“Only you would think of something like that, my old friend. But still, excellent choice. The Blue Room is one of the best in the castle.”
“I don’t think these two will give the room a second glance,” sniggered Lee.
Ricky gave a chortle. “They are crazy about each other, aren’t they?”
Lee made a move on the chessboard, capturing Ricky’s bishop, causing him to flinch. Lee let out a titter. He won at chess more often than not. His abilities of forward thinking and concentration were superb. “I have an idea, Ricky; not sure if it would interest you, though.”
“Shoot,” said Ricky, his fist before his mouth, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the chessboard before his next move.
“Danny seems like an extrovert, confident chap, and he’s finishing his marketing course this summer. How about you give him a chance by employing him in the firm this autumn? You know how hard it is to get that first job. No one gives you a chance without the experience. You could be that man. What do you say?”
Ricky looked up from the board, amazement lighting up his face. “What is it about Danny, my friend? Isn’t it enough you saved the fellow’s life?”
Lee tilted his head. “You think it’s a bad idea?”
“No, of course not. It’s a splendid idea! But that’s not the point. Why are you so hell-bent on helping him so much?”
Lee sat back in his chair, his eyes wandering about the room for a few minutes. When he turned to Ricky again, he seemed lost in thought. “I like him. And he needs the employment. I was in that situation once. Remember? I’d be nowhere today if it hadn’t been for you, offering me not only employment but also a wonderful place to live in.”
Ricky gave a dismissive wave. “Lee, sometimes I think you’re an angel walking the earth.”
The compliment made Lee issue an uneasy huff. “I’m just trying to help the boy start from somewhere, that’s all.” He shifted in his seat and looked away again.
Ricky watched him for a few seconds, then gave a titter. “Did I say you’re an angel? Scratch that! Stop jerking your legs like that when you’re sitting, man!” Ricky’s eyes twinkled, and he finally made his move on the board.
“Sorry Boss, it’s an old habit of mine.”
“That, and cracking your finger joints . . .” said Ricky with a lopsided smile.
Lee rolled his eyes. “Sorry, I know . . . In my life, I’ve managed to get over so many of my vices . . . I believe these are the only ones I have left. But be patient with me, Boss.” He winked, his face mirthful. “Old habits die hard.”
***
When he retired to his room, Lee undressed without further ado and went to bed, his mind brimming over with blissful memories from the picnic. As he lay in bed, eyes pinned to the ceiling in the semi-darkness, beams of moonlight dancing around the light fixture, Lee’s mind wandered back to the sadness of his youth.
It had taken him many years to grow into a respectable, happy person. Born to poverty and an orphan, he had known a bumpy childhood and adolescence in the hands of one foster family after another. Lee was restless while growing up, confused, prone to making friends with the wrong people and getting in trouble. But thankfully, Ricky came along to offer him a job in Lakeview as a worker. Later, when things became really bad, he got him out of jail and offered him a home and an education.
Nowadays, Lakeview felt like a true home to Lee. Just a few years ago, led by his need to understand himself and the strange tendencies he had to run astray in his youth, to sabotage himself it seemed, he wound up visiting a clairvoyant.
The clairvoyant was gifted and she helped him understand himself by providing past life regression therapy to him. It was thanks to her that Lee found out he was a wastrel in a previous life, despite all the good fortune he had. He was a beast, a man of an immense ego, hell-bent on fun and gratification without a sense of responsibility, without regard or feelings towards others.
The clairvoyant recorded their sessions, and Lee heard in that strange, confident, and intense voice that came out of his own mouth all about the vile actions he committed in previous lifetimes. He was a rapist, a thief, a common criminal. In one particular lifetime, he seemed to have lived in an exotic land. At the height of summer, he raped and killed three women, one of them a girl of rare beauty, who was only seventeen.
Twice, in his dark, previous lifetimes, he hanged himself in jail. To hear the recordings from his sessions caused Lee to despise himself. This experience also made him determined to be a good, decent man this time round. To care for others. When he met Sofia at the office that first time, strange things started to happen. This vision of a strange woman in black who looked like her kept coming in his dreams. She kept telling him it was all right, that he was forgiven. But she asked him to do something too: when the time came, to be there for a boy called Danny, even if his own life depended on it. She said it was up to God. But a sacrifice was required, all the same.
Lee never told anyone about these dreams that kept coming. But when he heard from his boss the name of the young man he hit in the car and that it was Sofia’s boyfriend, he knew it was no coincidence. He knew he had to save Danny’s life. God allowed him to come out of the accident unscathed. It felt like a second chance. It felt like redemption from his soul’s despicable, sinful past.
Epilogue
Summer 1989
Sofia and Danny sat on the pier in Vassilaki, dipped their feet in the sparkling, shallow water, and set out to feed a dozen of starlings with koulouri chunks from a bag. Their laughter rose high in the cool afternoon air.
Maggie and Ricky had come along on this fortnight’s holiday to meet Sofia’s family and the place that started it all. They enjoyed meeting Sofia’s grandparents especially, and were looking forward to their week in Athens soon where they’d meet Sofia’s parents too.
Sofia couldn’t wait for her mother and father to meet Danny and her two new friends. She could never tell them who Maggie and Ricky truly were to her, or anything about The Lady of the Pier. These were precious secrets that she and Danny preferred not to share with many.
In the previous months, Sofia had told her parents all about Danny; how much she loved him and how he loved her back, and they were ecstatic about it. Having let her go completely to live far away without their supervision, her parents had changed in the past year. Sofia toyed with the idea that The Lady might have visited them in their sleep too, but of course she knew it was a silly notion.
Sofia realized her father’s insecurities that used to plague her stemmed from the loss of his sister Sofia. Subconsciously, without remembering, he had been holding on to the same guilt and fear his brother Yiannis did. But now, all that had been resolved; just like everything else.
Sofia and Danny kept another secret, and this one they shared with absolutely no one: that Lee carried Charles in the dark confines of his soul, in the same way they carried Laura and Christian. That morning before the accident, The Lady told Danny in the vision, and he hurried to Sofia to warn her to stay away from Lee, in case he was out to hurt her in any way. Sofia explained to Danny as he lay on his hospital bed that, far from it, Lee intended to save his life. They told no one, including Lee himself, what they knew about him. It was better this way. After all, he was a caring friend to them both, just like Maggie and Ricky. In fact, if it weren’t for the necessity of him manning the business back in Brighton, he’d have come to Vassilaki as well.
Danny gave a chortle that broke Sofia’s reverie. He had just thrown the last piece of koulouri to the birds. It was a large one, and it caused quite an upheaval. Danny put an arm around Sofia, his eyes dancing. “I can't wait for Steve and Loula to arrive tomorrow. The four-member gang reunited!”
“Yes . . . But what I’m really looking forward to is sitting them down with Ricky and Maggie to tell them our spooky story!” Sofia gave a titter.
“Has Maggie brought the old pictures along?”
“Of course. They’re going to need proof to be
lieve, aren't they? Fancy them being the spitting images of Paul and Meg!”
“So, am I allowed to kiss you, or are we still looking out for those nosy locals?”
“Kiss away,” Sofia gave a bright smile, “There’s only Akis and his Italian girlfriend looking, I don’t mind.”
Danny followed her eyes, then raised a hand to greet the young couple, who sat at a table in Karavi sipping ice cold coffee. Akis and his girl waved back, then lost themselves again in each other’s eyes. “When are they coming here to stay?”
“Carla has one more year of studies, then they’ll come here to get married and settle down.”
“So, Akis went only as far as Italy. He never did get to live his European adventure.”
“Adventure? Falling in love is the greatest adventure one can ever live,” said Sofia, her face beaming.
“I couldn’t agree more . . . Oh, quick. They’re not looking now!” said Danny, in a mock-hurried way that made Sofia giggle. He took her face in his hands and kissed her tenderly, the world dissolving around them as their lips met. When they pulled away, Sofia rested her forehead against his. Closing her eyes, she gave a deep sigh. “Silly-billy . . .”
“What did I do now?” Danny pulled away, threw his hands in the air, a devilish grin across his face.
“We don’t have to hide any more. You can kiss me anytime you like.”
“Damn! It’s not as much fun if we’re not worried about getting caught!”
“In this case, hurry before my aunt and uncle come out again! How long do you think Maggie and Ricky can keep them occupied in the kitchen so you can have your wicked way with me?” she joked, a lopsided smile on her face.
Danny bent closer and kissed her again, his fingertips caressing the fiery red curls of her hair. When they opened their eyes, they gasped to see a shadow materializing at the pier head, then turning into a brilliant light. Inside it, two ghostly figures, Laura and Christian at the height of their youth, smiled at them. Their faces were serene, ablaze with elation and contentment.
Sofia and Danny watched, mesmerized, as the light around the two figures increased in intensity until it became blinding. Sofia and Danny squeezed their eyes shut, wincing, and when they opened them again, they saw the light swirling, changing into a dazzling white hue. In wisps of clear white smoke, the apparition rose, ascending towards the heavens.
“Did you see that?” whispered Danny, his eyes huge.
“Yes, she’s gone . . .” mumbled Sofia.
“You think she’s at peace now?”
“Yes! Oh, Danny! She’s free from her pain, at last!” She squeezed his hand, her face animated.
“You know what this means for us, don’t you, my love?” Danny took her hand to kiss it softly.
“Of course, I do.” Sofia’s breath caught in her throat. This was what true happiness felt like and she relished the feeling. “It means that no matter how many lifetimes I get to live, I never have to worry about finding you again, Danny. Up there, wherever they are now, they are together, just like we are down here.”
“Sofia, wherever you go, I promise to go too. Always.”
“As long as you steer clear from cold climates. Alaska, for example. I couldn’t handle the cold. Brrr! I’d have to leave you then.”
“No problem. We’ll stick to the Greek islands. Plenty to choose from.” Danny gave a huge grin. “We’ll be island-hopping forever. You and me. And . . . speaking of forever . . .” He took a ring out of his shorts pocket and took her hand in his.
Sofia gasped under his tender gaze. It was a gold band with a single sparkling diamond on top. When he placed it on her finger, it caught the faint sunrays of the setting sun, gleaming.
Danny sought her lips, and so, without a word, they sealed with a tender kiss their mutual promise for eternal love as a multitude of sparrows chirped close by.
Back in Brighton, a whole life awaited them. A whole life, and a love that they both knew, would never let go again.
THE END
Thank you for taking time to read The Storm. If you enjoyed it, please consider telling your friends or posting a short review. Word of mouth helps me continue to write books. Thank you, Effrosyni
Find it now on Amazon: http://bit.ly/1Q5NZUb
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to Deborah Mansfield for the terrific book cover she made for me in no time at all – you’re truly wonderful and I’m forever grateful, Debs! I offer my gratitude once again to my precious beta readers, Donna Manobianco, Nicholas Rossis and David Wind. Your insights and eagle-eye edits have been a treasure to me, as always! I’d also like to say a big thank you to my fantastic and always eager ARC readers, who make sure my new books have reviews within a week or two of every launch. Thank you guys! Last, but not least, I’m forever grateful to my husband, Andy. Without him and his whole-hearted support and understanding, I wouldn’t be able to live this exhilarating dream.
About the author
Effrosyni Moschoudi was born and raised in Athens, Greece. As a child, she often sat alone in her granny’s garden scribbling rhymes about flowers, butterflies and ants. Through adolescence, she wrote dark poetry that suited her melancholic, romantic nature. She’s passionate about books and movies and simply couldn’t live without them. She lives in a quaint seaside town near Athens with her husband Andy and a naughty cat called Felix. Effrosyni is a proud member of the writer’s groups, eNovel Authors at Work, ASMSG, and The Fantasy & SciFi Network.
Her #1 Amazon bestseller, The Necklace of Goddess Athena, is a time travel mystery interwoven with sweet romance and Greek mythology.
A note from Effrosyni
I hope you’ve enjoyed the concluding part of The Lady of the Pier, a story very close to my heart partly because of the autobiographical elements woven into the plot in the first book, The Ebb. Like Sofia, I used to spend long summers as a youngster in Corfu staying at my grandparents’ house in the seaside village of Moraitika. Visit my website to check out my guide to this popular holiday destination. There, you will see stunning pictures of Moraitika and Messonghi, the real places behind Vassilaki and Messi: http://bit.ly/1IPwNPv
Also, you may enjoy this post where I share many real life facts from the Ebb, including old photographs and memories from Moraitika and Messonghi in the 70s and 80s: http://bit.ly/1kRLDwd
Over the years, I’ve met many tourists in Moraitika, mainly British, who’ve been visiting annually for decades and call this village their second home. If you fancy a beach holiday on a Greek island, give Moraitika a try. You’ll be glad you did!
Before I end this note, I’d like to offer you the chance to read all my future books for free! Yes, that’s right! All you need to do is sign up to Team Effrosyni, my team of loyal readers: http://effrosyniwrites.com/join-team-effrosyni/
Every time I have a new e-book out, I’ll email you to offer it to you for free in return for your honest review on Amazon. It’ll be your choice to accept it or not, and you’ll also be entitled to receive special offers and giveaways exclusive to Team members. It’s all FREE!
I’m always delighted to hear from my readers and highly value any comments. I’d love to hear from you!
**Email me at [email protected]
**Visit my Amazon page to browse my books:
http://bit.ly/1MpLgjL
**Visit my website to download FREE excerpts and watch book trailers:
http://www.effrosyniwrites.com
**Sign up to my newsletter to be notified first about my new releases and book promotions (very sparse emails):
http://effrosyniwrites.com/newsletter/
**Like me on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/authoreffrosyni
**Follow me on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/frostiemoss
**Find me on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7362780.Effrosyni_Moschoudi
**Follow my blogs by email to find your next favorite read. I mainly post author inte
rviews and book reviews but on the second blog below, you’ll also find travel articles and the odd Greek recipe!
http://www.effrosyniwrites.com (*NEW*)
http://www.effrosinimoss.wordpress.com
Also available
A 50-page companion book for The Lady of the Pier trilogy
Poetry from The Lady of the Pier is a collection of ten romantic poems as included in The Ebb, The Flow, and The Storm. This mini book (fifty pages approximately) also contains the bonus short story, “An Old Promise”:
Joanna boards a flight from JFK to revisit the Greek island of Sifnos after twenty years. All this time, she’s been holding on to precious memories from an old summer love. Now, she’s determined to meet again the man she once left behind, hoping for a chance to prove she never forgot their old promise . . .
The ebook is FREE in selected e-stores.
Visit Amazon: http://bit.ly/1Sys9I5
OUT IN KINDLE & PAPERBACK
More from this author
IN ATHENS,
THE GODS STILL DWELL AMONG THE MORTALS.
Phevos and his sister Daphne are time travelers from ancient Greece. Unaware of the reason their father has sent them to modern-day Athens, they settle down in this new world with the assistance of two orphaned siblings. Soon, the four youngsters stumble upon vital information that can help them find their missing parents. When they discover a secret cave in the Acropolis foothills, a precious finding causes them to become involved in a conflict between two Gods, one of which becomes their protector and the other, their worst nemesis. Who will prevail when the rival Gods meet again and will the mortal bystanders survive to tell the tale?
The Storm Page 26