‘Well, how do you know?’ Petra piped up. Becky really wished she hadn’t.
‘How do I know?’ Eleni asked.
‘How do you know it will ruin your stiffy if you don’t try it.’
‘Petra,’ Becky said warningly.
‘Petra is right,’ Elias stated, arriving next to the table and looking straight at Becky. ‘You need to try it, Mama, exactly like I said. Because Becky is an expert at flavours.’
She looked up at Elias then and saw the adoration in his eyes. He really believed that. He believed in her madly skilled taste buds like he believed… octopuses could jump out of the ocean or… a missed connection and turbulence could lead to a love affair…
‘I agree,’ Megan said, breaking into the conversation. ‘You should try it before you make a judgement.’ Megan looked at Becky. ‘My sister is the most talented person I know.’
Becky felt like her heart was going to burst with utter joy. Here she was in gorgeous Greece with a new wonderful man entering her life, reconciling with her sister, mainly still rolling her eyes at Petra, being told she was special…
‘Technically,’ Petra began. ‘She might have almost killed someone with a sandwich but… we don’t know all the facts.’
Elias plucked the bottle from the middle of the table. ‘Well, let us give it a try.’ He looked to Eleni. ‘You are not afraid of being wrong, are you, Mama?’
‘I am afraid I will kill the group of walkers I have coming in for dinner.’
‘Take a chance,’ Elias suggested. ‘Things can change and it will be OK, remember?’
Eleni seemed to absorb his words and Becky watched her expression change from fierce to not-quite-so-fierce. And then the Greek woman full-on faced her.
‘Finish your souvlaki. Then you will find out what it is like working in a Greek kitchen.’
Fifty-Eight
Villa Selino
Becky’s cheeks were flushed now, not from the humid night as she sat in the garden of Villa Selino, but from the furious temperatures in Eleni’s kitchen. Despite living and working in one of the hottest places in July, Eleni had no air-conditioning in her traditional kitchen. With the outside temperatures in the late twenties – even at night – the heat while cooking had to be racing into the forties.
‘I did think she was going to boil your head if I’m honest,’ Petra commented. She was off the wine and onto the ouzo now. It wouldn’t be long before she suggested a late-night swim and Becky would feel compelled to watch her every stroke in case she got into difficulty.
‘Do you think she’ll sulk forever?’ Megan asked. ‘Because she was definitely sulking when the walking group asked to see the chef and said they had never tasted anything like it before.’
‘She will definitely sulk forever,’ Elias concurred.
Becky smiled, staying quiet. Having them all together like this was still something special and she was simply taking time to appreciate it. Elias had offered to walk them home and she had invited him to stay for a drink. Secretly she was hoping he would stay for more than a drink…
‘I’m glad I’m staying here,’ Megan announced. ‘If this is my last trip abroad before the business goes into liquidation because of Martin’s impending lawsuit then… it’s very nice.’
‘Where were you staying?’ Elias asked.
‘Megan didn’t know quite how far the airport was from Kerasia so she booked a hotel in Corfu Town,’ Becky filled in.
‘It was lucky I ticked that free cancellation box,’ Megan told them.
‘Listen, I can help if you need someone to deal with any litigation,’ Elias said. ‘I have a guy I can recommend.’
Yes, as special as this moment was, Becky had to remember that things could turn really bad the minute they touched down in England. Someone had been made seriously unwell, because of Becky’s inventive treats.
‘Thank you,’ Megan answered. ‘But it might be better if we find someone a little closer to home. Someone in England.’
‘I am from England,’ Elias explained. ‘I live in London.’
‘Oh,’ Megan remarked. ‘Becky didn’t tell me that.’
‘Well,’ Becky started, ‘I haven’t had much of a chance to tell you anything. It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind since you arrived. Allergic reactions and… family politics and…’
‘Next we have a nut job arriving tomorrow evening to nick all the antiques.’
‘What?’ Megan queried.
‘And did Becks tell you about all the animals we found when we first arrived here? It was like a scene out of The Durrells. There was even a flamingo in the bath!’ Petra carried on.
‘Becky?’ Megan asked, as if looking for clarification.
‘It’s all true,’ Becky admitted with a nod.
‘Anyone for a swim?’ Petra suggested.
*
It was late now, Megan and Petra had long since gone to bed, and Elias knew he should be walking back to the village. He had a lot to organise for tomorrow. His hope, now he had made contact with Kristina’s solicitor, was for her lawyer to talk some sense into her over the ‘secret’ valuable joint assets at the house. The solicitor was supposed to tell her that the game was up, that deliberating deceiving the other party was going to be frowned upon by the court and it was likely already, that this deception was going to cost her part of her settlement from Chad. But, if this Lazarus did turn up here at the villa, Elias was going to be there, along with the local police.
‘What are you thinking about?’ Becky whispered across the table. ‘I can almost see the cogs whirring around.’
Beautiful Captain Rebecca. Her sun-kissed complexion, bright eyes and the soft waves of brown hair framing her face…
‘I am worried,’ Elias began, ‘that if I have another glass of wine with you, I will not want to leave.’
‘Do you have to leave?’ Becky replied.
Her intense look was enough to send his heart into meltdown and he remembered everything from their day on the boat.
‘No,’ he whispered. ‘I do not.’ He wet his lips. ‘But…’ He couldn’t finish the sentence. His fingertips grazed the wood of the table between them.
‘But…’ Becky asked.
‘Captain Rebecca, you should know something before I stay.’ He took a deep breath. ‘I know I have said this before but… I need you to know, for certain, that I am in this with you… not for a holiday romance… not for a rebound or a quick fix.’ He took another breath. ‘For as long as you can put up with someone who has made many many mistakes along the way.’
He could feel his heart swelling, still a little anxious for her response. But then she was reaching for his hands and holding them so tightly in hers, her delicate fingers wrapping themselves around his.
‘I am in this with you,’ Becky whispered. ‘For as long as you can put up with someone who isn’t keen on enclosed spaces… who will probably unintentionally verbally pick apart anything you ever cook trying to decipher the ingredients… who might be about to be sued and lose everything she doesn’t really even have…’