Page 21 of The Accidental Nanny

The day is hot, so I put on my little pink and white summer dress and matching pumps. I need to unpack my belongings at some point, but there isn’t much room for me to put anything away as Alex’s ex-wife’s clothes are in the wardrobes. I walk down the stairs to one very excited little girl and a very chatty boy eating breakfast and asking his father questions as to why I am here.

“What room is she sleeping in?” Eden wants to know.

“The spare one,” Alex replies, his voice a little too gruff.

“Why not with you? Like Mummy did?” Eden asks, innocence radiating from her face.

A strange feeling runs through my body, making me tense. Alex doesn’t answer quick enough.

“Because I’m here to look after you when Daddy is working. Sometimes, he works late or has to go in early, so it makes sense if I sleep in the spare room. However, the weekends are when your daddy is in charge.”

“Coffee?” Alex asks, looking thankful.

“Please.” I smile at him before he turns away.

“Sit next to me,” Eden demands.

She is making a huge mess with her food, spilling the milkover the sides and chomping away, while talking with her mouth full. How is it even possible for someone so small to make so much mess?

“What do you want to eat?” Alex asks me as he sets the mug of steaming coffee in front of me.

“I’ll go shopping today and get my own food.”

Alex nods, narrowing his eyes in thought. “I’ve got bananas,” he says. He picks them up. The bananas are brown and mushy. He gets his bank card out, placing it on the table. “Can you go food shopping for us at the same time? No… Actually, wait for my mum and she will go shopping with you.”

“I can buy food,” I retort.

“But you have never cooked before.” His eyes widen in an almost humorous way.

“Fine, I’ll wait for your mum. How many days do I need to buy for?” I take a sip of my coffee while I wait for his answer.

“The rest of this week.” Alex looks down at his sad bananas.

“I want a lasagne,” Ace says, voicing his food choice.

“I’ll make a note of it,” I tell Ace.

“I have to get going. I need to shower before I go to work. I’ll send you the PIN for my card.” Alex runs off, leaving me with the children.

“We have half an hour before we have to go. I think we should walk today, it’s a beautiful day.”

The kids both groan at the prospect of going on foot to school, but I need to get my steps in. Once I help Eden get dressed and Ace do his teeth properly for the third time, we grab the school bags and head to the end of the street.

“Wait,” Eden screams.

“What?” I ask. Both Ace and I stop.

“I forgot Alfie.”

“Who’s Alfie?” I question, nobody has mentioned Alfie. My heart skips. Is there a third child no one told me about?

Ace groans. “Her imaginary horse.”

“We have to go back for him,” she insists.

“Look, he’s here,” I lie, relief filling me as I point to the air next to me. “He followed us.”

“No, he didn’t. He’s locked in the shed.” She crosses her arms.