Best Summer Ever

Chapter 13

The following morning, I was still feeling rather riled with Algy for bringing the garden up again and as a result, my parents were perhaps undeservedly out of favour too, but there was no avoiding them as we were all living under the same roof.

During breakfast, I was smiling over a rather sexy message Josh had sent my mobile, when I looked up and caught both Mum and Dad staring at me over the top of their matching plates of boiled eggs and precisely cut soldiers.

‘What’s up?’ I frowned, as I put the phone down on the table, screen side down for modesty’s sake. ‘What have I done now?’

‘Who said you’ve done anything,’ Mum tutted. ‘No one’s said a word.’

‘I’m sorry I was on my phone,’ I apologised rather sulkily, remembering too late that devices were banished during mealtimes.

I picked my phone up again and lent over to put it on the dresser, hating the fact that moving back into the cottage had turned me into a terrible teenager, especially given that my later teen years had been far from happy. Cue more thoughts about the garden.

Though, I supposed in many ways, my current situation, working at a summer job and indulging in a fling and sunny days on the beach, was actually a teen dream holiday, wasn’t it? My return to the fold had enabled me to literally turn back time and rewind an entire decade. If only I could conveniently jump about further in my past and avoid ever meeting Laurence, either at university or after, that would have been perfect…

‘Well,’ I sighed, ‘I can tell there’s something.’

I’d rather bicker with Mum and Dad over my breakfast than think about my ex or the opportunity I’d been goaded into giving up ahead of applying to university.

‘We were just wondering…’ Mum finally began, but the sentence fizzled out practically as soon as she had started forming it.

‘We heard a rumour,’ said Dad, picking up the baton Mum had dropped.

‘A rumour?’ I grimaced. ‘What, like local village gossip, you mean? Because I thought we didn’t listen to that.’

‘Oh, for pity’s sake,’ Mum said loudly, making me jump. ‘Just tell us, Daisy.’

‘Tell you what?’

‘Are you seeing someone? Have you taken up with some tourist in the village?’

I wanted to laugh at her archaic way of putting it, but could sense that it wouldn’t be in any way helpful in smoothing over what was clearly a sensitive subject. For them, at least.

‘And don’t be pedantic about it,’ insisted Dad.

‘In that case, yes, I’m seeing someone,’ I said succinctly. ‘I have definitely taken up with a tourist in the village.’

Dad’s shoulders sagged.

‘Are you sure that’s a good idea?’ Mum frowned.

The evidence now on my phone, and stored up in my memory bank of my bedroom antics over the last few days, thought it was a wonderful idea.

‘What do you mean?’ I asked innocently.

‘We just don’t want you to get hurt,’ said Dad. ‘More hurt than you already must be,’ he further added.

He sounded so genuinely concerned that, had I not again been feeling the sting of what his words, actions and manipulation had put paid to when I left school, then I might have felt enough compassion to reassure him, but as it was, I stuck to the facts.

‘I appreciate that,’ I told him, ‘but that’s not going to happen. The American tourist I’m… dating, is going to be in Wynmouth just for the summer. He’s single, as am I, and we’re… keeping each other company until such time as he has to leave or I do. Whichever comes first. There’s no ambiguity. We both know what we’re doing.’

‘I see,’ Dad said.

‘Spending time with him isn’t interfering with my work,’ I carried on, ‘and I don’t think you need to know more than that. I’m not a child.’

Mum still hadn’t said a word, but I could tell that my idea about how I should be spending the summer differed vastly from hers. I daresay she and Dad were also both thinking that the fact that I was already seeing someone else really was the death knell for mine and Laurence’s relationship. Zero chance of rekindling now. Hooray!

‘So, if you message to tell us that you’re having a night away,’ Dad nonetheless further probed, ‘you’ll be with this American, not Penny.’

‘I’ll most likely be with him, yes,’ I confirmed. ‘Though sometimes I might be with Penny, who, by the way, thinks the guy is absolutely lovely. And Nick likes him too.’

That stopped Dad in his tracks. He thought highly of Nick’s opinions.

‘So,’ Mum finally said, breaking her silence, ‘they’ve both met him, have they?’

‘Yes,’ I said, ‘we were all at board-game night together in the pub and he helped me out at the café, lugging all the orders Penny had delivered on Tuesday, while she was still finishing up the term at school.’

‘That was nice of him,’ Mum said tentatively.

‘He is nice, Mum,’ I said, wanting her to know that even though Josh was only going to be a temporary fixture, he was a wonderful one. ‘Really nice.’

‘Oh, well,’ said Dad, sounding resigned. ‘I suppose that’s that then.’

I didn’t ask him to clarify what he meant by that because I knew. If I gave Dad the slightest opportunity, he’d bring the conversation around to include Laurence. I’d only just stopped holding my breath that it might be him responding to Dad’s call every time I heard the cottage phone ring, which happened a surprising number of times, in the brief hours I was at home, and I didn’t want to poke the hornet’s nest further.

‘I’d best get off,’ Dad sighed. ‘Every day I feel like I’m getting further behind.’

It was on the tip of my tongue to blurt out that ultimately, he only had himself to blame for that but again, acting in favour of family harmony, I kept my lips zipped.

‘Yes,’ said Mum, taking a final bite of her toast, ‘me too.’

She began to pile the plates together.

‘Leave all of that,’ I told her. ‘I’m not going into the village until later so I can do it.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Absolutely,’ I said, immediately getting on with it.

I had promised to help out around the house when I first arrived back at Wynbrook, so it was the least I could do.

‘Are we likely to get to meet this tourist then?’ Mum asked. She didn’t use Josh’s name because I hadn’t supplied it. Given the efficiency of the village gossip I was sure both she and Dad most likely knew it anyway. ‘He could come for supper one evening.’

‘Well,’ I said, unable to picture the scene, but feeling both surprised and grateful that she’d suggested it, ‘we’ll see. We’re only just getting to know each other, but I can tell you, he absolutely loves Wynbrook strawberries.’

‘Does he?’ said Dad, sounding thrilled as he pulled on his work boots.

Any compliment to the estate earned a big tick as far as he was concerned.

‘You’ll have to show him the beach hut,’ he then suggested, which was as much of a seal of approval as anyone was ever likely to get.

I didn’t tell him that I already had or how relieved I was that their idea of me rekindling my romance with Laurence was now finally dead in the water.

‘Were your ears burning this morning?’ I asked Josh as we spread a blanket out on the sand in front of the beach hut later that day.

‘No,’ he said. ‘Not as I recall.’

‘That’s all right then,’ I laughed. ‘I wasn’t sure if you’d know what that meant.’

‘Oh, I do.’ He nodded. ‘I’m familiar with the expression. And why would they be?’

‘Because you were the hot topic at breakfast,’ I told him, flipping open the top of my factor fifty sunscreen and covering my arms in a thick layer.

‘With your parents?’ he asked, wide-eyed.

‘Yep.’ I nodded, rubbing the cream in.

‘What did you tell them?’ he asked.

There was something about his tone that made me look at him. He appeared aghast.

‘Don’t look so worried,’ I nudged. ‘I gave them the bare minimum. You know, country of origin, potential longevity of relationship. Oh, and that you’re a ten in bed.’

He laughed at that and looked relieved.

‘They’re not expecting you to put a ring on my finger,’ I teased, passing him the bottle, ‘if that’s what you were worried about.’

He rolled his eyes.

‘Idiot,’ he tutted.

‘But while we’re on the topic,’ I asked interestedly, ‘what are your views on marriage?’

‘I would need to know the size of your dowry before I got into a conversation about that,’ he teased me back.

‘Fair enough,’ I said, turning over. ‘Will you do my back, please? It’s hot already, isn’t it?’

‘Scorching,’ he said, making me turn even hotter once his hands got to work.

We walked up to the Sunshine Café for lunch and found Penny feeling hot too. All of the outside tables were full and there looked to be uncleared crockery and cutlery from previous customers littering most of them.

‘Oh, crikey,’ said Josh, when he opened the door to let me in ahead of him. ‘I think we’re going to have a bit of a wait.’

The inside tables were also full and there was a snaking queue of customers that we joined the back of. I looked around the side of the person in front of me and could see Penny moving about the kitchen at breakneck speed. She was wearing an expression of calm and control, but I knew her well enough to recognise that wasn’t how she was really feeling.

‘I’m going to go and clear those outside tables,’ Josh told me, before I had the chance to tell him I was going to offer to help too. ‘Why don’t you join Penny behind the counter?’

‘Great minds.’ I smiled, twisting round to kiss him. ‘We can help her through the lunchtime rush, can’t we?’

‘Absolutely,’ he said with a grin.

I felt my heart flutter as I watched him walk out and begin gathering up the trays and dishes.

‘Need a hand?’ I asked, as I ducked under the counter.

‘Oh, Daisy.’ Penny smiled. ‘No, it’s okay. I think I’ve just about got a handle on it now.’

I dreaded to think what the situation had been like before if she thought the current one was under control.

‘Sure?’ I frowned.

‘Well,’ she said, as she slid a packed tray over the counter to an exasperated-looking customer who had clearly been waiting a while, ‘maybe you could just clear some tables. It shouldn’t take a minute.’

‘Josh is already doing that,’ I told her and her face flushed.

‘I need to grow an extra pair of arms,’ she said, her voice wavering.

‘You do,’ I smiled, ‘and while you’re working on that, how about I take orders and make drinks and you focus on sorting the food?’

With another family now waiting, there was no time for her to turn my offer down and we set to work, clearing the queue as quickly as we could. It took a while and by the end of it I felt exhausted.

‘You can’t carry on like this, Pen,’ I said, once there was a break in customers long enough for us to have a conversation. ‘You’ll be frazzled by the bank holiday.’

Josh was washing dishes in the kitchen because there was no time to wait for the dishwasher to go through a cycle and Penny had quickly set to, prepping more salad and whipping up a dressing in anticipation of the next wave of hungry sun worshippers.

‘It’s fine,’ she said airily, ‘I’m still finding my feet. I just need to work out what’s achievable. There are a couple of things I added to the menu that are proving too time-consuming to prep, so I’m taking them off.’

I thought it was going to take more than a slight tweaking of the menu to keep control of the footfall, especially if the sun continued to shine.

‘Honestly,’ she said, when I didn’t say anything, ‘I can do it.’ I wasn’t questioning that she could do it. I just didn’t think it was achievable for her to do it on her own. ‘I really appreciate you and Josh helping, but I would have got there if you hadn’t shown up.’

‘I know you would,’ I said, not wanting to rain on her parade.

I knew how excited she was to have the opportunity to run the café and share her passion for delicious food right at the time when she was considering her future.

‘Now,’ she said, as Josh appeared, all suds and dishpan hands, ‘what can I get you guys for lunch? Late lunch. On the house as payment for helping out.’

Josh opened his mouth to name a dish, but I shook my head.

‘Thanks, but we’re good,’ I told Penny. ‘We only came in to ask if you were still up for quiz night in the pub. I’m working, so I won’t be able to take part, but Josh’s keen. Aren’t you?’

He looked hungry, rather than willing to pit his intellect against the Wynmouth great and good.

‘Ever so,’ he said sardonically and right on cue, his tummy gave the loudest rumble. ‘That’s excitement, not hunger,’ he clarified, knowing everyone in the vicinity of the village must have heard it.

‘Like I said yesterday,’ Penny repeated, clearly not believing Josh, ‘I’ll be there. And now I suggest you go back to the cottage to eat, as Daisy won’t let me feed you.’

I was about to say I was only trying to save her some time, but a couple of customers arrived and Penny turned her attention to them.

‘I’ll see you later,’ she said. ‘And thank you. Both of you.’

Josh and I walked back to the village and straight to the shop to fill a bag with snacks, which we then greedily devoured on the sofa in the cottage.

‘Jeez,’ said Josh, once he’d made short work of a huge sausage roll that was made on a farm just outside the village, ‘I needed that.’

‘I know you did,’ I said, sitting back. ‘Your stomach let everyone within a five-mile radius know how hungry you were when we were in the café.’

‘Being surrounded by all that food Penny is selling didn’t help,’ he tutted, defending his rumbling tum. ‘She’s clearly a great cook, but she really isn’t going to be able to manage on her own, is she?’

‘No.’ I frowned, as I pursed my lips. ‘No, I don’t think she is. And I’m worried that attempting to will take the edge off what she’s trying to achieve by running it.’

‘Which is?’

I checked the time on my phone. It was later than I thought.

‘If you run me a bath, I’ll tell you while I’m in it.’ I smiled winningly, batting my lashes.

‘Why do you want a bath?’

‘Because I’m due for my shift at the pub soon and I feel sticky as hell covered in all that sunscreen.’

‘Fair enough.’ Josh grinned. ‘Bubbles or no bubbles?’

‘Bubbles,’ I laughed. ‘Always bubbles.’

Having explained to Josh why Penny was running the café, and then shared a bubble bath with him and then the bed, I had to dash next door to the pub to make my shift on time.

‘You’ve just made it,’ said Sam, with a nod to the clock above the bar.

‘I know,’ I said, stowing my bag away and hoping my hair wasn’t too tousled. ‘I know.’

I looked around as I caught my breath.

‘Not that you would have missed me, had I been late,’ I pointed out, as Marguerite came in from the garden carrying a tray full of empty glasses. ‘Marguerite seems to have everything under control.’

She flashed me a smile as she joined me behind the bar and started to empty the tray.

‘Here she is,’ she announced theatrically, her eyes suddenly fixed on my face, ‘the one woman in this village that I liked the look of and who was already spoken for.’

‘And straight,’ Sam pointed out. ‘At least, I think she is.’

I had wondered if Marguerite might mention something about what she’d said to Josh about liking me, but I hadn’t for a moment thought she’d make such a vocal declaration in front of a rapidly filling pub. Or rope my boss into the conversation either. I felt myself colour from my roots to my feet.

‘I can’t imagine you’ve seen every woman in the vicinity, Marguerite,’ I told her, deciding to go with it. ‘And yes, Sam, I am straight. But that doesn’t mean the interest isn’t flattering.’

Marguerite laughed at that and Sam shook his head.

‘And knowing that I’m working in such close proximity to you, will keep Josh on his toes,’ she winked, then added, ‘I didn’t mean that to sound stalkerish.’

It was my turn to laugh then.

‘But you shouldn’t be working,’ Sam said to her.

‘I like to keep busy,’ she insisted. ‘And I’m actually enjoying myself. This place is quaint. I really like it. Everyone knows everyone.’

‘And everyone knows everyone’s business,’ I pointed out, thinking of the conversation I’d endured over breakfast with Mum and Dad.

‘I think it’s nice that you all look out for each other,’ Marguerite said, stepping forward to serve the customer I hadn’t noticed was waiting.

‘That’s one way of putting it,’ Sam chuckled, thankfully not spotting my ineptitude. ‘I’m going to see if Tess needs a hand in the kitchen.’

Having Marguerite to work alongside made the busy evening far more entertaining and less stressful than it might have been. I still wasn’t a dab hand when it came to remembering and totting up large orders, but she didn’t think twice or miss a beat.

‘It’s literally years of experience,’ she said kindly, when I commented on her speedy skills. ‘I daresay you’re brilliant at loads of things I’ve never tried.’

I didn’t contradict her comment because she was being kind, but thus far in my life, I didn’t think I’d had the opportunity to excel at anything and I was now beginning to wonder if I ever would. Thankfully, Josh walked in at that moment and distracted me from the sudden downward spiral my thoughts had taken.

‘Hey gorgeous,’ he said and grinned, leaning over the bar.

‘Hey,’ Marguerite and I both said together, then burst out laughing.

A few weeks of fun, I reminded myself, that’s what I was supposed to be having. My best summer ever.

‘Are you joining Nick for the quiz?’ I asked Josh. ‘There’s no sign of Penny yet, so he could do with the company.’

‘I suppose I could,’ Josh said, with a lazy smile.

When he looked like that, I had no desire to let him move further away and I wished I’d stalled him.

‘He’s mad for you, you know,’ Marguerite nudged me.

‘Oh,’ I said, playing it cool, but feeling thrilled. ‘I don’t know about that.’

‘Well,’ she said, ‘I do.’

I was beginning to feel increasingly mad for him too, but I wasn’t about to confess that.

‘It’s just a summer fling,’ I said. ‘We’re just having fun until the fall,’ I added, using a phoney accent that didn’t cut it at all.

‘You sure about that?’

I looked over to where Josh was sitting and found that even though he was chatting with Nick, he was looking at me. My heart practically somersaulted in my chest.

‘Absolutely,’ I said, having first cleared my throat. ‘Absolutely sure.’

‘You can join Nick and Josh for the quiz, if you like,’ Sam said to me, making me jump.

I hadn’t realised he was there and hoped he hadn’t heard what Marguerite had said. Not that Sam was likely to gossip, but word had a way of getting around in Wynmouth.

‘No,’ I resisted, ‘I’m working tonight. It’s fine.’

‘No one will want a drink while Tess is asking the questions,’ he countered.

‘And I’ll serve them if they do,’ Marguerite further said.

I got the impression that she could run the bar, ask the questions and cook the food, and all without missing a beat. It wasn’t that she was trying to take over or make me feel redundant. Marguerite was too kind for that and I could tell she was an open book, so there was no ulterior motive either. She was simply in her element.

‘Well,’ I said, ‘if you’re sure…’

My feet were aching after the earlier stint in the café so the option to take a load off was appreciated. I wondered how Penny was feeling and more to the point, where was she? She had been pretty insistent, both times, when I had asked her about it, that she’d be at the quiz but so far, no sign.

‘We are sure,’ said Sam.

I pulled myself a slightly frothy half-pint and then a better pint for Josh because he hadn’t ordered a drink when he came in, and then paid and carried them over to where he and Nick were sitting.

‘I wish I knew where Penny had got to,’ I said, as I set the glasses down.

‘Thank you,’ said Josh, when I indicated that the pint was his.

‘I know where she is,’ said Nick. ‘Sorry, I should have said.’

‘Yes,’ I scolded him, ‘you should. I’ve been worrying. I hope she’s not still down at the café.’

‘No, she’s not. She’s sparked out in her armchair at the cottage.’

‘How do you know that?’ I asked, as I stopped midway to taking a drink.

‘I wandered along to her place before coming here,’ he told me. ‘And I could see her asleep through the window. Obviously I didn’t knock for her after that. I don’t know how she’s going to get through the next few weeks if she’s already this exhausted right at the start of the season.’

‘Me neither,’ said Josh, sounding kindly concerned. ‘We were in the café earlier, weren’t we, Daisy? And it was rammed.’

‘We were,’ I said, looking over to where Marguerite was chatting and laughing with a couple of customers while pulling pints at the same time. I couldn’t do that. The glasses I filled always required my entire attention. ‘But don’t worry about it. I have a plan.’

‘You do?’ Nick asked.

‘Well,’ I conceded, ‘the beginning of one. Just leave it with me.’