He went through to the laundry where he kept his wetsuit and they heard the outer door shut. Keely sat down again. She couldn’t imagine wanting to go out into the ocean on such a cold morning. In the silence, she heard the old Volvo come to life and drive away.

Flynn’s cutlery clattered on his plate and Keely jumped.

“Bloody hell, he infuriates me so much.” He stood up and looked out of the glass, his hands on his hips. “It’s like trying to pin down the wind.”

Keely got the impression his last sentence was said more to himself. She had become invisible again.

* * *

“It’s a disaster.”

Kat stood with her back to the window as Pappou paced the room.

Her uncle Tony sat in one of the big leather chairs. “I said we should have insured.” His voice was little more than a murmur.

“We are insured,” Pappou snapped.

“But not against hail damage, Baba. We’ve talked about it but you said it never happened here and you wanted every cent that River Dynasty brought in used to set up Ocean Dynasty.”

“Don’t tell me what I want.” Pappou stopped pacing and thumped the desk with his fist. “What I want is for the chardonnay vines to be blossoming with new shoots instead of tattered shreds, shrivelling and dying.”

“It might not be so bad. It might only be a setback,” Tony said.

“A setback! While you were warm in your bed, I was watching our wine harvest being destroyed. It was like a white Christmas out there.” Pappou jabbed his finger towards the window. Kat could see the veins on his forehead standing out. He was so wound up, he didn’t even notice her. She was worried he’d burst.

“Theo, stop that shouting in my house.” Yia-yia came through the door carrying a tray piled with cups and the coffee pot. Kat made a space for her on the large wooden desk. “No one can help the weather. Not Tony and certainly not you. Calm down and have a coffee.”

“This is my office and I didn’t say we wanted coffee.”

“Well, if you don’t want it I’m sure Katerina and Tony would like a cup.”

Yia-yia began to pour and Kat held her breath as she watched Pappou struggle to control his temper. She took a cup from Yia-yia and passed it to Tony.

“Please, Pappou. Sit down and have a coffee.” She smiled at him.

“Bah! I am getting too old for this.” He took the coffee Kat offered and sat behind his desk. “Four million dollars just like that.”

“Surely not that much, Theo,” Yia-yia said.

“You do the cooking, I grow the grapes.” He swivelled his chair towards the window. “I know how much they are worth.”