‘Er – let me just serve these people and we’ll have a chat. I’m Sarah, by the way.’
‘Cass. Short for Cassiopeia.’
‘The constellation? Nice!’
Cass inspected the birthday cards while she waited for Sarah to be ready to see her. She hadn’t known the job was available ten minutes before, but now she did know, her heart was set on it. She took the fact that she didn’t have to explain her name as a good sign.
‘Do you have much retail experience?’ Sarah asked, having invited Cass into her office, a room at the top of the building which was part of an old mill.
‘No,’ said Cass. ‘But I’m a quick learner and I do love art. Drawing in particular, but I’d love to get into watercolours. I just love all the kit!’ Cass realised this probably wasn’t the most mature reason she couldgive for wanting to work in an art shop but she felt she should be totally honest. After all, if it was only for a couple of weeks, Sarah, her possible new boss, didn’t have a lot to lose.
‘We do art classes here in the evening. Free classes are part of the deal if you work here.’ Sarah laughed. ‘The wages aren’t huge, I have to admit. Minimum wage, in fact. I know it’s not good enough. I’m working on it.’
‘Well, from my point of view, my dream job and free classes is brilliant.’ She bit her lip – she’d made it sound as if she was only keen on the classes because she wouldn’t be paying for them. ‘But of course I’d pay for the class once I’m no longer working here.’
‘That may not be necessary. It’s possible your job might become permanent, if my colleague doesn’t come back. Anyway, I must get back downstairs. Come with me and I’ll show you round, customers permitting.’
Another perk of the job Sarah hadn’t originally mentioned was the staff discount.
‘It’s just possible I might spend all my wages on paints,’ Cass said as Sarah rung up a haul of materials she hadn’t been able to resist. ‘But worth it!’
‘Not if you have to pay rent, frankly,’ said Sarah.
Cass suffered a pang of guilt. ‘Currently I’m living with my mother, and she’s not charging me. That will have to change.’
Cass was about to bring up the tricky subject of her paying rent when she got home after work a few days later but her mother got in before her with a tricky subject of her own.
‘I’ve got the rest of the family coming for dinner tonight,’ she said, knowing the news wouldn’t be popular with Cass. ‘They’re longing to see you. They want to hear about your trip to Dominica.’
Longing to tear me to shreds about it, thought Cass. ‘OK,’ she said aloud. ‘I haven’t got an art class tonight, I’ll be there.’
Her mother shook off Cass’s comment about the art class with a tut and a shake of the head.
‘Go and wash your hands and then set the table.’
While she was washing her hands Cass reminded herself how lucky she was to be living at home, rent-free, in great comfort. While she was drying her hands she wondered how long she and her mother could live together without getting annoyed.
‘So!’ said Cass’s brother Martin when everyone had arrived and had a drink in their hands. ‘Tell us all about your Caribbean holiday, Cass.’
Cass smiled sweetly. At one time, not that long ago, she’d have jumped on her brother for this dismissive remark, but not now. ‘Gorgeous, darling! I highly recommend Dominica just after a hurricane. It is really at its best.’ Then she paused. ‘Actually, there is a wonderful clarity in the air then.’
Martin, faintly annoyed by his sister’s refusal to rise to his teasing, said, ‘So what was it like then?’
‘Should you really have gone?’ said Caroline, the eldest and bossiest family member.
‘Do you think we could eat before you all lay into Cass?’ said her mother, rather to Cass’s surprise. ‘I’ve done a roast. Family favourite.’
‘And I made a crumble for pudding,’ said Cass.
Although the meal did stave off the criticism for a while, Martin couldn’t keep quiet very long.
‘What were you doing there, and how on earth did you manage to lose Howard’s camera?’
‘I really don’t think Mum wants to hear the story all over again,’ said Cass. ‘I got in a vehicle with someone I shouldn’t, and when I got out again—’
‘She was thrown out!’ said her mother. Cass wasn’t entirely sure she’d told her mother this but she may have been talking to Howard. ‘She could have been killed!’
‘And the camera was in my bag in the back, which wasn’t thrown out,’ Cass finished.
