Page 48 of The Little Greek Guesthouse

But Vassilis hadn’t returned it, had he? He’d taken it, the most precious thing to her, the most hurtful loss he could have inflicted, and kept it hidden even when he knew how upset she was.

‘I can’t believe he did this,’ she said.

Theo looked at her, perplexed. ‘I thought he was a good boy. I brought him into our house, gave him work. I think we treated him well.’ He frowned, giving her a questioning look.

She clasped his arm. ‘We did, Baba.’

‘I even encourage you to see him, and all the while, he was stealing from us.’

They stared at each other, absorbing the hurt and shock.

‘I’m sorry I blamed you, Baba,’ Nina said, her voice shaking.

He shook his head. ‘Ah, my little Antheia,’ he said. ‘It’s not your fault. Eh.’ He shrugged, and laughed, the sound a little wobbly but his shoulders and belly shaking as he chuckled. ‘I blamed myself too.’

Nina gave a little hiccup, half laughter, half sob, and stepped into his outstretched arms for a hug. She should be glad; the bracelet was found, Theo wasn’t becoming forgetful, the nightmare was over. But it felt like another nightmare had begun; one in which the man they’d both trusted had caused this pain, and apparently didn’t care at all.

She still couldn’t begin to understand it. He had been selfish when they’d gone out and she’d been upset, but she’d never have thought he could do something like this, something that would hurt her and Theo so much. She couldn’t believe this; first Sam cheating on her, now Vassilis stealing from them. Were there no good men left? Or was she just a colossal idiot who kept picking bad ones?

He’d seemed genuinely remorseful when she found the bracelet, running out to the street after her, calling, his voice full of anguish. But it was too late then. He could have returned it as soon as realised the pain he was causing. He could have not taken it in the first place.

A thought occurred to her, and she felt sick to her stomach.

‘Oh my god,’ she said, clasping a hand over her mouth. ‘He gave me a necklace.’

She remembered the fine silver chain. She’d loved it. She only wasn’t wearing it because she was annoyed with him.

Theo shook his head. ‘Perhaps – he might have bought this one for you,’ he said, his voice hopeful. Her baba. Ever the optimist, despite all evidence.

‘I don’t think so. It – oh god, it wasn’t wrapped or in a box or anything, he just took it out of his pocket.’ She clenched her fists. ‘Ugh. I was so pleased with it.’

Theo sighed and shook his head.

‘I cannot believe he is a bad boy after all.’

Her first instinct was to run and find the necklace, to fling it over the wall and out to sea, or throw it in the bin. But she stopped herself; whoever he took it from might have loved it. It might have meant as much to her as the bracelet did to Nina.

She’d keep it for now. She’d return it if she could. But rage was taking her over, and she needed some way to burn it out of herself. If she couldn’t hurl Vassilis’s gift away, she’d have to find another outlet. Her body was filled with an angry energy that surged through her, and no matter how tired her mind was after recent events, she knew that she needed to move, she needed to challenge her body and free her mind, to focus entirely on something else, to see the world from a different perspective; she needed to climb.

Nina ran up the stairs to her room, grabbing her climbing bag from where she’d flung it when they first arrived. She dragged on her climbing clothes, filled a bottle of water and kissed Theo on the cheek as she ran from the house, promising to be home in time for dinner.

She knew exactly where to go. She’d already seen that the cliff face would be good for a bit of bouldering, at least. If she had a partner to belay her she could attempt something more ambitious, but this would work for now.

A sense of calm washed over her as she stood at the foot of the cliff, staring up at its pitted surface, planning a route. Her mind already clearing of the noise that Vassilis’s betrayal was causing, her focus on the surface and the promise of each jutting rock and hand-sized crevice forcing out any other thoughts.

She took a deep, slow breath, deciding on her first move as she changed into her climbing shoes, clipped on her helmet and attached the pouch of chalk dust to her belt, patting some onto her palms.

She was rusty. It had been almost a year since she’d been to the climbing wall at the gym. But her body remembered as she balanced on her toes on the tiniest jut of rock, fitting her fingers into the smallest of crevices and hauling herself up the cliff face, her thighs burning as she pushed on, her arms working as she pulled herself up, higher and higher. The rock face was warm and smelled of earth and salt as she rested her face against it for a moment, catching her breath and planning her next move. A breeze lifted her hair and cooled her skin, and Nina gazed out over the sea, gentle waves glinting under a clear blue sky, turquoise waters swelling against smooth sand. Joy soared through her, a feeling of power and strength and control – she had found her route, she had climbed this cliff face, and now here she was, strong and brave and invincible, the world waiting below.

A figure stood on the ground, a face upturned, watching her, a hand shading eyes against the sun. Sandy hair, shifting in the breeze.

Nina was frustrated; her private world, her peaceful escape, had been invaded. The last thing she wanted was to be interrupted and have to deal with another person.

The figure waved.

She sighed and began to make her descent, rushing a little, rock crumbling under her hasty fingertips ansd skittering down to the ground, her feet sliding so that she almost lost her footing. Her heart jumped. She wasn’t high; a fall wouldn’t be disastrous, but still.

‘Woah, steady there,’ a voice called from below. Nina clenched her teeth, scrambling down the last section and jumping down to land with as much grace as she could muster.