Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
K aren the kitten definitely recognised her now, there was no doubt about it. Grace put her hand into the cage and pulled out the kitten, who purred the moment she touched her.
‘You’re getting very attached to her, you know.’ Angeliki’s voice held a slight edge of disapproval. ‘She’s almost at the point where she could be rehomed.’
Grace’s stomach lurched. She knew it was coming, but she couldn’t bear it.
Angeliki put their coffees down on the bench.
‘You can’t take her, obviously, in your situation, so is there anyone you know who could?’
Grace shook her head. Or was there? Will had his own house, and he’d be on holiday for a couple of weeks soon, so he could easily settle her in– and he had a vested interest in Karen’s welfare.
‘Why are you smiling? Have you thought of someone?’
She’d have to find the right time to carry out her cunning plan.
‘Maybe…’
Grace gave the kitten a kiss on the head and put her back in the cage. Her open bag on the floor reminded her that she had something for Angeliki.
‘Here, I’ve got you a present. Some nut loukoumia.’
‘Yummy.’
Angeliki’s eyes shone as she ripped open the packet.
‘Let’s have some now. I can’t wait.’
A woman after her own heart. Grace savoured a piece of the sweet treat and watched Angeliki roll her eyes in ecstasy.
‘This is fantastic. Are you going to Will’s party on Saturday?’
Grace couldn’t quite see the connection between the two things.
‘Yes, are you?’
‘You couldn’t keep me away.’ Angeliki put her hands either side of her own face in an imitation of a waif. ‘I don’t get out much.’
‘You poor little thing. Why don’t we get a cab together? I don’t fancy walking if I’m going to get dressed up. Arriving all hot and sweaty isn’t a great look.’
Angeliki raised her eyebrows. ‘Not if you want to impress.’
‘I’m not looking to impress anyone. It’s just nice to wear something other than shorts and a T-shirt.’
‘Agreed. I like to get out of my white coat now and then too. Let’s liaise on timings. In fact, why don’t you come to mine first and we can get ready together? I’ll send you the address.’
‘I’d like that. I might even buy something new. I’m not sure I’ve got anything suitable for a space party.’
* * *
Grace made her way back down the hill from the vet’s in the direction of the language school and her room. She’d taught one of Rose’s clients earlier in the afternoon for a one-on-one lesson, a chatty Greek businessman called Nick, but her evening was her own.
She debated whether to go for a swim at the cove. Will wasn’t back for a few days, and in many ways she preferred swimming there when he wasn’t around. Knowing that he could appear out of the sea at any moment wearing very little was a bit unsettling. Now she had a solid tan, she’d graduated from the hold-it-all-in swimsuits to the bikinis she’d brought with her.
Grace loved how free the Greek women were on the beach. Everyone wore bikinis, from teenagers to ninety-year-olds, and in all shapes and sizes. She’d worried she might be too intimidated by the perfect bodies on show to ever take her bikinis out of the case, but she’d proved herself wrong. She’d bought a couple of sarongs in town too, printed with sea creatures and coral, and now there was no stopping her. The cove sounded like a good idea, once the heat started to disappear from the day.
A man running in her direction carrying something in his arms caught her attention.
As he got nearer, she realised it was Charlie, and, God, no, Buster.
‘Charlie!’
He didn’t react, just kept running. Grace rushed after him back into the vet’s.
The receptionist tried to stop them going straight in to see Angeliki.
‘Can you and your… son please wait outside.’
Grace didn’t have time to explain.
She pushed open the door. Angeliki held a large rabbit in her arms, but as soon as she saw the dog, she pushed it back into its cage and pointed to the operating table.
‘Put the dog here.’
Charlie’s eyes were blank. Grace pulled at his arms, so that Buster rolled gently onto the table. Angeliki gave the animal’s head a stroke.
‘What’s the dog’s name?’
Grace answered as Charlie was still in a daze.
‘He’s called Buster.’
‘What has happened? Tell me, quickly.’
Charlie stood there, mute.
Grace reached round and held his face in her hands to make him look at her.
‘You must tell her. I don’t know the answer, and she can’t help Buster otherwise.’
Charlie’s eyes filled with tears as he faced the vet.
‘He’s eaten chocolate, tons of chocolate.’
‘What sort of chocolate?’
‘Dark chocolate.’
Grace couldn’t miss Angeliki’s wince. Even she knew that chocolate was bad for dogs. And dark chocolate was really bad.
‘How long ago?’
‘About an hour, I think.’
‘OK, we’ve got to make him sick. It’s his only chance. And we’ve got to do it now.’
At that moment, the dog had a seizure on the table, and Charlie’s howl filled the room, bouncing off the walls and going directly to Grace’s heart.
Angeliki held the little dog down as his legs thrashed around.
‘I need someone to help me. Charlie?’
But the man was frozen to the spot.
‘Grace, it will have to be you. Can you hold his head for me?’
Grace stroked the little dog while Angeliki prepared the equipment. It seemed like only yesterday that Buster had performed his tricks in the classroom for Stelios. He was so full of life and such a trusting little thing. The vet filled a syringe and Grace held onto Buster’s head while Angeliki squirted the liquid down his throat.
‘Grace, fetch the bucket over there. It won’t be long.’
Charlie was bent double on the floor, making a sound that was barely human. Angeliki gave her a thumbs-up as she placed the bucket below the dog’s head.
‘Hold onto his legs now, Grace, and I’ll take his head.’
Minutes later Buster’s whole body convulsed as the first of the chocolate-stained liquid hit the bucket and went all over the floor and both of them.
Again and again the little dog vomited. Grace ran to empty the bucket in the sink and put it back again.
Gradually, the force of the vomiting lessened, and became just a few little dribbles.
Angeliki stroked Buster’s head again and got a weak bark in response.
‘Good boy, well done.’
Grace had to lean in to hear what Angeliki was whispering to her.
‘I think we’re over the worst, but I need to do some checks to make sure.’ She pointed at Charlie on the floor. ‘Can you get him into the waiting area, please, and I’ll be out in a minute.’
Grace tapped Charlie on the shoulder.
‘The vet has to do her checks. We need to wait outside. Come with me.’
Grace held out her hand, and half-pulled Charlie up to a standing position. They were roughly the same height, which made it easier. She’d never be able to pull Will up like that.
Before he allowed her to lead him away, Charlie rushed to his dog’s side and gave him a tender kiss on the head.
‘Hang on in there, buddy. Please, for me.’
Charlie turned to Angeliki with red-rimmed eyes.
‘Is he going to make it?’
‘I hope so. But I need to give him the best possible chance. Please wait outside.’
Grace led Charlie into the waiting room. A couple of people had turned up and gave them both a curious stare. Grace realised she was splattered with brown sick, and she smelt dreadful. Not that it mattered. She knew how much Buster meant to Charlie, and she’d do anything to help.
She was still holding Charlie’s hand. The receptionist beckoned her over.
‘Can you please give me your or your son’s details.’
‘Oh, no, he’s not my son.’
They were the only natural blondes in the vicinity so she could see why the woman had made the assumption. Charlie got up and shuffled to the desk like an old man.
When he sat down again, he grasped her hand.
‘It was terrible, Grace. I only went out for an hour to teach. Sarah is away on a photoshoot in Rome. Usually, one of us is with him. She loves dark chocolate, and she keeps a big stash of it in the cupboard.’
He obviously needed to talk, so Grace just nodded.
‘Buster managed to get up on the worktop from one of the chairs, and get the door open somehow. You know what a pig he is for food.’
Grace did know. He’d wolfed down her slice of spanakopita on the beach in seconds.
‘When I came in, there were wrappers and bits of gold foil everywhere, all over the floor, and Buster…’
Charlie stopped and wiped a hand over his eyes.
‘He was just lying there. I thought he was dead. It was the worst moment of my life.’
It looked like Buster would survive his ordeal, and Grace hoped that nothing worse would happen to Charlie for many, many years. She’d grown extremely fond of the young man in the short time she’d known him. She had daughters, whom she adored, but if one of them had been a boy, she’d have been quite happy if he’d grown up to be like Charlie. It would probably freak the guy out if she said it out loud. Instead, she patted the hand that was still entwined with hers.
‘I think he’s going to make it.’
Charlie smiled for the first time since he’d arrived.
‘Thank you for being here. I know I was a bit useless.’
Grace smiled back. ‘You were a bit.’
‘You know you stink, don’t you?’
‘Thanks.’
Angeliki emerged from the back room and Grace leapt to her feet at the same time as Charlie.
‘We’re not out of the woods yet. But I’m hopeful Buster will make a full recovery. I need to keep him in overnight, and he must eat plenty of activated charcoal to soak up any remaining toxins. Prompt action on your part has saved his life this time, but please lock your chocolate away in future.’
The vet had barely finished her sentence before Charlie picked her up and swung her round. She was tiny in his arms.
‘You beauty!’
The vet tried and failed to look disapproving.
‘You can see your dog now, but don’t get him all hyped up.’
It was definitely time for Grace to get out of her sick-stained clothes and go for a swim.
* * *
After her busy weekend as a chaperone and the excitement at the vet’s, Grace was looking forward to a quiet couple of days. Buster was doing well, and she’d had a big bunch of flowers from Charlie to say thank you for her help. A delivery of posh chocolates from Anna had also arrived, along with a WhatsApp of her sunning herself on a neighbouring island. Grace wished the young woman well.
Now the language school was shut for a month, the private lessons gave her some free time during the day. There was virtually no involvement with Elena and Giannis, as she received her timetable by email, which suited her down to the ground. And because she’d taken over Rose’s clients, while her colleague taught the couple’s children, she was meeting some new people, as well as teaching her own regulars.
Nick the businessman had booked a block of lessons while his company was on summer break, and she’d got to have a good nose round his apartment at the top of the town. It boasted high ceilings, faded turquoise plaster walls, and a cute balcony covered in plant pots filled with a riot of colourful flowers, as well as a view of the sea. After today’s lesson he’d invited her out onto his balcony for coffee. A coffee in town was her plan anyway, so she was happy to stay a few minutes longer.
Although she’d managed to have a good look round the downstairs of the apartment on the pretext of needing the toilet, she hadn’t been upstairs, but she got the very definite feeling that Nick might be keen to show her his bedroom. Not that he’d been creepy in any way, just a little too enthusiastic. And she’d caught him looking at her ring finger.
The businessman owned some sort of import–export company, the details of which she’d failed to grasp, although he’d spent quite a while trying to explain it to her, as part of one of her lessons on workplaces. It wasn’t that his English was bad, it just sounded extremely boring. He most definitely lived alone; there were no female touches anywhere in the apartment, and a single cup and plate on the draining board backed up her theory. He’d spoken of an ex-wife and grown-up daughter who lived abroad, but she’d learnt to her cost that that was no guarantee.
Having had her fingers burnt with Thanassis, Grace was wary. Nick was nice-looking, typically Greek, dark-haired and solid, of medium height and build, around her age and perfectly pleasant. But there was no spark.
She regretted mentioning Nick to Sofia in their weekly calls, as her friend had asked for an update and urged her to go for it if he asked her out. For some reason that she herself wasn’t totally sure of, Grace hadn’t got around to disabusing Sofia of the idea that Will was gay. Given Sofia’s reaction to Nick, she’d never hear the end of it if she did. Sofia would be urging her to sleep with Will at the earliest possible opportunity.
Trying to shake off thoughts of what Will would be like in bed, Grace was saved by a ringing phone. Her heart missed a beat when she saw the name.
‘Charlie. Is everything OK with Buster?’
‘Yes, he’s fine. My mother’s staying with us and spoiling him rotten. But you might not be so good when I tell you why I’m ringing.’ He left a pause. ‘You’re on tonight! I’ve found the perfect spot for you.’
‘What! Don’t be ridiculous.’
‘I knew you’d freak out if I gave you too much notice. I didn’t say anything, but that last session was really a dress rehearsal. You’re more than ready. Meet me at the Star Bar, nine-thirty sharp. Are you up for it?’
She couldn’t pretend she had anything else on. Her stomach contracted into a tight ball.
‘I suppose so.’
* * *
Grace stepped into the bar at the allotted time. She spotted Charlie seated at the counter, talking to a dark-haired woman of around her own age who was serving. She walked towards him.
‘Hey, Grace.’
‘Charlie.’
The woman lifted her head to smile a greeting too, and Grace realised with a jolt that it was none other than Suzie Sessions, who’d been big in Britain back in the eighties, with a unique sound that successfully combined rock and pop. After a string of hits, she’d vanished, and now here she was, in front of her, serving in a bar on a little-known Greek island.
‘Hi, I’m Suzie, can I get you a drink?’
Grace snapped out of her daze.
‘Yes, please, a Mythos.’
The woman passed over the familiar green bottle and a glass. Grace reached for her purse, but Suzie waved it away and smiled.
‘This one’s on the house. Any friend of Charlie’s is a friend of mine. He’s a good boy. Man, I should say. We’re not allowed to call them boys anymore, are we?’
Grace smiled back.
‘No, we’re absolutely not.’
Obviously, Suzie must be nearly forty years older than when she’d been plastered on posters in boys’ bedrooms across the land, but her smile and the twinkle in her eyes were still the same. Her spiky dark hair and petite frame hadn’t changed either.
Grace raised her bottle in the woman’s direction and mouthed ‘Thank you’ before Suzie moved on to serve someone else.
As soon as she was out of earshot, Grace couldn’t wait any longer.
‘What’s Suzie Sessions doing here?’
Charlie took a long slurp of his beer.
‘I just know her as Suzie. I’ve been mates with her sons all my life. I used to spend all my summers on the island, and the three of us are tight.’ He grinned. ‘I mean, I knew their mum was some sort of pop star way back, but it was before I was even born. None of the foreign tourists know who she is, and now it’s just the odd Brit of a certain age who recognises her…’
Grace gave him a playful punch on the arm for that one.
‘Ow. She’s run this bar for well over twenty years, and she just loves music, so there’s something on most nights.’
Charlie jumped off his stool and motioned for Grace to follow him through an archway.
‘Bring your beer. You need to get familiar with the place.’
Grace was desperate to ask some more questions about Suzie but went with Charlie into a large walled space with low brick seating round three sides, open to the elements.
She stood in the middle and looked up and all around. The reason it was called the Star Bar became obvious. There were hundreds of them above their heads, twinkling in the darkening sky.
At one end was a raised platform with a mixing desk. Grace’s heart leapt into her mouth. It was impossible to believe she’d be performing there in a couple of hours. Why had she agreed to do this?
As she was a soul girl through and through, she’d painstakingly put together a set of eighties soul classics with his help. She’d included plenty of Luther Vandross, George Benson and Diana Ross in the mix, but she’d stretched it a little on the timeline for the King and Queen of Soul, Marvin Gaye and Aretha Franklin. As vinyl records had been pushed aside in favour of digital formats, Charlie had programmed everything in for her in advance, but there was still plenty to do.
She’d be going on in the middle of Charlie’s session. What if everyone drifted back to the bar the second one of her records came on?
‘Earth to Grace.’
Charlie’s hand on her arm forced her to look at him.
‘You’re panicking, aren’t you?’
Grace nodded.
‘There’s nothing to worry about. You’re well prepared. People are going to love you. Come here, you.’
Charlie pulled her in for a hug. Grace smiled to think that one of her closest friends on the island was a guy in his thirties. Not something she’d imagined when she left Oxfordshire. She wasn’t going to even try and fit Will into any category. Far too complicated.
The next couple of hours flew by as Charlie did his thing and the outdoor arena filled up with people. Because it was an eighties night, there was a huge age range in the audience, from twentysomethings to seventysomethings, which helped calm her racing heart.
At midnight Charlie beckoned her over and told her to prepare while he played his last record of the set. The next three minutes went by in the blink of an eye, and Grace gulped when Charlie spoke to the audience.
‘And now, we have a special treat in the form of a guest DJ. She loves soul music…’
There was a reassuring cheer at the words.
‘And she’s put together a set I know you’ll love. Give it up for… Amazing Grace.’
She took his place at the mixing desk and looked out at the sea of people. For a moment she faltered, but a nudge in the back from Charlie brought her round.
‘Hello, everyone. I hope you love these artistes as much as I do. So, let’s get it on, as Marvin would say.’
Once the first notes filtered out into the night, Grace let go of the breath she’d been holding.
Song after song came and went, and the audience danced their hearts out and sang along to the lyrics. It was only when the last song started to play an hour later that Grace was finally able to relax. She stared out into the audience and into some of the faces of people who’d definitely appreciated the music. It was such a rush to give pleasure to so many people at once. She spotted Charlie’s girlfriend, Sarah, in the gloom, and Angeliki. She glanced back towards the bar and Suzie Sessions gave her a thumbs-up. Suzie Sessions!
The last song ended, and Grace took a deep breath. She’d done it. Performed as a DJ. And it hadn’t gone horribly wrong. In fact, it had gone so well, it had turned into one of the best experiences of her life. If someone had suggested six months ago that soon she’d be a guest DJ at a bar on a Greek island, she’d have laughed in their face.
Charlie came to stand beside her.
‘That was fantastic, Grace. I’m sure that won’t be the last we’ll see of you on the decks. Let’s all show our appreciation.’
The wall of sound that greeted her was deafening. Grace took a bow and made her way towards Angeliki, who had a bottle of beer and a hug waiting.
‘Well done, girl. You smashed it.’
‘Thanks. Did you manage to take a video?’
‘Sure did.’
Will wouldn’t know what had hit him.