Page 10 of A Secret Cornish Wish
Both Eddie and I are silent as we watch the familiar figure of Rob getting closer.
‘Sorry if I’m interrupting,’ Rob says as he stops playing, his guitar hung by a strap around his neck. ‘I heard the song and felt like joining in. Do you mind?’
‘No, not at all.’ Mandy immediately goes over to him and loops her arm through his. ‘By all means, come and join us.’
Rob glances at me as Mandy leads him over to the rock we were sitting on. ‘Also, I think I should mention you’ve got some spies in your camp,’ he says, glancing upwards before he sits down.
‘What do you mean spies?’ I ask, following his gaze.
‘Up there.’ Rob points. ‘Tucked up on the hill.’
Everyone now follows Rob’s hand and we see a group of girls younger than us giggling up on the hill that looks over the bay.
‘You little . . . ’ Mandy begins, her brow furrowing with rage. ‘That’s my bloody sister and her silly mates.’
She storms over to the edge of the sand. ‘Bugger off, you lot!’ she shouts, gesturing at them. ‘Wait till I get home, Hetty!’
‘Wait till I tell Mum what you’ve been up to,’ Hetty calls back, and she pretends to smoke an invisible cigarette. Then Hetty and her giggling friends scuttle off up the hill and disappear down the path on the other side.
‘Bloody Hetty!’ Mandy fumes as she returns to us. ‘She’s such a little shit.’
‘Aren’t you worried what your mum will say if she tells her?’ I ask.
‘Nah, she won’t say anything,’ Mandy says. ‘I’ve got stuff on her that she won’t risk me telling Mum about if she dobs me in first. Thanks for letting us know though, Rob. I hadn’t spotted her. Eddie’s been running us ragged rehearsing down here.’
Eddie opens his mouth to protest but Mandy continues. ‘Now.’ She sits down next to Rob on the rock before anyone else can. ‘I’m sure we’d all love to hear you play some more. Wouldn’t we?’ She looks up at us for encouragement.
‘Only if you want to, Robert,’ Claire says. ‘We don’t want to force you or anything.’ She raises her eyebrows at Mandy.
‘What about our rehearsal?’ Eddie asks. ‘We haven’t finished yet.’
Mandy glares at him.
‘Perhaps Robert can play for us while you rehearse?’ Suzy suggests diplomatically before it all kicks off again. ‘He clearly knows the song.’
‘Would you like to?’ Eddie asks casually.
‘On two conditions,’ Rob says, looking at us all. ‘You call me Rob and not Robert.’
‘Ooh, yes,’ Mandy says. ‘That suits you much better.’
‘What’s the other?’ Eddie asks a little suspiciously.
‘You all stop arguing. I’ve seen you guys rehearsing a few times; you’re really good. Be a shame to spoil all your hard work by falling out.’
Mandy and Eddie look sheepishly at each other.
‘Soz, Ed,’ Mandy says first. ‘I know this show is important to you.’
Eddie nods. ‘I’m sorry too. I’m being harsh on you all, I know, but I just want this to be perfect.’
They give each other a hug.
‘Right, then,’ Rob says, smiling at me. ‘Shall we give this a go?’
After we’ve rehearsed our routine a few more times with Rob playing his guitar as accompaniment instead of the original track, we decide to call it a night.
For some reason, once Rob became involved, everyone tried that little bit harder and behaved that little bit better.
