Sixty
Panos’s Taverna, Liakada Village
‘I still can’t believe it! Three days in and I still can’t get my head around it!’ Petra exclaimed. ‘Even after seeing it all with my own eyes – and I did try to cuddle most of it until the policewoman dragged me away – Ms O’Neill had a Banksy and a sword that used to belong to Napoleon.’
‘Don’t forget the vases from the Ming dynasty,’ Megan added.
‘Honestly,’ Petra said, spreading a thick layer of olive tapenade on the fresh bread then dunking it in the pool of olive oil she had poured on her plate. ‘If I was going to spend my husband’s cash on valuables, I would have at least cashed in on something I could use. The cars I totally get – the Aston Martin was a dream to drive – but I would have bought up all the Hermes and Louis Vuitton before I wasted it on a sword that didn’t even win the Battle of Waterloo.’
‘Oh, I hear you,’ Megan agreed, taking a bite of saganaki.
‘I’m sort of glad you didn’t have a Louis Vuitton when you decided to hit Lazarus over the head with a handbag,’ Becky said, sipping a glass of Panos’s much-better-than-Eleni’s wine.
‘I agree,’ Megan answered. ‘I wouldn’t have wanted to damage it. I probably wouldn’t have even wanted to use it for handbag purposes.’
‘Just slip it out of its dust cover every so often – wearing gloves obvs – and cuddle it,’ Petra said with a sigh.
Becky gasped, almost spilling her wine. ‘I’ve just realised you said you drove the Aston Martin! When? When did you do that?!’
‘Er… ha ha… moving on… someone, anyone… say something before Becky goes loco on me,’ Petra begged.
‘I’d like to say something,’ Megan said, addressing all three of them. She put her hands down on the table, fingers smoothing over the cloth like it was made by Louis Vuitton. ‘I’d like to say that I am so glad I came to Corfu. Yes, I booked the flight when I was full of rage and I entirely intended to sack you, Becky, after I had made you clear out your bank account to settle whatever lawsuit came It’s A Wrap’s way…’ She took a breath. ‘But somewhere in between the sweating from the humidity and the gorgeous views over that infinity pool and listening, really listening to my sister and—’ she directed her gaze at Becky now ‘—sharing feelings I should have shared so much longer ago… no matter what happens next with Martin or… with Dean or… with life… I think the Rose sisters have got this.’
Becky felt her throat tighten as a knot of warm emotion lodged itself there and her eyes filled with tears. They were leaving tomorrow. Even Petra, who was heading to Switzerland to meet up with her crusty old aunt before she settled on selecting a college course. At the moment she was looking at two colleges, one in Hampshire and one in Lincolnshire. Becky was hoping she would plump for Hampshire because, for selfish reasons, it was much closer to Wiltshire and she really did want to keep in close contact with the girl she had grown so fond of. So, in just a few hours Becky’s Greek adventure was going to end. But wow, what an adventure it had been. And she hoped there was going to be much more Greek in her life from now on…
‘And,’ Megan carried on, ‘there’s something else I have to tell you too.’
Becky closed her eyes, fearing the worst. Why did she always fear the worst? She snapped herself out of it and opened her eyes, ready to face whatever news this was.
‘I’m pleased to say… that It’s A Wrap got the job of catering the nursing home summer party,’ Megan finished with a smile.
Becky’s mouth dropped open. ‘But… how? I don’t understand. I… didn’t pitch it. I didn’t think, given everything that…’
‘I pitched it,’ Megan informed. ‘After you showed me the menu, the absolutely brilliant menu by the way, I thought what sort of businesswoman am I aspiring to be if I’m just going to fall down and give up on It’s A Wrap after one incident? A possibly near-fatal incident, granted, but only one in all our time trading.’
‘I am really really sorry about that and I will get to the bottom of it and I will make sure that no ingredient is left unturned in the search for the truth.’
‘We will work it all out together,’ Megan said, putting a hand over Becky’s. ‘Plus, I need you to bring this old people’s party together. They were ecstatic in their reply.’
Becky was glowing now. It was the best piece of news they could have received before they travelled home.
‘And I would like you to carry on creating your unique brand of flavours… if you want to that is,’ Megan said. ‘I mean, I don’t know what plans you have now you have a man in your life. Maybe you’re going to move to London and set up your own catering firm and take over the world. Which you probably should and definitely could. Or maybe you don’t want to do sandwiches at all anymore. Dad always said you could achieve anything and he was absolutely right.’
‘Megan,’ Becky said, hearing her sister catch her words. She squeezed her hand. ‘The way I remember it, Dad always said we could achieve anything. I’m not going to move to London. I’m not moving anywhere.’
She might have had her eyes opened to exploring a new country, but home was where her heart was. Leaving It’s A Wrap would be cutting her nose off to spite her face. She loved what she did and now she and Megan had a brand-new understanding, Becky was sure things could only get better.
‘Phew!’ Megan said, flapping her hand in front of her face. ‘Because as competent as Hazel and Shelley are, they’re not… you.’
‘In that case,’ Becky said, ‘as I’m so highly thought of now, I do have a few conditions.’
‘I think we should discuss a pay rise after we’ve dealt with the Martin situation,’ Megan jumped in.
‘It’s not money,’ Becky said.
‘Shit, she’s offered you a pay rise. Take the money!’ Petra ordered.
‘I will want to visit London. As much as possible.’ Her heart was bursting with love for the man she had met in Row 18. The man she was spending the night with after this meal with Petra and her sister. They had plans for the kind of dessert that burned calories instead of putting them on and it made both her sets of cheeks flush at the thought of it. ‘I’ll obviously take my holiday days as usual, but I’m thinking… as many long weekends as I can. Working around events obviously.’
Megan smiled. ‘I’m sure we can accommodate that, but you must promise me one thing from now on.’
‘What?’
‘No more secrecy, Beck-Beck. Everything above board and labelled.’
Becky nodded. ‘Absolutely. I promise.’
‘Oh, about time!’ Petra said as Panos arrived at their table with his little notebook. ‘Now, I know it’s a bit out there for an evening meal but I’ve heard you do a cracking English breakfast. Can I have that?’
‘One breakfast of the English,’ Panos said writing it down.
‘But can I have it with a side of spanakopita?’ Petra grinned. ‘More spinach like my mum wanted.’