Page 9 of Greek Island Fling to Forever

He nodded, looking at his watch and pulling a face. ‘I guess we should be getting back to the health centre to see if Helen’s up to the trip back tonight.’

Where had the hours gone? It didn’t seem five minutes since they’d sat down at the table, but the coffee pot that the waiter had brought was empty now, and the sun had sunk low in the sky. But she had tomorrow to look forward to, and it would bring him back again.

They walked back up to the health centre together, and Arianna couldn’t resist taking the route that led through the harbour and the older part of town. When Ben took a few moments to appreciate the sunset, she found herself smiling. He clearly liked Ilaria, and that meant rather more to her than it probably should.

Andreas reported back on Helen, saying that she’d been making a good recovery, and when Arianna examined her she found no trace of the painful wheeze that had accompanied her efforts to breathe earlier on. She joined Ben in the empty reception area.

‘She’s just getting dressed. She should be fine for the journey back. I’ve made sure she has a spare inhaler and I’ll write a discharge note, and give you a copy. What time will you come tomorrow? There’s an eleven o’clock ferry.’

There was a long night to get through before she’d see Ben again, and suddenly she wanted to know exactly how many hours she’d have to wait.

‘Eleven sounds great.’ He took his phone from his pocket. ‘Maybe we should exchange numbers, so I can call you if we’re going to be late.’

Good. Why hadn’t she thought of that? Something concrete that she could take away with her. Arianna repeated her mobile number to him, hearing her phone ring as he checked he had it right. Now she had his number.

‘Ben, I’m so glad you came. It means a lot...’

Suddenly, and without knowing quite how she’d got there, she was in his arms. She must have made the first move, Ben was still standing exactly where he had been before, but there was no mistaking his response. This felt so natural, as if time had crushed the getting-to-know-you process into a few short hours and they’d already become firm friends.

His body was strong, and as he returned the hug, she felt tears welling in her eyes. For the first time in more years than she cared to remember, she felt truly safe.

CHAPTER FOUR

‘ARE WE THERE YET, DAD?’

There was a glazed glass barrier between them and the sea, but Ben still had a tight grip on his son’s hand. An instinct that had survived the years since he’d seen Arianna slip under the metal railings that skirted the deck of the old ferry. That had sharpened since Emma’s death.

‘Not yet.’ He squatted down, holding Jonas protectively against his body, and pointed into the distance. ‘That’s where we’re going...’

Ilaria seemed to shine in the sun ahead of them. He’d texted Arianna to let her know that they were on the ferry, and she’d said she’d meet them at the terminus. Maybe she was already there, shining too.

‘How far is it?’ Jonas was clearly trying to measure the distance that the ferry still had to travel.

‘About a mile.’ Ben took a wild guess. ‘We’ll be there soon, but we’ll have to wait and take our turn to get off.’

‘Okay.’ The information seemed enough for the moment, and Jonas pulled away from him, staring at the island ahead of them.

Maybe fifteen minutes before he’d see Arianna again. Ben wondered whether it was possible that Jonas could be as impatient as he was. Their embrace had been echoing through his mind ever since last night.

Now that Arianna was drawing closer with every moment, he should think of it as a hug. A hug which had totally redefined the word and lasted much longer than was strictly necessary. It had said more than broken words ever could.

It had meant something more to Arianna too, he knew. When they’d heard the sound of a door opening and footsteps in the corridor that led out into the reception area, she’d pulled away from him, brushing tears from her eyes.

In that moment he’d felt something flooding back into his heart. The feeling that he wanted to protect her, and the almost painful realisation that maybe there was some way that he could. Ben hadn’t allowed himself to feel that about anyone, apart from Jonas, in a very long time and it was almost as if Arianna had stripped the years away and found the man he’d once been. The one he was trying to find his way back to.

Jonas was interested in everything, the people around him, the way the ferry manoeuvred into the dock and the prospect of dry land ahead of him. Ben held his hand firmly, his gaze searching for just one person. When he saw Arianna, wearing a bright yellow sundress, his heart almost leapt into his throat. Dizzily he returned her wave, nudging at Jonas’s shoulder to point her out, and the boy waved too, staring at

this new person he’d heard all about.

‘Hey, Jonas.’ She flashed Ben a smile and then turned her attention to his son. ‘Welcome to Ilaria. I’m Arianna.’

‘Hello.’ Jonas was a little more reserved now, watching this new person carefully. How anyone could resist the sudden sunshine of Arianna’s smile was a complete mystery to Ben.

‘How was the ferry ride? Did you like it?’

Jonas nodded. Arianna looked up at Ben. ‘I’m parked in the harbour. I thought perhaps he’d like to have a look around there?’

‘What do you think, Jonas? Shall we go and see the boats?’

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