‘And after a long lunch we can hit the shops.’
‘Remember they’ll be closed during the afternoon.’
‘OK, we’ll eat slowly.’
* * *
Watching Sofia flex her credit card was truly an experience. Her friend flitted from shop to shop, trying on everything from trousers to shirts to dresses. Grace found the clothes in Greece a lot more expensive than England, and a bit too bling for her liking. And because she was tall, a lot of them weren’t made for her.
But Sofia lapped up the metallic touches and soft fabrics, and since she was five foot two and a perfect size ten, everything fitted. Initially people thought she was Greek, with her Mediterranean colouring, something that never happened to Grace. But as soon as Grace used even the most rudimentary Greek words, people just answered in English.
And once the shopkeepers realised Sofia was serious about spending money, nothing was too much trouble. They were offered seats, coffees and several phone numbers if the shop owners happened to be male.
Her friend had halted outside an upmarket shoe shop.
Grace was reaching the end of her shopping stamina, and it would get dark soon. In the main tourist season, a lot of the shops stayed open until midnight, but they weren’t quite there yet, and shutters were being drawn down all around them.
‘Can we stop now and get a drink, pretty please?’
‘OK, let’s just nip in here, then we’ll stop, I promise. Have you seen anything you like in the window?’
A pair of pale pink suede espadrilles with pink velvet ties caught her eye, but the price tag of a hundred and twenty euros instantly put her off. She’d never paid that much for a pair of shoes in her life.
Sofia wasn’t taking no for an answer.
‘Come on, let’s both go and try something on. I love those lime green wedges. Then I promise we can go and party.’
That wasn’t exactly what Grace had said, but she let it go.
The pink espadrilles fitted perfectly, as she’d feared they would.
Sofia the shopping devil was on her shoulder.
‘They are fab. You’ve got to get them. What are you working so hard for otherwise? Go on, treat yourself.’
Her friend did have a point.
The shop owner was thrilled to have two big sales just as she was closing, and Sofia ended up buying the wedges in electric blue as well as lime green.
* * *
After dropping off Sofia’s bags with reception, they made their way up the many steps to the old town. Grace was keen to show her friend the sunset from a little bar she’d discovered. It looked fairly ordinary downstairs, serving drinks and a selection of tapas plates, but up the rickety stairs was a rooftop bar with a panoramic view.
Grace kept the backdrop a secret until her friend reached the top of the stairs, and they both stood and took in the stunning one-hundred-and-eighty-degree views which encompassed the port, the many churches below, the ships out at sea and the islands beyond.
‘Wow!’ was all that Sofia could say.
They were alone on the rooftop, and they made for the prime spot, the table right at the front. A waitress followed them up.
‘Anything I can get you?’
Sofia didn’t hesitate.
‘Two espresso martinis, please.’
Another two more each, and the sunset over, Grace was feeling the effects. The way back down the staircase was far more hazardous. She stumbled on the last step.
‘I really think we should eat something.’
