‘That’s so great, isn’t it? If George has a sleepover at yours, maybe we could take him out somewhere?’ she suggests. ‘I really miss visiting farms and funfairs since the girls have grown up. These days it’s just lifts to horse riding, or collecting them from friends’ houses late at night.’
‘George would love that, although it still isn’t too late for you to have another little one you know.’
Evie looks horrified. ‘Absolutely not.’
I mull over our conversation later, and realise Evie is right in so many ways. I can’t stay in a cocoon avoiding romance, even though I am perfectly happy on my own. At least I was.
But that was before Dimitri came along, and turned things upside down. And I don’t just mean my villa.
TWENTY-NINE
I’ve had photo updates from Dimitri over the weeks and I’m thrilled to see the rendering on the rear walls has been completed, and the bathroom finished. There’s a chrome heated rail on the walls, and the towels are neatly stacked on a corner shelf. I can hardly wait to get back there and see it in real life.
The front garden looks inviting too and all of the interior painting has now been finished. I gave a key to Phoebe, who has agreed to take delivery of a huge bed and bedding next week, so at least I will be able to stay there on my next visit.
It’s nice to receive updates from Dimitri, yet I kind of wish he would call me for an actual chat, but maybe he is trying to keep things professional. He also lets me know that the balcony is almost in place and will send me a photo when it is.
After dutifully crossing off the days on my desk calendar every morning, it’s finally time to head over to Corfu for another long weekend, and before I know it, I am hailing a taxi at the airport to take me to Roda. The plane was full of holidaymakers, and I wonder how the builders are getting on in their summer jobs down at the harbour. I’m looking forward to the holiday vibe of the summer season, as I did when I was growing up. It excites me to think that next time I come out, it will be withMum and Dad to reveal the holiday home to them, so that they can make use of it later in the year too.
Climbing out of the taxi, I pay the driver and realise this will be the first time I will be spending the evening in my house rather than at the holiday apartment.
I text Dimitri and inform him of my arrival, although I expect he will out on the boat with the tourists. En route to the villa, I call in at Thea’s bakery, and grab myself a slice of feta and spinach pie and she greets me with a hug and a wide smile.
‘I am so excited the house is finished. Are you looking forward to spending your first night there?’ she asks, sliding my lunch into a paper bag.
‘I really am. I can hardly believe it.’
‘Oh, and I have a housewarming present for you. I hope you like it.’
She reaches beneath the counter, before presenting me with something wrapped in lilac tissue paper. It’s a black-and-white framed photograph of the village harbour in days gone by.
‘It is a copy of a photo my grandfather took when Roda was a small fishing village. I hope you like it.’
‘Thea, it’s perfect! Thank you. I can already see it on the white walls of my house, it really is so thoughtful.’
Passing the village green near the church, I notice Dimitri getting out of his car, parked just off the main street. He opens the passenger door with a smile, and a young woman with tumbling dark curls steps out. It definitely can’t be his older sister, as even from here I can see that she is the wrong age.
My appetite suddenly deserts me, as I head towards my house.
‘Claudia, you are here.’
Phoebe appears as soon as I walk up the path, interrupting my disappointed thoughts.
‘You are okay? Sorry, are you okay?’ She smiles.
‘What, yes, I’m fine.’ I plaster a smile on my face. ‘How are you?’
‘Good, fine. Yesterday, I stayed with my granddaughter overnight. I have just come home.’
‘Oh lovely, are they well?’
‘Nai, very good. Jason, he grows up so fast.’ She smiles again as she mentions his name. ‘I am sure he grows every few weeks in between my visits.’
As I search for my keys and invite my first visitor inside, I think of how I am a short walk away from my own parents, yet Phoebe’s granddaughter has almost an hour’s drive from her village, as she is unable to purchase a house in the area she grew up in.
Even in the space of a few short weeks since I last visited, the temperature has soared, and now, at the end of June, it’s a warm and balmy evening.
I glance up at the steps leading to the bedroom, noticing the balcony is covered in blue plastic sheeting. I’m about to head up and take a look, when my phone rings. It’s Dimitri.