Chapter Nineteen
When they got back from their walk on Monday morning, Bea reluctantly sat down at the kitchen table and opened her laptop.
“You take your time. Do what you need to do,” said Blane. “I can water the plants if you want me to.”
She stared at him for a moment until his eyebrows drew together.
“I can leave them alone if you don’t want me to.”
She let out a short laugh. “That’s not what I was thinking. I love that you want to do it. I don’t even mind being honest that I want to do it myself.” She glanced at the laptop. “I’d much rather water them than do my client work.”
He pursed his lips at that.
“I know, I know. I can give it all up any time I like. I’m building up to it.”
He nodded but didn’t comment.
“Okay, sorry. It doesn’t matter. If you would water them for me, that would be wonderful, please.” He came over and rested his hand on her shoulder, and she covered it with her own. “It won’t take me long to do what I need to. Then perhaps we should go somewhere this afternoon.”
“Anywhere you like. I’m up for it.”
“Is there anywhere you’d like to see? I’ve dragged you around with me taking care of domestic details. I feel as though you’ve missed out on your chance to be a tourist.”
He met her gaze and held it. “And you think I’m here because I want to be a tourist?”
She gave his hand a squeeze. “No, Blane, I don’t. That was a silly thing to say, wasn’t it?”
“I’d never call you silly.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You get to work, darlin’. I’ll go water the plants.”
It turned out that work ate up the rest of the morning. When she checked her email one last time before finally closing the computer, there was a message from the lawyer who had helped her with the house. He had some paperwork for her that he’d rather she collect than send through the post.
She still wasn’t entirely used to Greek bureaucracy and the way it worked, but since his office was in Spili, it would only mean a ten-minute drive, and that might be a good opportunity to get behind the wheel again.
She looked out through the window to where Blane was standing with his hands on his hips, surveying the courtyard. She didn’t think he’d mind.
When she went out to join him, he still had his hands on his hips and a dissatisfied look on his face. “Is something the matter?”
“Just thinking you have a lot of unused space out here.”
She looked around. “I do, but it won’t be unused for too long. Thanks to all the work you’ve been doing clearing space for me, I’ll be able to get to work on the garden in earnest far sooner than I expected.”
He came to her and wrapped his arms around her middle, sliding one hand down over her backside and giving it a squeeze.
She smiled up at him, loving the way he chuckled as he said, “Told you this extra set of hands might come in useful.”
She went up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips. “You did. And at the time, I had no idea just how multitalented those hands would turn out to be.”
He kissed her forehead. “I’ve enjoyed finding out just how many jobs they’re useful for myself.”
Something about the way he said it made disappointment settle heavily in her stomach.
He’d enjoyed using his hands in all kinds of ways around here, but whether it was his choice of words or simply the fact that her mind kept worrying away at the same sore spot, the truth was undeniable.
His hands wouldn’t be here to do any of it for much longer; neither would he.
She pushed the thought away. She could be sad after he’d left. For now, she wanted to make the most of every moment he was here.
“But what were you looking so disgruntled about?”
“Disgruntled?” His eyebrows lifted.
“You know what I mean. When I came out—before I came out, even—you weren’t happy about something.”
“I wasn’t unhappy, darlin’. I was thinking you could use a pool out here, and there’s room for one.”
She looked around and laughed. “I suppose there is, but it never crossed my mind.” She looked up at him. “Oh dear, are you wishing you’d stayed in that ridiculous villa Cash booked for you? You would have had a pool to swim in every day there.”
He scowled at her. “You know better than that. I just thought you’d enjoy having a pool.”
“Well, I suppose I would, but…” She lifted a shoulder.
“I don’t need one. I’m sure it would be lovely to have a pool, but that was never part of the plan.
” She looked up into his eyes. “Now you’ve planted the seed in my mind, I’ll probably think about it sometimes and miss what I’ll never have.
” She swallowed, realizing she wasn’t talking about the pool anymore.
His face—and the rest of him—went completely still. He knew what she meant.
“But anyway.” She summoned a bright smile.
“Do you feel like risking life and limb and coming out on the road with me again? Apparently, my lawyer has some papers for me, and he’d rather I pick them up.
His office is only in Spili. We could stop by and then go for another drive, perhaps head down south. ”
His expression didn’t change for a moment, as though he was taking the time to let go of what they hadn’t been talking about—what they were deliberately not talking about—and catch up with what they were.
After a moment, he nodded. “Sure. Let’s do that.”
When they arrived at her lawyer’s office, he’d apparently taken himself off to lunch. Bea had emailed to say that she was coming, but she supposed there was no reason for him to make himself available just to hand over an envelope. His receptionist could do that just as easily, and she did.
Once they were back in the little SUV, which she was rather enjoying driving, Blane glanced over as she put her handbag in the back.
“You don’t have to open it now?”
“Not immediately, no. I’m sure it’s just one more document that needs to go in the enormous file of pieces of paper that are apparently absolutely crucial when you buy a house here, but as soon as someone has been paid to stamp them, they never matter again.”
He pursed his lips.
She reached for her bag again. “I can get it out and open it if it worries you.”
“No. Damn, Bea, that’s not what I meant. If I was scowling, it was because of the way bureaucracy works. Never did have much time for it.”
“No, exactly. That’s why the letter really doesn’t matter.
Not for now, anyway.” She turned to smile at him.
“And I was thinking, would you mind horribly if we went back to Plakias? I’d love to get some of those little candles we saw in that one shop.
Then, if we drive a little farther along, there’s a lovely little fish taverna down by the water.
Much quieter than the place we went to last time—or I hope it will be. ”
“Sounds good to me. I want to try that sea bream you had. It looked really good.”
She laughed. “So I’m finally converting you to fish and chips, am I?”
He smiled through pursed lips. “I don’t need fries with it. Or even your chips.”
She found she was much more relaxed driving today. Apparently, Blane was right; it didn’t take much getting used to. It just needed doing.
She glanced over at him. He seemed more relaxed today as well, staring thoughtfully out of the window, and her smile faded as she wondered if he was thinking the same thing she was—that she might be absolutely fine driving by herself, but it wouldn’t be the same next week, not when she had to drive without him in the passenger seat.
She patted the steering wheel, then realized with a pang that she wouldn’t be driving this little thing either. As small as Blane kept saying it was, it was more than big enough for what she needed.
Blane let out a huff. “Are you patting it for doing a good job or slapping it for misbehaving?”
She laughed. She hadn’t even realized she was doing it. “Good job. It’s put up with me figuring things out, and it’s very sure-footed when you think about it.”
He narrowed his eyes at her.
“Oh, go on. You have to admit it. It’s a lovely little vehicle, and I’ve grown rather attached to it. I think you have too, even though you’ll never admit it.”
She turned her attention back to the road, but after a few moments he said, “Tell you the truth, I have grown attached to it. It is a good little vehicle.”
She glanced over, and he smiled.
“Might be too small for me. Might be old, dusty and dented, but…”
“But what?”
He was quiet for another moment. “Shit. Your sentimentality must be rubbing off on me.” He reached out and patted the dashboard. “If you think about it, we’ve had some good times in this beat-up little thing. Guess it’s kind of become our car.”
Her eyes prickled so suddenly that for once she was grateful she had to keep them on the road. When she risked a glance at him, he was looking at her. Neither of them said anything. They were getting rather good at that. They both knew the end was coming; neither of them wanted to address it.
~ ~ ~
Blane enjoyed trailing Bea around the little tourist shops in Plakias. She couldn’t remember which one had candles she liked. He knew damn well which one it was, but he didn’t want to spoil her fun as they wandered in and out of the stores along the seafront.
She picked up some thyme-flavored honey in the first one and a couple of tins of olive oil in the second.
When she got deep into a conversation about lace in the next store, he wandered away and left her to it.
It amazed him that enough people bought all these trinkets to keep so many stores in business.
He tended to buy what he needed and leave it at that.
He was heading toward the door, where he could stand and take in the view of the sea while he waited, when a circular display of keychains caught his eye and made him smile.
He hadn’t had his own keys out since he’d been here. Hadn’t needed them. But the little Rosetta Stone Bea had bought him was still attached to them, and he already knew that seeing it when he got back home would be like carrying a piece of this—a piece of her—with him.