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‘When do you fly to Bali?’
‘The day after tomorrow. Oh, did Mum tell you what she’s doing now?’
‘No? What?’
‘She’s volunteering at an animal sanctuary, and they have Sumatran tigers! You know it’s my absolute dream to see a real life tiger. Tom’s excited, too – about the tigers, that is. I think he’s more nervous about meeting Mum for the first time than coming face to face with one of the world’s most endangered Big Cats. Oh, I can’t wait to see her, Suzie.’
‘Give Mum a big hug from me,’ said Suzie, swallowing down on an uptick of emotion. She wished with all her heart that she could be with them, but as that wasn’t possible, she inhaled a breath and told her sister she loved her.
‘Love you, too, Suze. Now go and water my plants!’
Suzie laughed and the line was cut.
She flung back the sheets from her sofa bed and hopped in the shower, experiencing a surge of gratitude for not only having the sole use of a full-sized shower cubicle, but for the luxury of living in a place with four sturdy stone walls that kept the heat out. Whether it was summer or winter, her tepee was often powerless to protect her against the vagaries of the English weather, but the fluctuation of the temperature was nothing compared to the constant battle she fought with the mud; something she was sure did not feature on the residents of Santorini’s list of environmental problems.
As it was still early, she grabbed her handbag – which looked a little wrinkled after its unscheduled swim in the sea – and headed for the taverna with a spring in her step. Her sister always had a way of lifting her spirits, no matter how low they had dipped, and last year her spirits had certainly sunk to the very bottom rung of the happiness scale. She would be eternally grateful to Amber for dropping everything and rushing to her side when her world had come tumbling down, and she was pleased her sister had found someone like Tom, who was clearly doing the same for her.
When she stepped ontoTaverna Giorgos’veranda, she wasn’t surprised to see Katerina already there, sipping a cup of her favourite Greek coffee while sneaking regular peeks into the kitchen every time the door swung open. Suzie could see that Stefanos was in there, whipping up a conveyor belt of omelettes for a group of thirty-something men in dark glasses who looked like they were all suffering from the king of all hangovers.
‘Kalimera, Suzie. Your usual?’
‘Yes, please, Giorgos.’
No sooner had Giorgos disappeared behind the bar to make her coffee, than Heidi burst from the kitchen and rushed across to their table, sliding into the seat next to Katerina and thrusting her phone in front of her face.
‘Look! He’s here!’
‘What exactly are you—’
‘HolsHacker! He’s here… in Santorini!’
‘Oh my God!’
Katerina grabbed Heidi’s phone from her, and they all watched the brief YouTube video that featured Santorini’s port at Athinios where two reality TV stars had disembarked from one of the regular ferries, dressed in the skimpiest of outfits, their long legs beautifully bronzed, their hair salon-fresh, clearly playing up to the camera.
However, while the two celebrities might have started out as the focus ofHolsHacker’s video, their star-power had been supplanted by what was going on in the background where two older women in towering leopard-print stilettos were dealing with the aftermath of having inadvertently stepped into a large “deposit” that had been left by one of the many donkeys that were used to take day-trippers up the hill to the town. Suzie knew she shouldn’t laugh, but the expression of revulsion on their faces was pure comedy gold and the vlog already had ten thousand likes.
Heidi took her phone back from Katerina and slotted it into the front pocket of the bright orange shorts she was wearing. They matched that day’s shade of eyeshadow, which looked like a miniature version of the Santorini sunset. Heidi exuded a sort of chlorine-esque aroma that Suzie couldn’t quite put her finger on, and she decided not to enquire about it, in case she was asked for her honest opinion.
‘What if he comes to Oia?’ said Heidi, pulling a face.
‘He won’t,’ said Katerina, gently. ‘Don’t worry.’
‘But… Oh my God!’ Heidi’s hand flew to her lips.
‘What?’
‘What if he hears about what happened at the book shop last week?’
This time it was Suzie’s turn to placate Heidi. ‘Hewon’t.’
‘How do you know?’
‘Well, because no one knows about it apart from you, me, Kat, and Miranda. And Giorgos.’
‘And the person who did it,’ added Katerina, unhelpfully.
‘And their friends,’ said Heidi.
