It occurs to me then that I have never seen Dimitri’s apartment. In fact, I’m not sure exactly where it is.
‘Only a ten-minute walk away, at the far end of the beach. I can’t see him ever leaving Roda, he loves it here.’
‘I can understand why.’
‘Have you seen my nephew today?’ she asks.
‘Yes, I saw him on the main street when I first arrived. He was getting out of his car with a woman.’
I don’t know why I tell her this. I could have just mentioned him being at the house earlier and the unveiling of the balcony. Yet I do.
She frowns a little, before twirling the stem of her wine glass in her hand.
‘That was probably Athena.’
Athena?
‘He used to date her,’ she tells me. ‘But he tells me he feels nothing for her now. She has been back here to visit her grandmother who is ill, I believe. Perhaps they were just having a catch-up.’
I recall Dimitri saying he had just been out dropping a friend off somewhere. Even so, the wine seems to lose its taste as I take a large gulp.
To break the slightly awkward silence growing between us, I ask Thea about her business, which she tells me is doing well. ‘Especially during summer season when the apartments are all rented out. Many people call in for their bread in the morning. I have to work half the night baking, but of course I am grateful to save some money for the winter months. The locals keep the shop ticking over, especially when the planes stop coming in October.’
I recall Dimitri telling me this.
‘Do people still fly over from Athens?’
‘Yes, thankfully, for people like yourself who have holiday homes.’ She smiles. ‘But, of course, it does get cooler here in the winter, with some rain even, but maybe not as cold as in the UK.’
‘Definitely not as cold as there,’ I confirm.
After another drink and a long chat, it’s almost nine and Thea tells me she ought to get off and have an early night, before a very early morning.
‘Of course. And it’s been really lovely chatting to you. It feels so good to have friends here in the village.’
‘I’m happy to have you as a friend too. See you soon, enjoy the first evening in your new house.’
‘Thank you, and thanks once more for your thoughtful gift. Goodnight, Thea.’
Back at the house, I take a glass of water out onto the balcony, and watch the sunset. There’s the distant strains of a song playing at some bar on the main street, drowning out the faint sound of the crashing sea I can normally hear, but I don’t mind. It makes me feel connected to the people here when I hear noise and activity all around.
I also can’t help wondering how Dimitri is spending his evening. I recall him shaking my hand in a very businesslike manner, and wishing me well before he departed. I’m not sure exactly what I was expecting, but I do know one thing.
I can hardly wait until our paths cross again.
I stretch out the next morning, having had the best sleep ever. The sun is rising, and I fling open the French doors and make a coffee to take outside. I breathe in deeply, still hardly able to believe this place is actually mine. It’s Saturday today too, so I don’t have any work to do.
After some breakfast and a video call to my parents, showing them the finished villa, I head to a car hire place next door to rent one for the weekend.
Back home, I study the map and decide to take a drive to PaleokastritsaBeach, the place we viewed from the summit of the Byzantine castle. I’ll have some lunch there, and spend a couple of hours on the small beach nearby, enjoying the sunshine.
I nip next door and ask Phoebe if she would like to join me, but she tells me she is seeing a friend from church in a few hours’time, but thanks me anyway. She agrees to a walk on Roda Beach in the evening. ‘And maybe a small ouzo,’ she says with a wink.
‘I look forward to it.’
I pack a beach bag, then set the satnav in the car before driving off. It’s such a glorious sunny day, I open the car window and enjoy the feeling of the wind in my long hair, rather than switching on the air con.
It’s a lovely drive, passing tourist spots and residential areas in turn, as the landscape changes from villas with lush plants in the gardens to mountain villages with tiny churches and olive groves. I spot chickens on land adjoining houses, surrounded by mesh fences.
