Just for Now (11 page)

“We’ll be very quiet,” Harry pleaded. “Please, Dad?”

“You can’t make any more noise than the young boys on the
team bus,” Finn told him with a smile. “And I’ve put up with them for days now.
Course Trevor can come over.”

“If his mum says yes,” Jenna pointed out as she picked up
her phone.

“He’s on his way,” she told Harry upon hanging up. “A few
minutes.”

“Sweet as,” Harry said with satisfaction. “I want to show
him my new animals. I got a cheetah, and an otter, and a meerkat, Dad. At the
museum yesterday. Jenna took us.”

“Hope you didn’t ask Jenna for them,” he said.

“
Dad.
I spent my own money, of course. I’ve been
saving up. D’you want to see them?”

“I do,” his father agreed. “After Trevor leaves, you can
show me. What’s your sister doing?”

“Reading,” Harry said with disgust. “We were playing, but
she stopped. That’s why I need Trevor. I’m going to go wait for him by the
door,” he announced.

“Bye,” Finn smiled as Harry rushed to the door again.

“Yeh. They’re a bit different, Harry and Sophie,” he said to
Jenna. “People don’t always notice Sophie, or her feelings. You think she’s
sensitive, eh.”

“Of course I do,” Jenna responded with surprise. “She isn’t
expressive, like Harry. But she feels things deeply, and doesn’t get over them
as quickly. Harry’s more volatile. But Sophie runs deep.”

“She does. I’m glad you can see that. Most people can’t.”

“Because she’s quiet,” Jenna suggested. “Quiet children,
especially girls, tend to get passed over. People think, ‘Oh, she’s fine,’ and
pay attention to the kids who are acting out.”

“It’s true. And I probably didn’t do enough for her in that
first year or so. I was having a bit of a hard time myself. Luckily, Nyree was
there. She’s been the real constant in their lives.”

“I wouldn’t say that. You’re Sophie’s shining star. It’s
because you matter so much to her that she worries about you. Nyree’s important
too,” she hastened to add. “To both of them. But you’re the one Sophie looks
to.”

“Wish I’d done better, then,” he mumbled.

“Oh, I don’t know. I’d say you’ve done a pretty terrific
job. She knows how much you love her, and she trusts you to be there for her,
no matter what. I’d say she’s a lucky girl.”

“Really.” He looked more cheerful. “I’ve never known what I
was doing,” he confessed. “I’ve tried my best, but I’ve always wondered if it
was enough. Specially being gone so much.”

“It’s a big burden, being a single parent,” she agreed. “Of
course, you’ve had Nyree. But in the end, you’re the parent. And all
parents—all
good
parents—wonder if they’ve done well enough. They worry
about the things they’ve got wrong. Because kids don’t come with an instruction
manual. You’re learning all the time, right along with them. But the important
things—you’ve got those right, it seems to me. You have great kids, and they
didn’t happen by accident.”

“Thanks,” he said gruffly. “It’s good to hear.” He shifted
in his chair and winced at the soreness.

“But it seems to me you’ve earned a rest now,” she went on.
“Why don’t you go spend some time in the spa? I’ll keep an eye on the Wild
Bunch. I’ll bet you’re as starved as Harry, too. How about a sandwich out
there?”

“You don’t have to do that,” he objected. “I can make it. Or
I can check the snack compartment myself.”

“I don’t think a couple cubes of cheese are going to do it,”
she smiled. “Not as hard as you worked last night. I’m still on duty till
tomorrow morning, with not much to do besides making dinner. It’ll take me five
minutes to fix you a snack. Go on. Get out of here.”

He laughed and got up gratefully. Ten minutes later, she stepped
out onto the huge wooden deck and handed him down the melamine plate. A generous
handful of crisps was piled high beside a huge BLAT, the bacon freshly fried,
avocado and tomato plump between the slices of toast.

He took the plate from her with a “Cheers” that turned to a
grin when she handed him the bottle of beer she’d been holding behind her back.

“How’d you know?” he sighed, stretching out in the warm
water, the jets pulsing against his lower back, and taking a swallow of cold
beer.

“Psychic,” she told him with a smile. “Enjoy.”

He watched her opening the ranch sliders that led back into
the house and stepping inside. He’d have enjoyed it more with a bit of female company
in here. But for now, a fat sandwich and a beer weren’t too bad.

“Have a good day.” Jenna gave Harry and Sophie each a
discreet squeeze around the shoulders, watched them as they walked through the
school gates.

“Jenna!” She saw Siobhan beckoning from the group of mums
chatting nearby. She hesitated a moment, then went to join her.

“Hello, love,” Siobhan greeted her. “Missed you yesterday.”

“My day off.” Jenna smiled at her gratefully, acknowledged
the nods of the other mums.

“We noticed,” Siobhan said. “Finn looked a bit done for.”

“But choice,” one of the other mums put in. A general laugh
greeted the comment.

“We all enjoy Mondays,” Siobhan grinned. “Do you know
everyone, though?” She introduced Jenna to the four or five women around her.
“Jenna’s a Year One teacher, normally, did you know?” she told them. “I’ve
taken shameful advantage of her expertise. Palming my kids off on her.”

“No, you haven’t,” Jenna protested. “You took Sophie and
Harry last week.”

“Only out of shame,” Siobhan declared. “I couldn’t live with
myself.”

“Pity the Blues lost this weekend,” a woman named Clarice
offered. She was the mum of a boy in Sophie’s class, Jenna realized. Danny, she
thought. “We were hoping to see them in the final.”

“We were hoping to see
Finn,”
Monique, a pretty
brunette, corrected. “Our local celebrity.”

“Speak for yourself,” Clarice offered tartly. “I was
watching the footy.”

The other women scoffed in disbelief. “I didn’t notice you
running away when he brought the kids yesterday,” Monique pointed out.

“I wanted to congratulate him on a good game,” Clarice said heatedly.

“He did play well, didn’t he?” Jenna put in hastily. “I know
they were all so disappointed to lose. But it does give him a rest. It’ll be
hard on the Crusaders on the All Black squad. Playing in the final next weekend
and then going into training straightaway.”

 “I never thought of that,” Clarice said thoughtfully.

“Though I know he’d rather be tired, and play,” Jenna said
with a smile. “Any of them would. Guess that’s the way it goes.”

“Must be an interesting job, yours,” Monique said enviously.

Jenna laughed. “Well, not so much. Cooking, housework,
looking after kids.”

“Exactly like my life,” Monique agreed. “Except that you get
a day off, and no questions asked, eh. That’d be nice.”

“None of the real responsibilities of kids,” Clarice put in.
“And you get paid for what you do. Lucky you. Want to trade places?”

Jenna flushed and shifted awkwardly, unable to think of a
retort.

“I need to get Ethan to kindy,” Siobhan broke in. “Come on,
Jenna. Walk me.” She pulled Jenna away from the group, set a brisk pace that
had Ethan complaining.

“Sorry, darling,” she told him, slowing down after they’d
crossed the road.

“She didn’t mean it, you know,” she said to Jenna. “Not
thinking, that’s all.”

“What?” Jenna asked, startled.

“When she said you were lucky,” Siobhan clarified. “She can
be a bit tactless. And she’s jealous.”

“Was it obvious?” Jenna faltered.

“I hope you haven’t been considering a career shift,
becoming a poker player,” Siobhan smiled. “Because you’d be rubbish. No
worries, though. It’s just because I know you.”

“Jealous, though,” Jenna said. “That’s a laugh. Being a nanny
isn’t exactly a glamour job.”

“You haven’t seen her husband.” Siobhan shuddered
theatrically. “Nightmare. Belly out to there.”

“Come on,” she urged. “Walk Ethan to kindy with me, go for a
coffee. I need a treat.”

“Thank goodness you’re here.” Maggie, the Year One teacher
Jenna had been assisting, said with relief when Jenna joined her in the
teachers’ lounge of Mangere Primary during lunch the following Monday. “I can really
use your help today. The school’s having a visit from a few of the All Blacks,
and I’ve got a room full of wound-up five-year-olds. I’m not looking forward to
this afternoon.”

“What’s involved? And how can I help?” Jenna asked.

“They’ll be having a chat with the students first, then
going out to the field for a bit of rugby practice. We’ve got it pretty well
organized, but I could do with another supervisor.”

The children were every bit as excited as Maggie had
predicted. And when she announced that it was time to go, their anticipation
became even more intense. Jenna walked at the tail of the queue of Year One
students as they made their way to the auditorium and arranged themselves
cross-legged on the floor directly in front of the stage.

Once they were settled, she stood against the wall to one
side and watched the big room fill up with the older pupils.

“Quite a day.”

She turned at the words, smiling a welcome to Ian Foster,
one of the Year Five teachers. “It is,” she agreed. “Who exactly are they
sending, have you heard?”

“Not sure. Three or four of them, anyway.”

Somehow, Jenna wasn’t surprised when the doors to the
auditorium opened and Finn led the procession of four players who leaped up the
steps to the stage to thunderous applause from the students and a welcoming
speech from the head of the school. It made sense that the Auckland-based
players would be making this local appearance. And she knew what a soft spot
Finn had for children. She was proud to know him as she witnessed his easy rapport
with the kids, his joking good humor that had both students and teachers
laughing.

She saw the moment he became aware of her, his eyes meeting
hers in surprised recognition before he turned back to answer a question about
a teammate’s pinup status.

“Yeh, I know the girls are rapt to have Koti here. Me,” he
sighed regretfully, “I’m a bit bashed about by now. The old beak’s been broken
a fair few times. But if any of you kids need help with your tackling, you’ll
want to see me for that. Because everyone knows the forwards do all the real
work.”

When the athletes filed off the stage to head outside, Finn
muttered a quick word to one of the other players, then made his way toward Jenna
as the head began to explain the second half of the day’s program to her eager
audience.

“Moonlighting?” he asked quietly. “Doesn’t your employer pay
you enough?”

“Volunteering,” she corrected. “My employer pays just fine. Oh,
this is Ian Foster, one of the teachers here. Ian, Finn Douglas.”

“Gidday,” Finn said, giving the other man a firm handshake
and a quick once-over. “See you outside, Jenna?”

She nodded. “With the little ones.”

“I’ll take care to get myself assigned there, then,” he told
her before he left to catch up with his teammates.

Jenna saw Maggie beginning to get the class up. “Here we
go,” she said to Ian. “See you later.”

During the session that followed, Jenna could see all the
years of working with Sophie in Finn’s encouraging instruction as he ran lines
with the Year Ones, offloading the ball gently, reaching to catch their own
wobbly passes in one big hand.  She had to laugh to witness their version of
touch rugby, Finn matching himself against five eager students, the excitement
when he deliberately missed his mark and a little girl danced past him to score
a try.

“How do you know him?” Ian asked, coming up to join her
again and following the direction of her gaze.

“Hmm? Finn?” she asked, still smiling. “I’m his nanny and
housekeeper. His kids’ nanny, I mean. Just for now, the rest of the year.”

“Huh.” Ian frowned as Finn accepted the help of several
children to get to his feet from where he lay sprawled on the grass after his
failed “tackle” and made his way toward Jenna again.

“Disappointing,” she told him severely, watching him brush
grass from his black Adidas track pants. “I hope your defense is going to be
stronger than that in Perth, or I’m not watching.”

He laughed, his eyes sliding towards the man on her left.
“Think you’ll find I rise to the occasion. Looks like we’re finishing up here,
so I’ll say goodbye. See you at home. Good to meet you, Ian.”

Jenna watched him trot off, then turned to Ian with a smile.
“He’s a really good guy. You wouldn’t know it from watching him play, though, would
you?”

“I wouldn’t know,” he said stiffly. “I don’t watch much
rugby.”

“I never did either, before,” she confessed. “But I’ve
learned a lot about it recently, and it’s surprisingly enjoyable. I need to go
on and help Maggie, though. See you next week?”

“Yeh,” he said. “See you.”

“What a surprise to have you turn up today,” she told Finn
after they had put the kids to bed that evening and were chatting comfortably
in the kitchen. “I had no idea you were doing that.”

“Community relations. I like the school visits, tend to
volunteer for those. We’re all expected to do our bit, but we do get a choice.
Talking of surprises, though, I had no idea you were doing that either. Going
into the school to help out. Isn’t it a bit much, after working all week?”

“This job isn’t exactly onerous,” she pointed out,
“especially when the kids are in school. The volunteering’s been fun, and it
gets me out. Gives me a chance to meet some new people.”

“I noticed the new people. Specially that bloke Ian. He
fancies you, eh.”

“He does not! He’s just being friendly.”

Finn laughed. “Yeh, right. He’s never invited you for a
coffee?” He interpreted her expression correctly. “He has. Ha. I knew it.”