Because they must have popped some party pills from the Kos nightclub scene and were hallucinating.
That was the answer I wanted to give. But Sophia deserved more than a witticism. I wondered if she suspected my true feelings for her son. When we were younger, she was almost as astute as Grandma when it came to children’s mischief. Like the time Niko and I returned home from an afternoon playing, covered in grease and made up some story about trying to mend his bike. She saw through our cover story straightaway, as a few days earlier she’d banned us from going on part of the beach near a fuel spill. We’d set our hearts on giving the oil-covered dead birds a proper burial.
Sophia took my arm and directed me to a palm tree outside Pandora’s bakery. We sat down underneath, on a shady bench, me breathing in yummy, honey pastry smells.
‘We can catch the others up,’ she said. ‘First you, me, talk… Last night… you and Niko…’ She let out a sigh. ‘Pippitsa, what going on? The police – do I need to be worried? I haven’t asked Niko as he has been so fired up today about ThinkBig’s plans.’
‘No!’ I forced a laugh, cheeks hot as I watched a green caterpillar crawl, in undulating waves, across my foot, instead of looking at her. ‘Henrik and I – we had an argument. I went off on my own and he overreacted by reporting me missing to the police. That’s all the officers wanted to talk about.’
Sophia exhaled.
‘We didn’t think it necessary to tell you all,’ I continued and met her gaze. ‘Not with everything else going on.’
She nodded. ‘Thank goodness that’s all it was… Because if Niko was in trouble… with all this ThinkBig trouble as well…’ Her eyes looked shiny as she sniffed. ‘All I want is for him and Leila to get married, settle down, have a family. The idea of a wedding between them has been the one positive thing that has got us all through the recent difficult months. Soon winter is coming. We all need this cheerful celebration as much as the young couple. Especially Grandma…’ Her voice cracked. ‘For her it has almost meant the difference between life and death.’
I had the feeling now my eyes were shiny.
‘You won’t let him take things too far with this plan against ThinkBig, will you Pippa? Niko can be fiery… I don’t want him to risk his future by doing something against the law. You care for him, very much, that is obvious.’
I swallowed. If only she knew.
‘From the first moment you arrived, last weekend, Niko… his smile is brighter, I’ve noticed. Times have been hard and you’ve been like a lighthouse beacon – to us all. Grandma too… Your visit has been a tonic in many ways, and I’m grateful. And sure you understand how important it is that he and Leila stay together.’
Oh God. Unintended guilt-tripping or what? No emotion flicked across her face but I wondered… Did she suspect something between me and her son? Our eyes locked and I smiled at the familiar, warm, caring heart-shaped face. In that moment I realised that indulgent daydreams of me and Niko getting together were nothing but that. His marriage to Leila meant everything to his family and so much for the health of Grandma. Perhaps I’d overestimated his feelings for me; maybe he didn’t sense that magnetic attraction. But just to be sure there was no misunderstanding, I’d have to make it clear to him that my life was back in London, living my executive lifestyle.
I forced a smile. ‘And this trip has done me good too.’
‘And Henrik?’ She patted my hand. ‘You see a future with him? Living the busy life in London? You imagine having his children? Growing old together?’
‘I don’t know.’ There. I’d said it out loud.
She gasped. ‘But–’
‘Today’s made me realise that the doubts I’ve been having…’ My voice wavered. ‘Perhaps I should have acted on them weeks ago. Henrik’s honesty was the thing I most admired about him – but now that’s gone. There’s no sparkle to fall back on.’ I shook myself. ‘Listen to me, Sophia. I sound like a romance writer.’ We smiled and ever-polite, she said nothing. Unlike Grandma, Sophia would never pry!
Me feeling as if an anchor was attached to my chest, we continued our journey back to the taverna. On arriving, I avoided Niko and went straight into the kitchen. It was large and spotlessly clean, with metal work surfaces running the length of the room and gleaming silver equipment hanging from the walls I had scones to make – scones for filling the bellies of locals with the desire to fight for their way of life.
Sophia helped me find the ingredients and our chat had now returned to the meeting and the underhand mayor. What a relief it was to get kneading some dough. A relief that was, until Leila offered to help me. My feelings would be easier to cope with, if she wasn’t so likeable.
‘You think our stomachs look like this after having children?’ she said, with a glint in her eye, as she pummelled the stretchy flour and butter mixture.
I couldn’t help grinning. ‘Yes. But it would be worth it.’ I cleared my throat… ‘You and Niko – ThinkBig’s plans must have especially upset you, as you see your future in this village, don’t you?’
Leila didn’t meet my gaze but carried on kneading. ‘It would take a biblical storm to tear Niko away from this place.’
‘And you?’ I said brightly.
Cheeks pinking, Leila shrugged. ‘I… Travel could be exciting, but… but my place, it is here, by Niko.’
My stomach twisted. She didn’t sound sure. Wow. Perhaps my suspicions had a concrete base. But I didn’t push her further. It was none of my business. Niko had his life to sort out and I had mine. My stomach twisted tighter – starting with me making it clear to Niko that there was nothing romantic between us. Then by finally discussing my doubts about our relationship, with Henrik when he returned from Kos Town tomorrow morning. I gazed at Leila. Was she really planning an escape from downtrodden Greece, behind Niko’s back?
She sprinkled more flour onto the dough and I tapped my foot in time with her humming. Unlike me, she cleared up whilst we worked… I liked Leila. She’d be good for Niko. A great daughter-in-law. A wonderful addition to any family.
‘Grandma says, can you make those roasted pepper scones with feta cheese in the middle, from your last stay here?’
‘Of course,’ I said. ‘Plus I thought we could try some tzatziki ones, with cucumber and garlic blended into the dough.’
‘How about olive and halloumi cheese? The black specks look so pretty,’ she said and popped an olive into her mouth.
I snacked on a handful of walnuts. ‘At this rate our stomachs won’t need babies inside them to look wobbly.’
We both laughed. I fetched us both an orange granita, whilst Leila started to cut out circles of dough. A couple of hours later, she put her hands on her hips. ‘So, let’s scribble down all the choices, see if we have enough. They smell delicious.’
Leila passed me a pen and paper and scanning the work surfaces, I made a list.
Roasted pepper and feta cheese
Olive and halloumi
Tzatziki
Honey and walnuts
Lemon filled with cream cheese
Cinnamon and syrup
Glittery jam and cream
‘Those with cream and cheese in the middle better go in the fridge.’ I said. ‘The list looks pretty impressive.’ I passed it to Leila. ‘What do you think?’
‘I feel hungry already.’
‘Let’s hope they act as fuel to drive the villagers’ forward in their appeal against ThinkBig’s proposal. Everyone seemed complacent at lunchtime – especially when Stavros mentioned incentive payments and tax breaks.’ I sniffed. ‘Well, two can play at that game. In some small way, our baking might help win around the locals. Good homemade food kept the nation going through the Second World War. On a smaller scale, perhaps scones can contribute to us triumphing in this battle.’
Leila smiled. ‘Although our enemy is more good-looking and oozes charm.’
‘Yes, I think some of the local women fell for Gigantes Henrik.’
‘Imagine if they’d seen him in a military uniform.’
‘Leila!’ With real warmth, I shot her a smile.
Niko came in. ‘Brilliant! These scones look fit for gods.’ He consulted his watch. ‘Four o’clock. We have two hours left to finish coming up with a plan. You two join us now? My parents and some of the business people drink coffee.’
We nodded, put the scones in the fridge and washed our hands.
‘Is Grandma downstairs?’ I said.
Niko chuckled. ‘Just try to stop her… Our mission to save Taxos seems to have fired her up – in a good way.’
Leila and I followed him into the taverna’s dining room and Sophia poured me a large coffee as I sat down, next to Georgios. He was fiddling with one end of his big, black moustache.
‘What have you concluded?’ I asked and looked around at Uncle Christos, baker Pandora, Cosmo and the potter, Demetrios.
‘The village pulls together,’ said Georgios. ‘We all refuse any corporate pay-off. With all our strength, we fight these plans.’
‘So, in practical terms, that means…?’ I raised an eyebrow.
Demetrios shrugged. ‘We try to think of a characteristic only Taxos has, to make us different. Then work to demonstrate that.’
‘Good idea,’ I said. ‘We call that a USP – a Unique Selling Point… So what have you come up with so far?’
‘It hurts to say it,’ said Pandora, ‘but we agree with ThinkBig – it is Caretta Cove. The fact that turtles used to nest there and might do once more.’
‘So perhaps we need to attract your older tourist, more interested in nature,’ I said.
Demetrios nodded. ‘I could make ceramic turtles to sell.’
I stared at him for a moment. ‘Why not go one step further and offer pottery classes, for children and adults? Or you could make ceramic turtles and people pay to paint them and come back later during their holiday to collect them, once they’ve been in the kiln.’
‘I like that,’ said Demetrios. ‘And have plenty of clay in stock, so for a while it would cost me little.’
‘And I saw a programme about Japanese bakeries, once – they love pastries in animal shapes. Pandora, you could make turtle cakes.’
‘But these all small ideas, no?’ Cosmo sighed. ‘We need something big, Pippa, to compete with your Henrik. And we need your help, your business know-how – what can we achieve in two weeks, before you go back to England?’
My chest glowed at them placing so much importance on me.
‘Well, we can’t achieve the impossible,’ I said and gave a wry smile. ‘There isn’t long enough to magically transform Taxos into a booming economy. But we can set out business plans and list our objections. Plus, start to put those ideas into practice, to show that we are deadly serious.’ I sipped my coffee. ‘We just need to prove that perhaps there is another way, to move Taxos’ financial situation forwards. So, for starters, let’s put all of our tourist plans together in a leaflet. We can circulate them around the island and ask travel agencies in Kos to put up signs in their windows, advertising our concept. Let’s really see what solid business seeds we can sow, in the next couple of weeks.’
‘Something big can come out of lots of small ideas, pooled together,’ said Grandma.
I nodded encouragingly. ‘Why concentrate on turtles? What other animals or plants here would appeal to tourists?’ I screwed up my forehead. ‘Demetrios, I remember, when I was little, seeing lots of pottery lizards in your workshop.’
He loosened his bright green cravat. ‘Yes, up near the wetlands, at the back of Caretta Cove, live many geckos, frogs and lizards. They are easy to spot. Some are protected by Greek law.’
‘So that would make them of more interest to wildlife lovers… And Niko mentioned you’ve made cat bowls with your pets’ names on – tourists would love that. You could personalise them and just add some Greek-themed pattern, like a mosaic or olives.’
‘Don’t forget Georgios knows a lot about birds,’ said Grandma.
His eyes lit up… ‘Yes, we have some beauties. Demetrios could make models of flamingos… the yellow and orange bee-eater… and in the evenings I know good spots to watch eagles and buzzards.’
I thought for a moment. ‘Georgios – you could offer guided birdwatching tours.’
‘Great idea,’ said Niko and I tried to ignore his adorable, lopsided smile. ‘And Cosmo,’ he continued, ‘why don’t you allocate some bikes for hiring – you could take visitors on a cycle ride to Taxos’ prettiest spots, like… like the top of the cliff, with its clear view of the Turkish mainland.’
Cosmo nodded. ‘Or the meadows, near the church.’
‘Yes, they are carpeted with the prettiest wild flowers throughout the year,’ said Leila. ‘Like poppies and wild orchids… ah, bicycles are so much nicer than smelly, noisy quad bikes.’
‘So, we have wildlife tours, pottery and cakes to buy and ceramic workshops…’ I remembered what Henrik had said about Niko hosting boat parties and thought of a less X-rated version. ‘Niko, you and some of the other fishermen could offer trips out on your boats. It could include – ooh, a barbecue on the beach, when you return, to cook what you’ve caught.’
‘Great idea!’ said Sophia. ‘Taxos Taverna would provide the crockery, drinks and salads.’
‘And I could offer baking classes, yes?’ suggested Pandora and straightened her black-rimmed glasses. ‘The occasional tourist we have always asks me how I make the pastry layers for baklava.’
Grandma clapped her hands. ‘Pandora, you must.’ She glanced at me. ‘Whereas you, my little peach, know exactly what this village needs to help attract the Americans and English.’
‘I do?’
She gave a gap-toothed smile. ‘Remember your dream, when you were little? Of opening a little teashop?’
My stomach fluttered. ‘Yes, but…’
‘No buts.’ Grandma folded her arms. ‘We could set up in the half of this taverna we don’t use. All nationalities love cake. I seen all the scones you just made – with Greek flavours to appeal to locals. Plus you could do traditional ones for tourists and help us run it – offer tea or coffee. It would make our village different – wildlife trips and scones. A more reserved, but enjoyable holiday experience.’
I glanced around at the faces and one by one they nodded. Wow. Was I really going to live out my fantasy, even if it was just for a couple of weeks?’
‘I could make you a simple sign in no time,’ said Cousin Stefan. ‘Leila can help me spell “teashop”’. He grinned.
‘Really?’ My heart thumped and I felt a big smile cross my face. ‘Wow… yes… so…’ I rubbed my hands. ‘We have our plan and now must convince the other villagers to get on board.’
‘So glad you are going to work here, at the taverna, and help us run a teashop – it is your fantasy come true,’ said Niko , just before the villagers were due to arrive. We were taking the scones out of the fridge, and piling them onto plates.
I took a deep breath. Oh God. May as well get it over with. The sooner I let him know where he stood, the better. I felt sick.
‘Look, um Niko, don’t take this the wrong way,’ I said, mouth dry, as I turned to face him, ‘but can I just clarify something, seeing as we are going to be spending a lot more time together?’
His brow furrowed.
‘You… me… I wouldn’t want you to think… We are grown adults – last night was irresponsible, us fooling around. When those police turned up…’
‘Pippa? What talk is this? Last night, it was great… And we were only having fun.’
My chest tightened. This was hard, but I’d worked out exactly how to put him off.
‘Fun?’ I said and shrugged, ‘I suppose so. But, I’d rather spend my remaining time on the island thinking about what really gets me passionate, and that’s business. Profits and losses; earning this village a living. You and I, we’ll have no time for casual foolishness, over the next couple of weeks.’
‘You don’t want to spend time together… but I thought… us… our relationship…’ He took my hands in his and I fought the urge to place them on my waist; to wrap my arms around his broad shoulders, lean forwards and press my lips against his.
‘What relationship?’ I said and forced a laugh. ‘We haven’t seen each other for nine years. It’s a challenge for me to try and dig Taxos out of recession, which I’ll enjoy, but after that my London life awaits.’
‘A challenge? Is that all? Pippa? Who is this talking? I know that Taxos is more to you than just a project.’ He squeezed my fingers. ‘Why these harsh words? They cloud your face; hide your beauty which is as stunning as the mountain mist…’
I laughed louder. Niko backed away as if I’d slapped his cheek. Bile at the back of my throat, I carried on speaking, every ounce of me willing my voice not to tremble. Sometimes it was hard, so hard, to do the right thing.
‘Niko, stop saying such nonsense, for goodness’ sake! I’m… I’m flattered, of course, but these days we have so little in common for any sort of deep friendship. You’re a simple fisherman. You said so yourself.’ My chest ached. ‘I’m an ambitious executive.’
‘So what?’
‘I think you’ll make Leila a great husband, be a wonderful father and have continued success at catching fish but…’
He gave a long, drawn-out whistle. ‘I get it. You think I’m not intelligent enough – not exciting enough for your mind?’ A muscle flinched in his cheek.
I shrugged, willing my eyes not to spurt tears. ‘What’s the big deal about us spending time together? You…’ Damn it, my voice wavered. ‘You are committed to Leila, right?’
He opened his mouth then closed it, nodded and shifted from one foot to the other.
‘See? Then you shouldn’t be spending valuable free time with another woman – particularly one who has the job of sorting out the mess Taxos has got itself into.’
Hand shaking, I turned away and piled up the olive scones on one plate. ‘Sorry Niko, but there is only so much chat about sardines and sponge-diving I can take. And I must bore you with high-falutin talk of accounts and investments. The trouble is…’ My chest could tighten no further, as I turned back to see his crumpled face. Oh God. This last lie was really going to hurt. ‘My life has moved on whereas yours has stalled.’