Just for Now (20 page)

“How’ve you found it, other than that?” Sarah asked. “Sounds
like a dead bore to me. How does my baby brother rate as an employer? Besides
eating so much. Didn’t realize that was such an attractive trait.”

 “I realize it may not be everyone’s cup of tea,” Jenna
laughed, “but I do like it. I was born with an extra domesticity gene, I guess.
And it’s hard for me to imagine Finn as anyone’s baby brother. It sounds so
funny.”

“Well, I’m seven years older,” Sarah conceded with a grin.
“So I
do
remember when he was a baby. He didn’t come into the world
wearing those size fifteen boots. But come on now, tell me. How’re you going
with him?”

“Great. Although we didn’t start off too well, when I first
interviewed. He thought I was after his money. Or maybe it was his body.” Jenna
giggled, then slapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry. Getting a little too
relaxed here, I’m afraid.”

“Thought you were having a go, did he?” asked an amused
Sarah. “Not really that surprising. He may not be much in the looks department,
but he doesn’t actually break the looking glass. I know he’s had more than his
fair share of girls interested. It’s being an All Black, I reckon.”

“I didn’t mean . . . I wasn’t saying he wasn’t
good-looking,” Jenna said, horrified. “He’s very attractive. I mean,” she
stumbled, “I’m sure he does. That he has. Oh, dear.” She gave up. “I’m just
digging myself in deeper, aren’t I?”

Sarah laughed. “Yeh. You are. No worries.”

Interesting, Sarah thought as they entered the stadium.
She’d been suspicious when her mother had told her how often Finn had mentioned
Jenna’s name during his phone calls. And now that she’d met her, she was
definitely wondering.

“Nice,” Jenna told her as they found their seats in the
rapidly filling stands of the modern covered stadium. Sold out this evening,
she’d read, despite Dunedin’s small population. “Very comfortable, isn’t it?”

“It is now,” Sarah agreed. “But it used to be known as the
House of Pain, before the new stadium was built a few years ago. Because the
ground was so shocking to play on. And because the Highlanders, including Finn
then, were famous for dealing out a good hiding to teams unfortunate enough to
come down here to play. Still hoping for a good hiding tonight, of course.”

“I noticed that the crowd’s pretty lopsided,” Jenna agreed.

“Nothing Kiwis like better than dealing to the Convicts,”
Sarah agreed with satisfaction. “Not even beating the Poms.”

They stood and cheered with the rest of the crowd as the All
Blacks ran out onto the field behind Finn. Jenna’s heart swelled to see him on
the field and projected on the large screen overhead, features set in the hard,
determined lines he assumed for every game, big body rock-solid under the
skintight black jersey.

“Phew.” Jenna sat back down again as the crowd subsided
following the national anthems and the emotional haka. “It’s only my second
time seeing that in person. But even on TV, it gets me every time.”

“Me too,” Sarah admitted. “And I’ve watched them do it for
years. Don’t think it does the Aussie boys any good either.”

Jenna thought back to the way the Wallabies had lined up,
hands on each others’ shoulders in their gold and green jerseys to face the
aggressive black wall. “Do you think it actually scares them?”

“It should do,” Sarah told her. “As the ABs have won about seventy
percent of the test matches they’ve played against them, from the beginning of
time.”

“There’s that much difference?” Jenna asked in surprise.

“Where did you say you’ve been living recently?” Sarah
wondered.

“It’s true,” Jenna admitted. “I’ve been here more than seven
years now, and I’m a permanent resident. You’d think I’d know more about
rugby.”

“I’d think, yeh. If you ever plan to apply for citizenship,
reckon you’d better educate yourself. The ABs rank first in the world nearly every
year, by a fair margin.”

“I know much more than I used to,” Jenna assured her as the Australian
team lined up to kick off. “Thanks to Sophie.”

And Finn? Sarah wondered. They didn’t talk much during the continuous
action that followed, except when Sarah was forced to explain a penalty or
point of strategy that had eluded Jenna. She couldn’t tell for sure, but Sarah
was reasonably certain that Jenna’s eyes were mostly on Finn, whatever else was
happening on the field, and suspicion began to grow into certainty.

“Want a beer?” she offered at the halftime break.

Jenna smiled ruefully. “I think I’ve done my drinking for
tonight, thanks. I have to get up and catch my plane tomorrow. That’s going to
be hard enough as it is.”

“Why don’t you stay over till Monday, come to the wedding
Sunday?” Sarah asked. “Unless you have special plans. Finn said you’d be on
holiday anyway. I can change my room for one with two beds. You’d give me some
company. Be my date, eh. You wouldn’t need to be fussed about the kids, either.
Mum’s already booked a babysitter for them for the reception.”

“Dan and Ella won’t want somebody added to the guest list at
the last minute like this, though,” Jenna protested.

“Let’s find out,” Sarah suggested. She turned in her seat.
“Oi, Dan! Can I bring Jenna to your wedding, take Kieran’s spot?”

“Good as gold,” he called back from his spot two rows up.

“Sorted.” Sarah turned back to Jenna with satisfaction.

“Pretty formal,” Jenna laughed. “Just about as formal as
going to a rugby game two days before your wedding.”

“Not just any rugby game,” Sarah pointed out. “A test match
in Dunedin doesn’t happen that often. Having a chance to see Finn play—that’s
not something Dan’s going to pass up.”

“Is Ella all right with that too?”

“Course,” Sarah answered in surprise. “She’d be here too if
she didn’t have so much to do.”

“All right,” Jenna said. “I’m accepting this as a major
cultural event. And thank you for the invitation to stay with you. I’d like
that very much. I don’t have anything to wear, though. I only brought clothes
for a couple days. Certainly nothing appropriate for a wedding.”

“Excuse to go shopping,” Sarah decided. “Sweet as. I’ll take
you to the Meridian Mall tomorrow. We’ll get you sorted.”

“I don’t want to put you out,” Jenna began.

“How much shopping d’you think there is in Motueka?” Sarah
demanded. “Or Nelson, for that matter? I’ll tell you. Bugger all. I’m going
with you, and that’s that.”

“I don’t know,” Jenna said dubiously, tugging upward on the
scoop neckline of the metallic copper-and-black print dress, then turning to
see how the skirt looked from behind. “I like it, but isn’t it too low in front?”

“Nah,” Sarah said confidently. “It’s perfect. If I’d ever
looked like that, believe me, I’d’ve taken advantage of it.”

“For a wedding, though,” Jenna protested.

“Your girls aren’t having a song and dance,” Sarah told her.
“Just peeking out a bit to wave a wee hello. We’ll find a black shawl for the
church. Good as gold.”

The shop assistant chimed in. “It’s lovely on you. Like your
friend says, just a hint of cleavage. The skirt’s not far above the knee, and
not too tight, so you’re not showing too much down below. Cleavage or leg, one
or the other. That’s the rule.”

“Does it make my bum look big, though?” Jenna asked.

“You’re balanced,” the assistant smiled. “That’s obvious, in
that dress.”

“Here.” She dove into a neighboring carousel. “See if you
fit this.”

Jenna took the wide black patent belt with its double row of
buckles and fastened it around her waist. The assistant nodded. “Even better.
Makes your waist look tiny on top of that skirt. You have a beautiful figure.
No reason not to show it. Add some heels, and the boys’ll be sitting up to take
notice, I guarantee it.”

Jenna hesitated. “Excuse us a moment.” She took Sarah’s arm
and walked a bit apart.

“What is it?” the other woman asked.

“It’s Finn,” Jenna explained. “He told me once that my
swimming costume was too . . . revealing. I’m a little concerned about what
he’s going to think of this.”

Sarah stared at her in astonishment. “Your cossie. The one
you wore in the spa last night?”

“Yeah. I know, ridiculous, right? You’ll notice I’m still
wearing it these days. But still. I
am
the nanny. Maybe I should be more
conservative.”

“Not tomorrow, you’re not the nanny. Tomorrow you’re my
date,” Sarah told her firmly. “And I demand that my dates be dead sexy. Finn
can go stuff himself.”

“Here we are. Undies,” Sarah told Jenna, pulling her into a
lingerie boutique adjacent to the shoe shop where they’d just found the perfect
pair of black heels.

“I have underwear, though,” Jenna told her. “At least, I do
once I wash some.”

“Huh,” Sarah snorted. “I saw your undies. Not nearly good
enough.”

“How do you look?” she called a few minutes later from
outside the dressing room.

“Bloody hell,” she said when Jenna pulled open the door to
allow her inside. “Those are the goods, all right. And I have another idea too.”

“Why do I need all this?” Jenna protested. “It’s expensive.
Why can’t I just wear what I have? Nobody but me is going to see it.”

“That’s when you need it most of all,” Sarah explained. “You
need to feel sexy to look sexy. Which is why we’re doing hair and nails next,
and having our legs waxed. And maybe a bit more,” she smiled mischievously. “My
shout. Girls’ day out. I don’t get them very often, and I’m taking full
advantage of this one. I already booked us in, so don’t argue. Because looking
good where everyone can see it isn’t enough. You need to know what’s under
there, imagine how gobsmacked all those boys would be if they could see what
you’ve got. That’s your secret weapon.”

If Finn had thought Jenna’s cossie was too sexy, Sarah
thought with satisfaction, wait till he got a squiz at her in that dress. She hadn’t
missed the way his eyes had tracked Jenna when she’d moved around the room at
breakfast that morning, or that he’d laughed and smiled more than she’d seen in
ages. And she didn’t think it was all down to winning the Championship.

She hadn’t liked Nicole above half. From what she’d heard
and seen, none of the women Finn had dated since her death had been much chop
either. But Jenna was different. She was exactly the kind of woman he needed in
his life, if only he had the sense to see it.

She’d give that a bit of a nudge. Then it’d be up to him.

“Hi, Jenna!” Harry bounced in the pew of the church the
following afternoon. “Come sit by me!”

“Shhh,” Jenna cautioned him as she slid in beside him. “Use
your quietest voice, please.”

“Your dress is very pretty,” he said in a stage whisper.

“Thank you. You look very handsome yourself,” she told him.
“You too, Sophie. That outfit looks even nicer than I remember.”

“Nana helped me with my hair,” Sophie explained, touching a
hand to the pink headband that matched her dress. “I couldn’t make the headband
go right, and Daddy couldn’t either. I wanted to ask you to help, but he said
no.”

Jenna smiled. “Your Nana did a good job. You look lovely.”

“Thanks for taking them shopping,” Maureen Douglas told her
above the children’s heads. “I was a bit worried, with Nyree gone. And Finn’s
hopeless.” Her blue eyes looked Jenna over warmly. “You look lovely yourself.
That dress is stunning with your hair.”

“I thought, maybe a bit much with the red tones,” Jenna confessed.
“But Sarah convinced me.”

“And I was right, wasn’t I, Mum?” Sarah asked, sliding in
beside her. “Don’t I have a gorgeous date, Dad? Kieran’s been well and truly
replaced.”

John Douglas smiled wryly. “You have a cheek, Sarah Bee. But
yeh, both you girls look very pretty. I’m glad you could join us today, Jenna.”

“Thank you for including me,” Jenna said. “Everyone’s been
so kind.”

“We’re grateful to you for everything you’ve done for the
kids,” Maureen told her. “We’ve heard heaps about Jenna, haven’t we, John? It’s
nice to have the chance to get to know you a bit ourselves. Since our
grandchildren are pretty special to us.”

They turned towards the front, quiet now, as the music
changed and the groom and his groomsmen came out from the side door at the
front of the church.

“There’s Daddy,” Harry whispered excitedly. Jenna squeezed
his hand and shot him a reminding glance, and he subsided.

Finn did look handsome, though, she thought, the severe
lines of the black dinner jacket and white shirt setting off his powerful
physique. He was the tallest of the four men standing together near the altar,
and by far the most imposing, though none of them were small.  

Finn saw her looking at him, and a corner of his mouth
quirked up in a smile. He wiggled his fingers at his kids, seeing them unable
to resist the temptation to wave at him, even under their grandmother’s and
Jenna’s admonitory influence on either side. Then his eyes returned to Jenna.
She’d done something with her hair, and it fell in soft, shining auburn waves
onto her shoulders. He couldn’t see much else from here, except that she looked
pretty.

His attention was diverted by the swelling music, the sight
of the two bridesmaids beginning their slow walk down the aisle, followed by
the maid of honor and the bride. His cousin had done well for himself, Finn
thought as he watched the procession. Ella was down-to-earth and warm, like Dan
himself. They seemed well suited. He’d give this one a good chance of lasting. Not
like his own marriage. He couldn’t help thinking about it, whenever he went to
a wedding these days. And there’d been heaps of those.

Lately, seemed like everyone he knew had been getting married.
Pity he couldn’t always feel happy about it. He hated that he’d become such a
cynic. But when he saw one of his teammates marrying a woman who reminded him
of Nicole . . . well, he couldn’t help wondering how long it’d be before she’d
realize that being married to a professional sportsman meant days and weeks
apart, and a husband who came home from a game wanting nothing more than to lie
in the spa and have a bit of quiet for a day or two, before heading back into
training to do it all again the following week. And how long it would take her
to get bored, start looking for excitement someplace else.