Picnics in Hyde Park

She stroked her sister’s back soothingly. ‘I know you’re worried about my plan, and don’t really agree with it but maybe if I can find out why, it will give you closure?’ She nodded at Melody’s raw, tear-filled eyes. ‘I take it that Stephen still isn’t taking your calls or answering your messages?’ Thinking of his travel bag and see you when I get back holler to his brother. ‘I suppose he could be abroad. Perhaps he’s having problems with his phone.’

Melody shook her head, a lone tear running down her cheek. ‘I don’t think so, and he can more than afford the roaming charges. I just don’t get it. Everything was fine. We were happy. And I just can’t understand the way Matt acted— Oh, Zoe, I don’t know what to do-oo…’

The last word ended on a wail and reignited the hot, rolling rage and fiercely protective instincts in Zoe. She sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, rubbing her sister’s back more firmly, wanting to scrub away the hurt. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. But Matt hasn’t been in touch to check how you are either. I mean, you could be living on a park bench somewhere for all he knows. It’s disgusting. I really think he needs to be taught a lesson.’ She looked into her sister’s face, jaw set, thinking of the added insult of a few days before, when she’d gone to Matt’s house. ‘Let me do this for you, Mel,’ she said fiercely. ‘Let me get answers and teach them they can’t behave this way. That you can’t ignore people and pretend you’ve done nothing wrong. It’ll be fine, I promise.’

Melody sighed heavily, running a finger over some spilt grains of sugar. ‘Okay,’ she whispered.

‘Good. It’s the only thing that makes sense.’ Zoe paused. ‘Also, I know that Jemima is happy to have you,’ she broached, ‘but sleeping on her couch is less than ideal. What do you think about me calling Ruth and seeing if you could stay with her for a while? You always got on well together, right? I’m sure she still has the guest room set up ready. It might give you some distance. Fifty miles might not be very far, but it’s not on Matt’s doorstep either. One of the worst things about a break up is running into the person, or the possibility you’re going to. If Stephen gets back soon, you’ll have two people who upset you to avoid. I don’t want you to think I want shot of you,’ she added, ‘because I can’t wait for us to spend some quality time together after I’ve been away so long. I’m just thinking of what’s best for you right now.’

Melody sniffed. ‘It would be good to have some space, and be somewhere familiar. I know it never seemed like home to you, and Ruth isn’t the huggy sort, but I feel safe there.’ She nodded. ‘Can you call her please? If you can do it without arguing that is. I’m going to splash some cold water on my face.’ Pushing her chair back, she grabbed her bag and hitched her chin up, trying to be brave.

Zoe watched her go. Poor thing. Sucking in a deep breath she dialled her Aunt’s number, dreading the conversation. ‘It’s me,’ she said when Ruth answered with a curt hello.

‘Oh. You are still in the land of the living then.’

‘I did text you from the airport the other day.’

‘Messaging relatives is no substitute for a good old fashioned phone call,’ Ruth said in a sniffy tone. ‘I expected you to follow the text up with a call. I knew you’d be jetlagged but surely you could have—’

‘I’ve had my hands full,’ she cut across her Aunt’s accusation, picturing her grey hair in its no-nonsense bun and the pursed lips, shoulders bolt-straight, her dark eyes cool and unforgiving. When in this mood, the result was stilted accusations Zoe didn’t have the time and energy for today. Obviously she still wasn’t forgiven for what had happened before her departure for the States, despite the birthday and Christmas cards she’d always sent, accompanied by luxury gifts. However, now was not the time to try and sort it out. That didn’t mean she shouldn’t be conciliatory. ‘I’m sorry, you’re right, I should have called. The thing is, Matt’s fired Melody and kicked her out, and Stephen’s gone AWOL.’

‘What? What on earth do you mean? What happened? The absolute brutes.’

‘I’m not sure yet.’ Zoe didn’t know whether to be grateful or sad that her Aunt would jump so easily to her sister’s defence, when if it had been her the first thing Ruth would have asked was what did you do? ‘I’m trying to sort it out,’ no way was she telling Ruth the details of what she was up to, ‘but in the meantime I think it would be good for Melody if she came home for a while. We’ve talked about it and it’s what she wants, if you’ll have her.’

‘Of course I will. The guest room is made up for when she visits during the holidays. Put her on the first train you can and let me know when she’ll be arriving. I’ll pick her up from the station. She can stay as long as she likes.’

‘Okay, thank you,’ Zoe said, relieved. At least that was one less thing to worry about. There might be a lot of muddy ground between her and Ruth, but Melody’s well-being was always a given. ‘I’ll text you. I’m aiming to get her on the train this afternoon if I can manage it.’

‘Right. And what are you going to be doing in the meantime?’

‘I’ll be trying to work out what’s gone on, and see if the situation can be retrieved.’ She had to talk in the language that Ruth understood.

‘You do that. Keep me updated, will you? If you need me to speak with either of the swines let me know. I don’t know enough about Stephen to comment, however it’s odd about Matthew, I didn’t think he was like that. He always seemed so nice. I met him a few times when I came into London for lunch with your sister.’

‘That’s what Melody thought too,’ Zoe replied. ‘I’ll be in touch. Bye.’ She hung up, sitting back in her chair. Formidable was not the word for her aunt. She almost felt like setting her on Matt because it was what he deserved, but that wouldn’t get them anywhere. She was convinced that direct confrontation wasn’t the route to take. Staring down at the greasy table top, she frowned, anxiety coiling in her stomach. Was it always going to be this way between her and Ruth? Was there ever going to be a time that they could come to some understanding? Or when Ruth would tell her why she’d always been the odd one out in their little patched together family?

When Melody returned a minute later, Zoe forced a smile. ‘Good news,’ she said. ‘You can go to Ruth’s as soon as this afternoon if you want. We can grab your things from Jemima’s and get you on the train in no time.’ She thought longingly of the coarse sandy beaches of Southend-on-Sea. Pictured the world’s longest pleasure pier, the row of multi-painted beach huts, the rides and roller coaster of Adventure Island on the Western Esplanade. Could almost taste the salt that carried on the sea breeze and always tangled her hair. While Ruth’s house with its dark shadows, locked rooms and no-nonsense air had never felt like home, she loved the seaside town she’d spent most of her teens in.

‘That would be good,’ Melody murmured. ‘I do think I need to get away and the sooner the better.’ She closed her eyes then opened them again, looking horrified. ‘I haven’t even asked about you, Sis. Are you doing okay? Funny that we’re both going through break-ups at the same time.’

‘I’ll be fine.’ Zoe grabbed her bag from under the table and started rooting through her purse. ‘At least I know what happened,’ she muttered, head down. The memory of that last night with Greg flashed in front of her eyes. ‘Besides, I’ve got other things to concentrate on. I’ll be checking out of the bed and breakfast in a couple of days’ time and moving in with Matt.’

Melody shook her head. ‘That’s the part of the plan that makes me nervous.’

‘Why?’ Zoe frowned at her sister as she threw a ten pound note down on the table. At least that was one thing; she was returning to the UK with money in the bank, courtesy of her ex-fiancé and their cancelled plans. ‘You think he might rumble me straight away?’

‘No. It’s more that while he has a tendency to be closed off from the children, and really distracted, he’s a nice guy. Kind of charming actually. I never saw him that way but lots of women—’

‘Not such a nice guy that it stopped him from doing what he did to you,’ she interrupted, ‘and that’s all I’m interested in. Don’t worry, I won’t fall for the act.’ Thinking of Greg, something in her chest twisted. ‘There’s no chance.’

Later on, when they said goodbye as Melody boarded the train, her shoulders slumped like a puppy that had been kicked one too many times, a new determination burned through Zoe. The sooner this was done, the sooner Melody might be able to move on with her life, and come back to London, where the two of them belonged side by side together again. Sisters.

Huffing out a breath, Zoe slung another huge canvas bag on the bed, a trickle of sweat snaking down her back. She bit her lower lip, pulling out her phone to re-read her sister’s text from that morning.

All settled and Ruth is

looking after me. I’m still

not sure about this Sis.

But if you’re going to do

it, please be careful. M xx

Melody was obviously worried so Zoe had done her best to reassure her.

I’ll be fine.

Can’t wait to see the

look on Matt’s face when

it all comes together.

Then on to Stephen! ☺ xx

It probably was a kind of madness, moving in with a guy she detested. But it was part of the plan. Besides, if she wasn’t meant to do this, why would the universe have co-operated quite so nicely? When the agency had called the day following the interview to tell her Matt wanted her to go back and meet the kids, it’d felt like cosmic rebalancing, like it was meant to be. Not that she was superstitious. But the agency—Exclusive London Nannies—had been happy to re-register her, delighted to make money from the placement. Once Liberty had supplied a glowing reference and Zoe had registered with the online DBS service, her enhanced disclosure and barring clearance available within days, with her certificate of good conduct on its way from America, it had been too easy to meet Aimee and Jasper. To convince Matt of her suitability to be his nanny. Of course it had helped that Melody had been able to give her some inside tips about the family.

Surprisingly, the children weren’t the spoilt brats she’d expected. Maybe that was down to her sister’s influence over the last few years. They did however have a few issues that Melody hadn’t articulated.

Number one was that they were crying out for their dad’s love, the net result being that Aimee was so incredibly shy she was virtually mute, finding it hard to hold eye contact and hesitant about speaking, while Jasper’s behaviour was so demanding and energy levels so high he was on the verge of hyperactivity. Zoe couldn’t help feeling Jasper was attention seeking, trying to establish communication with his only parent.

Number two was they were bored out of their skulls and weren’t engaging with the activities Matt had chosen for them.

She’d seen it all within an hour; interacting with the three of them, noticing Matt’s distracted and distant manner, the way the light went out of his kids’ eyes whenever he glanced at his phone, or gazed off into space with a faraway look, or scribbled something on a notepad he kept in his back pocket. They weren’t a happy, cohesive family unit. Not at all.

She could do a lot of good for these kids. It was a shame she was only here for a few weeks to get revenge, which she’d started referring to as Plan Nannygate in her head. Nothing over the past week had made her feel like Matt didn’t deserve it. What she hadn’t mentioned to her sister in the cafe was what had happened during her brief third visit, just after accepting the job.

Finally allowed to see her living quarters, she had been horrified to find Melody’s things shoved into black bin liners and left carelessly in a pile in one of the upstairs hallways, the contents overflowing and getting trodden on every time Jasper ran past. Which he invariably did, as his default speed setting appeared to be supersonic. The lack of respect for her sister’s stuff had her fuming, never mind the health and safety hazard to the kids if they tripped over the bags.

‘This is really dangerous,’ she’d raised an eyebrow at Matt. ‘You must have storage space. It needs to be put away.’

‘Dangerous?’ he’d answered her without lifting his head, typing something into his iPad.

‘For your children. They could fall over the bags and down the stairs?’ She pointed out exasperated, before realising she had to watch her tone. She couldn’t be bolshy. He was about to become her boss and she wanted to earn his trust, so she had to play nice. ‘I’m just concerned. I have a duty of care towards them, remember?’ Like he did as their parent.

He swiped the tablet screen to lock it and looked up, shaking his head as if bringing himself back to planet earth. ‘You’re right. Sorry. I hadn’t even noticed. I’ll get our cleaner Roberta to move them tomorrow.’

‘Or we could do it now?’ she suggested, not giving him much chance to disagree, scooping up two bags and running downstairs. ‘Where shall we put them?’ her voice echoed up the spiral white staircase.

A loud, resigned sigh sounded on the landing above her. She bit the inside of her cheeks to stop from smiling as she heard the rustle of plastic bags, followed a moment later by the beat of approaching footsteps. It was satisfying knowing she’d annoyed him, just a little bit.

‘There’s a double garage, and I only use one of them when Stephen’s away because I always have one car on the drive. We can put these in the empty side.’

‘Is it clean and dry?’ she prompted. ‘We wouldn’t want it all getting ruined. I’m guessing your old nanny might come back for them at some point?’ The last was uttered through gritted teeth. Sweetness and light Zoe, she reminded herself.

He looked troubled by the thought. ‘It’s possible,’ he turned around, ‘garage is this way.’ After twenty minutes of traipsing up and down, everything was safely stowed away and Zoe felt like she’d scored a victory. The garage was easily accessible from both the front and side of the house, so at some point she’d make plans with Melody to collect her stuff with Ruth. Or perhaps she’d smuggle it out a bit at a time, she mused, like illegal contraband.

The fact that, as well as failing to check on her sister’s welfare, Matt also had no respect for her belongings reinforced Zoe’s feeling that he didn’t give a crap. Well, she thought grimly, he needed to be taught to care.

So here she was, in the enemy’s house surrounded by her clothes, shoes and other belongings. The original idea had been to sling a few suitcases in the car and live out of them, but she’d realised it would look suspicious if she brought hardly anything with her after accepting a permanent position. So she’d called the storage company and asked them to deliver some of the boxes shipped over from New York and phoned Rayne, who’d been letting Zoe use the loft in her attic flat for some of her old stuff, pre-America.

‘It’s so great to see you,’ Rayne had hugged her earlier, before stepping back to study her appraisingly. ‘I know coming back to Blighty now isn’t what you’d planned,’ she paused as they looked bleakly at each other, knowing what had been planned, ‘but I’m still glad you’re here. I’m not that pleased to see how skinny you are though, Zo.’ Squeezing her friend’s narrow waist. ‘Tell me the truth, how are you doing?’ She swept her black fringe out of her eyes, Cleopatra sharp bob falling back around her face, multiple cocktail rings glinting in the early morning sun.

‘It’s good to see you too.’ Zoe smiled tightly. ‘And, yeah, okay,’ her throat closed up, and she realised she’d barely thought about her own heartbreak because of dealing with the fallout of her sister’s. Maybe that made it easier. ‘You know what it’s like after a break up. The weight falls off, doesn’t it? Best diet around,’ she joked weakly.

‘Hmm. Well, just don’t lose too much will you? I don’t want to let that bastard make you ill. I still can’t believe he—’

‘Can we not talk about it?’ Zoe touched Rayne’s arm. ‘Another time, all right?’ She wasn’t ready to deal with the implosion of her life yet.

‘Sure,’ her friend looked worried but nodded, turning to gaze up at Matt’s house. ‘Wow, it’s really something. You’ve landed on your feet haven’t you? I know you’re here for less than savoury reasons, but still.’

‘Thanks.’ Zoe replied dryly. If there was one thing you could count on, it was Rayne being honest to the point of bluntness. Less than savoury. Her plan wasn’t going to cover her in glory, but it was justifiable in the circumstances. ‘You’re going to help me, right?’

Rayne hesitated. ‘If you’re sure this is what he deserves, and you’re not going to get hurt.’

‘I’m one hundred per cent sure,’ Zoe said firmly. ‘This is what I need to do. I mean,’ she said hastily, ‘what Melody needs me to do.’

‘All right then, I’m in,’ Rayne nodded, ‘you know you’ve always got my support. If he’s as much of a bastard as you say he is, let’s go for it. When the time is right, I’ll put you in touch with some of the celebrity reporters I know.’

‘Thanks.’ Zoe moved the conversation on. ‘And what about you and Adam? How’s it going?’ The question choked her a bit. It was hard being newly single when the rest of the world seemed to be coupled up, but she couldn’t begrudge her friend’s happiness. Rayne had run into her uni ex-boyfriend at Wimbledon a few weeks before and after nearly five years apart they’d ended up giving it another go.

‘Amazing so far,’ Rayne grinned, practically glowing, ‘the way it was back then, but even better. He’s still lovely, and so much hotter too. You remember he had that preppy handsome look going on at uni? Well he’s got a few rough edges now, cut his hair, got a tattoo and he’s much more relaxed. You’d love him. But not too much,’ she teased.

‘I do like bad boys,’ Zoe mused, wondering how the heck she’d ever ended up with Greg, who was polished Kennedy-American uptight, ‘but I draw the line at body art.’

‘Fair enough, each to their own,’ Rayne smiled easily. ‘Adam would like to see you again. We’ve been going on double dates with Lily and his intern Flynn, but it would be nice to get more of the old gang back together.’

‘Sounds great, how about we do something in a few weeks’ time, once this is over,’ Zoe gestured at the property behind them, ‘and I’m settled somewhere else?’

‘Cool, but if you end up needing to escape the madness with a girlie night out sooner, let me know. We can try and get your sister involved; Adam has plenty of spare rooms in his place in Islington she could stop in. We might be able to convince Frankie to put Zack down for a minute and join us too. It would be good to get the dark trinity together again.’

Zoe laughed at Rayne’s description of how madly in love their other best friend was with her boyfriend, and the name Adam had given the three of them at uni because they all had black hair. ‘Yeah, thanks. I will. I don’t really feel like going out at the moment though.’

‘Fine, but don’t lock yourself away for too long.’ Rayne ordered. ‘You need to keep busy, not mope over that deaf, blind and dumb idiot, which he totally is to do what he did as well as letting you go so easily. Besides, I don’t want you turning into some sad old spinster who’s going to get chewed on by her cats. Especially as you’re such an oldie.’ Referring to the fact Zoe was two years older than her.

‘Gee, thanks for the sympathy.’ Zoe stuck out her tongue, playing along, knowing Rayne was trying to cheer her up. ‘I’ll let you know when I’m ready to leave the fortress of solitude,’ she smiled, ‘but nothing too wild, for gawd’s sakes.’

‘Nooo,’ Rayne said, backing away, holding her fingers out in front of her in a cross sign, ‘she’s turned American on us! Quick, call the Queen!’

‘Ha ha. I probably have picked up some bad habits. I was over there for long enough. You can be in charge of my conversion back to British citizen if you want.’

‘It’s a plan.’ Rayne saluted, clicking her heels together. ‘I’d better run. I’ve got a story to finish and a meeting with my editor. Sorry I can’t help you move your crap upstairs,’ she finished cheekily, her turquoise blouse bringing out her navy blue eyes, which flashed with humour.

‘Sod off, it’s not crap!’ Zoe replied automatically, reverting back to their uni days. ‘And it’s fine. You’re a star for getting it down from your loft and dropping it over. Thanks so much.’ Zoe leaned in for a quick hug before shooing Rayne away. ‘Go. Speak soon.’ She shook her head as her friend roared away in her sporty black Mini, a Union Jack design on its roof. The girl certainly had personality.

God, she’d missed her. Had missed all her friends. She’d given so much up when she’d moved to the States. Pretty much everything in fact. And all she had to show for it was a bare left hand, a few extra laughter lines and a dress she’d never wear hanging in her closet.

By the time she’d heaved all the boxes and bags up to her top floor living quarters, she was hot, sweaty and swearing. She was also grateful her new boss and his kids weren’t around to see what a complete mess she was; damp dark hair coming loose from its high ponytail and sticking to her slippery face, denim shorts creased and the straps of her dust-smudged white vest top falling off her shoulders. It was a scorchingly hot day and although the lower floors of the house were cool and spacious, the upper floor was carpeted, more compact and suffered from heat rising upwards. Throwing open the skylight windows hadn’t helped much, there was no wind outside to offer any relief.

Thankfully Matt wasn’t due back for hours as he was holed up in his studio with some new talent he’d discovered and both kids were visiting with their grandma, his late wife’s mum. It was his way of giving her time to settle in, which she should be grateful for, but instead of abandoning her maybe he could have stuck around to see if she could do with a hand?

She shook her head. It wasn’t his job to help her move in. Why on earth should he? Looking at all the stuff spread out over the length and breadth of the bedroom, a mixture of old and new, cases and boxes of clothes, shoes and her beloved books, knowing there were more in the lounge area, she blew out another long breath. It was strange to think that this set of rooms had been her sister’s home for three years. She felt uncomfortable, like an impostor. It was going to take hours to unpack too. Mind you, there was no bookcase so her books could stay packed away for now, which would save some time.

As she opened the first crate from America and a long black and white Marc Jacobs gown slithered to the floor, her addiction to clothes caught hold and she forgot how uncomfortable she was. Leaping up, she unpacked everything else in delight, rediscovering old friends from before she’d left, including the ancient Alaia chain-link leather sandals she’d saved up a month for when living at Ruth’s. Haphazardly laying clothes, shoes, belts and handbags across the bed and every available surface, she stroked them lovingly, holding the soft, luxurious fabrics against her face. God, she adored all this, and given enough money would shop every single day. New York had been a revelation. She’d fallen in love with the stores as much as the loud, straight-talking people. She’d also been lucky that even though Liberty had been bossy and occasionally unreasonable about her children, she was generous and had fallen into the habit of gifting her collections to Zoe after every season. She was going to sorely miss that perk of the job, along with her charges Ava and Grace, and a hundred other tiny little things she’d come to love about NY.

As well as the life she’d had planned. One that Greg had robbed her of with his stupid, selfish behaviour.