‘Yes, my father will be here soon to help.’
Just ten minutes later his father arrives, and Dimitri introduces us.
‘Claudia, this is my father, Eric.’
I’m shocked to be standing in front of the silver fox I met the other day in the bar.
‘Kalispera, we meet again,’ says Eric as he shakes my hand.
‘You two have met?’ asks Dimitri in surprise.
‘Yes, at the bar last week.’ He talks to Dimitri in Greek, and I can’t help noticing that he looks a little embarrassed, as his father laughs.
‘What did he say to you?’ I ask him later.
‘Just that I am lucky to be working alongside a beautiful woman, and have I asked you out yet,’ he reveals.
‘Well, we have already been out to Corfu together,’ I remind him.
‘True, although not really a date.’ He touches me lightly on the arm, and annoyingly, there go those fireworks again. ‘I told him, I don’t mix business with pleasure,’ he says, and I feel an irrational stab of disappointment. As well as confusion. I could have sworn he was going to kiss me the other day, when he removed the smudge of chalk from my cheek, but perhaps that is only in my imagination.
I busy myself with clearing up after the workers, and providing cold drinks and a healthy slab of orange cake I purchased from Thea’s earlier, although this time it was on the house, and she sent her best wishes to Dimitri and his father.
‘I did not realise it was your house my son is working on,’ says Eric as he munches on a small slice of cake, saying his wife will kill him if he does not eat all of his evening meal. ‘Althoughhe did mention it was a house in the village. I thought you were here on holiday.’
‘Well, I am staying in the holiday apartment. Sorry, maybe I am a bit cautious about telling people about my half-renovated villa.’
‘I understand.’ He smiles, and when he does I can see the resemblance to his son.
‘I can’t thank you enough for helping. I head home the day after tomorrow. I will feel so much better knowing all the major work is completed.’
A short while later, I head up to check on progress, when I hear raised voices. Upstairs, Yiannis is throwing his arms up and shaking his head at Eric, who retaliates in an even louder voice, both speaking quickly in Greek.
‘What’s going on? Is everything okay?’ I ask, popping my head around the door.
‘I am not sure this was such a good idea,’ says Dimitri, clearly stuck in the middle. ‘Yiannis thinks the next job is the wall boards, the bath later. My father wants to get all the plumbing done first.’
‘Which makes perfect sense. It’s a free-standing bath, the walls can wait, surely the plumbing must be a priority.’
‘I agree. Maybe you will be happy to say that. It is your house after all.’
‘Coward.’ I laugh before telling the men my thoughts. Yiannis shrugs and I notice a smile curling around Eric’s mouth.
Later that night, I have a bath and sink fitted, as both men remarkably seemed to work together well, after some initial differences of opinion. I had to stifle laughter when I spotted Eric pulling a face and shaking his head behind Yiannis’ back several times, and vice versa.
The men disappeared just after nine o’clock, and I’m not too far behind them.
That evening, I’m sitting in my rental apartment, sipping a large glass of white wine on my balcony and I find myself wondering what Dimitri is up to this evening. He never mentioned anything earlier and behaved in a perfectly businesslike way, before wishing me goodnight and saying he would see me tomorrow morning. He seemed keen to let me know that he doesn’t mix business with pleasure, despite sharing what I perceive to have been some intimate moments. But then, I am the one that seems to run away from them in an attempt to protect myself from being hurt.
I’m watching the sunset when I receive a text from Josh, asking if I am free to chat if he gives me a call. And I tell him yes, immediately.
‘Hi, sis.’ Josh sounds upbeat. ‘So how’s it all going with the house?’
‘Much better now. Better than I could have hoped for, even.’
I fill him in on the little dramas, including the burst water pipe. I leave out the bit about me falling for the builder.
‘But we seem to have a little more manpower now, courtesy of Dimitri’s dad, who is a retired builder and has agreed to help out.’