Wish You Were Here

Chapter 38



Alice’s mind was reeling from what Milo had told her. For all those weeks, she’d thought of him as nothing more than a no-good cheating husband when he had, in fact, been a single man struggling to take care of his little sister whilst holding down a job.

As he skirted the town of Kintos and headed to a part of the island she didn’t know, she glanced at him. His face was dark with his long hours of exposure to the sun and the little cut below his forehead looked red and raw and she wanted to reach out and touch it gently with her fingertips. His dark eyes were focused on the road and his dark green shirt sleeves were rolled up to reveal his tanned forearms. Alice swallowed at the sight of them and she tried not to think about the way that they had held her as he’d made love to her.

That moment seemed such a long time ago now. She felt as if she’d been a different person then and it felt strange sitting so close to Milo now with all that had happened between them and yet they hadn’t talked about the time when the world had closed around them and nothing had been more important than the two of them.

She couldn’t help wondering if he was thinking about it too or if his mind was purely on negotiating the treacherous coast road that they were now driving along. Whatever he was thinking, he kept to himself and they drove on in silence together.

When they reached Milo’s, Alice recognized the little house and saw the washing line which had caused so much trouble between them. He parked the car and turned to look at her.

‘Well, here we are,’ he said.

Alice nodded. ‘Where’s your sister?’

‘Oh, she’s inside. There was a party after school today and a friend said she’d bring her home and sit with her until I got back.’ Sure enough, a young woman came out of the front door and waved at Milo. He got out of the car and greeted her and they chatted away for a few moments before she turned to leave.

‘She wanted to know who the pretty girl was,’ Milo said as he opened Alice’s door for her.

‘And what did you tell her?’

‘I told her absolutely nothing because it would be all over the village before we sit down to dinner.’

‘I think it probably will anyway,’ Alice said as she got out of the car.

‘You’re probably right.’

They walked towards the house together.

‘Does Tiana speak English?’ Alice asked nervously.

‘Yes. I’ve been teaching her,’ Milo said as he opened the door for her. ‘I think she speaks better English than me now!’

Alice stepped inside and was immediately greeted by a girl with huge dark eyes and long dark hair. She was standing in the doorway of the kitchen and she had a big smile on her face. ‘Hello,’ she said.

‘Hello,’ Alice said, smiling right back at her.

Milo cleared his throat and stepped forward. ‘Tiana – this is Alice,’ he said in English.

The little girl cocked her head to one side in a manner that was uncannily like her brother. ‘ALICE!’ she suddenly shouted.

Alice laughed at the explosive cry. ‘Yes,’ she said.

‘You came back.’

‘I did.’

‘You came back to see Milo,’ the little girl continued.

‘Er – no,’ Milo interrupted.

‘Then why?’

‘Alice has business on the island.’

‘Business?’ Tiana said, sounding out the word as if it was something disagreeable in her mouth. ‘What business?’

‘Private business that has nothing to do with little girls,’ Milo said.

‘Oh,’ she said, obviously disappointed, and then she turned her big brown eyes on Alice as if she might want to contradict Milo and tell her why she was there.

‘I think you have homework to do,’ Milo prompted her.

‘Oh, no. Not tonight,’ she said with a light smile. ‘I can stay and talk with Alice all evening.’

Milo’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘But not before you’ve tidied your—’

‘My room’s tidy,’ she said.

‘And put all your books into alphabetical order.’

‘What?’ Tiana said in alarm.

‘Go on – you know I’ve told you that’s how Mama liked them.’

She stood stunned for a moment but then gave in.

‘Okay!’ she said with a sigh.

They watched as she walked as slowly as was humanly possible down the whole length of the hallway to her bedroom at the end.

‘Sorry about that,’ Milo whispered. ‘She can be a little demanding.’

‘She’s lovely,’ Alice said. ‘I wish my sister was as adorable.’

‘How is she?’ he asked, leading her through to the kitchen.

‘Oh, she’s her usual self.’

Milo nodded in understanding. ‘And how has she taken your father’s death?’

‘Not well,’ Alice said. ‘She’s been living in the family home, and she doesn’t want to leave now but it’s a condition of the will. The house is going to be sold, you see, and everything paid for and then what’s left will be split between us.’

‘That sounds fair enough,’ Milo said.

‘She doesn’t see it that way, I’m afraid.’

‘I take it she’s been living rent-free all this time?’

Alice nodded.

‘Then it all sounds more than fair to me.’ He pulled a chair out at the dinner table and Alice sat down as Milo busied himself around the kitchen preparing dinner. ‘So, what will you do with the money?’

Alice cast her eyes up to the ceiling. ‘I guess I should put a deposit down on a house of my own. I’ve been renting for years now.’

‘So, you’re going to stay in the UK?’

She looked at him. ‘That’s where my job is.’

He nodded and Alice swallowed. She had the feeling that he wasn’t saying everything in his mind and was aware, once again, that the closeness they’d briefly shared seemed to have evaporated.

‘Anyway,’ she continued, ‘we’ll have to wait and see.’

‘Have you any idea how much it will be? If you don’t mind me asking.’

‘Well, I’ve not worked it out in detail yet but there was no mortgage on the property and it should get a good price. I guess we’re looking at six figures.’

Milo looked as if he’d been slapped in the face. ‘Six figures?’

‘Very low six figures,’ Alice said.

‘Each? In pounds?’

‘Yes! Why? Does that seem a lot to you?’ Alice said in surprise.

‘You mean, it doesn’t seem a lot to you?’ Milo said.

‘It seems an absolute fortune to me but it won’t buy much in the UK.’

‘My God!’ Milo said. ‘You could buy a mansion with grounds for that here.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes!’ Milo said, his voice sounding hysterical. ‘Not as grand as the Villa Argenti, you understand, but a really nice house and plenty of land.’

Alice found that she was smiling in spite of herself. ‘But that’s here, and here is miles away from anywhere, in a country that gets earthquakes.’

‘Well, we might not be perfect but our skies and sea beat yours for blueness.’

Alice smiled and watched as Milo reached into a cupboard and produced two large wine glasses which he filled with a local white wine.

‘If I had six figures, I would buy the biggest plot of land I could afford,’ he said, passing a glass to Alice and taking a sip from his own. ‘It wouldn’t matter what the house was like as long as it had rooms and walls and things. Then I would create the most beautiful garden Kethos has ever seen. The Villa Argenti would be nothing in comparison!’ His dark eyes shone as he spoke. ‘I would choose all my favourite plants and put them exactly where I wanted them. There would be all the bright and brilliant Mediterranean flowers and the herbs that our island is so famous for and I would raise my own plants from seed and take cuttings – even do a bit of experimenting.’

‘But don’t you do all that already at the villa?’ Alice asked.

‘I have a certain amount of freedom with the plants, of course, but it’s Mr Carlson who has to tick everything off. The garden is his, after all.’

Alice nodded and smiled at the faraway look in Milo’s eyes. He was a dreamer, wasn’t he? She liked that about him. Why couldn’t she be more like that? She was so stuck in the here and now, worrying about practicalities like work and rent and bills. Why couldn’t she just let her mind soar like Milo and dream of a future filled with flowers?

‘Anyway,’ he said, snapping himself back into the present, ‘that’s not likely to happen and – well – I love the Villa Argenti – I really do but—’

‘You’d like to be your own boss?’

‘Exactly!’ He grinned like a young child and then turned his back to her as he prepared dinner. Alice watched him moving around the kitchen with graceful ease. He looked so at home amongst the pots and pans as if he genuinely enjoyed the whole experience of cooking rather than getting on with it simply because he had to eat.

‘Anything I can do?’ Alice asked.

‘No, no,’ he said lightly, waving a hand in the air. ‘Have yourself another wine.’ So Alice did.

She wasn’t sure whether it was the wine or the rhythm with which Milo moved around the kitchen but she soon began to feel pleasantly mellow. It was as if all the tension of the last few weeks was finally draining away from her. Maybe it was the fact that she was back on Kethos too. After all, it had been the last place where she’d felt truly relaxed.

Before she knew it, she was being presented with an array of pretty plates and bowls all filled with food.

‘It’s just a simple supper,’ Milo said, almost apologetically, as he laid everything out on the table. ‘It’s called meze. It’s food to pick at whilst you’re drinking ouzo but we like to eat it together for supper. Tiana likes it – I guess it’s what you might call finger food.’

Alice nodded in approval as she recognised pitta bread, houmous, haloumi, calamari and scampi. ‘It all looks amazing,’ she said, and she couldn’t help comparing the exotic spread before her to her own dreary suppers at home of tinned soup and toast or some breadcrumbed concoction from out of the depths of the freezer.

‘Dinner!’ Milo called and Tiana came racing through to join them. ‘Have you cleaned your hands?’

She nodded. ‘Yes!’

‘And sorted all your books?’

‘Yes!’

‘Okay,’ he said with a smile as his little sister sat herself at the table.

The food was simple and delicious – just what Alice had needed and, for a while, they all ate in silence, happily picking and munching away together like a little family. But Alice couldn’t help feeling a pair of eyes upon her the whole time she was eating and finally glanced up to meet them. Tiana grinned at her.

‘You’re pretty,’ she said.

Alice choked on a mouthful of pitta bread. ‘No, I’m not,’ she said. ‘You’re pretty.’

‘Thank you,’ Tiana said.

Milo laughed. ‘You see! You should learn how to accept a compliment, Alice – like Tiana.’

‘But she is pretty,’ Alice said.

‘And so are you, isn’t she, Tiana?’ Milo said.

‘I just said so,’ Tiana said, looking confused.

Milo laughed. ‘You did and she is and that’s the end of it.’

Alice shook her head and continued eating – this time, with two pairs of eyes fixed upon her. When she looked up again, she caught Milo’s eye and he grinned at her. She gave him a warning look and he cleared his throat.

‘Get on with your dinner, Tiana,’ he said, ‘you’re putting Alice off.’

They ate the rest of their meal with furtive glances and funny little giggles doing the rounds of the table. Finally, the food was finished and Milo told Tiana to return to her room.

‘Can’t I stay and talk to Alice?’ she asked, her eyes big and soulful.

Milo shook his head. ‘She’s had a long day,’ he told her. ‘You can chat to her in the morning. Go to your room. I’ll come and tuck you in later.’

With a resigned look on her face, she left the room.

‘Night, Tiana,’ Alice called after her. ‘She’s wonderful,’ she told Milo.

‘Yes, some of the time,’ he said with a little smile.

‘You must adore her.’

He nodded. ‘I can’t imagine life without her.’

‘It must be hard, though, raising her on your own.’

‘It’s no more than I can handle,’ he told her and a serious look crossed his face.

‘What is it?’ Alice asked, feeling that she had touched a nerve.

He shrugged. ‘We’ve had a bit of a rough time recently. Family stuff. You don’t want to hear about it.’

‘Yes, I do,’ she said. ‘I’ve told you all about my family. I’d like to know more about yours.’

Milo sat down at the table again and poured some more wine for them both and then he told her about Georgio and Sonya and what had happened over the last few days.

‘They just took her?’ Alice said in shock.

‘It had been building up for some time,’ Milo told her. ‘But I hadn’t realised just how desperate they were to have her.’

‘Will they try it again?’

‘I don’t think so. I think they got a bit of a shock at how unhappy Tiana was about it all, but what did they expect? All she’s known is this island. You can’t just drag a child away from her home and expect her to be happy about it.’

‘You must have been so worried.’

‘Well, I crashed my bike trying to get to her.’

‘Ah,’ Alice said. ‘I didn’t think you’d been tearing round the roads just for the sake of it.’ She looked at the cut on his head. ‘Is that going to scar?’

His fingers brushed it. ‘I don’t know. Perhaps it should as a reminder of what’s important.’

Alice nodded and then stood up and began clearing the table.

‘You don’t need to do that,’ Milo said.

‘But I’d like to. You’ve gone to all this trouble—’

‘It’s no trouble,’ he told her. ‘Please, go and sit down.’ He motioned to the sitting room next door and Alice relented, leaving the kitchen and sinking down onto a sofa.

It felt funny to be in somebody’s house not doing anything. She didn’t even have a book to read. She looked around the room for a moment. There was a row of novels on a little shelf near the television but they were all in Greek. Anyway, she didn’t really feel like reading. She was too tired to concentrate. In fact, her eyelids were feeling very heavy. She’d just close them for a bit.

‘Alice?’ a little voice came from a long way away. ‘Alice?’

She opened her eyes. ‘Oh!’ she cried. ‘Was I asleep?’

‘I think so,’ Milo said, sitting down next to her. ‘Can I get you something? A cup of coffee?’

‘Oh, no, thank you. I guess I’d better call it a night.’

He nodded. ‘I’ll show you your room.’

They walked down the hallway together and Milo opened a door to the right. The bedroom was small and simply furnished with a small double bed, a bedside cabinet on which stood a pottery lamp, and a large wardrobe in the corner. Milo stepped inside to draw the curtains.

‘You’ll love the view in the morning,’ he told her. ‘You can see right down to the sea.’

She nodded and noticed that there was a towel and a brand new toothbrush on the bed together with a T-shirt and a pair of socks.

‘Just in case you get cold,’ he said, noticing that she was looking at the socks. ‘Tiana is always complaining about cold feet.’

Alice smiled. ‘Thank you.’

‘The bathroom’s along the hall on the left.’

‘Okay.’

‘Is there anything else you need? Anything else I can get you?’

She looked up at him. He was standing awfully close to her now and she could feel his warm breath on her face. This was the man she had swum naked with in the sea. This was the man whom she had made love with in the ruins of an ancient temple. She swallowed hard.

‘I’m fine,’ she said.

‘I’ll be next door if you need anything,’ he said, his eyes dark and warm.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered, watching as he left her room and closed the door.

What was she doing here? She was sending out all the wrong signals by staying here and yet she didn’t feel awkward at all. In fact, she’d never been made to feel so welcome anywhere in her life.

She sat down on the bed and picked up the pair of perfect woollen socks. He had a little sister, she thought to herself. That was the big secret he’d been hiding. He hadn’t been married with six children. She had painted him as a total villain when he had, in fact, been – what? The perfect man?

She shook her head. The perfect man, she thought. She had thrown away her one chance of happiness with the most perfect man she had ever met and, yet, how else could it have ended? Even if he was perfect, their relationship had been nothing more than a holiday romance, hadn’t it? It didn’t have a future.

Unless…

Alice switched the little pottery lamp on by the bed and gazed at the warm pool of yellow light it cast, her mind whirling with sudden, unexplored, unanticipated thoughts.

She’d never thought very much about the future before because she’d been so resolutely stuck in the present with her job and her rented house, but the inheritance from her father might give her the chance to choose a future for herself. It might just allow her to make a decision that would change her life forever, she thought.

‘If I have the courage,’ she whispered to herself.