Page 27 of The Little Greek Guesthouse

Maria served the meal and they ate, the delicious mix of flavours, the rich tomato and zing of chilli and tang of feta all perfectly complementing the shrimp. She poured them each a glass of ouzo, adding water so that the liquid turned milky, and Nina sipped the aniseed drink as she listened to Maria continue to talk about her mum; how young Clare had dazzled the village, chatting to everyone and playing with children on the shore, trying all the food in the café and scrambling up mountains to admire the best views of the beach. There had been meals and music and drinking and dancing, and she had joined in with it all with gusto and good humour. And Theo had fallen for her, everyone could see it. His mama had smiled and wept at the same time, knowing her boy had found happiness, knowing she was losing him and that he would follow Clare to the ends of the earth, and be happy doing it.

Nina’s head was still swimming with images of her with purple hair and a nose stud. Then her mum smiling as she danced with the villagers in the outdoor area of the café late at night, and gazing from the mountainside at the sea, and crouched at the water’s edge, playing with small children.

Each of these was a little gift, a glimpse of her mum that she otherwise wouldn’t have had, and she reached out to squeeze the gnarled hand of the woman who’d given them to her.

‘Thank you, Maria.’ She was surprised to find her voice thick with unshed tears.

Maria smiled, her eyes sad. ‘She was lovely girl. Like you.’ Her eyes smiled too this time, and she nodded. ‘Even though terrible cook!’

Nina laughed, glancing at Maria’s empty plate. ‘You managed to force it down though, didn’t you?’

The older woman grinned. ‘I’m just polite.’

Nina snorted. ‘Yes, first thing I noticed about you. So polite.’

‘Exactly. Just ask Milo.’

Nina collected the plates and put them in the sink, then reached for her handbag. ‘Milo would say anything you want, you’re the one that feeds her.’

‘Pfft, silly girl,’ Maria said, struggling to her feet. Nina resisted the urge to help her; she knew that would only irritate her. ‘Talking nonsense. You off to help your baba now?’

The smile spread over Nina’s face in a way that she couldn’t control. ‘I’m going out with Vassilis; I need to get ready.’ She spun the bangle on her wrist, remembering her mum dressing up to go out with Theo, smiling at a young Nina in the mirror as she watched.

Maria pursed her lips.

‘What?’ said Nina.

‘Nothing.’ Whatever had bothered Maria, she shook off. ‘Well, you come back tomorrow, yes? We do some more cooking?’ She reached over and clasped Nina around the shoulders in a brief and awkward hug. Nina felt a little taken aback. And honoured.

‘Of course.’

‘And you take care tonight,’ Maria called after her as she walked through the sunlit courtyard, patting Milo’s rough neck as she dozed in the shade. Maria being over-protective was kind of nice. But Vassilis was the most gentlemanly man Nina had ever been out with. He was a grown-up. He treated her well. There was no need for Maria to worry.

Chapter Thirteen

A hammer seemed to be pounding at her skull, smashing against bone again and again.

Nina groaned and rolled over, pulling the sheet over her head. The light streaking through the cracks in the shutter stabbed her eyes. Her stomach lilted unpleasantly as she turned and her mouth felt as though a crab had crawled in there and died. She was ragingly thirsty, and hadn’t thought to bring a glass of water to bed with her last night.

The pounding started up again, her head throbbing with every slam, and she realised that it wasn’t just her hangover, but an actual sound coming from outside her room. Staggering out of bed, the contents of her stomach cresting dangerously for a moment, she went to track down the godforsaken noise and make it stop.

The sound was coming from the kitchen, where Theo was slamming a hammer into the old cupboards and tearing them off the wall, sweating and red in the face.

‘Baba,’ she croaked.

He continued, apparently unaware of her presence.

‘Baba!’ A yell this time, and he stopped, jumping and turning to her with his eyes wide, pressing a hand to his chest.

‘What you doing, giving me a heart attack like this?’ he asked, staggering back and dropping the hammer on the floor with a clatter. He blew out a breath, his round cheeks puffing out, and leaned against the side.

Nina poured herself a glass of water, sipping at it with relief, feeling it cool and calm her throbbing head with each mouthful. ‘You should be on the stage with acting skills like that,’ she said, shaking her head, and then wishing she hadn’t. ‘Ouch,’ she groaned. ‘And I should be asking what you’re doing, making such a racket first thing on a Sunday morning.’

‘I – first thing? First –’ He opened his eyes even wider. One of these days they’d fall right out of his head. He threw his arms in the air and looked around as though there was someone else there to share his outrage. But it was just the two of them. ‘It’s afternoon, lazy girl, you slept away the morning.’

‘Oh, I –’ She tapped Theo’s phone where it sat on the side to see the time: two thirty. ‘Oh. Okay then.’

Theo looked hurt. ‘And you said you’d help me with the work today but I end up doing it alone and then get a telling-off for it.’