Chapter 20
Chapter Twenty
G race did a twirl for Angeliki and peered at herself in the full-length mirror. The one in her room at the language school offered a view that only reached the waist, and she was desperate to see how her new dress looked.
She’d bought the garment in the few minutes she’d had between lessons in town earlier, mainly because it had big splodges of silver everywhere over the white linen, and she wanted to at least make an effort for Will’s space-themed party. It had looked approximately her size on the rack, but she hadn’t had time to try it on, so she’d come straight to her friend’s apartment near the port after her final lesson. Unfortunately, for her bank balance anyway, she’d also happened to pass the shoe shop where she’d bought the horribly expensive espadrilles with Sofia, and had persuaded herself it was an investment to get a pair in silver too.
The sound of Angeliki clapping made Grace smile.
‘Bravo! The dress is dynamite. And the shoes are gorgeous.’
Grace didn’t class herself as vain, but even she was thrilled with the way the thin spaghetti straps showed off her tan and the cut of the simple knee-length shift dress hugged her curves without being too suggestive. It had hit thirty-two degrees during the day, not unknown for early August, and it hadn’t cooled down that much by the evening. It was impossible to wear anything that wasn’t loose and lightweight, otherwise she’d start to sweat– not a great look. She bowed low at her friend’s applause.
‘Phew, it fits.’
‘It more than fits, baby. It’s going to make you the belle of the ball.’
Grace took the glass of wine that Angeliki offered her.
‘Let’s have a little freshener first. You drink this while I get changed out of my white coat. There’s more in the fridge if you run out.’
Grace wolf-whistled when her friend came back twenty minutes later, wearing a tight-fitting silver jump suit and high silver heels, with her long curly hair down for once and her face made up.
‘Wow. You look like one of Charlie’s Angels. No one’s going to recognise you.’
Angeliki completed her own twirl.
‘That’s the idea. Normally they see me lightly splattered with blood, vomit or worse.’
‘Yuk. TMI.’
‘Exactly. So, this is my chance to appear somewhat normal.’
Grace applied a little more pale pink lipstick in the mirror.
‘Well, I hope Will appreciates what a big effort we’ve made. Unlike him, we’ve both been working all day.’
Angeliki nudged her in the side. ‘Oh, I think Will most certainly will.’
‘Stop it. I’ll admit that he and I are friends now. But that’s it. Nothing more.’
She hadn’t told anyone about Will’s uncharacteristic meltdown at the bar, and she wasn’t planning to.
Angeliki tapped her nose. ‘If you say so…’
‘I do. Let’s order that taxi.’
Will had sent her several texts over the last twenty-four hours, thanking her for rescuing him, for getting her taxi driver to drop him off first at his house, and for paying for their food and drinks. It was like the evening had come back to him in stages, which it probably had, given the amount he’d drunk. He’d had nearly two days to sober up, so she hoped he was ready for his party. She and Angeliki certainly were.
* * *
The light was fading fast when they climbed out of the taxi on the road above Will’s house, and the first streaks of orange in the sky promised a spectacular sunset. From the level of chatter and music coming from below, they were far from being the first guests.
Grace and Angeliki walked down the path together towards their host, who had his back towards them, deep in conversation.
The slam of a car door made him turn, and Grace noticed that he took a step back at the sight of the two of them, before remembering his manners.
‘Grace! Angeliki! You came… together.’
Will knew she’d been spending time at the surgery, visiting Karen and sending him updates, but she’d probably failed to mention quite how well she’d been getting on with his ex-girlfriend. Angeliki was firmly in friend territory now too.
‘We did.’
Angeliki gave Will a quick hug and skipped past him onto the veranda, the roof of which was festooned with silver balloons, fairy lights and a couple of toy spacecraft.
Will gave Grace another of his airport-style top-to-toe scans, which always made her feel like she was standing there in her underwear.
‘Nice dress.’
‘Thanks.’
‘Love the touches of silver.’
Will himself was wearing a white shirt with bands of silver randomly highlighting areas of his chest, teamed with smart grey shorts and deck shoes. She was pleased to see he was wearing socks with them. It was one of her bugbears, men wearing deck shoes without socks, particularly if they wore them with those half-mast trousers that exposed bony ankles; it just looked like the trousers were missing a chunk of material.
‘And that’s a fun shirt.’
‘Fun? Not sure that’s what I was aiming for.’
Will leant in close.
‘Thank you again for the other night. I know I was pretty out of it…’
‘Don’t mention it.’
‘Let me know if there’s ever anything I can do for you in return.’
Actually, there was, but now wasn’t the time.
More guests were coming down the path, and Will smiled and waved in their direction. He was in mine host mode again, and there was no sign of the man who’d opened himself up to her two nights ago.
‘Welcome, everyone. Drinks on the table behind you, and snacks inside. Please help yourselves.’
Grace poured herself a glass of wine and wandered inside the house, keen to see what Will had done with it, since he’d told her it was all his own work.
What had probably been several small rooms was now one big open-plan space, with a traditional cone-shaped open fireplace in one corner, into which someone, presumably Will, had put a red metal wood-burning stove.
Pale blue fabric sofas in an L shape and a faded yellow armchair faced the fire, with a large jute rug between them on the terracotta-tiled floor. A floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelf, in what looked like oak, covered half of one wall, and there were paintings in oils and watercolours of sea scenes dotted around the white plaster walls.
It was all quite tasteful, without being ostentatious, and, to her surprise, Grace was impressed. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting– maybe something aggressively bachelor, with swathes of black leather and hints of gold.
The wooden kitchen units, painted in the same pale blue as the sofas, looked handmade. A dining table in a more vibrant shade of blue had been pushed back against the wall and was covered in bowls of crisps and nuts and plates of canapés, plus little dishes of food that had obviously been brought by guests. Grace helped herself to some crisps– avoiding salt and vinegar, which always gave her indigestion– and a couple of falafel-type balls with a yoghurt dip, which she’d learnt were called keftedes in Greek.
She was surprised to find Will standing behind her just as she popped one in her mouth. Surely he had hosting duties?
‘So, what do you think?’
Grace swallowed and took a gulp of wine.
‘Of the keftedes?’
‘No, the house.’
He seemed a little nervous, as if it really mattered to him what she thought.
‘It’s charming.’
His face relaxed into a smile.
‘Glad you like it. I made the bookshelf myself and the kitchen units as well as the dining table.’
‘I take it you’re good with your hands then?’
As soon as she’d said it, Grace wanted to stuff the words back into her mouth. Will’s eyes met hers, and she could see the laughter in them.
‘I have my moments…’
Before Grace could think up a suitable retort, a pair of arms with long red fingernails at the end of them went around Will’s waist.
‘Will, darling.’
He spun round and the owner of the arms and the French accent was revealed to Grace as a dark-haired woman whose deep tan was the kind her daughters had warned her about. She wore a red mini dress which bore no relation to the party theme but did a lot for her slim figure. She’d completed the outfit with a pair of deely boppers with little silver moons on the end.
‘Celine!’
Will didn’t seem quite as thrilled to see Celine as she had sounded to see him. But it was none of Grace’s business. She’d better go and find Angeliki.
‘Grace. Can we…?’
Will was trying to ask her something, but she stepped out onto the terrace without a backward glance.
Angeliki was leaning against the wall chatting to an older man with sparse grey hair. Grace hadn’t asked her friend how old she was, but Angeliki had volunteered the information that she was in her mid-fifties. She had married young and divorced ten years later; it was work that had been the constant companion in her life. They’d skated over her time with Will, neither wanting to go into detail. The guy currently towering over Angeliki looked like he was in his seventies, or even eighties. Far too old for her glamorous friend. They’d agreed a signal if one of them was being bored to death; a stretch of the arm towards the sky as if cramp had set in. Angeliki was doing it now.
Grace stepped into the circle.
‘Excuse me. Angeliki, I’m sorry but I really need to talk to you about my… hamster. It’s urgent.’
Her friend managed to keep it together somehow.
‘Of course, let’s go somewhere quieter.’
Round the back of the house was a small vegetable garden with views up into the hills. Angeliki led Grace by the hand until they were out of earshot, and they both collapsed laughing onto a bench.
‘My hamster?’ Angeliki struggled to catch her breath.
‘Don’t be harsh. It was the first thing that came into my mind. You looked as though you needed rescuing.’
‘I most certainly did. He was asking me if I knew how to make bekri meze, drunken pork stew.’
‘Sizing you up as a potential wife?’
‘Housekeeper more like.’
‘You’re well out of that then.’
‘Agreed.’
Angeliki picked at some flaking paint on the arm of the bench.
‘Watch out for the lady in red.’
‘Celine? Yes, I’ve already had the pleasure. Who is she?’
‘Another ex of Will’s. Owns a boutique in the town. But unlike me, she’s not at all happy to be friend-zoned. Won’t accept it’s over.’
‘Okaay. And you’re telling me this because?’
‘Because I can see Will likes you.’
‘As a friend, maybe.’
Angeliki stared at her so long that Grace had to turn away.
‘Whatever. But she’s trouble.’
‘OK, thanks for the warning.’
Had Will invited a whole harem of exes to his party? Was he going to line them up at the end of the night and introduce them one by one? Or give them marks out of ten? And why should she care if he did? Grace stood up.
‘Let’s go back in. Maybe we can find someone for you who isn’t old enough to be your father.’
‘That would be nice.’
Grace offered to go and get the drinks. But she wished she hadn’t when the first person she bumped into was Thanassis, with an elegant woman around his own age.
‘Grace! I must introduce you to my wife, Maria.’
Since Maria was the housekeeper at the villa where Will worked, Grace kicked herself for not realising that they might be here. She didn’t need a mirror to know that her face and neck were going bright red.
‘Lovely to meet you, Grace. Thanassis has told me all about you.’
Not all about me, she hoped, especially the bit where I almost got off with him.
‘He tells me what a wonderful teacher you are.’
‘Thank you. It’s lovely to meet you too.’
The woman seemed perfectly sincere, but when Thanassis moved off to get his wife a drink, she moved in close, and Grace’s heartrate soared. Maria lowered her voice so only Grace could hear.
‘And thank you for speaking to my husband and telling him to focus on what’s important in life. The children and I are grateful to you.’
It wasn’t the evening heat that was making her sweat. She needed to move away, and fast. Thanassis was on his way back.
‘You’re welcome. I must go and get that drink I promised my friend.’
When Grace looked up, Will was staring straight at her and Maria. Of course he was. The only other person who’d been present that disastrous night with Thanassis. Between Will’s ex-girlfriends and her near miss, the party was becoming a minefield.
She spotted Angeliki in a mass of people at the other end of the terrace and filled two wine glasses to the brim. But she’d only gone a couple of steps when someone familiar stepped out and touched her on the arm.
‘Grace!’
‘Nick!’
What the hell was he doing here? He had on some sort of silver bomber jacket. Grace hoped there was something underneath so he could take it off later, otherwise he’d melt.
‘It’s so funny to see you here, Nick. How do you know Will?’
‘We met a couple of years ago when he bought some stuff from my company.’
‘Ah.’
Grace didn’t want to hear any more about the intricacies of his work. She’d had enough of it in class.
‘We went for a drink to seal the deal. And we’ve been doing it regularly ever since.’
‘I see.’
‘And you? How do you know him?’
Grace glanced up for a moment and caught Will’s eye. He was still looking in her direction. Celine was at his side, and she reached up to brush something off his shirt. For a mad moment, Grace wanted to lean over and kiss Nick on the mouth. Not because she fancied him, but just to annoy Will. But it was hardly fair on Nick to lead him on. She turned back to her student.
‘Oh, we both like to swim at the beach down here and got chatting one day. I’ve realised it’s virtually impossible to be on the island and not bump into the same people all the time.’
‘So true.’
Angeliki appeared at her side and took one of the wines.
‘I think that’s got my name on it. I’m dying of thirst here.’
‘Hardly.’
Her friend looked at Nick expectantly.
‘Of course, sorry. This is Nick, one of my students. Nick, this is Angeliki, our friendly local vet. You two haven’t met?’
Nick’s appreciative glance at her friend told her it was unlikely. It was like he’d found buried treasure.
‘I think I would have remembered meeting someone so lovely. Alas, I don’t have any pets, so we have never come into contact with each other… until now.’
Angeliki returned his look with one that told Grace close contact with Nick would possibly be welcome.
‘Shame.’
Angeliki leant in.
‘So, what is it you do on the island, Nick?’
It was Grace’s cue to get away.
‘I’m just off to check out the food. You two have a good old chat.’
Before she’d taken even a step, the two of them were nattering away in Greek. They’d only kept up the English for as long as she’d been there. It was perfectly understandable but made her feel a little left out. She was the outsider here after all, the only Brit at the party as far as she could make out– apart from the host, but he’d been on the island for years, so he probably spoke perfect Greek too.
As the evening wore on, Grace chatted to several of the locals and threw herself into the party, dancing to every type of music, despite a slight feeling of melancholy at the sight of couples old and new flirting with each other. Angeliki had rushed up to her at the food table and checked that Grace hadn’t got any designs on Nick.
‘Not at all. He’s a lovely guy, but not for me.’
‘Great. Thought I’d better check. I really like him.’
Her friend had rushed off again, back to Nick’s side. The more she thought about it, the more she realised they’d be good for each other. Both busy people with a sweet side. You couldn’t push these things, but she had high hopes.
During the evening she’d locked eyes with Will several times, and he’d sent her a rueful smile each time. He was always in the middle of a crowd, usually with Celine or another well-dressed woman at his side. Grace wasn’t about to barge her way through that lot to go and talk to him.
A big cheer went up when a delivery of gyros from Tony’s arrived, and the chatter quietened down while everyone ate their fill. The cheer was even louder when a giant moon-shaped cake was brought out, complete with craters and grey icing.
The whole place sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Will, followed by the Greek version, ‘Chronia Polla’, and the champagne corks popped regularly as the music cranked up. Will had invited all the neighbours, which was a sensible idea, as no one was getting any sleep tonight anyway.
After some energetic dancing with Angeliki to Abba, Grace needed the loo. The one downstairs was occupied, but Will had told everyone to use the upstairs bathroom too. While she was up there, it wouldn’t hurt to have a quick look at the bedrooms, surely.
She popped her head into the first one, which was obviously a spare. It held just a bed with a blue cover and a wardrobe. The one at the front with the balcony was the main bedroom. You couldn’t call it the master anymore, which, Grace had been told by her daughters, had connotations dating back to the days of slavery. So many things to remember that she couldn’t say anymore.
The bed in here was massive, with a blue-painted headboard, and there was room for a little sofa and a coffee table, facing the water. The view over the cove would certainly be spectacular. Grace crossed the room in the dark to look out at the sea. Tiny lights twinkled far away, and she imagined the fishermen hard at work hauling in their catch.
A noise behind her made her start.
Will stood in the doorway, arm on the top of the door, his bulk blocking her escape route.
‘Lost, are we?’
‘Just looking for the loo and took a wrong turn.’
He pointed into the corridor.
‘That way.’
Grace dipped under his arm, brushing up against him as she did so, releasing a burst of his lemon aftershave, and ran to lock herself in the bathroom. Why did he have to come upstairs at that moment and catch her in his room? When she opened the door again, he was gone.
As dawn began to break over the sea below, the guests started to drift off, and the music changed to chill-out jazz and slow dance numbers.
Grace spotted Angeliki sharing a smooch with Nick and gave her friend a thumbs-up. She should think about leaving soon. Whether Angeliki would be coming with her was another matter.
Will appeared in the doorway and held out his hand towards her.
‘Dance?’
The smoochy music was still coming out of the speakers.
‘I’d prefer something a bit more upbeat.’
‘Oh, come on, just one dance.’
‘OK, just one.’
Will took her hand and led her onto the makeshift dancefloor on the terrace. He held her close, too close, and Grace tried to separate her body from his by leaning back, but Will gently pulled her in tight again. Grace forced herself to relax. Her body fitted his perfectly and the pressure of his hips against hers felt disturbingly good. She hadn’t been in another man’s arms like this for years.
He was a good dancer, she had to admit, but it was just wrong. It should be Phil’s arms around her. Not the strong arms of a man she’d only known for a couple of months. A man who seemed to have women falling over themselves to be with him. As soon as the music ended, she slipped out of his arms and headed for the kitchen and a glass of water.
There was a mess of dumped glasses and plates everywhere, and it was hard to find a clean glass. Grace automatically filled the dishwasher and washed a glass for herself in the sink. Anything to stop thinking about how close her body had been to Will’s. When she looked up from the tap, Celine was standing a few feet away.
‘Keeping house, are we?’
‘Excuse me?’
Even the way the woman said ‘owse’ in her French accent set Grace’s teeth on edge.
‘That’s not the way to Will’s heart, being the housewife.’
Shut up, you silly French bitch was on the tip of Grace’s tongue, but that would be playing into her hands. Grace satisfied herself with a glacial smile.
‘It’s a good thing that I’m not looking for a way to Will’s heart then, isn’t it? Knock yourself out.’
Grace strode past the woman and straight past Will who had come into the room. She couldn’t be sure if he’d heard that little exchange, but she didn’t much care. Angeliki was on the terrace, exchanging numbers with Nick.
‘Are you ready to go, Angeliki?’
‘Taxi’s waiting. I was just coming to find you.’
‘Perfect.’