‘Morning,howdidyousleep in the end last night?’
Sarah didn’t know where to look. She’d risen early to avoid bumping into Felix on her way to the compost loo, but there he was, blocking her path, a brazen smile on his face, only a towel covering his modesty.
‘Fine, thank you.’Don’t look at his chest, don’t look at his chest.
‘Did you have time to read any of the poems?’
Please put some clothes on. ‘Not yet.’
‘Something to look forward to later. I’ve got more books you can borrow once you’ve finished that one.’
Does he think we’re friends?‘I’m a slow reader.’
‘Not to worry. No rush, keep the book as long as you like. See you at work.’ Felix squeezed past her and made his way back to the tipi.
Thank God. ‘See you at work.’
*
‘Good news,’ said Hattie, as Sarah walked in to the café. ‘The KP’s turned up for once, so no dirty dishes for you today.’
‘Great,’ said Sarah, surprised at the slight tug of disappointment. She’d try to time her break to fit in with Fran’s.
‘Felix gave you some coffee training, didn’t he?’
‘Um, yes.’
‘Great. I need two flat whites.’
‘Sure,’ said Sarah, moving to the coffee machine. She eyed the machine, her nemesis, an unruly monster.How the heck do you make a flat white?
Sarah was on her fourth attempt when Felix appeared at her side. ‘Watch and learn,’ he said. He made two coffees with such ease, Sarah wanted to scream. ‘Like I said, it takes time to get the hang of this.’
‘Take these to table three, please,’ said Hattie, carrying a tray from the kitchen and handing it to Sarah.
Table three, table three… Sarah looked around her, trying to remember the illogical table number system.
‘Over there,’ said Felix, pointing to the back room. ‘Elderly couple in matching cagoules.’
‘Thanks,’ said Sarah through gritted teeth.
When Sarah dropped a slice of cake into the old man’s lap, Felix appeared with a stack of napkins. When Sarah smashed a coffee cup against the slate-flagged floor, Felix was there with a brush and dustpan. When the milk overflowed all over the coffee machine and worktop, Felix was poised with a damp cloth ready to mop it up.
By lunchtime, Sarah was fighting back the urge to yell at him to give her some space. By closing time, she was red-faced with humiliation at all the mistakes he’d witnessed and how small he’d made her feel with hishelpful heroact.
‘You were a legend today,’ said Hattie, walking up to Felix and squeezing his arm. ‘First round’s on me.’
‘Coming?’ Felix asked, turning to Sarah.
‘Where?’
‘The pub.’
‘No, I don’t think so.’
‘Oh, come on,’ said Hattie. ‘You’re part of the team now.’
‘She’s coming,’ said Fran, bustling through from the kitchen and taking Sarah’s hand. ‘I’ve missed chatting to this one today. Our chap in there isn’t a patch on Sarah. All I get from him are grunts.’
