"We've heard so much about you!" greeted Rachel.

"Lovely to meet you," added Gabriella, taking his hand in hers.

Jo was extremely grateful to her friends.

Pippa stretched out her hand. "Hi." She grinned. "I'm Pippa. Really glad to meet you. Jo talks about you all the time."

Once they were inside, Pippa came up beside her.

"You're a dark horse, aren't you?" She grinned.

"Am I?"

"Yes, he's gorgeous!"

Jo smiled. "Mm."

"How's it going?"

Jo nodded slowly quite a few times before answering.

"Fine thanks," she said. "Yeah. Fine."

Then she spotted Shaun chatting to Gabriella and stopped nodding.

"Come on," said Pippa. "Looks like someone needs saving."

"Yeah," said Jo. "But which one?"

When they got there, Shaun gave them both a great big grin.

"h.e.l.lo there!" he said. "Gabriella was just telling me all about being a nanny."

Gabriella gave a little smile. "Aiy was telling 'eem all abowt Joshua," she said, "and 'ow mush wee all luff about 'eem."

Pippa gave Jo a sympathetic glance.

"Oh yeah, that might have come up," said Shaun, eyes on the dance floor. "Wanna dance?"

When they got home, he collapsed into bed. "G.o.d I'm knackered," he said loudly into his pillow.

Jo sat down on the bed and looked at him. Was she a terrible woman? She wanted to say something, but she couldn't think of anything, so she went to sleep instead.

Sunday was a lazy day. Jo and Shaun woke to the smell of brewing coffee and warm brioche.

"Blimey," mumbled Shaun, rubbing his stubble against her neck. "How the other half lives, eh?"

Josh wasn't up yet either, so Jo spent another morning shushing Shaun, who seemed unable to lower his voice. Unsurprisingly, Josh appeared in the kitchen half an hour after they did. Jo was unable to meet his eye.

She was determined that Shaun meet all the Fitzgeralds, because she felt it was the right thing to do. Toby was there for the weekend as usual, so after Shaun had finished his calls, he was treated to Sunday lunch with the family.

"What's wrong with normal tomatoes?" He smiled at Vanessa when he'd found sun-blushed ones in his salad.

"Nothing at all," replied Vanessa. "We're just rather addicted to sun-blushed ones."

"Addicted?" he smiled. "Gosh, that sounds serious."

"What do you mean?" asked Tallulah, giving him an intense stare from across the table.

"I'm just joking with your mummy." Shaun winked.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because, sweetheart," said Josh, "he's trying to be funny and superior at the same time."

"Now now," said d.i.c.k. "Shaun's a guest."

"He's not a guest of ours," said Toby. "He's a guest of Jo's. Because he's having s.e.x with her. Josh heard them last night."

"Oy, mate," rushed Josh. "That was a secret."

"You said Shaun sounded like a car with a flat battery," snorted Toby.

Jo stopped eating.

"I like your goldfish," Shaun said.

"What's a flat battery?" asked Tallulah.

"He's called Homer," Ca.s.sandra told Shaun.

"What shape should a battery be?" asked Tallulah.

"After the writer of The Odyssey," added Jo quickly.

Shaun looked at her. "Thanks."

"So," said d.i.c.k. "Back at work tomorrow eh, Josh?"

"Mm," said Josh. "Can't wait."

"Ready to brave the tube then?"

"Mm. Well, I'll have to see. I'll walk to the bus stop and if it hurts too much doing that, I'll take the bus all the way in instead of getting it to the tube. It will take much longer, but it won't cause complete agony."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Vanessa. "Jo will give you a lift to the station and pick you up when you come home. She drives past it all day long with the kids in tow."

"No need," said Josh. "It's fine."

"Jo," said Vanessa. "That will be okay, won't it?"

Jo glanced at Shaun, who stuffed some brioche into his mouth while watching her.

"Of course," she said dully.

"No need," repeated Josh.

"Don't be a martyr, Josh," said Vanessa. "It doesn't suit you."

There was a pause.

"Okay," Josh agreed. "Cheers."

"Jo, will you be able to take him until his ankle's completely better?" asked d.i.c.k.

"Mm," said Jo.

"Won't be long now," mumbled Josh into his brioche.

"No problem," whispered Jo, who concentrated on her breakfast.

And then the children got very excited about the thought of Josh joining them on the school run, and any sense of decorum they might have enjoyed up until then was abandoned.

Shaun and Jo weren't alone again until she was driving him back to Highgate Station that evening.

"So," he said.

"So."

"Scrounger boy gets driven to school by nanny, just like his baby brother and sisters."

Jo grunted. "Does seem a bit rich, doesn't it?"

"What the h.e.l.l's wrong with him taking the bus? Anyone would think he was still in short trousers."

"At least Vanessa made it so that I don't have to go too much out of my way or leave earlier. And I suppose it was all my fault."

"How d'you figure that?"

"Well it's because of me that he got so battered and bruised."

"And it's because of him that you got scared out of your wits!" exclaimed Shaun.

"What the h.e.l.l did he think he was doing, breaking in like that? What he did was moronic."

There was a pause.

"That's not what you said when I first told you. You told me off."

"Yeah, well, I've had time to think. And I've met him."

"It never even occurred to me to be annoyed with him for scaring me so much."

"Well it should have. d.i.c.k and Vanessa have shown you that they think you were right, and he was wrong. And he's a t.o.s.s.e.r for giving you the cold shoulder for giving his ego a knock."

She looked down at her hands. "Yeah. Maybe you're right."

"You know I'm right."

"Thanks." She smiled. "You protect me."

"Course I do," said Shaun. "I'm your man."

Jo smiled as she parked at the station. Shaun turned to her.

"Well."

"Well."

"It's been a gorgeous weekend, gorgeous."

"It has, hasn't it?"

He kissed her, and she gave him a hug. "I'm going to try and come home the weekend after next," she told him.

"Try?"

"I'm just so tired by the weekend I haven't got the energy to travel."

"Right."

As she hugged him, he whispered in her ear, "Don't let the b.u.g.g.e.rs get you down," and they hugged a bit tighter.

Then Jo watched him walk toward the station. When he reached the top of the stairs, he turned round and gave her a wave. She waved back, suddenly feeling lower than she had since she'd first arrived in London.

Chapter 15.

Jo woke early on Monday morning, aware that Josh would need to get into the shower soon for his first day back at work. Mickey's long arm was not even near the six, let alone the twelve and she thought disturbing thoughts about both Mickey and Josh until it was time to get up. She tried to pretend Shaun was still there to make her feel better, but it didn't work.

She got ready in half the usual time and was preparing Tallulah for the spring rain when Josh appeared in the kitchen.