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‘Yeah, well, I’m not five—I’m not going to bed at nine. I couldn’t even watch the game. Vince came in and told me to turn the television off.’
‘Because when you’re grounded you’re not supposed to be lying in bed, eating popcorn and watching ice hockey.’ Nina was struggling not to shout. ‘Janey, what do you think it’s going to be like when you live with me? There have to be rules …’
‘Yeah, well, you just carry on enjoying yourselves,’ Janey shouted. ‘I’m out of here.’
Jack said nothing, just watched, because trouble hadn’t just arrived, Janey was in trouble, a whole lot of it, and he’d dealt with enough to know.
‘Why don’t you ring them?’ Janey challenged. ‘And tell them I’m here? Then you can get back to your nice night.’
‘You know I have to ring them,’ Nina said. ‘If I don’t they’ll soon be here to check after last time. Janey, if I am to have any hope—’
‘We’ll go to my place.’ It was the first words he had spoken since Janey had arrived.
‘Jack …’ Nina was furious. ‘You’re just making things worse.’
‘Come on.’ He ignored her. ‘Pack some things.’
‘Jack, can I have a word please?’
She had more than a word, she had several heated ones, but Jack stood firm.
‘Janey needs to talk to you—she needs some time with you.’
‘She doesn’t want time with me—every time that I speak to her all she does is walk off,’ Nina said.
‘Because you get too upset.’
‘Of course I get upset! Jack, she came to my office today, moaning about Barbara. She was jealous that Blake was coming here tonight. I knew she was planning trouble …’ Nina closed her eyes. ‘I have to support Barbara in this. If every time she tries to discipline her, Janey comes running to me, things aren’t going to get any better. I’ll speak with Barbara and suggest that if Janey gets the basement sorted then she can come and spend Sunday night with me.’
‘She won’t and you know it,’ Jack said. ‘If you send her back now, or they put her in a temporary placement, she’s just going to be a whole lot angrier at you. Now, let’s go to my apartment and from there we can sort things, but any minute now you’ll have the department knocking, especially if they found her here last time.’
He was right, so Nina grabbed a few things and a few minutes later her little family was sitting in Jack’s car, Blake beside himself he was so delighted, Janey angry and silent. Nina just quietly panicked, embarrassed by the chaos of her life and unsure this was the right thing to do.
‘We need to ring them.’
‘And we will. We’re not fugitives.’ He turned and smiled at her. ‘You’ve got access to Blake, Janey’s nearly sixteen, you’re her sister …’
‘Could this get you into trouble?’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m doing what I think is right and I’ll tell that to anyone who asks. I am not having her taken back just to run away again.’ He glanced in the rear-view mirror and met the hostile stare of Janey. ‘We’ll be there soon.’
As expected, she didn’t reply.
His apartment was huge, but not designed for children. Blake was at his most annoying, running around, while Janey just sat silently on one of his lovely white sofas. All Nina could think was that they were all so out of place in his perfect life.
Even Jack was wondering what on earth to do with them. Yes, there were spare bedrooms but somehow a luxurious bachelor pad wasn’t really conducive to talking, not with a messed-up teenager anyway.
He didn’t do the family thing, had never had the family thing himself. The only time he’d done anything remotely family-like had been … And it was then that Jack had an idea and he turned to Janey.
‘You’re to ring Barbara and tell her that you’re safe, that you’re with your sister, and that you’re going away for the weekend.’
‘Jack!’
He turned to an angry Nina. ‘And you’re to ring back Janey’s worker and tell her the same,’ he said to Nina’s rigid face. ‘She’s not in any danger, she’s with her sister who has access, so just tell them that you’ll bring Janey in on Monday morning to the office.’
‘So they can send me back.’ Janey looked at him.
‘I don’t know,’ he admitted. ‘But running away isn’t helping things.’
Janey just turned her head away and carried on staring out of the window and then did the same in the car as they left Manhattan.
Of course he’d have a place in the Hamptons, Nina thought darkly as the car drove through the night.
They stopped for provisions and she was glad that he didn’t embarrass her by offering money, just suggested she get a few warm things. She bought some food too as Blake raced around the aisles of the store and Janey just walked silently beside her. As they stepped out into the parking lot she half expected Jack to be gone, but of course he wouldn’t do that, Nina knew. He’d probably drop them off at his mansion and then belt it back to Manhattan.
Still, she was grateful to him.
His stern words had helped her handle the department and this small window of time with Janey might mean that hopefully, hopefully she could get to the bottom of things.
‘Wow!’ Blake was wide awake and admiring the huge houses they passed. ‘Is this yours?’ he asked as they slowed down.
‘Nope.’
‘This one?’
‘Nope.’
And then Jack indicated, they turned into a small street and Jack parked.
‘We’ll have to walk from here.’
It was a tiny house on a large block and they couldn’t park in the drive because it was covered in thick snow.
It was actually funny trying to get to the door. Jack put Blake on his back and even Janey laughed as, up to their knees, they waded through snow and he deposited them inside and then went back to the car and got all their bags.
They were all soaked and the house was colder inside than out.
They walked into the lounge and Jack lit a fire that had been prepared and reminded himself to leave a big tip for the cleaning lady who came in and aired the place regularly. They all stood shivering as the fire took. ‘There are a couple of heaters I can set up in your rooms …’ He looked at Blake and Janey. ‘I’ll go and check things out. Janey, can you make something to drink?’
Nina followed him, dragging the heaters into the small bedrooms, and she looked around. ‘I was expecting a mansion.’
‘Disappointed?’
‘No, it’s lovely, just cold.’
‘Yeah, well, not for long. I’m just waiting for planning permission then the bulldozers will be in.’
Once the heaters were on in the kids’ rooms he showed her the main bedroom.
‘You’ll freeze,’ Jack said.
‘I’ll be fine.’
They went back through to the living area and Janey had actually done as she’d been asked and made everyone a drink. By the time they’d finished, it was terribly late and Blake was falling asleep on the sofa. When Nina returned from taking him to his bed, Janey was already heading off to hers.
‘Janey, wait,’ Nina called, but Janey wasn’t hanging around to talk to her.
‘‘Night.’
They sat in the lounge and when finally they were alone, Jack closed the door and spoke to her.
‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Jack said, and she sat there silent as he spoke on. ‘Are you absolutely sure that you want full custody?’
She looked at Jack and she knew it was their death knell, knew that it would be the end of them, and even though it hurt like hell, yes, she was sure and she nodded.
‘Because if I go into bat for you …’ Jack looked at her ‘… you’ll get it. I always win.’
‘Not always,’ she said. ‘You didn’t win with Sienna.’
‘That’s because I privately thought you were right,’ Jack said. ‘If I hadn’t there would have been no way Sienna would have gone home to the care of her mother.
I just want to be completely sure that this is what you want.’
‘Yes,’ Nina said. ‘I want my family together.’
‘Then we’ll sort it out, but right now you need to back off from Janey and stop trying to get her to talk to you.’
‘I need to know what’s going on.’
‘She’ll tell you when she’s ready. Right …’ Jack stood. ‘I’m going to drive back.’ They headed out to the hall. ‘Will you be all right without a car?’
‘I don’t have a car anyway.’ Nina smiled. ‘I’m sure I can work out how to call for a taxi.’
‘I’m sure you can.’ He gave her a kiss, but not a long one as it really was terribly late now. ‘I’ll pick you up on Sunday afternoon.’
‘We’re taking up all your weekend,’ Nina apologised, her hands loosely together behind his neck.
Jack wasn’t quite so tired now. ‘You could take up a bit more.’
He watched the smile at the edges of her mouth.
‘I don’t want you freezing …’ Jack moved to her ear.
‘It is terribly cold,’ Nina admitted.
‘Then it’s the least I can do.’ Jack smiled.
They had never undressed more quickly, though Nina kept her underwear and T-shirt on to take off once they were in bed and they dived under the covers. Jack turned to her.
‘You smell of garlic.’
‘It was supposed to be a deterrent.’
‘Not for me.’
She wriggled away, but he pulled her back. ‘We have to keep warm.’ He pulled at her T-shirt. ‘Skin on skin,’
Jack said, and he peeled off all her clothing. ‘That’s how you prevent hypothermia. I did mountain rescue once.’
She laughed.
‘I didn’t really,’ he admitted.
But it was exactly how it felt.
As if they were happily trapped on a ledge, waiting, while not wanting the cavalry to arrive, freezing cold and staying warm by the favourite method of all. Afterwards she thanked him for his help with her family and for how he’d handled things tonight.
‘I know I try too hard with them,’ Nina said. ‘You know what it’s like with family …’ Then she remembered their earlier conversation. ‘I thought you all got on?’
‘That’s what they want people to think,’ Jack said. ‘We’re hardly going to air everything in public but, no, I really couldn’t care less about them.’
And he said it so easily, was just so matter-of-fact as he dismissed his entire family, and just a few moments later Nina realised he was asleep. She lay there half the night thinking about the wonderful family he cared so little about and fully realised the impossibility of him ever really caring for hers.
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