Page 76 of The Greek Villa

‘Thanks. Although you wouldn’t say that if you had seen me earlier dressed in old joggers and a T-shirt, which I dripped honey on from eating some baklava,’ I tell him and he laughs.

Outside, there is no sign of his car.

‘We are walking?’

‘Yes. No more than ten minutes, if that is okay?’

‘Gosh, sorry yes, your aunt mentioned your place wasn’t far away.’

‘You have been discussing me?’ He grins.

‘What? No, I bumped into her earlier at the beach when I was taking a break. She mentioned it when we were talking about living here. Do you think you will stay around here?’ I ask as we walk.

‘I imagine so. I could never be too far away from the village. My friends and family are here.’

We stroll side by side in the early evening sunshine, Dimitri casting the occasional glance at me and smiling. I’m surprised when we take a walk down a side street not far from the beach, to what appears at first glance to be a block of holiday apartments.

‘They once were,’ Dimitri tells me when I remark on this. ‘They were sold off several years ago. I was lucky to be able to secure a large one-bedroomed place.’

He lets us into a public area with a cool, marble floor and potted plants dotted about in the entrance.

Dimitri’s apartment is on the first floor, and he leads me inside to a cool, stylish interior. The main lounge is white walled with a huge black-leather sofa and some striking art on the walls. The large window at the end of the room gives a side view of the sea. At the far end of the long lounge leading from the kitchen, a table has been set, with a candle at its centre.

‘Would you like a glass of champagne?’

‘Champagne? What’s the occasion?’ I ask as I follow him into the kitchen, which is just as stylish as the lounge with navy units and pale-grey marble work surfaces, although maybe I should expect nothing less from a builder. It does have a masculine, yet welcoming, feel. Dimitri most definitely has a good eye for design.

‘Do we need an occasion? Although maybe it could be a late toast to your new home.’

He pops the cork on the champagne, and pours us each a glass.

‘So what are we eating?’ I glance around but there’s only a single pot on the top of the stove.

‘A meze. Most of it is in the fridge, the rest on a low heat in the oven. Please, sit down.’

He guides me back to the lounge, where there is a bowl of olives on a maple-coloured coffee table. I glance around at the room, which could be in any modern European city; the only clue to it being in Greece is the sight of a Greek flag out of the window, fluttering in the breeze near the sea.

A short while later, I am seated at the dining table as Dimitri brings out dish after dish of delicious-looking food. There are stuffed vine leaves, meatballs, dips, bread and olives, as well as some deep-fried whitebait. He retrieves a small moussaka from the oven, and some tasty-looking roasted potatoes dusted with oregano and lemon.

‘You made all this?’ I stare in amazement at the crowded table. ‘Wait, you did make it, didn’t you, or is this courtesy of a local restaurant?’

‘You insult me.’ He looks at me in mock horror. ‘I told you I like to cook, although a lot of the meze is shop bought,’ he admits. ‘But I made the moussaka and the potatoes.’

‘Well, it looks wonderful, thank you so much. I’ve been saving myself for this all afternoon. Well, apart from the tiny piece of baklava,’ I tell him, remembering I had mentioned that.

‘So how was your day?’ I ask him.

‘Busy. We had some really fun guests on a boat trip earlier, with a man who liked to sing, and the children laughed a lot. It is so nice to see people enjoying themselves on holiday.’

‘How is Athena’s grandmother?’ I can’t stop myself from asking.

‘Do we have to ruin the mood?’ He edges his chair closer to mine and tops my glass up with champagne.

‘That’s not what I am trying to do. Why would I?’

‘Then forget about her. I dropped her off for a visit, went and had a coffee, then brought her back. I told you it was the last time. Besides, her grandmother is very unwell now and will be going into a hospice in the near future.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that, I really am. And I’m sorry for ruining the mood, as you say.’