Little Beach Street Bakery
Page 27
Jayden looked up at Polly’s windows.
‘Have you seen the ghost yet?’ he asked eagerly.
‘WHAT?’ said Polly, jolted. She suddenly remembered the shadowy figure she’d seen on the jetty. ‘Don’t be stupid.’
It had been nothing, she told herself. Just a trick of the light. Nonetheless, she felt her heart beat a little faster.
‘I’m not being stupid,’ said Jayden stubbornly. ‘There’s a harbour ghost. Everybody knows that.’
‘Jayden,’ said Tarnie in a warning voice. ‘Shut up.’
‘Well there is,’ he said sulkily.
‘I don’t believe in ghosts,’ said Polly much more confidently than she felt. Jayden didn’t have to sleep up there by himself. ‘What kind of non-existent ghost?’
‘It’s the spirit of a young woman,’ said Jayden. ‘She walks up and down the harbour walls, waiting for her bloke. But he never comes back, right, because he’s been eaten by the fishes at the bottom of the sea. He went out fishing one day and never came home. And she just waits for him, calling like this: “Woooooo!”’
‘His name was Woo?’ said Polly.
‘It’s nonsense,’ said Tarnie. ‘Don’t listen to him, Polly, he’s basically an idiot.’
It was easy to laugh about it in the light of day, surrounded by people, especially when Jayden did an imitation of the ghost, eyes crossed, tongue hanging out. ‘She killed herself,’ he said. ‘Threw herself into the water. But her spirit still hangs on…’
‘So how’s the fishing business?’ Huckle asked Tarnie, changing the subject when he realised Polly was unsettled. Tarnie eyed him suspiciously.
‘It’s all right,’ he said shortly.
‘It’s awful,’ piped up Jayden, snapping out of his ghost impersonation.
Tarnie shot him a look.
‘What? If we do find the fish we’ve got a quota, and if we don’t we all go hungry. And it’s cold and wet and rubbish. I wish I hadn’t failed my GCSEs.’
‘Did you fail your GCSEs, Jayden?’ said Polly kindly. He hardly looked old enough to be shaving. ‘Can’t you sit them again?’
Jayden looked confused. ‘You can do that?’
‘Of course. Didn’t you listen at school?’
‘I think the answer to that’s obvious,’ said Tarnie. Jayden looked dismayed.
‘It’s not too late, you know,’ said Polly gently.
‘I’d never get into the blazer,’ mumbled Jayden.
‘I like it,’ said Archie, Tarnie’s second in command. He was fair and round, his cheeks ruddy from the spray and the sun. ‘I like setting off into the sun going down. I like seeing the birds on the water when we know we’re close to the fishing fields. I like the colour of the sky —’
One of the other men made a kissy-kissy noise.
‘Oi,’ said Polly. ‘Shush or no more bagels for you.’
The man shut up immediately, but Archie was blushing now, his cheeks flaming, and he stopped talking.
‘What about you?’ Polly asked Tarnie.
Tarnie turned and stared at the sea. The watery spring sunlight danced on the waves.
‘Well,’ he said. ‘It’s what my father did. And his father. And so on. My mum always said I had salt water in my veins.’
His West Country accent deepened, and his eyes were suddenly far away.
‘Archie’s right,’ he said. ‘Sometimes when you’re out there, and it’s just you and the water, nothing else, and it’s the middle of the night and all you can see is the stars overhead and you’re out of sight of the lighthouse and you’re just moving to the rhythm of something so much bigger than you… then yeah, it’s all right.’
Polly looked at him for a second.
‘Wow,’ said Huckle. ‘That does sound kind of cool. Can I come out with you guys one night?’
The men looked at him and laughed, but Tarnie shrugged. ‘Reckon.’
‘Unless you throw up,’ said Jayden. ‘Don’t throw up on the fish. It’s a bad scene.’
Huckle nodded. ‘I can see how that might be a bad scene. I did sail a bit as a boy.’
The fishermen exchanged glances. They’d heard that one before.
‘How did you get into the honey business, then?’ asked Jayden.
Huckle shrugged. ‘Well, I hated my old job —’
‘What was that, jam?’ said Polly, slightly peeved that he was starting to talk to them when he’d been cagey with her.
‘Er, no,’ he said. ‘I was an… executive.’
‘A what?’ said Jayden, looking confused.
‘It’s something you can do with GCSEs,’ said Kendall. ‘Mebbe.’
‘Er, I don’t know what those are,’ said Huckle. ‘But it was in an office, yes.’
‘Inside?’ said Jayden. ‘All day? Were you ever soaking wet?’
‘Almost never,’ said Huckle.
‘Cor,’ said Jayden. ‘That sounds great.’
‘Well, it wasn’t.’
Huckle rubbed his eyes for a moment.
‘Anyway. Life takes a turn.’ He clammed up again. Polly was watching him very closely.
‘More money,’ said Jayden, still fixated. ‘That you make indoors. That sounds great.’
‘I’m going to look into night classes for you,’ said Polly.
‘So,’ said Huckle, ‘I thought I’d try something else.’
‘Honey,’ prompted Jayden.
‘No, being a cowboy,’ said Huckle. ‘Yes, honey.’
‘Now I’m confused,’ said Jayden. ‘Because you sound a bit like a cowboy.’
Huckle smiled his slow smile. ‘I’m not a cowboy.’
‘I bet if you put the hat on you’d look like one,’ said Jayden. ‘Maybe I should be a cowboy.’
‘Maybe you should stop talking for two minutes,’ said Tarnie, and Jayden lapsed back into silence.
‘But how can you do honey for a job after that?’ said Polly. He made it sound so easy – exchanging one way of life for another. She alone of everyone here knew it was anything but and was wondering if she could ever have left a safe job so lightly; not without a seismic shake-up. ‘I mean, does it make you any money?’
‘Have you seen the ghost yet?’ he asked eagerly.
‘WHAT?’ said Polly, jolted. She suddenly remembered the shadowy figure she’d seen on the jetty. ‘Don’t be stupid.’
It had been nothing, she told herself. Just a trick of the light. Nonetheless, she felt her heart beat a little faster.
‘I’m not being stupid,’ said Jayden stubbornly. ‘There’s a harbour ghost. Everybody knows that.’
‘Jayden,’ said Tarnie in a warning voice. ‘Shut up.’
‘Well there is,’ he said sulkily.
‘I don’t believe in ghosts,’ said Polly much more confidently than she felt. Jayden didn’t have to sleep up there by himself. ‘What kind of non-existent ghost?’
‘It’s the spirit of a young woman,’ said Jayden. ‘She walks up and down the harbour walls, waiting for her bloke. But he never comes back, right, because he’s been eaten by the fishes at the bottom of the sea. He went out fishing one day and never came home. And she just waits for him, calling like this: “Woooooo!”’
‘His name was Woo?’ said Polly.
‘It’s nonsense,’ said Tarnie. ‘Don’t listen to him, Polly, he’s basically an idiot.’
It was easy to laugh about it in the light of day, surrounded by people, especially when Jayden did an imitation of the ghost, eyes crossed, tongue hanging out. ‘She killed herself,’ he said. ‘Threw herself into the water. But her spirit still hangs on…’
‘So how’s the fishing business?’ Huckle asked Tarnie, changing the subject when he realised Polly was unsettled. Tarnie eyed him suspiciously.
‘It’s all right,’ he said shortly.
‘It’s awful,’ piped up Jayden, snapping out of his ghost impersonation.
Tarnie shot him a look.
‘What? If we do find the fish we’ve got a quota, and if we don’t we all go hungry. And it’s cold and wet and rubbish. I wish I hadn’t failed my GCSEs.’
‘Did you fail your GCSEs, Jayden?’ said Polly kindly. He hardly looked old enough to be shaving. ‘Can’t you sit them again?’
Jayden looked confused. ‘You can do that?’
‘Of course. Didn’t you listen at school?’
‘I think the answer to that’s obvious,’ said Tarnie. Jayden looked dismayed.
‘It’s not too late, you know,’ said Polly gently.
‘I’d never get into the blazer,’ mumbled Jayden.
‘I like it,’ said Archie, Tarnie’s second in command. He was fair and round, his cheeks ruddy from the spray and the sun. ‘I like setting off into the sun going down. I like seeing the birds on the water when we know we’re close to the fishing fields. I like the colour of the sky —’
One of the other men made a kissy-kissy noise.
‘Oi,’ said Polly. ‘Shush or no more bagels for you.’
The man shut up immediately, but Archie was blushing now, his cheeks flaming, and he stopped talking.
‘What about you?’ Polly asked Tarnie.
Tarnie turned and stared at the sea. The watery spring sunlight danced on the waves.
‘Well,’ he said. ‘It’s what my father did. And his father. And so on. My mum always said I had salt water in my veins.’
His West Country accent deepened, and his eyes were suddenly far away.
‘Archie’s right,’ he said. ‘Sometimes when you’re out there, and it’s just you and the water, nothing else, and it’s the middle of the night and all you can see is the stars overhead and you’re out of sight of the lighthouse and you’re just moving to the rhythm of something so much bigger than you… then yeah, it’s all right.’
Polly looked at him for a second.
‘Wow,’ said Huckle. ‘That does sound kind of cool. Can I come out with you guys one night?’
The men looked at him and laughed, but Tarnie shrugged. ‘Reckon.’
‘Unless you throw up,’ said Jayden. ‘Don’t throw up on the fish. It’s a bad scene.’
Huckle nodded. ‘I can see how that might be a bad scene. I did sail a bit as a boy.’
The fishermen exchanged glances. They’d heard that one before.
‘How did you get into the honey business, then?’ asked Jayden.
Huckle shrugged. ‘Well, I hated my old job —’
‘What was that, jam?’ said Polly, slightly peeved that he was starting to talk to them when he’d been cagey with her.
‘Er, no,’ he said. ‘I was an… executive.’
‘A what?’ said Jayden, looking confused.
‘It’s something you can do with GCSEs,’ said Kendall. ‘Mebbe.’
‘Er, I don’t know what those are,’ said Huckle. ‘But it was in an office, yes.’
‘Inside?’ said Jayden. ‘All day? Were you ever soaking wet?’
‘Almost never,’ said Huckle.
‘Cor,’ said Jayden. ‘That sounds great.’
‘Well, it wasn’t.’
Huckle rubbed his eyes for a moment.
‘Anyway. Life takes a turn.’ He clammed up again. Polly was watching him very closely.
‘More money,’ said Jayden, still fixated. ‘That you make indoors. That sounds great.’
‘I’m going to look into night classes for you,’ said Polly.
‘So,’ said Huckle, ‘I thought I’d try something else.’
‘Honey,’ prompted Jayden.
‘No, being a cowboy,’ said Huckle. ‘Yes, honey.’
‘Now I’m confused,’ said Jayden. ‘Because you sound a bit like a cowboy.’
Huckle smiled his slow smile. ‘I’m not a cowboy.’
‘I bet if you put the hat on you’d look like one,’ said Jayden. ‘Maybe I should be a cowboy.’
‘Maybe you should stop talking for two minutes,’ said Tarnie, and Jayden lapsed back into silence.
‘But how can you do honey for a job after that?’ said Polly. He made it sound so easy – exchanging one way of life for another. She alone of everyone here knew it was anything but and was wondering if she could ever have left a safe job so lightly; not without a seismic shake-up. ‘I mean, does it make you any money?’
