Page 139 of The Best Thing He Never Wanted

She says she officially approves of Crete now.

He stared at the message for a moment before adding one more line.

Wish I could’ve given her the good stuff.

Then he hit Send.

~ ~ ~

On her walk on Sunday morning, Bea stood for far too long at the point on the lane where she could see the sea. And she really could see it today. It was a beautiful blue-sky morning, and the thin blue line sparkled in the sun. She smiled sadly. Blane might have been right about it still being there even when she couldn’t see it, but it made her so much happier when she could.

She closed her eyes briefly at the thought that perhaps she might never see him again, then forced a smile and continued on her way. This little life she was building for herself in Crete was turning out to be everything she’d wanted. It was simply unfortunate that she hadn’t known, when she’d chosen it, that she wanted more. That apparently, she also wanted a large, formidable-looking American in it.

She didn’t go all the way down to the bakery this morning. She was trying not to buy baklava quite so often, and besides, she wanted to get going early. She was determined to make it to the shelter today. She frowned as she passed the shepherd’s hut. She was still a little unsettled by what the lawyer had told her. It wasn’t exactly a boundary dispute. Apparently, a man had come forward claiming that the parcel the shepherd’s hut stood on should never have been included in the sale of the property.

Her lawyer had been quite emphatic. The title had been checked, the land and its boundaries were clearly included in the registered documents, and the sale was complete. Legally, there was no question that the hut and the land beneath it belonged to Bea. But she still didn’t like it. Perhaps that was silly. The lawyer certainly didn’t seem concerned. But after nearly sixty years of living in homes that had somehow never felt entirely hers, she’d finally begun to feel that this one was. For the first time in her life, she wasn’t living in Simon’s house or her parents’. She had her very own home. And now, barely a month after she’d arrived, some unknown man was laying claim to a piece of it.

When she got back to the house, she was thrilled to see a message from Blane waiting for her. They didn’t message every day, but she loved it whenever something came in from him.

Blane: Hey, darlin’. Had dinner with Brooke tonight. We finally talked about some stuff we should’ve talked about years ago. Found some baklava in town and brought her some. She loved it. Says she officially approves of Crete now. Wish I could’ve given her the good stuff.

That warm feeling settled somewhere deep beneath Bea’s ribs. She was glad for him that he’d been able to talk with his sister. She knew how heavily it had weighed on him that he hadn’t gone home to raise Brooke after their parents died, and she hoped whatever they’d said to each other had brought them both a little peace.

She started to write a reply, then hesitated. Perhaps she should wait until she got home later. She’d have more to tell him then. But she couldn’t resist.

Bea: Hello, darling. I’ll find a way to post some to you—as long as you promise to share with her.

She hit send and waited, but nothing came back. When the screen eventually went dark in her hand, she set the phone down. There was no reason he should answer immediately. He had a life happening six thousand miles away from hers, just as she had one happening here. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t wish, occasionally, that the two were rather closer together.

She gathered her things and picked up her keys. The little bee swung from its chain as she locked the front door and checked it twice.

Her lovely new little car was wonderful. She loved driving it, and she was starting to feel quite confident now. She’d buzzed down to Plakias the other day for candles, had been into the village several times, and it was so easy to park that she was beginning to wonder why Blane had made such a fuss about its size.

Today, on her way to the shelter, she slipped easily through the little gap between two parked cars and smiled at the memory of Blane muttering to himself in exactly the same spot while they’d waited for three rental cars full of tourists to squeeze through in the opposite direction. There were, she thought smugly, advantages to owning a car you could see all the corners of.

At the shelter, Sabine greeted her with a smile. “Glad you could come. Was everything all right the other day?”

“Oh yes, everything was fine. I’m sorry I didn’t make it. I’m still getting settled in, and there was some paperwork left over from the purchase of the house that needed sorting out.”

“I’m glad you’re here now.” Sabine glanced toward the parking area. “Will your friend be coming?”

Bea tried not to let the sadness show on her face. “No, I’m afraid not.”

Sabine looked almost as disappointed as Bea felt. “I thought he might cheer up Sifis.”

“Oh!” Bea smiled as she remembered the little dog who’d taken such a shine to Blane. “Is he still here, then?”

“He is. It is hard to find homes for the dogs here, and when people come to visit, Sifis is not friendly.”

“Poor little thing. I imagine he’s lonely.”

Sabine nodded. “Did you like him?”

“I did. I don’t know that he was all that keen on me, but at least we had something in common.”

She made herself stop there. There was absolutely no reason whatsoever to explain to Sabine that Sifis had apparently fallen quite hopelessly in love with Blane, and Bea understood the poor little creature’s predicament rather better than she cared to admit.

“You want to come see him?” Sabine asked.