Chapter 44
44
SKYE
Skye opened her eyes and groaned. Her head was pounding and she worked out that she had not enjoyed nearly enough sleep. Her bedroom was directly over Lettie’s, and the baby had cried on and off during the night, keeping poor Lettie and Brodie awake, as well as herself. She wondered if Joe had managed to sleep through it and hoped he had done.
The past few weeks had been a whirlwind of changes. First with her grandmother handing her Annie’s secret book, then meeting Joe and then again at the farm and thinking him insufferable only to discover he was pretty much the man of her dreams. Never mind meeting her father, who she was relieved to know was a kind, sweet man who had never known she had existed. It was a lot to process.
She stared out through the open windows at the blue sky and shuddered despite the warmth of the morning at the thought of all she would have missed out on if she hadn’t taken Lettie up on her offer to extend her stay on the island.
‘How did you do it?’ she asked Joe across the breakfast table as they each ate a couple of slices of toast alone, the others still up in their rooms. Lettie and Brodie were catching up on much-needed sleep and Lindy and Gareth were dealing with their jet lag.
He gave her a questioning look, still looking sleepy. ‘Do what?’ he asked before taking another mouthful of his toast and Jersey honey.
‘Sleep through the baby crying and poor Lettie doing her best to soothe her. It must be a special talent,’ she added, marvelling at his ability and wishing she could do the same.
Joe shrugged. ‘Sleeping through noise is something I’ve learnt to do.’
‘Really?’
‘I need to grab a few minutes’ sleep whenever I can if it’s been a long night, or I’ve missed out on my sleep for some reason.’
‘I wish I could do the same,’ she groaned, ‘but I’ve always been a light sleeper.’
Hearing heavy footsteps, they stopped talking and waited to see who was coming along the hallway.
‘Good morning,’ Gareth said, looking bleary-eyed. ‘Get any sleep last night, either of you?’
Amused, Skye shrugged. ‘A little.’ She didn’t want anyone to feel bad on her account. ‘I suppose the baby is getting used to a new house.’
Gareth walked over to the kettle and switched it on. ‘Let’s hope it doesn’t take her too long.’
‘I hope poor Lettie and Brodie managed to sleep a bit,’ Skye said.
‘She did eventually.’
Skye watched him make two mugs of tea. ‘Lindy insists she needs one of these before she can get out of bed.’ He added a little milk into each drink and stirred before returning the carton to the fridge. ‘We had the baby in with us for several hours. Lindy was certain she could calm the little one but she only managed to for a short time.’
Skye hoped they had been able to get some sleep.
He raised the mugs slightly. ‘Well, I’m going to take these upstairs and try and get back to sleep for a bit. I’ll catch up with you both later.’ He stopped by the door. ‘Unless you need me for anything?’
Skye and Joe shook their heads.
‘No,’ she said. ‘We’re fine as we are.’
Skye wished she could do as the Torels were doing and get another hour or two of sleep. She was here to do a job though, despite being exhausted and suspecting she looked as lousy as she currently felt.
The sound of the baby crying rang through the house once again. Skye winced. Poor Lettie.
Joe ate the last mouthful of his toast then finished his drink. ‘Right,’ he said, placing his empty mug on the table. ‘When you’re ready shall we get back outside where it’s a bit more peaceful?’
‘One second,’ Skye said, eating her last mouthful of toast and local honey. ‘Mmm, that is so good. I’m going to have to pack a jar of this honey when I leave.’
‘I’m not looking forward to that happening.’
She gave him a sad smile. ‘Me neither.’ Not wanting either of them to focus on their forthcoming parting, she stood, finished her tea and took her mug and plate to the sink.
Joe did the same. ‘Let’s get out of here,’ he whispered as they heard Lettie’s voice leave the bedroom.
‘Yes, let’s. I think the rest of the family will be getting up very soon and I’d rather leave them to have breakfast in peace.’
‘We need to be quick; I can hear them coming,’ he whispered as Brodie called for Lettie to bring the bin bag with dirty nappies. He took Skye’s hand in his and led her down the hallway and out of the back door.
Skye wasn’t sure where he was leading her and didn’t care. She was just happy to be spending time alone with him once again. A surge of panic raced through her. There would be very few moments like these left for them to enjoy before the time came for them to leave. And she hated that thought.
They stopped on the other side of the trees at the end of the garden. Joe led her a short way into the wood and, stopping next to one of the large pine trees, took her in his arms.
‘Why have we come this way?’ she asked, aware the animals were on the other side of the house.
‘I can’t wait a moment longer to kiss you again.’
Skye grinned. ‘I was wondering how long it would take you.’
‘And what would you have done if I hadn’t brought you out here?’ he teased.
She cocked her head to one side. ‘I would have taken it upon myself to show you what you should have been doing.’
Joe laughed. ‘And this, lovely Skye, is part of the reason I have the best time with you.’
‘Because I’m cute and funny?’
‘That too, but mostly because you know what you want and are not shy about making it happen.’