Page 50 of The Little Greek Guesthouse

‘Seems fair,’ George said.

‘I think so.’ Eirini caught Nina’s eye, glancing towards George and raising her eyebrows, then winking.

Nina felt herself blush. She wanted to protest, to assure Eirini that there was nothing more than friendship between her George; not even that really, they barely knew each other. But she found herself staring at him as he focused on his ice cream, the blue of his eyes stark, the smattering of freckles across his nose and lips. Fleetingly, she imagined kissing him.

Eirini made a sound that might have been a cough and might have been a laugh. Nina, snapped out of her reverie, looked up to find Eirini watching her with a knowing smile and a glint in her eye. The blush that fired up in Nina’s cheeks did not help with her attempt to appear nonchalant and not particularly interested in the man sitting opposite her. Which she was, wasn’t she? Just because he’d helped her look for Theo and put a plaster on her cut and knew a lot about turtles and had the most gorgeous blue eyes, didn’t mean she felt anything for him. At all.

‘What?’ he asked, catching her eye as Eirini made a discreet exit. ‘Have I got something on my face?’ He reached for his napkin and began smacking his face with it, trying to wipe up a non-existent blob of ice cream.

‘What? No. Why?’ Flustered, Nina dug into her own bowl, dropping half her spoonful before it reached her mouth.

‘Oh, I just – you were staring and I’m a messy eater sometimes. I’m always getting stuff on –’

‘I was not staring!’ She felt the blush deepen.

He held up his palms. ‘No, I’m sure you’re right. It’s just – I’m kind of paranoid about it. I got stung once, when I was a kid, I got some food on my cheek and I felt this tickle and it turned out to be a bee and I sort of squished it with my shoulder and then it stung me. Poor thing.’

‘Poor thing? It stung you!’

‘Well, yeah, but it couldn’t help it; I was squashing it. And it will have died.’

She grinned. ‘God, you are a softie when it comes to animals, aren’t you? Is that when this whole conservation thing started?’

He laughed. ‘Maybe. I hadn’t really thought about it. I’ve always just – you know, I grew up in the country and I used to stay up to sneak out and watch all the animals at night, foxes and rabbits and hedgehogs. Intelligent, you know, and just trying to go about their business, and we blunder around, destroying their habitat and . . .’

He was flushed now, leaning forward in the chair, his gaze locked on hers. Ice cream forgotten for the moment.

‘Sorry,’ he said, running his hand through his hair and smiling ruefully. ‘I’m boring you.’

‘No you’re not,’ she said softly.

He smiled, sat back. ‘I get carried away.’

‘You care, that’s all. It’s good.’ She took another bite of ice cream, savouring the sweet, creamy flavour. ‘I don’t know why you got a reward, you weren’t a good patient.’

‘Ah but I was a good nurse.’

‘Can’t argue with that.’ She cleared her throat. ‘I did talk to Baba. About the hotel and the turtles and everything.’

He nodded.

‘He’s going to check in with the buyer, make sure that they’re not going to do anything that threatens the wildlife, so . . .’

He nodded, looking sceptical. ‘Well that’s something. They’re just not – they’re not always a hundred per cent honest, though, so watch out, is all I’m saying.’

‘I get it. We’ll be careful. I was sort of thinking about talking to Baba about running it ourselves instead. Like a little guest house. I don’t know.’ She waved a hand, embarrassed suddenly that she’d voiced this ghost of a thought aloud. ‘Stupid.’ She laughed.

‘No, it’s good. Great idea!’ He was leaning forward in his seat again, his expression bright with enthusiasm. ‘I bet you’ll do a brilliant job.’

‘Well, it’s just, I studied interior design, I’m a buyer for a department store in my real life, and I keep getting these ideas about how I’d like to decorate it, with the blue theme running through and white walls and rugs and – and lamps and things.’

‘And turtles!’ he said.

She laughed. ‘And turtles maybe, why not? And Baba’s a really good cook, and I could –’

‘And you’re learning from Yia-Yia.’

‘And I – yes, exactly, so we can do amazing Greek food and . . . you really think it’s a good idea?’