Unsuitable

“You’re lying.”

“You’re spying.” Les put her hands on her hips. “You have non-standard apps on your desktop.”

“Are you going to dob on me?”

“I didn’t go. Why would I go? He was only messing with me. That’s what a man who looks like Polly does with a woman who looks like me.”

Audrey lifted a hand and pointed to the corridor. “Out.”

Les sighed with great fanfare. “Okay, I went. I put proper going out on a Saturday night clothes on. I put makeup on. I did my hair. I looked awesome. I went to the pub and he was surrounded by all these glamazon women. He looked right at me and didn’t register I wasn’t a doorknob.”

Oh no. Audrey grimaced. Why had she pushed this with Les if not to use her to work out her aggression after the encounter with Chris, and that was evil. “You were basically wearing a tent when he saw you, what did you expect?” She winched inwardly because she was still feeling antsy and Les was too convenient a punching bag.

“I expect to have a nice time when I stay home with a movie and corn chips. I expect men like Polly to look through me, or around me, or over my head. Bad enough it happens at work, it’s guaranteed to happen socially. I don’t expect to be remembered, and I don’t know why I thought breaking that habit was a good idea.” Les looked at her shoes. “I felt like an idiot. I saw Reece and Sky but they didn’t see me and Faux Mo was having a wonderful time. Should’ve seen his take on Bon Jovi. I was the one living on a prayer, Aud. Now tell me why you have vision of your own lounge room on your desktop.”

It was the least she could do. She beckoned Les around the desk. “It’s a nanny cam program. I had Lin from IT install it for me, so it’s not exactly authorised as standard build, but he owed me one.”

Les peered at Audrey’s empty lounge room displayed on the screen. “You are spying. I knew it. You’re a stalking, spying, distrustful mother fusser.”

“You make that sound like a bad thing.” It was hard not to laugh, but that would only encourage Les.

“Are you going to tell?”

“If I do that, then it’s not spying, it’s a performance piece.”

Les frowned. “I guess I can get with that. So long as I can watch.”

“Don’t you have any work to do? Besides, there’s nothing to see.”

Les perched on the desk. “In this room, go to the kitchen.”

It wasn’t a phone call, but if Mia was in the kitchen in range of the camera hidden in the smoke alarm, it would be the next best thing. Audrey clicked the nanny cam program and they caught a quick glimpse of Mia running across the screen. Audrey toggled the menu and there was Mia in the lounge room in front of the TV. She fumbled for the sound and they heard Mia say. “Wiggle time.” She was already dancing. It was one of her most favourite things. She had Wiggle time before lunch most days with Cameron.

“Oh so sweet,” Les said, and then she said, “that’s very sweet too,” when Reece walked onto the screen.

He bent in front of the TV to start the video. They got arm with bulging bicep and a close up on his jaw and throat as he loomed too close to the hidden camera. He wore a blue t-shirt and faded blue jeans. He wore socks and so did Mia. Mia moved from foot to foot, fluffing the skirt on her fairy dress. She was excited and Audrey felt an immediate pang of relief. Mia wasn’t missing Cameron and she’d survived half a day with Reece. Four and a bit hours in, and she felt vindicated she’d done the right thing hiring him.

“Are we going to dance?” Reece said.

“Yes. Do the propeller,” Mia answered.

“Is that like crumping?” said Les, as the music started, a simple regular up-tempo beat, soft rock and roll toddler style.

Mia’s hips moved as if she had a hoola hoop. Her arms were out and she waved her hands. Audrey was transfixed. She knew about this, but she’d never seen it. It wasn’t part of her routine on the weekends.

Les clapped. “Shake it, Mia.”

And then Reece moved in front of the camera again. They said, “Oh my God,” together as he did the propeller too, a looser, more artful, hip shifting, knee shaking, rhythmic version. Good Lord, the man could move. He rocked side to side, arms held out elbows rotating propeller style, big gorgeous smile on his face. He was utterly in the moment.

“Oh my God,” she repeated. Her mouth was dry. Her new nanny was impossibly sexy doing a stupid kid’s dance. Not that he was playing it that way. He danced like a man who thought his only company was a delighted three year old in a fairy outfit. He danced with no self-consciousness and total joy, and he laughed and so did Mia, the two of them hip shaking, elbow twisting, and hand waving along with The Wiggles. Reece even did the, oh yeahs, in the right place.

“I think I drooled on your desk,” said Les.

They got to the part of the song where the lyrics talked about the plane going up, up, up, then down, down, down, and Reece and Mia stood side by side, the huge man and the tiny fairy girl partnering perfectly. This was death by adorable. It made Audrey’s throat go tight.

“What are you two doing?”

She looked up to see her team assistant, Claire in the doorway. “Nothing. I thought you’d be gone longer.” She moved to shut the nanny cam down, but Les blocked her hand.