Page 26 of Take a Chance on Greece

I put my hand out to shake his, but he leaned forward and kissed it instead, his lips clammy against my skin.

‘I am the luckiest man in Fiskardo as the most beautiful woman has agreed to be my date,’ he said, looking me up and down in a very obvious fashion. No, it wasn’t a well-developed sense of humour, he was just a creep. I fought the urge to pull my cardigan out of my bag and cover myself up with it as he mentally undressed me.

‘I think you need your eyes testing.’ I attempted a jokey tone, gesturing around at the glossy people who surrounded us. I’d never been good at taking compliments, but it was even harder to know how to react when they were delivered in such an insincere tone with an obvious agenda attached to them.

His answer was directed to my chest rather than my face. ‘I have excellent eyesight.’

I had to fight to restrain my shudder. Less than thirty seconds in, and I knew without a doubt that this wasnotAwesome Andreas. But I’d travelled a fair way up the coast to meet him, and I couldn’t think of a way of politely extracting myself from the date so soon after arriving, so I reluctantly allowed myself to be led to a table by the waterfront. I was angry at myself for allowing social niceties to win over my gut instinct to get away, but I felt like I had little choice.

‘You haven’t brought your dog with you?’ I asked, figuring that a conversation about his pet was probably as good a place as any to start.

Andreas frowned. ‘I don’t like dogs.’

‘Oh. But what about the one in your profile picture? And on your T-shirt?’

He laughed. ‘I borrowed it from a shelter for the picture. Girls seem to like it.’

Kicking myself for being one of those women who’d fallen for his tactic, I perched on a chair next to the pavement, plotting a speedy exit. To my disappointment, Andreas sat down right next to me, pulling his chair up so that he was uncomfortably close. If I wasn’t careful, he’d probably do the whole pretending to stretch move next so he could put his arm around my shoulders. But he didn’t even bother going for subtlety. Instead, he went straight in, placing his hand on my thigh. His hand, which was bearing a ring on the fourth finger.

‘You’re married.’ It was a statement, rather than a question.

He didn’t even look ashamed.

‘Yes. But when a pretty girl messages me, I hate to disappoint her by saying no.’

His fingers tapped a rhythm on my leg, straying ever closer upwards. I grabbed his hand and removed it from my personal space.

‘Well, thiswomandoes not believe in messing around with someone who is already married. And in future, don’t start pawing somebody without checking first that you’ve got their consent. Goodbye, Andreas.’

I got up so abruptly that my chair fell over backwards. I could sense heads starting to turn in our direction, but I didn’t care. Now I wasn’t going to let embarrassment get in the way of standing up for myself.

Andreas’s air of easy charm turned dark all at once and he grabbed my wrist.

‘You’ve been leading me on. You came all this way to see me and now you’re leaving without even having a drink? I’m a nice guy. I went out of my way to book a table at this expensive taverna. You owe me. Why do girls never go for the nice guy?’

‘Nice guys don’t act like this,’ I retorted. Somehow I managed to twist my wrist out of his grasp. The adrenaline stopped me feeling any pain, but judging by the red marks left by his fingers, I’d probably have a bruise there later.

I left the taverna in a hurry, fearful he might follow me. I was angry at him for his presumption, and angry at myself that I was feeling the guilt he’d aimed to provoke in me, even though I knew it wasn’t in any way justified. How many women through the ages had ended up going along with behaviour they didn’t feel comfortable with because a manipulative individual had played on their sense of politeness or obligation? I’d found the courage to call it out and reject it this time, but it had cost me. My hands were trembling and my pulse was racing, and not in a good way.

The encounter had also made me re-examine incidents involving Jim, when he’d used similar techniques to bend me to his will. He’d never resorted to physically grabbing me, but he’d certainly used my politeness and desire not to make a scene to get me to do what he wanted, our first date being a case in point. How could I have been so blind for so long? I blinked back tears, shocked at the maelstrom of emotion I was experiencing.

The meeting with Already-married Andreas had tainted my gorgeous surroundings, and I wanted nothing more than to be back in familiar territory, somewhere I felt safe. Disregarding the cost, I jumped in a taxi and headed home to Sami, the tension easing from my head every mile I put between myself and that man. But when we arrived in the town, instead of directing the driver to the Helios Hotel, I asked him to drop me off at Alexis’s bookshop instead. I barely gave the tattoo studio a second glance, so intent was I on seeing Alexis’s familiar features and telling him what had happened.

‘You would not believe the audacity of the latest Andreas, the creepy liar,’ I said as I marched in, adrenaline still surging through my veins. The shop bell clanged heavily from the vigorous way I flung the door open. By now my shock had turned into anger and I was fairly fizzing with indignation.

‘Iassou, Lydia.’ There was a note of quiet amusement in Alexis’s voice at my unexpected appearance.

‘Oh heck, I’m so sorry,’ I said hastily as I realised that there was a bigger audience to my dramatic entrance than I’d expected. A couple of tourists had looked up from browsing the shelves and were now watching me with great interest. It was the first time I’d actually seen customers in Alexis’s shop, and the last thing I wanted to do was drive them away, despite my desire to confide in the man behind the counter.

‘Persuasion, great choice,’ I said, spotting the book in one woman’s hands. ‘It’s so beautiful. Everybody talks about lovingPride and Prejudicebest, butPersuasionwill always be my go-to Jane Austen book, with the gorgeous Captain Wentworth. A story of second chances, and hope. It made me cry, but in a good way.’ The tourist nodded awkwardly. I realised that I was practically shouting my rambling nonsense at the poor woman. I made a concerted effort to get myself back under control. ‘Sorry, I’ll stop interfering and leave you to browse. Best bookshop in Kefalonia.’

Whether it was because of my recommendation, or because I’d drawn so much attention to their choices they now felt obliged to purchase, the couple went away with a heavy bag in each hand.

Alexis smiled at me. ‘You should come running into my bookshop more often.’

‘I’m sorry about that. I was so wound up at what’s just happened that I had to tell you. Had to tell someone,’ I corrected hastily, although what I had said first was more accurate. I’d wanted to be somewhere I felt safe, but the reality was I’d sought outsomeoneI felt safe with, someone who I knew would put a smile back on my face. But I didn’t want him to feel burdened by me. Alexis had been nothing but kind, but I was aware that I could be pushing my luck. I didn’t want to be a needy friend who sucked all the attention. It was bad enough that I’d nearly driven his customers away.

Alexis nodded.

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