Chapter 24
Chapter Twenty-Four
After the revelations of the previous night, everyone was happy to just top up their tans and laze around the pool until lunchtime.
Sofia had eventually appeared when breakfast was almost over, and the phrase bright eyed and bushy tailed could have been written to describe her, thought Maddie.
They only had a few days left on the island; a few days left of their holiday full stop.
How Sofia would cope without Adonis on tap didn’t bear thinking about.
But Sofia wasn’t the only one who would struggle when their time in the sun was over.
They all had things to face when they got back.
Maddie wasn’t going to let the thought of going home to an empty house spoil their time together if she could help it, plus she’d promised herself she wouldn’t check her phone every five minutes to see if there’d been a reply from Dan.
At least she had the promise of a new cat.
It wasn’t the same as being reconciled with half her family, but she had to hang on to something, otherwise she’d go crazy.
They were all sunbathing in brand new bikinis with tasselled edges in their signature colours of red, blue and green, Sofia’s last gift.
Maddie’s swimsuits had been consigned to the back of the suitcase long ago.
It now seemed perfectly natural to wear a bikini all day long, even round a hotel pool where it wasn’t just Greeks on holiday.
Being a lot more comfortable in her own body was just one of the ways the trip had helped her.
And she had Thanassis to thank for some of that ease.
Their night on the beach wasn’t something she’d be repeating in a hurry, however wonderful it had been.
But he’d shown her that it was possible to live without one eye permanently on the past. The present had good things to offer too.
The never-ending cycle of grief for Tony’s absence wasn’t quite as daunting anymore, and the warmth of the Greek people, the culture, the food and, of course, the sun had all contributed their share. If only she could sort things out at home. Maybe if she rested her eyes it would help…
What felt like moments later, she was well and truly woken up by Sofia leaping up off her sunlounger and racing round the pool shouting ‘Yes, she said yes!’ several times.
‘We’re talking about Grace, I presume?’
‘Of course. Who else would we be talking about? She’s just texted from the beach. The wedding’s on, with yours truly as the one and only bridesmaid!’
‘You will go the ball, Cinderella.’
Sofia wrapped her arms around herself and did a twirl, which had Charlotte grinning.
‘Ah, how lovely. Give her our congratulations.’
‘Will do.’
Maddie leant over to take the biscuits served with coffee that Sofia had rejected. She was starting to get peckish. Lunch couldn’t be far away.
‘Don’t eat them!’
‘Why on earth not?’
Sofia’s eyes sparkled.
‘Because we’ve all been invited to a late lunch at Adonis’s brother’s house in the hills.
It’s so hard for him to get away from the hotel in the evenings, his busiest time, so it’s been arranged for four o’clock.
His sister’s going to be there too, so I’ll meet both his siblings, their partners, and his nieces and nephews for the first time.
Luckily, the scary mother won’t be there, so I’m getting the easy ones first.’
Maddie popped a biscuit into her mouth and disposed of it in a second, followed by another.
‘Sounds lovely. I’m starving.’
‘Char?’
‘Well, I’m not starving yet, but I’m sure I will be by the time we get there.’
Maddie studied the way Sofia was tapping her fingers on the little side table.
‘Are you nervous?’
‘Of course not. Why are you saying that?’
‘You seem a bit … strung out.’
‘OK, I suppose I am a little. I don’t usually get to meet the families as you know. But this is Greece. You can’t get away without meeting the family. But it doesn’t mean anything.’
Like hell it didn’t. She was well aware that this was a test that she’d need to pass.
Not the ultimate showdown with the family matriarch, but a test nevertheless.
Why hadn’t she picked someone who was constantly on the move, like a pilot or a ship’s captain?
Not someone firmly anchored to his family and his job on a small Greek island.
Maddie and Charlotte exchanged a glance.
‘I know what you’re doing.’
Maddie reached over to touch her friend’s leg.
‘I don’t want to put a downer on the proceedings, but have you thought about what you’re going to do when you go back to England in precisely … three days’ time?’
‘Stop it!’
As well as not having instant access to Adonis, the great big gaping hole where her work had been was something Sofia couldn’t think about right now.
Being away with her friends had been just the tonic she needed after being unceremoniously dumped.
But it wasn’t real life. It was a sun-drenched fantasy, but she was determined not to let it end before it had to.
‘As you rightly say, we still have three days left to enjoy ourselves. Let’s not talk about what happens back in England until we get there. Can we all make a pact, please?’
Charlotte sat up on her sunlounger.
‘Fine by me.’
The idea of facing Doug again and having to rake over everything in person wasn’t a pleasant one either.
It would decide the future of their marriage.
Being so far away from her husband and his mistress had been refreshing.
She wasn’t going to bump into Natalie over the pastries in the local mini market on a tiny Greek island, the way she very well might in their upmarket village deli back in Surrey.
In fact, she had even met the woman there for coffee a few times in a gesture of friendship towards Doug’s colleagues. Just the memory made her feel sick.
If she did stay with Doug, and it was a big if, either they’d have to move, or Natalie would.
The house had got too big for just the two of them anyway.
And realistically the boys lived near enough that they didn’t need to stay the night when they visited.
What was the point of having unused bedrooms that needed regular cleaning?
The holiday really had given her the freedom to step away from her life and think a bit more deeply about her situation rather than just blindly carrying on.
Maddie sighed.
‘Sorry, that was my fault for bringing it up. OK, I agree, no more talk about what’s waiting for any of us back home until we get on that plane.’
Sofia grabbed her sun hat and phone.
‘Agreed. It’s a casual do at the brother’s house, but we’d better all jump in the shower now and get ready. The car will be here in forty minutes.
Maddie lay back on the sunlounger again.
‘Not sure I need that long to beautify myself…’
‘Well, as long as you’re ready on time.’
‘Of course. I wouldn’t want to be late for your future in-laws…’
Sofia batted her on the leg with the hat.
‘You’re going to pay for that. I’ll get you back, don’t you worry.’
The drive into the hills with the sea at their side was stunning as the heat of the day started to fade a little.
They were right on the edge of the narrow roads that wound their way up and round, never losing sight of the sun sparkling on the turquoise water below as the houses petered out and the odd goat occasionally appeared in their path.
Maddie was thankful Sofia had accepted lifts for them all in one of Adonis’s courtesy cars, rather than insisting on driving herself in the state she was in. It was a relief not having to worry about whether they’d be going over the side any minute.
A whitewashed house with thick stone walls, deep-blue painted window frames, and a covered terrace on the side appeared at the end of a winding drive. It stood on its own, and even from this angle, it was obvious that the views over to the sea would be spectacular.
Adonis had said he was meeting them there, and he was the first person Maddie saw when they pulled up at the house, at the head of a substantial reception committee several people deep. She reached over and squeezed Sofia’s leg.
‘They’re going to love you.’
‘Let’s hope so.’ Sofia bent to pick up the flowers she’d brought as a gift. ‘Not that it really matters if they don’t, as I probably won’t see most of them ever again. Damn! Why can’t I get this door open?’
‘Just wait a moment.’
The driver rushed round and pulled open the door that Sofia was wildly yanking at from the inside.
‘That’s better. It’s obviously broken.’
Maddie and Charlotte rolled their eyes at each other.
Adonis rushed forward to take Sofia by the hand as soon as she got out of the car.
‘Hello, darling. Welcome, everyone. Come into the shade and we’ll do the introductions.’
An hour in, and several carafes of wine later, the whole party had relaxed somewhat, observed Maddie.
They’d feasted on taramasaláta, kolokithokeftédes – the courgette fritters they’d all taking a liking to – smothered in tzatzíki, and dolmádes, local vine leaves stuffed with rice and mince, all accompanied by chunks of homemade bread.
And they hadn’t got anywhere near the main courses yet.
Adonis was very much in big brother mode, making sure everyone got the chance to speak and keeping the conversation a delicate balance between Greek and English so that no one felt left out. Maddie could see what made him such a talented hotel manager.
Their host, Kostas, and his wife, Ariadne, plus Adonis’s sister, Lydia, and her husband, Christos, kept sneaking glances at Sofia all through the starters, giving Maddie the impression that their brother bringing a woman to a family dinner wasn’t a regular occurrence.
Their children, Maddie still hadn’t quite worked out who belonged to who, seemed to range from teenagers to those in their early twenties, and were far more brazen in staring at Sofia when they thought no one was looking, as well as grabbing their fair share of wine when their parents were talking.