by Mandy Baggot
He concentrated hard, trying to let go of everything but his feet on the Earth and his grandmother’s hand in his. He didn’t know about the roots of Corfu but he did know he had never felt freer.
‘Now,’ Elpida whispered. ‘You tell me why you want to buy this land.’
‘For Imogen,’ he said. ‘For her play area for the children.’
He felt Elpida breathe even deeper, then he watched her open her eyes, regarding the picture-postcard scene in front of them like it was the best sight in the world. He opened his mouth to say something else – that now he knew how much the plot meant to her he didn’t want to pursue the idea.
‘Then you can have it,’ she said. ‘For a fair price.’ She turned her eyes to him. ‘On one condition.’
‘What?’ he asked.
She smiled. ‘That it stays a green space, just like this… forever.’ Her eyes went back to the beach – fishing boats bobbing far out, children splashing nearer to shore, holidaymakers with their drinks and books on loungers under parasols. ‘When I am long gone,’ she said. ‘I want to know that children will be here, playing barefoot, laughing like goats.’ She chuckled. ‘Promise me this, Pano.’
He was quite certain goats didn’t laugh but he understood. ‘I promise, yiayia.’ He squeezed her hand. ‘A green space, forever.’
61
Halloumi, Acharavi Beachfront
Halloumi Restaurant
Starters
Keftedes – lamb meatballs with tzatziki
Spanakopitakia – Halloumi and Feta cheeses with spinach, garlic and herbs wrapped in a parcel of shortcrust pastry (V)
Saganaki – traditional Greek fried cheese
Ouzo Prawns
Mains
Grilled swordfish served with crushed new potatoes, Greek salad and a mustard dressing
Corfiot inspired pot-roast chicken with orzo
Stifado – Traditional Greek beef and bean stew served with fresh bread and a homemade garlic butter
Moussaka – layered aubergine, minced meat, tomato, potato, onion and garlic with a béchamel sauce
Desserts
Panna Cotta served with a honey and blackberry jus (V)
Greek biscuits with cream and a kumquat compote (V)
Baklava
Lemon Meringue Pie (V)
A Filo of Fig
Ice cream by the scoop (Chocolate, strawberry, vanilla or all three!) (V)
Chef’s Specials
Fresh mussels with chilli, garlic and coriander
Salmon fillets with olives, onion and houmous served with green beans and Dauphinoise potatoes
Ox cheeks with a Greek relish
Stewed octopus with a herb tabbouleh
‘Well?’ Harry asked.
Imogen looked up from the revised menu, tears in her eyes.
‘Say something,’ Harry begged.
‘Yes!’ Elpida chipped in. ‘Say something! Anything!’
‘It’s perfect,’ Imogen breathed. ‘Just perfect.’
Harry howled like a werewolf and Elpida said something in Greek and clapped her hands together in delight.
‘It looks like a menu for a restaurant,’ Imogen said, her eyes going back to the paper she was holding. ‘Like, I don’t know, something for a Greek Rick Stein.’
‘That’s because it is,’ Harry stated, laughing.
‘It all feels real now.’
‘I’ve been trying to tell her this since we got here,’ Harry said to Elpida. ‘But seeing this… I’m really feeling like the king of my new culinary castle.’
‘Do not say that after house red wine,’ Imogen told him.
‘And tonight the king will be served,’ Elpida stated.
‘What?’ Harry asked.
‘Tonight, we will do a test run, a rehearsal of dresses… is that how you say it?’ Elpida asked.
Imogen looked at the little woman, confused. ‘A dress rehearsal?’ she guessed.
‘Yes… for Harry and Janie and the children. You, me, Pano and Risto. We will open up the restaurant and we will serve them like it is opening night,’ Elpida informed.
‘Elpida, you don’t need to—’ Harry started.
‘Pfft! You have not put your feet down for a moment since you arrive here. Instead of making these beans on grilled bread every night or giving money to Lafi down the beach, you will eat your own food, here, and we will cook for you.’ Elpida looked at Harry like refusal was not an option. Pano and Risto will be the waiters. Imogen, you will run the kitchen with me. Harry, you go and get Janie and the children and I will make the calls.’
Harry looked to Imogen and she shrugged helplessly. No one dared argue with Elpida when she was on a mission.
* * *
When Panos arrived at the back door of Halloumi that evening it was to be greeted by his grandmother’s voice yelling instructions.
‘Seven minutes, Imogen. If the vegetables have longer than seven minutes they will be like the weed from the sea.’
‘Some people don’t like to lose their teeth when they have dinner out,’ he heard Imogen answer. ‘No one wants carrots like bullets.’
‘I tell you, seven minutes and they will be perfect.’
‘Perfect for what? Rabbits?’
He smiled, pushing open the door and being enveloped by steam and the scent of steaming fresh produce. ‘Kalispera,’ he greeted. ‘Is it safe to come in?’
‘You are late,’ Elpida stated. ‘Risto is serving the wine, and the starters are almost ready.’
Imogen turned from the griddle pan she was cooking meatballs in, her face red, her hair covered by a net. She smiled at him. ‘Kalispera.’
Straightaway he wanted to drag her out of the kitchen and take her home with him.
‘Where have you been?’ Elpida asked.
‘Not far,’ he answered. ‘Kassiopi… for a meeting.’
‘I do not want to know any more now. We have dinner to serve.’ Elpida whipped up a saucepan and pointed to the worktop across the kitchen. ‘Take the bread and oils out before the children start to eat the candles that smell like lemons.’
Panos moved into the room but headed for the range not the food. He pulled Imogen away from the cooker, turning her around to face him before pressing his lips on hers.
‘Oh, for the love of Zeus!’ Elpida exclaimed. ‘There is a reason we have hair nets and clean hands in the kitchen. It stops the spread of germs. Tongues and lips are not welcome unless they belong to the ox on the specials board.’
‘I have something to tell you later,’ Panos said softly, tucking in the stray hair that had escaped from Imogen’s net.
‘Elpida told me Rhea went back to Crete today.’
He nodded. ‘Yes, she said to say goodbye to you.’
‘Very nice girl,’ Elpida remarked. ‘But too thin and too many bracelets.’
‘I have something to tell you too,’ Imogen said.
‘Panos!’ Elpida stated. ‘The bread.’
He kissed Imogen once more, then, picking up the tray of bread and oil, he headed out into the restaurant.
* * *
Working in the Southampton diner back home and her previous adventures in food seemed so simple now Imogen had spent an evening in the kitchen with Elpida, cooking Greek dishes she wasn’t familiar with and wanting to make it all perfect for Harry.
While Elpida put the finishing touches to the desserts she slipped out of the back door for some much-needed fresh air and a chance to catch her mum before it got too late. She wanted to tell her about the Wyatt Hotel Group email. She hadn’t shared it with anyone because, in truth, it was churning her up. She didn’t want to distract Harry before the opening of the restaurant and, although she was going to tell Panos, she was dreading it. When she first arrived on Corfu she almost couldn’t wait for the two weeks to pass, but now it was a completely different story. So much had happened and so much had changed. And now she also had the dream job opportunity within her grasp.
She took a breath, fan
ning a hand over her face to move the humid air, and put her phone to her ear, eyes noting the first stars beginning to appear in the dusky sky.
‘Hello,’ Grace answered.
‘Hello, Mum,’ Imogen replied.
‘Oh, hello, you just caught me,’ Grace said.
‘Were you off to bed?’ Imogen asked, checking her watch again.
‘Bed? It’s only seven o’clock here.’
‘I know, I just… well, were you going out?’ She couldn’t remember the last time her mum had ventured out of the house in the evening since April had passed away and they’d gone to shows at the Mayflower.
‘Yes, I’m going across the road… to the new house,’ Grace stated proudly.
The way her mum had said ‘new house’ made it sound like a prize from the upper end of the Win the Ads segment from Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. She was glad this windfall was giving her mum a new lease of life.
‘That’s lovely,’ Imogen said.
‘Yes, Fionnula, that’s April’s great-niece, has given me a key. Someone has to keep an eye on the property for insurance purposes until the probate goes through and as I’m here and it’s going to be mine, she’s left keys with me.’
‘You sound excited, Mum.’
‘I am… a little bit… and apprehensive of course. I mean it is much bigger than this place so I need to be mindful of the fuel bills.’ She sighed. ‘And I’m not entirely sure how to operate the wood-burning stove.’
‘We’ll work it out together.’
‘So, how are things there with the restaurant?’ Grace asked.
‘They’re good,’ she admitted, smiling. ‘Really good. It’s the grand opening tomorrow night. We’ve got a bouzouki player coming and a hundred balloons to blow up and lots of preparation to do but… it’s exciting.’
She really was excited. At the beginning, watching Harry had been compelling, her brother growing in stature and confidence with every passing moment on the road to restaurantville. But now it almost felt like she owned it too. Planning the menu, cleaning the floors, restoring the old furniture, placing the new sofas, settling in Mrs Pelekas’ tablecloths and the candles from Arillas – she was at the centre of it too now, heart and soul.
‘And how are Janie and the children?’ Grace asked.
Imogen turned towards the terrace. Janie and Harry were sat opposite each other, one child on either side, hand-holding, sharing smiles, conversation, home-made lemonade and red wine, the bulbs strung across the pergola above their heads and the candle on their table creating an atmospheric glow. Panos and Risto appeared from inside, each carrying plates. Her stomach clenched at the sight of the complex man she had fallen for.
‘They’re really well here, Mum. Corfu is just the most wonderful place.’ She inhaled the humid air, turning her gaze to the darkness, the street lamps flickering against the night sky, the faint shush of the water rolling up to the beach. ‘I wish you could see it.’
There was silence from the other end of the line, until…
‘You sound really happy, Imogen. I don’t think I’ve heard you sound this happy since… since you got all those hotel pens out your dad used to bring back for you and we counted them.’
She smiled to herself, nuzzling her head closer to the phone in her hand. ‘One hundred and three.’
‘Was it really?’
She nodded, dipping her hand into the yellow bag on her shoulder and pulling out the first pen-like object she found. It was black-and-white-striped like a zebra and she knew without even looking it was from a hotel in South Africa. ‘I am happy, Mum,’ she said, rolling the pen between her fingers.
‘I’m glad,’ Grace said. ‘And I’m glad Harry and Janie are getting along and Corfu… well, it does sound lovely.’
‘It is,’ she breathed.
‘I bet you’ll miss the weather when you come home.’
She swiped at a mosquito in the air, a rush of humidity running over her. Then she jumped a little as something brushed up against her legs. It was Socks, his tail winding around her calf like a snake. She bent to stroke him and he arched his back with pleasure. The weather wasn’t the only thing she was going to miss about the place. Her eyes went across the night to Panos.
‘We had rain today,’ Grace continued. ‘Gallons of it, and there’s still a hosepipe ban, can you believe it? Oh!’ Grace exclaimed suddenly. ‘Did you ever hear back from that…? Lydia, wasn’t it? From the hotel?’
Imogen’s heart started to race as she watched Panos serving wine to her brother, those inky eyes just visible in the half-light, tendrils of his sexy dark hair touching his forehead as he poured from the bottle. She swallowed, dropping the zebra pen back into her bag.
‘No,’ she said quickly. ‘I didn’t ever hear back.’
She had a decision to make.
62
Halloumi, Acharavi Beachfront
‘I don’t believe I’ve just had dinner served to me in my own restaurant,’ Harry exclaimed, leaning back into his chair when he had finished all three courses and had coffee and chocolate mints.
‘It was absolutely lovely,’ Janie said. ‘Thank you.’
‘I liked the ice cream best,’ Tristan said.
‘That was the only bit Elpida and I didn’t make!’ Imogen remarked, picking up the final plates.
‘I liked the moo… What was it again?’ Olivia asked.
‘Moussaka,’ Janie said.
‘I liked the pastry parcels,’ Imogen whispered to her niece. ‘But I don’t think I was meant to eat any.’
‘I heard that!’ Elpida chipped in, bustling about with the coffee pot, refreshing cups.
‘A round of applause for our wonderful cooks and our equally fantastic waiters!’ Harry said, looking to Risto and Panos and starting to clap. ‘You’re all dismissed. We can do the clearing up.’
‘Pfft! You think I will make a kitchen a mess and not clean up!’ Elpida exclaimed. ‘I tell you, how you find this place when you come is not how I leave it.’
Imogen moved to carry the dishes back to the kitchen when Panos caught her, pulling her close. ‘I want to take you somewhere,’ he whispered.
‘Where?’ she answered with a smile. ‘Another treehouse?’
‘It is a surprise.’
‘Now I’m intrigued.’
Harry cleared his throat. ‘Please, take my sister out, Panos.’
‘Harry, I’m not leaving Elpida to clear up.’
‘She won’t be,’ Janie interrupted. ‘Harry and I…’ Her eyes went to her husband, a smile on her lips as if she wasn’t used to saying the phrase. ‘We’ll sort everything after we’ve put the children to bed.’
Groans came from Olivia and Tristan.
‘One more bowl of ice cream?’ Harry bargained.
Cheers ensued and Harry winked at Imogen. ‘Go!’
* * *
‘Close your eyes,’ Panos whispered in her ear.
Imogen shivered as he placed his hands on the bare skin of her shoulders. She was still a little hot from the cooking but here, outside the restaurant, the temperature finally starting to drop, goosebumps prickled her arms. She did as he had instructed then felt him guide her slowly forwards along the road.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked, small stones slipping into her sandals as she shuffled, a little off balance.
‘Not far,’ he answered.
‘Good, because I would make a terrible blind person and my navigation when I can see isn’t that good either.’
‘Stop.’
‘We’re here? Already?’
‘Open your eyes,’ he told her.
She opened her eyes and blinked, looking but not seeing. She wrinkled her nose then turned around slightly, gazing up at Panos. ‘I don’t see anything.’
He opened his arms, palms to the sky, as if that held the answer.
Imogen turned back, looking at the whitewashed wall of Tomas’ Taverna, a few customers sitting on the rectangular terrace, sharing carafes of
retsina. What was there to see? Then, suddenly, it all clicked into place. She put her hands to her mouth. ‘The sign has gone,’ she stated, turning to look at him again. ‘The Dimitriou Enterprises sign.’
He nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘But… what does that mean? That you’re not buying Tomas’ anymore? That you’re not going to redevelop?’ The last sentence came out no louder than a whisper.
‘I am still buying Tomas’,’ he stated. ‘And, with luck, the rest of the strip.’
She listened intently as he went on to tell her his plan to buy the buildings, charge a minimal rent and then, if the business owners agreed, to implement the mutual benefit strategy with coupons and joint advertising.
When he had finished she shook her head, her eyes wet with unshed tears. ‘This is all so…’ She didn’t quite know what to say. ‘Unexpected and… I just…’
‘You were right, Imogen, about so many things,’ he told her.
‘Was I?’
‘Yes,’ he said, taking her hand. ‘But most of all about it never being too late for a second chance.’ He inhaled deeply, his eyes matching hers. ‘And that is what I am wanting,’ he stated. ‘To begin again here. To live my own life.’
She squeezed his fingers, wanting to connect a little tighter, the warmth of his palm radiating its heat into hers.
‘But there is more,’ he said.
He pulled her slightly, making her face the patch of ground between the two restaurants, his hand still entwined with hers.
‘I have bought this land,’ he said.
‘You have?’ Imogen said.
He nodded. ‘Yes.’
She thought about the girl with her wayward ball and the plan she had to buy it and make it a play area before he could snap it up and turn it into an extension of his planned complex. Now she was at a real loss as to why he wanted it.