldn’t stop her enormous scream.
Seconds later Will appeared. Grace’s shorts were still round her ankles. Rushing to pull them up, she managed to overbalance and stagger sideways into a tree.
Will turned his back to let her finish dressing.
‘Are you all right?’
‘Yes, I’m fine. I heard a strange noise.’
Grace stepped back into the light and spotted a wild goat rubbing his horns against the bark of a nearby tree.
‘Look. It must have been him.’
Will took his rucksack off.
‘You look a little hot. Do you want some water?’
If she caught even a hint of a smile from him, she’d lose it. Of course she was bloody hot. He’d missed seeing her with her pants down by a microsecond.
She took the water, downed half of it and gave it back to him.
‘Thanks.’
‘Thirsty?’
‘Mmmm.’
The next section of the walk was completed in silence. Will took her down a steep path that led to a tiny, deserted beach.
‘This all right for you as a picnic spot?’
‘Looks lovely.’
She didn’t have to pretend. It was absolutely gorgeous. Framed by black rocks, the beach was full of sand lilies, delicate white flowers that grew in clumps, and the azure sea stretched out beyond the sand as far as the eye could see.
Will even had some sort of lightweight blanket in his rucksack for them to sit on.
‘Are you always this prepared?’
‘You know what they say, fail to prepare, prepare to fail.’
Grace did a mock vomit.
‘Did they teach you that in the army?’
Will smiled.
‘Amongst other things.’
A variety of little bags appeared out of the rucksack, along with a carton of pieces of tomato, avocado, cucumber and carrot.
‘My, you have been busy.’
‘I’m not pretending I made the pies myself. There’s a very good bakery on the way to the port.’
Will tore open the bags.
‘We have traditional spinach and feta, cheese and ham, cheese on its own, chicken, and for the adventurous, nettle pie. I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got a selection.’
‘Oh, I’ll eat anything…’
Will raised his eyebrows.
Now she was making herself sound like a dog who scavenged round the bins. This man really did have a strange effect on her.
‘Thank you for organising everything. This looks lovely.’
‘There’s water to go with it, or coffee in a flask, plus some ripe peaches to follow.’
They ate in a companionable silence for a while, staring at the sea. Will spoke again first.
‘Just to let you know, we won’t be able to do this again next weekend. Much as I’d prefer to be out and about, I’ve got to accompany the family to their holiday home in Antiparos for ten days and get them settled in. I leave tomorrow.’
‘That suits me as well, as I’m actually going to be in Athens next weekend… with a work colleague.’
Grace was pleased that Will wasn’t top trumping her. She had places to go and people to see, too. Somewhat sadly for all concerned, she wasn’t off for a fun few days in the capital; rather, she was accompanying a young woman to an abortion clinic. But he didn’t need to know that.
‘Oh, right.’ A frown appeared on Will’s face.
She’d said work colleague. He didn’t think it was Thanassis she was going with, did he? Although it was none of his business, it was important to her that he didn’t think she’d planned a weekend away with the man after finding out he was married.
‘It’s one of the young female teachers. She’s going over for a hospital appointment, and asked me if I’d like to come, as I’ve never seen Athens.’
It was mostly true.
‘Enjoy it, then. Athens is one of the loveliest capital cities in the world. I’ll be back in the middle of the following week, and then I’m officially on holiday for a couple of weeks myself, while my deputy takes over.’
‘Nice.’
She’d be working until the end of August, giving one-to-one lessons with regular clients in their homes, plus teaching Elena and Giannis’s children. That was the current plan anyway.
‘I’m having a party when I get back. My actual birthday’s while I’m away, but as I’ll be working, I’m throwing a moon-themed extravaganza the following Saturday. Obviously, you’re invited.’
Grace didn’t even know if she’d still be here by then. She’d managed to put off thinking about the summons to the boss’s office for a few hours, but each minute brought it nearer.
‘What’s up? Parties not your thing?’
Will had obviously clocked her face.
‘It’s not that… I’ve got a meeting with one of my bosses in the morning, and I’m really not sure if I’m still going to have a job by next Saturday, or even be on the island.’
Will started to pack away the picnic.
‘Is this to do with what you told me before?’ He gave her a hard stare. ‘Except it wasn’t just anyone we were talking about, was it? It was your boss and his wife, wasn’t it?’
Grace nodded.
‘And you went ahead and told one of them, presumably the wife, whatever it was, and now the husband’s gone ballistic.’
Grace nodded again.
‘Well, I did warn you not to get involved…’
‘That’s all very well in theory. But he’s behaved appallingly.’
She had to get Will to understand why she’d done it.
‘This is in confidence, but he’s been sleeping with one of the young teachers. I saw him slip out of her room in the early hours. And his wife’s convinced herself she’s going mad because he’s denying it. Plus, it’s not the first time he’s done it.’
‘And now, as I predicted, you’ve been caught in the crossfire.’
‘But I had to tell her.’
‘I’m sorry but no, you didn’t. It was obvious she’d tell her husband straightaway. You’ve put your job at risk and made an enemy.’
His attitude got right under her skin.
‘So, I was just supposed to forget about it? Let the woman go insane?’
He just didn’t get it.
‘Look, for what it’s worth, he sounds like a complete shit, and believe me, he’ll carry on doing it. Once a shagger, always a shagger. I’ve met enough of them, guys who think it’s just a bit of fun and to hell with the consequences for everyone else.’
‘But doesn’t his wife have the right to know what he’s up to?’
‘Still no.’ Will had his serious face on. ‘Do you actually want my opinion, or do you just want me to agree with what you’ve done, Grace? Those are two very different things. I’ll say it one last time, I don’t think you should have got involved.’
It was developing into their first row. But she wasn’t going to sit there and listen to any more of his highhanded disapproval.
‘Fine. You’ve made your point. Let’s go.’
The walk back was completed in silence. Grace contented herself with making rude gestures with her fingers out of his line of sight. They were perhaps ten minutes from the bike when Grace heard what she thought was a feeble cry.
She stopped still and waited. There it was again. A tiny noise somewhere off to her right. She attempted to follow the sound. Steps behind her told her Will had noticed she’d veered off without permission.
‘What it is? Too much coffee?’
‘No. It most certainly is not.’
She wasn’t going to forgive him for his earlier comments easily.
‘What then?’
‘Listen…’
Will did an impression of someone listening by holding his ear on one side, which made Grace look away, but then he started to run in the direction of the sound.
‘It’s definitely an animal in pain.’
Grace struggled to keep up with him, but they didn’t need to go far. Up against a rock just off the path was an open sack. The sound was coming from within.
Will put his hand inside and pulled out a ball of fur. It was a tiny tabby kitten. He put it carefully on the ground, but Grace could tell there was no hope. Its little body just lay there.
Will shook his head and reached in again. He brought out another one, but it was the same story. It was a little black one this time. Grace forced herself not to cry.
The pitiful meow came again. Will reached in with the utmost care and pulled out a grey kitten, its fur standing on end. It was barely alive, but it was still making a noise. It looked tiny in Will’s large hand, like a toy.
‘Quick, can you get the blanket out of my rucksack and the water, please.’
Grace snapped out of her frozen state and unzipped the bag. She poured some water into the lid of the bottle, and Will held the kitten’s head over the water so it could reach. It seemed to understand what to do and lapped at the liquid with a tiny pink tongue. Will smiled.
‘That’s it, well done, little one.’
Will passed his bundle to Grace. ‘The poor thing’s totally dehydrated.’ He bent down to pick up the blanket. ‘Here, wrap this around it, and keep getting it to drink the water.’
Grace coddled the tiny scrap, while Will double-checked there was nothing else in the sack.
He carefully put the two dead kittens back inside, tied it up and hid the package under a bush.
‘There’s nothing we can do for them, but this little one has a chance. We need to get to a vet as soon as possible. I know someone who can help.’
Their squabble was forgotten just like that. The kitten needed them and they worked together as a team, without words. Grace got as much water into the cat as possible and kept it warm, while Will rang his contact to inform them they were on their way.
‘You’re going to have to hold onto me on the bike one-armed? Is that OK?’
Grace nodded and took off her cap to shield the kitten from the sun on the walk back.
Her rides with her dad proved their worth as her sense of balance kicked in and she was able to keep the kitten stable. It was still making the odd noise, thank goodness. When they reached the vet, Will took the kitten from her so she could get off the bike, and then handed the little bundle back. He seemed to understand she couldn’t let it go.
‘Will!’
A petite woman in a white coat rushed out and embraced him fully for several seconds, planting kisses on both cheeks. It seemed a little more intimate than the usual vet-and-client greeting, but maybe it was a Greek thing.
‘Angeliki. You’ve got to help us.’
The woman gave Grace a cursory look and took the kitten out of her arms.
‘Follow me.’
They were whisked into the surgery. Angeliki went through a door and indicated for them to take a seat outside.
‘Wait here. I’ll do an assessment and be back out.’
Will reached down and gave Grace’s hand a squeeze.
‘I think this little one has got a chance. He or she is obviously a fighter.’
Grace gulped back the tears.
‘But why would anyone do that? Leave a bag of kittens to die out in the middle of nowhere.’
Will shrugged.
‘All the islands have a problem with too many cats. It’s cruel, but not everyone loves them. The feral cats are often diseased. And it costs money to have them put down, so sadly this isn’t uncommon.’
Grace couldn’t bring herself to speak. She’d lost her own cat, Clooney, in the spring, one of the reasons that pushed her to apply for the job in Greece. The big ginger tom had been the last tie to the house where Phil had spent his final years. They’d downsized to the tiny cottage when both girls finally left home, and Clooney had had a fabulous time in his later years, roaming the nearby fields catching mice that he liked to bring home to show them. He’d died in his sleep one night at the age of nineteen, and she’d found him, stiff and cold, in the morning. Those poor little kittens on the ground had had no chance at any kind of life. She didn’t think she could bear it if the grey kitten didn’t make it either.
‘But there is progress.’
Grace tried to focus on what Will was saying. He was in his default position, fact mode.
‘A group of vets, including Angeliki, have banded together to sterilise as many cats as possible on the island. People pay what they can, and many cats are sterilised for free because of donations from others.’
Grace knew Will was just talking to keep her mind off what was going on in the other room.
‘When a cat is sterilised, the vets cut a little triangle in its ear to show it’s been done. You might have seen that and wondered if the cat had been in a fight.’
Grace had in fact wondered that very thing, but she wasn’t going to admit it.
Will was still working hard to distract her.
‘You do realise, that if this cat survives, we’re going to have to name it after one of Will and Grace’s best friends? It will be either a Jack or a Karen.’
He had managed to make her smile.
Angeliki bursting through the door made them both stand up.
‘OK, she’s very weak, and she’ll have to stay with me for a couple of weeks, as she was really too young to leave her mother, but… I think she’ll make it. Keep in touch, and we’ll talk about the next steps.’
Will enveloped Grace in a tight hug, before thanking Angeliki profusely.
‘That’s wonderful. Of course, I’ll cover any costs.’
Grace could hardly see through her tears of relief.
‘Karen it is then.’