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‘So, today’s the day, huh?’ said Roxy, smiling. ‘No more procrastinating?’

‘I’ve put it off long enough,’ Shauna agreed. They had come to Ithos for a reason, after all.

After Roxy and Alex had gone, she set about choosing what to wear. How did you dress for a reunion with your first love after two decades? She tried on every outfit she’d brought with her, not to mention four hats and six pairs of sandals.

In frustration, she sat on the side of the bed and caught sight of herself in the mirror. Looking back at her was a thirty-nine-year-old woman. She had no grey hairs and only a few expression lines around her eyes. She was tanned and her body was in good shape. Hell, she looked good. She heard her father’s voice telling her, You look grand as you are, my darling girl.

She grabbed a red gypsy skirt with a split up the side, threw on a see-through cheesecloth shirt over her white vest top. Applying only a touch of lipstick and bronzer, she put on her beloved fedora, grabbed her Birkin bag and headed down the path to the town.

Níko’s taverna didn’t seem to have changed at all. It still had the same blue-and-white awning, the same white tablecloths, the same menus with their list of traditional Greek dishes.

She sat down at a table outside and took off her fedora. There was always a chance she would be recognized, but she was glad she had dressed down although today most people were absorbed in their own affairs, either chatting or eating. Some were just admiring the view.

‘Excuse, me …’ She beckoned to the man who was waiting tables and he came over quickly. He was older, greyer and had more lines, but Shauna recognized Níko.

‘Top of the morning to you,’ she said, accentuating her Irish accent. Níko looked up, a puzzled expression on his face as he studied her, then he cried out, ‘My Irish despoinída!’ He pulled her into a big bear hug, showering her with affectionate kisses. ‘You have returned!’

He shouted for his wife, who came out and greeted her like an old friend too. ‘There is no friend in Ithos like an old friend,’ he said. ‘You are more beautiful than I remember! Please, you must have a delicious meal here at our expense. Grace!’ He motioned to one of the waitresses, but Shauna held her hand up and shook her head. Níko waved the waitress away.

‘It’s so wonderful to see you, Níko, and I’d love nothing better than to stay here all afternoon, but I have come to see someone else, too.’

‘Ah yes, I see. And this other friend is more important than Níko,’ he said kindly. ‘I understand. He will be surprised, no?’

‘Where is he, Níko?’ Shauna asked. Suddenly, after so many nights, so many years, of wondering, of questions going unanswered, she couldn’t bear to wait one minute longer. Níko must have seen this in her eyes. ‘I will call Christian, my son – he will take you to him.’

Níko’s son was a handsome light-haired man who looked like he’d been chiselled out of marble.

‘I work with Demetrios in the boathouse,’ he told her as they pulled away from the jetty in his speedboat.

‘He works in a boathouse? I thought his company had offices in Athens and New York.’

The man shrugged. ‘These last few years he has been spending less and less time there. You will have to ask him.’ He looked at her curiously as he steered the boat through the waves. ‘How do you know Demetrios?’

‘We were friends … a long time ago,’ she said.

‘There is a rumour in Ithos that Demetrios had his heart broken. I don’t suppose you’d know anything about that?’ he asked her.

‘I’m afraid I don’t,’ said Shauna, genuinely puzzled. She was the one who had been banished, whose heart had been broken, not Demetrios.

She realized that the boat was headed towards Fengari Bay, where she and Demetrios had made love for the first time. So this must be where he had his boathouse. Why would he choose Fengari, of all places?

As they rounded the bay, the boathouse came into view. Shauna could see a small boat moored outside and only a handful of bathers further along the beach. The place still felt as secluded at it had always done.

Christian guided the boat alongside the jetty and helped her out. She looked towards the boathouse.

‘He’ll be inside,’ Christian said, regarding her with interest.

Suddenly full of trepidation, Shauna wasn’t sure she wanted to go in there alone. She turned to Christian, who’d made no move to get out of the speedboat. ‘Aren’t you coming in?’

He shook his head. ‘Maybe you old friends don’t need an audience. In fact, I think I’ll just coast along the bay for a little while, then come back for you later.’

He revved the motor and pulled away. Shauna stood there and didn’t move, fiddling anxiously with her thumbs. If Demetrios was inside, why hadn’t he heard the boat and come out to see who it was? The noise from the motor was hard to ignore.

Figuring it was time to grab the bull by the horns, she walked along the timber planks of the jetty, her sandals making little noise. The two bleached wooden doors were wide open and inside she could hear the sound of a tinny radio tuned to the lunchtime news.

As she entered the boathouse, she took in the sailing paraphernalia on the wall, a bookcase full of Penguin classics, tools on every surface. There were a number of boats in various stages of construction. A tarpaulin partially covered a small wooden boat and she could see a man working at one end, his head down as he focused on the task in hand.

She stood there for a moment, not sure of her next step, her heart thumping in her chest. Whether it was the wind ruffling her skirt or some other movement that caught his attention, the man looked up. ‘Can I help you?’