The Babysitter(7)

‘He’s got her! He’s got her!’ Poppy exclaimed, bouncing excitedly in Jade’s arms. ‘Daddy! You’re a hero!’ She extended her own small arms, obviously wanting to latch herself onto him, inconsiderate of the poor cat.

‘Definitely a hero,’ Jade agreed emotionally, her eyes filling up as she stepped towards him. Blue eyes, Melissa noticed – striking ice-blue. The sort of eyes you couldn’t fail to be mesmerised by.

‘Er…’ His arms full of her cat, Jade’s full of his child, Mark looked nonplussed at how to make the swap. ‘Jump down a sec, Poppet,’ he asked Poppy, giving her a reassuring smile. ‘I’ll pick you right back up as soon as Jade has her cat back.’

‘Is she your baby?’ Poppy asked, dutifully allowing herself to be lowered to the ground while Mark passed Jade his furry charge.

‘Yes.’ Jade nodded, reaching to take the cat gently from Mark’s arms, and then leaning in to plant a soft kiss on his cheek. ‘She’s my whole world. Thank you, Mark.’

‘My pleasure,’ Mark said, looking ever-so-slightly embarrassed as he bent to swoop Poppy up into his arms. And then he almost choked when Poppy locked her arms around his neck and announced, ‘Daddy’s good at making babies, too. He made one with Mummy, didn’t you, Daddy? He could make you a proper one if you asked him nicely, couldn’t you, Daddy?’

‘Um, I, er… Ahem.’ Mark clearly didn’t know where to look as Melissa and Jade swapped amused glances.

‘I think Daddy’s a bit too busy, Poppy,’ said Melissa, deciding now might be a good time to rescue him.

‘Busy causing chaos,’ the chief fire officer added, a despairing look on his face as he approached. ‘Don’t do a solo again, hey, mate? You, above all people, should know it’s not on. No one near the property until it’s been cleared by the fire safety officer. I ought to report it. You’ll land me in hot water up to my neck if you end up suffering from smoke inhalation.’

‘Yes, sorry.’ Mark looked contrite. ‘I didn’t—’

‘She wasn’t inside. She was in the tree. She got scared and ran before I could catch hold of her,’ Jade interrupted, clearly seeing that Mark might need rescuing here too. ‘When will it be? The fire safety officer’s visit, I mean,’ she added, neatly changing the subject.

The fire officer turned to her, and did a double take, literally. Melissa wasn’t surprised. Wearing a nightie under the jacket one of the firemen had supplied her, albeit a modest winceyette affair, and with her long blonde hair tousled and just-got-out-of-bed gorgeous, Jade was undeniably attractive. ‘I’m not quite sure,’ he said, clearly taken with her. ‘Do you want to come over to the engine while I make a call?’

Melissa watched them go, Jade cuddling her cat, looking fragile and vulnerable, despite her well-developed curves, the fire officer unable to resist looking sideways at her. ‘Do you think he’s trying to impress her?’ she asked Mark.

‘Undoubtedly,’ Mark concurred. ‘I doubt he’ll get very far though.’

‘Oh? Because she’s beautiful, you mean?’ She idly wondered if the girl had had Botox. Her lips and eyebrows were perfect. But then, she supposed, at her age they probably would be.

‘Yes.’ Mark nodded, keeping his gaze fixed forwards. ‘And young,’ he added, his mouth curving into a mischievous smile as Melissa glared at him.

‘Uh-oh,’ Mark said, winking at Poppy. ‘I think I might be in the doghouse, after all.’

‘Don’t be silly.’ Poppy sighed expansively, giving him a despairing roll of her eyes. ‘Hercules doesn’t have a house. He sleeps on my bed.’

‘I think he might need to move over to make room for me.’ Mark laughed, reading the now very peeved expression on Mel’s face. ‘I meant that he’s twice her age,’ he clarified, obviously realising he was on thin ice. ‘And, yes, Jade is pretty, as you’ve just pointed out, but not half as gorgeous as you, Mrs Cain, is she, Poppet?’

‘No’s the right answer,’ he whispered, as Poppy looked doubtful, making Melissa laugh. She couldn’t help it. The two of them together were mischief in the making. ‘Especially wearing my shirt,’ Mark added, rescuing himself this time. ‘Though I prefer it without the leggings under.’

‘Hmm?’ Melissa wasn’t ready to let him off the hook yet.

‘You don’t wear leggings,’ Poppy piped up, her huge eyes saucered in astonishment as she squirmed in Mark’s arms to stare at him, which caused them both to burst out laughing.

‘Only on Sundays.’ Mark assured her, hoisting Poppy onto one arm to reach in his pocket for his beeping mobile.

‘You’ve met her then?’ Melissa asked, easing the shawl to one side to check on Evie, who was still sleeping soundly.

‘What?’ Mark looked up distractedly from his phone.

Work texting him, Melissa guessed. ‘Jade.’ She nodded towards where Jade was gathering quite a uniformed fan club. ‘I noticed you knew her name, so I assumed you’d met.’

‘Out jogging. She runs around the same time I do,’ Mark confirmed, his mind clearly more on the text he’d received than their new neighbour.

‘She is very young, isn’t she? To own her own home, I mean?’