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‘None of this is not your fault, Suzie.’ Christos paused, his eyes narrowing. ‘The police are right, though. The people responsible must have had a tip-off from someone connected to either you, Carmen, or François, and you should ask them what they’re doing to follow that up. I’ll come with you, if you want me to, and I’ll be right by your side for as long as it takes to bring the whole saga to a conclusion.’
‘Thanks, Christos,’ she murmured, still trying to get her head around the fact that Christos hadn’t made his excuses and left. ‘I thought you’d… you’d hate me?’
‘Hate you? Actually, the way I feel about you is the complete opposite! I was going to tell you when we were at the taverna tonight, but other things—’
They were interrupted by a loud hammering on the door.
‘Oh God, who do you think that is?’
Christos gave her hand a squeeze. ‘I’ll go.’
Suzie remained seated on the balcony, straining her ears for an indication as to whether her visitor was friend or foe. She heard mumbled voices, then the discussion became more vocal.
‘Miranda, please, I don’t think—’
But Miranda had pushed past Christos and rushed towards Suzie. ‘Heidi told me you were upset about something. I came to see if there was anything I can do. What’s going on? Tell me everything!’
‘I’ll make some coffee, shall I?’ said Christos, shaking his head in resignation.
Suzie hesitated for only a millisecond before relenting and giving Miranda a brief outline about the article, playing down the trauma it had stirred up, sticking to the bare facts, and saying that she had hoped the interest in the story would have gone by now. Then, before Miranda could fire a scattergun of questions at her, she quickly changed the subject.
‘Where’s Roger?’
‘Oh, I sent him packing.’
‘You… what?’
‘Well, first I gave him the opportunity to say what he’d come all this way to say – that he needed time to discover who he was after the twins left home, that he’d regretted what he’d done, that he missed me, that he was sorry and that he won’t do it again. Apparently, he thought what he wanted was a fresh start – with Bella – but it didn’t take him long to realise that the grass is never greener in a fellow amateur thespian’s bedroom. Then he begged me to take him back.’
‘What did you say?’
‘I told him I want a divorce.’
‘Wow, how did he react to that?’
‘I think the word “gobsmacked” describes his expression perfectly, especially when I told him I was putting the house in Bristol on the market and relocating here to Santorini.’ Miranda grinned as she sipped the coffee Christos had handed her, completely relaxed with the momentous decision she had made. ‘I’vealsohad a little time to think carefully about what I want to do with whatever time I might have left, and it doesn’t feature Roger. I love it here. I feel so alive! Like the Miranda I used to be before my life was filled with responsibilities. Here I can be just plain Miranda – not Roger’s wife, or the twins’ mother, or Angie’s colleague, or Delia’s neighbour. We only have one life, and I’ve been given a chance to live the next stage of mine surrounded by beauty, and sunshine, and joy, and perhaps, if I’m lucky, with a very handsome taverna owner.’
Suzie hugged Miranda. ‘I’m so happy for you,’ she whispered.
‘Thank you, Suzie. Oh, yes, there was another reason I came round to see you. I think this belongs to you. You must have dropped it when you were at the book club. I found it the following morning, but what with the mirror incident and realising I’d left the door open, then all the excitement of the Greek dance night, I completely forgot to give it to you.’
Miranda handed Suzie a silver chain with a tiny book charm dangling from it. Suzie stared at it, the cogs in her brain sluggish from everything that had happened over the last two hours.
‘This isn’t mine, Miranda.’
‘Oh, sorry, I thought it was your phone charm?’
She reached out to take it back, but Suzie held onto it.
‘But I think I know who itdoesbelong to.’
‘You do? Who?’
‘Nathan.’
‘The guy Heidi was dancing with at the lesson who she said makes her heart sing?’
Suzie nodded.
