by Kate Hardy
Before she could stop herself, the words came out. ‘Are you all right?’
He looked at her in shock. ‘How do you mean?’
‘You look,’ she said, ‘as if someone just dropped something on you from a great height.’
‘You could say that.’ He sighed. ‘It’s my problem. I have to deal with it.’
But he sounded as if he didn’t have the faintest clue where to start.
This was none of her business. She had enough of a problem herself. She should just walk away. Instead, she found herself asking, ‘Can I get you a cup of tea or something?’
She cringed even as the words came out. It was his office, not hers. What she was saying was totally inappropriate.
But he smiled at her. The first real smile she’d seen from him. And it made her knees weak.
‘That’s kind,’ he said.
‘And inappropriate. Sorry.’
He shook his head. ‘That’s kind,’ he repeated. ‘But at the moment tea isn’t going to help.’ He looked at her. ‘Given your business, you must know people in lots of different career areas. I don’t suppose you know any nannies, do you?’
‘Nannies?’
‘That call just now was from the agency which supplies the nanny who looks after my daughter. Cindy—our nanny—broke her leg last week when she was on a skiing trip. And the agency has nobody available to stand in for her right now.’
So he needed childcare help?
Maybe she could turn this into a win-win situation.
‘So I need someone to invest in Plans & Planes, and you need a nanny.’
He looked at her. ‘Yes.’
‘Maybe,’ she said carefully, ‘there’s a solution that will work for us both. A business solution.’
‘You know a nanny?’
‘Not exactly.’ She took a deep breath. ‘What type of hours are we talking about?’
‘Sienna’s at nursery school five days a week, nine to four-thirty.’
Long hours for a little one, she thought. ‘So your nanny takes her to nursery school, picks her up, and that’s it?’
‘And works evenings and weekends.’
So when did Jamie Wallis spend time with his daughter? she wondered.
More to the point, it made her own half-formed plan unworkable. Time management was one of her best skills, but even she couldn’t cram an extra twenty-four hours into a day. ‘Can that be negotiable?’ she asked.
‘How?’
What was the worst he could do? Say no. Which was pretty much what she thought he’d say anyway. She had nothing to lose—and potentially a lot to gain. And she wasn’t afraid of hard work.
‘I could be your temporary nanny,’ she said, ‘and you could invest in my business.’
He stared at her. ‘You’re a qualified nanny?’
‘Not a qualified nanny,’ she said. ‘But my parents’ next-door neighbours own a nursery school, and during sixth form I had a part-time job there—Wednesday afternoons, when I didn’t have lessons, and two hours after school on the other weekdays. So I have experience of working with under-fives. Even if it was ten years ago. Plus I have a four-year-old niece and a two-year-old nephew, and I’m a very hands-on aunt.’
‘Define “hands-on”.’
‘I see them every week. I babysit, so I do everything from playing to craft stuff and singing. I do bathtime, bedtime stories and the park.’ She looked at him. ‘I sometimes have to work with children as part of an event, so I—and all my staff—have an up-to-date Disclosure and Barring Service check certificate. And I’m happy to give you Anna’s details so she can give you a reference from my time at the nursery school.’
* * *
A quid pro quo.
Sophie Firth wasn’t a qualified nanny, but she was the next best thing.
‘So you’d give up your job for the next two months?’ he asked.
‘No. That’s why I asked about compromise,’ she said. ‘My business partner is leaving in six weeks’ time. We need to reallocate all her work and recruit a new member of staff. Plus I already have a full diary. I can reallocate some of my work, and do the rest while Siena is at nursery school and at weekends.’
So he’d be with Sienna twenty-four-seven. Just the two of them. His throat went dry at the idea. He couldn’t do it. ‘I need a nanny and weekends,’ he said.
‘I can do one day. Two halves, if that works better for you. But I need experienced staff, and recruitment takes time.’
This was starting to sound workable. ‘I could lend you a couple of my staff to take off some of the pressure. Ones with experience in the travel industry and who’ve worked with—well, not events in the way you run them, but promotions. There must be a fair crossover in the skill sets involved.’
‘There is,’ she agreed.
‘So if I lend you some staff, you’ll do the full weekend?’
‘Two half days or one full,’ she repeated.
‘I’m in the middle of negotiating a new resort. I can’t take time off work right now.’ That wasn’t the only reason, but he wasn’t discussing the rest of it with a total stranger. Even if she was potentially sorting out his huge headache.
‘You said you had siblings. Can’t they pitch in and help?’
‘They live too far away.’
‘What about your parents?’
Absolutely not. His parents had never been hands-on when he and his sisters had been tiny. They’d always been focused on the business. Until the next generation was old enough to have their lives organised—and that was one of the reasons why his sisters had moved to Cumbria and Cornwall respectively. Gwen Wallis had tried to run their lives in the same way she ran her business. Not wanting to explain that, he shook his head.
‘I apologise if I’ve just trampled on a sore spot,’ she said softly. ‘That wasn’t my intention.’
It sounded as if she thought his parents were elderly and frail, or had passed away. That wasn’t the case but it was too complicated to put into words. ‘It’s fine,’ he said. ‘So you do weekends?’
‘Two half days or one full,’ she repeated.
He wasn’t sure whether to be more exasperated or admiring. She wasn’t budging. Then again, she was already making a big compromise—giving up a large chunk of her working week and meaning that she’d be running two jobs at the same time.
Admiring, he decided. Sophie Firth had a good work ethic—and she’d thought on her feet to come up with a solution that would benefit them both.
This was crisis management. Good crisis management. She’d seen the problem, come up with a solution and seen where the gaps were. It was the best proof she could have given him that she was good at her job, and investing in her business would be a sound decision on his part.
‘Obviously I need to check out your references with the nursery school,’ he said.
‘And talk to Eva—you know her, and she’s known me since our first day at university. She can give you a personal reference.’ She took out her phone and handed it to him. ‘Just so you can be sure I’m not calling her while you’re otherwise occupied and priming her on what to say.’
He really liked how quick she was. The way she thought. If it wasn’t for the fact that she was fighting for the survival of her own business, he’d be tempted to offer her a job as a project manager on his team.
‘All right. If your references check out, you’ve got a deal.’
* * *
She’d done it. Sophie knew that Anna and Eva would give her a good reference.
But her conscience couldn’t quite leave it there.
‘Two caveats,’ she said.
‘Which are?’
‘Firstly, you’ll be strictly a sleeping partner in Plans & Planes, and you don’t interfere in t
he way I run things.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘What if I can see where you can make improvements to the business?’
‘You can make suggestions, but you don’t interfere,’ she said. ‘Though that’s not the deal-breaker.’
He looked intrigued. ‘What is?’
‘Your daughter gets the final say.’
He frowned. ‘How do you mean?’
‘She meets me. We spend some time together. And then you ask her—and not in front of me—if she’d like me to look after her while her nanny gets better. If she says no, then it’s a no.’
He nodded. ‘That’s fair. And it also tells me you’re the right person for the job, because you’re putting her needs first.’
But why wasn’t he? Sophie wondered. Yes, he had a business to run—but it was much bigger than hers. He could delegate a lot of his work. Why didn’t he take the time off to look after his daughter?
Given that she’d already made a gaffe about his parents, this wasn’t something she could ask directly. She’d need to be tactful.
‘Okay. I’ll talk to Eva and your parents’ neighbour. Can you give me the numbers?’ he asked.
He didn’t know Eva’s number? Well, maybe Fran—as Eva’s cousin—would have been the one to stay in touch. ‘You’re probably best to call her at Plans & Planes.’ She gave him the office number. ‘Failing that, this is her mobile.’
He wrote the numbers down as she dictated them. ‘Thank you.’
* * *
Anna Harris confirmed everything Sophie had told him.
‘She worked for me during sixth form—two hours at the end of the school day, plus Wednesday afternoons. The kids loved her. I did try to persuade her to do her degree in early years education, but her heart was set on doing English.’ Anna paused. ‘I thought she was running her own business?’
‘She is. She’s, um, doing me a favour,’ Jamie admitted.
‘Ah. Typical Sophie. Of course you’re right to check her out, but I have no hesitation in recommending her.’
‘Thank you,’ Jamie said.
It almost felt superfluous to check her out with Eva as well, but he wanted to be sure. For Sienna’s sake. Because he did love his daughter, even if he kept himself at a distance. He wanted the best for her.
Only, the best meant not him.
He dialled Eva’s number.
‘Good morning. Plans & Planes, Mara speaking,’ the woman on the other end of the phone said, sounding cheerful and welcoming.
Mara was Eva’s second in command, according to Sophie. If her business acumen was as good as her phone manner, it boded well for the company, he thought. ‘Good morning. May I speak to Eva?’ Jamie asked.
‘May I ask who’s calling?’
‘Jamie Wallis.’
‘Oh!’ For a second, Mara sounded flustered. Clearly she not only knew who he was, she also knew how important he could be to the future of the firm—and that Sophie was meant to be schmoozing him right now. ‘I’ll just put you through, Mr Wallis,’ she said.
Eva answered, 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.