She could tell he was teasing her and was happy to tell him. ‘Let’s face it we didn’t exactly start off as friends now, did we?’
He shook his head. ‘Maybe not.’
‘And you can’t deny you were unimpressed to discover you wouldn’t be living here alone.’
‘That bit is definitely true.’ She went to speak but he grinned and raised his hand to speak. ‘However, I soon realised that running somewhere like this needs two inexperienced people working together if they are to keep on top of everything.’
‘You have experience though – you said so.’
‘Only a bit and always focusing on the heavy work lifting and shifting for my uncle. Never running anything, or having to keep an eye on stocks running low, reordering stuff, that sort of thing.’
‘Makes sense, I suppose.’
His cheerful expression vanished. ‘If this is coming to an end, we really need to make the most of every second we still have here.’
She liked his sentiment. ‘I agree. And that’s what we’ll do.’
They walked on again but despite her agreement to Joe’s comment, Skye was at a loss as to how he supposed they would do that. She already enjoyed waking each morning in her beautiful room, gazing out of her bedroom window as the sun rose or set, and never failed to be cheered up by seeing all the animals and walking in the fields relishing the glorious views over the pretty landscape and out to sea on one side of the farm. She knew that whatever happened in her life this part of it was something she would always be grateful for and would never forget. Especially getting to know Joe and spending so much time alone with him.
27
JOE
That evening, Joe was just getting out of the shower when his phone rang. Towel-drying his hair and drying his hands, he answered the call to find it was his friend Bruno.
‘Hi, Joe, I’ve spoken to my dad and he’s happy to meet up with you and your friend tomorrow morning if that suits you both. Around eleven-ish? We thought we could meet you for coffee at one of the cafés in St Aubin and tell you both about the Ferreiras he knows who live on the island.’
Now that he and Skye knew that her father had worked at the other hotel, Joe wasn’t sure whether the meeting would be worthwhile. He hoped he was doing the right thing arranging for Skye to meet them. It occurred to him he hadn’t mentioned the first name of the Ferreira they were looking for, just in case it did happen to be Bruno’s father’s name.
He puffed out his cheeks, concerned. He was getting ahead of himself. There was no sense in getting carried away with different scenarios at this point. At least if Bruno’s father did turn out to be the man Skye was looking for, Joe mused, then it would be up to the older man to decide how much information he wanted to share about himself.
Anyway, he thought, Bruno had gone to the effort of making arrangements with his father and he didn’t want to appear rude. There was no harm him and Skye meeting the two men and for all he knew Bruno’s father might have some information that could prove useful for Skye.
‘Sounds perfect.’ He finished drying himself and dressed. Skye was already in her bedroom having showered before him and he wasn’t sure if she would still be awake or whether he should wait until the morning to let her know he had heard from his friend.
He walked out of the shower room and into the hall. Then spotting a light under her bedroom door, walked over to it. Knocking lightly in case she had fallen asleep, he half expected her not to reply.
‘Yes?’
‘It’s me,’ Joe said, feeling a little silly and aware it would hardly be anyone else. ‘I’ve had a call from my mate and hope it’s OK but I’ve agreed to meet up with him and his dad tomorrow at eleven. Their last name is Ferreira, and I thought they might be able to offer more information that could hopefully lead you to finding your father. What do you think?’ When she didn’t reply, he added, ‘If you’d rather have more time to think about it I can always call him back and postpone everything.’
‘No, don’t do that. Look, this is odd talking through a door. Come in for a bit.’
Joe opened the door and, not wishing to breach any boundaries, leant against the doorframe. Skye was sitting up in her bed looking so pretty in her faded cartoon T-shirt, a book resting on her lap, that he wished he could kiss her.
Get a grip, man, he told himself, feeling like a teenage boy rather than someone who had enough experience to know better. ‘Sorry to make arrangements without speaking to you first, but it’s late and I thought it best to firm a time and place before speaking to you.’
She smiled. ‘It’s fine. Better than fine actually.’ She placed a bookmark inside her paperback and closed the book, placing it on the bedside table. ‘I’m aware I need to make the most of every opportunity, however small, if I want to find him.’ She bit her lower lip, looking anxious for a moment. ‘They have the same last name, you say?’
He nodded. ‘I’m not sure how many Ferreiras there are here, but Bruno insists his father will know most, if not all, of them.’ He shrugged. ‘I thought it was an opportunity we shouldn’t miss.’
‘I agree. I’m a bit nervous though, if I’m honest.’
He hated to think she might be but understood why she would feel that way. ‘There’s no need to be. I’ll be there with you. Unless you’d rather meet them alone?’
‘No,’ she said, sounding panicked. ‘I’d rather you were there. At least with two of us there we’ll have more chance of thinking to ask the most pertinent questions. It’s all a bit surreal, to be honest.’ Skye smiled. ‘I don’t think I could have done this without you.’
He shook his head, trying to hide how much it meant to him that she thought so. ‘I’m happy to be of help to you. It might have taken longer seeing as you don’t know anyone here, but you’re resourceful and determined.’ He gave her a wink. If there was one thing Skye was, it was that.
