Page 34 of Summer in Sunset Harbour
‘I got them online.’
‘Can I get the site off you?’
‘Sure.’
‘Before you two get into too much fashionista talk, can we get two more slices of Cornish heavy cake?’ Hilda asked.
‘Sure.’
Josie leant across and patted Hilda on the arm. ‘Steady on.’
Hilda just grinned. ‘For the hill, Josephine,’ she said. ‘For the hill.’
In the end,however, with Tiffany’s luggage to carry, they caught the bus back up to the top of the hill. Hilda got off a couple of stops earlier and waved to them as the bus departed. Josie, watching her old friend as she walked away, couldn’t help but feel a pang of worry at the sight of Hilda using a stick, the way she had started to wince as she walked. Soon, though, the bus had turned a corner and the campsite entrance was just up ahead.
‘You might be a little surprised at where we’re staying,’ Josie said. ‘It’s a little … rustic.’
‘As long as you have Wi-Fi, we’re all good.’
‘Ah, yeah, we need to talk about that. Do you remember that time we went camping when you were a child?’
‘Not with happy memories. I fell in a ditch and there was construction work going on in the field next door. They were installing a septic tank, I believe?’
‘Yes … something like that. Well, now’s your chance to overwrite those memories with some happier ones. At least I hope so. Right, this is our stop.’
They got down from the bus. Josie offered to carry Tiffany’s bag, but the girl was insistent. As she hobbled along in her platform shoes, Josie wondered whether she should have already got some wellies down in the village. At least the ground was dry.
As they reached the trees at the bottom of the slope, Barney, Geoffrey and—to Josie’s surprise, Lindsay—stepped out from behind the entrance sign and waved.
‘Welcome, Tiffany, to the Porth Melynos Caravan and Camping Park.’
They began to clap.
‘My staff,’ Josie said. ‘This is Geoffrey, Lindsay and Barney. Although, technically, for the time being, at least, they’re all volunteers.’
Tiffany stared. Josie waited, fearful her daughter might drop her bags and attempt to run away. Tiffany peered under the trees, eyes wide behind her spectacles.
Josie, unable to keep her silence, muttered, ‘Please say something….’
‘Oh, man,’ Tiffany said at last. ‘This is awesome. Are you the manager?’
Josie grimaced. ‘I suppose, technically. But it’s becoming more of a joint project. We’re hoping to be able to open by the middle of June, although at the rate we’re going, it’ll be the middle of June … next year.’
‘Wow,’ Tiffany said. ‘Do you have an adventure walk?’
‘A what?’
‘Like a forest trail with secret stuff for kids to find?’
‘Ah, I don’t think so.’
‘I’ll make it. And do you have a mascot?’
‘A mas … sorry, what?’
‘Mum, come on. You have to have a mascot for stuff like this. A cute badger with a t-shirt or something like that. Woodsie, that would be a cool name. He could have a mate, like a little sparrow who sits on his shoulder. We can call her … Flutterby. Don’t worry, I’ll design them. Have you got somewhere I can plug in my computer?’
‘Ah, electricity is still a work in progress.’
