‘I was wondering, though,’ Skye said.
‘Go on, what’s on your mind?’
‘If my father, or the man we presume to be my father’s last name is Ferreira, I was trying to work out where he might be from. I don’t think that’s a typical Jersey last name, is it?’
Joe shook his head. ‘No. I think he’s Portuguese, or from Madeira.’
‘Really? How would you know that?’
Joe remembered this was Skye’s first time in Jersey and that she wouldn’t have been here long enough to grasp any of the history of the island’s people. ‘The island has always had people coming from firstly France, then Italy and then Portugal, or Madeira to come and work during the summer seasons here.’
‘Really? That’s fascinating.’
‘As you probably know, the island initially was known for its farming, hence French people coming over to work the land on farms. When the tourist industry picked up in the late fifties and early sixties, quite a few Italian people came to work in hotels and restaurants, then when the island’s tourism was at its height in the sixties and seventies people came over to work the seasons in the hotels. I presume that’s what your father or even his family might have done. Many people settled on the island and are now part of the local community.’
‘I suppose it does make sense that my father was Portuguese going by my hair and eye colour.’
Joe was relieved to see that Skye seemed to like the idea and began to relax slightly. It had been a concerning time at Sandra’s and for a while there he had wished he had considered more the repercussions of him introducing Skye to anyone who knew her family.
Then again, he mused, making emotional discoveries could be extremely painful and life-changing but once you came to terms with that new knowledge things became more settled. Or it had done in his experience. Not that his parents’ divorce or his ex’s decision to dump him was the same as the situation Skye currently found herself dealing with.
‘They’re here,’ Skye said, pointing to the windscreen.
His thoughts returning to the present, Joe peered down the drive and saw Brodie’s ancient Land Rover drawing into the yard.
‘We made it just in time,’ Joe said, glad they hadn’t spent any longer at Sandra’s home. Even if Lettie expected him and Skye to have time away from the farm she wouldn’t be impressed if they both were absent from it for too long.
‘I’m so excited to meet baby Isla,’ Skye said, opening the door before he had completely stopped the car.
‘Hey, be careful. We don’t need you hurting yourself.’
She ignored him and after getting out of the car ran over to wait for Brodie to unstrap the baby and lift her carefully out of the car seat. Joe waited for Skye to hug Lettie, then did the same.
‘It’s great to see you looking so well,’ he said to his friend, surprised to see how relaxed Lettie seemed after the dramas of her going into labour early.
‘I’m fine, Joe,’ she assured him, hugging him tightly for a few seconds. ‘You two have been amazing, by the way. Isla and I thank you.’
‘So do I,’ Brodie said, handing the baby into Skye’s waiting arms and giving Joe a pat on the back.
‘Now you’ve got your sweet family and so much to look forward to,’ Joe said, smiling.
They began following the women into the house. ‘I’m a very lucky man,’ Brodie said quietly. ‘I never expected to have all that I do.’
‘You deserve your happiness,’ Joe assured him. ‘As does Lettie, and I’m thrilled for you both.’
‘Thanks, mate.’
Skye opened the front door and within seconds Spud and Derek bounded out to greet them, tails wagging, whining in excitement. Derek pushed his head against Brodie’s thigh, making him laugh. Joe watched his friend bend down to greet his beloved dog and realised how much he must have missed him. He had only adopted Derek the year before when the elderly lady who had taken him on from a neighbour who had had to move couldn’t cope and the two had become firm friends.
‘I’m going to have to introduce you to baby Isla,’ Brodie said as he patted the dog’s rump.
Spud was just as excited to greet Lettie, but Joe was relieved to see Skye take his attention and give him a pat.
‘Come along, boys, let’s get you both a treat for being so well behaved while we were out,’ she said.
After settling down in the living room with cups of tea and some biscuits Skye found in the cupboard, Lettie stroked Isla’s head as she lay in Brodie’s arms. ‘I’ll come and have a look around after we finish these drinks,’ she said. ‘Before that I thought Brodie and I should speak to you about our plans for the next few weeks.’
Joe swapped glances with Skye, hoping Lettie had given in to Brodie and agreed to spend some time with him and the baby at the cottage in the village.
