Page 25 of Pomegranates and Olive

I sigh. “It is.”

“Good. Let’s go, then.”

We walk down to the jetty through the olive grove, the twisted trees bulging with their precious fruit. It's still fairly early, but the sun is already burning hot and I'm glad I borrowed Ginny's gardening hat that was hanging by the front door.

My fair skin is a bit of an anomaly in the Russo family. Mybabbojokes that my mother must have had an affair with the postman. We all know it would never be true though, as no one loves each other as much as Antonio and Angela Russo do. Thirty-three years they've been married and still as much in love as ever.Babboworships my mother and treats her like a Queen, which suits her just fine. This is why neither of them could understand my ambivalent feelings toward Luca. God help me,babboeven tried to talk to me about sex.Thatconversation almost scarred me for life.

Emine and Betty run ahead, Emine stopping to point out her favourite tree or to tell me about one of many discoveries she has made since she's been living here. Betty shoots off, chasing imaginary prey before returning with a stick and dropping it at our feet, proud as punch. When we reach the beach the bloody monster immediately races to the end of the jetty and throws himself over, sending a huge splash of water into the air and soaking the closest tourists who were lying on nearby sun lounges.

"Betty really loves to swim."

"I can see that."

We decide to sit on the sandy beach so Emine can splash around at the water's edge. Within moments, staff arrive with sun lounges and a large umbrella as well as a straw mat for Betty. The now soaking, and rather smelly kangal, knows it’s his and flops down.

I lay out my towel on the sun lounge and settle in. It’s going to be no hardship to spend the next few weeks here, worshipping the sun, sipping on cocktails, and swimming in the crystal clear water. "It's not hard to see why you love it so much here, Ginny."

"Yeah." She sighs wistfully and I look at her with concern. "Don't get me wrong, it's great, but I miss my friends and my family. I've missed you guys so much. It can be rather lonely here at times."

"How can you be lonely with Aydin in your bed?"

"It's not all sunshine and sex, despite what your mother thinks. Living here is bloody hard work. The paperwork is relentless. I honestly don't know how Aydin has kept his cool when dealing with the bloodybelediye. I’ve been in tears more than once while trying to get my visa. And we've not made a profit which is stressing both of us out as well. Did you know that 60% of restaurants fail in the first year?"

Looking around at the restaurant and the beach club I was impressed. The restaurant is a blend of Mediterranean décor and ambience, every table on it’s terrace already full and the grassy area beside the bar overflowing with groups enjoying the sunshine and the music. There were no free sun lounges along its sandy beach, and even the cove was full of small boats filled with customers waiting to disembark at the jetty. This place was really pumping!

"Didn't you say it was the end of the season? It's still pretty busy."

“I agree, but being successful in Bodrum isn’t an easy task. We’re not just a beachclub, that’s just a summer thing, we’re a restaurant that will operate all year around. But it's our first year and it's definitely been a shocker with everything else that's been going on in the world. There's always some kind of drama as well. Problems with the menu, with deliveries. And thebelediye... the council... they do spot inspections. God help you if a staff member isn't following the new protocols and we lose our health certificate because you’ll get shut down faster than a tick’s wink. Staff training has been a nightmare. Aydin's constantly looking for replacement staff. There are a few good ones, though. Burak is his sous chef, you'll meet him and his wife, Aricia, tonight. Aydin trusts him implicitly, but most of the guys are only here for the summer. At the end of the season they return to their villages. These seasonal workers need to make a lot of money - fast! Most of them are here to find themselves a cash cow; aka a naïve tourist that they can screw a few times. You know, the ones that are happy to spend some euro on them in return."

"I've heard the stories."

"You'll see things that will make your tryst at 40,000 feet seem tame, believe me." She scrunches up her face before feign vomiting. "Plus, we've had a bit of backlash from the other businesses along the coast."

"Really?"

"I know Aydin has tried to keep me out of it, but I hear the staff talking. Aydin refuses to charge the premium prices for sun loungers that the other beach clubs do. He has argued with a few of the other owners. There's been some threats made against him and the restaurant. He can't afford to ignore them. That's one of the reasons why Deniz is here. He designed a few of the waterfront developments around here and knows many of the owners and management. He has a lot of pull in the area.”

"There is something so dodgy about him... oh,essere come il prezzemolo... I swear this guy is everywhere!"

Ginny knows exactly who I’m talking about as she settles on her lounge, but asks the question anyway. "And what guy might that be?"

"What guy?" I roll my eyes at her. "Don't even pretend you don't know who I'm talking about! Deniz. There he is behind the bar flirting with those two girls."

"Huh? Is he? Well, I said he's going to be helping out where he can. And then we’ll all pitch in with the olive harvest next month."

"Architect. Bartender. Speaks Italian, English, Turkish. Did I mention that he brought up the exact same Shakespeare quote as Madam Magda?"

That comment definitely got Ginny's attention. "He did not!"

"He did too!"

"Well don't read too much into that just yet, okay? Your parents would never forgive me if you decide to run off with him."

"Never gonna happen." I slip my sunglasses down and scowl in his direction. He looks right at me and his face breaks open into a wild, cheeky grin.

“Ugh!”

“What?”

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