Page 44 of Not My Greek Wedding

‘Are you going to see him again?’

‘I’m not sure,’ I tell her truthfully. ‘There is no doubt he knows how to give a girl a good time, but I’m not sure he will contact me again.’ I shrug. ‘He has my number, though, so I guess it’s up to him.’

‘Why do you think he won’t contact you if you had such a good day?’ she asks, puzzled.

‘Because he wanted to sleep with me,’ I tell Lulu. ‘It was as if he had carefully planned a seduction,’ I tell her honestly.

‘And obviously you weren’t comfortable with that?’

‘I guess I wasn’t. And, as I recall, you did tell me to only do what I was comfortable with,’ I remind her.

She reaches across from her sunlounger and takes my hand in hers.

‘No one would blame you for having a little fun on holiday, but I think you should always follow your instincts,’ she says wisely.

‘Most definitely,’ I agree. ‘And I would rather not have my heart broken.’

I wonder whether men like Christos can ever be truly happy with one woman? And if they do settle down, are they constantly tempted? The thoughts swirl around in my head, yet despite everything I know that if he asked me out again I would probably say yes.

Lulu walks back to the apartment with me half an hour later, and that evening we take a stroll into a nearby village and eat at a small restaurant overlooking the sea. The outline of mountains dotted with a church and a cluster of villas close to the beach, their lights shining on the sea beyond, make for a pretty backdrop.

‘Oh, I forgot to tell you that I bumped into Bryn and Ash on the beach earlier. They tried to persuade me to go paragliding,’ Lulu tells me with an eye roll.

‘Really? Oh my goodness.’ I laugh.

‘Bryn’s alright really you know, he was going on about what a great voice you have,’ she tells me as she squeezes lemon juice over some calamari.

‘I know, I guess he’s harmless, if a little touchy-feely,’ I concede. ‘I just thought he embarrassed Owen with the wedding speech, but maybe that’s what blokes call banter.’

‘It’s funny how men insult each other and call it banter, isn’t it?’ says Lulu, before she takes a bite of her food. ‘If a woman insulted another woman, she would be called a right bitch.’

‘That is so true.’

‘Anyway, talking of you singing, there is another karaoke evening at a bar tomorrow evening a short taxi ride away from the apartments,’ Lulu tells me. ‘Bryn was telling me all about it earlier. Apparently, it’s a great evening, and often frequented by bar and club owners looking for decent singers.’

‘Here in Greece? Maybe I won’t go home then,’ I say jokingly. ‘Assuming someone thought I was good enough to offer me work that is.’

‘They would be mad not to,’ she says kindly. ‘So do you fancy it then?’

‘Sure, why not? I enjoyed singing the other night, maybe I ought to get a little more practice in.’

‘Great.’ She smiles.

I tuck into my delicious sea bass, with capers and herby Greek potatoes, and take a sip of chilled white wine. As we sit listening to the crashing of the waves on the nearby beach, despite everything, I imagine sitting here with Christos, when my phone rings. It’s him.

‘Do you mind if I get this?’ I ask Lulu.

‘Of course not.’ She smiles.

Christos asks me if I am free to go on a winery tour tomorrow, to a small select vineyard.

‘It is my day off, so I am all yours,’ he says, and my heart rate increases. I had wondered if not agreeing to go to bed with him on the yacht had made him lose interest. But maybe I was wrong about him. ‘There is a pretty wonderful hotel next door, although I guess I would say that, as it belongs to my family,’ he informs me.

‘Sounds delightful, although I thought you hardly ever took days off?’ I tell him.

‘Even workaholics need to take a break.’ He laughs. ‘I have been training a deputy manager, who is keen to take charge in my absence. Let’s just say, I am making the most of it.’

I only have two days left with Lulu though, so I explain this and tell him I will message him to confirm. When I return to the table to finish my meal, I feel torn.

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