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‘Okay, that’s enough of my crazy life story for one day. Don’t you have a rendezvous to get to?’
Suzie smiled. ‘I do.’
‘Have fun, and I want to hearaaaaallthe juicy details tomorrow!’
Chapter Nine
After a quick re-invigorating shower, Suzie grabbed a fresh tee-shirt, this one a soft pink colour to match the streaks in her blonde hair, and stepped back into the navy-blue shorts and deck shoes she wore for the gallery, which she hoped would be the correct attire for a boat trip. She slotted her phone into the cute triangle-shaped handbag Amber had given her for Christmas the previous year – which she hadn’t yet had the opportunity to use – and hooked the narrow strap over her shoulder.
Since arriving in Devon, the only social engagement she had been comfortable attending was the occasional coffee at Beckie’s Boathouse Bistro with Holly, Rachel, or Chloe, and even then, she usually went first thing in the morning or just before the doors closed at the end of the day, when she knew it would be quieter. She experienced another tingle of nervousness about meeting Christos, but as she had no way of contacting him, unless she was prepared to stand him up, she had no choice but to step out from the shadows she’d made a habit of sculking in and try to enjoy a splash of Greek sunshine on her face.
At exactly six o’clock, she headed down the studio’s whitewashed steps to wait for Christos in the same spot they’d “bumped into each other” the previous day, but when she got there, she found herself in the middle of a constant stream of people, all of them heading in the direction of Oia’s clifftop bars. Fearing she would get swept along with them, she huddled into the gallery’s doorway, standing on her tiptoes to scour the crowd for any sign of Christos before checking her watch.
Six-twenty.
He wasn’t coming, and far from being upset about that, she experienced a whoosh of relief. She was about to spin on her flat heels and returned to the sanctuary of Amber’s apartment when Christos appeared in front of her, his dark eyes sparkling, wearing the same frayed denim shorts and scruffy espadrilles as the previous day, but with a fresh white tee-shirt that clung to every contour of his muscular torso. A waft of his cologne reached Suzie’s nostrils and she struggled to stop herself from closing her eyes to inhale the fragrance that caused a ripple of attraction to zip through her veins.
‘Yassou, Suzie. Ready forthebest sunset cruise in the whole of Santorini?’
Suzie smiled. ‘Of course.’
‘Great.’
To her surprise, Christos reached out to take her hand and steered her against the flow of sunset-seekers, through the stone arch at the end of the street, and along the same dusty pathway she and Katerina had taken the previous evening on their way toTaverna Giorgos. This time, however, she was able to fully appreciate its enviable setting in the daylight and it was even more beautiful than she remembered, with its wraparound veranda sheltered from the sun’s rays by a wrought-iron pergola decorated with a resplendent grapevine, heavy with clusters of dark red fruit.
‘Are we stopping for a drink first?’ asked Suzie.
‘No, we need to… argh!’
To her astonishment, Christos dropped her hand like a hot stone and shot to his right, away from the tumble-down wall that bordered their path. Suzie stared at him, then looked over her shoulder into the olive grove beyond the wall, fearing a stampede of raging bulls, or a swarm of dragonflies heading in their direction. But all she could see were a couple of goats munching languidly on a patch of dry grass.
‘What’s wrong? What happened?’
‘Nothing, nothing, I just tripped on a protruding stone. Sorry I startled you.’ Christos grinned, his lips bracketed by the cute dimples that made Suzie smile, too. ‘Okay, let’s go or we’ll miss the sunset.’
This time when Christos took her hand, she felt as though it was the most natural thing in the world, and she was even more grateful for his friendly gesture when they turned right at the crumbling ruins of Oia Castle and headed down a steep flight of uneven cobbled steps that zigzagged down the red-hued cliffs. The views out to sea were breathtaking, as was the almost vertical descent, and she had never been so relieved that she was wearing sensible shoes and not the towering stilettos that Katerina preferred.
Fifteen minutes, and several pauses for photographs later, they arrived in a small, picturesque cove, home to a smattering of rustic family-run tavernas that hugged the water’s edge, their menu boards advertising that day’s fresh seafood catch. Every table was occupied by diners enjoying a glass of wine while they waited for the evening’s grand finale.
‘Welcome to Ammoudi Bay,’ said Christos, a note of pride in his voice.
Suzie nodded. ‘It’s beautiful here.’
‘Come on, the boat is this way.’
Christos indicated the jetty, and her nervousness returning with a vengeance when she cast her eyes over the row of boats and catamarans bobbing and bouncing along the side of a short stone pier. She followed in his wake until they were standing in front of a collection of vessels ranging from decrepit former fishing boats and inflatable dinghies to small speed boats and sleek white yachts.
‘Which one is yours?’ she asked, eyeing a paint-blistered rowing boat tied to the end of the jetty with a length of blue nylon rope, its oars dangling from a pair of shiny brass hooks.
Oh God, was he expecting her to row?
‘It’s this one,’ said Christos.
It took Suzie a few seconds to realise that he was not pointing to the rowing boat, but to one of the small, glossy cruisers complete with cabin and upholstered seating area at the rear.
‘Wow, that’s…’
‘Not what you were expecting?’ Christos finished the sentence for her, his eyebrows raised, his lips twitching in amusement as he read her expression perfectly. Heat flooded her cheeks and she felt ashamed of her presumptuousness.
