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fact that if they weren’t creased and dog-eared, he obviously hadn’t read them.
    She smiled when she saw the book at the top of the stack. It was a full-color book about Santorini Greece, one of the most popular islands in Greece. Emma allowed herself to be pulled into the daydream that always seemed to come when gazing at the startling contrast of stark white houses in the craggy hills overlooking the stunning blue of the Aegean Sea.
    What if I lived there? Would I be able to escape?
    Emma opened the book and turned the pages filled with photographs of idyllic days spent on the Mediterranean. Her grandfather had given her the book just before he passed away. She hadn’t looked at it since that day. She wondered why it sat on the shelf in Alan’s office. Something niggled at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t grasp the thought before it slipped away.
    She closed the book with a snap, guilty that she still hadn’t fulfilled her Papous’ wishes. Connie had been right when she said that now was the perfect opportunity. She would have no house to live in soon. She could either go on the hunt to find one, or head to Greece for a while, decide what to do with the little house, and maybe find a new lease on life. She would be fulfilling Papous’ wishes as well as giving herself a much-needed holiday somewhere far from the present life. Maybe Jen would even be willing to come along.
    Emma wasn’t excited about the idea of traveling alone. She’d never done it and even broke out in a sweat at the thought of everything she’d have to cope with in a foreign country. But it would be better than staying here and coping with the divorce. She could deal with it from a distance. It had all been pretty much settled anyway. She hadn’t signed the final paperwork on the divorce agreement, but could do that via fax.
    Emma put the book on the edge of Alan’s desk and sat down in front of the iMac. He had a laptop that he used most of the time. The one at the desk had often been used as the children’s homework computer.
    The browser opened to Google. Emma typed Expedia.com on the slightly sticky keyboard. She did a search for plane tickets to Athens. They were reasonably priced so, before she could think about it, she went to the living room, grabbed her purse and booked three tickets for three weeks away. She made sure they were refundable in case Jen or Brad, or both, didn’t want to go with her. They probably needed a vacation as much as she did. She hoped they would take her up on the offer and maybe they’d find a new relationship together, one that didn’t include their father. If one of them didn’t go, she’d offer the other ticket to Connie.
    Emma pushed back the chair when she was finished with the online purchase, her eyes coming to rest on the book that started what felt a little like madness. Again, that niggling feeling bothered her.
    Why would Alan have put that book in his office?
    He’d known Papous had given it to her in order to tempt her to Greece. Maybe he wanted to impress his guests with his eclectic taste, the book even suggesting he had spent time in Greece. Alan wasn’t a traveler though, and anyone who knew him would know that. Emma couldn’t even remember the last vacation they’d taken as a family or as a couple. She figured it was probably the one where she and the kids had all but forced Alan to drive to Ottawa, protesting all the way. Jen, who’d always been the best at debating, had come up with the argument that Ottawa was where the Parliament buildings were and they wouldn’t be good Canadians if they didn’t visit at least once.
    Alan had finally agreed and they’d all had a surprisingly good time. After the first few hours of grumbling, he’d started to enjoy himself. Emma hadn’t remarked on it, not wanting to draw his attention to it, but she’d been happy for the week they’d toured.  
    She’d hoped it would be the beginning of a family tradition of going for holidays