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‘No, I…’
Suzie stopped. She could feel the heat spreading upwards from her chest into her neck and cheeks, so she decided the only way to stop her new friend from digging ever deeper into how she felt about Christos was to turn the interrogation spotlight on Heidi, even though she knew she would probably regret the subject she chose.
‘Okay, enough about me, tell me about the perfume you’re wearing today. Is it another of your own brands?’
‘Yes, it is. Do you like it?’
‘It’s certainly… unusual. What’s in it?’
‘It’s a blend of witch hazel, eucalyptus and peppermint oil.’
Trying hard not grimace as another waft of the sharp, nostril-clearing perfume floated towards her, an idea pinged into Suzie’s mind.
‘You know, one of my best friends is a genius with fragrances. She ran her own aromatherapy business before… before she relocated to Provence. Her Uncle Toby was a famous “nose” – he worked for one of the big French perfume houses before he passed away a couple of years ago – and she’s now following in his footsteps. If you’re serious about going into the perfume business, I could ask her to have a chat to you, give you the benefit of her, and her uncle’s, expertise.’
‘Wow, I’d love that, thank you, Suzie.’
‘No problem.’
‘Hey, guess what!’
Suzie smiled as Heidi pulled her phone from her pocket. ‘What?’
‘HolsHackerhas posted a new video and guess where he is now? Mykonos!’
‘Oh, no. Do you think he’ll come to Santorini?’
‘I hope so!’
Suzie knew Giorgos wouldn’t agree with Heidi’s enthusiasm, but she still scooted in close to watch the undercover vlogger’s most recent posting. However, before they got to the “comedy” part of the vlog, a loud burst of laughter interrupted their viewing. In perfect unison with Heidi, she swivelled round in her seat to where Giorgos was regaling a group of Greek men of similar age to himself with what was clearly a hilarious story. Heidi caught Suzie’s eye and opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, casting another glance at her boss before deciding to say what was on her mind.
‘I saw you chatting to Giorgos when you arrived. Were you telling him about your date with Christos?’
‘It wasn’t—’
‘I hope he wasn’t boring you with his usual “guard your heart” speech.’
‘His “guard your heart” speech? What do you mean?’
‘About not succumbing to Santorini’s mystical romance spell.’
‘Actually, no, he was telling me about—’
‘He’s always going on at me about protecting my heart, warning me not to fall for the charms of someone who is only in search of a holiday fling and nothing else. You should have heard him when Amber started dating Tom at the beginning of the summer. Although, I suppose it’s not totally surprising, given what happened to him.’
‘Why, what happened to him?’
Heidi cast a surreptitious look over her shoulder to make sure Giorgos was still gossiping with his friends and not within eavesdropping distance, then leaned nearer to Suzie, her voice low, her tone more serious than usual.
‘It’s so sad. Giorgos fell in love with someone who came over here for the summer. She worked as a tour guide in Fira, and from the very first night they met on this very veranda, they were inseparable. They spent their evenings exploring the island, sailing around the coast on his boat, and then dancing until dawn. It was like areal lifeBig Fat Greek Romance; they fell in love, got engaged, and had a fabulous party here at the taverna. All Giorgos’ family came –he has a big family, and I meanbig! At the end of the holiday season, Anya went back to Sweden to sort out a few things there and… well, she never came back.’
‘What? Why?’
‘That’s the worst thing. Giorgos doesn’t know. He tried to contact her – you have to remember that this was almost twenty years ago, when we didn’t have the social media channels we do now – but even though he called her constantly, her phone went to voicemail every time. Then her number became unavailable, and eventually he took the hint. Understandably, he was completely heartbroken, and after that he wasn’t prepared to risk the same thing happening again, so he refused to go on any more dates, which means he hasn’t met anyone else.’
‘Oh, that’s so sad.’
‘Iknow. He has lots of friends, though. I mean, he knowseveryoneon the island, andeveryoneloves him, as you can see. He’s known as theSantorini Sagebecause he’s the person we all go to for advice oneverything, although I’d think twice before asking him for advice on anything to do with romance. Giorgos calls it a “grenade-strewn territory”, but I’m firmly of the view that you have to forgive, forget, and move on. Time is short, and there area lotof great guys out there to have fun with… like that guy over there.’
