And lumber me with two people’s workload? ‘OK.’
‘Here’s today’s menu,’ said Hattie. ‘Fran asked me to let you know she did all the prep last night.’
‘Thanks.’ At least that was something.
‘I’ve asked Dave to come in too.’
Great, a whole day with silent Dave. Mind you, it was better than having to work alone, just. ‘What time’s he getting here?’
‘Should be here any minute.’
‘OK, I’ll make a start in the kitchen.’
Sarah walked through to the kitchen, wondering why Hattie hadn’t mentioned yesterday’s incident. Had she concluded Sarah was right? She should have taken the accusation more seriously, after all.
By half past ten, there was still no sign of Dave, and by eleven it was clear he wasn’t coming. Sarah juggled cooking with the dirty dishes, feeling overwhelmed by the workload and struggling to keep up. Hattie and Felix offered their help, but soon the café was so busy they were tied up with their own work.
The lunchtime rush was manic. As another long order came in, Sarah felt the beginnings of panic. ‘I’m just getting something from the freezer,’ she called through to Hattie. She let herself out the back door and leaned against the shed which housed the freezers.In two, three, four, hold two, three, four, out two, three, four, hold two, three, four.With her heart rate settling, Sarah walked back to the kitchen.You can do this, she told herself.
Sarah’s heart sank as Felix appeared in the kitchen, carrying a mountain of dirty dishes on a tray. ‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘If you need to, let the dishes pile up and I’ll help you deal with them later.’
‘You can’t spare a minute now?’
‘No, it’s mad out there. Poor Hattie is dealing with two awful customers. Nothing’s right for them. They’ve already complained five times and are now trying to haggle a refund.’
‘Something was wrong with the food?’ asked Sarah, her heart hammering in her chest.
‘Hmm, well, they’re not about to leave a glowing review. They said the cake was dry, the soup too salty and the butter on the turn.’
Sarah fought back tears. She’d let Fran down, she’d let everyone down. Why did she believe them when they told her she could do this?
‘Hey,’ said Felix, walking over to Sarah and putting a hand on her back. ‘Don’t take it to heart. All the other customers have commented on how delicious the food is. Even more so once they heard those two old hags complaining.’
‘Thanks,’ said Sarah, unable to say more for fear the tears would fall.
Hattie burst into the kitchen, biting on her arm to stifle a scream. ‘I need a minute or I’m going to kill that pair out there.’
‘Felix told me they’re unhappy with the food. Hattie, I’m so sorry.’
‘Don’t you go apologising. You’ve done nothing wrong. I tasted some of their leftovers and the food was delicious. If it makes you feel any better, it’s not just you who’s been on the receiving end of their wrath.’
‘What else did they complain about?’
‘Everything. The café’s too stuffy, the café’s too noisy, the hot drinks weren’t hot enough, the water not cold enough, the staff aren’t friendly enough, the service isn’t quick enough. God, I’m close to throttling them. Now they’re asking for a refund. I know the customer’s always right, but they’ve had two full meals, two coffees, and three slices of cake between them. If I refund all of that, we’ll go bloody bankrupt.’
‘As chef I should apologise.’
‘No,’ said Hattie. ‘They’re scroungers trying to get a free meal.’
‘Sending Sarah out there might not be such a bad idea,’ said Felix. ‘Maybe your bluntness will come in handy for once?’
‘Thanks,’ muttered Sarah, disliking the amusement in Felix’s tone.
‘Felix could be right,’ said Hattie. ‘You can be very matter of fact when you need to be. Perhaps a bit of bluntness is called for on this occasion. To be honest, I’m not sure I can face them again.’
‘Fine,’ said Sarah.
‘I’ll come with you,’ said Felix, following Sarah out of the kitchen. ‘There they are,’ said Felix, pointing to two women tapping their fingers against the counter.
