Page 16 of All You Need is Greece

At least there is something I can thank her for. And my long legs.

We eat our delicious food; I opted for the fish of the day, a tasty red mullet, with fluffy rice and roasted, herby potatoes, whilst Artemis chooses a tasty-looking moussaka. When we finish, he orders a Greek coffee and I enjoy a cappuccino. As he sips his drink, he studies me closely.

‘What?’ I feel like I am about to blush under his gaze.

‘Nothing. I am just looking at you. I bet you never thought you would go on a date with a man who almost ran you over. I’m surprised you are here.’

‘I’m a little surprised by that myself,’ I tell him honestly.

‘What made you accept?’ He swirls his drink around his glass, his eyes never leaving mine.

The large glass of wine I have downed has completely relaxed me, but I’m hardly about to tell him it is because he is extremely attractive and a perfect distraction for my broken heart.

‘Why not? You told me your mother lived locally, so I figured you weren’t an axe murderer. I’m not sure Hannah is completely convinced, though.’

I tell him about her panic when I raced towards the car, after he almost mowed us down and he laughs.

‘I told you, I expected the road to be empty. I have learned my lesson, I promise.’ He holds his hands up.

Talk turns to work and he tells me he works for a large bank just outside Heraklion in sales, and I talk about the supermarket back home.

‘Do you enjoy your work?’ he asks.

‘I do, actually. I love meeting people. The staff can be a bit unreliable at times, but thankfully there is usually someone to cover. How about you? Do you enjoy working in a bank?’

‘I do. Part of my work involves organising mortgages for people, among other things. It’s a good feeling telling someone they have been accepted for a mortgage, making the dream of their first home a reality.’

‘Yes, I can imagine that feeling good. I don’t quite get the same satisfaction pointing someone to the coffee aisle, but I do enjoy chatting to the customers, especially the older ones who can be a little lonely.’

As we chat, I am relieved that my suspicion that Artemis is actually a nice guy seems to have been confirmed. After we drain our coffee and he settles the bill, we head to his car. My heart flutters as he opens the door for me to climb inside. Yes, he might be a little showy, his aftershave a little bit overpowering and his watch expensive-looking, but he is also a gentleman.

‘Thank you,’ I say, climbing inside, after a perfectly lovely evening.

I sink back into the leather passenger seat and enjoy the drive, feeling relaxed and mellow.

When he drops me back at the rescue, he gives me a gentle kiss on the cheek and says goodnight.

‘Thank you for this evening, Artemis. I had a good time,’ I tell him.

‘The pleasure was all mine.’

As he drives off down the hill, I surprise myself by wondering if he will ask me out again.

TEN

‘Gosh this is just so difficult.’

The next day, the morning feeds done, Hannah is in the kitchen, grabbing a moment to send an email to Panos.

‘I have to keep checking Google Translate to reply.’ She sighs. ‘It’s taking far longer than I expected.’

‘Maybe keep the messages a little shorter?’ I suggest, as glancing at her laptop there appears to be rather a long email to be deciphered. ‘It might be a bit less daunting.’

‘You’re probably right.’ She smiles, before finishing up and closing her laptop.

‘So how did your date go last night?’ she asks, waving a cafetière and offering me a coffee and I nod.

‘Absolutely great, as it happens. Artemis took me to a lovely restaurant on a quiet beach, although I wouldn’t exactly call it a date.’

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