Faye shook her head. ‘Not yet. We need to make sure we are 100 per cent certain of what is going on.’
‘But you see the plans! What else can it mean?’
She wanted it not to be the worst-case scenario, but the evidence was looking pretty damning. With her hotel manager professional hat on, this was utterly terrible. But personally, it was devastating. Because had everything she’d shared with Kostas been nothing but a set up? He’d wanted information on the area, for her to share her experiences of the places, and now that was all because he was planning this monstrosity? She had been played in the worst way. Stupid, naïve, middle-aged idiot.
‘I will get to the very bottom of it, Katerina, I promise you that,’ Faye assured her.
‘Even when you are sleeping with the enemy?’
Faye drew a breath. ‘You have to trust that I have my priorities straight, OK?’
Katerina didn’t look entirely convinced, tears still bubbling in her eyes.
‘Katerina, just give me a day, OK? Let me try to find out the whole truth.’ She sighed. ‘But, after that, if what these plans are showing is what Kostas has in mind for Erimitis, for the hotel… you can tell whoever you want.’
Katerina’s expression was reluctant but then she nodded. ‘OK.’
‘One day,’ Faye said again. ‘Are we agreed?’
‘Symfonó,’ Katerina said with another nod.
56
FAYE’S APARTMENT, HOTEL MARGARITÁRI
Faye’s stomach was already so tight in anticipation of the evening, and not in the beautiful butterflies way, but in a way that was a precursor to anxious nausea. She paced in the small space and checked her watch again. She had invited Kostas here, into her home, while Saffron spent the rest of the evening in Maddie’s room at the hotel hearing all about her trip to Paxos.
So many thoughts and feelings were bumping and bashing around inside her and she needed to keep her cool. She was the very personification of calm and reasonable in her job, and she had worked hard in perfecting being level and evenly balanced after the breakdown of her marriage, so she could cauterise her feelings until she got to the bottom of all this. If necessary, anger and tears could come later…
Then there was a knock on the door and her heart hammered an uncomfortable anthem in her chest.OK, breathe.
‘Hey,’ Kostas greeted when she opened the door.
‘Kalispéra,’ she replied.
God, he looked good. Fresh light jeans, a plain black T-shirt, beard immaculate, hair even more so… But she had to remember he was currently about to become Corfu’s Most Wanted if these plans were facts. And they had to be facts. He just happened to be very good at acting – perhaps that could also be part of his future too. Maybe it already was, another thing he hadn’t told her…
He leaned in fast and she wasn’t prepared for his lips meeting hers. It was just a greeting, but one with enough promise that those little sparks of joy danced inside her before she could fire-hose them.
‘I know you said drinks but if I drink, I need to eat so…’ He shook a plastic bag in front of her. ‘I have a box ofkalamákiaand… popcorn and… mint chocolate chip ice cream.’
Oh God. Why had he done that? Obviously because he was accomplished at manipulation. People who had plans for Greek island domination had to be skilled at getting exactly what they wanted.
‘Oh, wow, OK,’ she sputtered. Her acting skills would not be getting her into RADA any time soon.
‘Are you OK?’ he asked, putting the bag on the countertop of her kitchen area.
‘I… am fine. But you know what won’t be fine?’ she asked. ‘This ice cream if I don’t get it in the freezer quickly.’
‘Yes, I agree. Please.’ He took the tub from the bag and passed it to her. ‘Do you want me to get plates for thekalamákia? Or shall we eat them out of the box like we are at apanegyri?’
‘Well, I got wine that’s definitely better than retsina from apanegyri.’ She got the bottle from the fridge.
‘Plates then,’ Kostas said, moving around the kitchen.
‘They’re over?—’
‘Is OK,’ he answered. ‘I see them.’ He reached them down and began arranging everything on the small table-cum-island like it was the most natural thing in the world to be here in her home, her tiny but much-loved sanctuary that he was going to have torn down into nothing but rubble. It didn’t make sense, unless it was actually every single other thing she had thought she had learned about him that didn’t make sense.
