Where Memories Are Made (21 page)

Eric cut in, ‘You know what food you like to eat and what you don't, don't you?'

‘Well … yes, of course.'

‘Then you're qualified, so tuck in.'

Seeing he had no choice, and thinking the sooner he got this over with the sooner he'd make his escape, Harold tentatively put the spoon into the first dish.

‘Well?' Eric urged him.

‘Oh, er … well, it's delicious,' Harold ventured.

Chef looked pleased. ‘Glad you think so. Now, what about the other?'

Hoping that Eric would not notice his hand shaking, Harold dipped his spoon into the other pie and tasted it. Then he told Eric, ‘That was very nice too. Now if that's all …'

As he made to rush off, Eric grabbed his arm. ‘Hang on, you haven't told me which one of the pies you prefer?'

Terrified he would insult Chef by getting it wrong, he stuttered, ‘Oh, er … well they were both delicious but to my mind the first dish had an extra tastiness to it, which I liked better.'

Eric smiled, pleased with his comment. ‘Good. That's my new improved version. So glad you liked it. Hopefully now the campers will.'

‘Right, well, I'll leave you to it then.'

‘Not so fast, Harold. I've five other dishes for you to give me your verdict on yet.'

Half an hour later, having given his opinion on the rest of Chef's dishes, Harold really was desperate to make his escape. ‘If that's all, I'd best be off.'

‘But I was just about to make a cuppa …'

By now Harold's anxiety was reaching fever pitch, his heart hammering so erratically he was worried he was about to have a seizure. ‘No, I really must get back to the office,' he insisted.

Eric looked disappointed. ‘Oh, right. Well, thanks, Harold. I really value your opinion. Don't forget to drop …' His voice trailed off as his reluctant visitor was already halfway across the kitchen on his way out.

Back in the office, with the door firmly shut, Harold sat down in the chair behind the desk and took several deep breaths in an effort to calm his racing heart, mortally relieved that particular uncomfortable situation was over for him and vehemently hoping that Mrs Jolly's return was imminent. Tomorrow wouldn't be soon enough for Harold. With Drina back at the helm, he could return to his solitary job as accounts manager without further risk of ever again facing situations like this.

Then there was a tap on the door and his heart began to race again. Sweat poured down the sides of his face and from under his arms as terror took over. Thankfully, it was just Jackie with his afternoon tea.

As she put it down on the desk, she said to him, ‘Your tea and biscuits, Mr Rose.'

It was as if their intimate conversation of a couple of days ago had never happened. Without looking at her, he responded dismissively, ‘Thank you, Miss Sims.'

As she turned to go out of the office, Jackie smiled to herself. She should be feeling very ashamed for purposefully instigating a situation that had apparently caused Harold Rose a great deal of torment. She wasn't at all, though, just pleased that her mission to force him to face his fears and lead a more rewarding life was off to a flying start.

Harold wasn't going to be the only one to face a situation today that was difficult to deal with. Jackie was meeting her brother after work, which she was actually looking forward to as she missed Robby so much, but she didn't enjoy thinking about the lies she was going to have to tell him in order that his relationship with their mother could begin to mend.

At five-thirty she began tidying her desk and said to Al, ‘I'm finishing on time tonight. What's not done will have to wait until tomorrow as I've an appointment in Mablethorpe. I can give you a lift there, if you like, so you've only one bus to catch to Skegness and not two?'

Al momentarily froze, seeking a plausible excuse. He didn't need to go to Mablethorpe as he didn't live there any longer. In his desperation not to be discovered it seemed he was going to have to accept the ride and just not get all the work he'd planned for tonight done. Just as he was about to, another idea came to him – one that wouldn't encroach on his time.

‘Oh, thanks, Jackie, much appreciated, but I was thinking of going to Groovy's tonight. One of the staff I've arranged to go with has offered me a bed for the night, only a sleeping bag on his chalet floor but it means I'm not going home.' To avoid her quizzing him any further, he excused himself by telling her, ‘Just nipping to the loo.'

At just after seven-thirty Jackie flopped down on her bed, letting out a deep sigh before she told Ginger, ‘Well, my brother seemed to buy my story so hopefully he and mum will get on better from now on.'

Ginger closed the magazine she was thumbing through and asked, ‘What did you tell him?'

‘Oh, that it was I who broke off with Keith because he wasn't really for me. That I told Mum and Keith to get together as I thought they liked each other and were better suited than me and Keith, despite the few years' difference between them. And that I'd left home because it made sense while I was putting in all the extra work while Drina and Rhonnie were away.'

‘Did you ask him how your mum and Keith were getting on?'

Jackie shook her head. ‘No. I still find it difficult to think of them together at the moment, so I don't think of them at all, if you understand me.'

‘You will, though, one day, and it won't be painful then,' Ginger reassured her.

Jackie wanted to get off this still very hurtful subject and told her, ‘Oh, I've some news for you.'

Her friend said dryly, ‘Good, I hope?'

Jackie smiled. ‘I know you'll think it is. Al is going to Groovy's tonight.'

Ginger's eyes lit up. ‘He is?'

Jackie nodded.

Then her friend's face fell. ‘Not with a girl?'

‘Well, whoever he's going with, he's kipping on their floor tonight so I assume not.'

Ginger jumped off the bed. ‘What are you waiting for? Get ready! We're going out tonight and no excuses from you. I'm not missing this opportunity to try and get a date with Al.'

As she joined Ginger to get ready, Jackie sincerely hoped her friend would get her wish. Ginger was not lucky in love. Any man who took her fancy either didn't seem to notice her or only dated her for a very short while before he was off with someone else. Jackie suspected that that was because Ginger wasn't conventionally pretty, with her mass of unruly corkscrew-curly hair, pale skin covered in freckles and gawky frame. It annoyed Jackie that these men didn't seem to have the brains to look past these unconventional looks and see what a funny, kind, caring and fiercely loyal person Ginger was. They'd be lucky to have her. Jackie had no doubt, though, that there was a man out there who would see Ginger for her true worth one day. It was just that he hadn't arrived in her friend's life yet. Whether Al was that man, as Ginger seemed to be hoping he was, Jackie wasn't sure. Good-looking though he was, Al hadn't seemed to show any interest in the girls around the camp as far as Jackie was aware, despite quite a few making it very plain they had a fancy for him. Maybe he wasn't interested because he had a girlfriend back in Skegness, although he'd never mentioned the fact. Well, hopefully tonight would show whether Al did return Ginger's feelings. If not, then at least her friend would be put out of her misery.

Groovy's was heaving as usual. The heat and noise hit them as soon as they entered by the door at the top of the stairs and began to make their way down to the basement club. Although Ginger had told her they were very good, Jackie had not yet heard the new resident group who called themselves the Upbeats. But from what she was hearing now of their interpretation of the Foundation's top ten hit ‘Baby, Now That I've Found You', they were more than good, they were great.

Her eyes always on the look out for Al, Ginger led the way over to the bar. Joining the queue of others waiting to be served, she said, ‘I can't see him, Jackie. He definitely told you he was coming here tonight? Only you thought that a few weeks ago and he never showed.'

‘Well, this time I am positive. Al definitely did tell me he was coming here. It's like looking for a needle in a haystack through this lot. Just because you haven't spied him yet doesn't mean to say he isn't here. Once we've got our drinks we'll have a walk around to see if we can spot him.'

Armed with glasses of cider the girls did two circuits of the huge room. Back where they began, a very disappointed Ginger said, ‘Well, unless he's in the gents, he's not here, is he?'

‘Don't give up yet, it's only just after nine. Maybe he and the mate he's coming with have gone for a drink in one of the bars upstairs first before they come down here.'

Ginger's disappointment lifted. ‘Oh, they might have, mightn't they?' The band then began to play the Equals hit ‘Baby Come Back' and she exclaimed, ‘Oh, I love this one, let's go and dance.'

Knocking back the remains of their drinks, they weaved their way through the gyrating dancers in search of a space on the crowded floor. It was Jackie who heard their names being called and turned and saw a couple of girls they knew, waving them over. Grabbing Ginger's arm, she pulled her along. They were both greeted enthusiastically. Putting their handbags on the pile of others in the middle of their circle, they began to dance.

It was apparent by their behaviour that the rest of the girls had already spotted a potential conquest and were each doing their best to attract attention with their seductive dancing. Ginger hadn't yet spotted who she was hoping to see. As she danced she continued to look around furtively in search of Al. Jackie was not interested in anything other than letting the music and lively atmosphere of the place take her mind off her recent trauma.

They had all danced non-stop for over an hour. By now two of the girls had managed to catch the eye of the men they had a fancy for and were dancing with them. Still not having spotted Al yet, Ginger had slipped off to patrol the room again in search of him. Jackie was not only beginning to flag but also feeling very hot and sticky. She decided she would slip outside for a few minutes to cool down. As she made her way through the tightly packed throng of other dancers she couldn't help but feel slightly inadequate. Some of them were still dancing energetically with no sign of flagging at all and they had been on the floor when she and Ginger first arrived. Jackie was only twenty-one but already age seemed to be having its effect on her.

Outside in the open air she took several deep breaths as she fanned her hot face with her hand. She made her way through crowds of milling holidaymakers to the fountain and perched her backside on the edge of it to watch them going about their evening's entertainment while she cooled down. Several holidaymakers recognised her and she returned their friendly waves and called out to them that she hoped they were enjoying themselves. A young couple perched nearby on the edge of the fountain were closely entwined, passionately kissing. Jackie chose to ignore them and all the other couples acting in any way affectionately towards each other as that was too upsetting to her. Instead she concentrated her attention on two young boys of around ten, darting around between the pedestrians, squirting water from pistols at each other, thinking they wouldn't be laughing if they misfired and hit one of the adult holidaymakers instead.

She didn't realise anyone had joined her until a voice cut into her thoughts, saying, ‘Well, we can't have this, can we?'

Jackie turned her head to see a man of about her own age standing next to her, one of his long legs planted on the side of the fountain. He was looking down at her, leaving her in no doubt he liked what he was seeing. He was ruggedly good-looking with a wide square jaw. Fashionably dressed too in tight black trousers, black-and-white striped crew-necked jumper and a black waistcoat, with a black Bob Dylan-style hat covering the top of his long mop of wavy brown hair.

He seemed familiar to her and for a moment she studied him while she tried to place him. Then it came to her. ‘Oh, you're one of the Upbeats. Bass guitarist, aren't you?'

He looked miffed. ‘You don't seem very impressed. Usually girls are honoured to have me single them out.'

His egotistical response made Jackie's hackles rise and she answered sharply, ‘Well, I'm not your usual type of girl.'

He eyed her keenly. ‘Oh, very intriguing. So what kind of girl are you, then?'

‘One who's not easily impressed.'

He swung down his leg and perched next to her, saying, ‘Even more intriguing. My name is Hats.'

She eyed him, taken aback. ‘What on earth made your parents call you that?'

He smiled, showing his slightly crooked teeth. ‘They didn't. It's Barry actually. But it's hardly cool to be in a band and called Barry. We've all got nicknames. Mine is Hats because I'm never seen out in public without one on. Gary's is Strings because he's always breaking his guitar strings and having to replace them. Vic's is Sticks as he's the drummer, and Steve the singer is Chips as he's always stuffing his face with them. So what's your name then?'

Jackie inwardly sighed. She didn't want this man's company, and in an effort to make him leave her in peace she answered shortly, ‘Just plain old Jackie.'

Her manner seemed to have no effect on him. He asked, ‘So, Jax, how long are you here on holiday?'

She didn't appreciate him taking it upon himself to shorten her name and her response was abrupt once more. ‘I'm not, I work here.' She decided to put him straight before he wasted any more of the time he could be spending chatting up another girl, one who'd jump at the chance of being singled out by him. ‘Look, I really am flattered you've decided to honour me with you presence, but I'm not interested.' Jackie felt she was being a bit harsh with him so added, ‘It's nothing to do with you, Hats. You could be Clint Eastwood or Steve McQueen and I still wouldn't be interested. I'm off all men at the moment.'