Page 67 of All Yours

Fox felt winded. No more Robyn first thing in the morning, smelling of her sweet shower gel.

‘I thought I should let you know as soon as possible, so that you can let your temporary help know they won’t be needed after Monday.’

Fox thought on his feet.

‘Wouldn’t it be helpful to have a handover week with her, so that you can see how she’s been doing things?’

‘Oh no, definitely not,’ Fiona assured him. ‘I like to get into my own routines straight away. Too many cooks spoil the broth, you know.’

No more Robyn cooking the boys bunny chow or making homemade pizza. Fox was feeling strangely affected by this thought. How was he going to tell Robyn that her contract was going to be cut short? He couldn’t exactly turf her and Willow out in the cold. It was just coming into December, for goodness’ sake.

‘The only thing is,’ Fiona continued, ‘I wouldn’t be able to live in to start with.’

Fox felt a glimmer of hope.

‘Oh?’

‘Mother still needs help overnight – you know, with the bathroom side of things. She’s still not completely steady on her feet and gets a bit disorientated when she’s been asleep. So I’ll have to leave at dinner time each evening for the foreseeable future.’

She seemed to be making the rules, but this was one that Fox was happy to comply with. Robyn could stay in the pool house a bit longer.

‘No problem, Fiona,’ he said magnanimously. ‘You stay at your mum’s just as long as you like. We can review the situation in the new year.’

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Robyn

‘Stay for a drink after the boys have gone to bed tonight?’ Fox said later as she wiped down the kitchen table. ‘There’s something I need to talk to you about.’

Robyn stiffened. That sounded serious. She examined his expression and was surprised to see a flicker of nerves, quickly covered with a typical Fox smile.

‘Sure,’ she said, trying to match the calm. ‘Do you want me to help with bedtime?’

‘Why not pop Willow to bed while I sort these two out, and then you can come back over, bring the monitor?’

He was jiggling his hand in his pocket, and seemed weirdly nervous. It was distracting her. What was he thinking about? But there wasn’t time to ask any more questions as Fox waited for her to agree and then swiftly left the room.

An hour later, she was back. Willow was fed and asleep and instead of lighting candles in the bathroom and running her usual bath, she’d taken a few minutes to change into a new top, one that had buttons down the front, and a pair of wide-legged jeans. She’d let her hair fall down loose, now that her working day was done. She’d even gone as far as to dab a finger of perfume to her cleavage, blot some gloss onto her lips and add a slick of mascara. Why not? She told herself it was just because she felt like it, and nothing to do with the fact that Fox had smelled so good earlier that it had literally made her mouth water as he passed her in the hall.

The kitchen light was on and Fox was already there, sat at the wooden table, playing a game on his iPad, beer in hand. She let her eyes run over him, noticing the fresh shirt (checked of course) and the concentration on his face as he played. She loved the fact that he was so absorbed that the whole world faded away, until she knocked lightly on the door. Then he swung his gaze to her, and she basked in the fact that his eyes widened slightly as he took her in.

‘Beer or wine?’ Fox asked, standing and pulling her chair out for her. That made it feel like a real occasion, almost like a date. Robyn pushed that thought away. Boss, she reminded herself. He is your boss.

‘Wine, thanks, if you have a red?’

Fox got to work with a corkscrew and a moment later there was a satisfying pop before the sound of him pouring. He handed her the glass and resumed his seat. Robyn sipped. It was obviously expensive, rich and full. Heavenly. Fox took a long pull of his beer and cleared his throat.

‘I had a call today,’ Fox said, ‘from the nanny, Fiona. The one who was meant to start in October but had to pull out.’

Robyn sat forward, wondering what was coming next. She’d almost forgotten another nanny existed. It felt like second nature now to be with the boys, and she knew their routine like the back of her hand.

‘It seems that her circumstances have changed.’

Robyn felt a simultaneous surge of excitement and a plunge of dread. What did that mean? Did it mean Fiona couldn’t come and take up the job? Was Fox going to ask her to stay on? Something leapt inside her at the thought; she could still see Fox every day and Willow could be around him. It would give her more time to decide whether to tell him about his daughter. She could see the boys every day. Her mind was racing at the opportunity, but then she remembered Botswana, and her travel plans. She bit her lip as she tried to balance her emotions.

‘And she can now start next week,’ Fox continued.

‘Next week?’ Robyn repeated, feeling thrown one way and then the other. Fox nodded.