by Jenny Frame
No—no fluttering, Wendy chastised herself. When she had been travelling, she’d had a few lovers but was very careful not to get her heart involved. Her heart hadn’t fluttered like this since Bailey.
Wendy gave herself a shake. Stop it. You have a job to do.
She crept in and touched Trent’s shoulder. Trent’s eyes sprang open and Wendy said, “Shh, she’s asleep now. Let’s leave her to rest.”
Trent nodded and carefully let go of Alice’s hand. Wendy led her out of the bedroom and shut the door. Trent rubbed her eyes.
“Do you want a cup of tea?” Wendy said. “You look exhausted.”
“That would be nice.”
Trent followed Wendy to the kitchen and leaned against the counter. She stretched and scrubbed her face in her hands. “I’ve got to be in court first thing. That’ll be fun,” Trent joked.
Wendy looked back and saw Trent smile. She smiled a lot more these days. “Do you regret coming?”
Trent furrowed her eyebrows. “What? No. I loved it. I’ve never been to a fireworks display before.”
Wendy turned around in surprise. “You’re kidding?”
“No. Or had a toffee apple—I loved that. It’s not something my nanny would have taken me to. My mother, if she had lived, might have done but—”
Wendy handed her a cup of tea and said, “You had a nanny? Was she anything like me?”
Trent rubbed the scar above her eyebrow. Wendy had seen her do that a few times in stressful or awkward circumstances.
Trent chuckled at Wendy’s question. “Nothing like you, Ms. Darling. Picture your typical Victorian nanny, and that came pretty close to mine.”
“Well, I’m glad you were there. It would have been so difficult to handle Alice on my own with Noah too,” Wendy said. “I should have realized that the loud bangs might trigger her panic attacks.”
“Don’t be silly. I should have thought about it too. We were just trying to give the kids a normal night out.”
Wendy took a step towards Trent and cradled her teacup in her hands. “You were very good with her.”
Trent shrugged. “I’m not good with games and spontaneous fun, but I understand the fear. I had to deal with my mother’s death, and it wasn’t nearly as traumatic and violent as my cousin’s. I’d like her to learn to handle the anxiety better than I could.”
Wendy wanted to ask more and go deeper but she sensed it was a sensitive area, and she didn’t want to frighten Trent away. Plus, she was desperate to ask about what she had seen on Trent’s phone while she took pictures of her and the kids.
The beeps from Trent’s phone that had gone off constantly earlier had slowed but still came in every so often. Trent looked at her phone and placed it face down on the counter.
“Bloody phones. Never shut up, do they?” Trent joked.
This was Wendy’s opportunity. She looked into her tea and tapped her fingers on the side of her cup. “I hope you won’t mind me asking but—”
“But what?” Trent asked.
“When I was taking your picture earlier, you were getting a lot of tweets congratulating you on something. I wasn’t prying—they just flashed up on the screen.”
“Oh, that.” Trent put her cup down on the counter and crossed her arms. “It’s a bit embarrassing, really.”
“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Wendy said.
“It’ll all come out in the wash over the next week anyway. I won an award at the family law awards dinner tonight.”
Wendy gasped. “Was that the work thing you were going to tonight?”
Trent nodded. “With everything that has happened in the last month, I genuinely forgot about it. Then my suit was delivered from the tailor’s while I was on the phone with you.”
“You gave up your awards ceremony to come to a fireworks display?” Wendy asked.
Trent shrugged. “I promised I would go, and I didn’t want to jeopardize the trust I’ve built with them.”
Wendy was totally surprised that Trent would do that. Miss out on something so important, for Alice and Noah.
“If you had explained, we would have understood. I know how important your work is to you,” Wendy said.
Trent picked up her phone and scrolled through her Twitter account. She had been tweeted a lot of pictures from the evening by friends and colleges. Trent found the one she was looking for and showed the picture to Wendy.
“That’s my friend Regan picking up the award for me. We were at university together.”
“Wow, Lawyer of the Year? That’s amazing. I’m so sorry you missed out on that,” Wendy said.
“I wanted that award for years. My father won it and told me a woman wouldn’t win it. I wanted to prove him wrong,” Trent said.
Wendy’s head snapped up quickly. “He said that?”
Trent nodded. “I think that’s why I worked so hard all these years, to prove him wrong. He didn’t win it till he was much older.”
Wendy held up her hand. “Wait there.” Then she hurried off to rummage in her handbag on the coffee table.
“What are you doing?”
“Aha,” Wendy said and came hurrying back over with what looked like a spool of stickers.
“What is this?” Trent asked.
Wendy stepped close to Trent with a big happy smile. “I use these with the kids, to make them feel special.” Wendy looked into Trent’s eyes. “I want to make you feel special.”
Trent’s heart thudded. She would love Wendy to make her feel special.
Wendy took off a sticker and placed it on the left hand side of Trent’s chest. She looked down and saw it was a big thumbs-up sign, with the words Well Done! on it.
“A huge well done, Lawyer of the Year,” Wendy said.
Before Wendy could take her hand away, Trent grasped it and held it to her chest. “You are such a kind, caring woman, Wendy. I don’t know how I would have coped without you.”
Wendy took a step closer and said, “Call me Dee. All my friends do.”
Trent was sure her chest was going to burst. Wendy being so close made her stomach tighten. I want her. Her body wasn’t listening to sense.
“Thank you.” Trent couldn’t stop herself from reaching out to touch one of Wendy’s braids that hung down the side of her face. “Dee, I—”
Before Trent could finish her sentence, Alice screamed at the top of her voice and they ran to the bedroom.
Chapter Twelve
The next morning, Trent hurriedly threw on her clothes. She had slept in, something she never did, but she and Wendy had been up most of the night with Alice. Although Alice was improving her relationship with Trent, her panic attacks were getting worse. Every time she closed her little eyes, she could see the accident in more detail.
Trent looked at the time. “Bloody hell.” She stuffed her shirt in her trousers as she spoke to her phone and said, “Call India.”
Calling India, it replied.
India answered quickly. “Trent, Trent, and Masters. How may I help you?”
“India, it’s me. I’m running really late. I need to go straight to the court. Can you have Tristan meet me there with my laptop? I left it on my desk. I need the file on it for my case this morning.”
“Of course, Trent. He’ll be right over.”
“Thanks, bye.”
She hung up and stuffed her phone in her pocket, then grabbed her jacket and bag and hurried out of her bedroom.
Wendy lifted up a plate of toast and said, “At least have some toast before you go.”
“No time.” Trent kissed Alice and Noah on the head as she passed the kitchen island, then without thinking kissed Wendy on the cheek and froze. “I’m so sorry—I didn’t mean that. That was extremely inappropriate.” What the hell was she doing?
Trent hurried out the door not wanting to look back. She heard Wendy shouting her name, but she just kept going.
* * *
Wendy finished clearing up after lunch and walked over t
o the couch. Noah was sleeping on one side and Alice was sitting quietly with her iPad. Last night had been fun, emotional, and exhausting, and it had taken its toll on Alice and Noah.
Trent had asked her to try to get an extra appointment for Alice with her psychologist as soon as possible, but she could only give her this Saturday morning, when Wendy had a dentist appointment. She hoped that Trent could take her, because Alice really needed it.
Wendy sat down and lifted her arm to offer Alice a hug. Alice cuddled into her side and said quickly, “I don’t want to talk.”
She was a scared little girl and as much as she needed to talk, Wendy felt some distraction would probably do better after a highly emotional night.
“I wasn’t going to ask you to talk. No, it’s Trent’s birthday next week, and she’s asked me to organize it—that’s why I brought my pad and pen over. I thought we could plan it together and look up what we need on the iPad.”
Alice gave her a little smile. “Okay, what age is she going to be?”
“Forty.” And ever so sexy. Trent’s salt-and-pepper hair only made her sexier. It had been a strange twenty-four hours. She had known there was a heat simmering between them since she started working for Trent, but yesterday was the first time Wendy felt it was more than simple attraction.
First, seeing her dealing with Alice so tenderly, then when she had put the sticker on her chest, her heart had ached to kiss Trent’s lips. And this morning Trent had kissed her goodbye. It had just been a mistake as Trent hurried out the door, but it felt so right. Her heart was threatening to wake up, and that was dangerous.
Wendy had followed her heart with Bailey and found herself used, stolen from, and up to her eyes in debt. If Trent did reciprocate her feelings, then it was just physically, because she quite obviously didn’t do relationships. Besides, she was her boss. Get a grip of yourself, Dee.
“Trent’s invited her friends and their kids to dinner here. It’ll be fun for you to meet some new kids,” Wendy said.
Alice didn’t say anything.
Wendy leaned over and kissed Alice. “Don’t worry. I think they’re around your age. You’ll be fine.”
“Will you be there?” Alice asked.
Wendy smiled. “Of course. Trent’s asked me to cook the food and I’ll serve it, so I’ll be around for you.”
“Okay, we need balloons,” Alice said.
Wendy squeezed the little girl. “That’s the spirit. So those big balloons that say forty on them—we’ll get lots, and put them all around the room to remind Trent how old she is, eh?”
Alice giggled. “Yeah, oh, and normal balloons for the little kids to play with. Noah loves balloons.”
Wendy wrote down balloons on her notepad. “Good thinking. What next?”
They made a long list of things that would probably embarrass Trent, but Alice had a lot of fun coming up with ideas.
“What about a cake, Dee?”
The doorbell rang and Wendy stood up. “Yes, we need something funny to go on top. Give me a sec—Trent said her award might get delivered today.”
Wendy opened the door and was surprised to find three delivery people, two men and one woman, holding boxes and something big under a thick plastic cover.
“Can I help you?”
“Delivery, miss. There’s a card with it,” one of the delivery people said.
She took the card and opened the envelope. There was a picture of a baby grand piano on the front and inside it said, To Wendy Darling, Alice, and Noah—for music time.
* * *
Trent felt like hell as she rode the lift up to her flat. She was exhausted, had been aggravated by her client today, and had paperwork up to the ceiling to get through before coming home. Just over a month ago she would top off a stressful day by going for drinks and dinner, and meeting someone to spend the night with, but now that was the last thing on her mind.
She hoped the piano had arrived and that it would shift focus from this morning, a diversion like the games console. The thought of her mistaken kiss had stayed with her all day, distracting her from her work and her client.
Why did she kiss Wendy on the way out? She had been telling herself that it was understandable considering she was in such a rush, not thinking clearly, and—
Trent couldn’t really finish that thought. She had been in a rush lots of times but had never kissed Wendy. Her head was a mish-mash of feelings and confusion. It was bad enough that she was starting to care deeply about her two new family members, but now she was intensely attracted to her twenty-something nanny.
Trent shook herself. Her conduct, her thoughts—was she taking advantage, being predatory? Was she treating Wendy like Claudia was treating her?
When the kids were off to boarding school and Wendy was gone, the flat would be empty again. These feelings she was developing would hurt her, because everyone she had loved had left her and it would happen again.
That thought gave her an intense feeling of sadness. She was getting used to the noise and hustle-bustle of her home. The lift door opened and she walked to her front door, determined to ignore the memory of the kiss this morning, and to harden her heart.
She took out her door keys, and a noise stopped her as she was about to put them in the lock. It was piano music, and Wendy and the children were singing along. She closed her eyes and felt her heart ache. Then she was hit with a memory, something she hadn’t thought of in years.
When she was a little girl, Trent had sung along with her mother as she played songs from her favourite musicals. She loved listening to her mother singing, and watching her smile, because her mother never did when her father was around. Then, as they were singing, her father stormed into the drawing room, slammed the piano shut, and shouted at them for making too much noise. He’d ruined it—he always ruined it.
Trent smacked herself on the head and said, “Stop thinking.”
Since Alice and Noah had arrived, Trent had been thinking about her past constantly and she didn’t like it.
Just go in and go straight to your office.
She unlocked the door and walked in. All her plans for going straight to her office and not getting involved were dispensed with when she saw three smiling faces sitting at the new piano. Her heartache was back with a vengeance.
It was the perfect family scene. Now Trent understood why Dale gave up her single life. In this little moment she saw happiness, family, and love, the things she had craved as a child and never gotten.
She stood there motionless, trying to process everything, when Noah came running over.
“You got us a piano, Trent.”
Trent dropped her bags and lifted him into her arms. “You like it?”
Alice followed him and took her hand. “We love it.”
Trent kissed them both. “Glad you like it.”
They walked over to the piano and Wendy said, “It’s beautiful.”
“I thought maybe Alice could learn to play, if you could teach her,” Trent said.
Wendy didn’t have her headscarf on today and her hair hung loose around her shoulders. Beautiful.
Wendy got up and said, “We thought we’d make your favourite dinner since you got us this for music time, and to celebrate your award.”
* * *
Later that evening Trent walked into Alice’s bedroom to check if she was settled. Alice smiled when she saw her, which was a new thing, and it made Trent happy.
“Are you okay, Ali?”
Alice nodded. “Yeah, I’m just reading my book on your iPad.”
“Good. Have you had a better day?” Trent asked.
Alice shrugged, “Yeah. The piano was really exciting. Do you really think Wendy will teach me?”
Trent sat on her bed. “I’m sure. What did Wendy say when she saw the piano?”
Alice smiled. “She was so happy and excited.”
“That’s good. I want to make her happy.” Trent realized how that sounded and added, “Because she’s helped us s
o much.”
“You smile a lot when Wendy is with us,” Alice said.
Trent was a little taken by surprise, not by the fact that Wendy made her smile, because she did, but because Alice had noticed.
“Do I?”
Alice nodded. “She’s really pretty, isn’t she?”
“She is.”
“You know, she has pictures of all the families she’s looked after on her phone? She likes to help them be a family and remember them,” Alice said.
“Does she? Well, she is very caring. I’ll let you get on with your book. Night, Ali.” Trent leaned down and kissed her.
Trent walked out of the bedroom and into the living area. The lights were low and the sound of light piano music filled the room.
Trent just gazed at Wendy, taking in the beautiful moment that this was. Wendy looked up and smiled.
“Hi,” Wendy said.
Trent didn’t know what to say. Her tongue was dry and not working. Then she said, “Would you like some wine?”
“That would be nice.”
Trent poured two glasses of wine and brought them over to the piano. She handed one to Wendy and sat beside her on the piano stool.
“You play well.”
Wendy took a sip of wine and placed the glass down on the floor. “It’s not all children’s songs and folk music. I like classical sometimes too.”
“I never thought it was. There’s nothing you can’t do, Wendy Darling. You sprinkle your magic dust and anything is possible,” Trent said.
Wendy laughed. “Is that what you think I do?”
Trent took a drink and put her glass down. “Alice told me about your photos. The album of families you’ve put back together.”
Wendy lowered her head, feeling a little embarrassed. “Oh yeah.”
“It must be important to you. I mean, nannying doesn’t seem just a job to you,” Trent said.
Wendy began to play again as she spoke. “It wasn’t at first. I started travelling and I always loved working with kids, so nannying seemed like a good idea.”