Page 68 of Last Dance, Second Chance

“It’s going to be so fancy!” Sarah said.

“You deserve a treat,” said Joe, clearly thrilled with how well his surprise had gone down.

“So, you’ll be coming back on Monday?”

“Yes, Monday evening. We’ve got a National Trust property to visit on the way home,” Sarah said.

Three whole nights and days with Nathan, Jessica thought to herself gleefully.

Sarah’s face fell. “Oh no! I’ve just thought of something,” she said. She hurried out of the room and returned with her pocket diary. “I promised I’d babysit the children on Monday! Andrew and Molly are going walking and for lunch with some friends — they asked me ages ago. I can’t let them down.”

“I can do it,” Jessica found herself saying.

“Are you sure?” asked Molly, managing to sound both hopeful and doubtful. “It’s the whole day.”

“Of course,” Jessica replied. “It’s the bank holiday so there aren’t any dance classes, and I’ve promised to take the kids to the cinema sometime anyway. We’ll have a great time.”

She tried not to be put out by the look she caught between her mum and dad. She’d never looked after her nieces and nephew before, she got that, and her having them for a whole day wasn’t an ideal introduction.

“I’ll be fine,” she said, firmly.

“All right, then,” said Sarah. “Thank you.”

Jessica went into the kitchen to make a coffee, proud of herself for stepping up to help her family, even if she wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do for the entirety of a day with three children.

More importantly, though: three whole days and nights with Nathan! Well, three nights and two days, technically, now that she was spending Monday babysitting. She messaged him while the kettle boiled: My parents are going away for the bank holiday weekend. Can Monty and I come and stay?

He replied immediately. Of course! That is the best news I have ever heard.

Inspiration hit Jessica: There’s only one condition.

Anything, Nathan replied.

You need to help me look after Peter, Emily and Sophie all day on Monday.

Challenge accepted.

* * *

Jessica and Monty were waiting with their bags on Nathan’s doorstep when he got home from work on Friday. He greeted Jessica with a kiss and Monty with a pat on the head.

They retrieved Dennis from inside the house and Nathan drove them to the canal so the dogs could have a run where it was flat for Jessica on her crutches. Jessica grinned, recalling the day they’d spent canoeing there, back before they’d admitted how much they liked each other.

“You’re remembering me falling into the canal, aren’t you?” Nathan accused her, noticing the delight on her face.

“Not exactly... More you driving home topless after you’d fallen in the canal.”

“It’s no wonder you couldn’t resist me.” Nathan stopped her and gently tilted her chin up. “You are wonderful, Jessica Stone.” And he kissed her.

* * *

Saturday and Sunday flew by. Jessica’s face ached from smiling and laughing so much. But there was part of her that knew she needed to be careful. This fling was not getting flung and the more time she spent with Nathan, the more she liked him and the harder it was going to be when she had to leave him.

They were so different in so many ways, but they seemed to fit together. She loved spending time with him and the more she got to know him, the more she realised what a great guy he was.

Jessica had been having so much fun she barely had time to worry about babysitting her nieces and nephew, but she woke up in full panic mode on Monday morning.

“How on earth am I going to entertain three children for the whole day?” she moaned, hiding under the duvet. “What do they even like to do? We’re picking them up at ten and Andrew and Molly won’t be back until seven — that’s nine whole hours to fill up! The cinema’s only going to be like two hours! We’ve got seven hours to fill with fun stuff! It can’t be done!”

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