Page 5 of Now and Again

Riley knew she had but seconds before the headphones went on. She had to make the most of them. ‘You’re a control freak twat, Nick!’ she yelled through the door. ‘That’s why you’re doing things like this! Because you can’t handle someone saying no to you! That’s not normal! And you know what? I hope the next flatmate is as anal as you so you can find out how fucking annoying you are.AndI hope they turn out to be a serial killer who murders you in your sleep with a knife you’re only meant to use on a Wednesday! But, but… on a Tuesday!’ she finished, panting from the exertion of having to come up with a high-speed insult that would cut to the bone. She wasn’t sure she’d nailed it.

Once she’d caught her breath, she realised she was homeless. What the hell was she going to do about that?

Three

Juliet crossed her legs one way and then the other - trying to remember which way was the official direction you were supposed to fold your legs in a job interview - while the woman in front of her, Amanda, had a glance down Juliet’s CV. Amanda’s house was big, swish, fancier than Helen’s, in a posher district, Westover. That intimidated Juliet somewhat, but she was trying not to let it seep out.

Amanda was about thirty-five, and she bore all the hallmarks of the exhausted mother. Hasty ponytail, bags under eyes, small jammy handprints on her trousers. Helen had looked like this when Juliet had met her; when Max was still in nappies.

As Amanda nodded at the page, Juliet realised she’d fallen asleep.

Juliet didn’t know what to do. Part of her wanted to let the woman sleep. But in the end, she knew the longer this went on, the more embarrassing it would become. She coughed into her hand, but Amanda didn’t move. Juliet tried again, quite loudly. Amanda started and fell sideways off her chair. ‘My leg!’ she yelled as she slid onto the floor. Juliet jumped up and grabbed her hand, helping her up. Amanda looked up at her in utter mortification. ‘My leg fell asleep. I did too, didn’t I?’

Juliet smiled as she helped her back onto her chair. ‘It happens.’

‘During job interviews?’

‘Your daughter is two and a half, right? Yeah, seems about right,’ Juliet said with a light laugh. ‘The last mum I worked for fell asleep on a treadmill once. Hit the wall behind her and put a hole in it.’

‘Does it get better?’ Amanda asked, slight desperation in her tone.

‘Yes. The golden age is about three, so you’re not even that far away from it. Plus, it’ll be much easier once you get a nanny.’ She paused. ‘Did that sound a bit pushy?’

Amanda laughed. ‘Not at all. You’ve already got the job, anyway.’

Juliet gasped. ‘I have!?’

‘Yes, of course. Even if you didn’t have bags of experience, you come very highly recommended. Someone I used to work with knows Helen, and she told him you were a godsend. In fact, she said she nearly didn’t go to Canada because she didn’t want to let you go.’

‘That’s really nice. She was a lovely boss,’ Juliet said sincerely, fighting back a blush. She had to text Helen her thanks later. She was currently on a flight with the kids, headed for their new life. It had been a tough goodbye yesterday. Juliet was still processing her grief, but she was dealing with it, moving on. Right into a new job, apparently.

‘So, do you think you might be interested in looking after Mia?’

‘Oh, err-’

‘What am I saying? You probably want to meet her first!’ Amanda said, rolling her eyes at herself. She got up and walked out. Juliet was left to infer she was to follow, and she hopped up and trotted out of the large living room, through the open-plan kitchen, out into a rather gigantic garden, easily a couple of acres. There was an outdoor pool with a security gate around it.

On the decking, a little girl played with a tea set and a collection of teddy bears while a middle-aged man sat with his laptop nearby, his brow creased in concentration.

‘Mike?’ Amanda called over to the man. He didn’t look up. ‘Yeah?’

‘Juliet’s here.’

Mike finally looked up and frowned. ‘Who?’

‘The nanny I told you about.’

Mike looked up. ‘Oh, right.’ He closed his laptop with regret and stood. He walked over, shoving a brusque hand out. ‘Mike.’

Juliet shook his hand, thinking there was something faintly familiar about Mike. ‘Juliet.’

‘And this is Mia,’ Amanda said, picking the little girl up and wrenching her away from her play. ‘Teddy!’ she screamed. Amanda sighed and put her straight back down, and she went back to serving the toy its imaginary tea. ‘Well, she’s a bit busy right now. But…’

Juliet nodded. ‘She has tea to pour, I understand.’

Mike coughed loudly, and everyone turned to him. ‘You got the kid?’ he asked Juliet. ‘Because I need to make a few calls.’

Juliet gaped. ‘Oh, err, I…’

---