Page 92 of Never Too Late to Date

Kostas gave her a serious look up and down.

‘What the hell are you wearing? Have you come straight from the beach?’

Suzie pretended not to hear.

‘Will you promise me to wear a helmet now?’

‘Mama, you haven’t answered my question.’

‘Don’t change the subject. The accident could have been a whole lot worse. You terrify me the way you whizz around. Will this make you wear a helmet?’

His wink told her he was already on the mend.

‘We’ll see.’

A commotion behind them made everyone turn. Manolis was running through the ward like a madman. Instinctively, Suzie and Panos moved back. At the sight of Kostas with his arm in plaster in a hospital bed, the young man rushed straight to their son’s side and kissed him full on the mouth.

‘S’agapó. Lipáme, lipáme.’

Even if you didn’t speak Greek, mused Suzie, there was no doubting Manolis’s declaration. Although she was keen to know why he was saying sorry straight after telling Kostas he loved him.

But now was not the time. As one, she, Panos and Giannis withdrew from the touching scene. Seeing Kostas beam with joy at the sight of Manolis was the one good thing to come out of his accident. Whatever their problems were, they’d obviously made some headway in trying to solve them.

She stood with her ex-husband and elder son in an awkward huddle at the end of the bed, trying not to invade the privacy of the two men with their arms round each other, the plaster cast showing up brilliant white against Kostas’s tanned skin.

Giannis rubbed his hands together several times, something he’d done since he was a child when he was nervous. Although they were messaging each other now, it was the first time she’d set eyes on her elder son since the tense ferry trip. She had to say something to end the terrible silence. But it was her son who spoke first.

‘Mama, why are you wearing virtually nothing?’

Dressing correctly had always been one of Giannis’s things. The right outfit for the right occasion, scarily like his birth father, now she thought about it.

Kostas’s accident had brought her up short. She’d lost sight of what was important there for a moment. It was like she was being punished for even thinking she could have a different type of life. Her life was here on the island, with her sons and her friends, running the bar. To think otherwise was foolish.

Giannis was still waiting for an answer.

Maybe it was finally time to stop all the lying, even the tiny white lies designed to ease someone else’s pain. It hadn’t worked out that well so far. If anyone deserved the truth, it was Giannis.

‘I’ve been out on a boat with Christian for the day.’

‘Okaaay. So, like a date?’

‘No, not a date. Just as friends.’

‘I see.’

Her son still had his serious face on. ‘I’m glad to see you properly at last.’

‘Me too, Gianni mou. I have missed you so much.’

She went in for a hug, which was returned for a few precious moments. It was a thaw rather than a full-blown flood.

But her son had more to say.

‘Now we know Kosta is OK, I wanted to tell you that I am ready to talk to…’ Giannis stumbled over the word. ‘Chr…Christian.’

Panos put his hand on his son’s shoulder.

‘And so too am I. We’ve talked about it, and we’d like to do it together, up at the farm if you could arrange it sometime soon.’