Chapter 2
2
JOE
Joe removed his uniform and hung it up ready for the next emergency. His adrenalin was still pumping after the fire in the hotel kitchen. No one had been hurt and they had managed to contain the fire to the kitchen, which was a relief. His thoughts returned to the woman in the bedroom who had insisted on fetching a book. A book, of all things. Who would risk their life, and potentially his, for a book? He thought back to the fire in the village soon after he and his mother Faye had moved to France when he was fourteen, and to the shock he still felt when he recalled watching the building with neighbours in the village square, waiting for the three people trapped on the top floor of a hotel to be rescued.
The bravery of the pompiers – especially the one who had climbed the ladder and carried down a traumatised woman with partially burnt clothes, saving her life – had stayed with Joe since then. The heroic actions of the firefighter had been the reason he had chosen to do the same job.
Joe was glad he hadn’t seen the woman he had taken from the hotel bedroom after leading her to join the final few hotel staff as they left the building again. The temptation to tell her how silly she had been would have been intense, and it wasn’t for him to lecture anyone.
He couldn’t think straight with all the chatter from his colleagues, so Joe finished putting his things away and realised he should go home. The thought of returning to his home, to his mother and her new husband Roger, was not something he was looking forward to. They had only been staying with him for two weeks but it already felt more like a couple of months. If only it wasn’t so early and the café was open; he could do with wasting an hour eating one of their delicious breakfasts right now.
‘I’m off,’ Joe said.
‘Me, too,’ his good friend and fellow firefighter Paul said, joining Joe as he left the building. ‘You OK, mate?’ Paul asked as they strode towards their cars. ‘You seem a bit down lately.’ Paul stopped by his car. ‘It’s not woman trouble, is it?’
Joe shook his head. ‘Not unless you’re thinking of my mother,’ Joe replied, keeping his voice light.
Paul slapped him on the back. ‘Good luck with that.’
Joe knew Paul had been referring to a recent conversation when Joe had admitted his last relationship ended badly. He had then insisted, despite Paul’s assurances to the contrary, that he had no intention of becoming involved with anyone romantically for a very long time. ‘Thanks, I’m sure it’ll all work out somehow.’
‘I’m sure it will.’ Paul smiled. ‘And let’s hope it’s a quieter shift next time.’
Joe thought of the guests and staff at the hotel and was glad they had all been able to return to their accommodation after the fire had been contained and extinguished, and he couldn’t agree more.
He took the scenic route back towards Noirmont where he had lived alone, barely having a chance to settle into the bungalow his paternal grandfather had left him before his peace was shattered when his mother had pitched up on his doorstep with her suitcase and husband in tow, acting as if this was going to be a great family reunion.
‘Why didn’t you let me know you were coming?’ Joe had asked the morning they’d arrived. ‘I could have at least prepared a room for you both.’
‘We wanted to surprise you,’ his mother Faye had insisted, handing Joe her cabin bag and walking past him into his hallway, leaving Joe to introduce himself to her latest husband.
‘Hi, I’m Joe,’ he’d said, assuming his stepfather already knew but unsure what else to say. ‘Come in.’
‘Thank you.’ The man had held out his hand for Joe to shake. ‘I’m Roger. Faye insisted you could put us up for a bit.’
‘Of course,’ Joe had agreed, wishing his mother had thought to at least ask him first. ‘I’d be happy to.’
Now though, two weeks later, having moved into his spare room when his mother claimed it was only fair that she and Roger took the larger of the bedrooms as there were two of them, Joe was tired of her things being strewn everywhere and never having a moment’s peace. His mother and stepfather were either rowing or tiddly from drinking each evening, and Joe wanted space from them.
Deciding to stop off at the store to buy one of their takeaway coffees and a doughnut, Joe parked his car and went inside.
‘Well, if it isn’t Joe Marett. I haven’t seen you for months. Where’ve you been hiding?’
Recognising the voice, Joe turned and smiled at the local vet. Brodie had returned to the island to take over the village veterinary practice and the pair of them had become good friends in that time.
‘Hi, mate. Here and there.’
Joe thought of his beloved grandad who had left the bungalow to him after his death the previous year. Joe wondered when the pain of losing his grandad would ease. He thought of how much his grandad had done for him. Joe had often returned to the island to stay with him after his mother had taken him to live in France when his parents divorced when Joe was fourteen.
The decor was dated but somehow that only added to his cherished memories of time spent there. As for the tiny shed in the garden where all the old but well-maintained garden tools were neatly stored away, he decided that was his favourite part of the property. Joe pictured coming to the bungalow after school when he was young to spend time with his grandparents until his mother finished work and sitting on a small stool next to his grandfather in front of the shed as they drank lemonade and stared out over the sea below them in Ouaisné Bay. His grandmother had died while he and his mother had been living in France for a decade, but it still felt odd not being able to see his grandfather.
‘I moved in a few months ago. Slowly settling in.’
Brodie rested a hand on his shoulder and Joe struggled for a couple of seconds to keep control of his emotions. ‘If there’s anything you need help with, just let me know.’
‘Thanks, Brodie. I’ll bear that in mind. How come you’re up this early?’ Joe said, tapping his watch. ‘It’s barely seven-thirty. Not had an emergency at your veterinary practice, I hope?’
Brodie shook his head. ‘No, thankfully. I couldn’t sleep too well last night so took Derek out for an early walk.’
Joe grinned as he pictured the strange-looking black rescue Brodie had adopted the previous year when Lettie Torel, Brodie’s now fiancée, had found him by the side of a road. ‘How is he doing?’
‘Well, thanks.’ Brodie frowned. ‘Better than poor Lettie.’
Concerned for his friends, Joe asked, ‘There’s nothing wrong with the pregnancy, I hope? She must be, what, seven months along by now?’
Brodie nodded. ‘Thirty-four weeks.’ He sighed. ‘She’s been overdoing it running Hollyhock Farm. We had a bit of a scare last week.’ He looked around, then lowered his voice. ‘We haven’t told anyone but Lettie has something called placenta praevia.’
‘Sounds nasty,’ Joe said, wondering what it was.
‘It isn’t ideal.’ Joe frowned. ‘It’s where the placenta attaches in the womb lower than normal and can cause haemorrhaging during delivery.’
‘Poor Lettie.’ Joe wished there was something he could do to help. ‘And she’s allowed to work with that?’
‘She’s been getting twinges over the past few days, which is worrying. Lindy and Gareth are away on another cruise, as you probably know, and it was planned so that they would be back a few days before the baby’s due date. The doctor has now insisted she give up work as soon as possible, at least until the baby’s born.’
‘Lettie won’t have liked that, I imagine.’
Brodie shook his head. ‘She wasn’t impressed but the doctor warned us that as soon as she goes into labour she must get to the hospital, just in case there are issues. Now he’s concerned she might have the baby early, and I’m panicking a bit about it all.’
‘I’m not surprised,’ Joe said, resting a hand on his friend’s shoulder. ‘You do know that you can call on me for anything you need, I hope.’
‘Thanks, Joe. I might have to take you up on that offer.’
‘Then do.’ Joe thought of the recent conversation he’d had with his supervisor about taking the four weeks’ leave he had carried over from the previous year. Joe had thought he had hidden his grief well from his colleagues by focusing on his work and taking on extra shifts whenever they were available. He was still surprised by what he had been told.
‘You need time away from the station,’ his supervisor had said. ‘And you have the next few weeks to decide when to take it, otherwise I’ll decide for you.’
Joe shrugged now. ‘Don’t think too long. I’m due four weeks off work and had been putting off taking it because I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. You’ll be doing me a favour too.’
Brodie sighed. ‘You don’t know how relieved I am that I bumped into you this morning. Chatting to you has taken a weight off my shoulders. Lettie and I had planned that I would help out at the farm. I’m only a short drive away in the village in case of an emergency, so wouldn’t be far if she needed me.’
Joe thought back to how hard his friend had been working for the previous ten months to make a go of the place, and wasn’t surprised Lettie was upset about stepping back from the farm.
‘I would have asked Zac but he’s still away on tour. And although I’m sure her parents would come back immediately if Lettie needed them to…’ Brodie crossed his arms.
‘Let me guess,’ Joe said narrowing his eyes. ‘Lettie won’t hear of you disrupting their holiday?’
‘That’s right. She said they’ve worked hard all their lives and she has no intention of ruining their enjoyment of their well-earned retirement at the first hiccup.’
‘I would hardly call it that.’
‘That’s what I said.’
‘Typical Lettie,’ Joe said fondly. His friend was too kind for her own good sometimes, but it wasn’t his business to say so.
‘I’ve spoken to her Uncle Leonard, who has promised to send in his own workers to harvest the potatoes. I offered to spend any free time feeding and tending to the animals, but you know how busy my practice has become now that I’m the only vet in the village, so I won’t have the capacity to do all I need to for them.’ Brodie shook his head wearily.
Joe recalled the delicious buttery taste of the small Jersey Royal potatoes the island was so famous for, after the Jersey cow.
‘I can’t help feeling that it’s my fault we’re in this predicament.’
Unsure why he would think that way, Joe asked, ‘How is this your fault?’
Brodie puffed out his cheeks. ‘Well, she wouldn’t be pregnant without me, would she? The baby, as much as we are excited to welcome it, would have been better coming in a couple of years when Lettie was more established at the farm.’
Joe understood his friend’s sentiment, but had no intention of letting him blame himself for something neither of them could help. ‘Hey, that attitude isn’t going to help either of you and it certainly won’t resolve the farm issue. Anyway, this is something involving the pair of you, so stop blaming yourself.’
‘I suppose you’re right.’ Brodie shrugged. ‘I just wish I could give her some reassurance that there’s a resolution to this, but I’m not sure what yet. I only popped in here to buy a tasty treat for Lettie’s breakfast and don’t want to still be out when she wakes up. She’s had a pretty tough night worrying herself silly about the farm.’
‘Look, try not to worry too much. Let me speak to my boss about taking leave so I can help out on the farm.’
‘Really?’
‘Of course. I’m sure he’ll be delighted if I finally give in and take time off from work. I’ll let you know as soon as I have something confirmed.’
‘Thanks, Joe. That would be incredible.’
‘It would be my pleasure.’ A thought occurred to him. ‘Why don’t you leave Derek with me at the farm, too? You’ll be busy with your veterinary practice and will surely want to spend your free time with Lettie before the baby is born. Derek will be fine with me and Spud.’
Brodie frowned thoughtfully as he considered Joe’s suggestion. ‘That does sound like a sensible idea.’ He watched Brodie picking up a pair of plastic tongs and putting two croissants into a brown paper bag. ‘Thanks, Joe. I appreciate that more than you know.’
Breathing in the smell of the pastries, Joe decided he could do with eating a couple too. He put four into a bag and walked over to the counter to ask for a coffee. ‘I’ll catch up with you as soon as I can,’ he called to Brodie as his friend turned from the counter, having paid for his purchases. ‘Please send Lettie my best.’
‘You’re a star,’ Brodie called before smiling and leaving the store.
As Joe paid for his things, then stepped aside to wait for his coffee to be made, he couldn’t help worrying about his friends. Poor Lettie had worked long hours to keep the farm running. She was such a hardworking and lovely person, giving up a life in fashion in London to take over the farm when her father was forced into early retirement. He thought back to their one and only date before she and Brodie had got together. Joe might have liked her, but he was glad to see her happily making a life with Brodie. They were well suited with their love of animals and similar humour.
He took his coffee and, after thanking the assistant, left for his short drive home. Maybe he wouldn’t be so irritated by his mother and Roger if he could put some space between them? If he was able to help out with the animals at the farm, then maybe Lettie might be agreeable to let him stay in one of the rooms she kept for guests.
It was a thought and one that cheered him up enormously.
Feeling his mood dip again as he parked his car outside the bungalow, Joe braced himself to go and face his mother and Roger. He found them sitting at the kitchen table niggling at each other, yet again, about something.
Joe forced a smile and held up the brown bag. ‘I have fresh croissants for breakfast,’ he announced, relieved when the pair were distracted enough to stop their sniping.
‘How thoughtful of you, darling,’ Faye said, giving Roger a look as if to say, look how thoughtful my son is , as she got to her feet. ‘Sit down and I’ll fetch some plates.’
Joe had no intention of being drawn into their arguments. ‘No, you stay there; I’ll get them.’
Finally seated, Joe focused on keeping the mood light while they each ate their pastries. ‘So, what have the pair of you got planned for today?’ he asked, hoping they would be going out somewhere and leave him to catch up on his sleep. He didn’t mind night shifts but coming home and spending a peaceful few hours in bed seemed to be a thing of the past since Faye and Roger’s unexpected arrival. He spotted the pair of them exchanging glances and his mood dipped. He recognised that expression on his mother’s face and knew he wasn’t going to like what she was about to say.