Just for Now (12 page)

“A couple times,” she said defensively. “Just for a chat.
Just friends.”

“Uh-huh. Friends.”

“He’d have asked me out for more than coffee, if he were
interested.”

“Nah. He’s too weedy to make a move that fast,” Finn said
dismissively. “It’s been . . . what? Two coffees?” At her reluctant nod, he
went on. “Next week, he’ll ask you out. Not for dinner, though. Too scary. For
lunch, maybe. Over another coffee.”

“That isn’t fair. Anyone would seem weedy next to you. Most
men don’t have your self-assurance, either. Anyway, just because he enjoys
chatting with me, that doesn’t mean he wants to take me out.”

“What time is it? Gone nine? He’s thinking about you right
now.”

“I saw. I know,” he insisted at her shake of the head. “Give
me credit for that much, anyway. I know what blokes think about. He’s imagining
you naked.” He took a sip of his beer and nodded in satisfied certainty.

“Finn! Completely inappropriate.”

He held up his hands. “Sorry. But somebody has to look out
for you. You’re like a baby out there. Though I don’t think you’re in too much
danger from that fella. Bet he lives with his mum.”

“No,” she admitted. “His sister.”

He pointed his beer bottle at her in triumph as they both
burst into laughter.

“You realize you’ve now eliminated any chance of my saying
yes,” she complained. “If that ever does happen.”

“What a pity,” he intoned with his best sincere expression.
Then grinned at her again.

“So how was school today?” Finn asked her the following
Monday evening. “Volunteer day, right?”

“Right. It was good. Looks like they’ll have a vacancy for a
Year One teacher in the new year. I’m thinking of applying.”

“Bit of a challenge, Mangere,” he said mildly. “Quite a mix
of kids they have out there. New arrivals, limited English. All the Islander
kids too. Not like Mt. Eden.”

“I can handle it. I’m a pretty good teacher, you know.”

“I believe it. Third coffee date too, eh,” he added slyly.

“Yes. And you were right.” She laughed. “Sunday lunch, just
as you predicted.”

“I’m good,” he admitted modestly. “Not really, though. I could
see that one coming well down the track. What did you say?”

“I said yes. Then I took him into the supply cupboard and we
had passionate sex. None of your business, and you know it.”

“True. But I’m glad you said no.”

She scowled at him. “It’s really your fault. You shouldn’t
have said the weedy thing. Because I couldn’t help noticing that his arms were
kind of . . .” she trailed off.

“Spindly,” he offered helpfully. “Nah. He wasn’t your type
anyway.”

Jenna tried not to look at the size of his own arms as he
sat with his elbows on the table, picking at the label of his beer bottle. The
comparison wasn’t really fair, after all. Ian hadn’t thought so, anyway.

“I know I’m not an All Black,” he had said in frustration
when Jenna had declined his invitation, as gently as she knew how. “But I do
have something to offer, all the same.”

“What does that have to do with it?” she asked in surprise.

“I saw how you looked at Finn Douglas last week. I was
hoping I was wrong. But it’s clear to me now that I wasn’t.”

“Finn’s my employer,” Jenna told him sharply. “I’m looking
after his kids. And I take that responsibility very seriously.”

“I know what I saw,” Ian said stubbornly. “And a sportsman
like that isn’t a good bet, not for someone like you. You don’t know what
you’re getting into.”

“Ian. I’m not going to have this conversation, or to try to
convince you that you’re wrong. And I’m sorry to say no. It’s not you. It’s just
that I’m not in a position to be doing that right now. Dating.”

“It’s not you, it’s me.” He smiled bitterly. “I’ve heard
that one before. Never mind.” He shrugged into his jacket and rose to leave the
cafe. “Whatever you’re telling me, or yourself for that matter, I have a pretty
fair idea of what you’re after. And I’ll just say, good luck with that. Because
you’re going to need it.”

“I’m not sure what my type is anymore,” Jenna confessed to
Finn now. “But I’m pretty sure the guy has to weigh more than me.”

He laughed. “I don’t think Ian had any complaints. In fact,
I can tell you with fair certainty that he liked the way you look.”

“It’s not really fair of you to criticize my potential
partners anyway,” she complained. “I never said anything about your choice.
Even though I may have been tempted.”

“True. You didn’t. Go on, though. Tell me how I can choose
better next time.”

“Well, you did fairly well in the looks department,” she was
forced to admit. “I can’t really say much there.”

“I dunno. I’d like to find someone who eats. I’m tired of
watching women push a lettuce leaf round their plate while I scoff down my tea.”

“I should point out, in all fairness, that there aren’t many
models or TV presenters who eat a lot,” she told him. “Unless they’re bulimic,
of course. And that doesn’t seem real attractive, at least not to me.”

“You’re probably right,” he conceded. “But I reckon someone
who ate a bit more might be a better cook as well.”

“Yeah, the kids told me about Ashley’s dinner party,” Jenna said
with a smile.

“That’s another one. Somebody who actually likes my kids
would be good. Who could at least have a conversation with them. I don’t much
enjoy the uneasy feeling that they’re researching boarding schools.”

Jenna grabbed for her phone as she gently folded the scrambled
eggs in the pan. “Hello? Oh, hi, Nat.”

She cradled the phone between neck and shoulder, brought the
pan over to the table, and dished up three servings: two small, and one
extra-large. Smiled apologetically at Finn and went back to the kitchen bench
to butter toast as she continued her conversation.

“Thanks. I’m fixing breakfast right now, but I appreciate
you taking the time to call, especially while you’re away. . . . Yeah, it’s the
big one. Thirty. Oh, well. Beats the alternative, right? Talk to you soon. And
thanks again.”

She delivered the toast to the table. “Sorry about that. My
friend Natalie is on holiday in Aussie, and she wanted to catch me while she
could.”

“No worries,” Finn said. “Sorry to eavesdrop, but is it your
birthday, by any chance?”

“It isn’t eavesdropping when the person’s talking right in
front of you. And yeah, it’s my birthday. Thirty. Zero on the end and
everything.”

“Daddy says it’s not polite to ask grownups how old they
are,” Sophie told her.

“He’s right,” Jenna said. “But I just told you, and there’s
nothing wrong with you knowing. I’m thirty years old today.”

“Happy birthday,” Finn said. “What are you going to do to
celebrate?”

Jenna smiled ruefully. “No plans. It’s not my day off
anyway. But, yeah. No plans.”

“That’s not right,” he objected. “At least you shouldn’t
have to cook dinner. You can go out if you like. I’ll fix something.” He
ignored the groans of dismay from Sophie and Harry. “Or better yet, we’ll all go
out to the pub.”

“That’s a good plan, Dad,” Sophie agreed. “We like the pub.”

“And we don’t like your cooking,” Harry pointed out
unnecessarily.

“Not polite,” Jenna told him. “But if you mean it, Finn,
then yes, I’d like to go to the pub.”

“Sure you wouldn’t rather go out? Without us? You may not do
Harry’s tastebuds any favors, but you won’t hurt our feelings,” Finn assured
her.

“Unfortunately, with Natalie gone, I wouldn’t have much to
do,” Jenna admitted. “Sad, but there you go. I haven’t been in Auckland long
enough to make many friends.”

This would be her second birthday on her own, without
Jeremy. Last year, it had been hard, but she’d got through it with the help of
a couple girlfriends. She hadn’t been looking forward to this one. What was it
about birthdays? Maybe that it was supposed to be your own special day. But if
there was nobody around to tell you that you were special . . . it just seemed
to spell that out for you.

“The pub it is,” Finn pronounced. “And I’ll take the kids
for a bit beforehand. Give you some time to yourself, at any rate. I should be
home around three. Short practice day, Captain’s Run. We’ll leave at six, if
that suits you.”

“That’s fine,” Jenna said. She’d have a bath, she decided.
And dress up just a bit. It was her birthday, after all. She began to feel much
more cheerful about the whole thing.

“No cake, even on your birthday?” Finn asked as they placed
their dessert orders.

“Phew. No, thanks. I’ve had plenty to eat. I’ll take a decaf
trim flat white, though,” she told their server.

“Whoa. Living large,” Finn commented.

“Hey. Works for me,” Jenna laughed. “Maybe I’ll be really
decadent and have a second glass of wine at home, after we put the kids to bed.
And you can help me toast turning thirty.”

“It’s a date,” he promised. “Have to be a nonalcoholic toast
for me, night before the game. But it’s the thought that counts.”

“Is it time now?” Harry asked eagerly.

“Harry,”
Sophie hissed. “Not
yet.
Wait till
pudding comes.”

“Ooh, a surprise?” Jenna asked. “How exciting.”

“You have to wait,” Sophie said severely. “That’s the rule.”

“All right,” Jenna sighed. “I’ll try to be patient.” She
winked at Finn and saw his answering grin.

“Now
it’s time,” Sophie announced, when their
desserts and Jenna’s coffee arrived at the table. Harry dove underneath and
produced the small bag he’d brought with him. He pulled out two heavily
decorated homemade cards and knelt on his chair to put them in front of Jenna.

“Oh,” Jenna said helplessly. Harry’s card showed a
curly-haired stick figure with a triangle for a skirt, beneath a laboriously
printed “Happy Birthday Jenna.” The “J” was backwards, and Jenna’s heart
twisted with love. She opened the card to find a hugely printed, “I Love You.
From Harry.”

“It’s beautiful,” she told him. “Thank you, Harry.”

“Mine next,” Sophie urged her.

Sophie’s card was an explosion of color, featuring flowers
and stars and heavily embellished with shiny stickers of hearts, rainbows, and more
flowers. Jenna read aloud. “I hope you have a very nice birthday. Thank you for
taking care of us. Love, Sophie.”

“Thank you,” she told the little girl. “It’s lovely. I’m
going to put both of these next to my bed when we get home, so I can look at
them every day.”

“That’s not all, though,” Harry said. “We have a really,
really big surprise.” He pulled a gift-wrapped box out of the bag and reached
again to place it ceremoniously in front of Jenna.

“It’s your birthday pressie!” he announced, wriggling with
excitement. “We all bought it. Daddy took us, but Sophie and I helped choose
it. It’s really, really pretty. It’s for you to wear.”

“Harry,”
Sophie hissed. “Don’t give it away. Wait
till she opens it.”

“I didn’t say it was a
necklace,”
Harry protested. “I
just said it was pretty.”

Sophie groaned and slapped her palm to her forehead as Finn
and Jenna laughed.

“Never mind,” Jenna consoled a mortified Harry. “I’m opening
it now anyway, see? I’m
very
surprised that you bought me a present. And
so happy.”

She
was
happy, she realized, opening the white box
and peeling back the tissue paper. In fact, she was in danger of crying, right
here and now. Her mouth opened in genuine shock as she pulled back the final
layer of paper and pulled out the greenstone pendant.

“You can’t be a real Kiwi if you don’t have a pendant,” Finn
told her with a smile. “We reckoned you needed one.”

“It’s a koru!” Harry was bouncing in his seat now. “And it’s
real pounamu, Jenna! It’s green, like your eyes! D’you like it?”

“I love it,” Jenna said fervently, holding the jade ornament
in her hand, tracing the delicately carved spiral shape with her thumb. “It’s
so beautiful. Thank you.”

She really was crying now, she realized. She picked up her
napkin and wiped the tears away with an apologetic laugh, then put the black
cord around her head, adjusting its length so the deep green spiral sat  just
beneath her collarbones, cool against her skin.

“Are you sad?” Sophie asked anxiously. “We thought you’d be
happy. We thought it was pretty. We thought you’d like it.”

“It’s so beautiful,” Jenna told them through her tears.
“Thank you.” She got up and went around to the other side of the table to give
each of them a hug and kiss. Then looked across, her eyes meeting Finn’s.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. “This means a lot to me.”

“No worries,” He smiled back at her. “We did think it would
match your eyes. And that the symbol was right. Because the koru’s all about
nurturing and peace. And I’d say that’s what you’re all about too. It’s the
symbol for new beginnings as well. And unless I’ve guessed wrong, I reckon that
works. Your first thirty years may not have been everything you could’ve wished
for. But the next thirty are a whole new story.”

“Why are you still crying?” Sophie asked as Jenna reached
for another napkin. “Aren’t you happy?”

“Sometimes people cry when they’re happy too,” Jenna told
her, pulling herself back under control and returning to her seat. “And right
now, I’m very, very happy. Thanks to all of you.”  

“Cheers.” Finn reached across the coffee table with his mug
of tea and clinked it against her wine glass. “Happy thirtieth.”

“Thanks.” Jenna took a sip and set her glass down on the
coaster. “And thank you for dinner, and my present.” She touched the pendant at
her throat, traced the design with her finger. “I wasn’t expecting anything
like this. You really did surprise me. I’m so touched.”

“We all wanted to do something. Did you have a good day,
though? Hear from your family, and all?”