Chapter Sixteen

The front door to Alison and Pavlos’s house was open. Nik stepped out of the hot September sunshine into the cool stone-flagged hall and called out, “Alison! It is Nik.”

As he waited for her to appear, the delicious aroma of baking teased his nostrils. He guessed she was preparing for the shelter’s open day next week.

“Hi, Nik, come and join me.” She came around a door and beckoned to him, and he followed her into the kitchen. “Come on, Hades, off you go.” She tipped a chair next to the table to unseat a jet-black tomcat. He jumped off, his tail flicking with irritation. “Please sit down. Cup of tea?”

Nik nodded, settled himself down, and waited while she brought over a tray bearing a teapot, mugs and what looked like a platter of small cakes.

“I’d like you to try these for me,” she requested, placing the platter on the tabletop. “Ginger, sultana, and spiced buns. I want to serve them at the open day, but I need you to taste test them first. Tell me if they need more ginger or spices.”

“Thank you.” He took the plate bearing a bun from her, and also accepted a mug of tea.

“I’m glad you came,” she said. She sat down next to him and helped herself to a bun. “Look, I’m going to get straight to the point. You’ve known me for a long time, and that I say what I think. Frankie phoned me yesterday evening. Nik, she sounded so down. I’m worried about her. I understand she said and did things that upset you a great deal. But were they so bad that you had to cut ties with her completely?”

He concentrated on slicing his bun in half. When Alison had called him first thing this morning and invited him to tea, he’d realized she wanted to talk about his split with Frankie. He liked and respected Alison a great deal, so he’d agreed. “I appreciate you feel you must support Frankie, but it is over between us.” He could hear his voice sounded stiff and cold, but that was how he felt about it now.

Alison looked perturbed. “Nik, really? It was going so well. You and she were getting going with your new property project, and it was clear to anyone who saw the two of you that there was something special developing between you.”

The mention of ‘something special’ almost tripped him, but, within a moment, he had a grip on himself. “I had second thoughts about our collaboration.”

“But you’ve only just exchanged contracts on the villa and everything. What made you pull back when you’d gone so far with it?” She put her head on one side, her brown eyes reminding him of a beady bird. “I hear you objected to Andrew handling the marketing and selling in England.”

There was no point in evading Alison’s questions; she was a straight talker and liked a straight answer. “I felt it was unwise for her husband, whom she is divorcing, to deal with the Villa Lemoni.”

“I have to say I also questioned the wisdom of using Andrew’s services.” Alison folded her arms and sighed. “It seems to me, after the way he’s behaved to her, he’s basically untrustworthy, and she’d be better putting him completely behind her. But it’s in Frankie’s nature to forgive, and her approach is that Andrew has always been a good estate agent, so if he is feeling guilty about what happened, she might as well turn it to her advantage.”

Nik raised his eyebrows at this new information. “Guilty?”

Alison nodded. “Yes. She explained to me that she wanted to do the best she could to maximize the financial success of the villa project. When Andrew had his guilt trip and offered to market the villa in Britain, and not to take a fee if he sold it, she thought why not? It could be a smart move. She felt that, as an astute businessman, you would appreciate it too.”

“My opinion was not asked for. I was presented with a fait accompli.” He averted his eyes and took a sip of his tea.

“But I thought you gave Frankie free rein to handle the sales and marketing side?”

“We agreed she would deal with those things, but I presumed she would discuss any major developments with me first.”

Alison considered this for a few seconds. “Okay, I can see how you would want that. But I’m not sure Frankie understood that. Although, she did get to talk to you before returning to England, so there was an opportunity to veto it if you didn’t agree.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable at her explanation. She’d made him appear ever so slightly unreasonable. But, he reminded himself, Frankie had said and done other things he wouldn’t accept. Then his gaze was drawn over Alison’s shoulder to a photo that was taped to the fridge. He hadn’t noticed it until now. It was of Frankie, with her arms around Theo and Até. Her wide smile and her clear blue eyes reached out to him, and he was instantly reminded of her freshness—her skin, her golden hair, her clean scent. He swallowed hard. This past week had been hell trying to banish taunting thoughts of her, far from him in England and with her husband.

Alison picked up on the direction of his gaze. Unfolding her arms, she swiveled in her seat to look at the photo. She turned back to him. “You miss her, don’t you?”

He tore his eyes away. He wanted to deny feeling anything, but no words came. As he struggled for a reply, Alison spoke again. “You’re not jealous of Andrew, are you, Nik?”

Her forthright observation caught him by surprise. “Jealousy is an ugly emotion.”

“I agree. If it’s out of control, it can be destructive and ultimately self-defeating. But I’m of the opinion that a little jealousy can be a good thing if it motivates you to cherish and protect your relationship, realize how much you care for the other person.” Her hand went to his shoulder. “Nik, listen. You’re letting a wonderful woman slip through your fingers because of your stupid pride. Frankie told me how you found her and Andrew together when he came here to talk about the divorce. When you saw her with him…well, I get that it caused you to think you were being played false. But what you actually witnessed was two people who were married, then torn apart by infidelity, making their peace, not some great reunion. Believe me, though the impact on Frankie has been huge and it took her time to disentangle herself from her marriage and her emotions, she feels little for Andrew now. She’s determined to be civilized, but she can’t wait to divorce him.”

He leaned back in his chair. Stupid pride. He felt the wasp’s sting again, remembering that moment when he’d seen Frankie’s husband kissing her. Alison meant well, but she hadn’t seen what he had. “I know you care about Frankie a great deal, but it is too much of a coincidence.” His tone hardened. “The embrace with her husband. Saying she hoped she’ll be friends with her husband. This sudden trip to the UK to see him, and the plan to market the villa through him… She still has feelings for him, Alison!”

She pursed her lips “Nik, it’s not as simple as that. How can it be? She was married to Andrew for seven years. It’ll take time for her to completely put the memories of that behind her. On the other hand, there’s every reason for her to move on. For one thing, what about the baby Andrew and his partner Becky are expecting? Poor Frankie. This week, while she’s been back in the UK, she’s not only had to cope with seeing Becky face to face and pregnant, but Becky’s also been flashing a new engagement ring as well.”

His head lifted up, and he shot Alison a sideways glance. “Baby? Frankie’s husband has made his girlfriend pregnant? I was not aware of this.”

Alison’s surprise was visible. “Oh! Frankie didn’t tell you? Yes, Becky must be about five or six months along now.” She hesitated as if she was considering saying more.

He exhaled heavily. This was a bombshell, in more ways than one. “I did not know about the baby, Alison.”

The older woman gave him a curious look. “I see. I thought Frankie had explained. Well, maybe there’s a reason for that, and maybe you need to hear it. It’s been incredibly challenging for Frankie, knowing Becky is pregnant. She wanted a baby so much herself, and she was devastated when she discovered Becky was expecting Andrew’s child. She’s coming to terms with it now. Actually, I feel proud of her for being able to go back and deal civilly with both of them despite that, not to mention the engagement and the humiliation of them betraying her so badly.”

He rubbed his face. “If I had known all of this…” He trailed off as he toyed with the idea that maybe, because he hadn’t known all the facts, he had come to the wrong conclusion. Now he had more pieces of the puzzle, he could understand there was little reason for Frankie to run after her husband, beyond getting what she could from him. He felt a sense of anger starting to rise in him on her behalf, coupled with the creep of self-reproach. Had he shot from the hip, let his brain migrate to his trousers again?

“Starting to reconsider?” Alison asked wryly.

He grimaced. “It does change things. If I had known,” he repeated slowly, “I might have seen and done things differently.”

She smiled at him encouragingly. “And what about Natassia? Can you forgive Frankie for what she said? She told me how you reacted.” She drew in a deep breath. “She wasn’t repeating gossip. It was me who told her about your failed engagement, because I was encouraging her to cut you some slack.”

“Cut me some slack?”

“Give you some space and time as you haven’t had a long-term relationship since you and Natassia split.”

“Why would I need time and space? That was all in the past, finished long ago.”

“But that’s not true, is it?”

He studied what remained of his tea in his mug. “It was until Frankie stirred up that particular ghost to come back and haunt me,” he murmured.

“Frankie shouldn’t have said what she did, Nik, especially when you’d never talked to her about it yourself. But, all the same, she spoke the truth when she brought up Natassia, didn’t she? She didn’t stir up that ghost, because, in reality, it never left you. You haven’t dealt with what happened to you ten years ago.”

His head snapped up at the accusation. “That is very harsh, Alison.”

“Oh, my love,” she said, her voice becoming kinder, “I don’t mean to be. I’ve known you since you were a small boy. I watched you grow up into a man. A very fine and successful man, who I know has a good heart, and who has so much to give a woman, if only you’ll allow yourself to.” She paused as he leveled his eyes on her. “You’ve lost more people who were dear to you than most, some of them in unimaginably painful ways. But take it from me, trying to ignore that pain isn’t healthy. I remember that, years ago, after I’d suffered a succession of miscarriages and I was told by a specialist that I’d never be able to carry a baby to full term, I was paralysed with grief. But I found out that the only way to get over that grief was to face up to it.”

He looked at her for long seconds, unable to mask his surprise, his anger extinguished. “I am so very sorry to hear that. It must have been extremely difficult for you and Pavlos.”

“It was. But Pavlos is a wonderful husband who supported me and cried with me. We dealt with our losses together. And I was able to fulfill myself by setting up the shelter. Now I have fur babies to nurture.” She laughed, but quickly grew serious again. “I don’t think you’ve allowed yourself to grieve, Nik, so you haven’t healed and that’s holding you back, even clouding your judgement. Let it out, share it, make your own particular peace with it, find new things to replace what you’ve lost. Don’t blame Frankie.”

He absorbed Alison’s advice and sat silently for a few minutes while he tried to unwind the tangle of thoughts and regrets in his head. After a while, he spoke. “You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

She nodded. “It’s going to take you time to process. And when you have, I hope so much you will decide to try and repair things with Frankie. Because I know you care about her, and that’s the best reason for fighting for her and winning her back. If there’s one thing that you are, Nik, it’s a fighter; you wouldn’t have got through all that you have if you weren’t. And if there’s one thing she’s good at, it’s forgiveness. But you have to let her know how you really feel. Be open and honest with her.”

“It’s a lot to think about,” he repeated. He felt uncharacteristic doubt snapping at him. “I am not sure of how I would get her to talk to me after what has passed between us.”

“Hmm. You do have a bit of a mountain to climb. Though I think it’s more of a case that she thinks you don’t want to speak with her. Did you ever remove her name from the villa’s title deed or start the cancellation of your agreement with her?”

“No, of course not.”

He saw a flicker of what looked like amusement cross Alison’s face. “So maybe there’s your route back, or at least a way to start a conversation. She’s arriving home on Sunday. You could tell her you’ve had a chance to think some more, and the property partnership is still on if she’s willing. See what she says.” She grinned. “You may have to grovel though.”

“Grovel?”

“Throw yourself on your knees and crawl.”

He threw her a skeptical glance.

“Well, not literally. But you need to be humble. I know this will probably be a first, but an apology would work wonders.” Her smile widened as she pointed to the two halves of the spiced bun on the plate in front of him. “Now tell me what you think of my baking.”

Nik pulled up the Spider in front of the gates to his house and aimed the remote at them. They opened, and he guided the car onto the front driveway. He picked up the food container from the passenger seat containing the spiced buns that Alison had pressed on him before he’d left her house. The bun he’d sampled had been delicious, and he was happy to take the remainder with him so he could share them out with the men who’d be on his shift tomorrow at the klimakia.

After letting himself into the house and heading for the kitchen, he poured himself a Metaxa and then went out to sit on the patio to catch the last of the afternoon sun and think. He felt an increasing heaviness weigh down on him. The nights were drawing in now, and the holiday season would be over in three weeks. He’d seen thirty-five summers; most of them had been good, but a couple had been the worst times of his life: when Drusilla had passed away, her heart well and truly broken after Marco’s disappearance, and when Natassia had ditched him for Christos weeks before their wedding. Alison’s frank advice of this afternoon came back to him. You haven’t healed. Let it out, share it, make your own particular peace with it. Suddenly, without warning, his eyes filled with moisture and his throat closed up. He tried to battle the overwhelming sadness that swept through him, but the force of it was too much and he gave way to weeping quietly.

After a while, a sense of calmness descended, if mixed with a little sorrow. He thought of the girls to whom he’d offered good times, seductive words, and sex over the last ten summers, but never really given anything of himself. He’d told himself that none of them had wanted more, even though he’d sometimes caught glimpses of rejection in their expressions when he’d sent them on their way the morning after the night before, or at the end of their vacations. He downed the remainder of his Metaxa and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Things were different now. This summer had been the best of his life so far because of Frankie. Even those early weeks when they’d clashed every time they’d met had been exhilarating. She’d been honest and real in her emotions and reactions and he’d responded in kind, because he’d wanted her so much, forgetting his usual reserve and control. She’d offered him a freedom he hadn’t enjoyed in years.

His spirits lifted again, and renewed determination powered up inside him. Alison was correct; he was letting this wonderful woman slip through his fingers. He would get Frankie’s forgiveness, make her his again… He just had to find a way to get her to hear him out.