Fern Britton 3-Book Collection: The Holiday Home, A Seaside Affair, A Good Catch. Fern Britton

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СКАЧАТЬ crewman was only too pleased to hear that Jem wanted a job. ‘Got any experience of being at sea?’

      ‘Yeah. My grandad has a boat: the Dorothy.’

      The crewman was impressed. ‘You mean the Riva? Mr Carew’s boat?’

      ‘Yeah.’

      ‘She’s a beauty. Worth a fortune. And he lets you drive her?’

      ‘Since I was twelve, yeah.’

      The crewman considered this.

      ‘Can you shout loud enough to call the punters in?’

      ‘Er, yeah, I’ll, like, try.’

      ‘Give it a go then.’

      Jem cleared his throat: ‘Roll up, roll up for the adventure of a lifetime. The good ship Puffin Boy is patrolling for pirates, dolphins and mermaids. Can you help us find them? Roll up, roll up.’

      Abi was pink with embarrassment for her cousin but couldn’t stop giggling.

      ‘Right,’ said the crewman. ‘My name’s Robbie and you’ve got yourself a job. Thirty quid a day. Take it or leave it.’

      Jem didn’t hesitate. ‘I’ll take it.’

      ‘OK. See you first thing tomorrow. Eight thirty sharp. Time and tide wait for no man.’

      *

      To celebrate, Abi and Jem cycled back to Treviscum, where Jem scraped up enough cash to buy them a big bag of chips from the burger van in the beach car park.

      ‘How come you find a job first go and I, who really need one, can’t find one?’ Abi licked her salty fingers.

      Jem was in too good a mood to let Abi bring him down. ‘We’ll get you one too, don’t worry. And my birthday present to you will be two days’ pay towards your party.’

      ‘Would you really do that?’

      ‘Yep.’

      ‘How much cider will sixty quid buy?’

      ‘Almost enough for you. Don’t know about the others though,’ laughed Jem. Balling up his chip paper and searching in his shorts pockets for some more coins, he asked, ‘Want an ice cream for pudding?’

      On the sand dunes above the beach was perched a gaily coloured caravan with an awning advertising Pearl’s Ice Creams.

      Pearl was one of many young women who’d fallen in love while on holiday and decided to stay. Over the long winter, she and her coastguard lover had secured the rental pitch above the beach and invested two hundred pounds in a thirty-year-old caravan.

      Gone were the Formica pine-effect worktops and the sofa and pull-out bed.

      The interior now housed a state-of-the-art freezer and tea- and coffee-making equipment. Everything was painted white, apart from the ceiling, which was covered in Friesian cow sticky wallpaper. An old but comfy armchair in the corner had a small puppy curled up on it.

      The outside was painted in pink-and-white stripes and had wind chimes and driftwood hanging from the sun blind.

      A hand-painted menu offered many delicious flavours of ice cream.

      At least a dozen hot holidaymakers were queuing.

      Pearl was busy: ‘A double rum and raisin with fudge sauce and a chocolate flake for you,’ she said, passing the cone to a middle-aged mum.

      ‘Two large 99s with extra clotted cream for you,’ she said, handing them to a couple of kids. ‘And a strong coffee for you.’ She poured one for the dad of the family. He took it and handed her a ten-pound note.

      ‘Keep the change.’

      ‘Ah, thanks, sir.’ She put the cash in a small pot on the counter and looked at Jem and Abi. ‘Yes, my loves. What can I get you?’

      ‘Two 99s, please. And would you like a paid helper?’ Jem steamed straight in.

      Pearl grinned. ‘Why? Do you want a job?’

      ‘No, but my cousin Abi does.’

      Abi blushed furiously as Pearl laughed with delight.

      ‘How fabulous! Can you keep an eye on the dog, look after any stray kids, watch the deckchairs and make a decent ice-cream scoop?’

      Jeremy nudged Abi into answering. ‘Er. Yes. Well, I mean, I, like, have never done it before, but I’ll try.’

      ‘Fair enough. You turn up tomorrow, nine thirty, and I’ll show you the ropes. If you’re no good, I’ll pay you what I owe you – thirty quid – and we’ll part friends. However, if you are any good, the job’s yours till the end of the season. Do you have to go off to college or anything?’

      ‘I go back to school at the beginning of September.’

      ‘Perfect.’ Pearl passed them their ice creams. ‘On the house. Be here in the morning, on time, and don’t let me down.’

      Abi smiled up at this warm and lovely young woman. ‘Thank you. I won’t.’

      *

      They skipped up the path to the back gate of Atlantic House chanting, ‘We’ve got j-obs. We’ve got j-obs.’

      In the garden, Greg, Connie and Dorothy were gently snoozing. They woke as soon as the gate swung on its hinge.

      ‘We’ve got jobs!’ shouted Abi, running towards her father and falling on to his prone body.

      Greg struggled to catch his breath. ‘Have you? Doing what?’

      Abi told them all about it.

      ‘Fantastic!’ said Greg. ‘I am very impressed.’

      ‘Well done, darling,’ said Connie.

      ‘Don’t eat the profits,’ said Dorothy, peering over her sunglasses and looking pointedly at Abi’s thighs.

       18

      Jem and Abi were almost late for their first day at work. Completely out of practice at waking up to an alarm, they didn’t even remember to set an alarm.

      Francis woke Jeremy at seven forty-five and made him eat some cereal before handing him a packed lunch and waving him off on his bike, bleary-eyed and with shorts drooping dangerously from his hips and exposing an unfortunate amount of pants and buttocks.

      ‘Bye, son. Good luck,’ Francis called. Back in the kitchen he cleared the Weetabix crumbs from the table, unstacked the dishwasher and restacked the dirty cereal bowl and spoon. He made himself a cup of coffee and thought about СКАЧАТЬ