Page 6

Robyn clapped her hands. This sounded great. A paid role and a place to stay until, fingers crossed, she and Willow moved on to the elephants in January.

‘Anyway, Fox is in town, he’s popping in while the boys are at school,’ Wren said, ‘so you can talk then if you’re interested?’

‘I’m definitely interested!’ Robyn replied, watching Rosie scoop Willow into her arms.

‘Great! Sounds like it could work out for both of you. Now I’m going to take this one to see the baby books,’ Rosie said, making cooing noises to Willow as she headed off.

Wren flicked a switch on the coffee machine and a second later, it whirred into operation, startling a cat from its sleep behind the counter. Robyn pulled up a stool.

‘What’s this guy like then?’ Robyn asked. ‘Because this job sounds too good to be true.’

‘Fox is great,’ Wren said, pushing a frothy latte towards her. ‘Great with his kids. Great fun to be around. A big part of our friendship group.’

‘What’s the catch then? Are the kids hideous?’

Wren laughed as she blew the froth off her coffee before taking a sip.

‘Reggie and George, both boys. A handful, maybe, but lovely.’

‘What about their mum?’ Robyn asked. ‘Divorced? Is it joint custody?’ Wren’s face fell and she shook her head gently.

‘Meg died, just after George was born. Very sudden. Very shocking. And Fox has been on his own ever since. But he’s done everything to make sure those boys are loved and looked after. He’s done a great job.’

Robyn widened her eyes in acknowledgement. That was a lot to deal with.

‘Does he have body odour then? Nobody can be that perfect.’

Wren laughed out loud.

‘He normally smells pretty good, actually. But you can sniff him yourself if you like. He’s just coming in.’ Wren lifted a hand in a salute and Robyn heard the jingle of the doorbell. She ran her hand over her hair, suddenly feeling caught out, but she knew it would make no difference. Her hair had never been tamed, falling in chaotic auburn waves down her back, but she wanted to make a good first impression at least. This could be her new boss walking in the door behind her. She put her shoulders back and turned, with what she hoped was a relaxed smile on her face.

There was a second of confusion when they made eye contact. A moment when she felt the smile falter as she recognised the man walking towards her. With his silver-grey hair pushed off to the side and twinkling golden brown eyes, he was as good-looking as she remembered. Younger than the hair made him seem, tall and muscular, dressed in a checked shirt worn open over a white T and jeans. Although last time she’d seen him, he’d been wearing a lot less. And she knew how good that body was under the shirt. Robyn had never expected to see him again. She saw the exact moment he recognised her, the widening of his eyes. His mouth fell slightly open. She couldn’t believe it was him. Of all the people in the world, it was him.

‘Fox,’ Wren said, ‘this is—’

‘Red777,’ Fox cut in with a disbelieving shake of his head. ‘What are the chances?’

Oh. My. God. And then his face broke into a smile, and that was all it took. She was back there, in the soft bar light, thinking that his face was the kindest face she’d ever seen. His eyes had crinkled at the edges when he smiled, and his whole face lit up when he talked and then tilted his head to one side to listen. It was the kind of face you just wanted to keep looking at. She’d also wanted to touch it, to run her hand around his jaw and feel the grizzled stubble there. She’d wanted to push her hands through his silver hair, but she didn’t even know his real name, even though his thigh was pressed to hers, burning through her jeans. And every now and then his hand brushed hers on the bar as they cupped their glasses. It had been late. She’d swilled her vodka in the glass, with its single cube of ice. The bar would close soon, and she didn’t want the night to end. She wanted more.

She’d had one-night stands before and her fair share of sexual relationships. But the freedom of a night with total anonymity was exhilarating. The fact that she and this man had connected so immediately, without knowing anything about each other’s past or future plans, was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. It felt like fate that they’d ended up on the seats next to each other. They were just two people – together. Enjoying each other. Being happy. Making the most of those minutes in their lives. And it felt so good, so right. She couldn’t explain the draw of him, the magnetic pull. She just knew it couldn’t end yet.

‘Nightcap?’ she’d asked, catching her lower lip under her teeth, seeing his eyes widen, just slightly.

‘Sounds good to me,’ he’d said, his voice low. He’d signalled to the bartender with one hand, while his other moved to her thigh and she shivered at the heat of his touch.

It had been one of the most amazing nights of her life. Now, Robyn laughed at the obvious mix of emotions on his face. Surprise, embarrassment, awkwardness, happiness, all at once. So, he felt the same as her, although probably for slightly different reasons.

‘Silver007,’ Robyn said. ‘Fancy seeing you here!’

She slipped off her stool, part of her wanting to close the gap between them immediately, and another part wanting to demonstrate just how okay she was with seeing him again. She took a half-step forward, unsure whether to hug or not, and Fox mirrored her move, raising his arms, then dropping them at the last minute to offer a fist bump instead. She bumped him back.

‘And your real name is Fox?’ Robyn asked. ‘The Fox that wants an emergency nanny? Maybe a nanny called Robyn?’ Fox took a second to realise what she was saying and then laughed in surprise.

‘You two know each other already?’ Wren said, looking from one face to the other.

‘We do,’ Robyn said, her brain working a million miles an hour, not sure how much to say. ‘We met at a games convention . . .’ She could feel her face flush thinking of all the games they’d played that were not on the official agenda.

‘And Red777?’ Wren asked.