by Mandy Baggot
‘This is Hestia, everybody!’ Elias called to the crowd. ‘Remember she grew up here among you just like I did! And yes, we were married! And yes, we have divorced! And yes…’ He paused briefly. ‘We have both moved on. Exactly like… when you, Georgios stopped dating Maria and started dating Rhea.’ Elias looked around the gathering of villagers all a captive audience, but an audience that wasn’t any longer looking quite like a disgruntled group ready to shun. ‘Or when you, Theo, had to admit that your goat Iris was never going to be able to breed and so you bought Gaia.’
Theo burst into tears and passed his bottle of beer to his brother before leaving the group.
‘Sorry, Theo,’ Elias called. He gathered his thoughts again. ‘I’m simply saying that tonight is a time for the village to celebrate. All the village. And Hestia… and her partner, Thalia, they should both be part of that celebration.’
No one cheered. But also no one said anything at all. That was progress for Liakada. And then Eleni bustled into the centre of the square, still wearing her apron over a dress, but with sparkling shoes on her feet. She raised her arms in the air. ‘What are you all staring at?! Why have you stopped playing the music? This is a festival not a funeral!’ She met Elias’s gaze. ‘And everyone is welcome!’
He had never loved his mother more than right now. She gave him a nod of approval and then accepted the hand of his father who drew her close and into a dance as the band finally recommenced.
‘Elias,’ Hestia said, tears rolling down her face. ‘You didn’t need to do that.’
‘Oh, Hestia, I really did. And…’
He looked to Thalia. She was smiling too.
‘And I really wanted to,’ Elias finished.
Hestia caught Thalia’s hand in hers again. ‘Elias, you haven’t met properly. Elias, this is Thalia.’ She paused, emotion evident. ‘My love.’
Elias put out his hand. ‘It is so nice to meet you, Thalia.’
*
Hestia was beautiful. Thalia was beautiful too. They made the perfect pair and, watching them talk to Elias, Becky couldn’t have been prouder about what her boyfriend had done by asking them to come to the festival. It was the closure that everyone needed to move towards a new future and she felt so excited about that future.
‘Becky,’ Elias called. He had turned towards her now, beckoning wildly.
She moved towards them, ducking around the ever-growing throng of dancers to get there. She had been practising Greek dancing a little but she definitely needed to work on her stamina. Elias said he had plans for upping her cardio and Becky didn’t think he meant the gym at the health club… and she was more than glad about that!
‘Becky,’ Elias said, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. ‘This is Hestia and Thalia.’
Becky smiled, holding her hand out to them both in turn. ‘It’s so nice to meet you both. And thank you for coming tonight. I know it can’t have been easy. I am getting to know what Liakada can be like.’
Hestia laughed then. ‘Most of it is still following rules made in medieval times.’
‘Only most?’ Becky asked.
‘She is right,’ Thalia agreed.
‘Wait,’ Elias said. ‘I have not introduced you properly.’ He hugged Becky even closer. ‘Hestia, Thalia, this is Becky Rose.’ He gazed at only her, love shining so brightly. ‘My everything.’
Becky’s heart swelled and that feeling spread over and through her, warming her every part as the man she loved so deeply drew her nearer still. She was sure How to Find the Love of Your Life or Die Trying would have some theorised explanation for how she was feeling right now, and what she should do about it. But she absolutely, definitely, 100 per cent, did not care. From now on there was no second guessing, she was completely going to wing it… with a man she met on a plane.
Acknowledgements
As always, a huge thank you goes out to this fabulous team of people who support me through each and every book and keep me grounded in so many ways: -
My agent, Tanera Simons and all the crew at Darley Anderson. You really are a team of amazing professionals!
Hannah Smith, Vicky Joss, Rhea Kurien, Nikky Ward, Laura Palmer and everyone at Aria Fiction and Head of Zeus. I cannot tell you how special it is to work with such a proactive, forward-thinking team.
My best writing buddies – Sue Fortin, Zara Stoneley, Rachel Lyndhurst. Where would we be every day without iMessage and Messenger…
My street team – The Bagg Ladies. My most trusted supporters who advise me on all sorts of writing malarkey and are the first to get to social media with my news! Thank you for being there for me!
My Mandy Baggot Book Club members – we have such fun in the Facebook group, especially on a Friday! Keep sharing the reading love!
My friends in Corfu – every moment I spend on this beautiful Greek island sharing amazing times with you is a gift. Particular thanks in this book goes to the team at Tavernaki, Kassiopi, who have provided me with the most amazing food for the past few years and are always fantastic supporters of my novels. I hope my characters Elias and Becky dining at your taverna in My Greek Island Summer, brings you even more customers this season and beyond!
And, as always, a big shout out to my husband, Mr Big and my girls, Amber and Ruby. Another book for me to go on about to you! I love you so much and I’m looking forward to all the Greek research we are going to do this summer ready for 2021!
Finally, wow, my 20th novel! It doesn’t seem real. It especially doesn’t seem real when it’s actually 20 books in 12 years! THANK YOU to everyone who has bought, read and reviewed my books over the past 12 years. I appreciate every turn of the page and I hope to bring you many, many more!
Letter from Mandy
That’s it! You’ve finished my 20th book! How does it feel? Are you bereft? Left wanting more?
I hope you really enjoyed Becky and Elias’s story in Corfu and loved the bonus of exploring Athens and a little of Kefalonia in this book too!
Who was your favourite character? Did you resonate with Becky – someone who was quite comfortable with her life but had an itch to explore? What did you feel about Megan? Was she mean to Becky or were her actions justified because she’d always felt a little like a bystander in the family dynamic? How about Petra? Was she deeply annoying, or simply grief-stricken? Did you enjoy her travel stories and flirtatious banter?
And what about Elias? Did the hero for my 20th book live up to expectations? Would you like to get seated on a plane next to him?!
Whoever you enjoyed the most, I hope you relaxed into Greek life at my fictional village of Liakada and the real-life beaches at Kerasia and Avlaki. In my mind, Liakada is made up of a little of many Corfiot villages I have visited on the island and I hope it gave you an insight into life and customs in Greece.
If you did enjoy the book, please consider leaving a review on Amazon. Reviews do mean so much and they help other readers find books they might like to read on their holidays or staycations.
Now, as it’s my 20th novel (have I mentioned that at all?!) there are going to be lots of things to join in with over the summer. Stay tuned on social media for competitions and much more… and keep an eye out for #MandyBaggot20 on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
About Mandy Baggot
MANDY BAGGOT is an international bestselling and award-winning romance writer. The winner of the Innovation in Romantic Fiction award at the UK’s Festival of Romance, her romantic comedy novel, One Wish in Manhattan, was also shortlisted for the Romantic Novelists’ Association Romantic Comedy Novel of the Year award in 2016. Mandy’s books have so far been translated into German, Italian, Czech and Hungarian. Mandy loves the Greek island of Corfu, white wine, country music and handbags. Also a singer, she has taken part in ITV1’s Who Dares Sings and The X-Factor. Mandy is a member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association and the Society of Authors and lives near Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK with her husband and two daughters.
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