Page 64 of The Little Greek Guesthouse

She shook her head, ridding herself of the images. They were just friends, and that was all she wanted. Wasn’t it?

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Having admired the beach and had a nap Heather announced she was craving some authentic Greek cuisine, so they made their way to the café.

Nina introduced her to Yiannis and he immediately started offering them free food and drinks.

‘What would you like, a drink to get you started, yes? Some portokalada, or some good Greek coffee?’

Heather smiled. ‘Coffee all the way for me, please,’ she said, smiling at the children who were sitting at a nearby table under the shade of an umbrella, a half-finished plate of Greek salad sitting on the table between them as they concentrated on their colouring. ‘How sweet,’ she said, laughing as they began to squabble over a crayon. ‘Siblings, right?’

‘My grandchildren,’ Yiannis said proudly as he showed them to the table in the corner, Nina’s favourite.

‘Adorable,’ Heather said over the sound of the children shouting at each other, smiling up at him as she sat down. He looked so proud that Nina thought he might burst.

‘You’ll never have to pay for anything here now!’ she said, laughing as Yiannis walked away. She knew Heather wasn’t being disingenuous though; she just loved kids. She loved going into work every day and spending time with them, and she looked forward to going back after the holidays.

‘Aw, they’re so cute though,’ she said. ‘Right. What do you recommend? I’m starving.’

‘Well, everything’s so good, I can hardly –’

‘Nina!’ Eirini rushed over, untying her apron and taking a seat next to them. Nina guessed she’d decided her shift was over. ‘Introduce me to your friend then,’ she said, smiling and holding out a hand for Heather to shake. ‘I’m Eirini, this is my father-in-law’s café and those two little monsters are my kids.’ She nodded towards the children, gazing at them with a look of pure love.

Heather introduced herself. ‘Nina’s friend from home, we’ve known each other forever, so if you need any embarrassing stories or photos, I’m your woman.’

Eirini laughed. ‘I’ll remember that!’

‘Well, you two seem to be doing fine without any introductions from me,’ Nina grumbled.

‘Never mind that, introductions are done, I want to hear more about you and Gorgeous George,’ Eirini said. ‘Come on. Have you seen him again? Any – developments?’

She laughed as a flush spread over Nina’s cheeks and Heather leaned forward in her chair.

‘Wait, what? George? Who’s George? Why haven’t I heard about this Gorgeous George?’

‘Oh she hasn’t told you?’ Eirini asked.

‘Because there’s nothing to tell!’ Nina protested, wishing she could stop blushing so hard.

‘George, George, why do I know that name?’ Heather drummed her fingers on the table, frowning as she tried to remember. ‘Wait isn’t he the bloke who you were so annoyed by? The environment guy?’

Eirini snapped her fingers and pointed at Heather. ‘Yes, exactly. Environment guy. Veeeery handsome. And Nina’s been spending a lot of time with him.’ She winked at Heather as she said this, and Heather grinned back. Nina began to regret introducing them.

‘I have not –’ Nina’s protest was interrupted by Yiannis arriving with their coffees, Eirini’s and Heather’s in demitasse cups and Nina’s in a larger cup so she could add the warmed milk he brought for her. She waited as they all smiled and thanked him, and she and Heather ordered food, before continuing.

‘I have not been spending a lot of time with him!’ she said. ‘He just – he helped me look for Theo that night, you know, when he went missing and he climbs so we’ve done that together but that’s all so . . .’

‘That’s all?’ Eirini gave her a knowing look, a little glint in her eye as she smiled, and Nina remembered that Metalios was a small place, and news travelled fast, and it occurred to her that perhaps she and George had been seen when they went for their early-morning swim.

‘Well, it sounds like I’ve got some catching up to do,’ Heather said with a grin. ‘I’ve heard nothing about all this. Can’t wait to meet this famous George.’

‘Nothing to hear about,’ Nina muttered.

Eirini drained her coffee and stood up, picking her apron back up. ‘Well, you won’t have to wait long before you see him,’ she said, her voice light with mischief. ‘He’s inside, I’m sure he’ll be heading out soon.’

‘What?’ Nina’s head snapped around to the café door. No sign of George yet.

‘Oh,’ Eirini said as she tied on her apron, trying to keep her expression innocent but failing to hide her smirk. ‘Didn’t you realise he was here?’