Page 56 of The Little Greek Guesthouse

George stood, offering Nina a hand to help her up. She didn’t need it, but took it anyway.

‘Look, as I was going to say before I got interrupted by Sleeping Beauty here.’ Maria glared at him. ‘It’s worth finding out more . . . getting to the truth of what’s really going on.’

He ran a hand through his hair and bit his lip. He was obviously not convinced and, though Nina desperately wanted to believe that all would be well, she found herself trusting his instincts.

‘Okay,’ she said as they each took one of Maria’s arms and helped her walk the steep path back from the beach. ‘I’ll see if I can find out more.’

And anyway, Nina reminded herself, she had plans of her own. It wasn’t over yet.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Nina did a little digging of her own; Theo had told her the name of the hotel chain he was hoping to sell to, and she looked them up. Hedone Hotels was a new venture, with a few properties on other Greek islands, but this was to be its first in Kefalonia. Painstakingly, with the help of Google Translate and once again wishing she’d learned Greek, she gained as much information as she could. There was a section on their sustainability policy, and they were keen to emphasise their credentials when it came to recycling and energy efficiency. So far, so good. There was a sentence that, as far as she could make out, suggested they were sympathetic to local environments.

Bingo.

Relief washed over her; Theo was being honest with her. And whatever happened, even if they sold to the chain and they built a bar and swimming pool, the turtles were safe.

Still. She hadn’t given up on her own plans.

The work on the house was almost done; despite still being furious with him, she had to admit that Vassilis had worked hard and worked well. The roof was fixed, the ceilings plastered, the shutters mended. The house was ready. It was little more than bare bones, a skeleton for someone to add flesh to, to breathe life into.

She thought once again of what she would do with it, this blank canvas. Walking through the rooms she filled them all in her mind, imagining wooden framed beds with matching tables, vintage wardrobes and crisp white sheets. Guests would open the shutters in the morning to a view of the sea, sitting on the balcony as they sipped their coffee. They would take a breakfast of Theo’s Greek omelette, or Greek yogurt with fruit and honey, or feta salad, in the courtyard. They’d return from a day of swimming in the sea or snorkelling or sightseeing to a clean, welcoming, family-run guesthouse. Tastefully furnished, of course, with beautiful, high-quality items that were a perfect match for the setting. Who wouldn’t feel relaxed in such a place?

Finally, she stopped in the smallest bedroom, the highest one, where Theo rarely went. The room she’d been secretly working on since she’d spoken to George on the beach.

The walls were painted white, the shutters blue, and she had stencilled images in a border across the top of the wall – turtles, of course. She had kept the bed, lacking the time to source a new one, but bought the white cotton sheets she’d dreamed of and a gorgeous set of dark wood bedside tables, made locally of course. She’d seen a rug with blue and terracotta stripes at the market – the perfect colours to evoke the warmth of the beach – and a handmade ceramic vase. Once she had these finishing touches, the room would be ready to show to Theo.

Nina stood by the window, admiring her handiwork. Not the high-end items she’d have chosen in her old life perhaps, but authentic, locally made pieces that made the room sing. She’d pulled this off in just a few days, rising early and working late. If Theo suspected she was up to something, he said nothing, perhaps just grateful that she was no longer badgering him about selling to the hotel. Imagine what she could do with the whole house, given a decent amount of time.

Surely this would prove to Theo that she was serious about them running the place together. Surely he would see that she was capable.

Nina gazed down at the beach far below. Her life in England was beginning to feel remote – she hadn’t thought of Sam or looked at his Instagram for weeks. She could no longer imagine herself in the kind of job she’d left, the kind of job she’d longed for – that life she’d had, living in the city and rising early to shower and blow-dry her hair and sculpt her face before sitting in an office with artificial light and an artificial temperature, picking out items she thought would be fashionable, seemed unreachable now.

She couldn’t imagine herself away from the blue skies and turquoise waters of Metalios. Away from the soft, sandy beach where turtles swam out with the fishing boats every morning. Away from the café, from Yiannis and Eirini and the children. Away from Maria and her cooking lessons.

The only thing she missed about home was Heather, and she would be arriving in Metalios in just a few days. Nina couldn’t wait.

She glanced around the room one more time before running to her own to pack her climbing bag and set off. They were meeting early, before the day became too hot, and Nina smiled as she tied up her hair and slapped on her sun cream. It was months since she’d been for a proper climb, and anticipation fizzed in her stomach. George had promised a better location than the cliff face where she’d been bouldering, a real challenge that would stretch her skills.

She smelled coffee; Theo was up.

‘Smells good,’ she said, walking into the now-immaculate kitchen.

He turned to her, already holding a steaming mug out.

‘Thanks, Baba,’ she said, taking the coffee and smiling as she pictured the beautifully decorated room upstairs, waiting to be revealed to him.

He narrowed his eyes, staring at her. ‘What’s up with you? You look like this cat that’s got the cream.’

Nina shrugged, hiding her smile behind the mug as she took a gulp. ‘Nothing’s up. Just looking forward to going out.’

‘Hmm,’ he said, eyeing her with suspicion. ‘You have a good day planned?’ he asked.

‘Yes. Climbing. With George.’

‘You and George are such good friends all of suddenly, going everywhere together.’ He raised his eyebrows, wiggling them at her.

Nina laughed. ‘Just friends, Baba. I think I’ve had just about enough of romance for now.’