Summer at Tiffany's (35 page)

Suzy shot Cassie an alarmed look. What kind of answer was that?

‘Relax. It's all covered. You know I'm twenty-one in a couple of months, right? Repayments aren't going to be an issue.'

Suzy gave a depressed sigh – it wasn't always easy being right – throwing herself back on the bed and staring up at the turquoise and hot-pink swags that dressed the ceiling.

Cassie bagged the bed beside her to the right, Gem taking the bed to Suzy's left and Amber taking the one furthest to the left.

‘Do you think Arch will remember to put Velvet's cream on behind her knees?' Suzy asked, her hands behind her head.

‘Probably not.' Cassie threw herself down on her bed too and immediately regretted it: there wasn't much bounce.

‘It always gets worse in the heat, her eczema,' Suzy fretted.

‘We're back tomorrow night. She's with her father. It'll be fine,' Cassie said soothingly, reaching for her rucksack and wondering whether what she had packed was funky enough for a festival. Wasn't there supposed to be a whole ‘look' for these things now?

‘Where are the boys staying again?' Suzy asked Gem and Amber, twisting back to face them.

‘In the normal camping bit. Laird said glamping was for wimps, but then he grew up in the bush. He thinks a campsite with running water and showers is cheating,' Gem smiled proudly.

‘Poor Luke. I think he'd have much preferred a nice hotel to go back to tonight,' Amber smiled, pulling out a tiny rainbow-stripe seersucker cotton playsuit that looked like it would fit a ten-year-old and holding it up with a considered pout.

Cassie felt a flash of panic at the sight of it, really not sure now about the navy-and-red Breton-striped dress she'd seen in the window of the boutique opposite the deli yesterday. It was the same dress she'd seen the yummy mummy wearing, although Luke had said she looked much better in it, when she'd tried it on.

‘Well, just as long as we don't see either one of them,' Gem said, hauling her bag onto the bed too and pulling out clothes like they were ribbons from a magician's hat. ‘It's not cool for them to have the stag night where we're having the hen party.
I
had the idea first.'

‘Well, given that you're putting this wedding on with only twenty minutes' notice, it was either this or a pub crawl in Newquay, and you
really
don't want them doing that,' Suzy said with a shiver.

‘Is Arch OK about being left behind?' Amber asked, this time holding up a pair of denim cut-offs. Cassie bristled at how casually she used his pet name, as though she considered herself part of their group.

‘He's delighted,' Suzy sniffed with an indignation that suggested she fully expected him to take advantage of a near-empty house and hunt down her hidden stash of Sauv Blanc.

‘It must be so hard for him, though, to see us all going out together, having a great time—'

‘Yeah, well, nearly dying comes with paybacks. He can't do without proper rest and a proper diet right now. This place would effectively be a death trap for him.'

‘Oh.' Amber looked chastened.

‘And obviously someone had to look after Velvet too,' Suzy added after a moment in a softer tone. ‘It was me or him, and frankly, after the aggro he's given me over muesli and elderflower these past two weeks, he jolly well owes me a break.'

‘Yeah. Payback,' Cassie echoed loyally, pushing the striped dress to the bottom of her bag.

‘Well, I, for one, am really glad you're here,' Gem said, rooting in the depths of hers. ‘It's Girls On Tour this weekend and it just wouldn't have been the same without my Big-Sister Cousin.' Her eyes lit up as her hands found what they were looking for and she pulled a magnum of champagne out of the rucksack.

‘Er, it's two o'clock,' Cassie said, apprehensively.

‘Exactly. Ladies, it's time to get this party started.'

They trooped out of the tent, arm in arm and dressed like it was Woodstock 1969. Cassie's wardrobe apprehensions had been unfounded – not because she had packed well but because Amber had gone into full fashion-diva mode and styled them all with a seemingly limitless supply of props and accessories from her and Gem's bags, making pronouncements with an authority that even Suzy didn't argue with. Gem, as the hen, was put in a frothy white tutu with neon-pink leg and wrist warmers, and a denim jacket. Suzy, who had almost keeled over at the sight of the tutu, was in a short turquoise kaftan that made the most of her good legs, peacock-feather drop earrings, reflective Ray-Bans and a panama. Cassie was a 1970s throwback in washed-out chambray hot pants with a grass-green ribbed tank, rainbow-striped knee socks and her hair in a plait with a silk daisy chain resting lightly over the crown of her head. (She couldn't even begin to imagine Kelly and Nooks's faces if they could see this.) Amber was in the playsuit with wedges, neon rubber bracelets stacked up her arms and a Stetson.

It turned out there had been two bottles in the bag, and by the time they'd finished dressing up, both had been drunk and the yurt looked like it had been raided by Cossacks.

‘So, where first?' Amber asked as they took in the sight before them. In the next field, where the action was based, the grassy swathes that had still been visible when they'd arrived were now lost from view as thousands of people milled between the tents and stages. It wasn't exactly how Cassie had imagined a festival would be. In fact, at first glance, it all seemed rather ‘Middle England' and well behaved, not very Glasto at all. A farmers' market was doing a roaring trade as people shopped for artisanal breads and prize-winning tomatoes; teams from Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant in Watergate Bay and Michelin-starred Nathan Outlaw in Rock were holding demonstrations and workshops, and at every turn people could sample Porthilly oysters, Roskilly's ice creams, Cornish-orchard scrumpy and ciders, and Cornish curries that were being cooked on huge paella-style woks.

‘Well, we're not going to go hungry,' Suzy said in a satisfied tone as they began to walk past the huge three-metre-high towers of shredded ribbons flapping in the breeze, which acted as a visual location guide for visitors in far-off lanes.

Cassie smiled as Suzy readjusted the angle of her hat. She had never seen Suzy look so trendy before, and she had to admit Amber had done a great job of getting them all into the festival spirit, even if they were probably a little overdressed. Her striped dress would have been perfect, after all. There were lots of families here, with loads of kids running around in named hoodies, and many people had cagoules tied round their waists, in case the showers that had been forecast materialized.

‘I think we should go over to the sound stages,' Gem said, pulling up one of her leg warmers. ‘The warm-up acts are going to be on stage soon and I'm dying to find out who's the mystery band.'

‘There's a mystery band?' Cassie asked, looking over at the distinctive humped shape of the music stage, with huge lighting rigs and video backdrops. A three-towered circus tent had been pitched on the opposite side of the field, along with a tall red-and-yellow helter-skelter.

‘Really? I'd quite like to check out those cheeses,' Suzy said, squinting at a nearby stall and heading towards it.

‘Suze! Stop being so middle-aged. You're at a festival, not Waitrose!' Gem complained, pulling her away.

‘Cheese is not middle-aged. Look at Alex James. He actually makes cheese now.'

Gem looked puzzled. ‘Who?'

Suzy groaned. ‘Ugh!'

‘Actually, Gem, it might be an idea to go check out the food stalls. It could give us some ideas, and we really need to sit down and talk about the food for the wedding,' Cassie said.

‘No, that's admin stuff and this is my hen night!' Gem said with a whine, reaching into her bra and pulling out a cigarette.

‘Aren't you supposed to have given up?' Suzy scowled.

‘I nearly have,' Gem smiled, lighting it with a wink. ‘Anyway, Cass, I reckon we could eat berries off the bushes and drink dew from the grass and feel like we'd feasted. Our wedding day is going to be so full of emotion. All that trad stuff like flowers and food . . .' She made a dismissive gesture with her hands and pulled a face. ‘I mean, don't get me wrong, I know it's important, but—'

‘You're damn right it's important,' Suzy butted in, before whispering into Cassie's ear, ‘Especially when our digestion will probably last longer than the marriage.'

‘Tomorrow, I promise,' Gem said, squeezing Cassie's arm. ‘We'll go over the menus then. We just want it all really simple anyway.'

Cassie inwardly groaned. A ham sandwich was simple, but she didn't think they'd be wanting that. She could already see this was going to be more work than she'd bargained for.

They wandered en masse past the rows of shopping stalls, garnering both admiring and amused glances, stopping to coo over silhouette-printed linen scarves and shells set into sterling-silver jewellery. Cassie stopped outside a surf-school stall and watched as a couple of children balanced – rather expertly – on what appeared to be a short oval board rolling over a plastic cylinder. She watched as they swung the board back and forth hypnotically, arms outstretched and making it look easy. ‘What are those things?' she laughed.

‘They're called Indo Boards. Fancy a go?'

She turned to find a guy with dark shaggy hair and a strip of zinc oxide on his nose smiling at her. He was wearing a purple rash vest and lime-green baggies, which, while cool on the beach, looked a little daft in the middle of a field.

‘Oh, thanks, but I've already had a bit too much champagne for that,' she demurred, taking a step back.

‘Oh, go on, Cass!' Suzy said, stepping between them and looking like she'd been teleported in from a Vegas pool party. ‘You've been trying to stand up on the damned surfboard for days. Maybe this'll help.'

‘You're learning to surf?' the guy asked.

‘Trying to, but failing badly.' She rolled her eyes.

‘Who's teaching you?'

‘A friend. He's really good. An Aussie,' she added, as though nationality alone confirmed his skills. ‘It's not his fault; it's mine.'

‘That's true,' Suzy sighed, patting Cassie on the shoulder. ‘Cassie's such a control freak. Anything outside her comfort zone and she just freezes.'

Cassie shot her an annoyed look as Suzy pushed her glasses back up her nose with a pleased smile.

‘Come on, let's give you a whirl,' the guy said, grabbing a spare board and setting it by her feet. ‘If it is tension that's holding you back, the champagne will probably help.'

‘Oh, but—'

He placed his hand on her elbow and she stepped onto the board gingerly.

‘Put your hands on my shoulders,' he said. ‘That's it. Now plant both feet shoulder-width apart . . . Turn your right leg out slightly so that it's facing forward . . .'

Cassie took a sudden breath as she felt the cylinder roll beneath her and she gripped her hands harder into his shoulders to keep from falling. She gave an apologetic smile, embarrassed to realize people were watching.

‘Uh . . . How did the kids make this look so simple?' she laughed nervously.

‘Easy. They're a lot smaller, so their centre of gravity is lower.'

‘Oh.'

‘Now, just begin to slide side to side. Arms out and try to keep your shoulders level. All the movement should be in your hips . . . That's it. Now when you feel ready, let go of my shoulders . . .'

Cassie bit her lip as she carefully lifted her hands away, still keeping them close enough to him, however, to grab at a moment's notice.

‘You see?' he grinned as she began to rock – barely – from side to side. ‘I told you the champagne would help.'

‘Go, Cass!' Gem trilled as she began to ‘surf' a little faster.

‘You're doing it, Cass!' Suzy cheered, filming her on her phone. ‘You can show Henry when he gets back.'

Cassie laughed, sticking out her tongue, as she began to find the rhythm, her confidence growing fast. It was really quite easy once you got the hang of it.

‘There she goes!' the guy laughed, clapping as Cassie gave an extra hip wiggle. Across the field, a band had come onto the stage and launched into a cover of ‘Sweet Child o' Mine'.

‘Oooh, I know this one!' Cassie laughed, waving her arms above her head and beginning to dance a little as she continued to ‘surf'.

‘I want a go!' Suzy cried, clapping her hands and beginning to rock out too.

‘Me too!' Gem echoed, followed by Amber, and the guy and his colleague ran around placing the Indos at their feet and helping them get set up.

Amber's board was placed just in front of Cassie's, the two women facing each other once the surf guy had been released from her grip. Amber got it almost immediately, yelling out a ‘Yeehaw!' and pretending to throw a lasso above her head. The way she moved was so slinky and knowing it was like she was strutting down a catwalk or doing her best Jessica Alba impression in leather chaps – as nervy as she was one to one or in a small group, she seemed to grow in stature and confidence with the eyes of the crowd on her. Cassie's own eyes narrowed. She didn't trust that kind of actorly ‘look at me' insecurity.

‘Who thinks they can take it to the next level?' the guy asked, holding out some hula hoops.

‘Me!' Cassie, Amber and Gem all shouted out together.

Suzy, who didn't seem to be faring quite so well – an air-guitar riff had thrown her off her stride – kept quiet.

The guy walked around them all, handing out the hoops. ‘It's a lot harder, OK? It's a bit like rubbing your tummy and patting your head at the same time. Remember to keep your shoulders still.'

Cassie got going with it first, as Amber struggled to get it over her Stetson, before deciding to dispense with the hat altogether and tossing it to the ground like a stripper's bra.