Page 34 of Not My Greek Wedding

I go over the events of the previous evening as I get ready, wondering if I will ever hear from Christos again. He did take my number though, although perhaps that is what he does, then when there is not much happening, he scrolls through his phone and calls someone, his contacts like a little black book.

I finish brushing my teeth, before applying a slick of clear lip gloss and heading downstairs with Lulu.

‘Are you having breakfast this morning?’ asks Irene as we approach them.

We are booked in on a room-only basis, but have taken breakfast at Sea Breeze across the road most mornings.

‘They do a continental breakfast here, you know,’ Patsy reminds us. ‘If anyone fancies some cold cuts and cheeses.’

‘I probably shouldn’t be spending so much, but the omelettes at the Sea Breeze are the best,’ I say.

‘And we did save a little money on drinks last night, due to the gratis cocktails, after all,’ Lulu reminds me.

‘Sea Breeze sounds good, mind if we join you?’ asks Patsy.

‘You don’t need to ask, of course you can join us,’ I say as Irene folds her newspaper and places it on a coffee table.

We take a seat at our favourite table overlooking the sparkling water, and Irene asks us about our evening at the nightclub.

‘It was something else, really cool,’ I tell her, recalling my reaction as I walked through the door. ‘Expensive though. I’m glad Christos bought us those drinks,’ I say dreamily, as I think of him once more. I can’t seem to erase the image of him, that chiselled jaw, those dark eyes and that easy smile that makes my heart skip a beat. I tell myself to get a grip and stop acting like a love-struck teenager.

‘Oh, to be young again,’ Irene says. ‘I bet the club was full of handsome young men.’ She sighs deeply, and Patsy tells her to behave.

‘Anyway, those young studs wouldn’t give me a second glance, although I have read that some men like an older woman. Cougars they are called.’ She winks and I can’t help but laugh out loud.

‘Nobody calls men studs anymore, Irene, now you really are showing your age,’ Patsy tells her as she sips her coffee.

I describe the interior of the club, then imagine what it might be like to share a booth with Christos, sipping a cocktail before dancing together to a slow number, his arms wrapped around me. Afterwards, he would take me back to his place. I wonder if his bedroom is huge like the ones featured on the Abbey Clancy programme.

‘Earth to Mia, I said do you want any water?’ asks Patsy again, pulling me out of my delicious daydream.

‘Sorry, yes, sure. So what did you two get up to?’ I ask Irene as the already warm sun bathes my arms.

‘We had some food, then we went for a bit of a walk along the beach. I’m starting my fitness and weight loss programme right here, trying to achieve a certain number of steps every day,’ Irene informs me. ‘I have installed an app my phone.’

‘That’s brilliant, well done you,’ I tell her.

‘Yes, and as we were walking, I stumbled upon something,’ she says, reaching into her bag. ‘I found this.’

She pulls out the most beautiful gold necklace with a sizeable emerald.

‘Oh wow, that is stunning,’ I say, looking at the jewel that glints in the sun.

‘Someone must be missing that. Are you going to hand it in to the police?’ asks Lulu.

‘Yes, of course,’ says Irene. ‘But I just thought I would first ask around this morning at the breakfast restaurants to see if anyone has lost a necklace. It was directly opposite a café further down the road.’

‘Don’t describe it though,’ says Patsy. ‘Just ask if anyone has lost any jewellery.’

‘Well I’m not that daft,’ says Irene, rolling her eyes.

An hour later we say our goodbyes as we head off in different directions.

‘Bye, I hope you find the rightful owner of the necklace,’ I say to Irene.

‘Me too. Catch up with you soon. Enjoy your shopping,’ she says.

Window shopping more than anything, I think to myself, as I need to rein in my spending a little. It will be a great place for photo opportunities though, and I can’t wait to explore the back streets and all the boutiques. One thing I will be spending a little money on is a gift for my parents and my gran. I don’t know what I would do without either of them in my life.

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