AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But, walking into the living room, she found it empty. Hearing the clink of cutlery coming from the terrace, she wandered out and saw Agní laying the table there.
‘Kalispera, kyria.’ She straightened up, smoothing down her apron. ‘I hope you have had a pleasant day?’
‘Yes, thank you.’ Kate felt a blush creep over her cheeks. Surely it must be obvious what she and Nikos had been doing? Kate felt as if she was still radiating sexual energy. ‘And, please, call me Kate.’
‘Of course... Kate.’ Agní smiled slightly nervously. ‘I am so pleased to hear the news about Sofia.’
‘Isn’t it great?’ Kate agreed wholeheartedly. Then a thought occurred to her. ‘Do you know Sofia, then?’
‘Yes. She is the same age as my younger sister. They were in the same class before... Well, before Sofia was sent to boarding school. My sister was there to support her at Philippos’s funeral, though. We all were.’
‘Well, I’m sure she appreciated that.’
‘And now she will be living here at Villa Levanda, at least for the holidays, so we will be able to see much more of her.’ Agní smiled happily.
‘Yes, of course.’
Kate looked away, fighting back tears. She knew it was horribly selfish of her, but she couldn’t match Agní’s cheerfulness. She was talking about a shared history that Kate knew nothing about. And worse—far worse—about a shared future that she would never be part of.
‘Efharisto, Agní.’
Nikos appeared, smelling of citrus soap, his damp hair curling at the nape of his neck. He was wearing a plain white tee shirt and loose navy cotton trousers. Kate drank in the sight of him. After a rapid conversation with Agní in Greek, he pulled out a chair for Kate, who was still standing awkwardly beside the table.
‘Agní has made her special moussaka for us. I guarantee it will be the best moussaka you have ever tasted.’
‘Great...’ Kate tried to smile. She could hardly refuse to eat the meal now—it would appear rude.
Nikos reached for the wine bottle in the cooler, but when he went to fill Kate’s glass Kate shook her head. If she was to share this last meal with Nikos, she didn’t want it to be blurred by alcohol. Suddenly she knew she wanted to live every last second with him. She wanted to feel the pleasure and the pain. Because no one else would be able to make her experience emotions like this again.
Nikos swapped the wine for sparkling water, filling his own glass too, before taking Kate’s hand, which lay on the table between them. He turned the plain gold wedding ring on her finger, staring at it intently.
As if returning from a trance, he replaced her hand on the table and met her eyes. ‘So, what time is your meeting with Rosebury’s tomorrow?’
‘Um...three-thirty.’ Kate had arranged to meet with Charles Lewis to go over the forecasts for Kandy Kate in the UK. ‘There’s a nine a.m. flight that should get me there in plenty of time.’
‘You don’t want to take the private jet? It’s yours if you want it.’
‘No, thank you.’ Kate took a sip of water. ‘I’m very grateful for all your help—with Kandy Kate and everything else—but now I need to stand on my own two feet.’
‘If you’re sure?’
‘I am.’
Silence fell between them, punctuated only by the cicadas in the olive trees and the rustle of the sea breeze.
‘Then I guess this is it.’
Kate bit down on her lip. She would not cry. She would not cry.
‘At some point we will have to see about a divorce.’ As he spoke the night air stilled. ‘But I don’t suppose there’s any hurry.’
‘Not unless you want to remarry!’ Kate had rushed to try and fill the aching gap. But her attempt at levity only worsened the pain.
Nikos made a disbelieving noise in his throat. ‘Or you, of course.’
‘Yes.’ Kate’s fingernails bit into her palms. ‘Or me.’
Agní appeared, proudly bearing a large dish of steaming moussaka, and set it on the table before them before discreetly disappearing.
Nikos quickly served them, then raised his glass of water. ‘A toast, then.’ His eyes shone almost black. ‘To the future.’
