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‘No, I…’
Christos laughed. ‘It’s okay. It’s not mine, but we can pretend, can’t we? Over the last few months, I’ve come to realise that when we don’t know who we are any more, the best thing to do is pretend to be who we want to be. Here, take my hand.’
Before Suzie could digest what Christos had just said and ask him to explain what he meant, he had slid his palm into hers and cradled her elbow with his other hand so he could guide her safely on board. The gesture caused a fizzle of electricity to rush through her veins and radiate out to her fingertips, and she was so surprised by her body’s reaction that she stumbled slightly as she stepped from the jetty onto the gently undulating boat. Fortunately, she managed to regain her balance and dropped onto one of the cream leather seats at the back of the boat whilst Christos started the engine and cast off.
‘There’s a bottle of Champagne in the fridge over there, or there’s sparkling water, if you prefer.’
‘Efharistó.’
‘Parakaló.’
Suzie helped herself to a bottle of water and went to join Christos at the helm. As they sailed from the bay, she turned to look back at the cove, which was even more picturesque when viewed from the sea; the angular whitewashed buildings crouched beneath the ruggedness of the red-hued cliffs and surrounded by the deep turquoise of the Aegean Sea. She tipped her chin skywards, relishing the feel of the breeze on her face. Even though it was the end of September, the air was still humid, and she could taste the salty tang of the sea on her lips as they cruised at a leisurely pace towards a rocky outcrop beyond which was the famous Santorini caldera.
‘How was your day at the gallery?’
‘Busy, but lots of fun.’
‘Did you work at a gallery in the UK?’
‘No, I had my own hand-made jewellery business.’
Suzie groaned inwardly. She didn’t want to rehash the story about the fire to someone she had only just met, but Christos was looking at her, his dark eyes filled with interest, and for some reason she couldn’t fathom, she felt completely at ease in his company. She felt she could trust him, and although her intuition had let her down spectacularly in the past, she surprised herself by deciding to give him the benefit of the doubt and delivered the briefest of synopses about the incident that had destroyed her business and taken away her livelihood.
‘I’m so sorry, Suzie, that must have been devastating.’
‘It was, but it was the impact it had on my clients that upset me most. The fire meant I had to renege on my promise to create a matching pair of silver wedding rings as well as a specially commissioned engagement ring, both of which were due that week.’
‘I’m sure they understood.’
‘The engaged couple did – they simply sourced their wedding rings from a high street store – but the guy who’d ordered the engagement ring wasn’t so sympathetic.’
Suzie cringed when she recalled the owner of an upmarket French restaurant in Exeter demanding the immediate return of his deposit, along with a sizeable payment as compensation for the inconvenience caused, which – as she had already purchased the gemstone that was now nestled in the sand at the bottom of Blossomwood Bay – had wiped out every penny in her bank account, a double blow after the fire. Thinking about that heart-wrenching incident made her sad, so she decided to change the subject to Christos’ maritime enterprise.
‘So, who does this gorgeous boat belong to?’
‘I rent it from a friend of mine, Dimitris, who’s taken a sort-of gap year to visit family in Melbourne before cycling up the east coast of Australia all the way to Darwin. I decided that instead of just sitting around – or I should say,sailingaround – all day, enjoying the sunshine, I should do something useful. So, for the last six months, I’ve been offering sunset cruises to people who want a more personalised experience than being crammed together like sardines on one of the tourist boats. I’ve sailed with people who are on their honeymoon, people who want to propose to their partner, or those who simply want to make special memories while feasting their eyes on nature’s curtain-call. Okay, I think this is a good spot.’
They had arrived at a tiny cove watched over by a tumble of whitewashed houses clinging to the sides of vertiginous rocky cliffs. A flotilla of smaller water-based craft was already there, but there were no huge cruise liners or ferries to spoil their uninterrupted view of the sun as it sank towards the ocean, its lower rim already hovering tantalisingly on the horizon, sending a cascade of golden light rippling across the surface of the water.
As dusk replaced the eye-scorching brightness of that day’s sunshine, ribbons of apricot, pink, and mauve drifted across the sky, adding a soft wash of colour to the buildings on the shoreline to provide a backdrop that became more and more mesmerising with every second that passed. Despite the presence of other spectators, a noticeable silence had descended, which, along with the rhythmic bobbing of the boat, produced a calm tranquillity that elevated the experience into something truly magical.
‘Wow,’ Suzie whispered.
She knew the word was woefully inadequate to describe what she was witnessing, and feeling, but she hadn’t expected to have such a profoundly emotional reaction to the setting of the sun, an occurrence that was repeated every day all over the world. She was completely awestruck, humbled by the privilege of seeing such unadulterated beauty played out in front of her, and she knew that she would remember every moment of her first Santorini sunset for the rest of her life.
An unfamiliar feeling of serenity wrapped its gentle tendrils around Suzie shoulders as she was serenaded by the sound of the water lapping against the side of the boat, and it was only when the last of the sun’s rays melted from the sky that she was finally able to reconnect with reality. She had been so caught up in the strangely uplifting spectacle that she hadn’t realised Christos had taken a seat on the banquette next to her, his ankle hooked over his thigh, lost in his own thoughts. Her gaze strayed to an oval-shaped scar on his calf, and she was about to ask him what had happened, but changed her mind, not wanting to spoil the ambiance by bringing up what would no doubt be a painful memory.
‘Thank you for bringing me here, Christos.’
‘The simple pleasures in life aren’t given the accolades they deserve,’ Christos murmured, his voice a little hoarse with emotion. ‘Being on Santorini has taught me that it’s not money, ambition, or possessions that make us happy, it’s witnessing sights like this. They remind us how insignificant our difficulties are in the grand scheme of things and inspire us – every day – to keep our eyes fixed on the horizon, and to follow our dreams, wherever they may lead us.’
Suzie’s thoughts scooted back to what Katerina had told her that morning, and she wondered if Christos was running away, too. She met his eyes and there was something she couldn’t quite put her finger lurking in their depths; was it disappointment? Irritation? Anger? But she didn’t want to pry. Even though she felt unexpectedly comfortable in his presence, theyhadonly just met, and she certainly didn’t want to risk having to reciprocate with her own life story – the very thought of having to do that made her nauseous, and it had nothing to do with the boat’s increased undulations as their fellow waterborne observers prepared to return to shore.
‘Ready to head back?’
‘Absolutely.’
Christos re-started the engine and steered them back to Ammoudi Bay. After dropping anchor and making sure the boat was securely tethered to the cringle on the pier, he once again held out his palm to help her on to the jetty. She hooked her bag over her shoulder and just as she reached out to take his hand, a larger, more powerful motorboat sailed past them at speed causing their boat to surge upwards and she lost her footing, stumbling backwards into the boat. She managed to right herself, but to her dismay, she realised that her handbag had tumbled from her shoulder and into the sea.
