I push up off the ground and stand. “I like playing with them. Are they into painting? Or Lego? Or cars? Or maybe a sandpit?” I try to think of the things I was into as a kid.
She nods slowly. “You know, they love playing with dolls.” She looks at the girls before calling out, “Girls, Jack wants to play with your Barbies.” Then, to me, she says with barely concealed glee, “Such a great idea of yours.”
I follow the three of them inside and to Olivia’s bedroom where Jessica proceeds to pass Barbie dolls and an assortment of doll clothes to me. “No fighting,” she says sternly with the straightest of faces. “Or the three of you will have to have a timeout.”
I then spend the next two hours dressing dolls, brushing doll hair, pretending to feed dolls, and conversing with dolls before finally convincing the girls we should read together. With their dolls.
In amongst that, Olivia brushes my hair and attempts to put clips in it.
By the time lunch rolls around, I’m all dolled out and am ready to run with Jessica’s idea of watching a movie with the girls.
Constance: I seem to be missing a text from you today.
Jack: That would be because I’ve been busy with Barbies.
Constance: I hope they were plastic doll Barbies and not the other kind.
Jack: I was also having my hair brushed by a four-year-old. You wanna see the clips she put in there?
Constance: I’d settle for a text telling me you got more than four hours of sleep last night. Or a text telling me you took up meditation since we last checked in.
Jack: I ate three meals yesterday and went for a run.
Constance: Look at that. You’re almost my star patient.
Jack: Gold, silver, or bronze?
Constance: Be on time tomorrow, Jack.
I slip my phone back into my pocket right as Hazel runs to me and wraps her arms around one of my legs. We just finished eating lunch—Vegemite sandwiches the girls begged me to cut into star shapes, grapes, and cheese slices—and I’ve put Winnie The Pooh on for us to watch.
I know Hazel’s excited to play some more rather than watch a movie, but she’s fighting sleep and needs a nap, so I scoop her into my arms and carry her to the couch. “How about you snuggle up here with me and watch Winnie, and then later we’ll play again?”
“Me too!” Olivia says, running to position herself on the other side of me.
Hazel looked like she was about to argue over snuggling on the couch until Olivia wanted in. Now, I’ve got one on each side and I’m hopeful they might both nap.
As the movie plays, and the girls both do everything they can to avoid sleep while I do everything I can to stay awake, I think about my father and the fact I can’t recall spending any time like this with him as a child. My mother, yes, but not my dad. He was too busy working, always telling me that money didn’t grow on trees.
I believed him, too. Until the day I turned thirteen and my uncle schooled me on our family money. It was old money. Older than old. My father inherited billions from his father.
It turned out my father just didn’t want to spend time with me.
“Jack,” Olivia says, curling into me. “I’m thirsty.”
I smile down at her. “Would you like some water?”
She nods. “Yes, please.”
I get water for all of us, and once they’ve had their drinks and have fidgeted for another ten minutes, they settle in for Winnie.
Hazel is out within fifteen minutes, Olivia within twenty-five.
I’m left alone with my thoughts about my father, my past, and my future. Thoughts I usually try never to be left alone with. Lately, though, I’m okay with them. Lately, I feel like I’ve finally reached a point where I can handle them.
17
Jessica
I should have brought all the cake from Jack’s fridge with me to Sydney. I would sit and eat every last piece of it right now if I had.
Today has been the day from hell and I’m ready for it to be over. Finished. Done with. However, it’s only just after two in the afternoon, so I’m sure more hell awaits me.
I’ve put out fires in both London and New York today after multiple issues arose. The London problems appear to have been resolved for now. At least until Ashton arrives there and takes over handling them. The New York problems are still being sorted out. I’m hopeful everything will be finalised there by tomorrow.
Ashton won’t be pleased with the outcome of the New York problems. One of the issues I had to work on there was finding new dates for the hotel development meetings I’ve organised because one of the men had a change in his schedule. I had to bring the meetings forward to the week after next. With Ashton being in London during this coming week, it could be difficult for him to make it to New York in time. I’m steeling myself for his annoyance over this, but it was our only option, so he’ll just have to make it work or push it for a few months.
Thank God for Jack today. He’s looked after the girls so well I haven’t heard a peep out of them. The only time I saw them was when I suggested they play with dolls. That moment was the highlight of my day. The fact Jack barely reacted except to give me one of his amused looks, though, was a little bit of a letdown. I was looking for some pain on his behalf. However, I should have expected his reaction. It’s so like Jack to just go with the flow and live in the moment without complaint.
I pad out of Will’s office where I’ve been working and make my way into the lounge room where I can hear a movie playing. A smile takes over my face before I can stop it when I find Jack passed out on the lounge with the girls asleep either side of him. My ovaries explode at the sight. I’m not a huge kid person, but seeing Jack like this, with these girls who I love so much does something to me.
Leaving them, I go into the kitchen to source some food, coming to a dead stop when I arrive there. Jack might be great at keeping kids occupied, but he sucks at cleaning up after them. The kitchen is a write-off.
I’m halfway through cleaning up when he wanders in, one of his sexy smiles in place. “Leave that,” he says. “I’ll do it.”
“I found something you’re as good at as acting.” I survey the mess of dirty plates, cups, and various other kitchen utensils I’m still cleaning up. “Seriously, this is a masterpiece.”
He comes closer to me. “I take my job as a caregiver very seriously. I’m not about to stop and clean when I’ve got children who need my full attention.”
“This is the male in you speaking. Perhaps during this afternoon’s shift of caregiving, you could channel your inner female and do this little thing we call multi-tasking. You’ll be surprised to discover you can actually give care while also stacking the dishwasher.”
His eyes turn serious. “Go and sit down while I make you some lunch. You need a rest in between slaying dragons for Ashton.”
“I’m almost finished in here, and then I can make my own lunch. I think you might be the one who needs a rest.”
He takes hold of my shoulders, spins me around, and walks me to the stool at the counter. Pulling it out, he helps me onto it. The fact his hands are on my body in ways I like a little too much does not escape me, but I do my best to ignore what he’s doing to me.