Chapter 15
FIFTEEN
The next morning, I meet Kai in reception, and we walk together downhill to the harbour.
He is dressed in navy shorts and a white T-shirt beneath an unbuttoned blue cotton shirt.
Designer sunglasses on, and immaculately styled sun-streaked hair, he looks as if he has come straight from a modelling shoot.
Even so, I kind of wish it was Takis I was heading out with this morning.
It is almost noon, and we chat easily as we walk beneath a cloudless blue sky.
‘You not wearing a hat?’ I ask. ‘You might regret that later.’
I’m decked out in a long floaty white dress, straw sunhat and matching bag.
I daresay, we might look like quite the attractive couple. Pity I don’t fancy him.
‘Bugger, I left it in my hotel room,’ says Kai. ‘I’ll buy another. There will be tons of shops around.’ Maybe the truth is he doesn’t want to mess up his hair.
‘I’m not walking with you if you buy a hat that says “I love Rhodes”.’ I giggle.
‘As if.’ He laughs. ‘Although from what I’ve seen of it so far, I think I am beginning to love Rhodes.’
He gives me an appreciative once-over and compliments me on my dress.
‘I can see why,’ I say, ignoring the flirty look in his eyes, and taking in the fields of pine trees spreading out in the distance.
We pass the occasional house, one painted a pale yellow, and with an older guy in the garden watering some colourful plants in terracotta pots. He bids us a good morning as we pass.
‘Imagine living here,’ I say as we make our way downhill. ‘Such tranquillity, yet the harbourfront’s not far away. I suppose it’s the best of both worlds.’ I sigh.
‘Not that great in the winter though,’ he tells me. ‘I mean, not as cold as home or anything, but most tavernas close for the winter, so it gets pretty quiet. And there are no direct flights from the UK.’
He has a point, of course.
‘You worked out here, didn’t you? Was that over the winter months?’
‘Late autumn really, just as the season was ending. It’s when a lot of building work is done,’ he tells me as we approach the harbour. ‘So as not to disrupt the tourist activity too much. The flight out was okay, but getting home in late November meant a flight to Athens, then home.’
The harbourside is bustling with people, some standing looking at boards advertising various boat trips. A party boat is leaving in an hour and the fact that I can’t think of anything worse makes me feel as ancient as the Acropolis.
‘Not your thing then?’ I tease when I follow Kai’s gaze to a bunch of young women giggling as they head up the plank of the party boat that leaves shortly.
‘I suppose it has its merits,’ he says, eyeing a particularly attractive brunette.
‘I could never do that.’ I shake my head. ‘I get seasick.’
‘What? Now you tell me?’
‘Not on a short ride to Lindos.’ I laugh. ‘But a long sail on a party boat with alcohol and dancing is something quite different. I would probably panic if I got seasick and wanted to get back to shore. I’d be asking the captain to man the lifeboats.’
‘You don’t strike me as someone who is anxious.’ He turns and looks at me.
‘Ah, well, it is easy to hide sometimes; ask any anxious person. Unless it is something really overwhelming and then you can’t conceal your feelings.’
‘Like performing in front of a crowd to Abba.’
‘Exactly. I was a nervous wreck but actually the event itself wasn’t so bad, which is often the case. And the vodka helped.’
‘You were drunk?’ He raises an eyebrow.
‘Not at all. One shot was all, to take the edge off.’
We hop onto the boat and take our seats ready to take the trip to nearby Lindos, feeling the warm sun wash over my skin.
The trip is a short but delightful journey.
We glide across the blue waters amongst a group of excited holidaymakers including a family with a young boy who is carrying a fishing net on a pole.
It reminds me of when I was a kid, and Dad took me crabbing in Cornwall.
I count myself lucky to have such happy childhood memories to look back on.
As the boat pulls away, the harbour at Rhodes slowly fades into the distance, its mediaeval walls and bustling streets giving way to the vast sea and glimpses of cliffs bathed in sunlight. I try not to think about the last boat trip I took here with James, determined to enjoy the moment.
The water is a rich turquoise and I can hardly wait to dive into it when we reach the beach at Lindos.
We carry on, the boat hugging the coastline passing tiny coves and hidden caves.
I turn my face to the sun, feeling the warmth wash over me.
As I do so, I once more imagine this being my home.
It is a feeling I cannot seem to shake off, however improbable it might seem.
Kai is glancing over the side of the boat, watching a bloke in a speedboat zip by, with two bikini-clad women.
He turns to me. ‘Fancy doing that one day?’
‘I prefer a bigger boat. Imagine if it broke down or something and you were stranded at sea?’
‘You really are a worrier, aren’t you?’ He cocks his head and regards me closely, his blue eyes boring into mine.
‘I suppose I am,’ I admit. ‘Over some things more than others. Small things usually. I can stress over a broken fingernail but be totally calm in a crisis.’
Soon enough, the village of Lindos spreads out in front of us. Houses are stacked like sugar cubes, the Acropolis perched high in the background. Visitors look like ants as they ascend the steps to the top.
The boat slows and gently bobs in the water as it enters Lindos harbour, the coastline curving gently into the wide bay. The water is so clear that I can hardly wait to dive into it.
Kai takes my hand and leads me down the steps of the boat. I pop my straw hat on, and we head to one of the tavernas amongst the whitewashed buildings set back from the beach.
‘Fancy lunch or just a drink?’ Kai glances at his watch.
‘Maybe something light? I don’t want to eat too much, as I fancy a swim shortly.’
Sipping a glass of crisp white wine spritzer, Kai asks me about my life back home.
‘Not a lot to tell,’ I admit. ‘Single, jobless and a mum who has a far more exciting life than me since losing my dad.’ I smile.
‘Ouch. And sorry about your dad. Hardly surprising you have forgotten how to have fun.’ He raises an eyebrow as his eyes lock with mine.
‘Maybe I have. But this place is slowly reminding me of how to recapture that and relax. And that does not include romance.’
‘You break my heart.’ He places his hand on his chest and pulls a sad face.
‘You’ll get over it.’ I roll my eyes at him and he grins good-naturedly.
I glance around at the harbour, the couples walking hand in hand, the boats and pedalos in the distance, the fabulous holiday vibe all around and home feels like a million miles away right now.
There is no doubting Kai’s attractiveness, and the fact that I know he would be up for a bit of fun.
Gosh, perhaps he’s right; maybe I have forgotten how to have fun.
Although there is also the fact that Kai is clearly a womaniser, confident in his good looks.
He winked at the waitress who bought our drinks, and she smiled coyly at him.
My ex used to do the same thing, but it was only with hindsight that I realise he always had an eye for attractive women.
Little wonder he didn’t want to put down roots.
Our food arrives, freshly caught sea bream and garlicky potatoes and green beans for Kai, fish and a Greek salad for me.
The food is delicious and I eat every mouthful with a satisfied noise.
After finishing my wine, I can feel my shoulders relax a little more.
I resist a second drink and sip some iced water as I look forward to my swim.
I picture the guy at the hotel pool who had drunk far too much before swimming. Best not to take any chances.
‘So, what’s next for you after working here for the summer?’ asks Kai as he sips some water.
‘I’m not sure. I try not to think about it too much.’
The thought of not knowing scares me, although the café in the lemon grove keeps popping into my head.
‘How about you?’ I ask him.
‘I’m thinking of Australia, mate,’ he says in an Aussie accent. ‘I have a friend over there.’
‘Why am I not surprised?’ I smile.
Our waitress returns to ask if the food was okay, and Kai tells her everything here was just perfect, as he gives her a dazzling smile and presses a ten-euro tip into her hand.
‘And if I like it, I might stay, who knows? The building trade is buoyant over there, and I am a qualified bricklayer,’ he tells me.
‘I was actually going to ask you about the builder friend you knew over here.’
‘Over here?’ He looks puzzled. ‘Why, are you going to renovate a property?’ He laughs as we stand to leave.
‘I’m thinking about it,’ I tell him as we head towards the beach.
‘You are?’ He stops in his tracks and looks at me.
I tell him all about the abandoned café in the lemon grove.
‘Well, you are full of surprises,’ he says when I finish speaking. ‘You worry about going out in a speedboat, but renovating a ruin doesn’t seem to faze you.’
‘I’m complicated.’ I grin and he laughs.
‘I think most people are when you scratch the surface.’ He ponders. ‘But sure, I’ll ping you his details. His name is Jack and he is based about a half hour drive from here. He’s older than me, in his fifties, but still working as hard as ever.’
‘Thanks, Kai.’
The glorious long stretch of sand is busy, but thankfully not too crowded with holidaymakers. We soon pay a sun lounger guy and settle down onto our sun loungers.
Kai laces his hands behind his head and stretches out, his face turned towards the sun.
‘Think I’ll read for a bit.’ He drops his book onto the floor beside his sun lounger. ‘Will you do my back?’ he asks as he hands me a bottle of sun cream.
‘Sure.’
I glide my hands over his back, noticing his strong muscles that he works so hard to maintain with his gym sessions in the hotel after work. Celibate, he says. Yeah right.
‘Right, all done. I’m off for a swim now,’ I tell him as I peel off my shorts. I’m wearing a white one-piece swimming costume that shows off what’s left of the spray tan I acquired before I came here.
The sea is sparkling and, up close, an extraordinary shade of blue-green.
I swim along, arms pushing through the water before flipping onto my back and just staring up at the sky above.
I think I can hear someone shouting in the distance, but it disappears with the sound of the gulls above.
I spot them then, a figure waving from quite a way out.
My breathing stops. They are in trouble.
My instinct takes over and I shout to Kai on the beach, who doesn’t appear to hear me. I feel my heart accelerate as I swim out to the guy. He disappears under the water for a second, before reappearing and I summon all my strength and swim faster, my body pumping with adrenalin.
Thankfully, it wasn’t as far as I feared, and I am soon with him.
‘Cramp, I think,’ he stutters. ‘My legs just went. I panicked.’
I put all my life-saving skills to good use, and gently pull him into shallow waters, just as Kai comes dashing into the sea.
‘Everything okay?’
‘Yeah, panic over. I did shout you, but we managed,’ I tell him as I place my hands on my knees and breathe deeply.
‘Sorry, I had my earbuds in, listening to music.’
‘Don’t worry, pal, this young woman saved my life,’ says the guy, squeezing me in a big hug. ‘I can’t thank her enough.’
‘You must never panic if anything like that happens again,’ I advise when I have my breath back and we stroll onto the sand. ‘Flip onto your back and float,’ I tell him. ‘And make sure you are drinking plenty of water in this weather – mild dehydration can cause cramps.’
‘That’ll be it then. Best go and get another beer,’ he says.
‘Water is better,’ I advise and he looks at me like I’ve gone mad.
‘But I’m on holiday. And you must let me buy you a drink too.’
‘Honestly, I’m okay, but thanks.’ I smile.
Settling back onto my sun lounger, I retrieve my book from my beach bag.
‘I bet you never expected to be doing your Baywatch impression when we came here today,’ teases Kai.
‘I don’t suppose I did. The water is calm, but cramp can cause panic when you are a way out from the shore, as you know. I think he has learned his lesson though.’
I feel an immense sense of satisfaction when I think about what I just did.
Hardly anyone noticed the guy out there, and I dread to think of might have happened had he lost his strength.
Hopefully I can stay here in Rhodes for a whole lot longer and put my life-saving skills into action if I need to.
When I get back to the hotel, I will give Ireta a call. The thought of renovating the café and living upstairs sends tingles up my arms. I must act soon, before I change my mind.