Page 32 of All You Need is Greece

As he walks inside, I see him exchange a glance with Doll and she winks.

Around one o’clock, we break for lunch and Hannah tells Judith she is going for a walk with Panos and will be back later.

‘Enjoy yourself,’ says Judith, setting the outside table with cold meats and cheeses. It is slightly cooler now it’s nearing the middle of September, but we are determined to eat outside beneath the blue sky and forest setting for as long as possible.

‘It’s the perfect weather for a walk. See you later,’ I tell Hannah as she grabs her bag and heads off.

‘How are the wedding plans coming long?’ I ask Judith as I scoop up some creamy hummus and spread it on a cracker. There are also bowls of white beans in a tomato sauce.

‘All sorted I think.’ She turns to Lars and he takes her hand in his, clearly in love, despite his furtive behaviour with Doll.

‘I thought you might have got married at the chapel,’ I say, before piling some Greek salad onto my plate.

‘Ah well, I would have liked to. But there are just so many steps. Somehow, I don’t think I would arrive like Meryl Streep inMamma Mia!, skipping up those steps. I would arrive as the blushing bride for all the wrong reasons.’ She laughs loudly. ‘Although, actually, I do have my new knee. Maybe I could have taken things slowly. There is a huge terrace outside the chapel, I suppose the wedding could have been done there.’ She reflects. ‘But never mind, it’s far too close to the date to do anything about that now.’ Judith brushes away the idea. ‘And my niece’s garden is a perfectly lovely place to conduct a wedding.’

‘Well, I can’t argue with that,’ I reply. ‘It’s a pity there isn’t a slope up to the church. Eric the donkey could have carried you up there.’

‘Now there is someone I would not rely on on my wedding day.’ Judith giggles.

Judith and Lars look so happy together, I’m not sure why I felt something secretive was occurring between him and Doll, but the day they entered the rescue separately was just so strange. I did wonder whether I ought to have mentioned something to Lars, but decided against it as there is probably a perfectly simple explanation for it all.

Lunch over, we take the dogs for a walk, joined by some volunteers who have just arrived. A couple from a nearby village are also here to rehome the small terrier who I have already grown very fond of. Judith is always thrilled when a dog finds its forever home, but she says it saddens her a little too.

‘Bittersweet, I suppose is the phrase,’ she tells me, as they head off, the white terrier glancing back at us from the rear window of the car.

When Hannah returns from her walk with Panos, she looks happy and relaxed. She tells me they cut through the forest and walked part of the road down into Koutouloufari.

‘There is a little kiosk with a few chairs and tables outside, along the path. I had pancakes with fruit and honey. Panos was right about them being delicious. We sat eating them, glancing right across the valley, watching cars in the distance climb the mountain roads. It felt like a little oasis in the middle of nowhere.’ She sighs.

‘Sounds wonderful. I might head over there myself one day.’

‘I’ll join you if you like,’ she offers. ‘I could show you the path through the forest. It isn’t too far. Maybe we could even walk further on to the honey farm I spotted in the distance.’

‘Great. I love honey.’

We carry on with our chores then, Hannah singing as she does some sorting out of supplies in the utility room, and it feels so good to see someone so happy. There is a slight pang, but she deserves this blossoming friendship or romance.

I had another message from Marco today that was simply a heart emoji. I didn’t know how on earth to respond to that and he hasn’t messaged me since. Perhaps he is waiting for me to get back home, or maybe he has drawn a line under our separation. If so, was there any point in us both acknowledging the fact that we miss each other? Maybe when I head home I can talk to him face to face, as despite working hard and having the distraction of the surroundings – not to mention the charming Artemis – it seems shaking someone from your thoughts is not as simple as upping sticks and going somewhere. Our feelings travel with us.

In the late afternoon I’m finishing up my chores, reaching up to the top of the wall to hang up a hose, when I lose my footing and fall in a heap onto the dusty path.

‘Shit. Bugger.’ My hand goes to my knee, and I see that it is slightly grazed.

‘Do you need a hand?’

I glance up to see Artemis standing over me, trying hard not to smile.

‘Artemis, hi.’ I accept his hand and he pulls me to my feet. Today, he’s wearing a white shirt, sleeves rolled up, and tan chinos, smelling, as always, quite divine.

‘Are you alright?’

‘Yes, I’m fine.’ I smile brightly, retrieving a tissue from the pocket of my shorts and wiping my knee.

‘Are you going somewhere?’ he asks.

‘Yes, actually. Downhill to the village shop. I figure it won’t take me too long. And the walk back uphill should give me a good workout,’ I tell him. ‘Where are you going?’

‘I have just left my mother. I was about to drive to the shops for her, as she needs one or two things. She is feeling, maybe, a little delicate today,’ he reveals.

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