A Safe Pair of Hands

by Ann Corbett

  She turned away from him, ready to march out of this horrendous place, but her gaze fell on Nick, who had stood listening to them.

  He looked at the broken desolate man, and the beautiful, bitch.

  He looked at her with such loathing, that Sadie thought that she might throw up.

  She fled the club, the men, and the nightmare, and she never stepped foot in that place again.

  Chapter Five

  Nick opened her front door, to the faint glow of the almost dawn.

  He looked back at a tired and drained Sadie.

  “What are you plans for today?” he asked.

  Sadie shrugged. “It’s still very early... I can maybe grab a couple of hours sleep, and then I will need to sort Pete out, and drop him off at day care, and then come in to work.”

  Nick shook his head. “Get some sleep and sort out Pete, but I don’t want to see you back at work until... Monday.”

  Sadie felt the tears well up at the idea that she would not see him for four whole days.

  He leaned down suddenly, and kissed her lightly on the cheek.

  “I’m giving you the time off Sadie, so go out and treat yourself, rest, relax, and do something that you will really enjoy.”

  ‘But spending time with you, would be the thing that I would most enjoy!’ she blinked up at him tiredly, and saw the tired lines in his own face.

  “Okay... boss,” she whispered with a ghost of a smile.

  Some emotion flickered briefly in his eyes, but then his lips curled into a grin. “Good girl!” he stepped across the threshold and looked at her firmly. “Now close the door, and let me hear the lock.”

  Sadie thought that it was one of the hardest things that she ever had to do, closing that door in Nick’s face.

  But she did it.

  She dropped the catch and turned the lock, and then looked through the spy hole, as Nick continued to stand there for a moment longer.

  He stood staring at the door, and then slowly he held a hand out as if to stroke the wooden panel. He mouthed something, but the door was too thick for her to hear what he said, and the spy hole was just too small to be able to read his lips.

  He stood there for a moment more, with a lost look on his face, before a sudden grin lit it up once more, he turned on his heel and marched away – with a determined stride and a confident set to his shoulders, that for some reason excited Sadie immensely.

  She went to bed, and fell asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow. A deep dreamless sleep that, even though it was only for a couple of hours, it left her feeling refreshed and energised; and more alive than she had felt for years.

  *

  Nick arrived back at his home on the Thursday teatime and felt a jolt of disappointment when he found the driveway next door empty.

  He had hoped to see Sadie’s car parked outside next door’s house, and had already settled in his mind his reason for ‘popping round’ – just to see how she was coping, and yes he would love to stay for a drink, and maybe they could share a takeaway, and spend the evening together, with little Pete as a sort of chaperone…

  Now none of that could happen – because she wasn’t there!

  He felt a knot of annoyance tighten his gut, and grunted with frustration that he didn’t even know where Sadie lived.

  She was his employee, her address would be on file at the office; he had every right to go and look it up.

  “Fool!” he snapped impatiently, “Always trying to run before you can walk!”

  He took a couple of deep breaths as he entered his home. ‘After everything that she had been through, she would not want him to go and rush her into another relationship.’

  He would need to take things slow and steady, give her time to get to know him – and never mind the fact that he had been her boss for the past year, he wanted her to know him – the man… he wanted her to love him – the way that he had once thought that she would.

  When she had looked across that crowed club and seen him for the first time. Her face had lit up; she had smiled at him almost as if to say, ‘I know you!’

  He wanted her to look at him like that again.

  **

  “Yes, Nancy; Pete is fine – I’m just not sure how well he’ll settle at my place,” Sadie was telling her sister.

  “But, Sadie; he’s got to fit in with you. We hoped that you having him, would be as problem free as possible…” Nancy fretted.

  “And he has been, honestly, Nance’, little Pete has been fun, and as good as gold, but I’m wondering if keeping him in own bed – would just be easier for him in the long run?”

  Nancy sighed down the phone. “Well I don’t know, Sadie, but I will let you make the final decision, if you want to move across to our house – if you think that would be best, well then you do that… I’m just sorry for the disruption to you is all!”

  “It’s no trouble… honest, I don’t mind, and it’s just as easy to get Pete to day-care from your house, as it is from mine.”

  Pete was sitting on her living room floor, and scribbling on some paper with some coloured pencils.

  “Hey, Pete,” Sadie said brightly, “Why don’t you come and say hiya to mummy?”

  His little face lit up with excitement, as he clambered up onto Sadie’s lap, and grabbed the phone from her.

  “Mummy, mummy,” he chirped, “Aun’y Sissy, tuck me to deycarre t’day, an’ she fetched me tooooo!”

  He sat listening for a moment and then glanced across at Sadie uncertainly. “Gud buoy?” he asked.

  Sadie smiled as she mussed his hair affectionately. “Yes, you’ve been a very good boy!”

  His little face split into a wide grin, “Yus! Been Berry gud!”

  **

  “So what da ya say, little man?” Sadie asked brightly, “Your house – or my house?”

  Pete had just said good night to his mummy, and was looking a little forlorn.

  He gave Sadie a seriously, thoughtful look for a moment, which belied his tender years; and then patted her arm reassuringly. “Miy hhuse!”

  Sadie grinned back at him as she hugged him tight. “Right you are; your house and your bed – it is!”

  And she wouldn’t even admit it to herself; why that pleased her so much.

  **

  Nick had just stepped out of the shower, when he heard the car pull into next door’s drive way.

  He didn’t even have to look out of the window to know that that was Sadie’s car.

  His heartbeat told him that it was her, as it missed a beat then doubled its rhythm as if to make up for that omission.

  He dried off quickly and pulled on black jeans and a pale blue sweater, wanting to feel comfortable this evening.

  He wanted to dash over there, but deliberately slowed himself down.

  “Let her get in there first!” he muttered to himself, “Let her sort herself out, and little Pete – don’t stress her out, by being impatient.”

  Sadie had pulled into the driveway and took in a couple of bags, and switched off the alarm quickly – before running back out to collect little Pete.” She could not stop herself from glancing across to Nick’s house, but it was still quite light and so there were no lights on anywhere to say whether or not he was home.

  His garage doors were shut as well, so she could not see whether his car was in there or not, because it certainly wasn't on the driveway.

  She closed the front door behind her and dropped the catch.

  “Now why don’t you sit there, and carry on drawing for a bit, while I put these things away,” she smiled at the little boy as she sat him at the kitchen table.

  Pete nodded happily as she put his paper and crayons on the table in front of him.

  “‘Kkaiy!” he chirped.

  She put the kettle to boil and then put away the few foodstuffs, in the fridge and the cupboards.

  The kettle had just switched off when the doorbell peeled loudly.

  “Now I wonder who that could be?
!” Sadie whispered dramatically to Pete as she ignored her heart’s sudden quickening. Pete giggled as she swept him up. “Shall we go and see?” she asked.

  He nodded enthusiastically. “YUP!”

  Sadie settled Pete onto her hip as she peered through the spy hole.

  “Oh my!” she whispered shakily, as she saw the man standing waiting out on the porch.

  He did look good through that little peephole, and Sadie just knew that when she opened the door to her boss, then he would look even better in the flesh.

  She shifted Pete again as she unlocked the front door and slowly opened it.

  “Hi there!” Nick greeted them both brightly. “How’s it all going?”

  Sadie felt the colour flood her cheeks as his warm eyes travelled the length of her.

  “Nik Nik!” Pete cried out happily as he reached his little arms out to him.

  Sadie felt that she had no choice as she relinquished the little boy to her boss and stepped back.

  “Why don’t you come inside,” she laughed helplessly.

  “Thank you – I’ll do that!” Nick stepped over the threshold with little Pete and kicked the door shut with his foot.

  “Coffee?” she asked hospitably.

  “Yes, please.”

  He followed her into the kitchen, still holding a chattering Pete.

  “An’ it went, whhhhoooooosh!” Pete waved his arms around as though to emphasise the point.

  “What is he going on about?” Nick asked in bafflement, and Sadie laughed again.

  “I took him to the shops before we came here, and he had a go in one of their… kiddie rides?”

  “Yeah, it woz a spaeseshhhuppppp!”

  “Ahhh!” Nick grinned as he sat down at the kitchen table.

  He sat with Pete on his lap – and watched Sadie as she put mugs ready for their coffee, and boiled the water, and so on. The kettle clicked off almost as soon as she switched it on, so the water must have already been hot.

  “Did you have a good day off?” he asked quietly.

  Sadie turned around and looked at him a little apprehensively. “Was I missed at all? Was poor Marcy swamped?”

  “What? No… no, I had one of the girls come up from the general offices, and she gave Marcy a hand with any work that came in.” he soothed. Although in truth; Sadie had been missed – by him! “No, we were fine; I was just enquiring as to whether you had a good day?”

  Her look of worry gradually eased and she smiled a little hesitantly. “Yes… I did have a very nice day, thank you.”

  He returned her smile warmly. “Good, I am glad.”

  The kettle had already clicked off and so Sadie turned away again to sort out their drinks.

  She was feeling very flustered around Nick tonight, but she was running out of reasons to delay joining him at the kitchen table.

  And Nick sat with little Pete on his lap and stared at Sadie hungrily.

  “Have you eaten yet?” her question came without her turning to look at him, but still he felt a little disconcerted.

  Almost as if she had seen his look and misread the reason for it.

  “As a matter of fact, no I haven't,” he said as casually as he could. “I actually thought about ordering out, and was wondering if you and little Pete here would like to join me?”

  She placed the mugs on the table, but well out of the way of the energetic, often unpredictable, little boy.

  Sadie smiled as she sat down across from them. “We would love to join you for some dinner, thank you.”

  Nick was distracted by little Pete, suddenly reaching out a hand to touch his chin. Or at least that was what he wanted Sadie to believe. In truth, when she smiled at him like that, he found that he could not think straight, that his imagination kicked in and he saw them as a done deal; with this being their home, and their family.

  He had to keep telling himself that although his feelings for her had not changed since the very first moment he set eyes on her, three years ago; she was still getting used to knowing Nick the man – rather than Nicholas J Hargreaves MD and her boss.

  He could see the slight bewilderment in her eyes from time to time as she tried to catch up with the change in their relationship.

  That their relationship had changed – was a given, and Nick had absolutely no intention of letting things slip back into that cold and impersonal way that they had been dealing with each other.

  He knew that he had to tread cautiously with her, but he was determined to see this thing between them play out… play out the way that it should have played out three years ago!

  Chapter Six

  They ordered pizza and side dishes and when the food arrived, they ate the mini feast at Nancy's kitchen table.

  It was a fun meal, little Pete was in his element and Nick, seemed to be having the time of his life with the little boy.

  Sadie sat smiling across at them, with a slightly wistful little twinkle in her grey eyes, that had Nick's heart flipping in his chest every time that he so much as glanced at her.

  *

  “I'll just get Pete settled down for the night,” Sadie said later that evening.

  They had cleared up the remains of their feast, and whilst Pete had sat at the table drawing happily, the two adults has washed and dried the plates, and things.

  It was now seven thirty and little Pete had been yawning tiredly for the past five minutes or so.

  She scooped him up into her arms, but hesitated before leaving the room. “Thank you for our tea,” she said uncertainly, “but if you want to leave, then…”

  Nick smiled easily. “I've no plans for this evening at all, so if you wouldn't mind some company for a little while longer, well than I could always put the kettle on?”

  Sadie smiled back in relief, but she shook her head as well. “I think that there is a bottle of wine in the fridge. I would rather have a glass that.”

  Nick's smile widened. “That's sounds like a good idea.”

  It took Sadie a little over ten minutes to get Pete bathed and ready for bed, and by the time his head touched his pillow he was almost asleep.

  She sat on the edge of his bed, stroking his hair tenderly for a few moments, wanting to make sure that he was fully asleep before she left him.

  His eyes flickered beneath his lids, and he sucked in a little breath and blew it out again quickly, but when Sadie stood up, he didn't even stir.

  She popped into the spare bedroom, which she was using whilst she stayed here, and tidied her hair, and sprayed on a little more perfume. She dabbed her nose with a little powder, wanting to take away the shine, and then after looking herself over critically for a moment, she gave a little shrug of her shoulders and then walked back down the stairs.

  Nick had drawn the curtains, and switched on a couple of Nancy's lamps, giving the living room a warm cosy feeling.

  And there was the gentle sound of music coming from the corner of the room.

  When she looked at Nick questioningly he gave a little shrug and rueful smile.

  “I thought that it would be more relaxing,” he said almost defensively, as he held up the glass of white wine to her.

  Sadie settled on the sofa beside him and sighed happily.

  “Oh yes, I quite agree with you,” she smiled gratefully as she took the glass from him.

  It was a very calm and soothing atmosphere, and Nick took pains to make sure it stayed that way.

  He chatted lightly to her, telling her about his day, and of course she was able to ask knowledgeable questions, due to the fact that she worked there too.

  And she was genuinely interested.

  Once again he was reminded of the first time that they met, before Rick had come striding in and ruined things for them.

  He found his anger brewing again as he thought of that other man and the way that he had treated this woman.

  But his anger ran deeper for himself, because he had been so ready to believe the worst of her.

  All these months,
he had been around her, and he had been blind to how wonderful she truly was. He would have to make it up to her, find some way to apologise.

  He remembered how she had looked yesterday, when the blinkers had finally been removed, and he had begun to question his certainties.

  Seeing her there holding little Pete, with her coat all askew, and those old and battered slippers on her feet, the aunt who the little boy so blatantly adored.

  “It's getting late,” he said abruptly, as he stood up suddenly. “I should be going,”

  Sadie had been sitting, daydreaming and Nick's sudden decision to leave, left her feeling bewildered for a moment.

  “What? Oh, okay,” she murmured as she blinked up at him with those amazing grey eyes of hers.

  She came to her feet, to see him out, but Nick suddenly seemed as though he was glued to the spot.

  They stood very close together, so that she could feel the heat that he generated, she could smell the faint soap, and the aftershave that he wore.

  She could feel the warmth of his breath as it fanned her hair, as he towered over her.

  Sadie gave a helpless little shiver, he was just so close, so touchable.

  “Sadie?” Nick murmured as his finger gently tilted her chin.

  The feel of his hand as she lifted her eyes to his once more, made the crystal clear, turn smoky grey – almost a blatant invitation to him.

  Nick gave a soft groan, as he took her in his arms, and slowly and gently put his lips to hers.

  Their first kiss!

  Sadie's mouth opened a little as his lips moved against hers, and Nick felt the warmth of her breath, and had a need to taste her.

  Hi tongue gently and slowly entered, and moved to caress her mouth, touching the tip of her tongue, and then withdrawing again quickly.

  “I really should be going!” he said again gruffly as he stepped away from her.

  Sadie looked up at him in bemusement – right at that moment she wanted him so badly, and he was leaving her!

  He read her expression so easily and the temptation was there to move back in and to continue – to finish what they had just started.

  She wanted it too! He could clearly see it, could see that she wanted him, almost as much as he wanted her.