Page 41 of Suzie's Santorini Summer

‘What kind of a shock?’

Suzie hesitated, unsure whether she should tell Nathan about the incident at the bookshop, even though she knew that, if asked, Heidi would probably have disclosed every minute detail of the debacle. Nevertheless, she decided it was best not to say anything because she knew what it was like to be the subject of the gossip grapevine.

‘Oh, just some news from home.’ She knew immediately from the look in Nathan’s sharp eyes that he didn’t believe her and so she cast around for something to divert their conversation and was embarrassed by her lack of inventiveness. She would never make the grade as an interviewer! ‘So, what brings you to Santorini?’

‘I’ve taken a couple of months sabbatical from work, and as Santorini is one of the most photographed islands in Greece, if not the whole of the Mediterranean, I really wanted to come and see it for myself.’

‘Do you work in hospitality back in the UK?’

‘Hospitality? Oh, no, no, I don’t. I hear you work at the art gallery in town.’

Suzie assuming Heidi must have told him when they were chatting, although he could also have overheard her and Katerina talking about the gallery over their daily coffees, which made her slightly worried that anyone could be listening in to their conversations.

‘Yes, I do, and actually I’m late, so I’d better get going.’ She stood before Nathan could delay her further. ‘It was nice to meet you.’

‘You, too, Suzie.’

Nathan held her gaze for just a moment longer than she expected and as she left the taverna and made her way back to the gallery, a flash of unease sliced through her chest. Although she couldn’t put her finger on what had cause it, she felt as though her “friendly chat” with Nathan had been something more than superficial politeness. It was the first time she had met him and yet he seemed to know things she wouldn’t normally have expected – about where she worked, about the party they were organising – and her old insecurities came screaming back.

However, her unnerving encounter with Nathan flew straight from her mind when she stepped into the gallery and got a taste of what a customer’s first impression of the shop would be. She vowed that today woulddefinitelybe the day she would tackle the cardboard chaos that she and Katerina seemed to attract, and was just about to head to the storeroom to collect the bin when she noticed that Katerina was sitting at the desk, a broad smile on her face.

‘Oh, Suzie, you’ll never believe what’s happened!’

‘No, I—’

‘I’ve just sold one of the depressing paintings! That’s two this month, which is completely unheard of.’

‘Which one?’

‘The black one.’

Suzie was none the wiser as, to her untrained eye, they were all black, and depressing.

‘Which black one?’

‘The one with the white and grey splashes on it.’

‘That’s fantastic.’

‘It’s reminded me that beauty’s always in the eye of the beholder.’

‘True.’

Suzie wouldn’t admit it, but out of all the paintings that had been relegated to the room at the back of the gallery, the one the artist had entitled “The Sky at Night” was her least favourite.

‘Oh, and I’ve just had a call from my friend, Eleni. She’s coming here at lunchtime for a coffee and to chat about all-things fashion, so if you want to head over to my ceramics studio a bit earlier, then that’s no problem.’

‘Thanks, Kat.’ Suzie paused as she remembered what Amber had said to her about her own visit to the studio. ‘Is it okay if I invite Christos?’

‘Of course it is.’ Katerina laughed. ‘On one condition.’

Suzie groaned inwardly, knowing she wasn’t going to like what Katerina was going to suggest. ‘What condition?’

‘That you also invite him to the dance class on Monday.’

‘I really don’t know about that, Kat.’

‘It’s going to be lots of fun, and it would be great to meet him.’

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