Page 80 of Love Me Till Wednesday

‘Do I have to stop calling you Nanny and Grandpa now?’ Sophie asked as she gave Nick his wig back.

‘No. We’re just a different Nanny and Grandpa for the day.’ Nick said. ‘It would be better if you didn’t call me Nick, though,’ he said to Lisa.

‘What shall I call you then? You look like a Charlie to me,’ she said cheekily.

‘Oh, do I?’ he grinned. ‘Alright then, Norma.’

‘Norma? How old do I look? That’s a grandma name.’

‘But you are my grandma,’ Sophie said.

‘I meant the sort of name someone my grandma’s age would have,’ Lisa explained.

Nick looked uncomfortable. ‘I don’t know where that came from. Probably Norma Jean Baker. There’s something of the Marilyn Monroe about you now you’re blonde.’

Lisa wasn’t sure how to take that.

‘Are we ready?’ he said, changing the subject.

‘What do you say?’ Lisa said, looking pointedly at the giant giraffe Sophie was enthusiastically cuddling.

‘Thank you very much, Grandpa.’

Nick looked thrilled.

Lisa had been impressed with his parenting skills. He’d chased Sophie along the paths when she’d wanted to play and carried her on his shoulders when he’d noticed she was tired. He also managed to make them crack up laughing by making up surprisingly good stories about what the animals were thinking as they watched the tourists from their enclosures. But it was when he scooped up Sophie andoffered to kiss her knee better after she banged it on the climbing frame that Lisa finally admitted to herself that she was willing to risk taking him back. Sod all the negative publicity. That article had really got to her yesterday, but Nick was right. The press didn’t know either of them. Now, all she had to do was to convince him it was a good idea again.

They headed out of the zoo shop and back to the car park, Sophie skipping between them with Brad following at a discrete distance, like he’d done all day.

‘I shall be glad when we get home,’ Lisa said.

‘Why?’ Nick asked. ‘You looked like you were enjoying yourself.’

‘I have enjoyed it, thank you,’ Lisa said. ‘But I can’t wait to get this thing off,’ she said, tapping her head. ‘It’s so itchy.’

‘Good job I prefer brunettes.’

‘You used to prefer redheads.’

‘Just one particular redhead.’

He was giving her that look again. That was a good sign, surely.

‘When are you going back to LA?’ she asked.

‘I’ve got an early flight in the morning.’

If she was going to make a move, it would have to be tonight. ‘Have you got time to come back to mine for tea?’

Lisa put a plate of fish fingers, chips and peas in front of Nick as they sat at her kitchen table. ‘Yummy,’ he said. ‘You don’t get these in Hollywood, Sophie.’

‘Then I will never go there,’ she replied solemnly.

Nick grinned at Lisa. He seemed happy to be here.

They all tucked into their food while discussing their favourite animals in the zoo.

Sophie finished chewing her last mouthful of fish finger, put down her cutlery and yawned.

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