A Safe Pair of Hands

by Ann Corbett

  A safe pair of hands

  By

  Ann Corbett

  Worth Waiting for Copyright© Ann Corbett 2014

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Chapter One

  “So what have you got planned for the weekend?” Marcy asked lightly.

  Sadie rolled her grey eyes expressively. “I’m helping my sister move house… She roped me in to give a hand; and there was absolutely nothing that I could do to get out of it!”

  Marcy giggled sympathetically, “I’ll bet that she really had to nag you!” she retorted dryly.

  “You have no idea... I had my weekend all planned out – lazing, and painting my nails and just doing nothing constructive...”

  “Lucky thing you... but then that’s why you enjoy living the single life – isn’t it?” Marcy was chuckling knowingly, as she turned to her computer screen once more.

  Sadie laughed with her, as was expected, only to jump in startled surprise, as a pile of paperwork landed suddenly on her desk, apparently from up high.

  “When you’ve got a moment please, Ms Forester,” Nicholas J Hargreaves – MD, requested coldly from behind her.

  She turned around quickly, so quick that her long blond hair fanned out and whipped across his shoulder, causing him to step back with a sharp – if quietly voiced curse.

  “Of course, Mr Hargreaves… I’ll get right on it!” she exclaimed flustered.

  His lips curled into what she assumed he called a smile, although it would have been called a snarl on any other animal.

  “Thank you.”

  As she sat watching him walk away; tall and proud, even – a trifle arrogant – as he strode through the office, Marcy giggled again, and then sighed dreamily.

  Sadie looked back at her impatiently. “Oh don’t you even go there!” she snapped irritably.

  Marcy looked at her in surprise. “I just don’t understand what it is about him, that you don’t like?” she said almost in wonder.

  Sadie gave a little sniff of annoyance as she bent her attention to the files that he had just dumped on her.

  She would never tell anyone of the humiliation that she had suffered, in the company of one Mr. Nicholas J Hargreaves, and she could only guess at the probable opinion he now had of her.

  **

  Nick strode back to his office feeling annoyed... with her for being the insufferable, cold and callous bitch that she invariably was; and annoyed with himself... for wishing that she was different!

  He closed his office door and went and sat at his desk, dropping down into his executive chair with a heavy sigh. As he turned his head to the left, to the folder and paper work lying waiting for his attention, a glint of gold caught the corner of his eye.

  He turned his head a little more, and winced at the uncomfortable angle he was forcing it, and his hand reached up to gently pluck the golden strand from his collar.

  He held it up delicately to admire its shine, as the autumn sun shone through the window and seemed to make it glow with life.

  “Beautiful!” he murmured softly to himself his tone full of bitter regret.

  **

  “Thanks love, for everything that you have done this weekend; we really could not have done it without you… but we were just wondering…”

  “You know that I am happy to help out – that I would have been gutted if you had not even bothered to ask me…” she paused as she registered the slightly sheepish expression on Nancy and Rob’s faces. “What?” she asked warily, as she registered the last bit of her older sister's speech.

  “Well, you see… it’s like this…” her sister began.

  “Just spit it out, Nance!” Sadie encouraged.

  “Well, you know how Rob’s got to work away next week… we just thought that it would be a great opportunity for us to spend a couple of – or even a few days away… just the two of us…”

  “You want me to look after Pete for you?” Sadie guessed suddenly.

  “You’ve got that spare bed already set up!” Nancy exclaimed enthusiastically. “And he’s in day care on Thursday and Friday – so it wouldn’t interfere with your job… well not much anyway.”

  “How long for exactly?” Sadie asked weakly as she felt the steam roller heading straight for her.

  “Wednesday night, through to Sunday tea time – ish?” Rob asked hopefully.

  “But do you think that he will stay with me?” Sadie persisted worriedly.

  Nancy laughed out right, which did more to reassure Sadie than any passionate protestation may have done.

  “Are you kidding?” she demanded genuinely astounded. “Pete absolutely adores you! He would love to come and have a sleepover at yours!”

  “Have you even asked him though?” Sadie cut in quietly.

  Nancy looked her sister in the eyes and realised that Sadie was serious. “Alright, ‘Sissy’ I’ll ask him tonight... but I know that he’ll be dead excited about it!”

  “And can you pleeeeease stop calling me ‘Sissy’!” Sadie whinged, in a totally hurt tone.

  Nancy chuckled as she hugged her sister impulsively. “I’m sorry, but it’s all Pete ever goes on about ‘his Aunt'y Sissy’!”

  Sadie smiled whimsically as she looked up at the house, which she had just helped her sister and brother in law move into.

  “I must say, Nance; you’ve done very well for yourself!” she murmured a little wistfully.

  Nancy turned to her sister in surprise. “I’m sure that you could find that someone, who is your equal… given a little time… and the opportunity.”

  Sadie grinned at the silent reprimand, as her eyes moved across her sister’s new large family home, to the even larger, and much grander looking house next door.

  “So have you met your neighbours yet? Do they seem friendly?” she asked sceptically as she looked at the showroom type house.

  Nancy’s gaze followed her sister’s.

  “Only briefly, his name is Nick, and he seemed nice enough, he really seemed to take a shine to little Pete, and Pete liked him too,” she grinned briefly, “Pete was rabbiting on about his aunt’y ‘sissy’, and he was egging him on all the way I kept on trying to get the conversation back to him, but he just would not let me, and so I could not find out much about him at all – other than he lives there on his own… and he’s gone away this weekend.”

  “Nick?” Sadie asked absently.

  “Aun’y Sissssy!” The little piping voice broke into their conversation, and the sisters turned in unison to grin at the energetic little boy running up to them.

  “Hello there, soldier boy!” Sadie laughed as she bent to scoop him up affectionately. “What’ve you been up to today?”

  “G’ma an’ G’ndad tuk me t’ the zooooo!” he squealed excitedly. “We saw t’ eeleeefants!”

  He made his arm look like the trunk of an elephant and he made a high booming kind of elephant like noise.

  “T’ey sownded jus’ lyke tat!” he declared triumphantly.

  “Did they really? It must have been awfully scary?”

  “Nooooo! G’ma sed I woz ‘big and brave’… jus’ lyke a so’ldjer bouy shud be!”

  “Good for you my little hero!” Sadie hugged him tight.

  “Mummy, mummy, mummy!” Pete indulged and returned his aunt’s affection for all of two seco
nds, before squirming and reaching across to his doting mother.

  Nancy took her little three year old son from her sister, and gave him her own hug.

  “That boy is going to grow up expecting everyone to hug him, every five minutes!” Rob mumbled dryly to his father in law.

  “Oh... only the females – I should think!” Peter senior corrected ruefully.

  “It won’t be long before he’s too big to be picked up and hugged; so we have to make the most of the opportunities that we have left!” Sandra Forester smiled at them.

  “Mum – dad!” Nancy called out lightly. “Thanks so much for looking after Pete today; I know that you’ve got things to sort out before you go off on that cruise of yours; but we never would have got half of it done with little Pete under foot!”

  “No problem, Nancy!” her mother smiled again. “It was nice to spend some quality time with him, before we go.”

  “Right then who’s up for a cuppa?” Sadie asked rubbing her hands together in a business-like manner.

  “Oh yessss pleeeease!” the small crowd chorused enthusiastically.

  The delivery men had just finished lugging in the last of the heavy furniture, and the lead man walked over with a wide grin.

  “Well that’s the last of it folks!” he declared with satisfaction.

  “Thanks so very much for – everything.” Rob stepped forward, pulling out his wallet as he walked with the man back to their large removal van.

  They watched as Rob handed over some cash, and the guy looked both surprised and very pleased.

  “Good luck in your new home folks! All the best and thanks very much!” The four man team all called out as they got themselves ready to depart.

  “I thought that we’d already paid them?” Nancy asked Rob as he re-joined them.

  “We have paid the firm… this was just a little something for the guys… for all the extra help they gave us today.”

  “Oh… right!” Nancy’s expression turned from blank to understanding, to downright mischievous. “Although I think that most of their help was more about Sadie’s sweet smiles, and general air of feminine helplessness!”

  “Well thanks very much – sis!” Sadie stood with her hands on her hips and a look of genuine outrage on her face. “And that’s what I get for all that lugging and unpacking…”

  Her grey eyes glittered, and her blond hair hung straight and golden down her back; and she looked absolutely delightful in her shabby cropped tee-shirt, and her faded and frayed blue jeans.

  “Well; I think that it’s more about your lack of height than anything else…” Rob tried to mollify her with a soothing grin.

  “My… the compliments are just oozing…” Sadie snapped although the glitter in her eyes was more about resigned humour, than anger... so she was short at only just five feet... did everyone have to keep going on about it?

  “Tea?” her father suddenly prompted brightly. “You did mention something about it – I’m sure that you did?”

  “Huh!” Sadie snapped as she stalked into her sister’s new kitchen.

  **

  “So we’ve talked it over with little Pete,” Nancy declared sitting down next to her sister. “And he’s dead excited about coming to sleep at your house...”

  “Yes, getting him settled for bed was almost impossible, until we promised to ask you to go up and say goodnight to him.” Rob grinned apologetically as he entered the room.

  Sadie laughed softly as she stood up enthusiastically. “I’ll be right back…”

  **

  Sadie spent the early part of the next week practically humming with excitement, as she worked through her day, doing her usually thorough and conscientious job, but with a marked increase in her vibrancy.

  Nick found his attention fixed on her more than usual, and as a consequence his irritability was more marked too.

  “Just when do you plan on finishing those documents, Ms Forester?”

  Sadie had been listening sympathetically to Marcy’s latest love woes, when his snidy voice sounded behind her.

  “I mean I’d hate to distract you from your obviously important, chit chat, but I did ask for those notes before the weekend,” he sneered nastily.

  “What? Oh of course, Mr Hargreaves – I’m just typing up the last of them now,” she stuttered at the unfairness of his attack, he’d only given her the documents this morning, and there was quite a heap! Obviously his business meeting, the previous weekend had not gone as well as he had hoped?

  He just scowled impatiently. “Well, as soon as they are done then, Ms Forester.”

  He turned and stalked off and everyone he passed gave him a wide berth as they looked at him slightly apprehensively.

  “So what do you think is eating at him?” Marcy asked almost in wonder.

  Sadie shrugged her shoulders impatiently. “What’s always eating at him?”

  *

  She switched off her computer and shrugged into her coat at dead on five o’clock on that Wednesday afternoon.

  Macy giggled at her obvious eagerness. “You look like you have plans?”

  Sadie gave her a quick grin. “Oh I most definitely have plans tonight and I really don’t want to be late for them!” she gave a wave as she sailed out of the office and out of the building without a backward glance.

  Nick watched as Sadie practically danced out to the car park.

  “Someone’s got a hot date!” he muttered in disapproval.

  It was only a Wednesday after all, surely she could have waited until Friday to go and let her hair down!

  He scowled irritably – Sadie had been different this week, all happy and excited – glowing!

  In his experience the only reason a woman of her age would be like that – was if she was in love – or pregnant!

  He turned away angrily and sat down to look through the documents that she had produced for him.

  He was looking for errors, caused by her obvious haste; but was almost sorry to find that her work was – as usual, faultless.

  He would not even admit to himself that her haste had been caused by his deliberate delay in handing her the notes. He could have given her to them yesterday lunch time, but had hung on to them until this morning.

  And telling her that he needed them by the end of today has also been – untrue, tomorrow afternoon would have been plenty soon enough!

  He thought again of how different she had seemed this week, almost like that first time he’d seen her.

  Across a crowded a room, he had seen the love of his life for the first time…

  He snorted angrily at the cliché, as he dismissed her from his mind – again!

  Chapter Two

  “I wan’ Billy!” Pete sobbed tiredly.

  “Where is Billy, sweetheart?” Sadie hugged the little boy to her as she searched around the little bedroom.

  “E’s at ‘ome on my bed!”

  Sadie had spent the past hour – and more, trying to get the little boy settled, but this was the finally straw.

  “Alright, Peteee!” she sighed in defeat. “Let’s go and get him.”

  She picked up Pete’s blanket and wrapped it around him, as she grabbed her keys, and bag and left her little house.

  It had been an afterthought to grab her own coat to cover her little nighty, and as she strapped the sleepy little boy into the car seat, she gave a little grateful shiver, thankful that she had.

  She had put the coat over her shoulders, but before she climbed behind the steering wheel, she pushed her arms into the sleeves, and tied the belt with a sharp tug.

  It was late by now; she thought to herself silently, so who was going to see her looking such a fright – with her, ‘seen better days’ bright pink slippers, and her ‘far too short’, but she’d always loved it – pale blue baby doll nighty, now all bunched up by her knee length grey mac, with the buttons undone but the belt tied tightly.

  Her face was bare of makeup and shiny from her moisturising cream, and her hair
was hanging down, tousled and messy.

  She did indeed look a complete fright, but she shrugged her shoulders philosophically and climbed into her car. No one would see her but little Pete, so what would it matter?

  It took just over fifteen minutes to reach her sister’s house, and as Sadie pulled into the driveway, she was glad that Nancy had thought to give her the spare key.

  “Just in case you need to pick up anything for Pete...” she had shrugged.

  She collected the dozing little boy from the back of her car, and scurried over to the front door. She had the key in her hand, and she knew that once she opened the door she would have just one minute to get over to the alarm, and deactivate it.

  This was no easy thing with her bag, the little boy and darkness – all to contend with.

  As it was, it gave a loud beeping noise just as she opened the panel, and frantically started thumping in numbers.

  The light flashed green, and silence descended and Sadie gave a little sigh of relief… which turned into a squeal of fright when someone suddenly thumped loudly on the front door.

  Sadie adjusted little Pete and walked over to the door, switching on the hall light as she went.

  “Yes?” she called out without bothering to open it. “What do you want?”

  “I’m the neighbour, I know that Rob and Nancy are away, so you’d better open the door and explain who you are, and what you’re doing here!” A deep masculine voice stated firmly.

  Sadie registered a faint prickling sensation as she slid the bolt across and pulled the door open.

  “I’m Nancy’s sister…” She began, only to stop dead as she looked up into the shocked face of Nicholas J Hargreaves MD – otherwise known as ‘the boss’!

  “You!” he spat out incredulously. “YOU are Nancy’s sister?” He looked truly confused. “But...it’s ‘aunty sissy’ that young Pete goes on about... It’s ‘aunty sissy’ who’s so wonderful!”

  Pete peered out at him sleepily. “Aunt’y Sissy!” he mumbled rubbing Sadie’s arm.

  “In the flesh!” Sadie sighed dryly. “Now if there’s nothing else…”

  “Why are you here?” he asked again determinedly.