Melody bit her lower lip to stop herself from smiling as she saw Zac wince at the unexpected weight of her grandmother’s belongings.
‘Thank you so much.’ She held out her hand and after moving the rucksack from one hand to the other, Zac shook it.
She gave him a knowing smile and he looked embarrassed to realise she had noticed his pained expression.
‘I’m Melody,’ she said, wanting him to relax with her. ‘Patsy’s my grandmother. Gran insisted camping would be a good experience for me, but I’m incredibly grateful that your sister invited us to stay in your house.’
He laughed. ‘I don’t blame you. I like my creature comforts too, despite how untidy I probably look right now.’
He went to take her rucksack but she shook her head. ‘I travel much lighter than Gran does,’ she said, lowering her voice. ‘I’ll make it to the car without collapsing.’
Zac laughed. It was a deep, rumbling laugh and didn’t go with his slim frame at all.
‘I’m not completely deaf yet, Melody,’ Patsy said, clearly amused by her comments. ‘I must admit that I’m happy to end our camping experience, too. I thought it would be great fun, and to be fair it was for the first week, but I’m glad to call it quits now.’
‘My sister will be very pleased.’ He opened the boot of the car and heaved Patsy’s bag into it, waiting for Melody to load hers in before closing the lid. ‘Please, sit where you like. It won’t take us too long to get back to the farm. It’s not the height of luxury, I’m afraid.’ He gestured to the car.
Melody didn’t want him to think they cared how old the car might be. ‘I think Gran’s happy to get out of the sun and to your farm,’ she said, keeping her voice low.
As they drove along the north coast, Melody listened as Zac pointed out the French coast in the distance and Melody realisedshe was seeing far more of the island in this short trip than they had done over the past few days. ‘It’s a little wilder on this side with the high cliffs.’
‘It is,’ he said. ‘There are beaches and coves on this side of the island but they’re more dramatic to look at, whereas on the east, south and west sides you have the large expanses of beaches where tourists traditionally spend their time sunbathing or surfing.’ He changed gear, crunching them noisily. ‘Sorry, this is Mum’s car. So, is this your first time to Jersey?’
Melody wound down the window and leant her arm on it as she stared out at the deep blue of the sea to their right.
‘It is,’ Patsy said. ‘We’ve been on a couple of tours and caught the bus a few times, so have seen something of the place, but I hadn’t expected there to be so much to visit and we really should have thought about hiring a car.’
‘It is easier with one.’ He slowed down as the road narrowed and a large tractor and trailer needed to pass from the opposite direction.
‘At least the weather is good for your visit,’ he added, ‘and you can see the island at its best.’
‘We’ve loved it, haven’t we, Gran,’ Melody said. ‘I’ve always thought about coming here at some point but have mostly travelled further afield. Do you travel much?’
‘I travel quite a bit for work, but mostly to the mainland,’ he explained. ‘My parents want to spend more time travelling, which is probably why my mother was so willing to offer you both somewhere to stay.’
‘Yes, Kathleen did mention something about ecotourism.’ Patsy turned slightly in her seat and looked over her shoulder at Melody. ‘Is that right?’
Melody nodded. ‘It is, Gran.’
‘It would be,’ Zac said. ‘My parents are retiring so my sister, Lettie, is taking over from them and looking for ways to be moresustainable. She’s only been doing it for a few months but is keen to implement her ideas to update the running of the farm. She and I are trying to find ways to increase finances for the business.’
Melody tried to picture Zac’s sister and parents. She looked at his wavy chestnut hair and tanned arms. He had a laid-back way about him that appealed to her and she sensed she and her gran were going to enjoy helping Lettie and Zac on the farm and getting to know Mr and Mrs Torel.
‘I’m still getting used to the idea of my father spending time on a cruise ship instead of wearing his overalls and boots like he’s always done. I’m not sure he was too keen to give up work at first, but he had a heart attack.’ He turned left and Melody realised they were driving inland. She wondered why he wasn’t continuing along the scenic route and wished they still were.
‘Oh no,’ Patsy said. ‘He’s all right though?’
‘He is, thankfully,’ Zac assured them. ‘However, my mother decided that enough was enough and had always been eager to spend more time travelling.’ Melody could see his eyes crinkle slightly in the rear-view mirror and knew he was smiling. ‘She took the opportunity to book their first cruise and they’re off again this evening for a couple of weeks.’
‘Good for them,’ Patsy said.
‘I agree,’ he continued. ‘I’m pleased for them. They’ve always been so dedicated to running the farm. Lettie and I feel that it’s our turn to take over now and keep the place going.’
‘I love that your parents are making the most of their opportunities,’ Melody admitted, unable to keep a wistful tone out of her voice. She could imagine her mother wanting to do the same thing, but doubted her parents would ever have the spare cash to fund much travelling.
They drove down a long hill with houses on each side and past a built-up area, then turned right onto a road with twolanes. Seconds later she noticed the sea to her right and an impressive building on a rock in the bay.
‘Look, Melody,’ Gran said, pointing at it.
