My Big Fat Christmas Wedding (8 page)

‘Honestly, it’s better now,’ I said, as a whiff of garlic hit my nostrils. My mouth clamped shut and she gave
me
one of those stares. She raised my foot onto her knees, gently pulled off the sock and massaged in the pungent oil. My shoulders relaxed. Dear Iris. However ferocious she occasionally looked, she could never hide her big heart.

‘You and Niko…’ she said, as usual getting straight to the point. ‘What is the problem? Until recent weeks you two were as cosy together as a whelk and its shell.’

‘Oh…nothing,’ I said, and suddenly took a huge interest in my watch strap. ‘December… the wedding…Christmas… It’s a stressful month, that’s all.’

‘I know, my sweet. Over recent weeks, we all notice small disagreements between the two of you, but…’ Grandma stopped rubbing my ankle and looked up for a moment, a curl of wispy white hair unfurling from under her scarf. ‘Pippa. It is me. Open up. What’s really upsetting you both? Everyone here argue about money. In these times, at this expensive time of year, let alone with a wedding, that is normal. But I sense there is something else.’ A warm smile crossed her wrinkled cheeks, revealing the gap in her teeth. ‘Tell me the truth. I help you sort it out.’

I stopped fiddling with my watch and sighed. ‘Okay, it’s just that Henrik has invited us to London for his engagement party. It’s on the twenty-second of December.’

Grandma stared at me and I waited for her to list all the logical reasons not to go. Instead she stayed silent and finally glanced down at my foot and once again rubbed in oil.

‘You keen to go and Niko not?’

‘Yes,’ I said, glad she wasn’t looking at me. For some reason my cheeks flushed.

‘You miss the pollution, the noisy cars, the rude city people?’ she said, in a teasing voice.

‘Of course not but London, at Christmas…it’s special, with late-night shopping, Christmas menus, fairy lights…the posh stores selling rich puddings and fancy crackers…with ice-skating rinks set up and open markets emanating mulled wine…’

‘We have the ice rink set up in Kos Town – our island has also moved into the twenty-first century, you know.’

‘Of course! I didn’t mean… It’s just…’

‘Just not the same, huh? You still adapting to life here?’

‘Exactly. Why can’t Niko understand that?’

‘Perhaps…perhaps he’s worried that…’ She raised her eyebrows. ‘Tell me, Pippa. Do you simply fancy a change from sleepy Taxos or…’ She rocked her head. ‘You must be curious to meet this Olivia, no?’

Curious? Understatement of the millennium. Was she blonde like Henrik’s girlfriend before me or perhaps her hair had ginger tints like mine? Could she bake? Did she mind Henrik insisting on ironing his underwear and socks? When they made love did she like that thing he did with… Oops, guilty – another overshare.

‘Olivia?’ I said, in the jolliest voice I could muster. ‘Um, I hadn’t really thought about her. I’m sure she’s very nice.’

Grandma nodded, as if understanding something but not telling me what it was.

‘I think you should go. To make sure that…getting married is a big thing. A trip to London, it will confirm for you one way or another whether you have made the right choice between—’

‘England and Greece?’ I said quickly, wondering if she was implying anything else.

Grandma stared me straight in the eyes. ‘Exactly.’

An unspoken dialogue took place between us, interrupted only by Niko entering the room. He wiped his arm across his brow and his shirt lifted out of his trousers, revealing the shadow of his abdominal V muscle.

‘Phew. Tables moved,’ he said. ‘Teashop reorganised. Mama now makes coffee.’

Grandma stood up, handed my sock to Niko and he sat down in her place.

‘I fetch us some of those pistachio scones left over from yesterday,’ she murmured and left.

Gently Niko pushed the sock onto my foot and then tickled my toes.

‘Sorry for being a stubborn old mule,’ he said softly, and ran his hand a little way up my leg, inside my jeans. Tingles ran higher, making me wish we were closer, skin upon skin.

‘Maybe, later on, I can make it up to you,’ he whispered.

I reached over and ran my fingers across his determined jaw line. He leant forward and ever so gently kissed my top lip. When he pulled away, his strong hands had curled around my fingers.

‘Of course I come to London with you. My Pippa has lived here for four months now. It is only right that you should want to see your old home and we can’t afford a honeymoon. Like you hinted, in a small way, this visit could make up for that. I…I’m sorry for being unreasonable.’

My chest tightened. Truth be told, it was me being unfair. The trip
would
use up money we might need one day, plus that weekend was probably the most inconvenient one of the year for us to just disappear. But it was no good, I just couldn’t let my head rule my heart on this matter and gave Niko a big hug.

‘In any case, ‘he continued, ‘talking to Papa, just now, made me think…’

‘What?’

‘We owe Henrik a favour. He stood up to Yanis for us – if he wants you and me to attend his party, then I pay the favour back.’ His chin lifted.

‘
So, will c u on the 22
^nd
’ I texted to Henrik that evening, as I sat in the empty teashop.

Moments later he messaged back, just as a bat swooped low across the front window.

‘
U r coming? Great. In that case, Pips, l’ll have something very important to discuss with you. Til then
.’

Chapter Six

10:
have sex with boyfriend

No joke. I once flat-shared with an auditor who wrote this on her daily to-do list. She accidentally left the piece of paper out on the kitchen unit – cue red faces and rambling conversation between us for a few minutes. Poor man. Fancy being considered a chore. Don’t get me wrong, with a background in studying mathematics, of working logically, hands-up, I’m a List Person too. But that? Plus, to rank him under putting out the dustbins? No! A step too far.

My stomach tingled as images of Niko embracing me under a palm tree or behind a rock came to mind. Scheduling his moments of passion would be impossible. Instead I stuck to listing less emotional things. For the umpteenth time I gazed at the checklists in front of me as I sat in Pippa’s Pantry, in front of a coffee and breakfast muesli scone filled with yogurt and local cherry preserve. You see, today was Friday the twenty-second. Niko and I flew out to London in precisely three hours. I’d written down errands for my return, late tomorrow night, regarding Christmas, the fair, our wedding, my parents’ arrival in Kos a couple of days before the ceremony and…

What a buzz. Having to multi-task to a tight schedule gave me the adrenaline rush I’d lived off in London. Our flight back to Greece tomorrow didn’t leave until tea time, and I intended to get up early and make the most of my day back in England. I’d buy a top-notch Christmas pudding for Grandma and some fancy perfume for Sophia. Bald Georgios would appreciate a stylish tweed flat cap and fashionable Pandora anything to do with the Duchess of Cambridge.

Plus sight-seeing was a must and I wanted to show Niko the skyline I loved – Big Ben, The Shard, Canary Wharf and the Thames river…

My heart pumped as I gazed out into the dark street. The next week would be the busiest ever. I glanced at one of the pieces of paper on the table listing the festive scones I would bake for the fair:

Clove and orange filled with brandy whipped cream

Cranberry and white chocolate

Stuffing (sage and onion with chopped walnuts)

Marzipan and dried fruit (Stollen)

Port-infused, drizzled with dark chocolate

Glittery baubles – using the Dellis’ lime, blueberry and apricot jam

Mmm, I could almost smell the enticing aromas and hear Greek carols playing in the background on Christmas Day…

‘Pippa!’

…Sophia would be in one of her ouzo moods, after just one glass. Niko and Georgios would invite Demetrios and Cosmo over in the evening for a competitive game of cards. Whereas Grandma would read everyone’s coffee cups and forecast a super New Year.

‘Pippa!’

I looked up. Niko hung in the doorway, his lean frame at an angle that made his body beg to be hugged.

‘What were you dreaming of, my juicy little fig?’ he said huskily and walked over, eyes gleaming. ‘This morning?’

Heat radiated through my limbs as I recalled him whispering to me in Greek. And those kisses he trailed across my hips, so gently, as if someone was tickling my skin with a garland of tinsel. I touched my throat, impatient for us to be in our London hotel room. Don’t get me wrong, it was decent of Sophia and Georgios to let me sleep in Niko’s bedroom. I just hoped they never heard, I mean imagine if…honestly, roll on renting our own place! We could have lived in Mum and Dad’s villa, if it hadn’t been for some ongoing problems with the drains. Dirty water sometimes backed up the toilet and occasionally the taps didn’t work.

‘We leave in half an hour for the airport,’ he said. ‘Uncle Christos just rang – he’ll drive us as he has a shift there anyway. You have packed? Don’t forget the pottery flamingo we bought for Olivia and—’

I stood up and saluted him. ‘Yes, officer. Everything is in order.’

His arms slipped around my waist. ‘Mmm, you want me to order you around a little more? How about in bed, tonight, I instruct you to…’

Okay. I can’t divulge what Niko said, but it resulted in a hot flush and the longest of kisses.

Sophia walked in. A smile lit up her heart-shaped face and she placed her hands on her hips.

‘Ayyyy, this place will be quiet without you two youngsters. Now hurry up! It is almost half past seven.’

Niko and I grinned at each other as she left. He ran a hand down my straight hair and brushed a finger across my cheek.

‘Where are your waves and freckles?’ He glanced down me. ‘And I’ve never seen this posh trouser suit before.’

‘I just thought I’d smarten up for London,’ I said brightly and avoided his eye.

‘Mmm, nice – it gives me an extra challenge, to unsmarten you later.’

‘I hope you mean
after
the party and not during.’

Niko groaned. ‘So hard it will be for me, not to undo that gorgeous blue dress you bought in Kos Town, as you mingle with the guests. I shall need a great distraction.’

‘Pandora was amazing – she has great taste and knew all the best shops to visit.’

With a cheeky wink, Niko picked up my coffee cup and drained it. He was in high spirits, despite having flinched when I told him the price of my outfit last night. Typically, he’d spent zero on his, having borrowed a smart suit from his cousin Stefan. Blocking out the last months’ niggles and disagreements about money, I went upstairs to check through my toiletries and clothes. We were only away for one night, but I wanted to make the most of dressing up.

Having zipped up my case, I gazed out of the little bedroom window, down to the patio out the back. An orange blush on the horizon promised a sunny day. A donkey brayed. Next door’s dog barked. A breeze stronger than we’d had all week rattled the outdoor shutter. All the villagers said the simple life suited me; gave me colour; filled out my skinny frame. And sure enough, my executive trousers felt snug.

My chest tightened. I’d just about fit back into my old clothes, but would I fit back into London life and the conversations about finance and the West End? I bit my lip. Well, who cared? Life was real here in Taxos, living amongst people who did things that mattered, like baking bread, rearing farm animals and catching fish. Most of my friends in England had jobs dealing with goods you never physically saw nor touched, like shares and savings plans. I glanced at my suitcase which carried none of my Taxos market clothes and something – again, that bizarre sense of disloyalty to my new life – shifted inside me.

‘Time to go!’ called up Niko. I grabbed my belongings and headed downstairs. I gaped. At half past seven in the morning, with the sun just yawning its way into another day, there was quite a leaving party. Demetrios, Cosmo, Pandora…all of them were waiting, with good wishes, hugs, and pleas to hear all the news when we returned.

‘How sweet of them to come to see us off,’ I said to Niko for the umpteenth time, as we unbuckled our seats on the aeroplane, to disembark. It was almost two o’clock in the afternoon, London time, which left several hours to check into the hotel and get ready, before the party kicked off at seven.

‘These days it is a big thing for one of us to leave the village.’

I glanced sideways as passengers around us collected their belongings. ‘You make Taxos sound as if it is stuck in the fifties! Loads of people from the village have travelled abroad.’

Niko pulled his jumper over his head. ‘Yes, Pandora has been to Italy several times,’ he said in a muffled voice. ‘Cosmo cycled around Europe with friends…’ His head reappeared and he pushed his arms into the pullover. ‘… and my parents visited Paris for their honeymoon. The villagers are seasoned travellers like anyone else but not for the last couple of years, due to the recession.’

‘What about you?’

He shrugged and attempted to smooth down his unruly hair. ‘I’ve seen the Greek mainland. Plus I’ve visited family in Rhodes and Zakynthos with Mama and Papa. But apart from that…’

‘Niko! I knew you’d turned down a trip to Florida, but this is your first time abroad? Your first trip in an aeroplane?’

‘Like I always say, Taxos provides me with everything I need – family, friends, beautiful sights… Visiting other countries is an urge that has never prodded me. You and I had great summers together.’

My chest glowed. ‘Remember the day trip we took to Nisyros, to see the volcano?’

‘We could feel the heat under our feet.’

‘And the dolphin cruise?’

We looked at each other and chuckled. Mum and Dad had booked it as a treat, little knowing the boat would be full of a drunken 18–30 crowd, more interested in pulling the opposite sex than observing fish.

‘And you weren’t scared of flying today?’

‘No. The air holds no fear for me. I am more in awe of the sea that can roar and grow in size without warning. A few puffy clouds and rays of sunshine, pff!’ Niko shuffled back comfortably in his chair as we waited for the aisle to clear. We settled into silence for a few moments, him glancing through the in-flight magazine, me staring out of the window.