Chapter Twenty-Five
Nina did a little digging of her own; Theo had told her the name of the hotel chain he was hoping to sell to, and she looked them up.
Hedone Hotels was a new venture, with a few properties on other Greek islands, but this was to be its first in Kefalonia.
Painstakingly, with the help of Google Translate and once again wishing she’d learned Greek, she gained as much information as she could.
There was a section on their sustainability policy, and they were keen to emphasise their credentials when it came to recycling and energy efficiency.
So far, so good. There was a sentence that, as far as she could make out, suggested they were sympathetic to local environments.
Bingo.
Relief washed over her; Theo was being honest with her. And whatever happened, even if they sold to the chain and they built a bar and swimming pool, the turtles were safe.
Still. She hadn’t given up on her own plans.
The work on the house was almost done; despite still being furious with him, she had to admit that Vassilis had worked hard and worked well.
The roof was fixed, the ceilings plastered, the shutters mended.
The house was ready. It was little more than bare bones, a skeleton for someone to add flesh to, to breathe life into.
She thought once again of what she would do with it, this blank canvas.
Walking through the rooms she filled them all in her mind, imagining wooden framed beds with matching tables, vintage wardrobes and crisp white sheets.
Guests would open the shutters in the morning to a view of the sea, sitting on the balcony as they sipped their coffee.
They would take a breakfast of Theo’s Greek omelette, or Greek yogurt with fruit and honey, or feta salad, in the courtyard.
They’d return from a day of swimming in the sea or snorkelling or sightseeing to a clean, welcoming, family-run guesthouse.
Tastefully furnished, of course, with beautiful, high-quality items that were a perfect match for the setting.
Who wouldn’t feel relaxed in such a place?
Finally, she stopped in the smallest bedroom, the highest one, where Theo rarely went. The room she’d been secretly working on since she’d spoken to George on the beach.
The walls were painted white, the shutters blue, and she had stencilled images in a border across the top of the wall – turtles, of course.
She had kept the bed, lacking the time to source a new one, but bought the white cotton sheets she’d dreamed of and a gorgeous set of dark wood bedside tables, made locally of course.
She’d seen a rug with blue and terracotta stripes at the market – the perfect colours to evoke the warmth of the beach – and a handmade ceramic vase.
Once she had these finishing touches, the room would be ready to show to Theo.
Nina stood by the window, admiring her handiwork.
Not the high-end items she’d have chosen in her old life perhaps, but authentic, locally made pieces that made the room sing.
She’d pulled this off in just a few days, rising early and working late.
If Theo suspected she was up to something, he said nothing, perhaps just grateful that she was no longer badgering him about selling to the hotel.
Imagine what she could do with the whole house, given a decent amount of time.
Surely this would prove to Theo that she was serious about them running the place together. Surely he would see that she was capable.
Nina gazed down at the beach far below. Her life in England was beginning to feel remote – she hadn’t thought of Sam or looked at his Instagram for weeks.
She could no longer imagine herself in the kind of job she’d left, the kind of job she’d longed for – that life she’d had, living in the city and rising early to shower and blow-dry her hair and sculpt her face before sitting in an office with artificial light and an artificial temperature, picking out items she thought would be fashionable, seemed unreachable now.
She couldn’t imagine herself away from the blue skies and turquoise waters of Metalios. Away from the soft, sandy beach where turtles swam out with the fishing boats every morning. Away from the café, from Yiannis and Eirini and the children. Away from Maria and her cooking lessons.
The only thing she missed about home was Heather, and she would be arriving in Metalios in just a few days. Nina couldn’t wait.
She glanced around the room one more time before running to her own to pack her climbing bag and set off.
They were meeting early, before the day became too hot, and Nina smiled as she tied up her hair and slapped on her sun cream.
It was months since she’d been for a proper climb, and anticipation fizzed in her stomach.
George had promised a better location than the cliff face where she’d been bouldering, a real challenge that would stretch her skills.
She smelled coffee; Theo was up.
‘Smells good,’ she said, walking into the now-immaculate kitchen.
He turned to her, already holding a steaming mug out.
‘Thanks, Baba,’ she said, taking the coffee and smiling as she pictured the beautifully decorated room upstairs, waiting to be revealed to him.
He narrowed his eyes, staring at her. ‘What’s up with you? You look like this cat that’s got the cream.’
Nina shrugged, hiding her smile behind the mug as she took a gulp. ‘Nothing’s up. Just looking forward to going out.’
‘Hmm,’ he said, eyeing her with suspicion. ‘You have a good day planned?’ he asked.
‘Yes. Climbing. With George.’
‘You and George are such good friends all of suddenly, going everywhere together.’ He raised his eyebrows, wiggling them at her.
Nina laughed. ‘Just friends, Baba. I think I’ve had just about enough of romance for now.’
He grunted his agreement, perhaps thinking, as she was, of the terrible way both Sam and Vassilis had treated her.
‘Yes, well. You go have the fun day, then.’
She kissed his cheek, gulped down her coffee and skipped out of the house. ‘I will, Baba.’
George drove them to the cliff in Maria’s Yaris, the windows down and the early-morning sun streaming in. Despite the bitter aftertaste of thinking about Sam and Vassilis, Nina felt herself relax. George was a confident, calm driver and easy company; she felt safe in his hands.
‘I checked up on the hotel,’ she said. ‘As much as I could, my Greek’s not exactly –’
He gave her a wry look. ‘Existent?’
She laughed. ‘Well, yes. Must work on that. But anyway, I think it’ll be okay, Baba’s right, they have this sustainability thing, so . . . nothing to worry about.’
She beamed at George. He frowned, focused on the road, looking distinctly worried.
‘I’m just not – you can’t really trust what they say.
’ He glanced at her, taking in her slightly bemused expression.
He was beginning to sound paranoid, she thought.
But she didn’t want to start an argument; she’d been looking forward to this trip.
He seemed to make the same decision, relenting in his protests.
For now, at least, ‘Thanks for checking though,’ he said. ‘Excited for this?’
‘It’s a while since I’ve properly climbed, you know, full disclosure,’ she said. ‘I might be kind of rusty! I mean – it’s like riding a bike, right, just get back on and it all comes back to you? Must be. I’ve got all the kit, anyway, my shoes and chalk and everything so . . .’
George glanced at her and grinned. ‘You okay?’
‘Yep. Why?’
‘You’re kind of – gabbling.’
‘Oh.’ Nina took a breath and breathed out slowly. She laughed. ‘I think I’m nervous. No, excited. Well, maybe a bit nervous and a bit excited.’
He laughed. ‘I get it. There’s always that bit of adrenalin, right? But don’t worry. I’ve climbed a lot round here; I’ll make sure you’re safe. It’ll be fun!’
He glanced at her, his eyes bright in the sunlight, and Nina’s stomach flipped. Adrenalin for the climb, that was all.
He parked up and Nina looked around, feeling a little dubious.
There was a beach ahead, a gorgeous stretch of golden sand leading to clear still waters, where a few tourists were already beginning to gather.
The breeze carried the sound of gulls crying and children laughing.
But the cliff edge George led them to was behind the car park; not the salubrious location she’d been imagining.
Still, it beat the climbing wall at her local gym in Manchester, she thought, tasting salt on the breeze. The view from the top would be pretty satisfying.
At the bottom of the cliff face they sat and put on their climbing shoes and helmets.
Nina stared up at the creviced surface, planning a route, picking out footholds and tiny indents where she could grip on.
A goat stood at the top, chewing nonchalantly on a patch of grass.
Her heartbeat steadied as she focused on the business at hand; this was one of the aspects of climbing that she loved, the analysing and planning.
It left no room in her mind for anything else.
Nina climbed first, George belaying her, checking her rope was secure and standing on the ground holding it to anchor her.
As soon as she found her first foothold, she thought of nothing else; just the stretch and reach of her body as she secured herself time after time, clinging to the surface by the handholds she’d identified, rock crumbling under her fingernails, fitting her toes into the footholds she’d spotted.
Stretching, reaching, pushing, leaning. On and on. Her muscles burning, her mind sharp.
At last she reached her target, breath coming fast with the effort, her heart soaring as she gazed out over the view of the sea below. She laughed aloud, engulfed with a feeling of strength and power, of joy. There was no substitute for this sense of achievement, this carefree feeling.
She looked down at George, grinning at her from the ground. He gave a thumbs up and she nodded, and then began her swooping descent as he carefully let the rope out so she could abseil down to the ground.
They both laughed as she landed, and in a surge of happiness she reached out to hug him. His arms closed around her, a strong and comforting embrace.
‘That was amazing,’ he said as they separated. ‘You’re a natural.’
Nina smiled, still buzzing. ‘It was great, oh my god – it’s been so long. That feeling when you get to your target, you know?’
He nodded. He did know. He understood the urge to climb, to push yourself, to conquer, in a way no one had since she’d lost her mum.
They swapped roles, and Nina felt her heartbeat settle, her mind focus, the beat of her blood steady as she held the rope for George. Her mind was still singing with joy from the climb, revelling in the sense of freedom that it gave her. She hadn’t realised how much she’d missed it.
But now, the world shrank. There was nothing but George, her and the rope. She held firm, releasing the rope as he needed it, watching as he climbed steadily, higher and higher.
She was so focused that she barely noticed the flexing of George’s strong arms as he reached and pulled himself up, the shape of his muscled calves as he balanced.
They climbed until the midday sun began to beat harshly. Until their arms and legs burned with effort, their hands were red-raw and stinging, their water gulped down.
Afterwards he led the way, both still buzzing with adrenalin, to the cliff edge, where they stripped to their swim gear. Nina peered down at the sea far below, her heart racing and skin tingling as she anticipated crashing into the cool water.
‘Don’t be scared,’ George said. ‘It’s safe, I’ve done it loads of times. No rocks.’ He turned to grin at her, blue eyes bright, and her heart leapt.
‘I’m not scared,’ she said, her teeth chattering a little.
‘Together?’ He held out a hand.
She nodded, reaching for him, and together they ran and leapt, soaring through the air, landing in the clear sea. Under the surface Nina opened her eyes, blinking in the turquoise water, waiting for the swirl of bubbles to clear and reveal the sight of George’s tanned, toned body next to her.
They surfaced, gasping and laughing, Nina’s body singing with the thrill of what she’d just done. They were still holding hands.