‘Exactly. I’d never forgive myself if we forgot to feed any of the animals.’
Skye shuddered. ‘Oh, don’t say that. OK, let’s go and find some paper and a pen and sort this out straight away.’
Finally agreeing on who should do what around the farm, Skye put down the pen and pushed the piece of paper towards Joe. ‘Please check it and then if you’re happy I’ll stick it up on the fridge under one of the magnets Lindy has there. At least that way we won’t lose it.’
He sensed her watching him as he lowered his head and read her notes. ‘Looks fine to me.’
She smiled, then stood and took the sheet and pinned it up on the fridge, looking satisfied with their work. Skye seemed unsure about something. ‘I think I’ll go to my room and read for a bit,’ she said, pushing in her chair and taking her mug to the sink. ‘I’ll see you in a couple of hours?’
Relieved to be left alone and not having to think what to say next, Joe nodded. ‘Sounds good to me.’
Joe was beginning to feel a little more comfortable being at the farm. Even though they still had awkward silences, Joe sensed Skye had resolved to do her best for Lettie, just like he had. She was diligent and, like him, wanted to do the work well. Most of all, she seemed to enjoy spending time in her own company. He supposed it was because she had spent six months travelling solo and only having herself to rely on in different situations.
Deciding to try and get to know her better, Joe decided to make supper and, hoping she liked lasagne and salad, drove to the village to do some shopping.
‘Thanks for supper,’ Skye said later as he carried through their drinks and joined her in the living room after they had tidied the kitchen. ‘It was delicious.’
He was glad she thought so. ‘It wasn’t too bad, was it?’
‘Ooh, thanks,’ Skye said, taking the glass from him and having a sip. ‘I could do with this.’
‘It’s been a long day, hasn’t it.’ Maybe if he had spent more than three hours catching up on his sleep earlier he wouldn’t feel so tired.
‘No shift tonight?’ Skye drank a little more.
He shook his head. ‘No. I’m now off work for four weeks.’ He still needed to find a way to keep himself busy.
‘You must be looking forward to having some time off work.’
‘Yes, I suppose so, although I’m used to keeping busy and with the pair of us taking care of the animals that isn’t going to happen unless I find some other way to keep myself occupied.’ Even as he spoke he knew he could fill a lot of that time helping his mother redecorate the bungalow, but removing wallpaper that reminded him so much of his grandfather was not something he felt he could cope with just yet. Maybe he would feel differently after his time off work?
They chatted for a bit longer but Joe was finding it more and more difficult to keep his eyes open. He yawned, covering his mouth with his free hand. ‘Sorry, I don’t mean to be rude.’
‘No problem.’ Skye frowned. ‘You must be shattered after not getting any sleep after your shift.’
‘I am a bit,’ he admitted.
They finished their drinks and went up to their rooms.
‘Sleep well,’ Skye said. ‘I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘You, too.’
Half an hour later Joe lay in his bed staring out of the window at the almost black sky. The stars were out in force tonight and the sea was louder than usual. He wondered if maybe that was what could be keeping him awake. He might live as close to the sea in St Brelade but the sound of the waves wasn’t nearly as loud as it was from St Ouen’s Bay, probably because it was a bit wilder on this part of the island.
Intrigued as to whether Skye might be awake listening to the sound, Joe got out of bed and walked over to his window. Looking to the right, he saw that her window was open too and was about to go back to bed when he spotted her hand resting on the window frame.
‘Listening to the waves?’ he asked.
Skye laughed. ‘How did you guess?’
‘Because I’m doing the same.’
‘You should be sleeping.’
He heard the amusement in her voice and realised he was enjoying their banter. ‘The sound of your waves is keeping me awake.’
She laughed again. ‘My waves? You can’t blame your insomnia on me. I’m not even from here.’
