‘I never said that!’
‘OK, keep your hair on. But I do want to talk to you seriously about dating. Don’t give up on men just yet.’
‘Why are we talking about men again?’
‘You’re a gorgeous, vibrant woman, and you have been hiding yourself away for too long.’
‘You sound like my daughters.’
‘Well, they’re right. Look, I’m not talking about marriage, or even love, I’m just talking about a good old-fashioned earth-shattering bonk.’
Grace nodded and smiled at two elderly Greek ladies in black passing by at that very moment. Hopefully they didn’t speak English.
‘I’m not convinced the girls want me to go off and have meaningless sex.’
‘I’m sure they wouldn’t be against it. You’ve made a good start leaving behind your cosy little life and coming to Greece, but you need to take the next step.’
‘I don’t like you using the word little about my life. It’s a perfectly good life.’
‘Sorry. For a nun, maybe.’
As usual, Sofia’s bossiness was increasing in direct relation to the amount of alcohol she’d consumed.
‘I know it’s not the sort of life you’d want, but it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with my “cosy little life” as you call it. I’m quite happy on my own. And I’ve still got the girls to think about. I know you never wanted children, but mine still need me.’
‘Do they, really? They’re both in their thirties and settled with their partners. It’s time you started putting yourself first.’
Grace had been thinking along those lines herself. Just being in Greece for a few short weeks had shown her how little she was needed by her grown-up children. It was tough to think she’d been overemphasising her importance in their lives since Phil went. It didn’t mean they didn’t love her, but love and need were two very different things. Not that she’d admit that to Sofia. She couldn’t let her be right all the time.
‘Look, I had a long and happy marriage, and it ended through no fault of my own. I’m not sure I could ever consider anyone else, even for meaningless sex.’
Grace hadn’t noticed the waiter arrive at their table.
Sofia’s eyes sparkled.
‘You should give it a go, believe me.’
The guy topped up their glasses with a shaking hand. Grace reached for the water. This was only the first night of her friend’s visit, and she’d already drunk more in a day than she had since she’d arrived.
Sofia ignored the water and turned to look at her over the rim of the wine glass.
‘What I did envy was your friendship with Phil, the fact that you were a team. He had your back against the world, whatever happened. I’ve never had that.’
Sofia stared into her drink. Grace had never heard her voice these thoughts before in all the years she’d known her. Like most people, cool, confident Sofia was much more complex that she first appeared. Grace knew most of her friend’s likes and dislikes, but this was new.
‘But I always thought you thought Phil was boring.’
‘No, not really.’
‘I think the addition of not really isn’t hugely convincing.’
‘Look, Phil was a lovely guy, not my cup of tea personally if you want me to be completely honest, which is a good thing, believe me– you don’t want to lust after your friend’s husband. Way too complicated.’
Grace wasn’t sure how she felt about that statement, but Sofia was obviously speaking from experience.
‘But I loved how much he adored you. I was jealous of your relationship, which was why I tended to avoid being alone with the two of you.’
So, Sofia was avoiding Phil, while he avoided her, both of them coveting her as their prize, like two dogs with a bone. It was like the plot of a bad sitcom.
