She rolled her eyes. ‘You work too hard. I ought to have a word with Hector.’
He laughed. ‘I’d like to see that. He’s OK, really.’
Lola and friends had now gathered with Davey and Breda at the far edge of the design. She could see the waves creeping a little closer to them.
‘The tide has turned,’ she said to Ruan. ‘Come on, let’s go up on the cliffs to watch.’
‘There are a lot of people up there.’ Ruan pointed to the crowds gathering for their bird’s-eye view of the design. ‘Everyone’s raving about your work.’
‘That’s good. I think,’ Tammy added, thrilled but also taken aback by the scale of attention from the crowds. ‘It’s what I longed for but it’s also overwhelming.’
‘You deserve it,’ Ruan said, and then added, ‘You deserve everything and more.’
He sounded wistful, almost sad, as he praised her. Before she had time to wonder about his words, Davey and her friends walked towards her as the sky began to turn orange and the waves closed in on her sunrise.
Tammy took his hand. ‘Let’s go up top and then head to the party. I’m ready to let my hair down after all the drama!’
The festival went out with a bang, literally. There was a headline band whom even Davey had heard of, plus a dronelight show and fireworks that exploded over the sea in neon colours. Every crackle and boom seemed to echo beyond the horizon, leaving Tammy to wonder fancifully how far away into the heavens it might be heard.
She stood with Ruan’s arm around her waist, feeling tired but ridiculously happy.
Finally, the last starburst vanished from the sky and only the lingering sharp smell of cordite hung in the air. Thousands of people began to troop back to the car parks and campsites, laughing and singing as the cleaning teams moved in to start to clear away the mess.
Ruan had gone to ask Kane if he wanted any help packing up the mobile bar.
‘That’s it. All over for another year,’ Lola said, joining Tammy in front of the beach bar that had served as festival HQ. ‘I’m sure they’ll ask you back.’
‘I hope so,’ Tammy said.
‘There’s no way they won’t. I overheard so many people going wild for your designs.’
From the hordes of people buzzing around, Davey and Breda emerged, and both congratulated her again, before Lola said her farewells. ‘I’m going home now. See you at yoga, hun.’
Once Lola had gone, Breda hugged Tammy and gushed, ‘You were amazing.’
‘She is,’ Davey agreed. ‘The real star of the show, not these bands.’
Tammy had never heard Davey be so effusive. Sheblushed. ‘That’s a bit much. The bands are the headliners and the reason thousands of people come. I’m very much a minor attraction.’
‘It used to be the surfing,’ Davey grumbled, ‘with a bit of music thrown in. Now it’s a huge Glastonbury-on-Sea.’
‘If you hadn’t noticed, there’s been no surf. That’s why the other entertainment is here.’
‘You’re a natural attraction though,’ Breda put in. ‘At least what you do has no impact on the environment.’
‘She’s right,’ Davey said with satisfaction.
Tammy was glad to see him smile. ‘I saw you singing along with the band,’ she said. ‘You knew most of the words.’
‘I’m not a complete old fart,’ he said. ‘Anyway, I suppose we’d better start trying to find the car. I don’t expect to get home until the small hours. See you tomorrow. I presume you’re getting a lift with Ruan.’
‘Yes, I am. See you tomorrow.’
Just as she was wondering when Ruan might reappear, he jogged over from the food and bar area, now a hive of activity with people hitching up their catering vans to pick-ups. ‘Kane and the crew don’t need me. They seem to have everything under control. Shall we go?’
They made their way off the beach, marvelling at how fast the crowds had drained off it. It was like a wasteland now, with the bin bags and the night lights illuminating the mess and the scurrying army of cleaners. Already she could hear hammering and clanging as the mobile stands and stages were being taken down. Sean must have been there somewhere. She was so relieved not to have seen him.Who knew what kind of trouble he might have caused if he’d seen her with Ruan.
Ruan slipped his arm around her shoulders, his soft shirt warm against her skin as the night air turned chilly. ‘Are you OK?’
