Safe Harbour by Cara Cooper

Author:Cara Cooper
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2011-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eight

THREE DAYS WENT BY with neither a word nor a sight of him. Cassandra hadn’t told her sister about him; what was there to tell? He was just someone who had come into her life, disrupted it and who now was keeping his distance. Nevertheless, occasionally, when she was not in a reverie of her own, Sarah would ask, ‘Is everything OK? You look so far away.’ Eventually, Cassandra made out to Sarah that it was worry about the impending possible filming that was preoccupying her.

Cassandra wasn’t sure whether she was on tenterhooks just because of Adam or because of Sarah as well. As usual Sarah had started off full of enthusiasm but last night, as Cassandra was pouring drinks for a party of six, she had heard the raised voice of a rather shrill lady who was obviously not happy with the service Sarah had given her. ‘This is inedible,’ the voice, high above everyone else’s carried through the restaurant. ‘I said I wanted my steak well done, and this is practically raw.’

Hastily passing round the tray of drinks, Cassandra hurried over to see what was up. ‘I ordered my steak well done. This girl must have cotton wool in her ears.’ Sarah stood sullenly by, her lips pursed as if she were just about to say exactly what she thought of the overdressed woman with the fiercely red lipstick who stared at her.

‘I’m really ever so sorry, madam. I’ll get the chef to cook you a fresh steak immediately.’

‘Good. And mind you don’t simply reheat the one I’ve just had, I know that trick.’

‘We wouldn’t dream of it. Please accept my apologies once again.’

Grasping Sarah’s arm, Cassandra led her firmly away. In the kitchen, while Jorge quickly rubbed garlic, pepper and salt into a new steak and tossed it into a waiting pan, Sarah protested. ‘She didn’t make it clear she wanted it rare. I was sure she said well done, but she was so busy chatting to her husband I didn’t want to interrupt and ask again. She sort of shooed me away as soon as I took the order. I felt as if they just wanted me to go as quickly as possible.’

‘It’s always as well to check rather than risk getting it wrong.’

Sarah stood rooted to the spot, her arms crossed and her mouth set in a stubborn line. ‘Look,’ urged Cassandra, holding a plate with salad out to Jorge ready for the new steak, ‘I’ll look after that table and you can look after my people. They’ve had so many cocktails, they hardly care what they’re eating anyway. They’ll cheer you up a bit – please don’t look so miserable.’ Sarah had stomped off and there were no more incidents that evening but after that day, Cassandra had the constant feeling like you do when the skies turn grey and thunder rumbles in the distance. Sooner or later, a storm threatened.

One morning, Cassandra was helping Jorge make some desserts and hadn’t seen her sister apart from at breakfast.

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