Page 11 of Sun, Sea and Spotted Squid

For a fleeting moment, Sam considered demanding something more exciting. Then he caught Wolfgang and his mesmerising blue eyes.

I need to change whatever awful opinion he’s formed about me.

Sam would weather the squid show. No matter what it took.

“Right then, partner,” he said. “Let’s do this.”

Wolfgang nodded and marched out of the cafeteria with Sam in hot pursuit.

“Squid, eh?” he said, after catching Wolfgang up on the pathway. “Not very inspiring.”

“It will be what we make it.”

“Yes of course. Where do you think we should go?”

Wolfgang strode over to a huge map and quickly found the building. “This way.”

Feeling like the naughty kid at school who wasn’t allowed out of the teacher’s sight, Sam walked with him. The pathways were crammed with people and a child ran past, entangling Sam with her clownfish balloon.

What was it with kids in this town?

He tried to free himself while the child promptly burst into loud tears until her annoyed father appeared and helped. Sam rolled his eyes at Wolfgang and forced a weak smile onto his face. Wolfgang simply glanced the other way before resuming their journey.

“Are you enjoying things so far?” Sam asked after a full two minutes of not talking.

“Not yet. We’ve only just begun, I suppose.”

“Coo-ee,” a voice behind called. “Sam. Is that you?”

Sam’s stomach dropped. He looked back to find Mrs Talkative from the plane making a beeline for them. She had anI love paellaT-shirt and a bright pink sunhat on.

“A friend of yours?” Wolfgang asked with the faintest hint of amusement on his face.

Before Sam could answer, a puffing Mrs T bore down upon them.

“I knew it was you when I saw you coming out of the café. I was all the way over there by that walrus. Have you seen him? Ugly brute.”

She took hold of his hands like an auntie who hadn’t seen him in an age.

“I lost you at the airport. Such a shame, I was going to offer to come into the city with you. You were worried about finding your digs, weren’t you?”

She turned to Wolfgang.

“It’s his first time abroad on his own, you know. I’ve been up all night fretting you might have got lost.”

“I found it fine, thank you,” Sam replied through gritted teeth while trying to extract himself from her surprisingly strong clutches.

“Good boy. Your mother will be proud.”

With a tug, he managed to regain control of his hands.

“Well, lovely to see you,” he said. “We’re working so we might get in trouble if we’re hanging around.”

She clapped her hands to her mouth. “Of course you are. Silly me. I’d better leave you to it. You boys have a lovely, lovely day. Now, Sam, I’m staying at the Alhambra Hotel, right over there on the beach. If you need anything at all, come and find me. I’ll be here for the whole week.”

“Thank you,” he said before nodding at Wolfgang. “Miguel will be waiting for us.”

They set off down the bath. Embarrassment scorched across his neck, which would no doubt please Wolfgang no end.