Page 2 of The Seaside Cocktail Campervan

As the vehicle approached, he spotted a dark-haired young woman at the wheel, with a teenage girl sat beside her. The driver looked tense, her brow creased in concentration, as she began to slow on the approach to the house. It suddenly made sense as he read the writing on the horsebox’s side: All Fired Up – Wood-fired Pizza just like Papa used to make!

Pizza woman rather deftly reverse-parked the trailer, then leapt out, her conker-coloured hair bouncing around her shoulders.

‘Bloody hell, this place is hard to find,’ she huffed, sounding stressed, partly talking to herself and partly to Jack as he stepped forwards, catching her attention. ‘My SatNav took me right off course. I’ve been trailing about these tiny country lanes for the best part of an hour. I did try to ring and let someone know, but there’s hardly any phone signal out here, and when I finally got through, it bloody well cut off. And there was no-one about to ask directions, not until the last five minutes, anyhow. Argh, we are sooo late.’

The woman, who appeared to be a similar age to Jack, was dressed in blue jeans and a red polo shirt. She quickly swept her glossy dark hair away from her face and tied it up with some kind of scrunchy thing. ‘Are any of the guests here yet?’ she asked a little frantically, as she began to unfasten the bolts on the back of the horsebox.

‘Nope, not quite yet,’ Jack answered. ‘Though you are cutting it a bit fine.’

She shot him a sharp look. ‘Don’t you think I know that?’

Oops, that probably wasn’t the most helpful thing to state under the circumstances, Jack realised.

‘Right, well, no time to waste. The pizza oven takes an hour to heat up, as it is. I’ll get that lit straight away. Come on then, Tamsin,’ she called out to the younger girl. ‘We need to get set up as quickly as possible, and I’ll need to find Harriet and her mother to apologise for being so late.’

He watched for a few more seconds as the woman levered down the metal ramp-style door, and then pulled a large oven and its stand from the back of the trailer, soon loading logs into its igloo-shaped dome.

‘Uh, can I give you a hand at all? Help you get set up …?’ Jack ventured, but she didn’t seem to have heard. Pizza Lady was inside the trailer now, opening up a wooden, grey-painted hatch. Jack was just about to repeat his offer of help, when he spotted a couple of taxis turning in at the estate entrance. The first guests were here, and the party was about to begin. He’d better get back to Ruby for his bar duties.

At that moment, the birthday girl, Harriet, appeared at the top of the old stone steps in a pink floaty frock that looked like something out of a fairytale, or very possibly Vogue.

‘Mummy, they’re here,’ she called out, looking happily flustered.

Abigail came to join her daughter with a fixed, anxious beam of a welcome smile in place, as the first guests spilled out of the vehicles. ‘Oh, and so are the pizza company, at last. Thank heavens for small mercies,’ she added tersely.

A group of young women gathered in a highly perfumed and colourful display of high heels and fancy dresses, and the celebrations began with a flurry of air kisses, laughter, greetings, gift bags, and a chorus of ‘Happy birthday, darling!’

Okay, Rubes, let’s get this party started. The Cocktail Campervan is ready to rock and roll.

Jack sprang into action, mixing his first dozen Raspberry Bellinis: an inch of raspberry liqueur topped with chilled sparkling prosecco, placing a viola flower on each. He also poured out fragrant G&Ts using the local Northumberland Hepple Gin, as well as non-alcoholic elderflower fizzes, finishing them off with a garnish of delicate white elderflower blossom, revelling as usual in his attention to detail. The welcome drinks looked delightfully inviting, all lined up on the wooden tables.

Jack had placed tea lights in pretty green glass holders on the tables too, which would later give a soft glow through the evening. And, he even had to admit he was weirdly starting to get used to Abigail’s floral peaches-and-cream backdrop. In a haze of flouncy chiffon and silk dresses it didn’t look quite so out of place, after all.

The evening was beautifully balmy and Jack was feeling pretty warm already. He undid a button on his white shirt, revealing a small V of lightly-tanned chest. With more cars now arriving and the gathering growing, he’d need to keep his cool, as he was going to be pretty hectic serving everyone by the looks of it.

The first group of Harriet’s friends were soon gathered around a rather splendid-looking Ruby. Her deep-red paintwork was gleaming and Jack’s bar was all set out with an array of glasses and garnishes: lemons, limes and oranges on a tiered stand, vivid green mint and basil leaves bunched in cut-glass jugs, plus stainless-steel metal cocktail shakers. There was an eye-catching blackboard within a quirky light-bulb frame inside the raised campervan roof, handwritten by Jack earlier and listing the welcome drinks plus some cocktail classics for later: Mojito, Pimm’s, a Cosmopolitan, Sea Breeze, a Morpeth Mule and one of his all-time cocktail favourites, Espresso Martini.

‘Good evening, ladies. I’m your barman, Jack. Please help yourselves. There are Raspberry Bellinis or Gin and Tonics to start. And a gorgeous elderflower fizz for those who might prefer something non-alcoholic.’ He gave his trademark grin.

A group of female guests dived in and were soon chatting away stood beside the campervan, teetering on high heels that were sinking into the grass and the gravel driveway. Several pairs of false eyelashes were already batting in Jack’s direction. He played along with the flirting, ready to respond with some fun banter, but he was nothing but professional on nights like these. Work was work. Always. He knew where to draw the line.

Another group of young women arrived, giggling and chattering as they approached.

‘Oh my, look at that cute cocktail bar. Hang on, I need to take a photo. That is so cool … and all in a campervan too.’

‘Now then ladies, you are all looking rather gorgeous this evening, I must say. What would you like? I’ve some Raspberry Fizz cocktails ready for you to help yourselves to, or I can offer you the perfect Gin and Tonic to get this party started.’ And he was off, launching into his barman repartee.

‘Hey, Em, look, these are so pretty.’ One of the girls was picking up a pink Bellini flute.

‘Gorgeous, aren’t they.’

‘The staff aren’t looking so bad either,’ chuckled another of the young women in the group.

‘Hmm, have to agree with you on that,’ one of her friends purred, loud enough for Jack to hear, whilst darting him a foxy look.

Jack just shook his head, giving a friendly grin. He was used to the chit-chat, and carried on pouring prosecco into glasses with a steady hand.

An attractive blonde placed glossy lips against her flute. ‘Oh my, the taste. Sophie, come and have a sip of this, it’s divine.’