The last thing Sarah wanted was to speak to her father, but sitting beneath the canvas walls, she was prepared to lose all her pride if it meant getting out of there. She stared at the phone for a good ten minutes. Cynthia hadn’t even seen the message yet. Sarah resigned herself to the fact that her escape would not happen that day and rifled through her bag to find something suitable to wear for her shift. From what she’d seen, there was no set uniform. If anything it seemed they favoured scruffiness over smartness. Perhaps it was a deliberate ploy to blend in with the rustic woods beyond the café's walls?
In the end, Sarah settled on jeans and a smart shirt. A compromise. She pulled her long hair back into a ponytail and slipped on her old pair of trainers. No way was she going to add more blisters to her problems.
‘Knock knock.’
Sarah jumped at the voice outside her tent. ‘Hello?’
‘Only me,’ said Felix, walking into the tipi like he owned the place.
‘Oh, it’s you.’
‘Hello to you too, neighbour. How do you like the tipi? Cool, isn’t it?’
‘That’s not the word I’d use to describe it.’
Felix threw himself down on the bed. ‘Don’t tell me you don’t enjoy camping?’ he asked in mock surprise. ‘You look just the type to enjoy a night under the stars.’
‘Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.’
‘Ha! You sound just like my old maths teacher.’
‘Don’t you have someone else to annoy?’
‘No. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re the only two here.’
‘There must be more staff than that. Why don’t the others live here too?’
‘They all come from the local town. Have you been to Bodmin yet? Gem of a place, isn’t it? They have some great live music events lined up. I’ll take you to one, if you like?’
‘No thanks.’
‘So you don’t enjoy camping and you don’t like music? What do you like?’
‘I never said I don’t like music.’
‘Ah, so it’s me you don’t like. Shame you’re living with me for the summer then.’
‘Not if I can help it.’
‘What? You’re going to up and leave before you’ve even started?’
‘This wasn’t what I signed up for,’ said Sarah, waving her arms to show she was talking about the tipi.
‘That’s out of order, you know. They’re a good bunch here; hard working, decent, look out for their staff. They deserve to be treated with more respect than someone who’s hunting for a better option.’
‘I never said that.’
‘Whatever. See you at work.’
Felix left the tent, and Sarah groaned. Now she could add an enemy to her list of problems. She kicked her bag under the bed, not bothering to unpack. There was no point when she intended to get out of there as soon as possible.
The café was already busy when Sarah arrived. Hattie was in the same position as the previous day, rushing round behind the counter like a blue-arsed fly.
‘Sarah, hi. Have you ever used a coffee machine?’
‘No.’
‘OK. Well, could you help in the kitchen today? Our KP’s called in sick and we could do with a hand with the dishes.’
