Page 44 of Footprints in the Sand
“We are in a constant battle to understand ourselves,” Jean-Paul said quietly. “Some say that’s the most interesting and mostdifficult battle of all. I guess I need my partner to understand that, too.”
Eva’s eyes flickered over to his. She felt like she was about to swoon. But right before she thought he was going to kiss her, right before she felt the tides turning, he stepped away from her, motioning for her to follow him toward a little rock bar off the beaten path. “You’ll love it,” he said. “All they play is The Doors.”
When they returned to Paros Island the following late morning, Eva helped Jean-Paul store everything that needed to be stored and put the trailer away. After that, he offered to drive her back to Aliki, but she said she wanted to take the bus. “You have things to do,” she reminded him, thinking of his workshop scheduled for later that afternoon.
“I’ll have another payment for you soon,” Jean-Paul said. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done for me.”
Eva walked slowly back to the bus stop down the road, where she waited in the ninety-degree heat for a bus to steam to a halt. When it did, she paid in coins and sat in the air-conditioning in the far back. The drive to Aliki took fifteen minutes, give or take, and when she arrived, she stopped at the grocery store for supplies and then slumped her way back to Dimitra’s place. How long had she been here? A little more than a month? And how long were they planning on conducting this little experiment again? Had her heart already had enough?
But when she reached Dimitra’s place, she found Aphrodite waiting on the front stoop, scowling. “Hi! Why aren’t you answering my texts?” she demanded.
Eva panged with dread. To avoid texts from Finn and Nico, she’d turned off her phone. She hadn’t thought once about Aphrodite.
“I told you I was in Naxos,” Eva said, sort of annoyed that Aphrodite was being so possessive. She unlocked the door and left it open so that Aphrodite could follow her in.
“You went with Jean-Paul, didn’t you?” Aphrodite said. They were in the kitchen so that Eva could put the groceries away.
“I work for him,” Eva said.
“You’re in love with him,” Aphrodite said. “Or you’re just avoiding the rest of us because of what Nico did to you?”
Eva felt jagged. “Excuse me?”
Aphrodite’s shoulders slumped. “Don’t play dumb. I know you had a little fling with Nico, and I know he rejected you.”
“I’m sorry? Nico rejected me? That’s news!” Eva cried, suddenly irate.
Aphrodite flared her nostrils. “It’s what he always does. He leads girls on, and then he breaks their hearts. But don’t be angry with me for what Nico did! You knew what he was like when you got into it!”
Eva was flabbergasted. She opened the fridge, removed a bottle of chilled white wine, and poured herself a glass. Realizing what she had to reveal, she reached for another glass and poured it for Aphrodite. Softly, she said, “I don’t want to be with your brother. I want to be with Jean-Paul. I have from the beginning.”
Aphrodite took her glass and squinted at her suspiciously.
“Sure, I kissed Nico.” Eva shrugged. “But it was more like an experiment. I got caught up in emotion. I wanted to learn to date and enjoy my life the way other younger women do. I’ve always been so serious, so monogamous. I wanted to figure out what Nico knew about dating. I wanted to try to be more like my brother. But I don’t have it in me.”
Aphrodite remained quiet.
Eva sat down at the table and gazed into her glass of wine. “I saw Nico on Naxos.”
“You met up with him?” Aphrodite asked, surprised.
“No. It wasn’t planned.” Eva swallowed and explained as delicately as she could. “I met up with these American girls. They were horrible. They didn’t tell me they were ordering drugs. I realized before it was too late that it was Nico coming with the order.”
Aphrodite’s jaw was slack. “I’m sorry?”
Eva nodded. She had no way of knowing if Aphrodite would believe her. Maybe Aphrodite would ruin her after this. Maybe she’d get kicked out of Dimitra’s.
“He came with a big suitcase of drugs,” Eva said. “I managed to hide before he saw me. He stayed with the girls and partied for a little while.”
“I mean, I know he parties sometimes,” Aphrodite said. “But he doesn’t deal. He has tons of odd jobs.”
“He told me he does ‘this and that,’” Eva said. “Doesn’t that sound suspicious to you?”
Aphrodite was on her feet, pacing the kitchen. Her face echoed shock. But Eva knew that somewhere in the recesses of her mind, Aphrodite was coming to terms with something she probably already knew. “He’s been sneaking around for a while, I guess,” Aphrodite muttered. “He was always whispering at family parties. Always running off with Kostos.”
The name “Kostos” felt like a brick thrown into Eva’s chest.
“What did you say?” she asked.
