Ravenna lay in Jack’s lap and looked up at him, still unable to believe her eyes. She pinched him on the arm and he let out a yell.
“Ow! What did you do that for, you goofball?”
“Jack? It’s you? It’s really you? You’re alive? I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”
“Yes, of course I’m alive, and no, you’re not dreaming.”
She smiled. “Kiss me,” she said and closed her eyes. His lips gently touched her forehead, like the kiss of a butterfly alighting on a flower.
“Are you okay?” he asked her.
“I’m better now.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
She stood with his help and looked at him closely. Yeah, same old Jack.
His face was fuller, but it made him more handsome than ever. His sandy blond hair had a wayward curl dangling on his forehead, which gave him that young, rebellious look. His broad shoulders and deep tan told her he’d been working outside. He must be enjoying nature, she thought.
She smiled. It was as if they had never been apart. She realized how much she had always loved him and missed him.
Ravenna flung her arms around him and squeezed him tight. She could feel his muscular chest against her. She was amazed at his strong arms as he enveloped her and held her close. “Oh, my God,” she whispered without letting go, and tears began to roll down her cheeks.
They stood in the lobby of the old hilltop hotel on the island of Petros, with groceries strewn about the floor. The years between them melted away, and once again they were two old friends, united. She had her best friend back. She was out of breath. She could not believe it!
“How…? I mean, what are you doing here?” she finally asked him, stepping away and holding his hands in hers.
“I was on my way to a family reunion on Mykonos and got off on the wrong island. I didn’t realize that Petros also had windmills.”
“Yeah, lots of islands have windmills now. Oh, my God, it’s so great to see you. I can’t believe it! It has been forever.” She laughed.
“It’s been a long, long time. Exactly twenty-eight years this coming new year,” he said. His eyes blinked in disbelief at seeing her again. God, had he missed her, he suddenly realized.
“Yeah, a long time,” she said with that faraway look in her eye.
They were still holding hands when he asked, “Ravenna, what are you doing here? Are you on vacation? Holiday? Lost?”
“No, no, I run this place, Hotel Petros, and the bar, Taverna Carrickfergus. It’s as beautiful as heaven, isn’t it?”
He did not answer at first; he still could not believe his eyes. Here she was after all these years, standing before him.
“Yes, it is.” God, she looked incredible—taller, more like a woman now than when he saw her last. She had grown up with shapely curves in all the right places. Her teeth were now straight, her hair still fiery red, but her eyes, oh, yes, those beautiful green eyes, they melted his heart like butter. He still remembered the last time he saw her. He wanted to hold her closer, but he held back. He wanted to envelop her in his arms. If he did, what would she say?
“You look great. I still can’t believe it. You’re here,” she told him. “How do you feel?”
His eyes were starting to droop. “Great, but tired.”
“When did you sleep last? Or eat? Are you hungry?”
“I can’t tell you when I last slept in a proper bed. I started in Chicago, flew to New York, changed planes there, then flew to Rome, then changed planes again before flying on to Athens. Then I found out about the airline strike here and hopped a ferryboat, and I ended up here. So I guess I have been traveling about thirty-six hours straight, give or take a day or so,” he said in a weary voice.
“First things first,” she said, grabbing his bag, and reaching behind the counter, she grabbed a room key.
“I have a key, Sparky,” he told her.
She turned and grinned. No one had called her that name in what seemed like centuries. It was Jack’s pet name for her. He said she was always raring to go, like a little hot sparkplug.
“No,” she told him. “I am upgrading you to the Acropolis penthouse suite, old friend. Follow me.” She led him down a long hallway toward the rear of the hotel, up two flights of steps, around a corner, before stopping in front of a set of double wooden doors. The sign on the door proclaimed in large letters The Acropolis Suite in both English and Greek.
She swung the door open wide. Jack walked into an expansive room containing a king-sized poster bed on the far right. When he stepped inside, he could see through the tall windows at the other end of the room to the broad blue waters of the Aegean Sea as it unfolded before him. The view was magnificent, with the wonderful, calming waters a palette of multiple shades of blue and turquoise, dark and light, and coral green. The room was sparsely furnished, like most Greek hotel rooms, with a simple elegance.
“Welcome to Hotel Petros,” she told him, as she threw open the wide French doors to the patio outside. The wind gently caught the sheer white curtains hanging from the windows beside the door, and they danced in pleasure around the windows. The old wooden floor squeaked beneath their feet.
“You can almost see the island of Crete from here,” she proclaimed, as they walked out onto the broad balcony with its small table and two chairs.
The view was spectacular, almost like a fairy tale casting its magical spell. But she could see Jack was fading fast; he labored to keep his eyes open and stay awake, trying to fight off the fatigue from his jet lag and extensive travel.
They walked back inside, and Jack sat on the bed as she explained where he could find everything in the hotel. “The washroom and shower is down the hall, a slight jog, first right. There are fresh towels on the table behind you, and a robe is hanging on a hook behind your door, here. I’ll fix a meal for you whenever you wake up. Okay? So just make yourself comfortable.”
Ravenna turned with a smile and found Jack already lying flat out on the bed, his mouth open, sound asleep. She removed his shoes, unpacked his bags, and covered him with a cotton blanket, then gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead.
It was so good to see him again, she thought, as he lay there asleep. They had so much to talk about. Not all good, but it all needed to be said. She closed the door behind her to leave him with his dreams. They would talk later. They had plenty of time to talk. He was here for a whole week. She had him all to herself for the next seven days.