Chapter 23
Emilia took the bus to Triovasalos, a semi-rural area on the outskirts of Plaka, having followed the instructions on the email she had received from the person who’d posted the ad.
Seeing that they hadn’t mentioned their name, Emilia didn’t even know if she was meeting a man or a woman. Still, she was impressed. The person had attached a document on the email with instructions and a tiny map so she could easily find the house. They had even included the bus stop name so Emilia had no trouble at all. She had arrived even earlier than the arranged time of the meeting, but not too early.
Having located the property, she rang the doorbell at the garden gate. The area was quiet and green, and it was baking in the sunshine of the early afternoon. Both sides of the country road were lined with beautiful residential homes, the odd field, and some small stores too.
She was in her younger form, wearing contact lenses and a ponytail. Being Lia. The girls had convinced her to get the job in her younger form, as this way she would have more physical strength and vitality, even though it meant she’d have to use the CD all the time. When would she see Andreas if she’d always be Lia? She still didn’t know. She had complained to the girls, but, somehow, they had convinced her. She had pressed the doorbell now. It was too late to change anything.
The speaker of the intercom crackled, then a male voice echoed through: ‘Hello?’
A guy. Good. He might help with lifting a sack or two if I get desperate. Much better than working for a frail old lady, that’s for certain! ‘Yes, hi! I’m here for the gardening job. We spoke on email?’
‘Yes! Of course! I’m buzzing you in. Welcome!’
Emilia heard the door latch click open and jerked into motion as she pushed the gate with little effort.
The inside of the property caused her to freeze and gasp for a few seconds, as soon as she closed the gate firmly behind her. Everything was in disarray. Except for some sorry-looking flower patches by the gate and a small cluster of trees near the wall on the left, all the other areas were almost bare. The cast-iron table and chairs set by the trees that included a two-seater swing was in desperate need of tender loving care. It was heavily rusted and looked like no one had used it in years on end.
The house itself—a beautiful one-story villa—looked in need of a fresh lick of paint. Some of the tiles on the roof seemed to be broken. As she was walking down the road earlier, she had caught a glimpse of the side of the property and knew already there was a back garden too. She’d seen a few orange and lemon trees over there. What kind of work do they need here, I wonder? The back garden is quite big. I may have to hire some help if the owners don’t offer to help me with the heavy-lifting.
Her thoughts were stopped short when the front door of the house creaked open and a tall man came out. He was dressed in a short-sleeved striped shirt, knee-length shorts and a baseball hat. He raised a hand for a moment, then bent his head and hurried down the front steps. As he did that, he emerged into the sunshine. The glare from the sun, plus the hat, hadn’t allowed her yet to make out his features.
When he came to stand before her, the first thing she noticed was his agreeable wide smile. But… wait a minute… I know this guy!
‘Hello, welcome!’ he said, offering his hand to shake, and for a few moments, she couldn’t help but gawp at him behind her big dark sunglasses.
She cleared her throat and tried to compose herself as she greeted him back and shook his hand, pretending to meet him for the first time. It was Stefan, the kindly young man from the beach. He had met her in her true form. Now, seeing her so much younger, and because of the dark sunglasses and the ponytail, he obviously hadn’t made the connection.
He gave an open smile and said, ‘If I recall from the emails we exchanged, your name is Lia, yes?’
‘That’s right,’ she said.
‘I am Stefan!’ he replied brightly, a flat palm on his chest. He was adorable. Putting a hand on his waist, he added, ‘So, you’re a gardener?’
‘Yes, I had my own business in Athens. Gardening and landscaping. I’ve only recently moved here—’ she rolled her eyes, ‘but, of course, you already know that.’
His brow etched. ‘Do I?’
She panicked. Stupid, stupid, stupid! Of course, he doesn’t. He knows Emilia! Emilia just moved here, not Lia! She huffed, then lifted an urgent hand to fiddle with a straggly lock on her temple. ‘Sorry. Thought I’d told you in the email. I didn’t.’
‘No, no, you didn’t, I don’t think.’ He clapped his hands together once. ‘Anyway! Your interview today is mainly with my father. He is the boss around here.’ He winked and gave a lopsided grin. ‘Please, come! He is waiting inside to meet you. It’s just the two of us in this big house, no woman in sight to tidy up, so I’d like to apologise in advance for the state of things in there.’ He chortled and swept one arm in a gallant manner gesturing toward the porch. ‘Please, this way.’
‘Thank you,’ said Emilia, and stepped up to the porch. As soon as she did, she heard barking and turned to see a puppy run toward her. With the corner of her eye she saw there was a makeshift cot at the edge of the porch made of a cardboard box set on its side, lined with cloth. Clearly, the little one had seen her enter its territory and, thinking of itself as the guardian of the place, had come to protest.
And protest it did, barking wildly around her feet, but it didn’t nip. She cooed at it and bent over to caress its head. That’s when it raised its little head to meet her gaze, causing her to freeze. What? It can’t be!
‘Dad! The gardener’s here!’ she heard then, as if in a dream, and realised Stefan had opened the front door. Shocked still, she remained glued to her spot on the porch, staring at the puppy. She picked it up to study it more closely. It’s the same puppy! The one I found! But… wait… The puppy’s in Andreas’s house. Wait a minute… Andreas’s house—
‘Hello!’ she heard, still holding the puppy, the puppy she’d found on the beach… The puppy she’d given to Andreas. What had he called her? Sissi? Yes, that’s right…
‘Sissi! Are you being a bad girl? What is this barking I hear? Shame on you to welcome our guest like that!’ she heard a man coo, and, dazed, turned her head slowly toward the front door where the familiar voice had come from. She was wearing big dark sunglasses, and, of course, the lenses and the ponytail. Surely, she had a good chance of not being recognised?
Oh my goodness… what a mess! She froze when Andreas approached her to take Sissi from her hands with a bright smile. That same smile that had been haunting her daydreams since the last time she met him. Seeing him again made her realize she had missed him even more than she’d thought.
He seemed none the wiser when he said, ‘I am so sorry for Sissi’s rude welcome. He hefted the puppy in one hand, then held her in one strong arm against his chest, offering her the other hand. ‘I am Andreas Labiris. Pleased to meet you, Miss…’
She offered a limp hand to shake. ‘Lia… er… Sissi.’ She’d regretted it as soon as she opened her mouth, but her mind had drawn a blank. When Sissi yawned, nestled in the crook of his arm, the dog’s name sprang to mind, and she couldn’t help blurting it out.
He chortled. ‘What? Our puppy has your surname? Fancy that!’ he said, turning to Stefan, who seemed just as amused.
When they sobered, Andreas said to Emilia, ‘Well, would you like to see the property?’
‘Of course!’ She nodded and he moved toward the steps, Sissi still in his arms. Emilia and Stefan followed.
He stopped and turned at the top of the steps. ‘Oh, may I ask? Do you employ your own helpers? I’m afraid it’s too involved a job for just one woman, no matter how strong and energetic, as I am sure you must be.’
‘Yes, I do hire help when needed. It all depends on the type of work and how quickly you want the job done.’
‘Of course… We don’t require much heavy work. And we’re not in a hurry at all. As a matter of fact, for a better deal, Stefan or I could help with the heavy lifting so you don’t have to employ someone else,’ he said, bending over to let Sissi go.
‘That works for me,’ she replied and looked down. The puppy had come straight to her feet and was now licking her ankle. Emilia cooed at it, and bent over to caress her head. Sissi responded by lolling her tongue, looking all silly and adorable. ‘She is a darling.’
‘Yes, we adore her. She keeps us entertained, that’s for sure,’ said Stefan.
For a few moments, the two men, now standing side by side, smiled brightly back at her. For the first time, Emilia noticed the evident resemblance between father and son. But, she hadn’t seen it when she met Stefan the first time. How could she have made the connection? Even the names didn’t match. Andreas had said his son’s name was Nakis. But his son had introduced himself as Stefan on the beach. Nakis as in Stefanakis? The diminutives of Stefanos? For sure. Still, she wondered why his father called him ‘Nakis’ when he’d clearly chosen ‘Stefan’ for himself. Of course, she didn’t feel entitled to ask.
Finally, Andreas gestured toward the steps before them, snapping her out of her thoughts. ‘This way please… We can start from the front garden, then move toward the back.’
Before Emilia could make a move, Andreas rushed to go down the steps first, following the classic gentlemanly etiquette, causing her knees to buckle. Aww… That’s so sweet…
But, shortly after he did this, clearly to guard her from a possible accident, an accident did happen. Sissi rushed to follow Emilia and, somehow, landed on top of her foot when she was halfway down the stairs. That startled her enough to lose her footing.
Quick as lightning, Andreas whirled around and put out both hands to catch her. Emilia held on to his chest with a judder, as her feet crossed under her, then lost touch with the stairs altogether.
Now, squeezed between his strong arms, her face so close to his chest that her hot breath bounced off the cotton of his shirt, she felt dazed. And vulnerable. In a split second, she registered three things: First, Stefan had picked up the dog and was asking her if she’d got hurt. Second, Andreas now seemed frozen as he held her, staring into her face with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief. Third, and most important, the sunglasses had fallen on the ground. She had heard them rattle as they tumbled all the way to the bottom of the steps, where she and Andreas now stood. The sunglasses were unharmed. As for her cover, that was another story.
‘Oh… uh…’ mumbled Andreas, as both he and she began to push away from each other while she righted herself to stand with his assistance.
As soon as she had both feet firmly planted on the ground, she bent over to pick up her sunglasses, then looked away as she put them back on. The touch of Andreas’s hand on her arm took her by surprise and caused her to freeze.
‘Excuse me… please forgive me… but…’ he said, gently pulling the sunglasses down from her eyes a little. ‘I’ll be damned! You look just like… a friend of mine. Emilia. You’re like… a younger version of her!’
Emilia was stunned to silence. All she could do was chuckle nervously as she removed the sunglasses completely and began to fidget with them. She tried to avoid his gaze, but he was still studying her, mesmerised.
‘You have green eyes, I see. Emilia’s are brown… But, still…’ He shook his head, looking incredulous. ‘Do you have a relative called Emilia? She recently arrived on the island. Her aunt died and she… she inherited her house in Adamas.’
Stefan approached, still carrying Sissi in his arms. ‘Is it on the beach, Dad? The house your friend Emilia inherited?’
‘Yes, from what she told me. It’s in Adamas.’
‘That’s the lady who you rescued Sissi with?’
‘Yes.’
‘I met her the other day, Dad! She’s the lady who stepped on the urchin.’
‘Really? Wow, it’s a small world…’ said Andreas.
‘Indeed…’ Stefan turned to Emilia. ‘Dad is right! You look just like Emilia! Are you two related?’
Emilia had to think quickly. And there was no denying this. She couldn’t possibly say she didn’t know Emilia. She was intelligent enough not to underestimate the cognitive capacity of others. Let alone that of two men as savvy—and adorable—as those two.
‘Yes… she’s my… erm…. aunt. My aunt Emilia, I mean. Yeah.’ She shook her head, raising a hand to wave frantically, in the pretence she had just realised something. ‘Now it makes sense!’ she told Andreas. ‘That’s why Sissi licked at my feet earlier. These sandals are my… aunt’s. She probably smelled her.’
She finally stopped talking and tightened her lips, yet awash with relief inside, as she waited for an answer. She felt amazed by how quickly she could think up all that.
Luckily, the two seemed to have gobbled it all right down. Both were now busy congratulating Sissi for her powerful sense of smell.
‘Wow! I am still amazed that Emilia’s niece, of all people, should apply for the job!’ exclaimed Andreas, as he put a gentle hand on her back to guide her toward the far corner of the front garden.
He stopped before a bright pink bougainvillea that was in dire need of pruning and said, ‘Now I know you’re Emilia’s niece I’m definitely hiring you. Not only because I can tell you are a responsible young lady, but also because, being Emilia’s relative, you’re bound to share some of her many wonderful qualities as a person. She’s a special lady. Such a special lady… You’ll give her my regards, won’t you?’ he said, causing her heart to melt when he looked at her again with those beautiful blue eyes.