Page 14 of The Little Greek Guesthouse

‘You must be Nina, yes?’ the man continued in English. ‘Theo’s daughter?’ He placed a palm on his chest. Nina felt her gaze linger there; he had the perfect amount of chest hair, just enough to run her fingers over. Sam had always been waxed smooth. ‘Vassilis,’ he said.

Nina shook herself and flapped her lips for a moment until she eventually managed to form some words. ‘Do you like baklava?’

He opened his arms and smiled. ‘Of course.’

And Nina decided that her announcement that she was leaving could wait a little while.

She and Vassilis sat in the sun-drenched courtyard, on rickety chairs overlooking the beach, and ate the baklava. Nina brought two bottles of Mythos from the fridge, snapping the tops off on the edge of the table the way Heather had taught her when they were teenagers, and handing one to Vassilis. He raised an eyebrow, looking rueful.

‘I’m supposed to be working,’ he said, accepting the beer anyway and taking a sip. Nina tried not to watch his Adam’s apple as he swallowed.

‘You’re allowed a break, aren’t you?’ she asked, sitting down and stretching her legs out in the sun, closing her eyes and tipping her head back. If she could fit in more of this, sitting in the Kefalonian sun with a handsome man, she would definitely stay for the summer.

‘Maybe,’ Vassilis said. ‘I’m not sure your baba would approve. But how can I resist such a beautiful lady?’

Nina opened one eye. ‘I look a mess.’ She wished he’d seen her as she usually was, with every hair in place and her makeup impeccable. No broken nails, no sawdust stuck to her eyelashes. This sticky, sweaty mess of a woman wasn’t her.

He shrugged. ‘Maybe you’re not looking your best right now, yes, but I see a beautiful lady sitting here.’ He grinned, raising an eyebrow. Nina was fully watching him now, trying not to feel self-conscious under his gaze as it travelled up her face, lingering on her mouth. ‘Sure, you get dressed up and with the makeup and the jewels and you are taking the breath of all the men.’ He nodded. Nina flushed. ‘But now, with the hair like a bed for the birds and the face all –’ He waved a hand in front of his own face to indicate, she assumed, smudged makeup and sweat and dust. Nina felt anger prickling under her skin. She wasn’t looking her best, but there was no need for him to be rude. ‘Still. With all this even, I see it. You can’t hide it, this beauty.’

‘Well. Thank you, I suppose,’ she said, rather ungraciously. It was a back-handed compliment if ever she’d had one, but he was speaking in his second language, so she was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. He had said she was beautiful, after all, she thought, watching his taut stomach tighten as he leaned back in his chair.

He waved a hand vaguely in the direction of the view. ‘You are enjoying this, yes?’

‘It is lovely here.’ Nina heard the lack of enthusiasm in her voice, and Vassilis glanced at her, obviously picking up on it too.

He grinned. ‘What, this not to your liking? Beautiful sun, beautiful sea?’

Nina took a sip of beer, trying not to grimace at the flavour; she was more of a wine girl. ‘No, it is, of course it is, it’s –’ She gazed out at the sparkling waters below. ‘It really is gorgeous. It’s just – not quite what I imagined.’

He raised his eyebrows. ‘Oh. You like a bit more, yes?’

He chuckled, and Nina gave him a sidelong glance; was he laughing at her? But his dark eyes were warm, and she could see he meant no harm.

He nodded. ‘This is the life you are used to, I see. Not quiet little Metalios.’

Nina thought of her old life, which involved little more than the office and the flat, and perhaps some bar where Sam would ignore her all night, talking to his important colleagues.

She sighed and picked at the label on the beer bottle. ‘I don’t know. My old life was mostly work, now I think about it. I liked that though; I was good at it, or at least I thought I was. But now . . .’ She bit her lip. ‘I don’t know. I’m not sure what’s next really.’ Her voice shook and, horrified to be showing herself up in front of this gorgeous stranger, she bit back tears. But her treacherous mind took her back to the kitchen in her apartment in Manchester, to the sight of Mags in Sam’s t-shirt, casually making them both a drink. Nina reached for her sunglasses to hide the tears that had begun to leak from her eyes.

Vassilis said nothing, but simply sat, sipping his beer and gazing out at the sea. His presence was comfortable, and comforting. Nina was surprised to find she felt no awkwardness at displaying her vulnerability to this man she’d just met.

‘Life is like this sometimes,’ he said at last. ‘These parts where you feel – floating, you know? No direction.’

Nina nodded. Yes, she knew all too well.

‘But this will pass. These times, they are a chance really, to think again, to decide again who you might be.’ He smiled, and despite her misery Nina’s heart stuttered. ‘You will find your way. And you know, if this little place don’t have enough for you, there are other places. When you feel better, let me know. I will take you. If this is what you like.’

Nina smiled, her mind cleared of all images of her old life as she stared at this strangely charming man who had listened and not dismissed her feelings, as he offered to take her out. She decided that yes, this was probably what she liked.

‘When you ready. You tell me, I take you to all the best places.’ He smiled warmly at her, and Nina felt herself actually blush in response. She was a mature and capable woman, she scolded herself, not some simpering teenager. On the other hand, her spirits were certainly being lifted by this turn of events. ‘I know all the right peoples,’ he said. ‘I will show you the –’

Nina didn’t get to hear what Vassilis was planning to show her because Theo appeared before them, eyes wide with outrage, and began speaking in fast Greek that involved a lot of flinging his arms around.

Vassilis replied and raised his hands, palms up, to Theo, placing his half-drunk beer on the table. Nina couldn’t understand his answer to Theo but she gathered from the tone and shrugging of his shoulders that it was placatory. Vassilis followed a mollified but still grumbling Theo, turning as he left to flash Nina a grin that made her glad she was already sitting down; her legs had turned to jelly.

‘If you are free on Saturday, maybe?’ he asked over his shoulder. ‘It is my honour to take you out? If you like?’

Nina tried not to smile too hard. While Theo turned and looked more approvingly of Vassilis, who had really been nothing less than a gentleman.