Little Beach Street Bakery
Page 45
‘And now!’ he shouted at Andy, who ran the bar and the chippy single-handed and in tandem, which made it a lucrative spot. There was a chorus of ‘Oh no!’ from the other fishermen.
Andy bowed, and went over to the CD player.
‘If this doesn’t impress the ladies, nothing will,’ said Jayden.
‘Er oh,’ said Polly, but Kerensa was already sitting up eagerly. Felicia was rolling her eyes.
‘Nothing you do will impress the ladies!’ shouted Kendall, and Jayden flicked him the Vs.
‘Archie! Tarnie! Kendall!’
The men grumbled and shuffled, but to Polly’s astonishment they got up nonetheless. The other punters in the pub had gathered round, obviously well aware of what was about to happen.
Andy pressed a button on the CD player and a long, lamenting horn sound started up. Then it launched into a minor-key jig, which sounded exciting and melancholy all at the same time. It was wild music, and Polly felt her heart lurch with it, its strangeness and beauty. Then, to her utter astonishment, the men began to dance; with some embarrassment at first, then less and less as they got into it, bending and tilting, their heels banging hard on the rough wooden planks of the pub floor. It was a proper sailor’s hornpipe; Polly had never seen one before, and as the music got faster and faster, the men twirled in time, looking ancient and young all at once, and she clapped her hands in delight as Tarnie flashed her a huge smile of white teeth, and they dipped in and out of each other, all twirling, until the music came to a hectically fast climax and the entire room erupted in whoops and cheers of applause.
Polly rushed up to Tarnie, closely watched by Huckle. Tarnie was pink in the face but couldn’t stop smiling.
‘That was amazing,’ she said.
‘Ach,’ he said, shyly. ‘My grandad taught me. It’s just… it’s just a local thing.’
‘It’s VERY SEXY,’ said Kerensa loudly behind Polly. ‘It’s a shame you can’t be sexy like that, Reuben.’
‘I am totally sexy,’ Polly heard Reuben say, but Andy was calling last orders now, and it was time for closing up.
‘What a terrible little shit,’ said Kerensa as a chauffeur-driven Bentley arrived at the bottom of the cobbled street. Felicia piled in after Reuben, who had barely spoken a word to her all evening.
‘Oh, I’m sorry you didn’t have a nice evening,’ said Polly, still on a massive high after the boys’ dancing. She linked arms with her friend as they went to get some chips for the way home. Polly had never seen Kerensa eat chips. She wasn’t even sure she’d know how.
‘Oh GOD, these smell like heaven,’ said Kerensa, breathing in deeply.
‘You can eat them too,’ said Polly. ‘You know, if you like.’
Doused in salt and vinegar, in the still warm night air, washed down with a couple of cans of Fanta, they were absolutely delicious. The two girls ate sitting on the harbour wall, kicking their legs. The boys had gone their separate ways, waving and hollering. Jayden was taking a boat back to the mainland; Polly wondered briefly about whether he should be drinking and sailing, but he pointed out with a straight face that men had been doing that on Mount Polbearne for eight hundred years and they probably weren’t going to stop tonight, then he gave another little deft click of his heels, and all she could do was giggle and wave good night.
‘I had a great time,’ said Kerensa.
Polly looked at her carefully. Could it be? Was Kerensa actually… eating a chip?
‘What?’
‘I thought you said you hated that guy. I heard you both shouting about George W. Bush.’
‘Yes, I did hate that guy. But I quite enjoyed arguing with him, do you know what I mean?’
‘No,’ said Polly. ‘I don’t like arguing with anyone, ever.’
‘Oh,’ said Kerensa. ‘Well, when you meet someone who’s such a rude jerk, you don’t have to hold back, you can just let it go.’
‘Hmm,’ said Polly. ‘You should work in the bakery.’
Kerensa looked at her. ‘And what about you, Little Miss Popular?’
Polly flushed and concentrated on her chips.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Those two totally divine men is what I’m talking about. How on earth did you manage that?’
‘I haven’t managed anything,’ said Polly. ‘There’s not a lot of women in this town, is mostly what that is. And neither of them fancy me anyway. Well, Huckle certainly doesn’t.’
‘He was certainly paying you a lot of attention.’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Polly. ‘He has a’ – she lifted up her fingers into quote marks – “tragic past”. As soon as anyone mentions his private life, he clams up like a trap. Seriously, I do think he’s cute, but I’m not an idiot; he’s patently not up for it.’
‘And what about the other one?’
‘Tarnie?’ said Polly. ‘You’re joking, aren’t you? He’s got a beard.’
‘He’s got a BEARD? That is the STUPIDEST reason I have ever heard for not dating someone. He’s got a BEARD? Brad Pitt has got a BEARD. Johnny Depp has got a BEARD. George Clooney has got a BEARD. Ben Affleck has got a BEARD. Do you need me to go on? I will pull Mark Ruffalo into this if I have to.’
Polly looked uncomfortable. ‘He’s been really kind to me.’
‘Yes,’ said Kerensa, making a crude gesture. ‘He’s trying to get into your oilskins.’
‘Only because there’s not a lot of women around,’ said Polly. She looked at Kerensa sideways. ‘You seriously think he’s hot?’
‘Let me see,’ said Kerensa. ‘Tall, fit, muscular, piercing blue eyes, strong jaw… Polly, have you gone blind?’
Polly found herself staring at her chips again.
‘Oh, I’m sure it’s just because I’m new in town.’
‘So what?’ said Kerensa. ‘Why he fancies you doesn’t have to matter, does it?’
‘No one ever fancies me,’ said Polly.
‘That’s normally because they see me first,’ said Kerensa sagely. There was a pause and they both burst out laughing.
‘Shut up, you daft mare,’ said Polly.
‘Seriously, though,’ said Kerensa. ‘Oh boo hoo, woe is me, my life is a disaster. And here you are in this place which is’ – she waved her arms around slightly drunkenly, indicating the horizon – ‘absolutely gorgeous, in a cute little quirky flat —’
Andy bowed, and went over to the CD player.
‘If this doesn’t impress the ladies, nothing will,’ said Jayden.
‘Er oh,’ said Polly, but Kerensa was already sitting up eagerly. Felicia was rolling her eyes.
‘Nothing you do will impress the ladies!’ shouted Kendall, and Jayden flicked him the Vs.
‘Archie! Tarnie! Kendall!’
The men grumbled and shuffled, but to Polly’s astonishment they got up nonetheless. The other punters in the pub had gathered round, obviously well aware of what was about to happen.
Andy pressed a button on the CD player and a long, lamenting horn sound started up. Then it launched into a minor-key jig, which sounded exciting and melancholy all at the same time. It was wild music, and Polly felt her heart lurch with it, its strangeness and beauty. Then, to her utter astonishment, the men began to dance; with some embarrassment at first, then less and less as they got into it, bending and tilting, their heels banging hard on the rough wooden planks of the pub floor. It was a proper sailor’s hornpipe; Polly had never seen one before, and as the music got faster and faster, the men twirled in time, looking ancient and young all at once, and she clapped her hands in delight as Tarnie flashed her a huge smile of white teeth, and they dipped in and out of each other, all twirling, until the music came to a hectically fast climax and the entire room erupted in whoops and cheers of applause.
Polly rushed up to Tarnie, closely watched by Huckle. Tarnie was pink in the face but couldn’t stop smiling.
‘That was amazing,’ she said.
‘Ach,’ he said, shyly. ‘My grandad taught me. It’s just… it’s just a local thing.’
‘It’s VERY SEXY,’ said Kerensa loudly behind Polly. ‘It’s a shame you can’t be sexy like that, Reuben.’
‘I am totally sexy,’ Polly heard Reuben say, but Andy was calling last orders now, and it was time for closing up.
‘What a terrible little shit,’ said Kerensa as a chauffeur-driven Bentley arrived at the bottom of the cobbled street. Felicia piled in after Reuben, who had barely spoken a word to her all evening.
‘Oh, I’m sorry you didn’t have a nice evening,’ said Polly, still on a massive high after the boys’ dancing. She linked arms with her friend as they went to get some chips for the way home. Polly had never seen Kerensa eat chips. She wasn’t even sure she’d know how.
‘Oh GOD, these smell like heaven,’ said Kerensa, breathing in deeply.
‘You can eat them too,’ said Polly. ‘You know, if you like.’
Doused in salt and vinegar, in the still warm night air, washed down with a couple of cans of Fanta, they were absolutely delicious. The two girls ate sitting on the harbour wall, kicking their legs. The boys had gone their separate ways, waving and hollering. Jayden was taking a boat back to the mainland; Polly wondered briefly about whether he should be drinking and sailing, but he pointed out with a straight face that men had been doing that on Mount Polbearne for eight hundred years and they probably weren’t going to stop tonight, then he gave another little deft click of his heels, and all she could do was giggle and wave good night.
‘I had a great time,’ said Kerensa.
Polly looked at her carefully. Could it be? Was Kerensa actually… eating a chip?
‘What?’
‘I thought you said you hated that guy. I heard you both shouting about George W. Bush.’
‘Yes, I did hate that guy. But I quite enjoyed arguing with him, do you know what I mean?’
‘No,’ said Polly. ‘I don’t like arguing with anyone, ever.’
‘Oh,’ said Kerensa. ‘Well, when you meet someone who’s such a rude jerk, you don’t have to hold back, you can just let it go.’
‘Hmm,’ said Polly. ‘You should work in the bakery.’
Kerensa looked at her. ‘And what about you, Little Miss Popular?’
Polly flushed and concentrated on her chips.
‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘Those two totally divine men is what I’m talking about. How on earth did you manage that?’
‘I haven’t managed anything,’ said Polly. ‘There’s not a lot of women in this town, is mostly what that is. And neither of them fancy me anyway. Well, Huckle certainly doesn’t.’
‘He was certainly paying you a lot of attention.’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Polly. ‘He has a’ – she lifted up her fingers into quote marks – “tragic past”. As soon as anyone mentions his private life, he clams up like a trap. Seriously, I do think he’s cute, but I’m not an idiot; he’s patently not up for it.’
‘And what about the other one?’
‘Tarnie?’ said Polly. ‘You’re joking, aren’t you? He’s got a beard.’
‘He’s got a BEARD? That is the STUPIDEST reason I have ever heard for not dating someone. He’s got a BEARD? Brad Pitt has got a BEARD. Johnny Depp has got a BEARD. George Clooney has got a BEARD. Ben Affleck has got a BEARD. Do you need me to go on? I will pull Mark Ruffalo into this if I have to.’
Polly looked uncomfortable. ‘He’s been really kind to me.’
‘Yes,’ said Kerensa, making a crude gesture. ‘He’s trying to get into your oilskins.’
‘Only because there’s not a lot of women around,’ said Polly. She looked at Kerensa sideways. ‘You seriously think he’s hot?’
‘Let me see,’ said Kerensa. ‘Tall, fit, muscular, piercing blue eyes, strong jaw… Polly, have you gone blind?’
Polly found herself staring at her chips again.
‘Oh, I’m sure it’s just because I’m new in town.’
‘So what?’ said Kerensa. ‘Why he fancies you doesn’t have to matter, does it?’
‘No one ever fancies me,’ said Polly.
‘That’s normally because they see me first,’ said Kerensa sagely. There was a pause and they both burst out laughing.
‘Shut up, you daft mare,’ said Polly.
‘Seriously, though,’ said Kerensa. ‘Oh boo hoo, woe is me, my life is a disaster. And here you are in this place which is’ – she waved her arms around slightly drunkenly, indicating the horizon – ‘absolutely gorgeous, in a cute little quirky flat —’
