seconds later.
‘How are you, Eva?’ he asked.
‘Fine, thanks, Jamie. And you?’
‘Fine, fine.’
‘Um, aren’t you in a meeting with Sophie right now?’ She sounded worried.
‘Loo break,’ he fibbed. Because explaining their deal would take too much time.
‘Oh. Right.’
‘Eva. Look, I know I haven’t seen you for a while—’
‘That’s OK,’ she cut in. ‘Everyone understands.’
He mentally filled in the rest of it: how difficult things must have been since Fran died, and how it’s harder to stay in touch with people who aren’t in the immediate family circle. It was true, but he was guiltily aware that he often hid behind his circumstances.
‘Thank you. I just wanted to ask you a couple of things,’ he said. ‘Would you mind?’
‘Of course,’ she said.
‘You’ve known Sophie how long?’
‘Eleven years. Since we met on the first day at university.’
‘And you’ve been in business together for five years.’
‘We’d still be in business together for the next fifty years, if Aidan hadn’t been headhunted,’ Eva said. ‘But it’s just not doable to run my half of the business from a different continent and a very different time zone, and it’s not fair of me to dump all the work on Sophie and still expect to mop up half the profits.’
Good points, he thought. ‘So you’d say Sophie was reliable and trustworthy?’
‘Absolutely.’ Eva’s voice was firm with conviction.
And now the crunch question. ‘And she’s good with kids?’
‘Yes. She babysits her niece and nephew all the time. Why?’
‘Idle curiosity,’ he fibbed.
But there was one little thing that was bothering him. He knew he was being a bit underhand, but he consoled himself that this was the quickest way to get the last bit of information he wanted. And wasn’t all meant to be fair in love, war and business? ‘And I’ve worked out for myself that she’s kind-hearted. It was nice of her, wasn’t it, to help her family with the money?’ It was an educated guess; Sophie had only said she’d lent the money to someone she loved, but she’d also asked if he would help his siblings if they needed it. Which made him pretty sure she’d lent the money to one of her siblings.
‘Yes, but that’s Sophie all over—always thinking of others before herself,’ Eva said. ‘I really hope the IVF works for Matt and Angie this time.’
So he’d guessed right. She’d lent the money to one of her siblings and their partner. For a very personal reason: an expensive course of IVF treatment. And she’d refused to break their confidence by telling him what she’d done. Then again, if she had told him the truth, it would’ve looked as if she was trying to tug at his heartstrings and manipulate him. He liked the fact that she hadn’t done that.
‘Let’s hope so,’ he said. ‘Thanks, Eva. Good luck in New York.’
‘Thanks.’ She paused. ‘Jamie, I know I’m only an in-law, and not even a close one because I was Fran’s cousin, but you’re still family. Don’t be a stranger.’
‘Thanks.’ Guilt flooded through him. He had been a stranger. Especially to Fran’s family. Because how could he expect them to be rally round him, when he was the one responsible for all their pain—the one who was responsible for his wife’s death? It would be like sprinkling salt over a wound. He couldn’t do it. ‘I’ll talk to you soon,’ he said, knowing it was a polite fiction and also knowing that Eva was well aware of the fact, but what else could he do?
* * *
Jamie walked back into the room and returned Sophie’s phone. ‘Thank you for your patience, Miss Firth. We have a deal.’
Yes. The business was safe, Eva would get the money she needed, and her staff had job security again. Mentally, Sophie punched the air. ‘Thank you,’ she said, trying to keep her voice businesslike.
‘Though, actually, I probably didn’t need to make those calls. I’m a reasonable judge of character.’
That’s what she’d thought about herself. Dan and Joe had proved that to be a lie. She couldn’t have got it any more wrong if she’d tried. ‘I’m happier that you checked me out properly,’ she said.
‘Okay. Do you drive?’ he asked.
‘Yes.’
‘That makes life easier. I have a car that Cindy uses, so I’ll put you on the insurance. Perhaps you could let my PA have a copy of your driving licence and let her know all the information that the insurer would need.’
‘Sure. I have my licence with me.’
‘Good. So are you able to meet Sienna this afternoon?’
If Sophie wanted to save her business, she didn’t have much choice. She’d just have to move her meetings. ‘What time do you want me to meet you at the nursery school?’
‘It’s probably better if I pick you up from your office and take you with me,’ he said. ‘Perhaps I could pick you up at half-past three, to give me time to brief you?’
‘All right.’
‘Thank you, Miss Firth. Or may I call you Sophie?’
‘That rather depends on whether you expect me to curtsey and call you “sir”,’ she said dryly.
He smiled. ‘Jamie will do.’
‘Sophie.’ She held out her hand. ‘So, to recap, if Sienna likes me, then my side of the deal is that I’ll be your temporary nanny until Cindy can come back to work. Your side is that you’ll buy out Eva’s share of my business, and lend me two staff while I’m nannying for you, to help with the transition.’
‘Deal,’ he said, and shook her outstretched hand.
Her skin actually tingled where he touched her. Which was so inappropriate—if this worked out, technically he would be her part-time employer and her part-time business partner. She couldn’t afford to react to him like that. Worse still, he’d quickly masked an expression of surprise, so she had the feeling that he’d felt exactly the same.
This had the potential of being a complete and utter disaster. Especially with her track record in relationships, and in any case Jamie Wallis was a single father who really didn’t have time for a relationship.
Maybe she should call off the deal.
But she didn’t have a plan C and she needed him to buy out Eva’s share of the firm. So she’d just have to ignore every bit of attraction she felt towards him and keep this strictly professional.
‘One thing I should have asked you,’ he said. ‘Given that this means you’ll be juggling your workload and it’s going to take up more time in your day, will it be a problem with your partner?’
‘I don’t have a partner,’ she said. ‘And, just to make it clear, I’m not looking for one.’ She knew that not all men were the same—her stepfather and her brothers were all wonderful—but she always seemed to pick Mr Wrong. Three years of dating Dan, and thinking that he was going to ask her to marry him when instead he’d dropped a bombshell; and then Joe, who’d lied to her from the outset and she’d felt disgusting and grubby when she’d learned the truth.
She wasn’t going to put herself through all that again, falling in love with someone who would let her down and break her heart. After Joe, she’d promised herself that she’d keep all her relationships either business or strictly platonic.