‘All right,’ he said, ‘I can’t very well take you back to Wynmouth tipsy, can I?’
‘Not unless you want us to be the talk of the village,’ I laughed.
‘Been there, done that,’ he shuddered, and I wondered what he was thinking of from his past. From what Mike had said in the pub, Joe clearly once had a bit of a reputation. ‘Here,’ he insisted, ‘quick, soak some of the alcohol up with these little shrimp toasts. They’re delicious.’
We both laughed as he refilled my plate to stave off the gossips. I wasn’t going to be able to manage even half of what he had given me.
‘So, how’s life down on the farm treating you, Joe?’ I asked once I decided I couldn’t manage another bite. ‘Are you still enjoying mucking in?’
‘Oh, the farm’s all right,’ he said ruminatively. ‘Between you and me, it’s Charlie, my brother, who’s the problem. He’s running the place and refuses to see reason about anything I suggest.’
‘What about your parents?’
‘Both dead,’ he said directly. ‘Mum died a while ago now and we lost Dad a few months back.’
‘Oh Joe,’ I said. I should have realized about his mum, when he mentioned her before in the past tense. ‘I’m so sorry.’
He wasn’t all that much older than me and it was dreadfully sad that he had experienced such great loss already. Having so recently said goodbye to Mum, I realized that we had more in common than a teenage kiss and being recently reacquainted with Wynmouth.
‘I lost my mum not all that long ago,’ I shared with him. ‘She had a heart attack and was gone quicker than I could click my fingers. I still can’t believe it really.’
He reached across the table and held my hand. Had he remembered me, he might have been able to recall Mum too. He might have seen her sitting on the beach in her yellow sundress. The thought brought a lump to my throat.
‘That’s what happened to Dad,’ he said, sounding choked. ‘One minute he was stacking bales, and the next . . .’
‘He was gone,’ I whispered, deeply regretting that I knew exactly how that felt.
‘Anyway,’ he sighed, squeezing my hand again before letting it go, ‘Charlie’s running the place now with Bruce as his willing and extremely naughty sidekick.’
I was already rather fond of Bruce but was sure I would like him even more if Joe could rein in his exuberance a bit.
He shook his head and sighed.
‘I hope I don’t sound bitter,’ he said. ‘I don’t mean to. I’m just finding it all a bit frustrating at the moment. It’s no mean feat trying to work with family.’
‘Oh, I know all about that too,’ I sighed.
This was something else we shared.
‘You do?’
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘I work for the family firm. My dad runs it and we seem to be clashing more and more these days.’
‘Hence the holiday?’
‘Hence the holiday,’ I nodded. ‘In part.’
‘Seems like we have quite a lot in common, Tess, doesn’t it?’ He pointed out, filling my cup again.
‘We certainly do,’ I agreed.
‘And I have to admit,’ he said, taking another slice of cake even though he had only minutes before sworn that he was fit to burst, ‘I was wondering how you could possibly manage to take so much time out. Six weeks is a long time, but if Dad’s the boss . . .’
‘He’s not doing me a favour,’ I shot back, feeling defensive. ‘It’s not nepotism, if that’s what you’re thinking. I work bloody hard for the company, and I haven’t had a proper break in years. I’m only taking the time I’m owed.’
Joe put up his hands in surrender.
‘All right,’ he said, ‘sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.’
‘I just hate it when people assume that I’ve had handed to me on a plate,’ I said bluntly, picking up my cup. ‘I started out as the tea girl, just like everyone else.’
‘Even the boys?’
‘You know what I mean,’ I said, still feeling annoyed. ‘I’m just taking my holiday entitlement in one go, that’s all.’
‘Fair enough,’ said Joe, ‘I guess you’re lucky to have a boss who will let you.’
‘I didn’t actually give him much choice,’ I pointed out. ‘And anyway, we’re supposed to be talking about you. You promised you’d tell me what the beef is between you and Sam.’
I had reckoned it was going to be all about Hope, but when Joe suggested moving into the conservatory, where it was quieter, I wasn’t so sure.
‘Sam and I used to be best friends,’ he began as soon as we were settled. ‘We’d more or less much grown up together, having gone to the same schools, but things changed when we hit our teenage years.’
So, it was likely that Sam had been around when I used to holiday in Wynmouth. I wished I could have remembered him as clearly as I did Joe.
‘In what way?’
Joe shrugged, his shoulders hunched.
‘I suppose you could say I was a bit of a rebel,’ he said ruefully. ‘Got myself into a bit of trouble around the village and upset the locals, whereas Sam never put so much as a toe out of line. We were still friendly, we still talked to each other, but we had different mates.’
‘But surely you can’t still be holding on to all that now?’ I frowned. ‘That all happened years ago, didn’t it?’
‘Yes, but that’s not the whole story.’
‘Oh,’ I said. ‘Go on then.’
Joe ran his hands through his hair and looked me straight in the eye. I couldn’t fathom his expression, but I suddenly realized I wasn’t going to like what I was going to hear and I didn’t think it was going to be anything about Hope after all.
‘One night,’ he continued, pulling in and then letting out the biggest breath, ‘just after Sam had passed his driving test, Jack and I found ourselves in need of a lift.’
‘And who is Jack?’ I asked.
‘My little brother,’ Joe swallowed. ‘We’d missed the last bus back to the village and we couldn’t afford a taxi. I knew Dad would go spare if I called him or Charlie so I asked Sam to come and get us.’
‘And did he?’
‘He did,’ Joe said, ‘but he wasn’t happy. He hadn’t had much experience of night driving and wasn’t keen on having to rescue me of all people.’
‘What happened?’ I whispered.
‘The car left the road on the journey back,’ Joe choked, ‘and ploughed into a tree.’
‘Jesus.’
‘I was in the back,’ he went on, closing his eyes and no doubt picturing the dreadful scene. ‘Somehow I managed to smash my way through the rear window and drag myself out. Then I pulled out Jack and Sam. I got them out of the way just before the whole thing went up in flames.’
A strangled sob crept up and out before I could stop it.
‘But Jack was already dead,’ Joe sobbed, ‘and Sam . . .’
‘Lost his leg,’ I whispered.
Joe nodded and sniffed, roughly brushing away his tears.