Chapter 24
‘Thank you again, Dimitri, for a lovely day yesterday.’
It’s late afternoon, and I stifle a yawn as I have been awake since very early this morning, just as the sun rose.
‘It was my pleasure. Remember the bathroom arrives on Thursday, and we will start work right away.’
‘Do you do the plumbing?’
‘No, Yiannis is the plumber, unfortunately, but I can have everything ready.’
‘Surely he isn’t ready to return to work?’
I recall him doing a little work the other day, but plumbing requires a lot of bending and crouching sometimes in awkward places.
‘He will do what he can, but do not worry, my father who has plumbing skills is going to help too. Yiannis knows he must take things easy.’
‘If he’s sure, that would be a great help.’
‘He is. Even though my father is enjoying his retirement, I think maybe my mother wants to get him out of the house a little more, from under her feet. Although he does help his friend on his boat.’
‘What does he do usually with his day?’
‘He goes to the bar, plays dominoes with his friends, does a little walking in the hills. Sometimes a little fishing. In fact, he does what a lot of people do around here when the tourist season ends. Including myself when I am not working. Apart from playing dominoes, that is.’ He pulls a face.
I must admit I have never really seen the appeal in that myself, but I guess it’s a way of connecting the people to each other in the village, especially the older people.
‘Well, I am grateful for the help. I hope he isn’t letting his friend down on the boats.’
‘It’s fine, he will disappear when things get really busy though, like the rest of us.’
I notice him smiling as he takes a piece of kitchen roll and steps towards me.
‘May I? You have a little something on your cheek.’
He stands so close, I feel lightheaded and I try to ignore the bolt of electricity that shoots through me as he gently wipes something from my cheek. He remains close, looking into my eyes, and I am sure he is going to kiss me, when I lose my nerve and break away.
‘Gosh thanks, was it chalk? I don’t want to be walking around with that on my face,’ I manage to mutter.
‘Yes, it was,’ he says, which makes sense, as I had a piece of chalk behind my ear earlier, marking up some spaces on a wall.
I make my way to the garden, wondering what might have been had I not broken away, as Dimitri picks up some tools, and continues his work.
By Thursday every room in the house has been sanded and painted, brushed and cleaned, and now the new bathroom suite has arrived.
‘Are you carrying on with the work?’ I ask as Dimitri looks a little tired.
‘Yes, my father will be here soon to help.’
Just ten minutes later his father arrives, and Dimitri introduces us.
‘Claudia, this is my father, Eric.’
I’m shocked to be standing in front of the silver fox I met the other day in the bar.
‘Kalispera, we meet again,’ says Eric as he shakes my hand.
‘You two have met?’ asks Dimitri in surprise.
‘Yes, at the bar last week.’ He talks to Dimitri in Greek, and I can’t help noticing that he looks a little embarrassed, as his father laughs.
‘What did he say to you?’ I ask him later.
‘Just that I am lucky to be working alongside a beautiful woman, and have I asked you out yet,’ he reveals.
‘Well, we have already been out to Corfu together,’ I remind him.
‘True, although not really a date.’ He touches me lightly on the arm, and annoyingly, there go those fireworks again. ‘I told him, I don’t mix business with pleasure,’ he says, and I feel an irrational stab of disappointment. As well as confusion. I could have sworn he was going to kiss me the other day, when he removed the smudge of chalk from my cheek, but perhaps that is only in my imagination.
I busy myself with clearing up after the workers, and providing cold drinks and a healthy slab of orange cake I purchased from Thea’s earlier, although this time it was on the house, and she sent her best wishes to Dimitri and his father.
‘I did not realise it was your house my son is working on,’ says Eric as he munches on a small slice of cake, saying his wife will kill him if he does not eat all of his evening meal. ‘Although he did mention it was a house in the village. I thought you were here on holiday.’
‘Well, I am staying in the holiday apartment. Sorry, maybe I am a bit cautious about telling people about my half-renovated villa.’
‘I understand.’ He smiles, and when he does I can see the resemblance to his son.
‘I can’t thank you enough for helping. I head home the day after tomorrow. I will feel so much better knowing all the major work is completed.’
A short while later, I head up to check on progress, when I hear raised voices. Upstairs, Yiannis is throwing his arms up and shaking his head at Eric, who retaliates in an even louder voice, both speaking quickly in Greek.
‘What’s going on? Is everything okay?’ I ask, popping my head around the door.
‘I am not sure this was such a good idea,’ says Dimitri, clearly stuck in the middle. ‘Yiannis thinks the next job is the wall boards, the bath later. My father wants to get all the plumbing done first.’
‘Which makes perfect sense. It’s a free-standing bath, the walls can wait, surely the plumbing must be a priority.’
‘I agree. Maybe you will be happy to say that. It is your house after all.’
‘Coward.’ I laugh before telling the men my thoughts. Yiannis shrugs and I notice a smile curling around Eric’s mouth.
Later that night, I have a bath and sink fitted, as both men remarkably seemed to work together well, after some initial differences of opinion. I had to stifle laughter when I spotted Eric pulling a face and shaking his head behind Yiannis’ back several times, and vice versa.
The men disappeared just after nine o’clock, and I’m not too far behind them.
That evening, I’m sitting in my rental apartment, sipping a large glass of white wine on my balcony and I find myself wondering what Dimitri is up to this evening. He never mentioned anything earlier and behaved in a perfectly businesslike way, before wishing me goodnight and saying he would see me tomorrow morning. He seemed keen to let me know that he doesn’t mix business with pleasure, despite sharing what I perceive to have been some intimate moments. But then, I am the one that seems to run away from them in an attempt to protect myself from being hurt.
I’m watching the sunset when I receive a text from Josh, asking if I am free to chat if he gives me a call. And I tell him yes, immediately.
‘Hi, sis.’ Josh sounds upbeat. ‘So how’s it all going with the house?’
‘Much better now. Better than I could have hoped for, even.’
I fill him in on the little dramas, including the burst water pipe. I leave out the bit about me falling for the builder.
‘But we seem to have a little more manpower now, courtesy of Dimitri’s dad, who is a retired builder and has agreed to help out.’
‘That’s handy, him being in the trade.’
‘I know. You sound happy, Josh, at least a lot happier than the last time we spoke.’
‘I am. I’ve been painting a bit. Actually, I was wondering what you thought about this.’
He produces a striking watercolour in front of the screen, and I gasp at its beauty. It’s a painting of a forest glade, the lighting so haunting it gives it an almost ethereal look.
‘You really did that? It’s gorgeous, Josh, really good.’
‘Do you think so? Zoe said it was, and so did George.’ He laughs. ‘But I wanted to ask you. I’m right in thinking you will give me an honest opinion?’
‘You know I would.’
‘That’s good, especially as I am going to pitch it to a local gallery. I’ve noticed some stuff in there selling for hundreds of pounds, and well, without sounding big-headed, I think some of my work is every bit as good.’
‘Of course it is, it’s fantastic! They would be mad not to want that. Oh, Josh, I’m thrilled for you, I really am.’
‘Thanks, sis. Oh and me and Zoe have been having a bit of a chat, you know, about us. We went for a picnic last week in the Peak District, and stayed overnight. It’s done us both the world of good, and got us thinking about something, but I’ll tell you more about that when I see you.’
‘Oh, please don’t leave me in suspense,’ I say.
‘Okay. Well, it’s nothing major, we’re just thinking about a house move, somewhere closer to some forest or a beach, maybe something with a bigger garden for George.’
‘That sounds like a great idea. I’m sure George would love that too.’
It makes me think of Phoebe’s granddaughter who lives in a village and cannot really afford to move closer to the sea, but I have an idea about that.
I feel happy for Josh when we finish our chat, and really hope he and Zoe can work out any differences they have had. I think back to Zoe in the early days of her relationship with Josh, and she was like a different person then, so much more carefree, and she definitely laughed more. Perhaps they have just been sucked into a world that, deep down, they never truly desired. I hope they realise that before it’s too late.
I’m just out of the shower and in my pjs around ten thirty, when I receive a text from Dimitri.
Still in the bar if you fancy a nightcap?
The temptation to get dressed and join him is almost too hard to resist. But then, what would that look like at this hour. Would he be expecting an invite inside afterwards? I remind myself once more of his comment about not mixing business with pleasure.
Thanks so much but I’m in bed and almost nodding off. See you in the morning.
Of course. Kalinychta. X
I try not read too much into the kiss at the end of the text, even though it is the first time he has ended a message that way. Maybe he has just had one beer too many.
I toss and turn for hours then, wishing maybe I had gone to the bar, strictly for a nightcap that might have sent me off to sleep. I try my mind healthy app on my phone then, and eventually drift off listening to the sound of whales in the ocean.