Just Good Friends (38 page)

“Yeh,” he brightened. “Dad took us to Aussie, and we saw
heaps. Sweet as. I wish the moa hadn’t all died off, though. I wish I could see
one.”

“You’ve seen the models they have in the Auckland Museum,
I’ll bet,” Jenna guessed. “I like to imagine walking around here when it was
still native bush and meeting one. That would’ve been a bit of a surprise,
wouldn’t it? You wouldn’t even have come up past the top of its legs.”

“Yeh! And imagine if you saw a Haast’s Eagle attacking a moa!”

“I’d want to hide, if I saw that,” Jenna said. “That would
be pretty scary. I’d be worried it would carry
me
away.”

She stopped to greet Sophie and Nyree as they approached.
“You’re a pretty good soccer player,” she told Nyree admiringly. “You must have
played at school.”

“And practiced with my own kids, when they were growing up,”
Nyree said. “I’m too old and fat to run anymore. But as long as Sophie kicks it
to me, I can send it back to her.”

“That’s good,” Sophie told Jenna seriously. “I have to practice
my accuracy. And Nyree helps.”

“Sophie practices
all
the
time,”
Harry
complained. “We have a goal set up in the garden at home. All she ever wants to
do is practice kicking, and read. Bor-ring.”

“I’ll bet when you learn to read, you’ll be doing it a fair
bit yourself,” Jenna suggested. “There’s so much cool stuff to find out about.
Are you Year One?”

Harry nodded. “I haven’t learnt to read yet, though.” He
gave another gusty sigh. “I thought we were meant to learn in Year One. But all
I can read are little words. And baby books.”

“You have to keep trying,” Sophie said. “I told you that.
It’s just like soccer and footy. Like Dad says. You have to practice hard to
get better.”

“Can you play soccer?” she asked Jenna. “Because you can
run. I saw. Can you practice with me?”

“I can try,” Jenna said doubtfully. “Do you and Harry mind
holding Oscar?” she asked Nyree.

“We’ll take him to the dog area, let Harry throw his ball,”
Nyree said. “There’s a bit of an open area near there where you can kick the
ball till you’ve worn this girl out, if you really don’t mind. Then come find
us.”

Jenna did her best, but her inaccurate kicks kept Sophie
running, while her inept stops had her scrambling after the ball herself. She
called a laughing halt after fifteen sweaty minutes. “I don’t think this is my
game,” she apologized to Sophie. “I’m afraid you’re the one wearing
me
out.
Let’s go rescue Nyree from the dog park, all right?”

“You tried hard, though,” Sophie said encouragingly, finally
displaying her seven-year-old gap-toothed smile.

Jenna laughed. “That’s very nice of you. But I think you’d
better stick to practicing with Nyree.”

“Jenna! Oscar comes when I call him!” Harry told her
excitedly when they joined the others inside the dog park. “Watch this!”

“You’re a Dog Whisperer, that’s for sure,” Jenna told him
approvingly as Oscar came running at Harry’s enthusiastic shout. “Someday
you’re going to be a really good dog owner. What kind of dog do you want, have
you thought? A retriever, like this?”

“Nah,” Harry said confidently. “I want a plain dog. Loads of
dogs get killed, did you know that? Because there aren’t enough homes for all
of them. I think that’s sad, don’t you?”

“I think it’s very sad,” Jenna agreed. “And it’s wonderful
to adopt a dog from a shelter.”

“Maybe when I get it, I can walk it with you and Oscar,”
Harry suggested.

“Hmm. We’ll see. For right now, though, why don’t you give
Oscar’s ball one more good toss? Then I need to be getting him back to his
owner.”

Jenna put a hand up to her auburn hair and verified her
suspicions. Her carefully blow-dried waves had become corkscrew curls, even
under the shelter of her umbrella. So much for a polished, professional
appearance. Giving herself a time cushion had meant walking in the rain for
twenty minutes before the appointment, but she hadn’t wanted to risk a late
arrival.

She looked up at the imposing villa set against the hillside
of the Mt. Eden Domain, squared her shoulders, and made her way through the
wooden gate set into the stone wall and up the front steps to the polished wood
door. She reminded herself that the job was a long shot. But she couldn’t help
being excited. When she’d seen the ad, it had seemed tailor-made for her. The
six-month post as a nanny and housekeeper would end in mid-December, giving her
a chance to get settled before the new school year started at the end of
January. It was live-in, which meant she wouldn’t have to find a place here in
Auckland right away, and could save most of her salary as well. She’d enjoyed
staying with Natalie for the past couple weeks and catching up on their
friendship, but she needed to move on before she wore out her welcome. 

 “Hello,” she smiled up at the tall man who answered the
door at her ring. “Mr. Douglas? I’m Jenna McKnight. I think you’re expecting
me.”

“Come in. And call me Finn, please.” He took her umbrella
from her with a raised brow. “You got pretty wet. Couldn’t you find a parking
space?”

“No car. Shoes off?” she asked, glancing at his stockinged
feet.

“If you don’t mind,” he agreed, and watched as she bent to
pull off her boots. “You’ve learnt Kiwi ways, obviously.”

“I’m a permanent resident, actually. I may not sound like
it, but I
am
pretty much
a Kiwi at this point.”

“You do know that this job involves driving,” he commented
as he led the way into a spacious lounge, its original rimu flooring polished
to a high russet gloss and covered by a large Oriental rug.

“I can drive,” she assured him. “And I have a clean record.”

“Yeh,” he said absently, gesturing her to a seat on the big
leather couch and picking up her CV with a frown. “You have good
qualifications. Six years teaching Year One. You’re not . . . exactly what I
was hoping for, though. This is a temporary job, but it’s a serious one. You’d
have a couple days off each week, but otherwise you’d be here with the kids.
Twenty-four hours a day some of the time, though there’s additional help you
could call in. I travel a fair bit, as I’m sure you know.”

“Did you say that on the phone? I don’t recall that. But of
course it’s a serious job. It’s taking care of your children, after all, and
that’s serious business. I wouldn’t have applied if I hadn’t been prepared to
do that.” He didn’t seem to be warming to her. Was it the hair? She put her
hand up to it again, then pulled it away quickly. Tried to project more calm
than she was feeling.

“You don’t know who I am.” It was a statement, accompanied
by a piercing stare from his light blue eyes.

“Should I know? Are you an actor or something?” She looked
at him doubtfully. He was certainly striking, with his height and powerful
build, but his features were much too rough-hewn to be called handsome. And
that gravelly voice—he could play villains, she supposed. He must have some
kind of lucrative career, anyway, to be able to afford this house, in its
exclusive neighborhood. He looked young to be a successful businessperson—early
thirties, maybe.

“I’m a rugby player,” he answered briefly, still looking at
her. “You didn’t know that?”

“No. I don’t follow sport.”

“You didn’t look me up online, before the interview? That
isn’t why you’re here?”

“What?” She was staring at him now. “I don’t understand what
you’re talking about.”

“Look.” He sighed and set her CV down. “I’ve tried to do
this discreetly, but somehow, most of the candidates have turned out to be
attractive young women. I advertised because I needed a temporary nanny and
housekeeper. Not a girlfriend, and definitely not a wife.”

Jenna sat with her mouth open for a moment, then shut it
with a snap. “And astonishingly enough, I came here today, on the bus, in the
pouring
rain,
to interview for a job as a temporary nanny and
housekeeper. Not to . . . what? Audition to be your girlfriend? Sleep with you?
Maybe you should look in the mirror. You aren’t that good-looking.”

 She forced herself to stop before she said anything even
ruder, and stood up to leave. All she’d lost was her time and some bus fare,
she reminded herself, taking a couple calming breaths to prepare for a
dignified exit.

As Finn rose to join her, those eyes even harder now, the
front door banged and excited voices rose in the hallway.

“Daddy! We got so
wet!”

Jenna turned in surprise as two familiar little figures
rushed into the room, then skidded to a stop, staring at her.

“Jenna!” Harry rushed forward and gave her a hug that Jenna
reflexively returned. “Why are you here? Did you come to visit us? Where’s
Oscar?”

She smiled down at him and reached out to smooth his hair.
“No Oscar today. I came to see your dad, but I was just leaving, buddy.”

“Hi, Jenna!” Sophie came forward for her own hug. “Did you
come to talk to Dad about being our nanny?” she guessed. “He said he was going
to talk to some ladies while we were gone. Are you going to stay with us? That
would be so cool.”

“Afraid not,” Jenna told her. “Your dad and I were just
realizing that it wouldn’t work out. See you soon, though, OK?”

“Wait,” Finn protested. “What’s going on here? How do you
know my kids? I thought you weren’t working as a teacher now.”

Jenna turned to him. “I see them quite a bit at the Domain,
when they’re there with Nyree.”

“Jenna knows all about birds, and dogs, and extinct animals,
and
everything,
Dad,
”
Harry told him. “She’s very, very good at
discussing.”

Finn looked down at his earnest son with a smile. “I know
how much you like to discuss animals. Why don’t you two say goodbye to Jenna
and run back with Nyree now, though?”

“But why aren’t you going to be our nanny?” Sophie asked
with disappointment. “We’d like you best.”

“It’s not going to work,” Finn told her firmly. “Say
goodbye, now.”

Both children looked mutinous, but obeyed at last. After
they had left the room, Finn turned back to Jenna, his expression even more
skeptical. “You got to know my kids. But you don’t know who I am.”

“No. And frankly, I find myself caring less and less. Good
luck finding your elderly nanny.”

“Look.” He followed her out of the room and watched as she
pulled on her boots and retrieved her raincoat and umbrella from the hooks that
lined the entryway. “If that’s true, I’m sorry I insulted you. It’s just . . .”
He ran a hand through his close-cropped brown hair. “It’s awkward, you know.
Because the person has to live in the house with me. I know what I look like,
and that I’m no prize. But for some reason, whether you believe me or not, I’ve
met a fair few young women this past week who seem to be looking for more than
a job.”

Jenna nodded stiffly. “No point in my telling you I’m not
interested. You can’t prove a negative. But you have great kids. So, really,
good luck with the nanny.” She reached out a hand to shake his.

“Let me ring for a taxi,” he suggested, looking a bit
shamefaced now.

“No worries. I’m already wet.” She gave him a brief smile
and left the house.

Finn shut the door behind her. Sighed and ran his hand
through his hair again. Why did Nyree have to leave, anyway? That was selfish,
though. Her mum needed her. Hip replacements were no picnic. But this was too
hard. He must have sounded like an arrogant prat just now. Jenna really hadn’t
known who he was. He looked at himself in the hall mirror and grimaced. She was
right. No prize.

JUST
FOR NOW

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