“You underestimate my propensity for disaster.”
We laughed as Fia took candid shots of us.
“Isabelle?” Thomas nudged her toward the handsome horse waiting for her. “We need to get going.”
“On that?” She wrinkled her nose. “I know the island has no cars, but I’m not leaving on a smelly donkey.”
“It’s a horse, and not just any horse. A bridal horse. Look how he’s decorated with pretty flowers. He’s even got a white cloth over his saddle. You ride, and I get to lead you through the streets and show off my new wife.”
“No.”
“Isab—”
“Uh-uh.”
“Fine.” Thomas handed her the bridle rope. “I’ll ride. I’ll be damned if we’re going to let a single penny go to waste from now on.”
“Fine.”
They clip-clopped down the hill with Nikos and me trailing behind. The camera clicked as Fia captured the moment: Thomas on a bridal horse and Isabelle with a bouquet in one hand and the leash to her husband’s horse in the other, pausing every few steps to dislodge her heel from the cobblestoned streets.
As people grinned and stopped to congratulate them, my eyes fell on the cobalt-colored harbor. Somewhere among the water taxis, the fishermen’s boats and the line-up of stylish yachts, Captain Bailey was disbanding the crew of the Abigail Rose II.
The morning we anchored in Hydra, I’d taken Alex’s phone and entered my details in it.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
“You said nothing permanent starts that way. It’s something you invite to stay.” I handed the phone back to him. “I’m inviting you to stay.”
“This is lame,” he said, scowling at the screen.
“Not exactly the reaction I hoped for.”
“You know what I mean.” He trapped me against the counter and nibbled on my ear. “Stay with me. The cruise is done, but we don’t have to say goodbye just yet.”
“I’m not saying goodbye, Alex. I’m only just saying hello to myself.” Once the truth had bubbled up to the surface, I couldn’t stop it. “I want to move out of the apartment I share with Dolly, get a place of my own. I want to take swimming lessons. I want to chase my dreams while you chase yours. And when the time is right, I want us to chase new dreams together.”
Taking it slow was right for both of us. Alex had his letter of recommendation, the job on the Kiriakis charter, and a ferry to catch out of Hydra. Two weeks in Folegandros and he’d be off again, finally earning enough to save up for his dream restaurant on the water. But as I watched the ferries depart, knowing that Alex would be on one of them tonight, I wanted nothing more than to kick off my shoes, run all the way to the harbor and straight into his arms.
The wedding ceremony had been a solemn affair, but the reception was the exact opposite. Held outdoors on a terrace hanging over the sea, it blazed with lights and music and merriment. No speeches or toasts, just eating and dancing and more eating.
Isabelle and Thomas had two first dances—the first to an Indian Bollywood tune and the second to Greek music. Everyone cheered and threw money as they danced. From the corner of my eye, I saw George slide his foot out from under the table and pull one of the bills toward him. Then he snagged another. On his third attempt, he jolted upright as if he’d been pinched hard by Kassia. They bent their heads together in a heated conversation while the guests took turns leading Isabelle and Thomas in circle dances.
“Moti,” Rachel Auntie said, coming up to me.
“You don’t think…” She looked at me with a familiar expression and then we both looked at Dolly. She was standing behind Naani’s chair, deep in conversation with Fia.
We laughed. The chances of Dolly playing dead were slim, especially when she confessed to faking it all along.
Just then, Naani stood, her eyes wide and round. She clutched her chest and stumbled backward. Her chair fell back and hit the floor.
Rachel Auntie and I rushed to her side as Dolly and Fia caught her and lowered her to the ground. Naani was pale and she kept moving her lips, but no sound emerged.
“Naani,” I said.
Her ashen face turned my way.
“Puh…” She pointed feebly toward something.
