Page 40 of The Greek Villa

‘No, it was a spider. The biggest I have ever seen in my life.’ I give a little shudder as I think about it.

I take in Dimitri’s appearance then, his hair tied back, the white patterned short-sleeved shirt, and smart jeans. He smells good too.

‘What are you doing here alone anyway?’ he asks, a puzzled look on his face.

‘I don’t know.’ I shrug, feeling a bit silly. ‘I just wanted to see how far things had come and assess the damage. And see what I could do to help.’

I don’t know exactly what I was thinking, but I didn’t feel like sitting home alone this evening.

‘At this hour?’ He glances at his watch. It is almost eight o’clock.

‘Maybe.’ I can feel the tears threatening behind my eyes again, but manage to pull myself together.

‘Anyway, thanks for calling in. Please don’t let me keep you, as you are obviously on your way out for the evening.’ I muster up a smile.

‘If you are sure you are okay. Maybe I will walk you home first.’

‘No, really, it’s around the corner, and it’s still light,’ I say breezily. ‘But thank you anyway.’

‘Please, try not to worry.’ He turns to me. ‘Tomorrow the floorboards will be laid in the bedroom and the kitchen units will arrive. I will work until midnight if I have to,’ he says and I feel filled with gratitude.

‘Thank you, Dimitri,’ I say in a small voice. ‘Maybe I will walk with you a little way before I go home. You can watch out for any more spiders.’

TWENTY-ONE

We turn right at the bottom of the road as the orange sun slowly begins its descent. As we reach the white church overlooking the grassy area close to the apartment, we say our goodbyes. Dimitri tells me he is meeting a friend at a restaurant on the main street, even though I never asked.

‘That sounds nice.’

‘It’s better than spending the evening alone.’

His eyes lock with mine and I feel that familiar fuzzy feeling.

‘Well, have a nice evening. And thanks for responding to my scream.’

I suddenly feel a bit daft; I’m an independent woman who has bought a house in Greece for goodness’ sake. Why on earth should I be bothered by a spider? They don’t bother me back home.

‘Anytime.’ He smiles, still making no attempt to move. ‘Enjoy the rest of your evening too.’ He lingers for a split second, before he walks off.

‘Thanks, and don’t drink too much,’ I call after him, before biting my lip and wondering why I said that, coming across like his mother, but he just laughs. ‘I mean, hangovers can be costly, as less work gets done,’ I tell him in an effort to explain myself.

I study him for a minute as he walks away, watching his confident, yet easy-going stride and I’m mortified when he turns around and clocks me watching him. He raises a hand as he continues on, and I dash inside my apartment.

Once inside, I grab a drink of water and curse myself for letting Dimitri have this effect on me. Maybe if I google local paint shops it will cool me down.

I discover one in Sidari and decide I will head there on the bus tomorrow and buy some paint to refresh the gate and the garden bench. Maybe I can distract myself from thinking about the bigger jobs if I tackle the small ones. I might also look for some interior shops to get some ideas for the finished project too.

I flick through the TV channels back at the apartment, and find a channel showing nineties films in English, and settle down to watch an action film with Nicolas Cage. Deciding to wake early in the morning, I resist any more wine and sip a bottle of water, until my eyes feel heavy. An hour later, the television is nothing more than a drone in the background, and I drift into a sleep.

The sun is up early, and I shower and take my usual morning coffee on the balcony and stare across at the view that never fails to lift my spirits. The church bell is gently ringing out on the hour and I realise it is eight o’clock, and the building work will not begin for another hour. Before I do anything this morning, I will head out to the local supermarket and grab a few provisions. Walking along, taking in the sights of the early morning risers taking a walk, and vans dropping food off in shops, I feel the breeze through my hair as I near the sea.

‘Kalimera.’ Kostas is outside his gyros shop, rolling out the sunshade for the outside eating area.

‘Kalimera, Kostas. How are you?’ I ask as I walk past.

‘I am very good.’ He smiles. ‘You?’

‘Yes, I will be, thanks. I won’t lie, I am slightly concerned about the progress of the house build.’

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