I hoped she didn’t think I was speaking out of turn, but her daughter had the right idea and Sophie needed to put her suggestions in place if she wanted to see the Wynmouth Beach Café thrive. The summer season was fast approaching and some online publicity, if pitched properly, could make a big difference to the café’s takings. So much for leaving my marketing brain behind, I realized as my thoughts ran away with me.

‘A website, and an Instagram and Twitter account really could make all the difference to your business, Sophie,’ I carried on enthusiastically. ‘And, if you know where to look and how to go about it, it will cost you practically nothing.’

Sophie began to look a little more interested and I could tell that my words were adding another layer to the foundations her daughter had already laid.

‘I can help you with it all, if you like,’ I blurted out before I could stop myself. ‘I could have you completely set up with the whole lot by the end of the day.’

‘But you’re on holiday, Tess,’ she reminded me. ‘You can’t do that.’

‘But I want to,’ I told her, looking around again. It wouldn’t really be like work and it would be wonderful to help the café come into its own. It had so much potential, just like the rest of Wynmouth. ‘This place is spectacular, Sophie, and it should be packed, even if it is raining. It’s a ray of sunshine in itself and you should be shouting about it from the virtual rooftops.’

Sophie’s shoulders started to shake.

‘What?’

‘You,’ she laughed, ‘I reckon you must be quite a force to reckon with once you’ve got a bee in your bonnet.’

I started to laugh along with her as the bell above the door announced the first – and hopefully not the last – customers of the day.

‘You’ve convinced me,’ she said, holding up her hands in a gesture of surrender. ‘I’ll tell my daughter she can go ahead with all this online malarkey you youngsters are so convinced about.’

‘That’s fantastic,’ I told her, pleased that she was on board but a little disappointed that I wasn’t going to get it all up and running myself.

I would have loved to set up the Instagram account if nothing else, although without my phone, that would have been tricky.

‘And I’m going to think about changing the name,’ Sophie carried on. ‘I rather like the ray of sunshine thing you just said. Something like, Sophie’s Sunshine Café might be fun.’

‘Absolutely,’ I agreed, already imagining the cheery external livery and social media headers. ‘I think that would be perfect.’

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