got to pour on the maple syrup.’ And he felt his stomach tighten as he realised, perhaps properly, all she had been through. That Nina hadn’t been much older than Janey was now when she had lost her parents, and the thought of her so young and alone and dealing with such grief brought out a rare surge of compassion in him.
Not that he showed it.
Instead, because they’d cooked, he found out that meant he and Nina were doing the dishes and he grumbled all the way through it. Then Janey grumbled when Nina suggested they go on the whale boat trip.
‘You’re going,’ Jack said in the end to Janey. ‘You can miserable with me.’
And though Nina wanted him gone, there was a sigh of relief she held onto because handling the two of them was just so much easier when he was around. Maybe because he was actually old enough to be their parent—the nine years Jack had on her made a big difference.
‘Thanks,’ Nina said again.
‘No need to thank me.’
They were impossible to get out of the house, Jack realised.
Janey took for ever in the bathroom and came out fully made up, while Blake had zero attention span and had to be told five times to wash and get dressed. Nina thought that Jack, with his streamlined life, would get irritated, because it was close to eleven by the time they all headed off, but he didn’t seem fazed at all.
Jack talked to Blake in the car about the hockey game the previous night and Janey moaned that the last thing she wanted to see was a group of whales.
‘A pod of whales.’ Jack turned briefly from the driving seat. ‘It’s a pod of whales, not a group of whales.’
Nina rolled her eyes, surprised when Janey giggled.
On deck, it was absolutely freezing, but the cabin was warm and there was endless hot chocolate. They took it in turns to go in and out, but it was more than worth it when finally a pod of whales was spotted. Far from being bored by them, Janey and Blake stayed on deck for ages—it was Nina and Jack who ducked in for some warmth.
‘Thanks for this,’ Nina said. ‘They’ve had the best day.’
‘What about you?’ Jack asked.
‘It’s been brilliant,’ Nina said. ‘I really do appreciate it.’ She didn’t dare ask Jack what sort of day he was having—he’d been so kind to take them on, but surely this wasn’t his ideal way to spend a weekend. After all, he had admitted that he rarely used the house and playing carer to two rather troubled foster-children on a rare weekend off no doubt had him wondering why on earth he had got involved with her.
He was very quiet on the drive home.
He told Nina about a couple of local restaurants, but apart from that he didn’t say much.
‘I’m tired,’ Blake said.
‘Can we just stay home and eat?’ Janey asked.
They’d spent one night there and already Janey had referred to it as home.
It was how he had felt many years ago.
Yes, Jack was quiet.
They arrived back at the house and Jack saw them in.
‘Where are you going?’ Blake asked when after a quick drink Jack said goodbye.
‘Jack’s going home.’ Nina smiled. ‘It’s Saturday night!’ she said as she followed him out to the hall
‘Thanks again.’ Nina smiled.
He kissed her more thoroughly than he had the last time they had been in this hall, wondered perhaps if he could be persuaded to stay again.
‘Have a great night …’ It was Nina who pulled back.
‘Sure,’ Jack said. ‘You too.’ He was just a tiny bit rattled and couldn’t work out why. ‘What do you think you’ll do?’
‘I’m sure we’ll find something, and we might try ice skating tomorrow …’ She gave him another kiss. ‘See you then.’
‘Nina …’ He should really just turn and go, really not say what he was about to, but his mouth was moving faster than his brain. ‘What was that little snipe for?’
‘When?’
‘“It’s Saturday night!”‘
‘Well, it is Saturday night and I remember you telling me you hadn’t had one off in ages that hadn’t been taken up by social and networking events,’ Nina said. ‘It wasn’t a snipe.’
‘You’re sure?’ Jack checked.
‘Jack …’ Nina was not going to get into this. ‘I hope you have a good night.’
And he drove off towards the lights of a very busy city. Jack knew how to spend a free Saturday night. And he was free, he told himself when he headed to his favourite bar and met up with a few colleagues. But when he found himself being chatted up by an exceptionally good-looking brunette, whose baggage contained only the lipstick it held, he couldn’t seem to concentrate on the conversation. His mind kept drifting back to the house and all that was going on there.
And he was free too to leave the bar alone, even to the pout of the stunning brunette, but Jack was unsettled and even a bit angry.
Nina hadn’t even asked him about his plans.
Which was how he wanted things. The last thing he wanted was to get involved in a relationship with Nina Wilson, and the irony that he had revised that from fling wasn’t lost on Jack.
She was carer to two children and he wanted none of that.
He wanted straightforward, uncomplicated, and Nina was none of that either.
‘Jack!’ As the lift door opened he saw Monica standing there, not in tears this time but wearing a smile.
‘What are you doing here?’
‘As you said, there doesn’t always have to be a reason …’
Jack smiled as she walked over to him, but it sort of halted on his lips as he said words he’d thought he never would.
‘I’m seeing someone.’
He was, and for the first time he said it.
‘What?’ Monica smiled. ‘For all of two weeks? It can’t be that serious.’ She pressed her lips to him, ran her hands down his chest.
‘Yeah, well, it is.’ Jack’s hands halted hers.
‘Doesn’t matter …’ Monica purred.
But as he kissed her back, Jack knew that it did, that for the first time he was serious about a woman and that he could be about to lose his formidable ‘between the sheets’ reputation here, because he wasn’t even turned
