Chapter 14
CAVO BARBARO, AVLAKI BEACH
Dimitria let out a guttural moan worthy of an OnlyFans subscriber.
Except her ecstatic sounds were about the food at this beautiful taverna rather than pleasure of another kind.
However, Faye’s boss’s noises were drawing a few looks from other customers, particularly the ones with children who were bored with climbing the plane tree and had been forced to sit still.
‘Dimitria—’
‘Ugh, Faye, I know what you are going to say. “People are staring, Dimitria.” “You are enjoying your food too loudly.” And I will say what I always say. I do not care! Let them look! Let them judge! Let them do everything quietly, with no passion!’
Faye eyed the table of four nearest to them cautiously pasting taramasalata on their bread. That’s how she had been, with Matthew. Quiet. Controlled. A little bit dead inside.
‘Have some of this heavenly squid… and this beetroot salad and—’
‘I told you, I had a big lunch today,’ Faye reminded.
‘At Kerasia. I know.’
And Faye also knew she hadn’t elaborated on where she had been, which meant…
‘Riding on the back of a motorbike,’ Dimitria said. ‘As I prescribed. Like a doctor of love.’
‘Stop it,’ Faye said, and then… ‘So, who told you?’
Dimitria laughed, another thing she did loudly. ‘Who didn’t? Marietta was minding everyone else’s business outside the villa she was cleaning, Giorgos passed you in his truck and Fani saw when you left the hotel.’
Faye shook her head. ‘Well, you told me to be nice to him.’
‘And, my dear, how nice were you to him, hmm?’ Dimitria asked with a wry grin.
‘Dimitria!’ Then Faye lowered her voice. ‘He’s young enough to be my son!’
‘He’s twenty-five.’
‘And I’m forty!’
Dimitria waved the hand that was clutching her fork. ‘So, being a leopard is popular these days.’
‘You mean… cougar,’ Faye said quietly.
‘I mean that some numbers are supposed to go together no matter what they add up to.’
‘You’re making it sound like relationship bingo.’
‘I think something more exciting,’ Dimitria said, eyes shining with devilment. ‘Maybe Greek roulette. The same as Russian roulette but the only thing loaded is—’
‘Here!’ Faye interrupted quickly. ‘Have some more tzatziki.’
Dimitria laughed and took the offered platter. ‘I believe you are blushing.’
‘I believe that you ought to direct your sudden need to matchmake somewhere else.’
‘OK,’ she answered. ‘So, I do have another dating candidate for you.’
‘Dimitria, I said that—’
‘Hear me out. His name is Alexandros. He’s moved here from Thessaloniki. He’s just started working at the new estate agency in Dassia. He’s forty-five. Divorced. No children. Likes to work out…’
‘Why am I even listening to this? I don’t want a relationship, and how do you know so much about this Alexandros? It’s like you’re reading plus-points from a property description off an estate agency website. Does he have sea views and parking?’
‘The view is nice. I have seen him. As for his skills in “parking”, I think that should be for you to determine. Anyway, we are meeting him tomorrow.’
‘What!’ Faye exclaimed loudly.
‘Now who is being noisy? People are trying to have a relaxed dinner.’
‘But why are we meeting him?’
‘Well, you know I have my property in Agios Panteleimon that I rent out. I am thinking that perhaps I should sell.’
Faye swallowed. The property Dimitria had up the mountain in Agios Panteleimon had been the home she had shared with her husband, Spiros.
Since his death some fifteen years ago Dimitria had never been able to live there but, also, she hadn’t had the strength to let it go.
Faye knew the only reason Dimitria hadn’t suggested that she move into that one when she arrived back divorced and homeless was because Dimitria wouldn’t ever visit.
‘Really?’ Faye asked.
‘Well, what am I keeping it for? Yes, it provides a small income, but it always needs repairs and I have to pay somebody to do those and I never visit myself so maybe it is time for some changes.’
Faye reached for her friend’s hand and placed hers over it.
Dimitria and Spiros had been so in love.
It had shone from each of them and that magnetic energy had been contagious when you were in their company.
That was the kind of love books were written about.
The kind of love everyone deserved to experience at least once in their life.
‘Do not be nice to me,’ Dimitria ordered. ‘If I put tears all over this food I will be angry, not sad. Anyway, my current tenants are annoying. They have three dogs now and the new one I know is chewing everything because Maria sends me very detailed text messages even when I ask her not to.’
‘So you are going to ask this Alexandros to sell it for you,’ Faye assumed.
‘Perhaps I could ask you to go through the details with him? Maybe over a cocktail at Limani?’ Dimitria winked.
Faye’s phone beeped loudly and the screen lit up. Matthew. It beeped again. A second text. He never sent more than one text unless he really needed a reply. Was there something wrong with Saffron? Her fingers were inching towards the device…
‘It’s like the narcissist can hear us talking from across the miles,’ Dimitria said savagely. ‘Are you going to jump to reply to him? Do I need to remind you that you’re divorced and your duty ended a long time ago?’
‘I know,’ Faye said. ‘But we have always tried to keep things amicable for Saffron’s sake and it could be about her.’
‘Oh, I have no doubt,’ Dimitria stated, sipping at her dry white wine. ‘The first message will be something insignificant about Saffron and then the second message will be what he really wants.’
It irked Faye a little bit that Dimitria thought she didn’t know that already. But each and every time she felt she had to check in case it really was an emergency about Saffron.
‘If it was an emergency,’ Dimitria said, like she had mind-reading capabilities, ‘he would have called. Not messaged.’
Faye looked at her phone on the table. No call. No new notifications coming through. It couldn’t be that urgent. Could she not read it? At least for a while…
‘Meet Alexandros with me tomorrow,’ Dimitria said. ‘Make sure he understands that the house is… special to me. That although I want to sell it, I would like to make sure it went to the right people.’
Dimitria’s tone pulled at Faye’s heartstrings, and she reached again for her friend’s hand instead of her phone. ‘If you really want me to, I will.’
‘I really want you to,’ Dimitria said, nodding.
‘Then that’s settled.’