Page 37 of Seal of Approval

“That’s good.”

“And the bus driver said he will make sure I’m there to pick the kids up before he drops them off.”

Jasmine was so proactive, unlike my mother. She’d never put any actions in place. And had never protected me or my brother from our father’s behaviour. I’d done the protecting by sheltering Steve as much as I could and always making sure he was OK.

We walked up the stairs together and through the door. Jack was stacking the fridge and turned to greet us.

“Is Lily about?” Jasmine asked.

“Lily,” Jack called out. “Jasmine and Ethan are here.”

Thirty seconds later she appeared. She glanced between us, her eyes narrowing. “What’s up?”

“My ex, Max, turned up yesterday wanting to see the kids.”

Jack stood up taller, his face tense. I’d never seen him serious before, not even when he was doing a crossword. “Did you let him?”

“No. I told him I would contact my solicitor.”

Jack nodded. “And he accepted that?”

“Not really. He tried to cajole me.”

Lily clasped her hands together so tight her forearms flexed.

“Ethan pretended we were a couple,” Jasmine said, “and told him we’d discussed it as a family.”

Lily smiled at me. I couldn’t decipher its meaning.

“And then what?” Jack asked.

“Ethan told him to leave, and he did.”

I took a deep breath. “He’ll be back. Men like Max don’t give up easily.”

“So now we need to pretend that we’re a couple,” Jasmine said, looking at me.

I wasn’t sure if she meant it to sound like a question or an invitation. Did she doubt what I’d said last night? Did she think I’d have second thoughts?

I moved closer to her, hoping she’d feel my determination. “It won’t be hard. We live and work together.” I took her hand. “And she already refers to me as her husband.”

Lily’s eyebrows shot up. Jack considered us.

Jasmine laughed. “I agreed to that to protect you from women who can’t stop staring at you.”

My stomach lifted. I gave her a nudge. “But you didn’t deny it.”

“Perhaps she wanted to keep you for herself,” Lily said, waggling her eyebrows.

I could only wish. I gave my head a small shake. What on Earth was I thinking?

Jasmine let go of my hand. “Anyway, please keep an eye out for Max and let us know if you see him.”

She gave them descriptions of him and the car he’d been driving.

“We can help with the kids too. Keep an eye on them when you’re working,” Lily said.

Jasmine shook her head. “That’s OK. They can just stay at the office when I’m at work.”

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