The Nanny Part 47

"Thank you."

Jo led her friend to the kitchen table.

"Tea? Coffee?" she asked.

"I'm fine thanks," said Sheila.

"Didn't ask how you were," said Jo automatically. Sheila didn't laugh. She didn't even smile. Jo clicked the kettle off, left the flowers in the sink, and sat down at the kitchen table with Sheila.

"I've got some news," said Sheila eventually.

"What's happened?"

"I'm engaged."

Jo's eyes widened with surprised relief.

"That's wonderful!" she cried.

"It's going to be a June wedding," said Sheila.

"Wow! That was quick."

"Not really," said Sheila. "When you know he's the one, you know."

"Do you?" sighed Jo. "You lucky thing."

"Anyway," said Sheila. "We've known each other for ages. Only as friends for years but..." she took a deep breath..."we had a couple of flings, but nothing serious. We were both with other people at the time."

Jo nodded.

"But it became serious last month."

"Great."

"When you left."

"Oh."

"Because you left."

Jo frowned at Sheila. "Oh dear," she said. "Was I stopping you from something...?" And then ran out of things to say.

Sheila finally lifted her eyes and Jo was looking at the personification of pity.

"Don't be upset, Jo," whispered Sheila.

"Why would I be upset? I'm delighted for you."

"We didn't mean to hurt you."

"You haven't! I don't know what the h.e.l.l you're talking about."

Sheila sighed and tossed her hair back.

"Shaun...Casey...and I are getting married in June," she said very slowly and clearly. "Shaun. Your Shaun. Well. Actually, my Shaun. Shaunie. He asked me as soon as he'd finished with you."

Jo went cold.

"He didn't finish with me," she monotoned.

"Yes, he did, Jo," said Sheila, her voice softening and her head tilting on every word. "You just didn't notice."

"He proposed to me again, Shee," Jo said.

"Because he knew you'd say no." Sheila's apologetic tone was getting firmer. "I helped him make up his speech: 'I'm not going to propose again. Except this one last time, blah blah blah.' Sound familiar?"

Jo lost feeling in her face.

"I was the one who decided which restaurant he should take you to," continued Sheila softly.

"But that was where we had our first date," whispered Jo.

Sheila nodded. "I know," she said. "I thought that might be more romantic."

Jo could hear blood pumping through her ears. "What do you mean you had a couple of flings?" she managed.

"Oh nothing serious," said Sheila. "You know, under the mistletoe, the odd party here and there-"

Jo held her hand over her mouth.

"Oh G.o.d, sorry, Jo. I didn't think you'd care this much. To be honest I thought you'd be relieved he was so happy. It would be awful if he was heartbroken, wouldn't it? Our Shaunie?"

Jo tried to nod. Her mind couldn't keep up with the altered reality being offered to her. It was so surreal.

"Shaunie wasn't convinced though," continued Sheila. "He said we shouldn't tell you for a while, but I said we had no choice. The invitations are going out next week. I didn't think it would be fair for you to be the last to know."

"He proposed four times, Shee," whispered Jo, wiping tears off her chin.

"I know," said Sheila, "I was furious."

Jo frowned a question.

"Well of course!" said Sheila. "There he was getting off with me at every opportunity while pretending to be serious with you. It was shocking behavior." She gave a little laugh. "I'm really very cross with him."

"I thought you said the odd party?"

"Well." Sheila shrugged. "There were a lot of parties. And a lot of mistletoe. It was six years."

"But why? Why not just finish with me?"

"Well I think he got rather attached to you really. I mean, you're very nice. And of course, it did his male ego no end of good. I remember telling him once that for all we knew you and James were two-timing us at the same time." She smiled. "We had a bit of a laugh at that."

"Two-timing? I thought you said it was just the odd fling?"

"Oh, whatever. The point is-"

"Does James know about this?"

"Oh yes," said Sheila easily. "He's always known. In fact, I was with Shaun before him. How do you think I met James? Actually, I thought you might have guessed from that; you know, thought it was too much of a coincidence. Anyway, James was more than happy with the arrangement. He wanted a girlfriend who was never going to push him into any commitment. In fact, he's going to be our best man." She sighed. "D'you know? I think I would like that cup of tea, now I think about it."

"But you hated Shaun!"

"Oh, that was his idea." Sheila yawned. She finished her yawn. "Oh, excuse me! Bit of a late night last night. Yes, we had to pretend we both hated each other so you wouldn't catch on."

"But he really hated you!"

"Well," Sheila stiffened. "Actually...I suppose I might as well tell you. I wasn't going to, but it might explain things a bit better: he'd already got off with me at Melanie Blacksmith's party and Philippa Fuller's party and Matt Wright's party that summer you were away in Norfolk with your folks-gosh, nearly seven years ago now. It was before he even met you."

"He met me at kindergarten."

"You know what I mean. Once he found out we were friends-"

"Best friends-"

"Yeah, he asked a lot about you. Said you were his first ever crush at school and it was every man's dream to actually...well, you know...I think the word he used was 'screw' the first girl you ever fancied. That was when I knew he was going to make a play for you. And, then because you're so...well, because you're so..." She stopped short. "Hmmm...how shall I put this?"

Sheila paused, trying to find the best way to put it.

"Tactlessly?" suggested Jo.

Sheila skipped a beat before continuing. "I suppose straitlaced is a nice way to put it, he had to date you-for a considerable while, as I recall-to screw you, and before he knew it, he was dating one of his most bullish employee's daughters, the whole neighborhood knew, blah blah blah. And so." She shrugged helplessly. "Right from the start, we had to pretend. It's such a relief to be honest after all this time, I can't tell you."

Jo tried to speak, but her body sank onto the kitchen table and spoke for her. Sheila got up and came and put her hand on Jo's shoulder, but Jo jerked away. Sheila stood for a moment.

"I understand," she soothed. "I really do."

"Paper towel," sniffed Jo into her sleeve.

Sheila rushed to the roll and tore some off for Jo. Jo blew her nose and, surprisingly, felt a little better.

"I'd better go," said Sheila.

Jo blew again. "You think?" she said.

"I'm sorry, Jo."

"Yeah, right."

Sheila turned to go. As she reached the kitchen door, Jo called her name. Sheila turned slowly round.

"Yes?"

They looked at each other for a while.

"When did you stop liking me?" Jo asked.

Sheila looked impatient. "This isn't about you," she said. "It's not even about you and me. It's about me and Shaunie. You just happened to be in the cross fire. No one meant to hurt you."

Jo looked at the paper towel in her hand.

"When did you stop liking me?" she repeated.

After a pause, Sheila just shrugged.

Jo nodded, exhausted.

"We're going to have Shaunie's nieces as bridesmaids," said Sheila quietly. "I know we always said we'd be each other's-"

"Just go."

Jo managed a wry laugh at Sheila's nerve, which, once the front door clicked shut, turned into a choked sob.

Meanwhile, Josh had stopped at the traffic lights on Niblet-upon-Avon High Street and was staring, baffled, at a map. Unfortunately, the map was upside down and the lights were green. He turned the map the right way up. Nope. No clearer. It had obviously been drawn by people who wanted Niblet-upon-Avon to stay unspoiled by tourists. He looked up from it and found himself gazing at green lights. With a jump, he glanced in his rearview mirror and saw a man in a hat at the wheel of the car behind. The man waved. Bemused, Josh drove on. It was like a different country. Then he pulled into a side road and took out his mobile phone.

Jo was hunched over the kitchen table, head buried in her arms. Every time she thought she was feeling better, a stab of fury, humiliation, and pain hit her again, and she heard a strangled sound that seemed to emanate from deep within her. When her mobile phone rang, she supported her head in her hands. When it occurred to her that it might be Shaun, she picked it up.

"h.e.l.lo?" she said, her voice thick with tears.

"b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l," said Pippa. "You sound awful."

"That's nothing." Jo started sobbing again. "You should see how I look."

"What the h.e.l.l's happened?"

"Shaun was two-timing me!" wept Jo.

"What?"

"With Sheila."

"Oh my G.o.d," breathed Pippa through Jo's crying. "Do you want me to come and see you?"

Jo nodded into the phone. "No thanks," she sniffed. "I don't think I could take seeing anyone right now. I-I can't take it all in."

"Would you like Nick to come and beat Shaun to a pulp?"

"No." Jo managed a smile. "Maybe he could mess Sheila's face up a bit though."