‘Sure! It’s an open invitation to all of you. You get yourselves to Cali, and we’ll gladly put you up.’ I immediately started thinking about when I could go. I love California, and I always like to have travel plans in the pipeline, especially when I’m on a trip. Why not have the next one to look forward to? Wasn’t that the best way to avoid the post-travel blues?

‘I’m there!’ replied Josh. He looked euphoric.

Maybe Josh and I could go to California together. Or maybe I had lost my frigging mind.

As I gathered up my things, I saw Marie and Gary exchange a kiss and look at each other lovingly. I supposed it would be nice to have what they had, but I had done more damage to myself than good in search of it. I was better off staying clear of the whole love thing – and the whole lust thing. When I climbed back onto the scooter, I left my hands out of Josh’s pockets and instead held on to the handles on the sides of the scooter. I needed to keep my distance from the sexy American boy.

Chapter Seven

Only minutes after we left the beach and ascended again into the hills of Naxos, the heavens opened. It didn’t take long for the plummeting rain to seep into every nook and cranny of my clothes, especially the crannies. I couldn’t have been wetter if I’d stood under a shower fully dressed. It was a good thing I wasn’t wearing my watch that day, because it would have been ruined.

Duncan didn’t stop riding, though, so we kept following. I hoped for a bus shelter or something to appear ahead of us on the side of the road, but there was nothing. Miles and miles of road, but no shelter. Despite my vow to stop flirting with the cute American, my hands were planted firmly in his pockets to stay warm. The rain was not only hard and fast, in complete contrast to the hot sun we’d enjoyed up until then, it was also freezing. I could feel my lips turning blue.

After a million years, Duncan pulled his scooter over to the side of the road and parked up. We all did the same. ‘This is the town where we’ll eat lunch,’ he called out over the driving rain. But there was no town. There was just road and at the side of the road, seven very wet people. He must have seen the confusion on our faces, because he pointed behind him. ‘It’s down there!’