have something to eat, Tess. You’ve been on the go for hours. I’ll take over here if anyone needs serving.’
‘Oh, thank you, Sophie,’ I said gratefully. We had almost sold out of food and I hadn’t had so much as a bite. ‘I thought I was going to miss out.’
‘Not a chance,’ she smiled. I was pleased to see her looking and sounding more like her usual self again. ‘I told Mike to save you a couple of these.’
‘What exactly are these?’ I asked, looking at the sizzling shells.
‘Fresh cooked scallops and chorizo,’ Sophie said proudly. ‘There’s a little chilli too and some honey to balance out the heat.’
They looked fantastic served in the scallop shells and I hungrily dived in, dipping buttered crusty bread into the spicy sauce.
‘Oh Sophie,’ I groaned, after the first delectable mouthful, ‘they’re orgasmic.’
‘Well,’ she laughed. ‘I don’t know about that, but we thought they were pretty good.’
‘What’s orgasmic?’ Sam asked throatily, leaning over my shoulder.
‘These scallops,’ I said, blushing. I hadn’t realized he was behind me.
He reached around and pinched one of the shells, dithering as the heat scolded the ends of his fingers. I spun around just in time to see him pop it into his mouth.
‘Hey,’ I protested, as he looked down at me and raised his eyebrows, his mouth working appreciatively. ‘Hands off, they’re mine.’
I wasn’t sure if his pupils had widened because of the food-heaven ecstasy the combination of flavours had unleashed or because of our close proximity.
‘You’re right, Tess,’ he smiled, licking his lips, ‘utterly orgasmic.’
‘Sam,’ said Sophie, clearing her throat, ‘I think the musicians are waiting for you to introduce them.’
‘On my way,’ he said, his eyes never leaving my face.
Once I had cooled down a bit and finished the divine scallop dinner, I had time to relax and listen to the songs, even joining in with a chorus of one or two. The shanties were a stimulating mix, telling tales of high seas, lost loves and bewitching mermaids. They were rousing, stirring and all in perfect keeping with the pub ambience. Sam had been right to take the traditional route on his first foray into offering entertainment and George’s atmospheric storytelling was the perfect wrap-up to the night.
I listened to the first couple of tall tales and then began quietly helping with the clear-up. Sticking to the shadows, I had the chance to watch the audience as well as listen to George. The rapt expressions and the way everyone jumped in unison when he thumped his glass down on the table, proved that he had them all in the palm of his hand. George was a truly great storyteller and I hoped I would get the chance to hear him again before I had to leave the village, which then annoyingly reminded me that I would have to tell Dad about my change of plans tomorrow. A task I was definitely not looking forward to.
It took a while for everyone to leave and it was well after midnight by the time the Sea Dogs had packed their van and driven off into the night and the rest of the volunteers had drifted away to their beds.
Sam locked the door after making sure Sophie had an escort to walk her home (not that Wynmouth was a dangerous place in any sense, but George’s ghostly tales had got us all a little spooked), and leant heavily against it.
‘Well now,’ I said, stifling a yawn as I gave the bar one last wipe down and hung the cloth over the pumps as I’d seen being done on the television, ‘I think that could be called a roaring success, wouldn’t you agree, landlord?’
‘It was amazing,’ said Sam. ‘Absolutely brilliant.’
‘So,’ I said, ‘just remind me again, why you haven’t been doing things like this before?’
‘I told you,’ he said, ‘I just haven’t had the time to organize something like this properly.’
Had he asked for help before, that wouldn’t have been an issue, but I didn’t say as much because I was pretty certain he’d worked it out for himself now.
‘And everyone’s mightily impressed with you, Tess.’
‘Are they?’
‘Oh yes,’ he smiled. ‘They all know how you stepped up when I asked and Sophie has been telling them all about the suggestions you’ve made to improve the café too.’
I hoped I hadn’t made a mistake in sticking my head above the parapet. I had been planning a quiet holiday originally, where no one took much notice of me. If Dad tried to track me