anything, but I didn’t much welcome the thought of the pair taking a romantic break. Perhaps I hadn’t banished the feelings I had been developing for Sam quite as comprehensively as I had thought.
‘I would have covered for him,’ I said, making myself think kind thoughts instead of green-tinted ones, ‘I could have helped, just doing drinks if nothing else. It’s not as if the place is that busy.’
‘But you’re supposed to be here on your holidays,’ Sophie reminded me, ‘and besides you weren’t around to ask.’
That was true enough. I’d spent the best part of the last two days at the beach, out with Joe and nowhere near the pub.
‘Have you been having fun?’
‘Sort of,’ I said truthfully. ‘But it’s turning out to be the oddest holiday I’ve ever taken.’
The café bell rang out and Sophie was kept busy for a while preparing breakfasts, including mine, and serving customers. I ended up helping out by waiting tables as there was an influx of extra folk who had also found the pub closed.
‘Word has got out about the solstice party,’ Sophie told me when things died down again. ‘People are beginning to ask about the details and, I know just a little while ago I reminded you that you’re on holiday, but are you still happy to design the posters? We need to start advertising the event really.’
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘absolutely. I just need to finalize some details with you and Sam and then I’ll get them sorted.’
‘Excellent,’ said Sophie, ‘and you’re really sure you don’t mind doing it?’
‘I’m really sure,’
‘You can spare the time?’
‘Absolutely.’
‘Because none of us want to eat into your free time you know,’ said Sophie gently, ‘especially now you’ve . . .’
‘Especially now I’ve what?’ I cut in.
I got the impression I had been talked about and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that.
‘Now that you’ve made a friend elsewhere,’ she said softly.
‘Are you saying that because I’ve made a friend somewhere else, I can’t play with the ones I’ve already got?’
‘Don’t be silly,’ she said. ‘What I’m saying is, that the last thing any of us wants is for you to feel obliged to carry on helping when you’d rather be spending time . . . doing other things.’
‘I see.’
‘That said,’ she carried on, ‘I do think, that before you get too involved, there’s a couple of things you ought to know.’
‘I take it you are, in a roundabout sort of way, talking about Joe Upton,’ I said, just to be sure.
‘I am.’
‘Well, if it’s about the crash,’ I said bluntly, ‘I know everything already.’
‘From Joe?’ she asked.
‘Of course, from Joe,’ I told her, ‘so you don’t have to say any more about that particular business and I also know that he was a bit of a rebel, and,’ I added for good measure, ‘I’m also well aware that a few of the locals aren’t thrilled to see him back because of his bad-boy reputation. Not that now, as a fully-grown man, he has one of course.’
‘Right,’ she said. ‘I see.’
She was denied the opportunity to say anything further as more customers arrived, but I could tell she was bursting to.
‘Look,’ I said, once she had finished serving again, ‘Joe’s got more than enough on his plate right now without having to worry that folk are still talking about him and what happened in the past. Believe me, he isn’t back in Wynmouth to cause trouble.’
‘So, why is he back then?’ Sophie asked. ‘And why did he come to the pub? Sam’s not been the same since he showed up.’
‘Given that Sam was the one responsible for the crash,’ I pointed out, ‘that’s hardly surprising, is it?’
Sophie looked hurt by my words, but her protectiveness of Sam had glossed over certain unsavoury facts. He might have lost part of a leg that night, but the Upton family had lost a son and a brother. The fact that Joe was now back in Wynmouth, or for most of the time, just on the outskirts of it, was bound to rake a few things up, but there was no way of avoiding that.
‘Joe has come back,’ I said trying to diffuse the fuss, ‘to help Charlie. I think the farm is experiencing some difficulties and he’s here to help sort them out, that’s all.’
‘Ah.’
‘And,’ I went on, not that I should have felt obliged to explain further, but I did, ‘that’s one of the reasons we’ve become close.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘We both work with our families