Page 39 of The Happiest Ever After
‘I can get you some milk if you like.’
‘Thanks but this is perfect.’
‘Flick,’ said the girl, holding out her hand and smiling with full lips that must have caused jealousy in other girls who coveted such a natural pout. Sabrina thought she remembered the same happening to herself but the memory skidded away before she could fully appreciate it.
‘Hello, Flick. I’m Sabrina.’
‘It’s Felicity really but…’ Flick stuck her tongue out as if that constituted her opinion on her name. Flick suited her; it had attitude.
Teddy and his mother had finished talking and were coming over to the table. He looked like a chef, Sabrina thought. One of those who took his food very seriously. One of those who was on the right side of wild.
He slammed himself down on the seat opposite to her while Flick and Marielle peeled off to a far table and left them to it. He held out his hand and it felt so much bigger than her own when he squeezed it in greeting.
‘Hello Sabrina, my mother tells me you need a job. So have you worked in a restaurant before?’
Teddy tried to see the woman in front of him as a business advisor in a suit and he couldn’t. He was expecting her to spin him some bull and he was ready to see through it. It was the morning forcacca– dog or otherwise.
‘I don’t think so,’ Sabrina answered. ‘Did your mum tell you that I can’t really remember much?’
‘She did. You think you can set tables, empty a dishwasher, polish glasses, maybe even cut some vegetables?’
‘Yes, I can do all those things.’
‘Hmm,’ said Teddy, like Alan Sugar in the boardroom. ‘You being here for a while would save me from having a regular turnover of useless, unreliable temps. You’d be doing anything that needed to be done; that includes a lot of cleaning: floors, toilets.’ He had no intention of glamorising it. If anything, he was hoping to put her off.
‘That’s great, thank you. I’d like to pay your mum something back for her kindness to me.’
The cynical part of Teddy thought she would say something like that, trying to appear plausible and sincere. He’d be watching her.
‘Okay, I’ll give you a trial,’ he said. ‘No uniform needed but if you’ve got something black that would be ideal. Start tomorrow at nine. I’ll need your bank details.’
Her expression segued into one of a pained apology and he sighed. This was already too complicated.
‘Well, cash it will have to be for now. I won’t make you work a week in hand.’
‘Thank you, that’s very good of you.’
He stood up, the interview at an end. He turned and walked back to the kitchen, giving his mother a look as he passed her. In return she grinned at him.
On the way home Marielle stopped at the cashpoint and pulled out a hundred pounds, which she handed to Sabrina, who tried to push it back.
‘You need to buy yourself some clothes for work,’ she insisted, stemming the protestations coming her way. ‘There’s a couple of clothes shops in the centre and a big Primark. You’re bound to get a few black tops and trousers there. Take it.’
She watched discomfort cloud Sabrina’s expression and thought again how utterly dreadful this must be for her. But why wasn’t anyone missing her? She’d googled every dayto see if there was anyone trying to trace someone called Sabrina Anderson, but there was nothing.
‘Come on, I’ll go with you. Let’s see what we can find,’ said Marielle, taking Sabrina’s arm and propelling her forwards, before she started having a bit of a weep herself.
Chapter 23
Sabrina bought two pairs of black jeans and a set of three T-shirts plus some more underwear. There was change and she offered it to Marielle, who wouldn’t take it. ‘You’ll need it for something I’m sure. Are you hungry? Let’s go and have some fish and chips for lunch shall we, and celebrate your new job?’ She pointed across the road. ‘The Mother of Cod is the best one around.’
As they neared the restaurant, the smell of fish and chips hit their nostrils and Sabrina’s stomach keened with a hunger she didn’t know she had.
Marielle pushed open the door and walked in. The restaurant was full and the waitress was just about to tell them they’d have to wait for a table when she heard a familiar ‘Coo-ee’. Sylvie was waving from near the back, sitting with Diana at a table for four.
Poor Sabrina, thought Marielle, knowing she was in for some more grilling. She led her young friend over and sat down with her old friends who were enjoying the last of their lunch.
‘How lovely it is to meet you at last, Sabrina,’ said Sylvie,wearing her fixed smile, the one that spelt danger. Diana’s expression was in much the same mould and her eyes checked out every square centimetre of the younger woman. If she’d had an X-ray machine handy, she would have checked her insides as well.
