Page 57 of Below Deck Billionaire
‘That was great,’ she said, her face aching from smiling so hard as she raised her voice to be heard over the noise of the crowded dance floor.
He grinned. ‘You were great.’
‘She’s a keeper, that one,’ Vasilis teased Theo as he swung one of his daughters up in his arms.
Theo nodded, his blue eyes flirty. ‘She is.’
And Tiffany’s heart wentkerthunk.
* * *
Dimitri and Helena left soon after the dancing with hints about wedding invitations, but Tiffany and Theo stayed on for a while, joining Vasilis and Deidre, indulging in another ouzo or two and relaxed, affectionate banter, and it reminded Tiffany of the time Theo’s English friends had stayed on the yacht. Except perhaps even more so given the closer cultural ties between Vasilis and Theo.
The couple’s curiosity about Tiffany and Theo’s relationship was palpable – Deidre’s gaze kept drifting to the engagement ring – and she and Theo didn’t do much to tamp it down considering they could have easily dropped the act with Dimitri and Helena gone. But, high on good company and good food, on dancing and ouzo and two giggling girls who gazed at Theo adoringly, it was too easy to keep touching and flirting.
And here, in the bubble of this little local taverna, it didn’t feel like an act. But perhaps that was the ouzo.
Thankfully, Deidre and Vasilis were too polite to push and Tiffany was pleased she didn’t have to lie to anyone else. She was also pleased to see yet another facet of Theo’s life. The one here on Mykonos, which he clearly relished as he talked about retiring here one day.
‘Did you mean that?’ she asked as they left the taverna later in the afternoon. ‘About retiring?’
He’d been holding her hand as they’d left and it felt like the most natural thing in the world to keep doing so as they walked past whitewashed houses along cobblestoned pathways, the thick white paint between the stones making it look as if it had been crazy glued together.
‘Yes,’ he said with a smile. ‘Absolutely. One day.’
‘Kelsey says your house here is stunning.’
‘It is. Even if I do say so myself.’ He gave a self-deprecating laugh. ‘Want to see it?’
Tiffany wasn’t sure if it was because she really wanted to see it or because it would delay their inevitable return to the boat and reality, but she found herself nodding. This whole two days had been a fantasy; would it hurt to prolong it for a little longer? ‘I would love to.’
‘It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from here.’
‘Fine by me.’ More than fine as he tugged her hand and she followed.
Tiffany had been to Mykonos several times already on the big cruise ships, but she’d never wandered away from the main tourist street or the bars along the water’s edge. Which had clearly been a huge mistake. The labyrinth of streets wended their way up the incline, getting quieter and quieter but no less beautiful as they left the old town behind.
The scenery was stunning, from the stark white of house walls boasting pops of red and blue and yellow in their shutters and door trims as well as the vibrant pinks and purples of climbing bougainvillea and pots of colourful geraniums, to glimpses of the sparkling Aegean down laneways and around corners.
Then there was the friendly way the locals greeted Theo, like he was one of them, and their casual curiosity about her as they slid her sideways glances and tossed what was clearly ribald comments at him in rapid-fire Greek, making him laugh as they passed.
But nothing prepared her for the majesty of his villa. Its modest stone façade and yellow door gave way to the inner sanctum, her eyes adjusting from the bright sunshine outside to the darker entrance area. Thick walls made the interior blessedly cool, and Tiffany’s eye was immediately drawn past the open plan layout to the far end of the house. Theo had texted someone as they’d walked to open up for him and she could see gauzy white curtains billowing in the breeze from open French doors, revealing glimpses of endless blue sky and even bluer sea.
Toeing off her sandals at the door, Tiffany followed Theo towards the light, gorgeous mosaic tiles cool beneath her bare feet. And it did not disappoint as she stepped out onto the terrace, walking past a mosaic-topped table, around the elegant curves of the infinity-edged swimming pool jutting out from the hill and on to the railing.
Sweeping her head from side to side, she took in the full one-eighty-degree view of the Aegean far below, and it was breathtaking. The sparkle of the sea. The toy-like outlines of two huge modern cruise ships at anchor completely dwarfed by the ancient vista of island and water. The random, higgledy-piggledy placement of the whitewashed houses on every side. And the famous Mykonos windmills in the distance.
‘Ohhhh, Theo,’ she said on a breathy sigh as she leant on the railing and stared out over the jewel-like panorama.
‘You like it?’
She turned to find him standing beside her at the railing. ‘It’s… I don’t have words.’ She glanced back at the view, the light breeze ruffling through her hair and providing relief from the lingering hint of heat in the air. ‘I can see why you love it so much.’
‘Yeah.’ He nodded. ‘It’s beautiful.’
But when she glanced at him, he wasn’t looking at the view, he was looking at her, causing her pulse to flutter and her cheeks to warm before she quickly looked away again.
‘It’s inspiring,’ she said, changing the topic.
