Page 50 of Best Summer Ever

‘Who’s that?’ I asked Nick, once I’d pushed my way through the throng.

‘No idea,’ he smiled, ‘but she seems to be keeping Sam’s till ringing.’

‘Doesn’t she just,’ I commented wryly, feeling rather disconcerted.

Sam hadn’t mentioned taking on more staff. From the few seconds I’d been watching her, I could see she was a thousand times more at home behind the bar than I was and I wondered if I was destined to be getting my marching orders at some point during my next shift. Just one more messed-up pint or late arrival and I could be out.

‘Have you met Marguerite?’ asked Tess, as she came along and lined up Nick’s pint and something fizzy for Penny.

‘Not officially,’ I said. ‘Could you add a pint for Josh and another of whatever Penny’s having to those drinks please, Tess?’

‘Two secs,’ she said with a nod.

‘I’ll pay for them,’ I told Nick, reaching into my shorts pocket for my purse.

‘You can pay for the next round. I’ll get these,’ he insisted.

‘And come up for the next ones too?’ I suggested with a glance towards Marguerite.

‘Nah,’ he said, shrugging. ‘She’s not my type.’

‘Looks like you’re the only one,’ I said, with a nod at everyone else. ‘What is it about Australia?’

Tess laughed at that.

‘Don’t let Marguerite hear you say that.’ She grinned, adding the extra drinks I’d asked for to Nick’s bill. ‘She’s from New Zealand.’

‘Duly noted.’ I nodded, giving Marguerite another look. ‘And what’s she doing behind the bar? Sam hasn’t mentioned he was taking on anyone else.’

‘Oh, he isn’t,’ Tess was quick to say, no doubt noticing that I appeared rather unnerved by the pretty stranger’s competence with the pumps. ‘She’s not staff.’

She was doing a very good impression of someone on the payroll.

‘Who is she then?’ Nick asked, as he tapped his card on the reader.

‘She’s a friend of Hope’s. She’s spending the year travelling the globe and catching up with friends while she does it. A fewweeks in Wynmouth were apparently added to her summer schedule months ago and before Hope was called to the Caribbean. In all the rush for Hope and Sophie to set off, Marguerite’s visit was forgotten about.’

‘I see,’ I said, wondering how on earth anyone could possibly forget about someone who looked like Marguerite. ‘So, is she staying here in the village?’

‘No,’ said Tess, ‘she’s got an Air BnB further along the coast, so she said she might as well hang around and help out here for a bit rather than reschedule her plans.’

‘Will she be helping out during my shifts too?’

‘I’m not sure.’ Tess shrugged. ‘She’s something of a free spirit from what I can make out.’

I’d heard myself described that way in the past, but Marguerite encapsulated the very essence of the expression, while in comparison, I felt like an impostor.

‘In that case,’ I said, ‘I’ll be in as usual on Thursday.’

And I would make a point of trying to be early again too.

‘Good luck at Scrabble,’ Tess said, looking over at our table. ‘Make sure you sit between Penny and Nick, won’t you?’

‘Hey,’ Nick objected, as he picked up his and Penny’s drinks and I reached for the other two.

‘You can’t deny you have a reputation for arguing over the tiles,’ Tess laughed.

‘No,’ Nick immediately relented and I rolled my eyes. ‘I don’t suppose I can.’

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