was like a comedy sketch or something,’ he choked out. ‘Your face! I’ve never seen anyone look so panicked!’
She couldn’t help it, grinning back. ‘Well, you can understand why now.’ She gave into laughter, holding her side. ‘We must have looked pretty ridiculous. I mean, imagine if the kids had seen us,’ she snorted.
‘They’d think that we’ve lost it,’ he agreed, laughing. ‘Not a great example to set for them.’
Oh, bugger. The kids. She’d forgotten all about them. It’d never happened to her before. In her other jobs she hadn’t ever neglected her professional responsibilities. ‘Oh, God, they’re alone in the kitchen. I should go.’
‘Yes,’ Matt crossed back to his desk, looking puzzled, ‘me too. That’s right, I have work to do, a meeting to go to.’ He rammed his phone into his jeans pocket, hunting around in the mess of music sheets and other random items. ‘Keys… keys. Argh…bloody things.’
Zoe stood by the door, watching as he cast various papers and a spare tablet around. ‘Um, Matt.’
‘Hmmm?’ He picked up an expandable file, shook it, put it back down. Picked up a mug of all things, as if the keys would be hiding in it or under it somehow.
‘Don’t you put your car keys in the bowl by the door?’ she asked, raising an eyebrow.
‘The bowl,’ his head came up and he glanced over at her, face clearing. ‘Yeah, you’re right, I always do. I can’t think why I forgot—’ his green eyes flickered over her chest. ‘I’ve got to go,’ he blurted, racing past her out of the office. ‘See you this evening. Bye kids.’ She heard him yell, followed by the slam of the door and the quiet purr of the Prius rapidly fading into the distance.
Shaking her head at his odd departure, Zoe walked into the kitchen to find Jasper standing by the fridge, face covered in strawberry jam, slices of bread, utensils and bowls littering the floor and work surfaces.
‘I got hungry,’ Jasper explained woefully, staring up at her with an expression on his face that said please don’t tell me off.
Aimee was completely oblivious, head stuck in a thick book of fairytales with line drawings on the cover.
‘That’s okay,’ ruffling Jasper’s hair, Zoe lead him over to the sink and started wiping his hands and face with a damp cloth, ‘it was my fault. I took too long with your dad.’ She blushed as she thought of all the things they could have done if they’d had more time. If when he’d opened her jacket he’d sunk to his knees and buried his face in her cleavage and—
No. Remember why you’re here.
There was no doubt about it, Matt was hot, but her sister came first, she wasn’t letting her down again. Plus, no good came of getting involved on the rebound. ‘Next time come and get me, okay?’ she asked the little boy, shaking her head as she found a clump of red jam in the hair behind his ear. ‘When you want jam, remember it’s supposed to go on something, Jasper. Like toast. Not the floor, or yourself,’ she smiled.
‘Yes, Zoe,’ he nodded.
‘Great. Now how about giving me a hand clearing up this mess?’ Stooping over, she picked up a bowl and two spoons.
‘Do I have to?’ he whined. ‘Melody wouldn’t have made me.’
She loved her sister, but had she been half asleep on the job or something? At seven and nearly five, these children were old enough to know the difference between right and wrong, and to be clearing up after themselves. Just because their dad was super-rich and super-successful, it didn’t mean they couldn’t learn some traditional values and personal responsibility. She must ask Matt about it, and talk to Mel too.
‘It would be great if you could,’ she said to Jasper casually. ‘But if you’re worried I can pick up more things faster than you…’
‘No, you can’t!’
‘Can!’ Wiggling her eyebrows.
‘Can’t.’ He giggled, racing over to grab a couple of forks off the side and bring them to her.
‘Good boy,’ she nodded approvingly scooping up slices of bread, and randomly, a bottle opener. They were definitely not being left alone in the kitchen again, until they were better trained. ‘Everything that’s been on the floor will need to go in a pile in the sink so I can wash them up.’
‘Ok-ay,’ Jasper sang cheerfully, clattering a mixing bowl and wooden spoon into the sink, along with a broken egg.
God only knew what he’d been trying to make.
‘So, what would you like for breakfast kids? And where do you want to go today? Aimee’s choice remember, because she got ready the quickest. Aimee?’
At the sound of her name, the girl’s head jerked up, wearing the same look of fierce concentration as her dad when he was immersed in something. It was sweet.
‘What do you want for breakfast? And where would you like me to take the two of you?’
Aimee bit her lip, squinting. ‘Pancakes please. And…’ she paused, started to say something then seemed to change her mind, ‘um, the library?’ she finished instead.
Jasper let out a little groan behind her. ‘The library? Bo-ring.’
‘It’s Aimee’s decision, Jasper,’ she said firmly, while wondering how the heck she was going to keep him occupied in such a quiet, contained environment. ‘Come on, books are fun. We’ll find some good ones for you too, okay? I’m sure there’s a nice children’s corner,’ praying wholeheartedly it was true. ‘Aimee,’ she asked hesitantly, ‘how would you feel about going to the park on the way home? Just for ten minutes or so? The nearest one is Hyde Park, right?’
Aimee nodded, then shook her head. ‘I don’t want to. Maybe another day.’
‘Are you sure? I thought it was a nice one, though I’ve never been. It’s not far at all, and it’s lovely and sunny today.’
But the girl shook her head resolutely with her lower lip sticking out and returned her attention to her book.
Ordinarily Zoe would go over to her, ask what was going on, but Jasper was tugging at her jacket insistently and it was obvious Aimee wasn’t ready to open up. There was no point in pressing too hard; it had taken two visits and as many days to get Aimee to even speak to her in half sentences.
‘No problem,’ she said matter-of-factly, ‘we can always find some games to play in the back garden.’ She turned to Jasper, seeing Aimee pull a relieved face from the corner of her eye. ‘So Mister, pancakes?’
‘Yay! Pancakes! Pancakes!’ Jasper started jumping up and down.
‘Okay. If you calm down you can help me make them.’ He really was a bundle of energy.
‘Yay!’ He bounded over to her, grabbing hold of her hand. ‘Super cool! I want you to stay, Zoe.’
Aww, bless. ‘That’s lovely Jasper. Because I’m letting you help me make pancakes?’
‘Because you’re nice,’ he decided solemnly.
‘Oh. Thank you.’ She gulped, his remark both warming and worrying her. They were good kids at heart, they just needed boundaries and the right kind of attention-slash-authority. But what she hadn’t thought through properly when embarking on Plan Nannygate was that the kids might get attached to her.
‘What about you, Aimee?’ she asked gently. ‘Are you happy with me being here?’
The girl looked up with a distracted air, and nodded once.
‘Do you think I’m nice too?’
‘Uh-huh.’ She focused back on her book, turning the page. Zoe thought she was done, but just as she went to turn