by Joanne Hill
Yet she'd learnt a lot about him these past days by observing, and by comments Mrs Parker had let slip. Like his relationship with Charlotte. She was sure it had just been convenient as this house was convenient. And she was convenient because he didn't really have to get himself involved with Eric, not while she was here, and the twins were here.
“Sit down, Robyn” Jack commented, not looking up from the paper. “You’re making me nervous.”
Eric dug his spoon into the cereal, brought it to his mouth, then set it down again.
“Are you okay, Eric,” Robyn asked as she came over.
His bottom lip jutted a fraction. “I miss my mom.”
Silence engulfed the room and inside, Robyn felt a bit of her heart break. He needed a hug, reassurance, something. But it wasn't her role to give it.
Jack cleared his throat. “I know you do. And we'll ring her later so you can talk to her.” He shuffled the paper and for a second she thought he was going to pat Eric on the back. Instead, he said, “You could come out with me later in the week.”
Eric half turned to him.
“I’ve got a house that’s nearly finished,” Jack went on. “A new design I want to check. It’s a bit of a drive so you’ll get to see something of Auckland.”
Eric put down his spoon, his cereal only half eaten.
“Can I get you anything else,” Robyn asked. “Orange juice? Hot chocolate?”
Eric shook his head. “I want to go and see James. I've got a friend back home called James.”
A shadow passed across Jack's eyes and Robyn nodded. “He's up in his room with Ruby. You can go and see him, Eric, he'd like that. Both of them would.”
He left his seat without a word and ran out of the room.
Frustration was written across Jack’s face as he waited for the sound of footsteps to disappear.
“What the hell was his mother thinking?” He rubbed his hands roughly up and down his face. “She could have come out with him, stayed here with him. What kind of woman sends a seven year old kid out on his own to a strange country to have a holiday with people he's never even heard of before?”
She'd wondered if Jack should just have said no and suggested Eric come out another time. Get someone else to look after her son while she nipped into hospital.
But Jack had a sense of decency about him. He wasn't about to let his child down and that’s what it came down to. Part of him, she suspected, had just been plain curious about his son and who wouldn't be?
His face darkened further as he straightened the paper with a snap.
She could guess what he'd been thinking, though, because he'd probably come to the same conclusion she had. There was only one reason that made some sense and it hit the headlines in the media every day.
That at the root of this it was all about money.
“So how are you feeling. Dad.” Ethan McGraw grinned. An evil grin, Jack noted as he leant against the front door.
“Panicked,” he growled back.
The grin widened and he pushed himself away from the door as Robyn came through with Eric. She’d been in her room, working on her collection, and Jack had barely seen her. The morning had been hers to work but he’d been aware Ruby and James kept running into her room, and several times she’d come out to sort out some drama. How she got any work done had him beat. But he needed to head back into the office this afternoon and he’d work a late one, catching up on all the work Collette had left for him. He and Robyn might be living in the same house but they didn’t see a lot of each other.
“Hey Robbie,” Ethan purred.
Robyn grinned back. A warm and welcoming grin. “Hey, Ethan. It’s nice to see you.”
A coil of jealousy wound its way through Jack. Ethan was bigger and taller, and his buzz cut gave him an edgy look. He noticed Robyn's gaze had slipped to the black crew neck t-shirt curled over muscles that made even him jealous. He was tempted to nudge Robyn in the side and say “Steady, girl.”
Ethan and Robyn chatted as if they'd known each other for an age. He and Robyn never chatted like that. There was always something, an edge sitting between them.
“Jack,” she said finally. “I need to head back to my place to get some patterns I left behind.”
“I'll take you over.” Ethan stepped forward.
“You will?” Robyn said.
“It's the least I can do for you after all you're doing, helping out old Jack.”
Jack cut in. “I can take her.”
Robyn hesitated. “But what about the kids?” They were outside, taking advantage of a fine day but they were hard work, even Jack had to admit. They were nice kids but when they decided they were bored, they were full on.
“You get along,” Mrs Parker interjected, nodding towards Robyn as she stuffed a rag in her waistband following some industrious dusting. “You need a break after being with this lot.” She cast Jack a cursory glance, “Twenty-four seven you know. Anyhow, it’ll do him good to look after his own children.”
“Child,” he corrected. She didn’t really believe the twins were his, did she?
Still. She'd made a point. “Mrs Parker’s right. We’ll hold the fort. You go and get your gear.”
“We’ll have a bite on the way back,” Ethan said. “I fancy something that will probably kill me in ten years time. My treat.”
“I’m getting spoilt,” Robyn said, and she glanced at Jack. “You sure this is okay?”
No. Yes. He had no need to worry. So what if Ethan and Robyn did develop a relationship. He should be pleased for them both.
He plastered a smile on his face.
“Have a good time,” he said.
Ethan’s Hummer only just made it up the drive, nearly running over Sage in the process. Robyn gripped the hand rest and wondered how she was going to explain this beast of a truck to her best friend.
“Who’s that?” Ethan jerked his head at Sage who stood with her fist clenched in the air.
“My friend Sage. She lives a couple of doors down.”
“Sage, huh?” Ethan was glued to the rear view mirror. “She’s got one smoking attitude. I wouldn’t want to meet her in a dark alley.”
Robyn glanced sideways at him. Ethan McGraw was big, tough and she pitied anybody who got on the wrong side of him. He also had a heart of gold.
He turned to her then, smiled and put his hand on her arm. There was nothing remotely sexual about the gesture. He patted her. She felt like his little sister. “Say, Robyn? I just want to thank you again for how much you’ve done for Jack. The shit has hit the fan big time for him these past few weeks.”
Sage walked stiffly past the Hummer.
Ethan followed her progress. “What gets me about the whole thing is that neither of us saw this. Emily sure as hell didn’t see it.”
Sage stood next to Robyn’s house, her arms folded across her chest, glaring at Ethan’s truck. In spite of her hair, bundled on top of her head in a deceptively dizzy blonde mess, she looked furious.
Ethan said, “I better let you get your stuff. If you don’t mind, I’ll wait here. That blonde is giving me the creeps.”
Robyn opened the door of the cab. “I won’t be long.”
Sage was still glaring at Ethan and as soon as she and Robyn stepped inside, demanded, “Who the heck is that?”
“Ethan McGraw. A friend of Jack's.” Robyn led the way down to her room and began flipping through fabrics. “He offered to bring me over to get some more gear.” She found what she wanted, stacked the fabric in a spare shopping bag, and went to her wardrobe and began flicking through.
“He looks military,” Sage noted with disapproval.
“I don't think he is. At least, not any more. He’s in business like Jack. Property development.”
“A property developer, I should have known.” Sage inhaled noisily. “Scum of the earth.”
Robyn found a couple of extra skirts and added them to the mix and they went back down to the lounge.
“Th
at's everything I think.”
She paused to glance around her home. Funny how much smaller it seemed now. The whole house could fit in Jack’s open plan kitchen and living room. Her heart tugged a bit. But she still loved it.
“I’m just glad everything’s going okay with this ridiculously insane set up,” Sage commented.
Robyn locked up. She pulled the door a couple of times to check it was secure, and Sage said, “So this whole thing with Jack was the right thing to do?”
“I think so.” Robyn pocketed her key. “I know it was a crazy plan and I know it had the potential to fail.” She pictured Eric, the confusion written all over his face, and then Jack, and the frustration that seemed to permanently line his face. Yet there was also love there. In these few days Jack had come to care for Eric and she was discovering a side to him that she hadn't seen before. It was a heck of an attractive thing...
“Robyn?” Sage cocked her head, her eyes wide. “You’re getting a look.”
Robyn straightened, ignoring Sage's comment. “The website is almost up and running and Jack's got a photographer friend who specializes in kids’ fashion coming over to take photos of Ruby and James in the clothes for the catalog. She thinks they'll be great little models.”
It was cutting it fine. Cutting it real fine but having a professional take the photographs was going to make it so much better, give it so much more of a professional edge.
She gave a quick wave to Ethan. In a way it was coming together better than she could have imagined. If she could keep up the pace... She drew an optimistic breath. They would be fine.
Sage glared at Ethan’s vehicle and Robyn rolled her eyes and said, “Quit looking like that. Ethan's done a lot for Emily Randell. He took her to his house when it all hit the papers, he is protecting her, and he is a really great guy to have on your side.”
Sage inhaled sharply through her nose as she gave the Hummer another once over. “So you keep saying,” she said.
“Look, come over and have coffee one day.” Robyn gave her a quick hug. “And give my love to Harry. I miss her. Tell her she can use my place for peace and quiet to study anytime she wants.”
Sage nodded. “Call me. I want to check out this house you've fallen in love with. Just make sure...”
She glared over at Ethan who was standing, leaning back against the door, talking on his phone. He'd slipped his dark glasses back on and Robyn had no idea who he was looking at.
“Just make sure Mr Million-push-ups-a-day isn't around,” Sage said with a tight frown.
CHAPTER EIGHT
The next morning Jack woke with a feeling of conviction. Today he was going to be a parent. Over breakfast he said to Robyn, “I think I’ll jump in the deep end with this whole parenting thing and take Eric with me for the day.”
She was busy putting together snacks; last night she’d said something about heading up to Long Bay Reserve, a beautiful park at the tip of the East Coast Bays.
Now, she stared at him in surprise. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail that sat high on her head.
“You're taking Eric for the whole day? Are you ready for it?”
Disappointment shafted through him at her lack of faith, but he dismissed it at once. “Of course I’m ready for it. I thought we’d go and look at this new house and then head over to see Emily.”
The tabloids had lain off the past week and he was hopeful that it was close to over. He hadn’t heard from either Brad or Charlotte; didn’t expect to and didn’t want to.
He reached out, snagged a piece of diced cheese and she said, “I’ve made one of these up for Eric so you might as well take it with you.”
He grinned. “That’s very thoughtful.”
She sealed a ziploc bag. “It’s what you’re paying me to do.”
For some reason, it felt like a slap. Maybe not so much a slap but a sharp tap. And her surprise at him taking Eric? Was she implying he couldn’t be a good father? “Why don’t I take Ruby and James along as well?”
The knife dropped from her hand with a clatter. “What?” she squeaked.
“You'd have the whole day to work on your designs.”
“You? Take Ruby and James?”
Her reaction was beginning to get annoying. “I’ll take all three of them. We’ll head up to see the house, then go over to Em’s.” He stopped. Was it a good idea to go and see her with three young kids? She was pregnant and single. He had no idea but it was either very good or very bad.
He did know Emily was starting to adapt to the idea of raising the baby on her own. She had no other choice. He glanced at Robyn. Robyn had done it and heaven knows, so had Val. And the three kids seemed okay for lack of a regular father figure. Yeah, it was a good thing. It would show her it could all work out.
Robyn looked staunchly dubious.
“What?” He grabbed a piece of celery, took a bite. “You don’t think I can manage it?”
She twisted her mouth, then turned away.
“What can go wrong?” he said. “They’ll be in the car, they’ll be safe.”
“I don’t know.” She bit her lip.
The frown on her forehead was saying it all. That lip biting just affirmed it.
He reached over, put his hand around the nape of her neck. Sparks shot up his skin and he let go, frowned. Robyn looked directly at him, then away.
Whatever that had been, it was an aberration.
He focused back on the issue. “Robyn. What can seriously go wrong?”
She looked as if a hundred scenarios were running through her head.
“Because what you are saying is that you don’t trust me.” That slap had just grown into a full blown punch to the gut and he wasn't even sure why he was pressing this. It had gone from maybe taking a kid who wasn’t even sure he wanted to spend time with his old man, to taking two others who would have been quite happy, he was sure, to stay here watching DVDs.
“You're right. Nothing will go wrong.” She lifted her arms as if she'd surrendered her life to him but the look in her eyes spoke a different story. “You take them.”
There had been arguing over who got to sit where so Jack put Ruby in the middle.
He headed out, drove well below the speed limit, and kept his eye on them via the rear view mirror. They were heading along the East Coast Bays road when James proceeded to steal Ruby’s pink blanket and she screamed, giving Jack such a shock, he swore. Loudly.
Three pairs of eyes stared at him in the mirror.
He pulled over, and plonked her in the front, muttering the whole time he wrestled with her cowboy booster seat and the seat belt. Had no call for these when I was a kid, he muttered. But then, no one had cared.
James yelled that it wasn’t fair that a girl got to sit in the front to which Ruby looked very smug, stuck her thumb in her mouth and pressed her blanket to her face.
Eric, who had been reasonably quiet most of the trip, appeared to have come out of his shell and agreed with James.
Jack shoved the car into gear and drove. The two conspired in the back seat and Ruby appeared to be in a dream.
At one point she turned to him and said, “Are you our boyfriend?”
“Boyfriend?”
“Harry says you’re our boyfriend?”
“You mean Harriet? The babysitter?”
Ruby nodded
“Ah. Teenagers.” So there was some sort of cool hip teenage definition behind ‘boyfriend’ these days he wasn’t familiar with. “Is Sage your mother’s girlfriend?” he asked Ruby.
Ruby nodded.
“Then, yeah, I guess. Your mother and I are friends and I’m a - boy. So I guess so. Sort of.”
Confidence grew in him. This wasn’t too bad. At the building site he gave an apprentice painter a fifty dollar bill and told him to make sure the kids didn’t move from their seats. His planned thirty minute inspection took three minutes fifty six seconds. And a promise he’d be back tomorrow to finish it off.
He drove to Etha
n’s and the minute he jerked on the handbrake, he felt relief.
“Where are we?” Eric asked.
“My friend’s place.” He waved as Emily appeared at the door. Sweet heaven, a woman. One with burgeoning maternal feelings. He felt as if he’d just docked after months on the ocean. He got out to undo all their seatbelts. “Come on kids.”
Two hours later, back at his place, Robyn seemed surprised to see them back so soon and said, “So it went okay?”
Jack straightened. “Fine. No problems. Well,” he amended, deciding honesty was the best policy, especially when it came to a girl like Ruby with a gift for hearing and understanding. “James did his thing with the pink blanket.”
Robyn shook her head and sighed.
Jack scratched his chin. “It’s not confined to just him either. Emily tried to take it, just to look at it and Ruby screamed.”
Robyn winced. “I hope she wasn’t freaked out.”
“No. In fact,” he reached into his wallet and pulled out tickets, “she gave us these.”
He glanced up at the counter where Ruby and James were coloring, the granite surface now scattered with pens and crayons and paper. Eric was still on the phone to his mother. He’d been there fifteen minutes and he’d heard tears early on in the piece.
Maybe this would cheer him up since he didn't seem capable of cheering his own son up himself.
He handed her the tickets to the pet expo. “What do you think?”
Robyn's eyes widened. “Jack, this is perfect. James and Ruby love that zoo program on TV and I’ve heard that some of the keepers from the show are going to be there.”
“Good. And I'm pretty sure a kid Eric's age would like this kind of thing.” He rapped his fingers on the counter and glanced back to the study at the far end. He wanted a word with Val anyway.
“You know,” Robyn said. She scooped up some crayons that had rolled on to the floor. She set them in the box on the counter, and gestured to the study. “I’ve been thinking about why Val sent Eric out.”