Just for Now (15 page)

“Nah. We’re just doing the weekends, so far. Specially when
his ex has the kids.”

“More than one, then.”

“Yeh. The boy’s older. Year Four. We’re keeping it low-key
for now, going slowly.”

“Not too slowly, I take it.”

“Well . . .” Natalie laughed. “A girl’s got to have a shag
now and then, after all.”

“How about a free babysitter, Saturday night?” Jenna asked
Siobhan the next morning.

“Why?” Siobhan asked, looking up to thank their server as
their coffees were delivered to the café table. “Are you volunteering?”

“Yeah. Finn’s taking the kids out before the Argentina trip,
so I suddenly have a free evening. And nothing to do. Don’t make me hide in my
room. Please. Let me come over and watch
Cinderella
with Caitlin
instead.”

  “Nah. We can do better than that,” Siobhan decided. “Come
out with us. We’ll get an actual babysitter.”

“With you and Declan?” Jenna stared at her. “That’s not exactly
a date for you.”

“Nah. With us and Declan’s mate,” Siobhan explained.
“Richard Evans. He’s separated from his wife, just starting to go out again. I
think you might like him. He’s a pretty good bloke. Declan’s accountant.”

“My heart’s going pitter-pat already,” Jenna said gloomily.
“I don’t know. I’ve never even met the guy.”

“Hence. The date,” Siobhan enunciated.

“I should tell you, I’m still married,” Jenna admitted.
“Technically, anyway. For a few more weeks.”

“And so is he,” Siobhan pointed out. “You don’t have to shag
the bloke. Just have a bit of a laugh, some adult conversation, let somebody
else pay for dinner. You’ve been babysitting so much, Declan and I’ve run out
of topics for discussion. Come on, give us something to gossip about on the way
home.”

“All right,” Jenna smiled reluctantly. “But we’re all going
together. I don’t want someone I don’t know coming to the house to pick me up.”

“Done. Let me check with Declan, and I’ll get back to you. Assuming
we can get it all sorted, we’ll be by to collect you. I’m thinking around eight.”

“So, you two, how’re you going with the wedding plans?”

Finn turned his head to look at the speaker, Hemi Ranapia’s
wife Reka. The group of players and their partners were all relaxed now,
sitting over the remains of their Friday dinner on Drew and Hannah’s spacious deck.
The sparkling waters of Waitemata Harbour were no longer visible below now that
night had fallen, but the lights of the City and the Harbour Bridge, not to
mention a brightly lit cruise ship coming in to dock at Princes Wharf, provided
their own spectacular view. 

“Pretty well,” Kate Lamonica, a pretty, petite brunette,
answered. “Not that Koti has any idea. Let’s hope he remembers the date.”

“December twelfth,” she reminded her fiancé. “Just in case.”

“Been traveling a bit here, you know,” Koti protested. “Besides,
nobody wants my opinion. Between my mum and all my sisters, Kate’s hardly able
to get a word in edgewise, never mind me.”

“Where are you having it?” Reka asked. “I never heard the final
decision.”

“At the marae,” Koti said. “We thought about doing it the
way Drew and Hannah did, flying everyone to Tonga to get away from the media.
But my mum said it had to be the marae, or it wouldn’t be a real Maori wedding.
‘What about all the cousins?’” He imitated his mother’s wail of despair. “You
know how it is. And in the end, we realized that no journo’s going to want to
try to get past the boys in my whanau. Plus we hired a security firm,” he added
practically.

“Coals to Newcastle,” Drew said. “Can’t imagine the security
firm that’s going to outperform a marae full of Maori boys.”

“I take it you didn’t sign with
Woman’s World,
then,”
Hemi put in for the first time. “I was half expecting to hear the announcement,
knowing what a show pony you are.”

Koti sighed theatrically. “Yeh, nah, Kate wouldn’t go for
it. I told her she could have a really flash car if we did. But no joy.”

“Oddly enough,” Kate said tartly. “Thank you very much, but
I have no desire to have every woman in New Zealand looking at photos of me in
my wedding dress, telling each other I’m not really that good-looking and that
Koti could have done better. Guess I’ll have to keep driving the Yaris.” But
she smiled at Koti as she said it, and Finn could see the love behind their
teasing ways.

“Think we can do better than that,” Koti smiled back. “I do
have something in mind. Wedding present.”

“Oh, goody,” Kate said happily. “I can’t wait.”

“What about you, Finn?” Reka asked. “Can’t help but notice
you’re here alone again tonight. When are we going to see you with somebody
special? Somebody I get to meet more than once?”

“I’m looking,” he protested. “Not that easy with two kids.
Maybe you can put out the word, vet them for me.”

“Nobody you’re even interested in?” Reka probed. “Nothing on
the horizon?”

“Maybe,” he admitted. “But it’s a bit complicated.”

“Ah.” Reka sat back with a smile. “By the way, how’s Jenna
working out? Your new nanny? We met her while we were all waiting for you boys
after the semifinal,” she explained at his startled look. “We were surprised
that she was American.”

“Not entirely,” Finn said. “She’s applied for citizenship.”

“So she’s planning to stay,” Reka said with satisfaction.
“I’m glad. We liked her. Very pretty, too. Didn’t you think so?” she asked her
husband.

“Dunno,” Hemi answered. “I didn’t notice. I was looking at
you.”

All the men laughed at that. “Good one,” Koti said
appreciatively. “I’m writing that down.”

“Been married eight years,” Hemi told him. “Watch and learn,
cuz. Watch and learn.”

“Well, we thought so, anyway,” Reka said to Finn. “Nice,
too. And the kids certainly seem to love her.”

“Yeh. They do,” Finn said. “She’s awesome with them, you’re
right.” He cast a hunted look at Hemi. “Help.”

“Dessert.” Hannah stood with a smile, began to pick up
plates with the tact that made her such a graceful partner to the Skipper. The
other women rose with her, to Finn’s relief.

“I’ll do it.” Drew moved to get up, but Hannah waved him
back down.

“Save your strength for the washing-up,” she told him.
“Maybe you could get Finn another beer instead. I think he needs one.”

“Too right,” Finn said gratefully as the women moved into
the house and he took the bottle of Mac’s from Drew. “I’m knackered. Meant to
know a wee bit about defense, aren’t I. Not sure I came off best there.”

“Never mind,” Hemi said consolingly. “You were up against a
force of nature this time.”

“We’ve all been there,” Koti grinned. “What Reka can’t
winkle out of you isn’t worth knowing. No shame in that.”

Finn got up at the sound of the front door opening the
following night. He’d been sitting in the lounge, sipping a beer, his mind
wandering over the previous evening’s conversation, the kids, and the upcoming
match against the Pumas. Not waiting up for Jenna, he’d told himself. Just
thinking.

He went into the entryway to find her slipping inside. She
took off her jacket, hung it on the hook.

“Hi,” she told him. “Still up, huh?”

“Crikey,” he said blankly. “You look beautiful.”

“Huh. Thanks.” She reached down to pull off one high heel.
He saw her wobble a bit, put out a hand to steady her. Her cheeks were flushed,
he noticed, the waves of her hair mussed. But there was nothing at all wrong
with the collarless, deep purple blouse or the flirty black tulip skirt that
made the most of her curvy shape.

“Is there any more of that wine?” she asked, holding onto his
shoulder while she took off the other shoe, settled back down to her normal
height. “I need it.”

“Think so,” he said, a grin beginning to form. “Go sit, and
I’ll check.”

“Brought the bottle too,” he said solemnly as he returned to
find her slouched on the couch, arms folded, bare toes curled around the edge
of the coffee table. He took his usual spot in the chair across from her,
poured wine into both glasses. “Emergency supplies. Hot date, I take it.”

“Huh,” she snorted again. “Total waste of makeup. ‘It’ll be
fun,’ Siobhan said. ‘Some adult conversation,’ she said. ‘You don’t have to
shag the bloke.’ Somebody should have told
him
that.”

“That good, eh,” he sympathized.

“And I know I’ve drunk too much. I needed some help, to get
through the evening. It just went
on
and
on.”
She glared across
at him. “He’s an
accountant
. How is that a glamour occupation? What gives
him the right to judge me?”

“Nothing,” he agreed. “He didn’t think a teacher was up to
standard?”

“We didn’t even get that far. I told him I was a nanny.
Watched his eyes glaze over, and I got stubborn. I didn’t tell him I was a
teacher. If a nanny wasn’t good enough for him . . .” She shrugged, took
another gulp of wine. “Tough.”

“I could actually see the moment,” she continued. “When he
said to himself, ‘Great rack. Kinda hot. Embarrassing job. I’ll just do her,
and not tell my mates about it.’”

He choked on his wine. “You could, eh,” he got out when he’d
finished coughing.

She finished her glass, poured another one. “He wasn’t
interested in my views on Labour’s chances in the next election. Put it that
way.”

“I said you were a baby out there. Reckon I was wrong.”

“I went to high school,” she told him in exasperation. “I
know when someone’s staring at my chest. When their brain has switched off and
they’re thinking with . . .” She flushed. “Well, I do know. I’m not that
stupid. It was one thing with Ian. You can’t blame me for not being able to
tell there. He was so respectful, it was almost insulting. And Ben, all right,
he’s young. But he at least
pretended
to look at my face when he talked
to me.”   

Finn held up his hands. “I stand corrected.
In vino
veritas
. Didn’t know you were so . . . perceptive.”

“Yeah. Well. I am,” she muttered. “Now I know what my single
friends have been talking about, all these years. Men are jerks.”

He registered that, moved on. “Want me to hunt this fella
down? Do him over for you? I have time. My plane doesn’t leave till one-thirty.”

“No,” she said grudgingly. “He didn’t do much. Other than
the emergency tonsillectomy. I didn’t give him a chance.”

He frowned, suddenly not finding it all quite so funny.
“That’s all?”

“Yeah. Oh, he tried,” she admitted. “But I got my shoulder
in there.” She demonstrated the twist, shoving her elbow up.

“You have hidden depths,” he said appreciatively.

“I did go to high school,” she repeated. “Is there any more
of this wine?”

“You’ve killed it.” He picked up the empty bottle to show
her. “And I reckon it’s going to be getting its revenge, tomorrow morning.”

“OK,” she sighed. “I’m going to bed.”

He got up with her, steadied her as she swayed a bit. She
leaned into him, pulled his head down and gave him a soft kiss that he couldn’t
help returning.

“You’re nice,” she murmured against him. “If he’d kissed
like that, I wouldn’t have used my shoulder.”

He set her away from him with an effort. “Time for bed,” he
said firmly. “Or you’re going to be very, very sorry tomorrow.”

“Ah.” Finn looked up as Jenna appeared in her dressing gown,
one hand going out to grasp the kitchen doorway. “Sleeping Beauty awakes.”

“Morning,” she got out. “Cup of tea?”

He handed his own across to her, moved to the jug to make
another.

“Morning, Jenna!” Harry called.

She winced, took a sip from Finn’s mug and sat down at the
table, holding the back of the chair as she levered herself into it. “Morning,”
she said to Harry and Sophie, still in their PJ’s. “I have a bit of a headache
this morning. Could you talk softly, please?”

“Will you make us brekkie?” Harry whispered. “We haven’t had
any yet.”

“Oh.” Jenna stared blankly at him. “No Weet-Bix?”

“I want bacon!” Harry said enthusiastically, forgetting his
quiet voice in his excitement.

Finn smiled, seeing Jenna’s face go green. “Reckon Jenna
needs coffee this morning, Harry. And I don’t think she’s feeling like cooking.
We’ll go to the café. We have time. Don’t have to leave for the airport till
eleven.”

He pulled the bottle of ibuprofen from the kitchen cabinet,
shook out two tablets. “Here.” He set them in front of Jenna with a tall glass
of water. “Take these, drink all the water. Go get your gear on, and we’ll walk
to the café. Some fresh air, one
very
large flat white, a couple pieces
of toast and some orange juice, and you’ll be yourself again.”

“Promise?” she asked, squinting up at him.

“I promise.”

“I have a bad feeling,” she said cautiously as they made
their way toward the café, Harry and Sophie dashing ahead. “That I may have . .
. said some things last night.”

He smiled. “You may have, at that. Fortunately, I have a
shocking memory.”

“I didn’t . . .
do
anything, did I?” She looked up at
him. “I have a
really
bad feeling that I kissed you.”

“Could be. In a purely sisterly way,” he assured her. “Which
is also receding quickly from the memory banks.”

“I was that good, huh,” she said gloomily. “I figured.”

He laughed aloud, then apologized as he saw her wince at the
sound. “Sorry. Forgot. You do realize you’ve put me in the classic no-win
situation here, though. If I say, yeh, completely unmemorable, you’re offended.
And if I say, too right, I had all I could do not to take you to bed, you’re
even more offended. And you quit, just when I’m off to Argentina for ten days.
What’s a fella to do?”

She smiled painfully. “We’ll just leave it at that, I guess.
But please remind me, next time, that there’s a reason I only drink one glass
of wine.”