The Babysitter(8)

‘That’s what I thought,’ Mark said, his brow furrowed in concentration as he thumbed in a reply. ‘Her parents passed away recently, apparently. Left her a tidy sum.’

‘Oh no.’ Melissa immediately felt for her. Losing her own mum before she’d hit thirty was bad enough, but to lose both parents at Jade’s young age would be terrible.

‘You have to admire her pluckiness, buying a property, especially one in need of renovation.’ Mark glanced at Melissa and then back to Poppy, who’d clearly figured out that Daddy’s mobile beeping early in the morning meant he would soon be leaving, and who was now fastening herself more firmly around his neck.

‘Especially now,’ Melissa said, looking across to what had been reduced to an uninhabitable property and then towards Jade, who was walking back towards them, looking like a lost soul.

Noticing the fresh tears brimming in the girl’s eyes as she reached them, Melissa’s heart went out to her. ‘I take it it’s going to take a while?’ she said sympathetically.

Nodding, Jade dropped her gaze and nuzzled her cat. ‘It looks like it was probably an electrical fault, but they can’t be sure until they’ve done all the checks.’

‘So, what will you do?’ Mel asked, trying to make eye contact with Mark, whose phone was now ringing.

‘Start the renovation over, I suppose.’ Jade sighed, and then, clearly seeing that Mark needed to take his call and Melissa was struggling to manoeuvre Evie into the crook of her arm, moved to coax Poppy down with promises of chocolate.

Again, Melissa was grateful, if not overjoyed at the chocolate temptation. ‘She’s allergic to dairy,’ she said, smiling nevertheless. ‘But she can have a vegan chocolate bar, since she’s being such a good girl, hey, Poppy?’

Amazingly, Poppy allowed Jade to unlatch her from her father, who was incapable of being strict with her.

‘Allergic?’ Jade looked utterly stricken as she lowered Poppy gently to the ground and took hold of her hand, as Mark stepped away to take his call. ‘God, how stupid of me,’ she said, closing her eyes.

‘Don’t look so mortified.’ Melissa laughed. ‘You weren’t to know.’

‘No, but we covered food allergies on my course so it should have occurred to me to ask,’ Jade said dejectedly. ‘I did a childcare course in college,’ she supplied, as Melissa eyed her curiously.

‘Well, it will next time.’ Melissa smiled encouragingly. ‘I actually meant where will you stay?’ The girl was standing in the road with barely a stitch to her name.

Jade shrugged disconsolately. ‘I have a friend I could ring,’ she said, looking uncertain.

Again, Melissa felt her heart twist for her. ‘No family you can call?’ she asked carefully.

At that, Jade quickly shook her head, and then looked down at Poppy with a reassuring smile. ‘I’ll sort something out, don’t worry,’ she said, giving her hand a squeeze.

Poppy, though, didn’t look convinced. ‘You can’t go out in your nightie,’ she said, her huge brown eyes aghast. ‘It’s not allowed.’

‘Come home with us,’ Melissa offered. It was the least she could do.

‘Yay!’ Jumping on the spot, Poppy immediately gave that idea her seal of approval.

‘I’m sure I can find you something to wear. We’re about the same size,’ Melissa went on, as Jade hesitated, ‘if you don’t mind jeans or leggings, that is. I spend most of my life up to my eyes in clay when I’m not changing nappies or doing the school run, so it’s jeans or evening wear, I’m afraid.’

‘She can’t wear a sparkly dress in the day, Mummy,’ Poppy pointed out exasperatedly.

‘Who can’t?’ Mark asked, a familiar faraway look in his eyes as he turned back from his call.

‘Jade,’ Poppy informed him. ‘She’s coming home with us. Mummy’s going to share some of her clothes with her.’

‘Good idea.’ Mark smiled. ‘Sorry, got to go,’ he said, bending to plant a kiss on Poppy’s nose and another gently to Evie’s forehead.

‘Um, haven’t we forgotten something?’ Melissa asked him, as he turned towards his car.

‘Damn.’ Squeezing his eyes closed, Mark turned back to kiss Melissa, now looking definitely distracted, she noted. The call must have been important. She’d seen that look many times before.

‘I actually meant your car keys,’ she said.

‘Ah, right.’ Realising he was minus said car keys, and work jacket, and his ID, having dashed out when he’d spotted the fire, Mark headed swiftly past her back to their own cottage.

Rolling her eyes good-naturedly as he disappeared through the front door, Melissa beckoned Jade and – with Poppy skipping happily alongside her – they strolled more leisurely in the same direction.

Thirty seconds later Mark bowled past them again. ‘Bye,’ he said, spinning on his heel to smile apologetically. ‘Sorry, it’s—’

‘Urgent. I gathered. Go.’ Melissa waved him onwards.

‘Bye, Daddy!’ Poppy called after him. ‘Love you bigger than the sky.’

‘Bye, Poppet,’ Mark called. ‘Love you bigger than the sky and all the stars.’ Blowing her a kiss, he shrugged embarrassedly at Jade and then climbed quickly in the driver’s side.