‘You’re used to doing this by the looks of things.’ She wondered if she should make them both a drink while he was busy cooking.
‘Coffee’s ready,’ he said, making her wonder if she had shared her thoughts out loud. ‘Won’t be a second.’ He stepped back and indicated two pans, one with bacon sizzling in it and the other with four perfectly fried eggs. ‘There’s beans in there and I’ve also done us a tomato and some mushrooms. Anything you don’t want?’
She laughed and shook her head. ‘Nope. I can assure you I have a healthy appetite.’
He gave her a look she couldn’t decipher then began serving up their food onto two plates.
Once the toast popped up in the toaster and they were both seated and ready to start eating, he smiled.
‘This looks amazing,’ Skye said happily. ‘Thank you.’
‘My pleasure,’ Joe said, putting a forkful of food into his mouth and chewing. ‘I like to see people enjoying their food.’
‘Doesn’t everybody?’
He shrugged. ‘I think my mother’s been on a diet her entire adult life.’
Skye continued eating and wondered if maybe the look he had given her was more to do with relief that she wasn’t going to be a picky eater.
‘I was thinking,’ Joe said after drinking some coffee, ‘later, when we’ve done all we need to, I could take you for a drive.’
‘Really?’
‘Yes. You haven’t left the farm yet. It doesn’t seem fair, or right, that you shouldn’t get to enjoy all this island has to offer.’
‘I’d love that. Thanks.’
‘We might as well take whatever chance we have to visit some of the places I think you shouldn’t miss.’
‘Like where?’ she asked, intrigued.
‘Well, some of the beaches for a start. Then there’s the usual visitor haunts like Devil’s Hole, Jersey Zoo, um, the cliff paths. There are many historical sites to visit too – the castles, for instance, and there’s the museums.’
‘Crikey. For a small place there seems to be a lot to take in.’
Joe seemed pleased with her observation. ‘There is. I haven’t even mentioned the restaurants and bars yet, but I doubt we’ll get to see most of them. One of the things I do think you should see are the tides when they’re very high. Spring tides are impressive for the most part and you shouldn’t miss seeing one of those.’
She ate another mouthful of toast. ‘I’m happy to let you be my guide. Anything you show me will be interesting, I’m sure.’
Joe smiled at her from across the table, making her insides do a little flip. ‘I’d wait until I’ve shown you around before you say that. I might have a completely different idea to you about what’s interesting.’
‘Good point,’ Skye said, pulling a face and making him laugh.
13
JOE
He was glad Skye had been open to going out with him and seeing parts of the island. As much as they might have been thrown together, neither of them had planned for this to happen. He loved the island and knew that Lettie would want him to look after Skye and show her around. Now that Melody and Zac seemed to be serious it made sense that Skye would also be on the periphery of the Torel family and, as he was too, to a certain extent, then he should ensure that he did all he could to help Skye make the most of every moment she was on the island.
After breakfast they finished the outstanding tasks from their list and now he was sitting in his car, and waiting for Skye to freshen up and join him.
‘So,’ she said, appearing at the passenger door, looking excited as she got in. ‘Where to first?’
‘I thought we should start on the other side of the island. I could drive you to a few bays and then around the north coast. We could stop at one of the places for a bite to eat for our lunch, then carry on making our way back towards St Ouen, ending up at the farm in time to take Spud and Derek out for a walk and check on all the animals. How does that sound?’
‘Great fun,’ she said, fastening her seat belt.
He drove off wishing they could take the dogs with them but aware that they would probably be happier left in the warmth of the kitchen. ‘It’s a bit nippy today, isn’t it?’
