Read Those Summer Nights (Corfu, Greek Island Romance) for Free Online Page A

looking. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.
    Panos stepped out of the airport, through the sliding doors and onto the tiled concrete, the sun sprawling its rays across his face. He drew his sunglasses from his shirt pocket. Slipping them onto his face, he swept a hand back through his dark hair. He was home . He took in a breath, a deep lungful of the air that was so unique here: dust, the scent of pine, fumes from the rank of coaches parked opposite, heat. The sentiment welled up inside him and quickly he hardened his body to it, narrowing his eyes at the mountains like they were a curse. This island was not a part of him anymore. He needed to remember that.
    As Panos made his way over towards the line of taxi-drivers waiting for a fare, his mobile phone began to trill. Picking his case up, he lifted it over the yellow-painted kerb, then dropped it back down before reaching into the pocket of his trousers. He pulled out the phone and checked the display. It was Manilos from his office.
    ‘Dimitriou,’ Panos answered.
    ‘I’ve been trying to contact you for an hour,’ came the frantic response.
    This didn’t sound good. There had been none of Manilos’ usual prelude. No ‘Good afternoon, Mr Dimitriou’, no talking between mouthfuls of lunch.
    ‘I’ve just touched down.’ Panos beckoned a taxi-driver.
    A sound of annoyance at the other end of the line suggested this wasn’t what his employee wanted to hear. Now his interest was piqued.
    ‘You’re really in Corfu?’ Manilos asked.
    Panos’ eyes went back across the road to the grey-panelled airport building, its name in large yellow Greek letters along the front. There were scooters and cars parked up in front of it, workers idling on benches for their break, reps with clipboards waiting for holidaymakers, all seeking the shade of the overhang. ‘Yes, I am really in Corfu.’
    Manilos sighed. ‘Then we have a real problem.’ He paused. ‘The Asp deal has collapsed.’
    It was like someone had thrown a bucket of ice-cold water over him. The beads of perspiration on his back suddenly turned chill. This couldn’t be happening. He closed his eyes and refocussed before opening them again. ‘This had better not be a joke.’
    ‘Would I make a joke about something this big?’
    Panos gritted his teeth. ‘What the hell happened?’
    ‘He changed his mind,’ Manilos said.
    ‘Just like that?’ His tone gave away all the exasperation he felt. He needed to rein it back. He didn’t lose control.
    ‘There has been some local resistance and—’
    ‘Manilos, there is always local resistance. It is par for the course. I spoke with Asp personally about this.’
    ‘I know, but—’
    ‘Have you told him we can send people to deal with situations like this?’
    ‘I have.’
    ‘Did you tell him if he doesn’t go through with this deal there will be no second offer in months or years to come?’
    ‘Of course.’ Manilos sighed. ‘I told him everything.’
    ‘Did you…’ He stopped. He didn’t really want to know any more if the next answer was also a negative.
    ‘I offered him a hundred thousand Euro more,’ Manilos confirmed.
    ‘Shit!’ Panos exclaimed. He kicked the ground, his foot coming off worse than the concrete. He leant back against the metal barrier separating the taxi rank from the coaches waiting for tourists. This was serious. If Asp hadn’t backed down at the offer of extra money the deal really was as good as lost. He needed to make a decision. This deal was huge – a row of properties on Kos, in a prime beachfront location. He’d worked hard for three months putting things in place to ensure the outcome swung his way. And here he was, a plane ride away when things had gone south.
    ‘What do you want me to do?’ Manilos asked down the line.
    What should he do? Panos’ instincts were to head into the airport again and get his private jet to take him to Kos. But Elpida’s voice was in his ear and there was that squirming in his