Page 38 of The Little Greek Guesthouse

Nina felt tears burn behind her eyes, and hid her face behind the menu. She shouldn’t have walked off when he was so miserable earlier. She should have been kinder. It wasn’t his fault he’d lost the bracelet, he’d never do anything to purposefully hurt her. And she had left him, when he clearly felt so bad. It was all she could do to stop herself from leaping up and going to him right then.

She blinked, and tried to focus on the food options. She would make things up to Theo when she got back; she didn’t want a late night anyway so she’d be home soon. The food all looked delicious. But Nina wasn’t very hungry. Perhaps she could manage the Gigantes Plaki, baked butter beans in a light tomato sauce. Such a comforting meal, and one that Theo used to make her when she was ill.

Nina took a large gulp of water, the cool liquid sliding down her throat, soothing the lump that sat there and refused to budge. She stared blankly out at the gorgeous view and barely saw it; she faced the gorgeous man sitting opposite and barely thought of him. Her hand strayed to her wrist, her habit of twisting the bangle when she was in need of reassurance, and met only skin.

Tears threatened to appear again and she bit the inside of her cheek to distract herself. Nina smiled at the waitress who placed the final plate on their table, thanking her. But she only played with her dinner, unable to stomach the idea of eating.

‘You’re very quiet,’ Vassilis said. ‘What’s wrong? You don’t like the food?’

‘It’s not the food,’ she said, and she could hear the flatness in her own voice.

‘Then what?’ he said, wiping his mouth and placing the napkin down on the table. ‘Look where I bring you. You don’t like it?’

She felt a stir of annoyance. He meant well, she was sure of it, but he didn’t seem to notice her sadness. Then again, Sam would often be insensitive to her moods when he was hungry. Perhaps it was a male thing. Inwardly, she sighed. She felt tired and confused.

‘I just – the place is lovely, it’s not that, but I did say I wanted a quiet night. I’m worried about the bracelet; what if I can’t ever find it? It’s the one thing I have that was mum’s, her most precious thing, and . . . And I’m worried about Baba, he’s acting so strangely, getting all upset and confused and losing things. It’s not like him. And I was – I was kind of mean to him.’ She slumped down in her chair, picking up her water and taking another gulp, the glass wobbling a little in her hand. She blinked again, forcing back tears.

Vassilis sighed and ran a hand through his hair. In other circumstances she would have fed on the sight of his sharp cheekbones accentuated by the lighting, his sensuous lips. But even his beauty couldn’t distract her tonight. She must be feeling bad.

He frowned. ‘I’m sorry you’re feeling this way, but I’m sure things will be good again with your baba.’ He reached for her hand. ‘And we’re together, out in this beautiful place, having a nice night.’

‘I know, it’s just – I’m just upset about –’

‘Well don’t be.’

‘What?’ She leaned forward, hardly able to believe her ears.

‘You hear me, don’t be. You’re out with me on nice night, the beautiful place, the best food – don’t be upset, be happy. Be more fun.’

He smiled playfully, but her annoyance grew.

‘Be more . . . are you serious?’ She didn’t know what she’d expected from Vassilis, some sympathy she supposed, or at least some level of understanding. For a brief moment, the image of George drifted through her mind, the concern in his eyes, the quiet understanding of how important the bracelet was to her, even though they both knew it almost certainly wasn’t to be found on the beach.

Vassilis sat back in his chair, arms folded. His face unreadable. ‘What we need is our wine,’ he said. ‘This will cheer you up.’ He looked around, raising his hand in the air and clicking his fingers.

‘I don’t really want any, to be honest,’ Nina said. ‘Maybe a beer?’

He smiled. ‘I forget you like beer. Most girls go for something sweeter, you know? But you, no, you like a beer, you like a mojito. Not like other girls.’

He said this with what appeared to be admiration, and Nina couldn’t help feeling that the implication was that being like a girl – or in fact, just being a girl – was somehow inferior. Her feminist hackles rose.

‘Well I don’t know about –’

‘Come on, Nina.’ She felt his leg jiggling under the table. ‘I’ll get you a beer, let’s have some fun.’ He looked around again. ‘Where is this waitress?’ He scowled at the young girl who hurried over.

‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘How can I help?’ She blew a chunk of fringe from her eyes, looking a little flustered. It was probably her first job. Nina smiled, and she smiled back.

‘Well, you can come when I call you, this would be helpful,’ Vassilis said. ‘We would like two beers.’

The smile dropped. ‘Sorry, . . . Yes, I will get them right away.’

‘Thank you,’ he said. Though he said it more politely, Nina could see the annoyance in the set of his face, and the waitress blushed as she rushed off.

‘Vassilis . . .’ Nina said. ‘There was no need for that.’

He shook his head. ‘You have to set your standards higher, Nina. Perhaps you have settled for less than you deserve.’ He reached over the table. ‘We’re paying a lot of money. We must expect the service to be good.’

She looked down at his hand over hers. Perhaps he was right and she did have a low bar when it came to what she deserved.