Skye nodded. ‘I guess so.’
Joe looked at her. ‘You’re not cold?’
‘I’m from Scotland, Joe,’ she reminded him. ‘The weather here is incredibly mild. Almost summer-like.’
He saw the glint in her eye and knew she was joking. ‘My blood must be much thinner than yours.’
‘I suppose it’s not surprising if you’ve lived here and in France all your life. I’m used to warm climates since I’ve been travelling but I grew up in Edinburgh and suppose I’m more comfortable with lower temperatures.’
‘I can see you’re going to think me a bit of a wimp,’ he teased as it dawned on him he was enjoying spending time with her.
‘Yes, I have a feeling I might.’
He wasn’t really that cold but there was a nip in the air. Summer was his favourite season and as far as he was concerned it couldn’t come quick enough, but they had a few months to go until then.
His phone rang and, always on alert for a call, Joe indicated as soon as they reached a safe place to pull over on the road. ‘Sorry, I’d better see who this is.’
‘No problem.’ Skye picked up his phone from the cubbyhole in the dashboard and held it ready for when he had parked the car.
He took the phone from her. ‘Thanks.’ He looked at the screen and, seeing it was his mother, sighed. Faye had a knack of calling at the wrong moment and usually wanted him to do something for her. ‘Hopefully this won’t take a moment and then we can get back to sightseeing.’
He answered the call, aware from experience that Faye would continue to ring until he picked up unless she was distracted in some way.
‘Hi, Mum, what’s up?’
‘I need you pick up a couple of bits for me at the village shop and drop them off at the bungalow.’
He thought of Roger with little else to do apart from Faye’s bidding and had to swallow his irritation. ‘Why can’t you or Roger pop to the corner shop? It’s only at the end of the road and sells most things you should need.’
‘I know, Joe, but Roger’s gone out for a walk somewhere and I’ve run out of tea and milk. You know how rattled I get when I can’t have my tea.’
He did. ‘I would have thought after all your years in France you’d be used to drinking coffee by now.’ Before she could answer, unable to resist he added, ‘Anyway, wouldn’t you enjoy a short walk to the shop?’
Noticing Skye wave to get his attention, he raised his eyebrows and held his phone away from him. ‘Sorry about this,’ he whispered.
‘It’s fine. I was just going to say that I don’t mind the detour if you don’t.’
‘It’s not that,’ Joe said, unsure how to finish his sentence without admitting he would rather not go to the bungalow with Skye and deal with his mother’s excitement that he might have found a girlfriend. She seemed to have a mission to see him in a long-term relationship and as far as Joe was concerned he was happy as he was right now. Not that he wouldn’t mind seeing someone again, he thought, just that he would rather the poor girl not have to put up with Faye’s incessant questions when she did meet her.
‘You’d rather I not be there,’ Skye whispered.
He could see she was trying to hide her hurt, assuming he didn’t want to see his mother with Skye in tow. ‘It’s not what you think.’
Skye smiled. ‘Really, it’s fine. It was just a thought.’
‘No, it’s just?—’
‘Joe?’ Faye shouted. ‘Are you still there?’
Aware Faye was calling for him, he rolled his eyes and brought the phone nearer to his face once again. ‘Sorry, Mum. You were saying?’ He had no idea what she had been talking about, but assumed it had something to do with why she was insisting he did her shopping at that moment.
‘Well, I did wonder. I thought for a moment there I was talking to myself.’
‘Sorry, Mum.’ He didn’t like to admit that she had been. ‘I’m listening. Carry on.’
‘It’s my sciatica. Damn thing has flared up again and I’m in agony. If I was fine I would have been happy to go to the shop and get to know the people running the place. You know how friendly I always am. And I’d be out walking with Roger right now rather than stuck here in this miserable place.’
He didn’t like to remind her that the house she was being so rude about was his and that he had moved out to let her and her husband have the home to themselves.
