Before she said anything, though, Stella leaned closer and said quietly, ‘I don’t suppose there’s any chance of Seb coming down tonight? I really fancied a chat with him.’
Relief quickly faded as Jenna realised there was little chance of Seb appearing in the bar.
‘I’ll have a word with Sam,’ she said and hurried off to find him.
He was busy dealing with a queue, and she waited patiently, casting occasional nervous looks towards the kitchen passageway and hoping Kenny wasn’t waiting for her.
When the last customer was finally served, she whispered, ‘Stella’s here. She wants to chat to your dad. Is she okay to go upstairs, do you think?’
Sam hesitated, clearly unsure. Then he straightened suddenly and nodded. ‘Yeah, why not? Send her up, Jenna. If he’s got anything to say, he’ll say it to me, not her. Besides, it might do him good.’
Jenna beckoned a pensive-looking Stella over and informed her that she was to go on up to the flat. Stella beamed at her and did as she was told, and Jenna headed back to the kitchen with a smile on her face.
She knew from her mum that Stella was lonely since Gavin had divorced her, and both her children were busy with work – one in Wales and the other up the coast at Puffin Point. It would do both Stella and Seb good if they could deepen their friendship and keep each other company.
It turned out to be a family evening, because half an hour later, Mum, Mac, Uncle Christopher and Aunt Elaine turned up.
‘What are you doing here?’ Jenna asked, astonished. ‘It’s nine o’clock!’
‘We’ve been having a quiet evening watching television and having supper together,’ Alison explained. ‘Then we thought, why not end the night with a drink at the pub? After all, the twins aren’t there, and having watched the most boring film in the history of filmmaking, we figured we deserved a bit of an escape. We did ask your grandma and grandad, but they’re already tucked up in bed watching a DVD.’ She gave Jenna a kindly look. ‘How’s it going?’
‘Absolutely fine,’ Jenna said, even though she’d inwardly winced at the mention of her daughters. ‘Very busy, though. I’ve barely stopped, which has been a blessing, to be honest.’
‘That’s good,’ Uncle Christopher said. He looked around approvingly. ‘I can see The North Star is popular tonight. Are there any spare tables?’
‘I’ll find you one,’ Jenna said. She scanned the room and spotted a group of people getting up to leave. ‘There! Right-hand side. Go and sit down and I’ll be along in a minute to wipe and clear the table. Oh!’ She turned to Mac. ‘Stella’s here. Don’t worry,’ she added quickly, ‘she came to see Seb. She’s upstairs in the flat.’
Mac grinned. ‘Is she now? Well, that’s nice for them both, isn’t it?’
Jenna laughed and shook her head. ‘I’m sure they’re just friends. Anyway, I’ll go and get a cloth.’
Having cleared and cleaned the table, Jenna headed back to the kitchen to collect more orders. Her feet were aching and even her back was starting to hurt, but there was food and drink to deliver and no rest for the wicked.
‘Have you even had a break tonight?’ Sam asked, as she passed the bar counter, having just served desserts to a group of six in the dining room.
‘Not yet.’
‘Thought not. Right, go and sit down. Join your family for fifteen minutes. Have a drink. I’ll be getting sued at this rate.’
‘Are you sure?’ she asked doubtfully. ‘We’re still busy.’
‘Not your problem for the next quarter of an hour. Go. I’ll let Kenny know.’
Relieved, Jenna went to sit with her mum and the rest of the family, who greeted her warmly.
‘This is just like the old days,’ Uncle Christopher said, looking around wistfully. ‘Do you remember, Elaine? It used to be like this every weekend, what with the singers and the comedians who used to play here, and the shanty nights, and the pub quizzes.’
‘Sam was just saying that if things were different, his dad would be looking into bringing entertainment back here,’ said Jenna. ‘Apparently, the clubhouse at Tide’s Reach – Time and Tide, isn’t it? – isn’t what it used to be.’
‘So our Rosie told us,’ Aunt Elaine said. ‘That Gavin’s lost interest, that’s why.’
‘He’s concentrating on the hotel and park at Puffin Point,’ Mac explained. ‘I suppose Time and Tide’s loss is The North Star’s gain.’
‘Ifthe place wasn’t up for sale,’ Uncle Christopher pointed out. ‘It seems very short-sighted of Seb, I must say. And a crying shame, too. There have been members of the Hughes family running this pub since it was first built. It’s the end of an era.’
‘Talking of Seb…’ Mum nodded towards the bar, and they all watched as Seb took his place behind it, while Stella perched on a stool in front.
Jenna saw the look of astoundment on Sam’s face.
