Page 33 of The Accidental Nanny
“I’ve been doing some thinking. I know how responsible you are. How about you give me another few months, and we can rescue some bunnies. There are plenty out there that need a loving home, and I think we could do that.” I know I'm giving in to my own emotions, but Ace is so caring and needs something to love—something more than just me and his sister.
“Can I?” His whole face lights up.
“Yes, but we have to make sure the enclosure we get is big enough. You know bunnies can live for around ten years, right? Sometimes even longer. So, when you are a teenager, I don’t want you to lose interest. I mean, we will have to tell Eden one is hers, but I don’t think she will be bothered.”
Eden’s attention span is rather short, to her they will be something she will love for five minutes then forget about and that’s the difference between them. I trust Ace to care for and look after the rabbits.
“Can we get some older ones?” he asks. "They need homes, too."
“Of course.”
I know I am going to be the main person to look after them, but he needs this. I have the perfect spot in the garden where we can install a large rabbit shed and attach a big walk-in run. At least the garden is fenced off so they can run around.
I pry Ace away from the rabbits and take him to get some food. Something light before dinner, though I think I'm going to have to cook, as my mother hasn't prepared anything thatGemma can reheat. Ace orders a toasted sandwich, and even though I tell him to be careful that it's hot, he takes a big bite and makes "fa fa fa" noises as he holds his mouth open to cool it down.
I get Eden a stuffed bunny as a consolation prize for not spending the evening with us. I let Ace pick it out for her and give him the money to count out to pay for it.
Ace looks pleased with himself, then he spots a fake red rose. "We should get that for Gemma," he says.
"We'll take one red rose," I say, pulling out more money. I just hope Gemma doesn’t get the wrong idea.
CHAPTER NINE
Alex
We’re all back home by six. The girls show off their new, matching pink nails. Whilst Eden has hers just painted, Gemma seems to have some sort of tip on the edges of hers. Eden is warned that the colour would have to be removed before school tomorrow, which she isn't happy about. So, to try and cheer her up, we give her the new stuffed bunny. It calms things, if only a little.
The rose is sat in the bottom of the paper bag. Carefully taking it out, I give it to Gemma.
“For me?” She smiles. It’s as pretty as her.
Eden sees the rose and starts to cry. Gemma gives it over to my daughter who smells it and then discards almost as soon as she is handed it.
“What are we doing for dinner tonight?” Gemma asks me.
She jumps on the kitchen unit, grabbing an eating apple from the fruit bowl.Her long legs are crossed over each other. How short are her shorts?
“Let’s get the cookbook out. I’m sure we can make something. Kids, want to help with dinner?” I ask.
“Yes,” they shout in unison.
The four of us stand in the kitchen looking at a basic cookbook. Flicking through the pages, trying to find something we can make.
Ace leans over. “What are we making? I want lasa?—”
“No!” Gemma and I both say.
Ace’s face drops when he can't have what he wants. He has, at least, chirped up since our little outing.
“Let’s do something simple,” Gemma says.
I watch her as she flicks through the cookbook, her hair tied up in a bun. Her shorts are riding up her bum, revealing the curve of her ass cheek.
She stops at a page. “I like the idea of chicken pasta bake.”
I look at the image. It seems simple enough.
“I agree. Let’s do this!”
