Knit One Pearl One (29 page)

“Hi Jo. Happy birthday, love.”

“Thanks Tina.”

“Here, I’ve done you one of our vouchers, for a wash and blow-dry. It’s from me and Linda.”

“Thank you, so much, but you really shouldn’t have. I thought we agreed no presents.”

“I know, love, but it’s not a proper present, not really, I haven’t wrapped it up or anything. Where shall I put this? I’ve made a rice salad, like we said, and Linda’s done a tomato one.”

“Perfect, just put them inside on the table, where it’s cool.”

“Right you are.”

“Christ alive, would you look at Cinzia.”

“I know, Linda.”

Cinzia’s wearing her new red and white polka-dot bikini. She’s wearing tiny denim shorts too, thank God, but she’s still attracting a fair amount of attention.

“God, what I couldn’t do, if I looked like that. Just for a day.”

Tina smiles. “Like what, Lind?”

“Well, I would give my ex-husband a nasty moment, put it that way. Wipe the smile right off his face, that would.”

Martin arrives with Elsie and Jeffrey, and with a large amount of Elsie’s epic Tupperware collection. Rather brilliantly, the local council has ruled that dogs are not allowed on the beach until after 6:00 p.m. in July and August, so we are Trevor free. Hurrah. He’s back at the barn, probably demolishing something.

“God, Martin, what have you done to your knee?”

He’s got a huge bruise, and an impressive collection of cuts and scratches.

“I fell off the stepladder. I’ve sprained my shoulder too, I think. Just what I need when I was going to finish the roof of the porch while the weather holds.”

Elsie sniffs. “You shouldn’t be up ladders when you’re on your own, Martin, I’ve told you. What if you’d knocked yourself out or something? You should wait until your father’s around for jobs like that.”

He ignores her and limps down the beach toward Graham and Mark, who’ve appointed themselves barbecue monitors, like they do every year.

Poor thing, what with the limp, and one shoulder higher than the other, all he needs is an eye patch and a parrot and he’d be a dead ringer for Long John Silver. I’ll take him a beer, when Elsie’s not looking. He looks like he could use one.

By five nearly everyone has arrived, and we’re sitting in a collection of beach chairs, chatting and eating while the kids race around. Baby Maximo is being handed round in a newborn version of pass the parcel, and getting lots of cuddles while Connie’s mum is proudly telling us how clever her newest grandson is. Mark has added his magic touch with herbs to the chicken and lamb, which I’ve marinated following his very detailed instructions, and Graham and Martin are busy cooking sausages and drinking beer. Reg is mixing up another jug of his killer Pimm’s, and we’re all starting to feel slightly soft around the edges.

“Mum.”

“Yes, Archie.”

“When we’ve finished our tea, shall I do my magic show?”

“I don’t think so, love. You haven’t got Peter here, have you?”

Please don’t let him say he’s smuggled him along in his rucksack.

“No, but I can do tricks with my cards.”

He can do two tricks, neither of which is entirely convincing.

“Yes, but not on a beach, love, they’d get all sandy. I thought we could have a castle competition. I’ve got prizes, for the winners.”

He races back down the beach to recruit sand castle builders for his team.

“Hello angel. This all looks very chilled out.”

Christ, how does Daniel do that, keep appearing out of nowhere? Maybe he’s going in for magic tricks too.

He kisses me on the cheek and hands me a large white shopping bag with black rope handles.

“Just a few things from the last job I did, nothing special, but I thought you could use them more than me.”

“Thanks Daniel, you didn’t have to. I’ve told everybody no presents.”

“Yes, but I’m not everybody.”

He kneels down to say hello to Pearl, who presents him with a pink plastic cup. “Dink?”

“I was hoping for something a bit stronger, my darling, but thank you. There’s a couple of bottles of champagne in that cooler. Crack one open, would you Jo?”

Actually, there are six bottles. Crikey.

We drink a birthday toast, and then one to Maximo, and one to the chefs, and then the castle competition starts, which Graham and Travis are taking very seriously. They’ve brought special buckets, and sticks for decoration, while Mark helps Nelly and Archie, and Martin is on Jack and Marco’s team.

“Do you want to make a castle, sweetheart?”

Pearl gives Daniel her hat.

He takes his battered old straw hat off and puts it on her head, and weirdly it seems to fit. It’s too big, of course, but that doesn’t seem to matter, it just shades her face more, and she trots about quite happily, in her flowery sundress, looking like she’s off to a rodeo.

Daniel rootles through his satchel and retrieves a navy blue cotton baseball cap. “I came fully equipped. Hats to go, that’s me. We love hats, don’t we, Queenie?”

Cinzia smiles. “She is the Principessa.”

“Is she, darling? Well both the principessas I know are total nightmares; one’s as mad as a bucket of frogs, and the other one is busy drinking her way through the family cellar, so I think I’ll stick with Queenie.”

Cinzia adjusts her bikini top and gives him one of her best heart-stoppingly lovely smiles, but he’s oblivious. I suppose spending so much time surrounded by supermodels has made him pretty calm in the face of such a small bikini.

“More.”

“More what, angel?” He looks at me.

“She wants you to dig a castle.”

“Right, well, I’ll give it a go. It’s all digging with you two, isn’t it? How’s the garden, still looking fabulous?”

“Yes, thanks, apart from the bits Peter’s nibbled.”

“Get a shotgun, that’s my top tip.”

“Thanks Daniel. The kids would so love that.”

I think I’ll check on Martin, just to make sure he’s okay with Daniel turning up. They’ve said hello, and it’s all been fine, but still.

“Do you want another drink, Martin?”

“Yes please. My shoulder’s really aching now. Have you got any aspirin?”

“In my bag, I think.”

We both watch Daniel as he wanders off down the beach to select the perfect castle-building location, followed by Pearl, and Reg, who’s decided he fancies a go too. Daniel looks tanned and relaxed, in old cutoff jeans and a white T-shirt. Martin looks, well, like Martin. And God knows where he got those enormous khaki shorts from, but wherever it was didn’t have a mirror.

“That knee does look sore, Martin. Are you sure you shouldn’t go to hospital?”

“It’s fine, don’t fuss. Is there any more of the rice salad?”

“Sure. Sit down, Long John Silver, and I’ll get you a plate.”

I kiss him on the cheek as I go to find the tablets.

The beach is getting quieter now as the day-trippers pack up and start leaving, and the light goes all soft. Maggie puts some music on, a medley of old classics, which is perfect. The kids are still beavering away on their castles as the tide starts to turn and their journeys down to the sea to fill their buckets get shorter and shorter. Daniel’s taking photographs, wandering around and crouching down, taking pictures of the children with a battered old camera.

I’m sitting with Connie, enjoying a cuddle with Maximo, who’s nearly asleep.

“It’ll be Nelly’s birthday next, Con.”

“I know, and she wants a party, for her birthday, with all girls, and fairy costumes, and also Archie.”

“Good luck with that one. I can’t see Archie going for that, unless you tell him he can do a magic show.”

“Can he do the tricks now?”

“No.”

She laughs.

“I want to make it special for her, she has been so good, with the baby and everything, and I want it to be a special day. Mark is making her a fairy castle cake. Pink and pink.”

“I’ll help if you like; we can get loads of net at the market and turn your function room at the pub into a fairy palace. Tons of glitter, a few fake jewels, Pearl can wear her tiara. It’ll be great.”

“And Archie, he will come, yes?”

“Yes, if I stick him in the car and tell him we’re just helping, and there’ll be cake, I can probably get him in the door. Just don’t mention the fairy thing, or he’ll think we’re trying to get him into tights.”

Mark and Martin are making another round of burgers to keep the builders fed. Pearl’s bored with castle building, but Daniel’s still going strong and has been co-opted onto Nelly and Archie’s team. He walks back up the beach, holding Pearl’s hand.

“Jo, we need— How do you say it, Queenie?”

“Fezzers.”

“Yes, feathers, for the castle. Don’t you just love it? So, have you got any?”

“Not on me, no.”

“Well, that’s a poor show, angel. Can’t expect us to create a masterpiece with no fezzers.”

“There’ll be a few lying on the beach, there always are.”

“You mean I have to collect them?”

“Yes.”

“I usually have Tony for stuff like that.”

“I know.”

He grins. “Come on, Queenie; let’s go on a fezzer hunt.”

Connie winks at me.

“What?”

“It is nice, seeing him with her.”

“Yes.”

“And Martin, he is okay with it, I think.”

“Yes, he seems to be.”

“Brava.”

Laura arrives, with Rosie, and Tom and Olivia. They’ve been working in the shop; we’re opening on Sundays now, while the summer season is in full swing, and the café’s doing really well, especially on cloudier days. Tom and Olivia are lugging one of Mark’s big plastic boxes, full of ice cream in the little plastic tubs I bought at the market last week. Raspberry ripple, chocolate fudge, and honeycomb vanilla. And there’s apricot sorbet too. Some of us, including me, have two tubs.

Cinzia’s sitting with Tom, and puts her arm across his shoulder, which does not go unnoticed by Connie’s mum. Damn: one step closer to a visit from irate Italians demanding to know what’s going on with their daughter and my café staff. Connie and I exchange glances as Cinzia kisses him, a pretty chaste peck on the cheek, but still. She’s smiling, and Tom looks very pleased. Bless.

Maximo starts to stir, and Connie takes him for a walk to settle him. Daniel is sitting on a blanket with Pearl, finishing his ice cream.

“This is great; I don’t usually like it, but that apricot stuff was fabulous. Queenie’s liking hers too, aren’t you, sweetheart?”

She nods, still too busy with her little plastic spoon to bother speaking.

“I better make a move soon though; I’m working tomorrow, got to be at the airport early.”

“Aren’t you going to wait for the official judging of the castles? Gran and Elsie will be doing it pretty soon.”

“No, I better head back. But if you get a chance, tell them we were going for Versace as our design motif. More is more, yes?”

“Sure. Like that will mean anything to either of them. Or me, come to that.”

He grins. “Fezzers. And more fezzers.”

Pearl claps her hands. “Fezzers.”

“That’s right, Queenie.”

“Nutter.”

“Out of the mouths of babes, Daniel.”

He laughs.

“You’ve got quite a nice little collection of seventies cocktails going on here, haven’t you, angel? Martini, Cinzano, very nice. Shame the Diva didn’t turn up and we could have had a proper cocktail hour. She’s a demon cocktail mixer.”

“She’s in Tuscany. So is Ellen. In different bits, at least I hope so, or Ellen will be trying to get an interview.”

“I bet they haven’t got ice cream as good as this though. I’ll call you when I’m back, shall I?”

“Sure.”

He kisses Pearl on her hand and stands up.

“Give her a proper kiss from me later, would you, only you might want to get some of that ice cream off her face first.”

He says good-bye to Gran, and Reg, who rather sweetly shakes his hand, and waves good-bye to everyone who is busy putting the final touches to their castles.

“He’s gone then, has he?”

“Yes Martin.”

“Just a flying visit then, was it?”

“Yes, he’s working tomorrow. Help me put these plates in the hut, would you? I’ll come down and get the car tomorrow, I’ve had too much to drink tonight. Nice though, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

He kisses me. “Happy birthday, and I didn’t know what to get you, so I thought a surprise?”

“If you’ve got me a dog, I’ll kill you.”

“No, I thought about it, but no, I thought I’d make you a new table, for the garden; the one you’ve got is in such a state.”

“That’s a lovely idea, Martin.”

“It might take a while.”

“That’s fine, I’m sure it’ll be lovely when it’s finished. Come on; let’s see who’s won the competition.”

I’m packing up the buggy for the walk home while Archie and Jack lobby Gran and Elsie to reconsider their verdict that the castle competition is a draw, so everyone gets a prize. They like a clear winner, do my boys, even though it’s a draw every year. I wonder how long it will be before they realize everyone always gets a prize. Otherwise why would I bring so many little parcels of sweets already wrapped up? A few more years I hope.

I need to find Pearl’s juice cup; she’ll only drink out of the yellow one this week, and there’ll be dramas if I haven’t got it in the morning. Daniel’s shopping bag is under my chair, so I have a quick look while I gather up all our other stuff; I didn’t get a chance earlier, as I was trying to avoid unwrapping anything, but there’s a huge bottle of Chanel No. 5, and a bottle of bath oil, some fabulous nail varnish in pink, and a lovely mint green, a tube of face cream, and one of hand cream. There are two scented candles, lemon and verbena, and lavender, and a tangle of beaded bracelets and necklaces, threaded onto ribbon. God, how fabulous. Pearl is going to love all the beads; I’ll have to grab my favorite ones before she sees them or I won’t get a look in.

“He’s a nice man, that Daniel.”

“Yes, Gran, he is.”

“Will we be seeing more of him then?”

“I shouldn’t think so, Gran, not much anyway, he’s very busy.”

“He’s very taken with our Pearl. Which is as it should be.”

“Yes.”

“So have you had a lovely day then, pet?”