I held it together – barely – followingYiayiáand slicing the narrow aubergine in half longways. She scored the white flesh in a hatched pattern, then held it up to show us, saying something to her grandson. ‘Do not go all the way through,’ said Michalis. Then deliberately and carefully, she used a thin-edged spoon to scoop out the flesh and gestured for us to do the same.
Tommy stooped to whisper in my ear. ‘Now remember, hold itfirmly. Usestronghands, Ally.’
That was it. I started cackling, my whole body shaking. I clapped my hand over my mouth but even that couldn’t stop the laughter escaping.
Tommy sniggered inaudibly beside me, the bugger. He always could make me laugh and more often than not, he’d hide his laughter whileIgot into trouble. Like at his cousin’s wedding when the old man next to me let off a silent-but-deadly fart. I was keeping it together reasonably well, concentrating on the service with all my might. But then Tommy poked me hard in the thigh and started shaking with laughter, provoking a loudhahto burst out of me. I tried to disguise it as a cough, but several people threw me dirty looks, including the old man who’d farted.
I wasn’t in trouble this time though andYiayiábarked out a dry laugh, her shoulders trembling. Yep, she knewexactlywhat she’d said. Still laughing, she gestured towards the aubergine, prompting me to get back to it, which I did.
Soon enough, we’d hollowed out our vegetables and started on the filling – a mixture of cooked rice, fresh herbs, chopped garlic and onions, and the innards of the tomatoes and aubergines, sautéing them in olive oil from the family’s farm. You’ll have to take my word for it, but it smelled incredible in that kitchen.
After stuffing the vegetables, they went into a hot oven to bake and we started assembling a Greek salad, orhoriatiki.
FollowingYiayiá, we chopped the tomatoes, red pepper, and cucumber, making sure all the pieces were uniform. We stacked everything exactly howYiayiáshowed us, to showcase each ingredient, including the fat slab of feta we balanced on top. Then we added the finishing touches: a sprinkle of dried oregano, a generous drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon juice. It might have only been a salad, but I was proud of thathoriatiki. It was a masterpiece. And it was going to be delicious.
‘I have never been so hungry in my life,’ I whispered to Tommy, peering up at him.
He returned my gaze steadily, the air between us fizzing.
A scenario started playing in my mind – me sweeping everything off the bench, including the salad, then pushing Tommy onto it, and climbing on top of him.
Hmm, tempting, but we weresoclose to sitting down to lunch. I also doubtedYiayiáwould appreciate us bonking in her kitchen, no matter how taken she’d been with Tommy.
So instead of acting out my little fantasy, I cleaned our workstation, taking extra care to avoid eye contact with Tommy. He worked silently beside me, and we fell into a familiar sympatico, which was both familiar and alarming. How was it so easy to slip back into Ally-and-Tommy mode after all these years? Not wanting to evencontemplatethat, I concentrated on polishing the stainless-steel countertop with a soft cloth.
When the stuffed vegetables were finally ready,Yiayiázipped around the kitchen, plating our creations onto a large platter. She pointed at our salads and, with a wave, indicated that we should follow her into the dining room where a table had been set for seven. We took our seats as Minh photographed the food, then stepped back to get some shots of the restaurant.
Yiayiá, who was frowning, waved her hand at Minh, speaking boldly in Greek. ‘Éla na fáme!’
‘She wants you to stop that now,’ said Michalis. ‘It’s time to eat.’
‘Oh, sorry.’
Sheepishly, Minh sat next to Niki and I offered him a commiserating smile. I likedYiayiá, but I wouldn’t want to get on her bad side. She seemed as fierce as she was funny.
We passed the food around and I filled my plate to brimming, my appetite having made a full recovery since the olive oil museum.
Beside me, Tommy bit into a stuffed pepper and groaned – a sound so familiar, soprimitive, that I was instantly pitched into the past. My fingers buried in his thick hair, my head thrown back as he thrust into me, a guttural groan escaping his lips as he came.
I shifted in my chair.
He’d touched a nerve – unintentionally, I was sure, but that didn’t matter. I’d allowed myself to drop my guard, to get too close, too familiar. I’d started entertaining thoughts and emotions that I’d buried long ago. For good reason.
Across the way,Yiayiácaught my eye, her lips disappearing in a sad smile. She must have understood my predicament. Not the entire story – she couldn’t have known that – but her eyes told me she understood, she understood that I still loved Tommy.
But I couldn’t have him. Not if I wanted to keep my heart intact.
12
Thought of the day…
‘No’ is a complete sentence.
(And ‘no bloody way – you’re out of your mind’ is acompleter sentence.)
I kept my distance after that, literally as well as figuratively, sitting as far from Tommy as I could – in the minivan, on the tender to Julian’s yacht, and in the helicopter. I didn’t say a word to him – not evengoodbyewhen we got to Aetheria – an easy decision with Elsa waiting beside the helipad.
She rushed over as soon as his feet hit the ground, speaking to him in low, agitated tones. He frowned, murmured a reply, and they walked off together towards the staff quarters.
