it looking genuine.
I loved Jose, but I hadn’t given him the tea I’d made Dee and Martín. Jose would remember everything that happened. He’d remember River Caliban. He’d remember watching the tsunami hit. His house had been flooded by its remnants, after all. I gave Dee and Martín a hug and kiss goodbye, promising them I’d see them at the ceremony tomorrow and walked up the cobblestoned street and looked at the address in my hand. To my surprise, the address wasn’t too far away from Venetsanos Winery, which was where I’d just had lunch with Martín and Dee. Still, I climbed on my Vespa and drove the rest of the way, blinking away the sand that hit my eyes as I drove. It was pretty secluded, as far as houses in Santorini went. I stopped in front of the gate and pushed the button to ring the bell.
“Hello?” It was a female voice.
“Hi, I’m Penelope Guzman. I’m here to take pictures of the property.”
The gates opened in front of me before I even finished my sentence and I drove in slowly, stopping just past the gates and getting down to take pictures of the lot. There was a huge circle in the middle that looked like a helicopter landing pad. To the right, there was a covered area for cars, and way ahead, there was a blindingly white house. It was similar to most of the houses here, whitest of whites overlooking the bluest of blue water. A woman with long, dark brown hair stepped out of the house and waved at me. I hopped back on the Vespa and drove it to the carport, parking it beside a small white BMW.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” I said, rushing to take the helmet off and hang it from the handle.
“It’s no problem at all,” she said, smiling as she shook my hand. “I’m Berenice.”
“Penelope. As you know.” I smiled back. “This place is beautiful. Secluded but beautiful.”
“Very secluded. The owner owns the lots on either side of it as well, so they will probably remain empty.” She glanced at me. “You won’t have to include that in the listing though.”
“Since they’re not selling the lots you mean?”
“No, since the listing is only for vacation rentals.”
“Oh.” I nodded. “I didn’t know that.”
“Definitely include the helipad.”
I laughed. “I did.”
“Please, come on inside.” She moved out of the way and let me start taking pictures, glancing at her watch.
“I am really so sorry I’m late,” I said again, realizing I probably messed up her entire itinerary for the day. “My friends are getting married here and it’s been hectic.”
“It’s really no problem,” she assured me. “I may have to step out to take a phone call with my son’s teacher, but aside from that, this is the only thing on my schedule today.” She smiled. “It’s my anniversary.”
“Aw, that’s nice.” I moved on to the dining room and tried not to gasp at the view coming from the large windows at the end of the room. I glanced at her after snapping a few pictures. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to taking pictures of new houses. This is beautiful.”
“Very luxurious, right?”
“Very.”
“This is the master bedroom, you’ll find a door that leads to the backyard there.” She held up her phone, which was obviously ringing. “I’m sorry, but I need to step out to take this.”
“It’s not a big deal. I can show myself around.” I smiled as I watched her go before going into the master bedroom, bathroom, closet, and finally, looking out into the yard.
Jesus.
I took a breath as I stepped outside. There was a pool, a large sitting area and an outdoor kitchen, and a long ledge that held another sitting area, which had been perfectly staged for pictures, with a small table and two chairs. I walked around, snapping photos, in awe of it before lowering my camera to take in the view in front of the ocean and other islands in front of me. I closed my eyes and inhaled, feeling the stillness for a moment.
“I’ve been waiting for you.”
The voice came from behind me and made my eyes pop open. I turned around slowly, half anticipating this to be a dream, or a figment of my imagination. When I turned fully, I saw him, my heart hammering as I took him in. He was wearing brown loafers, blue chinos, and a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the top couple of buttons undone. His hair