Nikki Moore - Picnics in Hyde Park

His eyes raked over her beige safari shorts, a respectable mid-thigh length today, the floaty white vest top, chunky necklace and lace-up sandals.

‘Yes,’ he met her gaze. ‘I can’t let you leave the house like that.’

‘Pardon?’ Her eyes widened. He couldn’t think this outfit was too revealing?

‘The other nannies dress a certain way.’ He ran a hand around the back of his neck, seeming awkward with the direction of the conversation. ‘I’m afraid that’s not it.’

‘I was planning on taking the kids out somewhere, spending some quality time with them. I’m not going to a fashion show.’ No one loved clothes more than her but you had to dress for the activity.

‘I appreciate that,’ he rose from the stool and strolled over to her, ‘but the thing is that I need you to fit in with my lifestyle, not the other way around. That outfit,’ he looked down at her shorts, ‘is too casual if you’re going out. You’re bound to bump into some of the kids’ friends and their nannies or parents. I wouldn’t want either of my children feeling…’

‘What?’ she questioned lightly, trying not to take it personally. ‘Embarrassed to be seen with me?

‘Not embarrassed! But you won’t fit in. I’m saying this for your benefit as well as theirs. Think of it like wearing a uniform. There’s a certain way you’re expected to look for this job. You must have come across that before.’

The truth was, she had. Liberty had expected Zoe to be immaculately groomed in well-cut clothes to fit into the society she lived in and she’d done it happily. But she hadn’t really thought it through when she’d put her clothes on this morning, because her professional head wasn’t on in the way it usually was, given she was here to get even, not make a living. She had to take more care. ‘So what kind of thing do I need to wear?’ she asked lightly, gazing past him out the window at the bright sunlight filling the manicured garden. ‘Given it’s not even half seven and already twenty degrees out? It’s supposed to be another hot one today.’

‘I don’t know really. I think Melody wore a lot of dresses, but I never took proper notice. Just something smarter I guess.’ To his credit he looked genuinely flummoxed.

She let out an exasperated sigh. ‘Right, that’s helpful.’ Not. ‘I’ll go and change.’ Marching out, she made for the top floor. At least he’d been more tactful than he’d been yesterday. They were making progress.

It was confirmed as she ran up the stairs, when he had the grace to yell, ‘Thank you, Zoe!’

It made her smile, despite the fact everything inside her said it was wrong to.

She was downstairs again half an hour later, this time accompanied by Jasper and Aimee. After putting up with five minutes of moaning and groaning when she’d tried to get them up—aware of what they were like in the morning from Melody—she’d resorted to motivating them with a little competition. Zoe’s Ten Minute Challenge had worked like a dream with Ava and Grace and it had worked a treat with Matt’s children too. The added opportunity of picking a place of their choice to go had acted as a wonderful incentive for them to get washed and dressed with teeth brushed within the allocated time.

Aimee had narrowly won the contest which had triggered a tantrum from Jasper. Zoe had felt distinctively unimpressed and worried about a child of school age reacting like a toddler, and after telling him she’d be in the other room, had waited him out, pulling his door halfway closed while she helped Aimee pack a rucksack. The girl had looked at her a few times, mouth opening to say something but had shut it again each time.

‘I give him two minutes,’ Zoe had whispered out the side of her mouth.

Aimee smiled, as if to say, in your dreams.

He was done in just under. It wasn’t long, yet he hollered pretty loudly and she was half expecting Matt to come thundering up the stairs to demand what was going on, but he didn’t appear.

Seeing Jasper’s feet approach from the corner of her eye, she’d stood up, passing the rucksack to Aimee. ‘Ready to go downstairs?’

The girl nodded, her auburn ponytail bobbing, blue eyes wide and looking impressed, possibly by Zoe’s prediction about the length of Jasper’s tantrum being right.

Jasper inched forward. ‘Can I come too?’ he hiccuped, rubbing at his green eyes, so much like Matt’s.

Zoe wasn’t fooled for a second; if they were real tears she’d put on trousers and call herself Bob.

‘I suppose so,’ she replied briskly, ‘if you’re ready?’

He pursed his lips like he was considering his options, then tucked his hands in his pockets, small dark head bobbing. ‘Yes.’

‘It was sort of silly behaviour, wasn’t it?’ she remarked conversationally as they wandered down the stairs, Aimee trailing behind them. ‘After all, you can’t always win. You’ll just have to try really hard next time to be even faster. And I heard that you’re a big boy. Your dad told me you’re starting school soon and your birthday is not long after.’

‘Yes!’ his eyes brightened. ‘In forty sleeps time on the second of September I go to school. It was forty, Melody helped me count before she went,’ his little face clouded over, ‘and I’ve been counting by myself but I’m not sure I’m right…and my birthday is on the third day of September. I’ll be five,’ he finished proudly.

Zoe gulped hard, upset for him and her sister that Mel wasn’t going to be here to see him start school, or for his birthday. But she said nothing. It would do no good to upset him further and it wouldn’t be fair to quiz a four year-old about adult decisions. ‘Well then, you need to have a big think about what you might do at school if you lose a game, because if you get cross like that the teacher will probably make you sit on your own and the other kids might not want to play with you. I bet you want to make friends, don’t you?’ she affirmed by nodding.

‘Yes,’ he agreed seriously.

‘So you have to find ways to not be cross. It’s okay not to win everything, all right? As long as you try your best that’s all that matters. If you feel angry about something, tell me and we can work out how to make you feel better. I know some really cool counting games. Can you do that for me? Will you let me know?’

‘Uh-huh. That would be super cool. Holly might like to play those games with us.’

‘Holly?’ Her face froze, and she stopped on the spiral staircase. Who the heck was Holly? Had Matt moved on to someone new already? He’d only supposedly split with the pop star ex-fiancée just over a week ago. No wonder the kids were confused and insecure if he paraded an endless stream of women through their lives. Why wouldn’t he have told her about a girlfriend? As their nanny, she needed to know these things. Every person in his life was part of his children’s world, a role model or an influence.

‘She’s ‘Ncle Noel’s girlfwiend.’ Jasper lisped as he stared up at her.

Zoe had noticed that one of his two front teeth was not quite fully grown and occasionally affected his speech, but knew it would improve as the tooth grew. ‘I thought the only uncle you have is Stephen?’ she said. ‘Did your mummy have a brother?’

‘No, don’t think so,’ Jasper looked puzzled, glancing over his shoulder at his sister, who shook her head.

‘So who’s Noel then?’ she asked gently, switching her gaze between both children.

‘Daddy’s friend,’ Jasper replied, ‘and my g- g…’ He screwed his face up, rounded cheeks puffing out. ‘My g- something. Can’t remember. But Holly is really, really, really good at ice skating,’ he said excitedly, ‘just like me, we can both skate backwards but she can do spins but I can’t yet and she has long yellow hair and blue eyes and white skin and her teeth sparkle and she makes ‘Ncle Noel smile even though he hates Chwistmas and can be really gwumpy,’ he finished on a gasp of breath.