Page 54 of The Little Greek Guesthouse

Nina stood up, suddenly aware that she and George had been looking at each other without speaking for an unusually long time. ‘I’d better go,’ she said.

His smile faltered and he stepped towards her, placing his hand on her arm. ‘No, but – come with us. Yes?’ He turned to Maria, who was nodding enthusiastically, a mischievous glint in her eye. ‘If – if you’d like to?’

He looked at Nina, his eyes momentarily filled with doubt.

‘Oh – great, yes,’ she said. ‘Thanks. If you’re sure?’

A smile exploded over George’s face. ‘Great! Yes. Yes, you should come.’

Nina laughed. This turn of events had drastically improved her mood. She was fizzing with happiness at the idea. She must be very excited about snorkelling.

‘Okay, I’ll just – I’ll go and get ready.’ She slid past George, glancing at him and then dropping her gaze, suddenly very aware of how close to her he was, how taut his chest was under his faded Simon & Garfunkel t-shirt, how he smelled of sunlight on hot skin and coconut suncream.

She slipped past him, aware of his eyes on her, aware that he was still smiling, and so was she.

Maria chuckled and muttered something that sounded very much like, ‘Get a room.’

Theo was still painting when she came in. He hurried to greet her when he heard the door open, spreading his arms in a gesture of appeasement, his forehead wrinkled with worry.

‘Antheia, I . . .’

‘It’s okay, Baba.’ She stepped over and kissed his paint-splodged cheek. ‘I get it, I do. I know you’re only trying to do the best for me. It’s just – I don’t think we’re on the same page about what that is. I want you to really think about us staying.’

He nodded, but she could tell he’d already dismissed the idea.

‘I’m just going to the beach with Maria.’

He snorted. ‘That old –’

‘Ah!’ She held up a warning finger. ‘Don’t.’

Theo nodded sheepishly, and turned away.

Nina didn’t know why she hadn’t mentioned George.

She quickly changed and hurried back to Maria’s house, where they were waiting for her in the front courtyard.

‘I don’t have a snorkel, is there somewhere I could get one?’

George grinned, waving a snorkel at her. ‘Spare. All yours.’

Maria, dressed in a bright orange swimsuit with a matching wrap, a straw hat hiding her grey-streaked hair, led the way. Nina skipped a few steps to keep up. Maria was surprisingly fast, given her recent injury.

George took Maria’s arm as they made their way down the steep, sandy path to the beach. It was testament to their closeness, Nina thought, that Maria allowed herself to be helped like this.

Maria wasted no time in putting on her mask and running into the sea. ‘Wait up, Yia-Yia!’ George called, laughing and glancing at Nina as he pulled his t-shirt over his head and followed her into the water.

Nina smiled, trying not to notice George’s tanned body. He had the strong, toned physique of a swimmer. She averted her eyes, busying herself with stripping down to her bikini and attaching her snorkel and mask.

Nina kicked off her flip-flops and ran to the sea, the hot sand shifting beneath her feet. The water was warm, and she was soon acclimatised, diving down.

The sea was a clear turquoise, shafts of sunlight pouring through from the surface, and Nina swam down, enchanted by the underwater world she found. Fronds of orange seaweed that covered a rock on the sandy bed drifted in the swell of the waves, and a rainbow of little fish swam all around, silver, gold and blue. A bright orange starfish nestled in the sand and, as Nina swam, she saw an octopus, so camouflaged that she almost missed it, resting against a rock.

A pair of legs came into view, kicking in front of her, soon followed by George’s face as he dived down, treading water in front of her, his hair floating as he gave her a thumbs up. They both surfaced and Nina spat water from her mask, tasting salt.

‘I saw an octopus!’ she said.

He grinned. ‘Oh yeah, we get quite a few. Lovely aren’t they?’