Epilogue
Six Months Later
Sofia took her seat at the table reserved for three and made sure the bottles of alcohol she’d requested were chilling in their buckets of ice.
The stunning view outside the restaurant’s wall of windows was of London decked out in all its finery to celebrate the upcoming festive season. The lights and baubles on the trees and shop fronts below twinkled in the pin-sharp winter sun.
Not surprisingly, she’d arrived first, but then she’d only had to walk down a flight of stairs after her successful meeting on the top floor, rather than travel down from the north by train, like Maddie, or drive from Surrey, like Charlotte.
She’d just agreed a deal to franchise a range of exclusive shoes and bags for the hotel, one of many deals she’d struck over the past few months, travelling all over Greece from big cities to tiny islands.
Today’s negotiation in her former hometown was the last piece of the jigsaw for the new season collection.
The food she’d ordered to celebrate with her friends was waiting under covered platters on the table. The chef had been a bit taken aback at first, given the restaurant’s reputation for fine dining, but Sofia had insisted. And she’d paid them handsomely for the privilege.
Maddie and Charlotte arrived together, in a flurry of kisses and cold cheeks. The group hug was long and full of feeling, which threatened to spill over into tears before they’d even spoken.
‘Sit, sit!’
Sofia indicated that the other two should take the seats in the window, the ones with the best view.
‘It’s so lovely to see you both. We’ve got so much to catch up on.’
They’d spoken on the phone numerous times, but it was the first occasion Sofia had managed to meet up with her friends in person since they’d waved goodbye to each other in Greece.
‘Wow. Look at that.’
Maddie pointed out St Paul’s Cathedral in the distance and turned back to Sofia with a frown.
‘Why are you giving us the best seats in the house? You haven’t gone off him already, have you? Poor sod. Surely you haven’t left the man stranded in the middle of the Aegean?’
‘No!’ Sofia sighed. ‘Of course I haven’t gone off Adonis. He’s the love of my life, something you both knew way before I did.’
They both nodded and looked a little too smug for her liking.
‘Good.’
Charlotte went to lift the covers off the food.
‘What’s this?’
‘Wait a minute, Miss Nosey. It’s a little thank you to you two for nudging me in the right direction. Are you hungry?’
‘Starving.’ Maddie rubbed her stomach.
‘Nothing changes.’
Maddie laughed.
‘I’d say a hell of a lot has changed since the holiday.’ She took Charlotte’s hand and squeezed it. ‘This one has been on a painting residence in California for three months, whatever that is, and you live on a Greek island now…’
Charlotte squeezed back her friend’s hand and smiled.
‘And you, Mads, are reunited with the family you thought you’d lost.’
Maddie grabbed her phone.
‘Elsie’s walking! She took her first steps yesterday, and I was there. Look!’
After cooing for ages over Maddie’s cute granddaughter, Sofia turned back to Charlotte.
‘The gallery looked amazing, Char. On the beach at Carmel, wasn’t it?’
‘Yes. It was lovely. But I have to be honest, not quite as lovely as Greece though.’
‘Aw, I’m pleased. The paintings you produced were absolutely stunning. You know I’ve bought one for the hotel, don’t you? It should arrive next week.’
‘I do, you naughty thing.’
Maddie snorted.
‘I don’t have the money to be “naughty”, but I did buy the set of postcards off the website.’
Charlotte smiled at her friend.
‘That means just as much, honestly.’
She reached for both her friends’ hands.
‘I’ve really missed you two, especially after our special summer holiday. As you know, the house sale’s gone through, and the divorce is nearly done and dusted. Strangely, I’m getting on better with Doug now than I have for years.’
Charlotte held up a hand.
‘And before you say it, Sof, I know there’s no going back, and I’m happy about it.
I’ve got news too. I told you I’d spotted a quirky two-bed coach house by the river, a couple of miles away from my old home.
Well … the owner accepted my offer yesterday, so you’re both welcome to come and stay as soon as it’s through. ’
Maddie reached for the ice bucket.
‘Dying of thirst here. Aren’t we allowed to celebrate that? Char owning her own home for the first time ever?’
‘Of course, we are…’ Sofia pulled the serviettes from the ice bucket and removed the covers from the platters.
Bottles of ice-cold Mythos, drops of moisture glistening on the green glass, were accompanied by the traditional frozen glasses, and the food was revealed as a whole host of meze, everything from warm spanakópita and calamari to taramasaláta, dolmádes, tzatzíki, a big Greek salad, bread and olives.
‘Surprise!’
Maddie reached for a piece of spanakópita.
‘Yum. Let’s get stuck in.’
Sofia pushed back her chair and stood up.
‘Can you please let me do a toast first?’
Maddie smiled and dropped the slice of pie back on her plate.
‘I suppose so. But hurry up.’
‘Grab a bottle each, girls.’
Maddie and Charlotte rose as one.
‘I just want to thank both of you for helping me to see that what I wanted, and needed, was right under my nose. Adonis has made me so happy, and I love living on the island with him, and his crazy family, who are getting a little bit more used to me, thank God. Even his mother’s softened a bit and actually smiles at me now and again. Oh yes, and I love my new job.’
Sofia lifted her bottle towards her friends.
‘Here’s to more island hopping for us. Next summer’s a definite. And every summer after that.’
Maddie punched the air.
‘Amen to that!’
The three of them clinked glass on glass.
‘Yamas!’
Sofia took a large gulp and raised the bottle again, glancing between her friends, as all three of them broke into a smile.
‘All for one…’
‘And one for all!’
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