Clara's Greek Adventure

by Lacey London

  Pointing at the villa, he passes me the papers and I give them a fleeting glance.

  ‘With the right connections and investments, just imagine what our life could be like. Clara, we could have it all...’

  ‘That’s the difference between you and me. I’m perfectly happy with my life as it is.’ I say breezily, failing to see the lure of taking on yet more work. ‘Our dream was Suave and our dream came true.’

  Not wanting to get dragged into the disagreement, Gina and Lianna grab a couple of croissants from the breakfast tray and disappear into the building.

  ‘Suave was our original dream.’ Marc corrects, tapping his pen on the table. ‘But our future could be even better. Our future could be bigger than Suave. I’ve been speaking to Stelios and he’s been giving me all these tips. If we follow his lead, we could be just as happy as he is…’

  ‘Happy?’ I interject, unable to resist the laugh that tumbles out of my mouth. ‘You really think all of this makes Stelios happy?’

  ‘Of course, he’s bloody happy! The guy is a billionaire!’ Looking at me like I’ve lost my mind, Marc shakes his head. ‘How could he not be happy?’

  Realising nothing I say is going to change his mind, I simply nod back at him and push myself up.

  ‘You do what you need to do, Marc, but Suave is enough for me.’ I say sadly, handing him back the notepad. ‘Just remember that you can’t buy happiness. All that glitters is not gold…’

  * * *

  Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I stop in the centre of the bustling room and admire my reflection. Earlier, Janie’s prized hair and makeup team spent a good two hours preening me to perfection and the results are astonishing, to say the least. Gone are the tired bags under my eyes, gone are the frown lines that had set up home on my forehead and gone are the frizzy curls that framed them. In their place is a glowing complexion and skin that appears completely flawless. My once wild hair has been tamed into a beautiful chignon at the nape of my neck, finishing the polished look perfectly.

  Smoothing down my lace cocktail dress, I clutch my glass and weave through the buzzing crowd. The Ice Party has been in full swing for around an hour now and things are starting to heat up. Hordes of paparazzi are gathered outside, the red carpet is flooded with posing partygoers and clusters of superstars are trying to remain inconspicuous as they sip their Champagne.

  A few blotto businessmen laugh loudly in the dining room and I give them a cursory glance. Noticing Marc is with them, I shake my head and slip into the lively sea of people. Marc is one of the most stubborn people I know. I can tell him once or I can tell him a thousand times, but the outcome will still be the same. Once he has made his mind up about something, absolutely nothing will convince him otherwise.

  Ignoring the heaviness in my chest, I force a smile and continue to work my way through the mob. A DJ is playing house music from a slick deck in the entrance hall, providing the perfect soundtrack to the exclusive party. After everything I had heard about Stelios’s parties, I must admit to being slightly underwhelmed. Yes, the decorations are breathtaking, the music is amazing, the Champagne is flowing freely and some of the most famous people in the world are in attendance, but it all feels so hollow. It feels so false and void of all sentiment. All the ingredients needed to create the ultimate party are in place, but something is missing.

  Waving at Aris as he whizzes past with a tray of drinks, I step into the dining room and stop when I spot Oliver and Stelios on the terrace. Both facing out to sea, they use their hands animatedly as they talk to one another. I can only see their backs, but something tells me there is an amicable air around them. They are finally communicating and that is a million steps in the right direction. Deciding not to disturb them, I scour the dining room for any signs of Janie.

  With Stelios being predisposed with Oliver, she has to be around here somewhere. Squeezing through the mass of gyrating people, I accept a fresh flute of fizz from a passing waitress. The room is pulsing with people, making it almost impossible to spot my friends in the middle of the dance floor.

  Raising my hand, I sway my shoulders in time to the music as they clock me through the crowd.

  ‘Clara!’ Lianna yells above the pulsing music. ‘Clara!’

  Judging by the tipsy smiles on their faces, I’m guessing they’re already a good few drinks ahead of me.

  ‘Where have you been?’ Gina asks, dancing around the ice sculpture with an enthusiastic party guest. ‘You’ve been gone for ages!’

  ‘I was just having a look around.’ Positioning my back against the wall as to not get dragged into her energetic dance routine, I move aside as Vernon stops for a sip of his drink.

  ‘It’s amazing, ain’t it?’ He says excitedly, twisting his dreadlocks into a ponytail. ‘Have you seen Bey and Jay?’

  ‘Yes!’ I lie, leaning to the left to check that Oliver is still with Stelios. ‘Life made!’

  Obviously deciding he’s had the break he needed, Vernon takes Lianna by the hand and leads her to the centre of the dance floor before spinning her around. Snapping a photograph of them on my phone, I smile as another reveller joins me by the wall.

  ‘They’re certainly going for it!’ He chuckles, pointing at Gina as she and her new-found partner dance up a storm.

  ‘I know!’ I laugh along as Gina teaches her friend the Macarena and clap my hands in time to the music.

  Quickly picking it up, he copies her moves and holds out his arms in front of him. Resisting the urge to join in, I look over at my neighbouring guest as he inhales sharply and points to Gina’s outstretched arm.

  ‘What is it?’ I ask, following his gaze to Gina’s new tattoo.

  Not responding with anything more than an embarrassed giggle, he laughs into the sleeve of his shirt before composing himself

  ‘Do you speak Greek?’ His voice is barely audible over the loud music, but I immediately know I’m not going to like what he has to say next.

  Shaking my head in response, I turn my back to Gina.

  ‘So, you don’t know what that says?’ My new friend laughs once more and I start to feel a little annoyed.

  ‘She thinks it says no regrets.’ I reply slowly, smiling as Lianna catches my eye. ‘Why, what does it say?’

  Cupping his hand around his mouth, he whispers into my ear and I hold on to the wall to steady himself.

  ‘It says what?’ I squeal, unable to hide my horror.

  Clearing his throat, he looks over his shoulder to ensure no one is listening. ‘I said, it says…’

  ‘I heard you the first time!’ I hiss, not quite believing what I’ve just heard. ‘I was giving you a chance to tell me you were joking!’

  ‘Totally not joking!’ Chuckling to himself, he steals another glance at Gina’s wrist as she twerks to a crowd of cheering people. ‘Believe me, there’s nothing funny about that.’

  ‘Then why are you laughing?’ I fire back, taking a much-needed gulp from my glass. ‘This is awful!’

  Nodding back at me, my new friend finishes his drink and grabs another from the pop-up bar behind us.

  ‘Don’t panic.’ He says reassuringly. ‘There’s a laser removal place on the island. I actually have their card, if you want me to…’

  Shooing him away, I watch him disappear into the crowd as my pulse races. I knew those dreaded tattoos were a bad idea. I bloody knew it! Suddenly remembering that both Lianna and Janie have the same foul-mouthed inking, I laugh in despair and hold my head in my hands.

  ‘What is it?’ Lianna asks, dragging Vernon my way and reaching for my glass. ‘You look like you’ve seen a ghost. What did that guy say to you?’

  My eyes flit down to Lianna’s tattoo and I debate telling her the truth about her cherished new inking.

  ‘Spit it out!’ She presses, resting her hand on her hip. ‘We’re missing vital dancing time!’

  The bass from the music thuds in my ears as Lianna stares at me expectantly.

  Sometimes in life, yo
u are presented with two choices and more often than not, ignorance is the best one.

  ‘Nothing.’ I reply with a grin, taking Lianna’s hand and pulling her back onto the dance floor. ‘Nothing at all…’

  Chapter 16

  Wiping mascara rings from under my eyes, I accept a spritz of perfume from the bathroom attendant and slip back into the party. The balls of my feet are aching from dancing, but the vast amount of fizz that’s rolling around in my stomach is making me believe I can take on the world regardless. I haven’t seen Oliver since I left him on the balcony with Stelios earlier, but that was hours ago and I’m becoming slightly concerned they might have thrown each other overboard.

  Pausing to check I have fastened my handbag, I catch a glimpse of Janie in a grand room on the other side of the corridor. Slowly making my way across the lobby, I knock firmly on the open door and wait for a reply. Not getting an answer, I push my way inside and walk over to where she is sitting.

  ‘Hey!’ I say joyfully, placing a hand on her back as I come to a stop behind her. ‘Why are you hiding in here?’

  Swaying my hips in time to the music, I dance around the ornate dressing table and stop abruptly when I discover she’s crying.

  ‘Janie!’ I exclaim. ‘What is it? What’s wrong?’

  Dabbing at her cheeks with a scarlet handkerchief, Janie turns to face the mirror and sniffs loudly.

  ‘I’m sorry, Clara.’ She begins, her voice breaking. ‘I was actually just coming to find you…’

  My stomach drops as I slowly take a seat opposite her, preparing myself for what she is going to say next. Her usually overly-contoured face is wrought with pain, showing a hint of the woman she’s so desperate to hide behind a mask of Botox and fillers. A pool of tears has created a damp patch on the hem of her blouse, indicating that she’s been crying for quite some time.

  ‘What is it?’ I whisper. ‘Janie, you’re scaring me.’

  Looking at her own reflection expressionlessly, she takes a deep breath before speaking.

  ‘Before you guys came out here, I made a deal with Stelios.’ Janie begins quietly, trying desperately hard to keep her voice steady. ‘The deal was, if Oliver couldn’t accept him, we would pull the plug on our relationship.’

  Looking down at my lap, I feel my heart become physically heavier with each word that she says.

  ‘It’s never been about the Ice Party. The Ice Party was just a ruse to get you here.’ She admits. ‘Everything was riding on this vacation, Clara. Everything. That’s why Stelios has gone above and beyond at every opportunity, making himself look like a crazy person. He’s tried everything he can think of to get Oliver’s approval. Even after I told him about our talk regarding the gifts, he still persisted with it in the hope that maybe, just maybe, he could make it work.’ Pausing for breath, Janie looks down at the tattoo on her ankle. ‘The poor guy’s been a bag of nerves all week. He won’t eat, he hasn’t slept. He’s tried everything to win Oliver over, but it just isn’t going to happen.’

  Staring back at her, I’m hit with an all-encompassing sense of guilt for questioning Stelios’s wacky behaviour. It all makes sense now. Stelios wasn’t playing some kind of underhand game with us. His actions have been those of a desperate man. A man who is frantically trying to hold on to his relationship. This was him going all in. He placed all his chips on the final roll of the dice and I’ve judged him for it without giving him the chance to reveal the motivation behind it. I feel… well, I feel bloody awful.

  ‘Stelios and I agreed if we didn’t have Oliver’s blessing by the end of these five days, I would fly home with you and we would draw a line beneath the last twelve months…’

  ‘No!’ I cry, shaking my head. ‘You and Stelios are great together.’

  Janie laughs and hangs her head sadly as yet another tear slips down her cheek.

  ‘Every night, Stelios tells me how lucky he feels to have me in his life. He’s a poker player, so he doesn’t let many people see his emotional side, but once he lets you in, you discover he is the most wonderful man. These last twelve months have made me happier than I have ever been in my life. It has taken me many, many years to feel this way, but I don’t want it at the expense of my relationship with my son.’

  ‘You wouldn’t ever lose Oliver…’ I protest, as the music changes track.

  ‘I’m already losing him!’ Wiping her cheeks, Janie sobs into the handkerchief. ‘I can feel him slipping further and further away from me and I won’t stand for it! I’ve lost everything I’ve ever cared about, but I will be damned if I lose him, too.’

  Sadness overcomes me as I look at my mother-in-law and try to break the awful spell that has fallen over us.

  ‘I don’t know what to say.’ I mumble, not being able to look her in the eye. ‘I really don’t.’

  ‘Then don’t say anything.’ Janie replies dejectedly, her voice lower than I have ever heard it before. ‘There’s nothing anyone can do now. Just go. Go and enjoy what is left of the party.’

  ‘Janie…’

  ‘Just go, Clara…’

  Reluctantly standing up, I walk across the room and pause when I reach the door. Giving her a final look over my shoulder, I wait to see if she turns around before stepping back into the party.

  I can feel the music pulsating through my body as I weave through the blanket of dancers and make my way to the balcony, where I left Oliver and Stelios earlier.

  Dodging an inflatable flamingo, I carefully walk around the deserted pool. Various objects bob along the surface of the water, along with what appears to be a very sparkly dress and matching bra. Choosing to ignore the discarded clothing, I wander across the now-empty balcony and sigh in frustration.

  The party is still in full swing, but due to the slight drop in temperature most of the guests have gravitated indoors. Taking a moment to enjoy the quiet, I lean over the balustrade and look up at the many stars that are illuminating the black sky. Janie’s words buzz around my mind as I allow my eyes to close. Mykonos is such a beautiful island, but within the walls of this building there is so much sadness. I didn’t see it before, but now it is impossible to ignore. The walls reek of desperation and the smiles seem to be hiding a whole world of fakery.

  What first looked like a fairy tale ending for Janie has become a terribly sad romcom. She hasn’t been living a life of luxury out here, she’s been worrying about it coming crashing down around her. She’s simply been taking it one day at a time, searching for a way to keep both of the men in her life happy and failing miserably.

  ‘What are you doing out here all alone?’ A familiar voice asks.

  Turning around, I smile as I see Oliver waving from the other side of the pool. With a beer in his hand and a grin on his face, he looks like the rest of the partygoers that are milling around the villa, but little does he know his mother is breaking her heart just a few feet away.

  ‘What’s with the long face?’ He asks, obviously seeing past my fake smile as he comes to a stop beside me.

  ‘It’s…’

  Before I can reply, a couple of drunk guests spill out onto the balcony and dive into the pool.

  ‘It’s… it’s Gina’s tattoo.’ I lie, shrugging my shoulders and looking away.

  ‘Oh…’ Giving the rowdy swimmers a bewildered frown, he raises his eyebrows as they start to sing along to the music. ‘What about the tattoo?’

  Ushering me into a quieter corner of the balcony, Oliver points to a secluded bench.

  ‘Well, it doesn’t quite say what she thought it said, put it that way.’ I whisper, taking a seat and turning my back to the breeze. ‘You don’t want to know the rest.’

  ‘You can’t leave me hanging like that! What does it say?’ His eyes crinkle into a smile as he raises his beer bottle to his lips. ‘It can’t be that bad.’

  Pulling him towards me, I whisper into his ear and lean back to see his reaction.

  ‘You’re kidding, right?’ He stammers, his eyes widening with shock. ‘Th
at’s hilarious! How? How do you know that?’

  ‘A very appalled party guest took great pleasure in telling me so.’ I reveal, watching the swimmers take turns in bombing into the water. ‘I haven’t told Gina. I’m of the firm opinion that what they don’t know can’t hurt them…’

  ‘Wait a minute!’ Oliver raises his hand to silence me and places his beer by his feet. ‘Didn’t my mom get the same tattoo?’

  ‘And Li.’ Having a flashback to the tattoo studio, I shake my head and giggle. ‘All three of them. Stupid is as stupid does.’

  ‘You mean… you mean… my mom has a tattoo that says…’

  ‘Yes, she does and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.’ Nodding in response, I take the mention of Janie as the opportunity to bring up the elephant in the room.

  ‘So, I saw you talking to Stelios before.’ I begin, tucking a stray curl behind my ear. ‘You seemed to be having a pretty deep conversation.’

  ‘We were.’ He confirms, peeling the label off his bottle and screwing it up.

  ‘That’s great!’ Feeling a wave of hope wash over me, I sit up straight and smile. ‘Tell me! What were you talking about?’

  ‘Cars.’ He says matter-of-factly. ‘Lamborghinis, to be precise.’

  A little stumped at his response, I wait for him to elaborate and frown when he doesn’t.

  While I was hoping for them to be having a momentous conversation about the meaning of life, the pair of them were speaking about nothing more than damn cars. They have four wheels and a horn. What else is there to possibly talk about?

  ‘Did you manage to find some common ground with him?’ I ask hopefully, crossing my fingers while I await his response.

  ‘If you mean, do we both like fast cars, then yes.’ Keeping his eyes fixed on mine, he smiles back at me.

  ‘That’s fantastic!’ I exclaim, clasping my hands together with joy. ‘I’m so happy to hear that.’