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‘Oh, no, this is for my new skincare range.’
And with that, Heidi skipped off to the kitchen, her ponytail swinging like a clock’s pendulum, leaving behind a waft of lavender oil, mixed with a strange scent reminiscent of marker pens, behind her.
‘Wow, Heidi has a lot going on, doesn’t she?’
‘Yes.’ Katerina laughed. ‘And she was only supposed to stay here in Santorini for a month, much to her parents’ annoyance.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Both her mother and father work for the UK diplomatic service, and they had hoped Heidi would follow in their footsteps. She’s lived all over the world, in stable and not-so-stable countries, speaks five languages, including Mandarin, and would be a real asset to any government department, but she’s just not interested.’
Suzie nodded. ‘She’d get on well with my friend, Freya. Her parents moved around a lot when she was young, too. They’re medics with Médecins Sans Frontières, and she’s currently running an aromatherapy studio in a château in Provence.’
‘What about you? Did you ever want to follow in your mum’s footsteps?’
Suzie’s heart gave a nip of surprise at the switch in the focus of conversation. However, when it came to personal questions, it was only more recent events that she avoided talking about. Unlike Heidi and Freya, she had spent the majority of her childhood in the same small village in Norfolk, attending the local village school, and then high school, with the same group of friends. When her father had passed away, they had rallied round and offered their support, keeping her from spiralling into an abyss of misery, for which you would be forever grateful. It was only when she had moved to London that her life had unravelled.
‘Actually, I would have loved to teach – it’s still a dream of mine – but life has a way of… presenting diversions.’
Katerina seemed to realise that she had strayed into difficult territory, so she changed the subject. ‘You know, Heidi’s literary cocktail-tasting night will be lots of fun, and it’ll be a great way to get to know Miranda before the book club on Friday. She’s lovely, and I think you’ll—’
‘Oh, no, no, it’s not that, it’s just…’ Suzie sighed, and against her better judgement she told Katerina about that morning’s incident with Christos in the street outside the gallery.
‘Ah, so you’re going on adate.’
‘No, it’s not a date…’
‘Sounds like a date to me.’
‘Anyway, he probably won’t turn up.’
‘Why do you say that?’ asked Katerina, her eyes filled with confusion.
As Suzie didn’t have an immediate answer to that question without making herself sound like a confirmed pessimist, she was happy to see that Giorgos was approaching their table brandishing a bottle of spirits in each hand.
‘Would you like a nightcap? Metaxa? Ouzo?’
Suzie tried not to grimace. She’d had ouzo before and thought it tasted like liquorice mouthwash, so she was more than grateful when Katerina – who was clutching the cup of takeaway coffee that Heidi had brought to the table – shook her head and said it was time for them to head home.
Chapter Eight
The next morning Suzie woke early, flung back the shutters, and stepped out onto the balcony, breathing in the cool, fresh air. She couldn’t believe her good fortune. Even though it was barely seven o’clock, the sun was shining, the sky was a perfect cerulean blue, and the birds were well into the second verse of their uplifting daily melody. But what had really elevated her mood was that for the first time in over a year her dreams had been trauma-free, filled instead with a tickertape of joyous images from her night out atTaverna Giorgos.
With a smile on her face, she jumped in the shower and spent an extra couple of minutes styling her hair – an almost unheard of event. She paired her smart navy-blue shorts with a fresh tee-shirt that Opal had made for her using organic cotton that she’d hand-dyed in a rich saffron colour and finished with a spritz of her favourite perfume.
She filled the kettle to make herself a cup of peppermint tea, and while she waited for the water to boil, she realised that the only thing that would make her stay in Amber’s cute little studio perfect was if Archie was by her side, his short tail wagging with contentment as he devoured his breakfast. She missed him dreadfully, so, after splashing hot water onto her teabag, she grabbed her phone and selected Holly’s number, a smile stretching her lips when she heard her friend’s cheerful greeting.
‘Hi, Suzie, how’s Santorini?’
‘It’s absolutely gorgeous, and the people here are so friendly.’
‘Anyone special?’
Suzie rolled her eyes. ‘No, I—’
‘Don’t worry, it’s early days. You’ve got plenty of time to bump into a tall, dark,sexyGreek guy with rippling abs and a great line in swoon worthy banter. Doesn’t matter if you don’t speak the language, you can just let your bodies do the talking and—’
‘Okay, okay, Holls, I get the message!’ Suzie laughed. ‘And I wasn’t ringing for a pep talk on the benefits of having a holiday romance, but to find out how Archie is.’
