‘I’ve just remembered the huge slab of chocolate cake I shoved onto the pram,’ she held two mugs in one hand and grabbed that as she passed too. Skye sagged. She needed her blood sugar levels to return to normal after the shock of finding out about Marcus and his treachery, plus the realisation that she had put herself and Leo through hell by running for so many years, without reason. At least she might start to feel safe now. Thea could help her with that, she resolved.
‘I have the uneasy suspicion that you won’t let anyone get close to you, you’ll use your old life as an excuse to move on soon, just in case you began to care about anyone again.’ Thea gritted her teeth as she was up for a fight. She looked into Skye’s tired eyes. ‘I’m determined to change the outcome this time.’
Chapter Twenty-Two
Zack was beginning to regret telling Marlo about his plans for holding a summer ball in the grounds of his house. She had squealed in delight when he had told her the previous week, clapping her hands in glee and jumping up and down until he had to ask her to stop because she was frightening the wildlife. It was just a party, for goodness’ sake! You would have thought he had just offered her a tour round her favourite rock star’s boudoir, while the said rock star was stark bollock naked in bed, by the way she was acting.
Marlo had babbled excitedly about canapés and champagne as Zack walked away, having already listened to her for ten minutes, making his ears bleed from the ‘ka-ching’ of the cash register that rung in his head every time she had a new idea. Zack had been thinking of putting up a big tent in the meadow between his house and Skye’s cottage, but Marlo, annoyingly quite insightfully, had pointed out it should be situated next to the climbing centre, where people could admire his new business and learn about his plans for integrating his app idea. She had said the locals would get drunk and fall in the pond which sat behind the main terrace if the tent was placed there. The pond faced towards the meadow, so that your eye was drawn into the garden, and he didn’t want strangers creeping round and peering in windows. He shivered at the thought.
The pond was only small by estate standards and was fenced in, because of the dogs more than Emmie. After he had spent a week of evenings getting covered in gunge, shovelling years of sludge out of it until it had looked as new as a hundred-year-old pond ever could, the dogs had decided it was their personal bath. It was in surprisingly good shape once it was empty and filled with fresh water, but the dogs had jumped in at every opportunity and petrified the poor fish that Emmie had carefully chosen one weekend. Zack had had to rush out to buy identical ones after finding a couple of them floating, lifeless, on the pond’s surface one morning, while the dogs sat panting happily after another early morning dip.
The fence was more for his peace of mind than anything. Emmie could wander into the garden whenever she liked and it stopped him from having to follow the dogs around with an old towel, cleaning every surface they passed as they coated it in designer paw prints.
Marlo had popped by that morning and actually brought a colourful little pad with her. It was full of lists and Zack had gulped at the seemingly endless jobs that she thought he could fit into his already full days. Mike had laughed and told him that he was in for it now. Apparently, Marlo loved lists and left them stuck all over the house to remind Mike of the many tasks he forgot to complete each day.
Mike told Zack he had devised a game with his sons to see how many they each began the morning with. The highest score was six so far, but the habit was getting worse. Marlo’s current choice was little square neon notes. She loved them because they were already sticky and she could slap them everywhere, including the back of the bathroom door, to remind them to put the toilet seat down. As if they would ever forget, living with a neat freak like Marlo. If she hadn’t been so sexy, Mike would have put his foot down and stopped the silliness years ago, but it made her happy to put the colourful little square notes everywhere and they pretended to take notice before shoving them into the nearest bin, just in time for another colour to appear hours later.
Mike winked at Zack, seeming to enjoy the pained expression on his friend’s face. It looked like it was comforting to see someone else on the receiving end of the lists for a change.
‘Right!’ Marlo had said, making herself comfortable and blatantly ignoring the fact that this was her husband’s place of business, she was talking to his boss and it was the start of a working day. Zack was sure she thought they swanned around all day drinking beer and chatting to the trees. In fact, their day began at eight when they checked the site before the rest of the staff arrived. They went over the whole rope course and wrote safety notes in a journal, which would be monitored each week to assure everything was in full working order at all times. By 9am the whole site was ready for their first visitors of the day.
Mike had been sceptical when Zack had first proposed working together. The site had been more of a playground than a business, but Zack knew he now gave him credit for seeing its potential and taking the time to learn everything he could about the business he had inherited, only investing where his advisors told him to.
Zack had admitted to Mike, over a beer after a long day at work, that the estate had been dumped on him by his incorrigible granddad, who Mike said sounded like a real hoot. The place had been half-finished, then left to rot, and was eating money. Zack had confided that he was completely clueless about this type of business and hadn’t wanted to take on such a huge house in the first place, but Emmie had needed a place to grow up and he was at such a low ebb, his granddad had caught him unawares by inviting Emmie and Zack round, then buggering off and leaving them here with a note to say it was theirs. Mike had joked that he sounded like the kind of relative he wouldn’t mind having.
As the evening had progressed, and Zack dropped his guard a little, he started telling Mike about how the place needed so much work, but that there were a few surprising antiques inside, disregarded by his granddad, which he could sell. He had taken Mike on a tour, while Emmie slept, and Mike had been astounded by the state of the interior. Zack had admitted that, at first, he had wanted to grab Emmie and run, as it was an ongoing story with his granddad; buy a new and exciting toy, run it into the ground, then expect your family to bail you out. The house, although stunning, was a money pit. Selling would just about mean breaking even, so it wasn’t all bad, but Zack was the one left sorting out the mess… again.
Zack had decided to shoulder the responsibility after Emmie started crying and refused to leave the dogs that had been abandoned with the house, and they’d been here ever since. Zack had hired two up-and-coming, hotshot adventure centre designers who had come in and verbally ripped the place to shreds, describing it as a monstrosity, whilst also admitting that it had potential. Zack listened carefully to their advice, then jumped in and paid them to train him, then his first four staff, for several months. He knew from his family history that some investors disregarded market research and advice from professionals in their field, thinking they knew better, but he wasn’t about to do that. The first year and a half here had been spent gutting the tree climbing business and rebuilding it. Zack would have loved to grow more trees and forget about the place, but Emmie had seen it and fallen in love with the idea of being able to see the stars from the trees. He still hadn’t worked out how to say no to her yet, even though it had probably cost him hundreds of thousands not to do so. CloudClimb was Emmie’s name for the trees, as she had said she felt as if she could reach the clouds, when she climbed the ropes with her dad one evening, and the name had stuck. It seemed to astound Mike such a small child could dictate to a big, strong-minded, stubborn man like Zack, but Emmie just had to wobble her bottom lip and he was swooping her up to console her. Zack could see he was spoiling her, but he had his reasons.
Zack had spent months finding out from the local community and businesses what they were looking for. Admittedly, he had paid someone to do this as well but, for a guy with as much cash as he had now, it made sense to
use it intelligently. Zack knew that Mike thought he was secretly glad to have been landed with the estate. His app development business was very solitary and, under duresss, he had had to make friends here. Luckily, with a place like this, he could run both businesses as they were so different. One funded the other and, by the way things were looking with CloudClimb, he was emerging as a savvy businessman and his first two ventures were turning out to be pure gold.
Mike said he’d assumed that someone who could afford a place like this would be a complete snob, but he’d acknowledged that Zack was the exact opposite. Zack had explained in down-to-earth fashion about his ex-wife and how he had been left holding the baby. On top of which his eccentric granddad bought places, then left them to go to ruin when he discovered a nubile wench to run off with. Mike had said he hadn’t realised that life could be so exciting.
After doing his research, Zack had zeroed in on the local corporates, as he really didn’t want the place crawling with kids. Mike seemed to find his friend’s aversion to other people’s children amusing. But as soon as the grapevine had come into play and they had heard about the new lord of the manor, mothers had flocked to the tree centre, dragging their children behind them and spreading the word about this wonderful new play centre for adults and children alike. The gossip caught fire, which Mike had said was because they glimpsed Zack’s smouldering good looks and bulging muscles. He’d punched Zack’s arm lightly and laughed that even Marlo had mock-swooned when they had first met.
‘So,’ said Marlo, demanding Zack’s attention and ignoring her husband, who was sniggering behind her back as she wiggled her bottom in Zack’s chair to get comfortable. ‘First on the list is hiring a marquee,’ she said seriously, providing a printed list of preferred suppliers and their contact details. ‘I think we should stick to local, as they might advertise that they are going to be here and that could have a positive effect on your business.’
Zack raised his eyebrows at Marlo’s professional tone and Mike just shrugged and rolled his eyes heavenward. Zack thought of the corporate clients due to arrive at midday, for team building in the trees, and shuddered at the thought of more customers. He had gone all-out to set the business up, as the house had been haemorrhaging money, but he already had his hands full with the clients he had and wasn’t sure they could cope with too many more of them. Marlo was just getting started, though, so he bit his lip and looked daggers at Mike, whose idea it had been to involve his wife in the party idea.
Mike had confided the day before that he’d been worrying that Marlo was bored now that Tim and Rory, their sons, were at school full time. She had been writing more lists than usual, which was making him nervous. She needed to have something else to occupy her before she drove them all mad. Zack could sympathize, but didn’t really want to get involved.
‘Then,’ Marlo continued, ‘I’ve found a company to provide a cocktail bar and sexy waiters.’ Zack opened his mouth to speak, but Mike was waving frantically behind her back, so he shut his mouth again and listened quietly. He would get Mike for this torture.
‘Well?’ Marlo said pointedly, looking behind her to see what her husband was up to, before shooting him a dark stare and continuing to list even more obstacles that Zack would have to climb over to hold the stupid party.
Mike smiled sweetly and eased himself out of his chair before rapidly exiting the room. Zack looked over helplessly at him, which Mike apparently found quite funny, as he whistled as he walked towards the refreshment building to make himself a coffee before the rest of the staff arrived sharp at 9am.
Zack despaired. Mike had said that Marlo was taking all this so seriously that she had asked Thea to collect the boys at 8am that morning, on her way to school, which had confused Thea as she usually left for the fifteen-minute walk at 8.30am. When Thea had dutifully arrived at 8am, not knowing what she was going to do with the children for the extra half an hour before school, Marlo had literally shoved them out of the door so that she could catch Zack for a meeting before the other staff arrived. Poor Thea, who had been looking constantly harassed these last few days, had practically sprinted there to get the boys before circling back the other way to collect Allie. She didn’t complain but offered a weak smile to Mike as she left, making him fleetingly wonder if everything was all right in her world, before realising that his wife was raring to go, even though he was already late for work.
Marlo had insisted on coming with Mike, which had meant they’d both arrived late. Zack just tapped his watch in jest when he’d seen them and walked into his office, not really expecting Marlo to march in behind him.
Half an hour later, a bemused Zack had joined Mike by the coffee machine. Zack had agreed that, because Marlo had insisted on joining them first thing, he would complete today’s safety checks an hour earlier by himself, which meant they now had a short interval of peace before the other staff arrived.
‘She’s still here?’
‘She’s taken over my office and computer!’
‘Better get used to that, mate,’ said Mike, slapping him on the back good-naturedly and handing him a cup of coffee in a clean mug with the CloudClimb logo emblazoned on the side.
Zack inhaled the heady scent of the coffee beans before slumping into one of the chairs and scratching his head. He wasn’t exactly sure what had just happened, but it seemed that he had agreed to everything, and offered to let Marlo use his office, without saying a word. Now Mike held up a hand to stop him as well. ‘Just give in mate. It’s so much easier.’
‘But…’
‘No buts. She’ll do an awesome job. She used to rep for an events business before we had the boys. I wouldn’t completely throw you under the bus. She knows what she’s talking about, but you’ll discover lists everywhere until after the ball. Just agree to do what she says and ignore the little colourful squares stuck all over your office. Not only will your life be easier, but the ball will be a great success.’
Zack eyed him sceptically, snorted in disgust, then got up without a word and went to find out which of his team members had arrived, for the working day to begin.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Skye nodded to Thea, who pulled out her usual chair at the table in Skye’s back garden, and smiled when she heard the children’s squeals of delight as they conquered yet another challenge. Skye knew she was more relaxed after the long chat with Thea the previous week. She still scoped the area, but was more chilled and actually smiled occasionally, rather than scowling at everyone. She knew she was a hard taskmaster, but made the work a lot of fun.
Skye walked over and slumped into the seat opposite Thea, while checking to see if the children were practising the latest move she had taught them. This involved keeping one foot firmly on the floor, lifting the other leg up at a right angle and holding a beach ball in front of them to improve posture and balance. There was lots of giggling as they fell over, then got up and tried again. Occasionally, Skye threw a soft ball their way and they had to dodge it, while staying upright but, mostly, she left them to it for a while.
‘You realise that other parents know this isn’t a ‘fitness club’, don’t you?’ asked Thea, a small smile playing on her lips.
‘What!’ gasped Skye in surprise, almost tripling the strength of her softball throw by mistake and knocking Leo into a heap on the floor. She watched Allie jump over and help him up. She hadn’t really given it much thought and assumed the children lied to their parents and said they were coming round to play. She really did need to swot up on her mothering skills. Of course, kids told their parents pretty much anything at this age. It was later that they started craving freedom and wanted privacy from the grown-ups. Little ones blabbed. How could she have forgotten that? Skye vaguely remembered joking that this was a gymnastics club at the start, but hadn’t really cared enough to think about it other than fleetingly. If parents didn’t want their children to come round any more, they could bugger off somewhere else. It was of no concern to her, as she didn’t wa
nt them here in the first place. She did concede, on knowing them a little better, that they were actually great kids, but still… They all had so much fun here and they were polite, although they had looked at her like she was a bit mad for the first few weeks, until they got used to her unusual methods of teaching and play.
‘They think you’re training them in self-defence… which they love by the way, as they all detest Miles.’ Thea looked at Skye’s shocked face and carried on regardless, knowing Skye would start to rant and refuse to let them come round any more. ‘Amy’s mum asked if you train adults? She said they could avoid his mum too! Word is spreading, not about Miles, they keep that quiet, as they all know that Miles’ mum would kill you if she ever found out.’ Skye raised an eyebrow and Thea laughed out loud, a real belly laugh that made the children stop and stare for a moment before grinning at Skye’s nod of the head and running to the back of the garden for a game of football.
Trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably, Thea continued. ‘They keep asking me if they can book their kids into your club. You’re so popular,’ she winked, making Skye smile too. ‘Although you’re too scary to approach personally as you constantly scowl at anyone who invades your personal space.’ She giggled, leading Skye to kick her in the shin.
‘Ouch!’ said Thea, rubbing her sore leg, but looking relaxed and seemingly enjoying herself immensely for the first time in days. Skye knew she’d been so tired recently as Flo was teething.
‘I don’t scowl!’ protested Skye huffily. ‘Okay… I do,’ she conceded, picking up the can of drink Thea had thoughtfully provided for her after she had realised that all Skye ever had was an old bottle of lemonade, or wine. The tangy orange fizz hit Skye’s tongue, perking her up as the sugar reached her bloodstream.
Ninja School Mum Page 13
