“Iris, I mean like, jump down from the truck,” Frankie says, leaning forward towards me with a laugh. “Not jump off a bridge.”“Okay, with how this plan has currently gone,” I say, staring at him with wide eyes, “I think you need to clarify these details, Frank.”He laughs, grinning at me, and then
A slow smile spreads across my mouth. “Cool.”“Very cool,” he says, dipping his head for a moment to press his forehead against mine. “We can do…whatever we want.”“Um,” I say, turning my face away from him to study the street I’ve been too panicked, so far, to observe. “Whatever we want but…where t
“Come on, you sad thing,” Frankie murmurs, petting my head and making me look up at him as I laugh. “Let’s go have a drink by the river.”“I’m not sad!” I protest, laughing still. “Just – overwhelmed and…tired and…it’s so beautiful here and…”“And maybe a little sad?”I shake my head no, still smili
And when I put my wine back down on the table, and lean forward as Frankie is doing, we begin to have a good, long chat about what those next steps should be.We stay in Porto for two nights, getting used to the city and getting some basic supplies. Our money goes further than I thought it would, es
When we get to the top of the hill I grimace a little because… Frankie’s description of the place as “gone a bit to crap” is one hell of an understatement. We stop in front of the gorgeous old villa at the top of the hill, both of us hesitating as we look at the slumped and broken porch, the crumple
“What, you like that idea, ‘Ambi?” he had said, grinning at me, I think seeing a dreamer whose spirit for this sort of work matches his own.“Yes,” I replied, a little breathless, nodding eagerly. “That’s – that’s the sort of place I’ve always dreamed of working.”“Well, you’re a good worker,” he sa
The next morning I wake up in Frankie’s arms, my back pressed to his front, and I bite my lip to hold in my little squeak of happiness. Because absolutely everything about this feels perfectly right – warm, and safe, and correct, and good.And I know – I know that crossing that line with Frankie mak
The workers begin to filter through the large kitchen about half an hour later, claiming their plates and their cups of coffee and tea, each giving Matilde and me warm greetings in whatever language is their native tongue. When Frankie comes for his plate I beam at him, marshalling all the self-cont
A small smile creeps on Leo’s lips. “Yeah, okay,” he says, relaxing back against our chair. “Our secret.” I grin at my baby, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek, because my boy can’t resist a secret.“What’s all this?”I turn to see Christian standing at the open door, peering into the dining
The danger. It’s…it’s far too poignant.My heart breaking, I open a private browsing tab on the web browser and quickly search for Craigslist in both this city and Athens, Greece. As I do my memory goes back to a conversation I had with Frankie, when he told me that this is the best way he knows for
I stand frozen, staring down at the letter as it sits on the little hall desk, my breath coming in fluttery little gasps.The words are very simple.There are vineyards in Greece as well. I’ll take you there.I read it again and again as my heart pounds in my chest, each beat echoing with a mix of h
“You don’t know anything about my life,” I whisper, my voice barely audible, turning my eyes back down to the dishes. “I had no choice.”“You think you’re the only one who suffered?” Lucy whispers. “You think I wanted to be in this position? We were friends once, Iris. We were good to each other. Bu
“Mommyyyy,” Leo says, looking anxiously towards the kitchen door, shifting from foot to floor. “Hurry up! Aunt Bianca says we have to go!”I laugh, glancing down at my little boy, who looks so adorable in the private school uniform he wears to Kindergarten – crisp white shirt, navy blazer, his dark
But…was it? Was it me, missing Chris? Wanting to have yet another piece of him, even if I long denied wanting any ties to my past life?I look down, my heart heavy, not truly understanding what I think or what I feel.“I mean it, Iris,” Chris says, his voice steady and cool. “I’ll be a father to her
My heart sinks as I look Christian in the eyes – because beyond all hope, I had been praying that he hadn’t noticed that Leo is his son. But how could I have been so naïve? Leo looks just like him - dark hair, striking grey-blue eyes. The resemblance is unmistakable. I feel a wave of guilt crashing
“Yes,” he answers, a growl in his voice. “That should suit just fine.”I laugh at the irony in this and shake my head, looking away. “So now you want me to come back, to pretend as if nothing ever happened? You expect me to just accept this, the way things are now?”Christian opens his mouth to resp
Disappointment floods my chest, a sense of disbelief washing over me. “You think I would trust you again after everything? After how you treated me? You expect me to just come back and forget?”His eyes narrow, disappointment etched into his features. “You were faithless. I thought you’d be loyal. I