He hoped the heat he felt rising didn’t surface onto his cheeks. ‘Odd ideas?’ It seemed safest to repeat her words, because he didn’t have a clue how to reply.
‘You know what I mean,’ she said, folding her arms across her stomach as she leant back against the kitchen counter. ‘Romantic ideas.’
‘Ah,’ he said, turning away. He really didn’t want his mother seeing that he had, indeed, been harbouring very romantic ideas about Augi. ‘Those kind of ideas.’
‘Because you mustn’t.’
He frowned but didn’t turn to meet the gaze he knew was focused on him.
‘She’s vulnerable,’ Kate said.
He wasn’t surprised. It confirmed his first impression of Augi. But it had been an impression which had subsequently been overtaken by her competence. ‘Do you think? But she’s also the most together person I’ve ever met.’
‘She’s a complex person. She’s a lot of things, of which one of them is vulnerable. She’s been through a lot in Greece.’
‘What exactly? She mentioned it to me on the beach the other night but didn’t go into details.’
She paused for a moment. ‘I don’t know exactly. All I know is that it’s connected to the Greek economic crisis. Have you heard of it?’
‘Vaguely.’
‘Well, it happened over a five-year period between 2010 and 2015.’
‘Recent, then. I’d have thought I’d heard more about it.’
‘You were a teenager. You had other things on your mind. But Augi wasn’t. She must be ten years older than you. And at that time, she was somehow involved in business.’ She shrugged. ‘I’m not sure how because I know she also worked at the University of Thessaloniki in Archives. I think she may have been married.’
His eyes widened in surprise. ‘Married!’
‘Don’t sound so surprised. Women do get married, you know.’
‘I know, it’s just that…’ How could he say that it was just that not only did she appear to be independent, alone, aloof, but that he didn’t want her to have ever been married. ‘So she’s divorced?’
Kate shook her head, her eyes serious as they trained on him. ‘Look, I don’t know for sure if she was married. It’s just from time to time, over the years, she’s let a few things slip which suggest that both romantically and financially things went very wrong for her. And, for whatever reason, she left Greece to start a new life in New Zealand.’
Dan felt an undercurrent of worry. ‘So… she’s keeping secrets?’
‘Daniel! Don’t be so dramatic. People move countries all the time to begin life anew.
He felt reassured. His mother was right. His own tangle with secrets had left him jumpy.
‘Anyway,’ said Kate, standing up, ‘I think I’ve said enough. Augi didn’t ever ask me to keep it a secret. She didn’t have to, because she knew I wouldn’t go spreading gossip. So this is between you and me only, right?’
He nodded.
‘Good,’ she said more gently now. ‘I just want you to understand that, despite appearances, Augi has been hurt in the past and I don’t want to see her hurt again.’
‘Hurting her is the last thing I’d want to do.’
‘Hurting her,’ said Kate quietly, ‘is the last thing you intend to do. But, Daniel, you know your track record. You leave a trail of broken hearts wherever you go.’
Dan blanched at the thought, and sat back, the half-eaten biscuit forgotten on his plate, the coffee cooling on the table. It was true. He remembered the teenage romances he’d enjoyed before moving on to the next one, never understanding what love meant or the damage he’d done.
Kate leaned in to him, as if somehow aware of his thoughts. ‘Always unintentionally, I know, but always without due care. And you have to have due care around Augi. Otherwise,’ she said topping up her coffee, ‘you’ll have me to answer to.’
His mother was right. He did have to be careful. But she was also wrong, because there was no way he was going to ignore his interest in Augi. But he would be careful. Very careful.
He looked up as she pulled on a cardigan and rummaged through her handbag.
