by Jemma Forte
Jessica considered the two options. ‘Why don’t you pick me up?’ she said. ‘If that’s cool with you.’
‘It is indeed,’ he said. ‘And then I can see where you live.’
‘Yeah, though don’t get too excited. Like I said the other day, my aunt’s house is cute but nothing special.’
‘O-K,’ said Paul, sounding bemused.
Meanwhile, from the inner sanctum of his office, Mike was enjoying the playful hubbub of conversation from his team outside. It was a comforting sound, he realized. The sound of normality, of people who were relaxed in each other’s company … and happy. His phone rang.
‘Mike Connor,’ he answered in an incredibly eighties fashion.
‘Mike, David.’
‘David,’ said Mike, forcing his head back into work mode.
‘Good holiday?’
‘Not bad, thanks, not bad,’ he replied. ‘Not particularly great either, to be honest, but not bad.’
‘Diane coping, is she?’
‘Errrmm,’ replied Mike doubtfully.
‘I see. Well, Wendy and I have been talking and we think she needs some help. A nanny or whatever it is you call them these days. Acting like a martyr isn’t helping anyone, is it?’
‘W-e-ell …’
‘Anyway, I’ll leave you to sort that one out. In the meantime, I’m sending you a memo about a one-off special I want organized for the autumn schedule.’
‘Great,’ said Mike. ‘Sounds interesting, I’ll get right on to it. But about the other thing – I’m just not sure that …’
‘Nonsense,’ said David firmly, batting away any possibility of a discussion.
‘Right then,’ said Mike weakly, but David had already put the phone down.
Bossy old bastard, thought Mike. God, it was a nightmare having your father-in-law for a boss sometimes. Diane wasn’t going back to work so she didn’t want a nanny. He had suggested getting some help, but she’d said she saw it as an admission of failure, or something like that. Still, David had a point. Something had to be done and – judging by the latest phone call with his wife – sooner rather than later. He picked up the phone again.
‘Love, you wouldn’t happen to know anyone who does babysitting, would you?’ he asked his secretary. His secretary, who was in fact a PA, loathed the fact that Mike always referred to her as his secretary, and hated being called ‘love’ even more. She also had no idea why on earth Mike should think that she should know anyone who babysat. If he was hinting at her, he could think again.
‘No,’ she replied. ‘But I can ask around. Is it for anything special?’
‘It’s my wife’s birthday in a couple of days, that’s all. Thought I might take her out for dinner,’ said Mike smoothly, feeling like a bit of a Casanova. A new man.
‘That’s nice,’ said Jane, unimpressed. ‘Don’t you have anyone you usually use then?’ she added. She didn’t really give a shit but thought she’d ask.
‘We did have, but she’s gone and moved back to Brazil. Selfish cow, eh?’ Mike finished jovially. But Jane didn’t laugh, so what he’d said didn’t sound funny, just churlish. ‘Well, let me know if you have any thoughts,’ he said, putting the phone down. Just then, someone stuck their head round the door. ‘Kerry, how are you? How’s it been going? I’m just about to watch last week’s show, which I’ve heard was fantastic.’
‘It was all right,’ said Kerry ‘Never a minute to bask in the glory though, eh? On to the next one.’
‘Yes, remind me again?’
‘Marisa Tomei, Michael McIntyre and Jonny Lee Miller.’
‘Bloody great,’ said Mike, impressed by the starry line-up. ‘Jonny’s a new booking, isn’t he?’
‘He is,’ said Kerry, trying not to grin at Mike’s use of first name only. ‘Anyway, I need you to sign off on some receipts please?’
‘Sure,’ said Mike, taking the papers from her. ‘By the way, how’s the new girl working out?’
‘Bloody brilliantly actually, Mike,’ said Kerry wholeheartedly. ‘Bloody brilliantly.’
‘Good. Ask her to come in, will you, I want to thank her for watering my garden.’
‘Lost the use of your legs?’
‘Y-e-e-s,’ Mike replied, not at all sure how to take that. Kerry had always slightly scared him.
Thirty seconds later and it was Jessica’s turn to knock on his door.
‘Hi, Mike,’ she said cheerfully. ‘Welcome home, it’s great to see you back.’
‘Thanks,’ said Mike, wondering what had caused her to look quite so happy with life. ‘I just wanted to thank you for –’ His mobile rang. ‘Hang on, I’ll just be a sec, it’s my wife … Hello, darling? … Are you OK? What’s wrong now?’ he said, looking stressed.
Jessica pointed at the door, wondering if she should come back later and let him have some privacy, but Mike shook his head and raised one hand, indicating that she should stay. So then Jessica had no choice but to listen to what was clearly a very private conversation, while staring about the uninspiring room. There was nothing to focus on so she found herself staring intently at the ceiling, like a builder trying to assess what needed doing.
‘Just tell me what the matter is,’ implored Mike. ‘All right … look, calm down. I won’t go to the pub then if it’s such a big deal … OK … let’s talk when I get home … All right then, love. Yes … yes, I’ll see you later. No, I haven’t forgotten to buy Calpol.’
Mike put the phone down. His whole face was etched with strain; even his tan couldn’t disguise it.
‘Um, are you OK?’ enquired Jessica politely.
‘Yes,’ he said distractedly. ‘It’s just my wife. She’s finding things a bit tough at the moment, that’s all.’
‘Oh, I see,’ said Jessica, who didn’t really. As far as she could recall, the woman she’d seen in the photographs at Mike’s looked like she had every reason to be pretty happy with her lot.
‘She’s determined to do it all herself, you see,’ said Mike, who for some reason felt compelled to try and explain. To make some kind of sense of what was happening to his wife. For his own benefit, more than anything. ‘I think she just needs a break but every time I say anything she says she’s too tired to think about it. Still, I want to find a babysitter for Wednesday so we can at least go out for her birthday, but –’
Mike stopped, realizing that he was pouring his heart out to someone he barely knew, who had recently given up her free time to water his garden. ‘Anyway, you didn’t come into work to listen to my boring woes. Besides, the reason I asked to see you was so I could thank you for watering the garden while we were away. I hope you didn’t trek over too many times.’
‘Oh, no, no,’ said Jessica airily, thinking guiltily of the scorching week during which the garden had lain parched, gasping for a drink.
‘I’m just so pleased everything’s still alive,’ she said.
‘Oh, it’s not. The pots are all dead, but that’s OK,’ said Mike vaguely. Jessica gulped, waiting to be reprimanded. However, it quickly became apparent that he wasn’t planning on saying anything more about it. He was obviously distracted, concerned for his wife. Jessica’s heart went out to him.
‘Maybe I could babysit?’ she offered hesitantly.
Mike looked up. ‘Sorry?’
‘Maybe I could babysit for you and your wife? That is, if you trust me enough to stay with your children. I mean, I don’t have much proper experience with kids, but I guess if you’re going out in the evening they’d be asleep anyway?’
‘Yes,’ said Mike, giving Jessica his full attention. ‘Yes, they would. But, gosh, no, I can’t expect you to leap from one favour to another. Not, of course, that it would be a favour. I’d pay you. Pay you whatever you wanted, in fact. Five pounds an hour? No, not enough – six, seven maybe? I don’t know what nannies get these days really. My wife usually sorts things like that out, but I’d certainly pay you properly anyway.’
‘Oh, well, don’t worry about that,’ said Je
ssica, embarrassed.
Mike chewed the corner of his thumb nail, thinking rapidly.
‘Look, to be honest, it would be bloody brilliant if you did because at the moment we just don’t have anyone. My parents are ancient, hers are bloody useless and she refuses to even consider anyone who doesn’t come recommended,’ he said as if his wife’s reluctance to leave their children with any old freak was tiresome and wholly unreasonable. ‘But I don’t want you to think I was hinting before, because I wasn’t,’ he added, getting disproportionately excited. ‘Though obviously I’d still have to check with my wife, convince her you’re not a kiddie fiddler or anything, but if you’re honestly serious then it would be terrific.’
‘Right,’ said Jessica doubtfully, wondering what she’d got herself into.
‘Just a thought though. Probably best not to mention it to anyone else in the office? It’s just that it blurs the boundaries a bit. Besides, I’m sure you know by now what terrible gossips they all are.’
‘Fine,’ said Jessica, only too happy to keep things quiet considering the reaction she’d got the last time she’d offered to help.
‘OK, well, I’ll call Diane back now then.’
‘Wonderful,’ said Jessica, turning to leave.
‘And, Jessica?’
‘Yes, Mike?’
‘Thank you,’ he said, scrunching up his face to emphasize how much he meant it, which actually made him seem more insincere.
‘You’re so welcome,’ she said, privately thinking that he and his wife seemed to be the very definition of people who really did need to ‘get out more’.
A happier man, Mike turned his attentions back to his in-box. Ah, there was the promised one from David about the autumn special. He read through it quickly. It sounded great, actually. A very good idea indeed. Fantastic, now he would have something substantial to talk about at the meeting tomorrow morning too. Things were on the up. Good old Miss Bender.
25
That evening, at eight o clock on the dot, Pam’s doorbell rang.
‘He’s here, love,’ Pam hollered up the stairs. Seeing her niece giddy with the freshness of this new romance had taken Pam right back to the early days of her and Bernard’s courtship. In fact, over the last couple of days she’d allowed herself to wallow in memories and romantic nostalgia for a change. Recalling the past didn’t seem to frighten her quite so much these days, which she put down to having Jessica around. Her niece had reminded her that life was for living and Jess’s happiness and growing confidence was wonderful to witness. On Sunday, when Jessica had managed to mention Paul three times in the space of forty minutes, Pam had even started getting carried away, dreaming of a big white wedding.
As the doorbell rang again, Pam chuckled to herself.
‘Listen to me getting completely ahead of myself,’ she said to her own reflection in the hall mirror.
Jessica came racing down the stairs, jittery and worried she might look overdone for dinner on a Monday night. Knowing Paul, he was probably taking her to the pub. Still, she’d come home to freshen up so that was what she’d done. The fact that she was wearing a cream vintage Chloe dress her mom had bought her would probably escape him anyway.
‘Do I look OK?’ she asked her aunt urgently.
‘Beautiful,’ replied Pam, her hand to her throat. ‘He’s a lucky man. I’ll leave you to it.’
Jessica gave her a grateful squeeze as she passed her in the hallway then stopped to take one last deep breath before opening the door. When she did, however, she was in for a bit of a shock.
‘Shit, what are you doing here?’ she spluttered, horrified to see her mother standing on the doorstep, looking like the huge Hollywood star she was.
‘You’re wearing the dress I bought, the cut is really lovely on you,’ said Angelica, looking pleased.
Finally computing that what she was seeing was real and not a hologram, the realization that she had vaguely (very vaguely) made plans to meet her mother that night seeped through Jessica’s consciousness like icy water. Instantly she realized some serious damage limitation was required and yet her more immediate concern was the fact that any second now Paul would be arriving, and that it would be very difficult to explain why Heavenly Melons was standing on her front step.
‘Mom, please?’ she pleaded. ‘I’m so sorry but I have a date tonight.’
‘A date? Tonight? Oh, Jessica, I’m so happy for you. Is he OK about coming with us to dinner?’
‘Get in,’ said Jessica, realizing the subtle approach wasn’t going to work.
‘I don’t know if Pamela would want me to –’ But Angelica didn’t get to finish what she was saying because, having quickly scanned the street both ways, Jessica had grabbed her mother and bundled her into the hallway, just as Pamela was emerging from the front room to see what was going on.
‘What are you doing here?’ the older lady squawked indignantly. She had her hands on her hips and was wearing such a menacing expression she looked quite formidable. Jessica understood for the first time why her mother might feel a little wary of her.
‘I’m here to see my daughter,’ said Angelica, straightening herself up.
Jessica suddenly felt truly terrible. This was all her fault.
‘Look, Mom, I’m so sorry. I should have called, but I wasn’t joking. I do have a date tonight and it’s one that really means a lot to me.’
‘That is so wonderful,’ said Angelica, beaming soppily at her. ‘I’m so pleased for you, darling, I really am.’
Oh, jeez, thought Jessica. She’d spent years wanting this kind of focus from her mom but right now she just wished she’d get the hint and go away.
‘Look,’ she said eventually, having realized she had no other option than to spell things out, ‘I can’t see you tonight. I made a mistake and double-booked and I don’t want him to see you. He doesn’t know who my parents are and, to be honest, it’s really important it stays that way. For once I’m living my own life, and not living in your shadow has been a breath of fresh air. Surely you get that? It’s why I’m here, after all!’
Angelica looked unbelievably hurt and seemed to shrink inside her clothes, like a balloon that had been pricked with a pin.
‘I see,’ she said.
Shamefaced and bursting with frustration, Jessica blushed. ‘I didn’t mean it to come out like that … it’s just …’
Angelica gazed at the floor in silence. She was so tired of trying to make peace with her daughter and never getting anywhere. ‘I know that things between us aren’t as they should be, Jessica, and I’m sorry, but there are only so many times someone can apologize without receiving forgiveness, you know.’
Jessica looked at her mother, stunned. She’d never heard her say anything like that before. Not that her words had quite the same effect on Pam.
‘Well, that’s a bit rich,’ she blustered. ‘Surely you haven’t apologized enough? Not to her or Teddy. Years he waited to hear from you, desperate to know why you did what you did.’
‘But that’s not true, I –’
The doorbell rang.
‘Shit,’ Jessica flapped.
‘Oh, well, that’s gone and done it,’ said Pam as threateningly as she could, given that she was whispering. ‘Now, you listen to me, Ange. If you want to get anywhere with your daughter, then do not blow this for her, do you hear me? This chap means a lot to her and she needs to have this date on her own terms.’
‘Fine,’ said Angelica, looking panicked. ‘But what am I supposed to do? My driver’s only turning the car round. He’ll be here in a minute.’
Meanwhile, outside, Paul was starting to think he might have got the wrong house. He rang the bell again. At exactly the same time Angelica’s cell phone started vibrating in her bag.
‘That’ll be my driver,’ she whispered, looking stricken, ‘which means he’ll be pulling in any second.’
‘Hello?’ Paul’s voice drifted through the letterbox.
Spotting his eyes peering th
rough, Pam panicked. ‘Get in,’ she ordered, before jostling a stunned Angelica towards the coat cupboard.
Having realized what was happening, Angelica – who hated confined spaces – tried to protest but Pam wasn’t listening. Shoving her in, she slammed the door shut, at which point Angelica’s pleas became muffled. Just to make sure, however, Pam banged on the door. ‘Shut it, missy. We’ll get you out of there as soon as we can.’
Defeated, Angelica did as she was told. The cupboard fell silent. By this point Jessica’s jaw was practically scraping along the ground and she’d lost any remaining wherewithal. Fortunately, Pam’s was still intact and, having realized her niece was rooted to the spot with panic, she went to open the door herself.
‘Hello,’ she said like a bad television presenter reading autocue, ‘you must be Paul. Do come in.’
‘Thanks,’ he said, and as Jessica came forward to greet him it was hard to say who looked the most freaked out, her or Pam.
‘So,’ Paul said hesitantly, wondering why everyone was looking so odd, ‘you must be Pam. Jessica’s told me lots about you.’
‘Ooh,’ squawked Pam, more loudly than this really warranted. ‘All good, I hope?’
‘Oh, all very good,’ he confirmed.
Just then the sound of a mobile phone ringing could be heard. It was coming from the cupboard.
Jessica and Pam both grinned maniacally at Paul, trying to pretend they couldn’t hear it. Meanwhile, inside the cupboard, a claustrophobic Angelica was doing her best to get at her phone so that she could switch it off, which helped matters even less because now the whole cupboard was shaking.
‘Is there someone in your cupboard?’ asked Paul.
‘Sorry?’ said Jessica dumbly.
‘Your cupboard,’ said Paul. ‘There’s someone in it.’
‘Um …’
‘Don’t be so daft. Why would there be anyone in the cupboard?’ bellowed Pam, far too loudly. The effect was rather ruined, however, for just at that moment the door to the cupboard creaked open and Angelica, who simply couldn’t bear to be in such a small space for a second longer, eased herself out – though in a bid to remain undetected, stood behind the cupboard door.