‘You wouldn’t be here right now if you weren’t.’
‘Good, I’m glad about that, because I’m enjoying working for you.’ She paused. ‘When you’re not bawling me out that is.’
He looked across, worried, but when he saw that she was smiling, he felt a pang of relief. ‘Charlotte says I’m too hard, but I’m a perfectionist and I suppose I expect that in the people I work with.’
‘Well, you certainly keep me on my toes.’
They lapsed into silence until she spoke again. ‘So how old is Ben?’
‘He’s nine,’ Daniel said proudly.
‘And this competition he’s in. Athletics, you say?’
‘Yes, there’s only three of them from his school who’ve been picked for the county championships. He loves his sport.’
For the rest of the journey they chatted amicably, mainly about Ben, and before he knew it Daniel was turning off the motorway and heading for home.
* * *
Anna had thought the journey would be tiresome, having to sit so long next to someone who was a virtual stranger, but it had passed more quickly than she’d expected. She found she enjoyed talking to Daniel. When he wasn’t working he was much more relaxed. He was certainly besotted with Ben, who sounded like a lovely boy, but Anna wondered if Daniel was seeing him through the lens of a devoted father. And one who was trying to make up for the fact that he was no longer a full-time dad. She only hoped Ben turned out to be as nice as Daniel said he was. She wonderedwhat he would think of her coming to stay. Even though this was purely a working relationship, would he resent her for being there on a weekend, when it should be just him and his dad? But if he did, there was nothing she could do about it. She was here to work because Daniel had asked her, so Daniel would have to deal with any repercussions.
Daniel turned the car into the picturesque village just outside of Chester and she almost gasped in wonder as they headed down the tiny main street. It was completely chocolate-box, with a smattering of brick cottages, a few shops, a church and even a village green.
‘Oh, this place is beautiful,’ she said as Daniel slowed to let another car pass.
‘I grew up in a similar village in Sussex,’ he said. ‘Back then I thought it incredibly dull and boring, and I couldn’t wait to escape to the city, but now I can see the appeal of villages like these.’
‘I’ve always lived in London,’ Anna said. ‘I didn’t know places like this actually existed. I thought they were just made up on a film set.’
She wondered if she would get any time to take some photographs — she could picture the shots in her mind. Photos of a countryside village would contrast perfectly to the ones she’d taken of the urban landscape.
They continued on through the village and out the other side, travelling along a winding country lane, until eventually Daniel indicated and turned into a small driveway that was blocked by a set of wrought-iron gates. He reached for a remote in the centre console, pressed it and slowly the gates began to swing open. Further down the driveway, which was flanked by lawns, was a huge white house. Anna could hardly believe this was Daniel’s second home. Most people, herself included, would give their eye teeth to have this as their first home.
Daniel stopped the car in front of the house and looked at his watch.
‘We’re a bit pushed for time. I need to pick Ben up and go straight to the athletics track. We’ll drop our stuff off and I can quickly show you round if you want to stay here. Or . . .’ He paused. ‘You could always come with us.’
‘Erm, I . . .’ She didn’t much fancy being in a strange house on her own, waiting for them to come back. ‘Would Ben mind if I tagged along?’
‘God, no.’ Daniel laughed. ‘One more person to cheer him on. He’ll love it.’
‘Then I’d love to come,’ she said.
Anna stayed in the car while Daniel grabbed their bags from the boot and put them in the hallway, then got back in the car.
‘Let’s go then,’ he said, and she could tell that he was dying to be with his son. She decided that, over the weekend, she would stay out of the way as much as possible so that she didn’t encroach on their time together.
She had a smattering of nerves as she waited in the car for Daniel to collect Ben from school, but she needn’t have worried. Ben jumped into the back of the car, thrust his hands between the front seats, leaned forward and said, ‘Hello, Anna. I’m Ben.’
Although surprised, she took his outstretched hand in hers and shook it. ‘Hello, Ben, it’s nice to meet you.’
Daniel put Ben’s belongings in the boot. ‘Dad said you work with him?’ Ben asked.
‘That’s right. We’ve got a bit of work to do this weekend, but I’ll try not to let it interfere too much with your weekend with your dad.’
‘That’s okay.’ He smiled. ‘I’ve got loads of homework to do. Dad’s rubbish at homework, so maybe you could help me if you’ve got time?’
She grinned at how easily he had accepted her. ‘Well, I don’t know if I’ll be any better than your dad, but I’m certainly willing to try.’
