Chapter Twenty-Three
Davey handed a chipped mug to Tammy before she set off for the festival.
His apron hung over the chair in his studio and there were smears of clay on his face.
‘Sorry I can’t be with you today and tomorrow afternoon, but I’ll be there on Sunday evening.
Breda’s daughter needs her to babysit this afternoon so I have to work in the gallery and I can’t leave her on her own on a Saturday. ’
Even though she was too keyed up to enjoy the tea, Tammy took it. ‘Thanks and it’s fine,’ she said breezily. ‘You’ll be super busy in there with all the weekend visitors. All those mums and dads who’ve rented a place round here while their grown-up kids go to the festival.’
‘Hmm. Are you saying I have mature clientele in the gallery?’
‘Who else can afford the stuff?’
Davey spluttered his tea. ‘Cheek.’ Then he rolled his eyes and looked her up and down. ‘Are you sure you shouldn’t have lunch? You’ll need plenty of energy to draw that big design.’
‘I’m OK. I had some toast mid-morning and I’ve got fruit and cereal bars and plenty of water. You can inspect my lunch bag if you like.’
‘No thanks. Not if it’s full of healthy stuff. You should have had a fry-up like I did.’
Tammy wrinkled her nose. ‘Not when I have to bend over a rake for hours. Look, I have done this before, you know, and I think I’d be more nervous if you were there fussing around.’ She delivered this with a grin and put her mug down on the table. ‘I have to go. Thanks for the tea and for caring.’
‘Hmph,’ Davey said. ‘Let me know how it goes and send photos.’
‘I promise!’
With a wave, she dashed out of the studio to her van, which was parked at the rear of the building.
She’d already loaded it with her tools: the folding rakes and markers neatly stored in a canvas bag; yet she still gave everything a quick check.
It was no good finding herself on a remote beach without the means to create her design – and it was even more important today.
Her stomach churned again, as it had on and off since she’d woken after a rough night’s sleep.
When she had managed to snatch a few hours, anxiety dreams had beset her.
In one, she’d left her tools behind, and in another, she kept having to run back into the flat to collect her phone and money and Davey constantly detained her.
In another, bizarrely, she had no clothes on and didn’t dare get out of the van, even though the festival crowds were banging on the windows and asking her why she hadn’t started work.
Laughing the dreams off, she turned on Radio Cornwall where Tiff, the presenter, was already broadcasting from the festival and interviewing a local band. She was soon out of Porthmellow and bowling along the back roads that only locals knew.
The satnav said she was six miles away when the car lurched and then slowed down. By the judder of tyres against the tarmac, Tammy knew immediately that she had a puncture.
Limping slowly into a field entrance to get off the road, she shouted in frustration. However, she steeled herself. This was the eventuality that she’d planned for and she thanked her lucky stars that she had a decent spare wheel and had allowed plenty of time to get to the festival.
Twenty minutes later, Tammy had successfully changed the wheel and set off. She was on her way again and turned on to the main road. She was a bit hot and dusty from the exertion, but changing it would have taken even longer had a car full of teenage boys not stopped to help.
She was still in good time to make the festival, check in, grab a cold drink and scope out the beach area to mark out her design before the tide had even gone out.
On the main road, the traffic was heavier than usual, but everyone was moving along at a reasonable pace, which was fine .
In an attempt to calm herself, Tammy turned up the radio, enjoying one of the bands at the festival; the noise of the crowd was incredible.
The sun was shining, but there were fluffy clouds scudding over, the breeze was light and cooling.
It was the absolutely perfect conditions to showcase her work at its best.
The band were finishing their set with an anthem that had been their biggest hit. Tammy sang along to the chorus with the window down. She belted out the final line when a heap of bad things seemed to happen at once.
Red lights glowed, the car in front swerved into the opposite carriageway, and a huge bale of hay came rolling down the road from a lorry ahead – heading straight towards her.