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 on. He stopped kissing her back, because he wasn’t enjoying it and because …
‘Actually, it does matter.’
He saw Monica to the lift and then let himself in and checked his phone. No, of course Nina hadn’t called him.
Neither did he call her, because for the first time he was seeing someone, for the first time things were starting to look serious, for Jack at least.
He had no idea how Nina felt. She seemed delighted to keep things casual, didn’t care a bit that he was out tonight.
Jack didn’t know what to think.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
‘JACK!’
Blake was delighted to see him. ‘Janey got hurt.’
‘I’m fine,’ Janey insisted. ‘I fell over, ice skating.’ She rolled up her sleeve and showed a rather spectacular bruise, as Nina came through to the lounge and he saw the tension on her face.
‘Great, isn’t it?’ She rolled her eyes. ‘I’m sending her back black and blue.’
‘It was an accident, ice skating,’ Jack calmly pointed out.
‘It will be fine, Nina,’ Janey said, and he heard the younger sister trying to reassure the older, actually heard the rare tenderness in Janey’s voice. And despite appearances, despite the horrible things she said at times, Jack realised Janey really did love Nina.
‘So how did you all go?’ Jack followed her into the bedroom where Nina was packing.
‘Okay, I guess, but Janey took herself off to bed at eight last night and this morning she didn’t want to talk. Still, it was fun ice skating till she fell. How was your night?’
‘Yeah, okay.’ He didn’t even have to be evasive, Nina simply didn’t want the details.
Everyone was trying to ignore that the small holiday was over, trying to pretend that everything was fine. It was Blake who couldn’t hold out.
‘I don’t want to go back.’
Jack was loading up the car when Blake said it.
‘I know,’ Nina answered, as she always did, because Blake never wanted to go back, only this time it was different. ‘Couldn’t we stay another night?’ Janey asked.
‘We can’t,’ Nina replied. ‘Blake’s got school tomorrow and we’ve got to go and sort things out.’
Nina watched as Jack locked up the house and when he climbed into the car and drove off, he didn’t really say much. For once it was Janey who was talking.
‘What are we doing tonight?’
‘Sleeping,’ Nina said. ‘And we can set up your