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Chapter Twenty Eight
‘Are you ready?’ asked Katerina, standing next to Suzie as they took a moment to appreciate all the hard work they’d put in to transform the gallery into a welcoming and inspiring space for their launch of theBrushstrokes & Beyondseries of workshops.
‘I am.’
Suzie couldn’t believe what they had achieved over the course of the last two weeks with the help of Christos and Leo. Working in choreographed efficiency, they had disposed of the wilting plants, tidied up the toppling mounds of stationery, and cleared away the glass desk and display units so they could arrange a collection of easels – complete with canvasses and paint palettes – behind which that morning’s watercolour enthusiasts would sit to create their masterpieces.
In the space next to the window was a large wooden trestle table they’d brought over from Katerina’s studio where Suzie would deliver her very first jewellery-making class after their students had indulged in a sumptuous lunch atTaverna Giorgos. She was nervous, but also keen to get started on the next stage of her rollercoaster career, this time as a tutor instead of a creator, which was something she had always dreamed of doing.
The place looked clean, fresh, and more importantly, it was clutter-free! There was only one thing preventing it from being perfect.
‘It’s a shame we can’t do something with those gloomy paintings,’ said Katerina, wrinkling her nose as she glanced at the drab artwork that still hung on the walls in the alcove at the back of the shop. ‘I really don’t want my students to think that’s the kind of artwork we’re aiming to creating today – or worse, that I’ve painted them!’
‘Are you sure we can’t take them down, just for the duration of the workshop? Or what if we cover them up with a white sheet? Or even better, switch them for a selection of your amazingly vibrant paintings of Santorini, which would certainly get their creative juices flowing.’
Katerina shook her head and sighed. ‘I’d love to, but I don’t want to risk it. Don’t forget, I pay a reduced rent on the understanding that those canvases remain on the walls. But I love your idea of covering them with a sheet. Let’s do that!’
After draping a large white dust sheet over the offending paintings, the gallery was ready to welcome the eleven people – it should have been a round dozen, but someone had cancelled at the last minute – who had signed up for a week of fun-but-instructive sessions in all things creative.
‘Do you think we should move that spare easel?’ asked Suzie.
‘Good idea. We don’t want it to look like a potential participant has seen the reviews and decided not to come,’ Katerina joked, but Suzie detected a slight wobble in her friend’s voice as she helped her to drag the twelfth easel into the back room before returning to the gallery to finish her coffee. ‘Yes, that looks much better.’
‘The whole place looks amazing, Kat. It’s going to be a fabulous week.’
Katerina had told her that, if the first course was successful, she hoped to expand the off-season programme by adding other classes to the itinerary, such as textile printing and mosaic designs, and Suzie had been thrilled when she’d asked her to consider variations on the silversmithing course she had planned. Miranda, too, had got behind the initiative and had suggested running creative writing workshops, and Giorgos had shown an interest in offering more Greek dance classes.
‘I wish Heidi could have been here to celebrate with us,’ said Katerina, sipping hermetrios.
‘Me, too.’ Suzie sighed. ‘I spoke to her yesterday and it sounds like she’s already taken Cambridge by storm with her new business venture. That girl can pivot on a pinhead! I don’t think Nathan knows what’s hit him. Not only has she taken over his spare room to create her quirky wind chimes, but she’s also roped him into helping her with the marketing side of things until he finds some regular freelance work. She’s even found a space in her schedule to take a trip down to Devon.’
‘Has Holly got everything sorted?’
‘Yes, the paperwork is in order and Archie will be travelling with them when they come over for Giorgos and Miranda’s engagement party at the end of the month. I can’t wait. I miss him so much!’
Suzie couldn’t help smiling when she recalled the night at the taverna the previous week when, in front of family and friends, Giorgos had proposed to a clearly ecstatic Miranda. She had accepted immediately, and after an impromptu twirl around the dancefloor, the couple had been congratulated warmly by everyone present and then showered with a confetti of rice. Miranda looked like a new woman; happy, relaxed, and at least ten years younger than when she had arrived on Santorini to look after her cousin’s bookshop, wondering what her future held.
However, Miranda and Giorgos weren’t the only ones who were engaged.
To Suzie’s absolute delight, under the pretext of witnessing one of the beautiful Balinese sunsets together, her mum had been able to live-stream the moment when Tom had gone down on one knee – on the spectacularly picturesque Balangan Beach – and asked Amber to marry him. Beaming, Amber had flung her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, before being scooped into Tom’s arms and, to shrieks of objection, unceremoniously dunked into the sea to seal the deal. Suzie couldn’t wait to congratulate her sister in person, and she and Christos planned to fly over to Bali for what she knew would be an emotional Christmas reunion.
‘I absolutely adore the dress you’ve designed for Miranda to wear at her engagement party. She looks like a real Greek goddess.’
‘Thanks, Suzie, that means a lot. Okay, shall we—’
Katerina’s question was interrupted by Christos and Leo hauling two extra-large canvases, wrapped up in brown paper and string, into the gallery, huffing and puffing under the strain.
‘Hey, you can’t bring those in here. There’s nowhere to put them. The gallery is a clutter-free zone now! Anyway, what are they?’
‘It’s good to see you, too.’ Leo grinned, sliding his arm around Katerina’s waist and kissing her decisively, a gesture that caused her indignation to dissolve immediately. ‘And for your information, they’re not mine, they’re Christos’.’
‘Christos?’ asked Suzie, experiencing a fizz of attraction when he tossed his hair away from his face and she saw the sparkle in his dark brown eyes. She knew he was thinking of the previous night when they’d taken his friend’s boat into the caldera to watch the sunset with a bottle of Champagne, before heading to a secret cove where they’d strolled hand-in-hand along the beach, the waves caressing their ankles. As the light melted from the sky, Christos had drawn her into his arms, kissed her softly and told her that he loved her. She had responded with her own heartfelts’agapó, and since then she’d had to pinch herself to believe that she hadn’t somehow strayed onto the set of a romantic comedy.‘What’s going on? What’s in the parcels?’
‘Wait and see. Oh—’
Christos’ gaze was fixed on the entrance to the back room.
‘What’s the matter?’ asked Katerina, following his line of sight.
