looked away, and Jess’s heart skipped a beat. So much for controlling that. Apparently Dan could put paid to her efforts with a single glance.
Oh, why did she have to react to him like this? Be so conscious of him as a man when Jess had sworn off men and she’d meant it? Well, Dan didn’t appear to want the attraction anyway so it would rapidly become moot, and that was if Dan kept Jess working for him.
‘You’re a natural mother, Jess. That much is very clear.’ Dan hesitated, and then cleared his throat. ‘Do you mind if I ask about other commitments? Will caring for my children interfere with other parts of your life?’
‘There’s just me and Ella, so there won’t be interference from home with my work hours.’ Jess drew a breath and slowly blew it out. Would he judge her for being a single mother?
‘That’s one less worry. I really need the help.’ Dan straightened in his chair. ‘Anything you can do towards housekeeping will also be appreciated.’ He hesitated. ‘I may be a little overprotective about checking in.’
Seeing that care in Dan touched a tender place down inside Jess because Ella’s father had proved so different.
‘I’d want a contact number for you at all times, too.’ She made sure her expression—a professional one—reassured Dan that all of his concerns were acknowledged. ‘Also a complete list of medical conditions or special needs of the children. And I’d want to be paid weekly either by cash or bank cheque.’
If Dan assumed Jess would need to access her pay without a waiting period, he’d only be assuming the truth.
They sat there for a minute, sizing each other up. Jess looked over his ruffled dark hair and the hint of beard on his jaw, the shadows under his eyes that suggested he hadn’t got a lot of sleep just lately.
And she said softly around her consciousness of him, ‘I’d like to help you, Dan, if you feel I’ve passed the tests.’
‘I don’t mean to make it seem like that.’
Jess shook her head. ‘If you hadn’t grilled me, I’d have worried whether you were taking enough care of your children.’
‘You’re young.’ The words were low.
‘You don’t look that old, yourself, you know.’ He looked seasoned and appealing. Jess shook her head to try to drive the thoughts out.
Dan glanced from his daughter watching the TV, to the children outside, to Ella in Jess’s lap, to Jess. ‘Will you stick around for the rest of the day? And then I’ll need you here first thing tomorrow morning so I can get on the road to Sydney.’ He threw his shoulders back as though to say now the decision was made he’d stick by it and make it work.
Relief flowed through Jess. ‘Thank you for giving me this opportunity.’ She got to her feet and bent her head over Ella’s so Dan wouldn’t see the depth of that relief in her eyes. ‘Just let me pop home and get Ella’s playpen, monitor and walker and a few other things.’
They’d be fine working together. And this consciousness of him would be extremely transitory.
Of course it would!
CHAPTER THREE
‘WHY IS IT THAT PARENTS make up stories about where babies come from?’ The question was earnest, as were all of Daisy Frazier’s questions. Daisy went on. ‘And why would anyone believe those stories?’
It was early evening, the following day. Jess and the children were outside on the veranda that swept around three sides of the rambling home. Dan had unpacked like an automaton all yesterday afternoon and probably well into the night after Jess left that evening. Jess and the children had helped, too, of course.
The house was halfway habitable now, thanks to those efforts, but it was still nice to get outside. Jess had sliced up wedges of watermelon and brought everyone out here. The boys were having a seed-spitting contest.
Ella and Annapolly were playing with dolls. Mary, Dan’s quiet six-year-old, was sitting on the edge of the veranda watching her brothers and swinging her legs.
That left Jess and ten-year-old Daisy, who was gifted with an inquisitive mind.
‘Do you see Annapolly and Ella, Daisy?’
Annapolly was explaining to Ella in her childish way all about how the dolls were going on a road trip to get to a new house where they’d live happily ever after with a frog that laid golden eggs. Ella listened with awed attention, even though she didn’t understand.
‘Yes.’ Daisy’s brow wrinkled and she pushed her glasses up her freckled nose. She had dark hair like her father. They all did. Daisy had the same considering expression, too. ‘What about them?’
‘They’re happy in their make-believe world. They can enjoy their imaginations and make up whatever stories they want.’
Daisy pondered for a second. ‘If that’s why kids want to believe that babies come from under a cabbage, or the stork drops them, I suppose it’s okay.’ She sniffed. ‘But it would make more sense if they had a pelican drop them. Then they could tell themselves that the baby could be kept warm and safe in the pouch in the pelican’s beak until it got dropped off.’
‘They could.’ Jess stifled a smile over Daisy’s pragmatic logic, and made a mental note to tell Dan this discussion with his daughter was coming, if it hadn’t happened already.
Dan…
Despite his absence today, Jess had thought of him often. She’d asked herself how he was getting on in Sydney, had tried to remember whether he truly looked as handsome as she had thought on first meeting and again this morning when all of her awareness of him hadn’t exactly been evaporated into oblivion.
Dan had phoned twice. Jess had assured him things were going well, and let whichever children had been hovering at the time have a quick chat to him. She’d at least attempted an attitude of professionalism on the surface.
After that second phone call Luke had tried to grill her almost aggressively about her personal life, why she was by herself and a few other questions that could have become a problem if Jess had let them. Instead, she’d stated only that being the mother of Ella was the greatest joy of her life and firmly turned the conversation elsewhere.
‘Time to go in, I think.’
Ella was getting sleepy. Annapolly and Mary were rubbing their eyes. Even the boys had lain back on the veranda floor after finishing their watermelon. And Jess had let her thoughts wander far enough. ‘It’s been a big day. Thanks for all trying hard today.’
There was the expected chorus from the younger ones of not wanting to go to bed but an hour later they were all in their rooms. It would be a while before some of them slept, Jess suspected, but she wouldn’t be helping that if she hovered. She spent time doing chores and by then it was quite late and all the children were asleep. Well, she didn’t know about Luke. His door was shut and she didn’t feel she could intrude to check.
Jess curled up on the couch in the living room to rest until Dan got home.
She had five children and a baby to take care of tomorrow. The day after was Saturday and she had other children while their mothers worked at their Devonshire teas business.
Jess was an excellent daycare mum and trained to care for older children too. She would give that service to the very best of her ability; she would find her way forward with Dan Frazier’s children. And when she got her first pay cheque she would go to the council and pay some money onto the overdue account there and talk to them about a more realistic payment plan. She didn’t need to panic.
Things would be all right. And Dan would be back soon, and Jess was looking forward to seeing him. Just a little, and there was nothing wrong with that, provided she stuck to professional anticipation…
‘Dan.’ Jess spoke his name and sat up on the couch.