Epilogue
Nina took a deep breath, trying to quell her nerves.
The house looked perfect, the white walls and blue shutters of her dreams in every room, with hand-picked pieces bringing an authentic Kefalonian touch, and a sense of her unique style. And there was a theme running throughout – turtle door handles, turtle stencils, turtle paintings.
‘What’s this you’re doing?’ Theo asked as she rearranged the table settings in the courtyard yet again just as he was trying to put down a plate of Greek salad. ‘Shoo, shoo, they’ll be here any moment.’
Maria, followed by Milo, walked over to inspect the salad. She sniffed. ‘Not so bad.’
‘What are you saying, not so bad, old woman? This is all the best ingredients from the market, and you know it.’ Theo flapped a hand at her. ‘And keep this goat away from the food.’
Maria stroked Milo’s head and ignored her as she chewed on the edge of a table cloth. Nina gently pushed her away.
‘Well, yes,’ Maria said. ‘But they’re going to be needing more than this, some nice bougatsa or this kind of thing. They’ll be too hungry for just a salad after their trip.’
Nina suppressed a smile as Theo flung his hands in the air. ‘I am making this omelette, of course, have to wait till they’re here.’
Maria pulled a face. ‘Omelette is not so bad.’
Theo wiped his forehead with the edge of his apron, turning to Nina. ‘Why is she here? Very first day with guests, and I am doing all this cooking, and you are doing all the arranging everything, and we have this old crow interfering and . . .’
‘It’s all right, Baba,’ Nina said. ‘The food looks amazing.’
She gave her friend a pointed look. Maria settled herself on a chair in the corner, Milo lying down at her feet. ‘I’m only have the little joke with you.’
Then a commotion outside had them all turning to the door, where George soon appeared, followed by their very first guests – a couple and their teenaged children. Nina’s stomach flipped with excitement as she rushed to welcome them back from their sunrise trip to the beach.
‘Kalosorisma,’ she said. ‘Welcome back. How was it?’ she asked.
George grinned, and she found her stomach flipping again. ‘Beautiful,’ he said.
‘It was great,’ the eldest teen said, pulling his sunglasses off and plonking them on the top of his head.
‘We swam and we saw some turtles! Well, me and Mum did, Dad and Katie just watched, but they saw them too. We didn’t touch them, though,’ he said hastily, looking at George.
‘Because that would stress them out and maybe hurt them so . . . we just watched.’ George nodded his approval, smiling.
‘Well, this is time for breakfast, if you are hungry?’ Theo said, ushering them into the courtyard as they all made appreciative noises.
Nina hung back with George, watching as Theo took orders for omelettes and their guests began picking at his salad, commenting on how delicious it was. Maria sat in the corner, stroking Milo’s head, and chatted away to the family about places they might like to visit during their stay.
Nina felt like she was dreaming; everything she’d longed for had come true.
‘Pinch me,’ she said, turning to George. ‘I can’t believe this is real.’
He laughed, pulling her to him and stroking a strand of hair from her face. ‘I can do better than that,’ he said. And as his arms closed around her waist and his lips found hers, Nina decided that if she was dreaming, she’d rather not wake up after all.
Did The Little Greek Guesthouse leave you feeling uplifted and ready for your next escape? Why not join Marnie as she finds her new beginning in the cosy, joyful and heart-warming The Cotswolds Christmas Café?
The village of Babblebrook is filled with the scent of hot chocolate and gingerbread this Christmas. Could love be in the air, too?