Page 72 of Not My Greek Wedding

‘So what will you do for work when you get home?’ asks Andreas as he tucks into the daily special, an omelette with chunks of village sausage and feta. I ordered the same thing too, and it is absolutely delicious.

‘I have a couple of options,’ I tell him, which is not entirely the truth, but fingers crossed something will turn up. A recent chat with Mum revealed that the Royal Oak back home is, in fact, reopening at the end of the month, so hopefully I can secure a few paid gigs there.

‘What would you do if something turned up here?’ he asks, in between mouthfuls of food.

‘Here?’ I frown. ‘I don’t see how I could ever get a job here. It might be nice over the summer though.’ I idly daydream. ‘I’m pretty sure I could get used to spending mornings like this in the sunshine.’ I say, as I glance around the idyllic location..

We sip our lattes and Andreas is quiet for a moment before he speaks again.

‘Perhaps I could help you with that. If you wished to stay here a little longer, that is.’

He looks at me with those gorgeous brown eyes framed by long black lashes, and it is as if I am really seeing them for the first time.

‘You could help?’ I ask, puzzled. ‘I mean, I would love to stay here a while longer, but I don’t understand?’

‘A friend of the family owns a smart restaurant in Oia, with a piano bar. It is in a sublime position to watch the sunset,’ he tells me. ‘He is looking for a singer this summer, three, maybe four nights a week. I think your voice would suit such a venue perfectly.’

‘Me!’ My mouth falls open in surprise.

‘Why not? Didn’t you once tell me that we ought to follow our passions?’ he reminds me.

‘Well, yes, of course we should, but a job singing here in Santorin? I’m not sure I could do that.’ I shake my head.

‘Why on earth not? You say you have experience of singing in public back home? And I heard you at that karaoke bar, and you were amazing,’ he says kindly.

‘Thank you, and, yes, I do have experience but wow, here in Santorini, really?’ I let his words sink in as I wonder what is actually stopping me from staying out here for a while longer.

‘Well, at least think about it,’ he says. ‘And it would not be for another month, so you could maybe go home first if you have things to sort out,’ he says. ‘I will happily pay your plane fare back here.’

‘You would do that?’

‘I would.’ His hand reaches over for mine and I feel a rush of affection for this lovely man. ‘If it is what you want.’

During the drive back, I mull over Andreas’s words, wondering if I could actually make it happen? Lots of people do seasonal work, but then where would I stay? Any money I earned surely wouldn’t cover the cost of accommodation too. Perhaps it is nothing more than an impossible dream.

‘Can I see you before you leave?’ Andreas asks as he drops me off back at the apartments. ‘If you think about what I have suggested, I can take you to the restaurant in Oia to meet my friend.’

‘Do you mean to audition for a singing job?’

‘If you decide it is something you would like, then yes,’ he says.

‘Sure. He is hardly likely to hire me without hearing me sing, I guess.’

Although I do have a recording of me singing something to the music Ash wrote, I remind myself, although I am not sure how well that has been received.

I don’t have to wait long to find out though, as back in my apartment I take my phone from my bag and charge it up after the battery had died. As it springs to life, I notice two missed calls and several messages from Ash.

As I slowly scroll through the comments of me singing, I almost burst into happy tears. The comments are nothing short of fantastic, many people asking Ash who I am, and where can they watch me perform.

‘Finally,’ he says when I give him a call. ‘I was beginning to think you had vanished off the face of the earth.’

‘Sorry, I was out on a beach and my battery died,’ I tell him, realising once more that I hadn’t been preoccupied with taking photographs. ‘Oh my goodness, Ash, I can’t believe the response!’

‘I can. It’s had two million views already and you are currently viral on my TikTok.’

‘You are joking!’ I gasp.

All the hours I have invested uploading videos of eateries and shops, and my singing views have gone through the roof. Maybe I should have listened to my friends all along.

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