Secret Nanny Club (26 page)

“Yes, I’m not sure who’s hosting the next one but I’ll
send a group text once the book and venue have been decided on.”

I nodded my thanks. It felt like I was being scheduled
in for a doctor’s appointment. I really was not looking forward to the next book-club meeting which was a shame because I used to really enjoy the get-togethers. I bade her a quick goodbye, feeling delighted that I had managed to escape unscathed. Maybe I should have had said something. Surely it would have been better to just say it out and get it over and done with. After all, Bray was not a huge town and we lived in fairly close proximity to each other. I was bound to bump into

Joanne again on the street.
Next time Tanya might be with me and that would be very awkward indeed. And, of course, there was the book club – surely it was bound to come out there? They were sure to ask me and I could hardly lie.

I hurried along home towards the sanctuary of my
little rented apartment. Soon I was there and putting my key in my front door. I could hear the happy sound of laughter from inside as I did so. My heart nearly melted. John sounded so happy and safe. His gentle chuckles were like music to my ears. I took off my coat and hung it up. Tanya had left the post neatly stacked on the sideboard. I quickly glanced at the small pile. Most of the envelopes were instantly recognisable and made my heart a little heavier. There was the credit-card bill, the waste-removal bill, a bank statement which would tell me exactly how little money I actually had to my name, a pink envelope which was surely from a PR company .inviting me to a fashion show, and a white, formal-looking envelope which clearly state
d
Private and Confidentia
l
. I didn’t like the look of that at all. I was about to open it when Tanya stepped into the hall with John in her arms. His face lit up when he saw me and it was enough to lift my spirits to the sky.

I reached over and took him into my arms for a
cuddle. He was so warm and soft and his hair smelled fresh and clean. He gurgled at me in delight. “Did he just have a bath?” I asked.

Tanya grinned. “Yes, he had a wonderful bubble
bath. He didn’t want to get out he was enjoying himself so much. We had a great day. I took him to Dún Laoghaire on the train. We had lunch in Café Costa above Easons and then went for a walk on the pier.”

“Oh, thank you so much, Tanya. I do appreciate that
you took him out in the fresh air. It’s important that he gets as much oxygen into his lungs as possible while we still have the weather. Once the hour changes and the evenings start getting darker there won’t be as much opportunity. How much do I owe you?”

She stared at me blankly.
“For what?”

“For the café?”
I said. “And the transport.”

“No, no,” she insisted with a wave of her hand.
“Not at all. We just had a muffin between us.”

She refused to take anything from me. I made a mental
note that I would have to provide her with a monthly bus and rail ticket so that she wouldn’t need to spend a fortune of her own money taking John to nice places. I was so glad that she wasn’t leaving him in his cot all day amusing himself, or plonked down for hours on end in front of the television.

“How was the first day back in work?” she asked,
sounding genuinely interested. Tanya had a way of asking questions that didn’t seem at all intrusive.

“It was okay,” I said.
“Just okay.”

“Oh. That’s a little disappointing,” she said in an
even voice.

I sighed and slumped down on the sofa. I wanted to
put my feet up and watc
h
Come Dine WithM
e
. The thought of making dinner now was making me feel exhausted.

“It was bound to be a bit of an anti
-climax,” I admitted. “I’d prefer to work from home all the time to be honest. At least I wouldn’t have somebody hogging my desk here, which is what happened today. Hey, are there any pizzas in the freezer, Tanya? I’m just too tired to even think of starting to cook something now. If there’s no food, I’ll phone for a takeout.”

“No need for that at all. The dinner has been made,”
said Tanya. “It’s a vegetarian stew in a mild curry sauce and I think you’ll really like it. It’s healthy and full of nutrition. All I need to do now is boil the rice which won’t take long.”

I
was deeply impressed and oh so grateful. “Thank you so much, Tanya. You’re an absolute star.”

“Wine?”

“You know me too well. Do we have any?”

“We do now! I bought a bottle of screw-top Chardonnay
in O’Brien’s off-license. Of course if you’d prefer a nice cup of tea, that’s okay too . . .”

“No, I’ll have the wine,” I said with a smile. “I need
it to relax. It’s been quite a day. Thank you so much for thinking of me. You’re so sweet.”

“No problem. I’ll put on the rice now and get John
ready for bed as I’m waiting for it to cook. Do you need me to do anything else?”

“Oh Lord no, you’ve done more than enough. Even
the place is looking so clean. I’m a bit overwhelmed to be honest.”

“You deserve a little Mummy Treat,” Tanya said,
handing me the remote control. “I know you get up several times a night to tend to John and it must interfere terribly with your sleep. You should go to a hotel and have a good uninterrupted eight or nine hours’ sleep to recharge your batteries.”

I once again had to refrain from pinching myself.
How lucky was I to find this incredible girl!

“I wish!” I laughed. “
But as we’re just back from a sun holiday I can’t justify taking another break!’

“But I am being serious. I know you were on holidays
but you still had John and it’s not really a holiday with a baby. Maybe you could go on a little spa break somewhere just for the night? I sometimes see really good deals on the internet with discounts. You get even more of a discount if you go mid-week.”

I started imagining myself relaxing in a warm
whirlpool. Or lying in a darkened room on a fluffy white towel while somebody massaged all the tension out of my back and shoulders. I wished Tanya hadn’t put the idea in my head. I was sorely tempted to act on her suggestion.

“Well, to be honest,” I said, “working in a magazine
we often get the opportunity to stay in spa hotels for free as long as we give them a mention in the magazine. I’m sure my boss, Creea, wouldn’t mind if I asked her. But I’d feel bad about leaving John here. I’d have to take him with me.”

“No, it wouldn’t be a rest if you had the baby. Try
and get something and I’ll take care of John for the night. Go on, you deserve it.”

“Okay, I’ll think about it. It does sound very
tempting.”

About fifteen minutes later I was halfway through my
glass of wine and at the point o
f
Come Dine With Me
where they all start giving each other marks out of ten when, in a cloud of expensive smelling perfume, in came Tanya looking like a supermodel, with John in her arms.

He was wearing his littl
e
In the Night Garde
n
sleep suit and he looked adorable. Tanya handed me the baby. I looked in awe at her slim enviable figure. Not many people I know could get away with tight leather trousers and a crisp tight-fitting shirt. Around Tanya’s neck was a loosely-tied Fendi scarf, and her hair framed her pretty face.

“You look sensational,” I exclaimed. “Are you heading
out somewhere nice?”

“Yes, I am having dinner in town. I’m really looking
forward to it.”

“Lucky you.
I hope you have a great time. Where are you going?”

Tanya shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s so long ago since
I’ve been out to dinner. Well, say you could dine in any restaurant in Dublin, which one would it be?”

I frowned, casting my mind back. I wasn’t a huge
foodie but a couple of restaurants that I’d eaten in over the past few years had been particular memorable.

“Just thinking about that question is making my
mouth water,” I admitted as I cradled John in my arms. “I like L’Ecrivain in Baggot Street and on the north side of the city you have Chapter One which has won many awards.”

“Should I try one of them?”

“Oh, no,” I said, taking a sharp intake of breath. “I mean, they are great restaurants but it costs a good bit of money to eat in places like that. I would only go somewhere like that on my birthday or something. Are you meeting the girls from the Secret Nanny Club? I think Milano’s might be a good spot? Good food at reasonable prices . . .”

“Not tonight. I’m going on a date so the price of the
food is irrelevant.”

My eyes nearly popped out of my head.
“A date?”

“Yes,” Tanya nodded. “He told me we could go
wherever I liked so I wanted to choose the top restaurant in town.”

“Well, if money is no object . . .”

“It isn’t.” Her answer was abrupt but not particularly rude.

“Then I would recommend trying out Patrick
Guilbaud’s which is a very fancy and renowned French restaurant in the Merrion Hotel. I remember going for a business lunch there when one of the magazine’s main advertisers treated us. It has two Michelin stars, the

highest
out of any restaurant in Ireland. You would love it.”

“Great, we might as well go there then,” Tanya said
simply. “Thanks for the recommendation. I’d better get my coat.”

“Yes, it’s kind of nippy out there and rain is forecast
tonight so don’t forget your umbrella in case you’re waiting around in the rain.”

“It’s okay. I have a lift into town.”

“Oh, you do? Oh. Right, well that’s okay then. Have a great time so. I can’t wait to hear all about it in the morning. Goodnight.”

A few minutes later I heard a horn toot outside. Then
I heard Tanya’s footsteps in the hall, followed by the Noise of the front door shutting. The curiosity was killing me and I was dying to look outside but didn’t want to be caught prying. Well, wasn’t Tanya the dark horse? Michelin-star restaurant, no less? In a way I was envious of her. It had been an awfully long time since I had been taken anywhere on a date.

Tanya had kindly left John’s bottle made
up on the kitchen counter so I just warmed it in a bottle of hot water and fed him while watchin
g
Coronation Stree
t
. I decided I might as well have an early night. It had been quite stressful going back to work that morning to find

a
junior plonked at my desk, and then meeting Joanne unexpectedly on the street had got my heart racing. I needed to put my electric blanket on, curl up with my latest Maeve Binchy book and hopefully before I knew it I’d have nodded off.

After changing John’s nappy, I put him down into his
cot with his teddy and smiled at him. He looked as snug as a bug in a rug and I tenderly stroked his little cheek. He smiled innocently back at me and once again I found myself thanking God that he had sent me this special little angel to share my life with. I loved him so much that I couldn’t even really remember what life was like before him. What had I done with my time? With whom had I spent it? I recalled meeting girls I vaguely knew for cocktails to discuss men that had since vanished. I remembered not wanting to leave the office sometimes, wishing that I’d had a sleeping bag so that I could kip a few hours on the floor to save me having to go home and come back in again. I remember being absolutely fascinated by trivial gossip concerning staff members at the magazine. Now that I had John, all of that stuff seemed so unimportant. Being a mummy certainly put things in perspective. I certainly wasn’t as career focussed as I used to be, but I believe I was a more rounded person now. I was certainly more sensible and that was a good thing.

I don’t really know what made me think of it, but
suddenly I remembered that strange white envelope that had been waiting for me when I got in from work. I had been reluctant to open something marke
d
Private and Confidentia
l
in front of Tanya. I thought I’d open it now. I took it to bed with me and opened it there. Then I wished I hadn’t. It was a solicitor’s letter from John’s father, Clive, demanding access to his son. I was astounded. Why was he suddenly looking for access after telling me in no uncertain terms that he didn’t want to be involved with John? “You’re on your own now,” he’d said to me, with a fair amount of venom. So why the change of heart? And why couldn’t he have contacted me directly instead of running off to a solicitor? This was all deeply disturbing.