Читать книгу Game Of Scones - Samantha Tonge - Страница 14

Chapter Five

I wrapped my arms around Niko’s neck. My fingers played with his curls. The teasing mouth quirked into a smile and like a mirror reflection, I’m guessing my lips quirked back. I couldn’t be more grateful to him, for pointing out the dark ways of clearly unwholesome Henrik. I mean, fancy him speaking to the dodgy town mayor. Without hesitation, I stripped off and lay down on a carpet of fallen fig leaves. Holding my hand up, I muttered ‘Ravish me, my little sea urchin… let your feelers do their work…’

Hmm. As if that was going to happen – me play right into that gigolo’s hands? Yes, “gigolo” – all civility had left me the moment he insulted my boyfriend. I’d snorted in Niko’s face and flounced off, dignity lacking due to my high heels wobbling in the sand. It was laughable. Henrik talking to an underhand mayor meant nothing, because as everyone else on this planet knew, corruption throughout the Greek establishment was rife. In fact it would be more suspicious if Henrik had talked to an official whose reputation was still intact.

I glanced sideways, across the shell-white pillows. Slowly Henrik’s chest rose and dipped. Yesterday we’d spent just a quiet Sunday together, by the pool, managing with basic food provisions and… okay, if you must know, we finally made love again and it was… nice.

Aarggh, and now I’d used a word that reminded me of Niko. But me realising what a jerk Niko had grown into, forced me to abandon my doubts and realise Henrik really was a catch. My head told me to grow up – that like oysters, not all men had something priceless inside. My man had lots of good qualities, like his honesty, and that should be enough.

I jumped as someone knocked at the villa’s front door. Henrik yawned and went to sit up. I shushed him, slipped through a gap in the mosquito net and headed towards our little blue-painted front door, which I unlocked and pulled open.

‘Ya sou, Theo!’ I squinted in the sunlight and bent down to ruffle the black hair. The little boy stood next to his dad.

‘Miss Pattinson…’ Mr Dellis bowed his head.

‘Please, call me Pippa.’ I smiled and smoothed down my nightdress. Eek, by the position of the sun, it must have already been late morning. I yawned again. ‘Excuse me – we got woken up by the fire station last night.’

‘Ah yes… There was a fire in a nightclub, further north – our crew went to help out. My brother is one of the team. Fortunately no one was hurt.’ Mr Dellis cleared his throat. ‘Pippa… again… Saturday – efharisto. It was dangerous. Like firemen, you risked your life – for my boy.’

‘Efharisto,’ mumbled Theo, in a shy voice, from under the green sunhat he’d just put back on.

‘No problem,’ I said, chest glowing.

‘But as a thank you, we put on a little meal tonight and have booked Taxos Taverna for eight o’clock. Please say you and your boyfriend will be there. My family and I will treat you and Niko like the greatest of gods.’

My stomach twisted. Niko? Could I really face seeing him again, without my temper urging me to shower him with retsina and…. Oh no. Did I really just imagine what it would be like to lick it off?

My ears burned. ‘There is no need, honestly–’

‘That is exactly what Niko said.’ Mr Dellis took my hand. ‘My wife and I, my mother… so grateful. Please. Let us honour you in this small way. We have arranged for Georgios and Sophia to put on a modest buffet.’

Bags bulged under his eyes and his nails had split, no doubt from working the land. ‘Okay. Um… lovely, thank you. But please let me bring something… for dessert.’ I didn’t want to hurt his pride by saying don’t spend money you can’t afford.

His face lit up. ‘We look forward to it. Eight o’clock. Until later!’

I closed the door. How great to see Theo looking so well, although I doubted he’d go back on a lilo any time soon.

As I walked through the hallway, gentle snoring wafted out from the spare room. Both Henrik and I had slept like exhausted Olympic torchbearers since arriving in Greece – no doubt the months of a hectic London life catching up with us. Humming, I headed into the kitchen and filled the coffee maker. Mmm, those ground beans smelt good. Soon it was percolating and energised by just the aroma of caffeine, I opened one of the cornflower-blue cupboards and took out the flour, butter and sugar that Henrik and Leila had bought on Saturday afternoon. We were almost out of milk, but I wouldn’t need much for even a large batch of scones.

Leila. How long had she been going out with Niko? Did they laugh together like I used to with him? Who’d made the first move? Did she, too, like wildlife?

My heart pumped as I recalled Niko’s face, up against mine… Could I avoid him forever? No. For a start, food was running low which meant a trip into Taxos. Talking of which, how on earth would I flavour the scones? Not that much beat a plain, well-risen one with melting butter on top, but I had a bit of a reputation to uphold with the Sotiropoulos family, particularly Grandma.

My gaze fell upon a large bar of chocolate on the low wooden table, in the middle of the lounge. Henrik had bought it at the airport. He liked it dark. Surely he wouldn’t mind me using a little if I replaced it at the local supermarket? I gazed out of the patio windows and for the first time really studied the plants, especially a wide, roundish tree with emerald leaves and what looked like bulbous orangey-red peaches… Of course – apricots! The last fruits of the season hung in August and we used to gorge on them for breakfast when I was a child. Chocolate chip and apricot scones would be a perfect combination of bitter and sweet flavours. I slipped into my flip-flops and drew back the patio doors.

As I walked onto the paving stones, the tolerable morning sun kissed my cheeks. I still winced as Saturday’s sunburn had not quite turned brown. Cicadas chirped and I inhaled salty sea air. Bliss – a heavenly change from the stuffy smell of the London underground.

I tucked strands of unbrushed hair behind my ears, only for the breeze to release them once more. On reaching the apricot tree, I plucked off tiger-orange fruits, clearly bursting with juice. In fact several lay open on the ground, providing flies with a sumptuous brunch. I bit into one and a wet trickle ran down my chin. Annoying… Why did that remind me of Niko’s juice-smeared mouth as he’d devoured half a fig?

Back indoors, I cracked on with the culinary task in hand. Ah, that was better, me kneading the scone dough, up and down, then around and around…. How pretty it looked with flecks of hard brown and squishy orange. Aaahhh… slowly my shoulders and brow relaxed and confused thoughts swapped places with happy images in my mind, such as a gently-breaking tide or colourful Greek salad.

I couldn’t wait to see Grandma again. How she would loves these scones. Please let her get better… My vision blurred for a second. It was strange to think of the hardworking, no-nonsense Iris bed-ridden with people looking after her for a change.

‘So, when are you going to replace my chocolate?’ said Henrik, as we strolled into Taxos that evening, just before eight. The road was difficult to make out, due to the sunset. Like movie actors teasing paparazzi, stars glinted, now and again, in the sapphire sky. I breathed in cedar wood smells from the nearby forest.

He glanced down. I looked up. As he squeezed my fingers through the twilight, we both grinned. With the other hand I carried a basket, containing the scones with a tea-towel over the top. I felt like one of those American Stepford wives you see in TV series, who always welcome new neighbours with homemade delights. Or like Red Riding Hood in the woods, except without the cape.

‘Although I guess I can write off the debt, seeing as you’re such a hero,’ Henrik continued. ‘What happened Saturday – you saving that boy…’

I groaned. ‘Please. I’m dreading tonight. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the meal, but all this fuss – anyone else would have done the same.’

Henrik stopped and turned to face me. ‘You really believe that? Remember when we went skiing last year? That man went off-piste and landed head-first on the ground, catching his helmet on a rock? Even though he declared himself fine, it was you who insisted he visit the resort’s medical centre. He’d have been dead twelve hours later if it hadn’t been for that.’

I shrugged.

‘Then that time, shortly after we met, when a woman choked in that Chinese restaurant.’

I pulled his hand, to continue our journey towards the lights of Taxos. Hmm – fortunately I’d known how to employ the Heimlich manoeuvre, whilst everyone else panicked, apart from Henrik who’d calmed down her husband and kids.

Henrik looked sideways at me. ‘Whilst other people are prepared to stand at the sidelines, watching disasters unfold, you get stuck in to change the course of events. No doubt that’s why your career is such a success.’ He cleared his throat which had broken a little. ‘That’s why you and I make such a good match. The easy way out is never an option. We do the right thing, even if that means making tough decisions that not everyone will like. In fact…’ Henrik inhaled as if he had something important to say… was he about to propose? I steeled myself. You’d be mad to say no, Pippa, said a prim voice in my head.

‘This Friday I have planned a very special day out for you and me. So don’t arrange anything with your Taxos friends.’

I swallowed. So, Greta was right. No doubt he’d chosen an exquisite location for the proposal.

‘And, er, also I forgot to mention…’ he said, ‘…whilst you were showering – an urgent phone call came in. Tomorrow I have to go into Kos Town for a meeting and–’

‘Henrik! We’ve only just arrived!’

‘Sorry Pips… I promise, it won’t take long.’

‘So what’s so important about this bit of business that it can’t wait?’ Suddenly his fingers seemed clammy and I loosened my grip.

‘Oh, I won’t bore you with the details…’ He stared straight ahead. ‘It’s just some client who is anxious to close a big deal.’

‘Which client?’ I pushed, but all to no avail as at that moment shrieks of laughter greeted us at the village’s edge. My heart flipped – it was just the shock, of course – at the sight of Niko with little Theo on his shoulder. He looked as comfortable as if he were the boy’s actual dad, wearing a shirt as white as Greek yogurt, tucked into well-fitting jeans. With Leila, by his side, holding hands with a little girl. They looked like a family, happy and complete. On seeing us, Niko bent over and let Theo – who was carrying a football – slide onto the ground

‘Ya sou, Pippa…’ His mouth twitched into a smile, the shirt showing off his caramel skin. He nodded at Henrik. ‘We have come to greet you… Good food, good wine, good company – it awaits you in Taxos. Mind you…’ He looked down at Theo and grinned. ‘We almost didn’t make it. At this time of night, with only a few locals and tourists around, the streets make a fine, empty football pitch.’

‘I did my best to make them hurry,’ said petite Leila and I couldn’t stop smiling down at her amiable face. Nor could I stop gawping at her gorgeous dress. The colourful red and yellow floral pattern perfectly suited her skin. Nipped in at the waist, it accentuated her trim figure. Whilst I’d grown accustomed to and even liked my height, once again I just briefly wondered what it must be like to be a small, delicately-featured woman – and whether that aspect of her was what Niko found appealing.

‘Lovely flower,’ I said and pointed to the red-orange bloom with large petals, tucked behind her ear.

‘Thank you. Our pomegranate trees have bloomed late this year.’

Theo looked up shyly and said something to Niko who shrugged. ‘He asks if Henrik would go ahead with him, back to the wider part of the road, for a kick-around before we eat.’

A bubble of laughter tickled my throat. Henrik wasn’t what I’d call child-friendly. I’d never forget his bulging eyes and wrinkled-up nose when we recently visited a friend who’d just had a baby. She’d insisted Henrik hold the tiny tot, who promptly screamed in his arms, filled its nappy and broke copious amounts of wind. Having said that, Henrik oozed charm, whether it be directed at toddlers, young adults or pensioners. Indeed, his love of football won the day and he ruffled Theo’s hair before the two of them hurried away. Leila and the little girl laughed and ran after them.

Niko turned to me and took a step closer, fiddling with his leather bracelet. I doubted that a baby’s dirty nappies would faze him. The sky was pitch black now, without the intrusive amber glow of city lights I was used to in London.

‘Pippa – I am glad we are alone. We have something to discuss.’

I stared at the ground. ‘Do we?’

‘Yes.’ He put a hand on my shoulder. ‘The desire of Niko Sotiropoulos to make fuck with you.’