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‘I’d love to…’ Suzie began, then stopped. ‘Ah, no, I’m sorry, I don’t think I can.’
‘Oh?’ said Katerina, her curiosity piqued. ‘Why not?’
‘I’ve… I’ve booked a boat trip to see the sunset.’
‘Already? You only arrived yesterday,’ said Katerina, her eyes filled with suspicion.
‘Yes, and I’m really looking forward to it.’
‘Never mind, you can come to theactualbook club instead. Just let me know what your favourite book is, and I’ll make a special cocktail for you, too. Oh, and make sure you don’t book any trips for Sunday night.’
‘What’s happening on Sunday night?’
‘I need you and Kat to help me with another project I’ve been working on.’
‘What kind of project?’ asked Katerina, with a small sigh.
‘It’s a secret; all will be revealed on Sunday.’
When Heidi reached up to select a strand of hair and twist it around her finger, Suzie’s eyes snagged on a colourful butterfly tattoo etched on the inside of her left wrist. She couldn’t help but smile; it was the perfect adornment for a woman who seemed to flit from one thing to the next, not wanting to settle on one particular idea for fear of missing out on the next big opportunity that might be just around the corner.
‘No problem. I’m happy to help,’ said Suzie, before she’d noticed the covert headshake from Katerina.
‘Great. Hey, Kat, did you seeHolsHacker’s most recent Vlog?’
‘No, I didn’t. Where is he this time?’
Heidi whipped her phone from the back pocket of her white denim shorts and scrolled through a couple of posts until she found the one she was looking for.
‘He’s in Kefalonia.’
‘Oh my God, he’s in Greece?!’ Katerina exclaimed, leaning closer to Heidi so she could get a better look at the screen. ‘I hope he doesn’t come to Santorini.’
‘Who’sHolsHacker?’ asked Suzie.
‘He’s an undercover travel vlogger who started out doing short videos about holiday hacks, you know, like how to pack light, where to hide your valuables, how to bag an upgrade, how to deal with jetlag, how to use nachos to start a campfire, that sort of thing. Then one of his more comical hacks went viral and his vlog suddenly got lots of extra traffic, so he started to make longer videos from a bunch of tourist hotspots around Europe, reporting on the crazy things that only happen on holiday.’
‘What like?’
Heidi giggled. ‘Well, for instance, last week he was in a resort town in Bulgaria where he decided to rent a boat and sail it round to the next cove where the swimming was supposed to be amazing. He was in the middle of doing a live stream when some totally random guy crawled out from under a tarpaulin at the back of the boat! Oh my God, you should have seen the look on his face; apparently, he’d been sleeping off a hangover and the rumble of the boat’s engine had woken him up! Hilarious!’
‘So whoisHolsHacker?’
‘No one knows; like I said, he’s an “undercover” travel vlogger!’ Heidi laughed.
Suzie turned to Katerina. ‘Why don’t you want him to come to Santorini?’
‘Because not all his vlogs are funny; some of them, the more recent ones, have focused on minor things that would usually be overlooked or quickly rectified, like diners being served with the wrong order – in one, a horrified toddler was served with a plate of snails. You should have seen the look on the mother’s face—’
‘And remember that one where a nervous waiter dropped a whole dish of spaghetti carbonara into the lap of a local mayor who was up for re-election the following week,’ added Heidi, grinning. ‘I’ve never seen someone react so quickly, or so angrily! It was hilarious.’
‘It’s not hilarious when people’s livelihoods are at stake!’ growled Giorgos as he passed their table carrying a stack of crockery with a wine bottle balanced precariously on the top. ‘If I get my hands on that guy, I’ll have a few choice things to say to him! Restaurant staff are human; they make mistakes like everyone else and splashing their errors all over the internet can destroy a successful business overnight! It’s cruel and irresponsible, and for what?’
Giorgos continued his journey to the kitchen still muttering under his breath.
‘I’d better go,’ said Heidi, jumping up from her chair. ‘I promised to help Stefanos with the washing up in return for giving me a lift over to Fira to collect a box of aloe vera and few natural oils that I ordered yesterday.’
‘I thought you were making perfume?’
