Page 31 of Footprints in the Sand
She was liberated.
Nico walked Eva back to Dimitra’s place with an air that suggested he thought he would be let inside. But Eva felt she’d done enough kissing for the day. She needed to take a break and do some thinking. At the door, she kissed Nico’s cheek and thanked him for the beautiful day.
“You’re going to kill me,” Nico told her with a wry smile.
“I hope not,” Eva said. “I’d really like to see you again.”
It was like nothing she would have said in any other context. She imagined she was like a romcom heroine. Finn probably wouldn’t have recognized her.
It was as if she’d called out to him because as soon as she closed the door between herself and Nico, her phone buzzed with a text from Finn.
FINN: you’re in Greece?
Eva’s heart shattered. After the beautiful and invigorating day she’d had, the last thing she needed was to hear from Finn, to feel his judgment. What could she say to him?Yes, I needed to get away from memories of you. Yes, I needed to find a way to heal after what you did.
She didn’t respond.
But Finn wasn’t ready to drop it. More texts came in, dinging and buzzing.
FINN: I ran into Maeve the other day, and she told me. I don’t understand. I mean, I’ve already been worried since I saw the news about Gretchen Collingsworth break. But now, you’re on another continent, presumably all by yourself? Do you need anything?
Eva stared angrily at the message, willing Finn to feel her anger. But at the same time, reading it brought tears to her eyes.This was the man who’d (sort of) pledged to love and care for her for the rest of his days. Apparently, he still cared about her. He certainly still wanted to nag her.
FINN: I hate that I pushed you away. I hate myself.
It was a moment of weakness on Finn’s part, Eva knew.
Feeling out of her mind and broken, Eva left her phone and padded to Dimitra’s studio. She found a spare canvas and set it on the easel, cracking her knuckles as she tried to imagine what she wanted to make of it. She knew that Finn would think painting was a waste of time, especially when she needed to get back on the job market. She knew her mother would feel the same. But she’d come here to free herself from their expectations. She’d come to heal.
Before long, she began to mix paint on a square piece of wood, stirring with the tips of the brushes, pulling from her emotions to create an image. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. But as she worked, tears drained from her eyes and left her emotionally raw.
It was a beautiful feeling. It terrified her.
Chapter Fifteen
Martha’s Vineyard - July 2025
Dimitra’s phone rang a few minutes after three in the afternoon. Dimitra was at the kitchen table, hunched over a journal entry, and she considered ignoring the call. At the last second, she decided to check who was trying to contact her.
“Eva?” she answered, incredulous. “Is everything all right?”
Her brain went a million directions: maybe something had gone wrong, maybe Eva had burned the house down or gotten into a fight with a neighbor or was so homesick that she needed to come back to Martha’s Vineyard.
But in the video on Dimitra’s screen, she saw a very tanned and beautiful young woman, her big eyes shining as she said, “Dimitra, I’m so sorry to bother you! I’m in your studio, painting, and I have a question.”
Dimitra had told Eva to use whatever she could find in the studio, to get messy with it if she wanted to make art.Dimitra was terribly pleased that Eva had dared to go into that unorganized space, to unleash her soul onto a canvas.
Eva’s question involved mixing a particular color, one that was similar to ocher but deeper and warmer. Dimitra gave her a few pointers on mixing new colors and then dared a bigger question. “How is it going in Aliki?”
Eva laughed. “It’s been life-changing so far. That’s for sure.”
“Tell me more!” Dimitra cried. She could smell her studio’s scent, and it made her ache, missing her space. She hadn’t painted much in Martha’s Vineyard. She wasn’t sure why.
Eva tilted her head back and forth. “I don’t know if I should tell you this, but I sort of made out with your nephew, Nico.”
Dimitra belted with laughter. “You didn’t!”
Eva winced. “Bad idea?”
