Lettie shrugged. ‘Basically, until I discovered that he wasn’t as placid as he had led me to believe. In fact, he became quite nasty when I tried to address how controlling I was finding his behaviour.’
She saw the muscle working in Joe’s jaw and sensed his anger on her behalf. ‘And how did it end? If you don’t mind me asking.’
‘Well, another colleague, Nessa, persuaded me to leave him and move into her flat. She and her boyfriend came to help me pack and she threatened Scott when he kicked off that if he didn’t let me go nicely then she would report him to HR and get him fired.’
‘And that worked?’
Lettie nodded. ‘It did, thankfully. He loved his work there and wouldn’t have dared let anything mess it up.’
‘It sounds like you’ve had a rough time of it.’
‘It was a little odd knowing I could bump into him at work each day. So when I discovered that my parents were wanting to travel and they needed someone to run the farm for them, and the firm was also offering redundancies, it seemed like the universe was trying to tell me something and I jumped at the opportunity to come home and leave London for good.’
He reached out and took her hand briefly before letting go. ‘I’m glad it all worked out for you in the end, Lettie.’
‘So am I.’ She picked up her drink, wanting to change the subject but unsure what to say.
Joe took a mouthful of drink and swallowed, staring down at the grass briefly. ‘Man, this is good stuff.’
Lettie gazed at the setting sun, happy to be single and nothaving to consider a partner when she was busy trying to learn all that she needed to on the farm.
‘Do you mind telling me what the story is between you and the vet guy?’
She had been enjoying the silence, but it was his turn to find out more about her, she supposed. ‘There isn’t a story.’
‘Really?’ Joe clearly found that hard to believe. ‘What, nothing? I thought I sensed chemistry between the two of you.’
‘Nope.’ She wasn’t lying she decided, wondering why the thought saddened her. She forced a smile and turned to look at Joe. ‘Why? Did you think there was?’
He knitted his eyebrows together thoughtfully. ‘I could have sworn there was something between you two.’ He sighed. ‘Maybe I’m losing my touch. I’m usually great at sensing these things.’
‘Well, you haven’t been this time.’ She smiled to show she was teasing.
‘I know, why don’t you invite me back here during the day?’
‘Sorry?’ She hadn’t expected him to say that.
‘You can show me around and then I can reciprocate.’
‘Invite me to your uncle’s place you mean?’
‘Exactly that.’ He lowered his voice as if there was anyone around to overhear their conversation. ‘They are very different places, so it’s not as if either one of us can pinch farming secrets.’
Lettie laughed. ‘Anyone would think we worked for Interpol, or different countries, or something.’ He was being ridiculous, but she was enjoying his company. She looked at his deep blue eyes ringed with long black lashes and his wavy black hair and wondered why she wasn’t desperate to kiss him. He was incredibly handsome and funny and certainly charismatic, but as much as he was all those things she suspected that if Brodie – quiet, unassuming, slightly serious Brodie – was here that she would be yearning to kiss him.
‘Well?’
Lettie frowned. ‘Well, what?’
‘When are you going to show me some of the things you’ve been doing on the farm?’
She pulled a face. ‘I wasn’t intending to, but if you insist on it, I suppose you could pop round next week sometime?’
He looked disappointed.
‘What’s wrong?’
He sighed deeply and looked forlorn. ‘I was hoping to come round tomorrow.’
