‘Crikey, I don’t think we need to go that far.’
There were the inevitable handmade cookies to go with the strong coffee, which Angeliki consumed at a rapid rate. Grace wondered if the woman ate properly. She repeated the story of the dramatic rescue and the hazardous journey home on the bike.
‘You did a good thing. And how do you know Will?’
There was more than casual interest in the woman’s query. Angeliki’s eyes were alive with interest.
‘I don’t really. Not that well. We bumped into each other the day I arrived on the island. He screamed at me for taking a shortcut across the garden of the villa where he works.’
‘Ah yes, Will takes his job very seriously.’
‘And how about you? Have you known each other long?’
Grace kept her voice light but she was curious to know the truth as well. Angeliki laughed into her coffee.
‘Around eight years. It’s no secret around here. We had a thing going for a couple of years, but it would never have worked out. I’m a workaholic, and Will’s not big on commitment.’
‘Ah. I really don’t know him that well.’
But she’d been right that there was more to his relationship with Angeliki than met the eye.
‘We managed that awkward transition to friendship, thank goodness. I adore Will, as a friend, and we look out for each other. We really weren’t meant to be. But the person who eventually ends up with him will be a lucky woman.’
Grace put her hands up. ‘It won’t be me, honest.’
Angeliki subjected her to a long stare. ‘Well, we all need friends.’
At the ring of a bell, Angeliki leapt up. ‘I’m on. Got to go.’ She gathered the coffee cups with one hand and chucked them into the sink. ‘Please come again. I’ve enjoyed our chat. And come and see Karen whenever you like.’
‘Thank you, I will.’
As Grace emerged onto the street, a man carrying a small dog with its leg bent at an unnatural angle brushed past her and disappeared inside.
Angeliki was the sort of woman she could imagine being friends with. She had a touch of Sofia about her with her fearless attitude. She wasn’t sure how Will would feel about her taking up with his ex-girlfriend. Not that it really mattered, as she’d be leaving in a month’s time anyway. She quickly updated him on Karen by text, before returning to the school for her next lesson.
An afternoon with her adult students talking about the history of the island, asking them to describe artefacts and equipment she’d taken photos of in the town museum, passed quickly. Many could remember their own parents and grandparents using the kitchen and farm implements on display and were eager to join in the discussion.
Now there were only a few days left until August, the town was busier than ever, and when Grace finally got to sit on her balcony, she could hear French, German and Scandinavian voices floating up from the street. She’d go out later and get something to eat, when things had calmed down a bit. It made her long for the peace of the cove, but she was too tired to attempt the forty-minute walk.
The ping of her computer reminded her that she had an online meet with her youngest daughter anyway. They’d missed their usual Sunday slot, as Flo and Jilly had gone away for the weekend. Flo’s face appeared on screen, wreathed in smiles.
‘Hi, darling.’
‘Hi, Mum.’
‘No Jilly?’
‘No, she’s out in the kayak. It’s a beautiful evening here.’
‘Here too.’
Flo hadn’t stopped grinning, which was slightly unusual in itself. Her daughter was more often than not a glass-half-empty person, like her father.
‘What are you looking so happy about?’
Flo left it a beat.
‘We’ve decided that we’re going to have a baby!’
