*
‘What d’you mean you’re not in fucking Corfu?’
‘Shelley! Language!’
‘Have I got to speak Greek because Becky’s in Greece? I don’t know any Greek!’
‘I meant your swearing. Sorry, dear, say what you said again and I’ll turn the radio down.’
Becky sighed. She had phoned the landline for It’s A Wrap in the hope that Megan might answer. It was four-thirty in the UK, Hazel would be on the cusp of going home, Shelley shouldn’t even be there. Now she was worried that something was wrong…
‘Where’s Megan?’ She internally cursed herself for asking. One day away from the business and she was still unable to be the young, brave independent traveller she longed to be. She was still fretting about a sister who was perfectly able to do life without her and was forever saying as much…
‘Oh, she headed off early, dear. Some double-glazing networking evening with Dean.’
Dean loved a good networking event. Becky had been to several with him and it always involved Dean telling his favourite jokes – ones everyone had heard before but were too polite to say.
‘That’s why I’m here,’ Shelley blasted. It did sound as if they were on speakerphone. Either that or Shelley was snatching the receiver from Hazel and vice versa. Those two taking turns never worked very well, particularly with the sharper knives…
‘Oh… well… I missed my connection so—’
‘You missed your connection?!’
‘Fuck!’
‘It’s OK,’ Becky said before any more swears could leave Shelley’s lips. ‘Well, it was a bit daunting at first, but I’m not the only one. We all missed our connection because the plane was delayed. So, we’re here in Athens… at a rather nice hotel.’ She fanned her hand out over the crisp white linen on the queen-sized bed, enjoying the feel of the luxury thread count. ‘And I’m booked onto the next flight to Corfu in the morning.’
‘They gave you a hotel for free?’ Shelley asked.
‘Yes,’ Becky replied. ‘And it’s actually five stars. There’s a free dinner tonight and breakfast in the morning and there’s a swimming pool with a view of the runway.’
‘Five stars,’ Hazel breathed. ‘My favourite kind of constellation.’
‘I’ve never seen a hotel with more than three and the last time I saw one of them was that weekend in Sussex. Frank’s convinced those three stars was why we had triplets. Can you imagine if he’d paid for a Hilton?!’
‘So, I’m OK,’ Becky carried on, taking a breath of the cooling air. ‘Just not in Corfu yet.’
‘And have you called the owner of the villa to let her know you’re delayed?’ Hazel inquired.
‘I don’t have her number,’ Becky admitted. ‘Which I realise now is really, really stupid. But I didn’t expect I’d need anything other than an email contact. And I’ve emailed her, of course, and I’ve given her my number, but I haven’t heard anything yet.’ She did feel a little uneasy about that, but she was trying to put it to the back of her mind. Ms O’Neill sounded like a very busy woman from her tone in their brief exchanges. It was likely she hadn’t had a minute to check her email. And how much difference would twelve hours make to their arrangement? It wasn’t as if housesitting was like babysitting. She wasn’t leaving a small child unattended overnight… just a few pots of bougainvillea that might need watering.
‘I wouldn’t worry,’ Shelley said loudly. ‘I’d be making the most of that swimming pool and spa. Is it all inclusive? Because I’d be also making the most of the bar right now instead of talking to us.’
‘Is everything OK there?’ Becky winced at her own question. Of course everything was OK. She had only been gone a day.
‘Well, Mrs Mount—’ Shelley’s sentence was cut short and there was a loud noise that sounded very much like someone had dropped a rolling pin against stainless steel. Either that or there was a problem with the phone line.
‘Sorry, dear, the line went a bit funny then,’ Hazel’s voice took over.
‘Is something wrong with Mrs Mount?’ Becky asked. Mrs Mount was one of It’s A Wrap’s best customers. Not only did she order lunch for herself and all her employees at her Make Do and Mend sewing and alteration business every day, but she always made sure It’s A Wrap catered for her personal parties and the functions undertaken by the local council, of which Mrs Mount was a huge part.
‘No, no. Everything is tickety-boo,’ Hazel insisted.
‘We have to tell her.’ It was Shelley again – in a rather audible attempt at a stage-whisper.
‘Tell me what?’ Becky exclaimed. ‘Please! If something’s wrong you need to let me know!’
‘It’s nothing, dear.’
‘Hazel, Mrs Mount is a very important client. If she’s unhappy then…’ Becky began.
‘Megan took the sesame, sunflower and poppy seed bread off the bakery order. She said not enough customers were ordering it so, it was coming off our range.’
This was insane. Mrs Mount had that particular bread every day. Mrs Mount brought in so much business. Megan must know that. OK, so it wasn’t one of their biggest repeat orders, but it went wonderfully with thick slabs of strong, creamy cheddar with fresh chives and a generous smear of garlic and black pepper aioli.
‘She phoned up to complain,’ Hazel admitted. ‘But I’m going to sort everything out, dear.’
‘What did you give her instead?’ Becky inquired. She was trying not to let the ball of stress lodged in her chest rattle around her ribcage. She was on holiday. This was not her drama to find a conclusion for.
‘Rye,’ Shelley admitted. ‘That was my idea, but Mrs Mount said it was too thick and too dark and she—’
‘Couldn’t taste the chives,’ Becky guessed.
‘Yes,’ Shelley said. ‘That’s exactly what she said.’
What should she do? The easiest thing would be to tell the women to get the sesame, sunflower and poppy seed back on the bakery’s order so they had some fresh in the morning. But that would mean for them to override Megan’s instructions and she didn’t want to get either of them into trouble.
‘Use wholemeal for her sandwich tomorrow,’ Becky said immediately. ‘Exactly the same recipe she always has, but add just a little bit of fresh mint, the tiniest bit. Then, if Megan really won’t get the bread back on the order, you need to get hold of some chia seeds. Try the wholefood shop first, but if you can’t get them there, order them from Amazon.’
‘Will that work?’ Shelley asked.
‘You need to be honest with Mrs Mount,’ Becky said firmly. ‘Tell her that the new bread you’re using is the freshest yet, and say that chia seeds are full of protein and nutrients and they can help with tiredness. Say this new sandwich is going to make her able to stay awake during those long council meetings and increase her focus when she’s working at the sewing machine.’
‘But you just said be honest with her,’ Shelley commented.
‘I am being honest,’ Becky said. ‘That’s what chia seeds can do.’