Lies of A Hooker (A Repost)

[eithne]

The SFF website is now gone. I originally had it on bravenet, but it got deleted there for no reason. Then it moved to freewebpage.org but it is now gone from there as well (I'm pretty unlucky ain't I? )

Anyway Lies of A Hooker was the longest running story from there and although it seemed popular from the hits it got, never ever got any feedback.

So now I'm going to repost it all on here, starting from the beginning. When I reach the end of the old stuff, I hope to have some new stuff and finally edge nearer finishing this three year project (yes THREE years!!!).

Enjoy...

[eithne]

May 2002


Janine closed her eyes as she lay up against the cold wall of the bathroom. She was living in the small bed sit, which doubled as the place where she worked. Janine thought about her family, or rather then one that she didn’t have. No one cared about her anymore. Janine opened her eyes and looked down at the test – the pregnancy test.

“Please don’t let me be pregnant” Janine said as she continued looking at it. It was starting to change.

The test showed that Janine was pregnant. Janine inhaled a deep breath. She looked up towards the roof. A tear started to run down her pale cheek.

“No…” she said.

Five minutes later, Janine left the toilet and crossed the hall to her bed sit. Janine sat on her small bed, crying. She knew that there was only one person who could have fathered the child. The only person who she hadn’t used protection with – Ian.

Janine opened her eyes. She had fell asleep, she had cried herself to sleep. Janine turned over to look at the clock. It was 5pm. In three hours Janine would be working again. She got up and walked over to the small mirror that stood in the corner of her bed sit. As she looked in it and saw someone who knew their life was out of control, and about to change. She looked down at the small bag of cocaine that she had bought last night. Janine took it in her hand and stared at it. She opened the bag, but didn’t go any further. She just stood there, staring at the bag.

Suddenly anger rose inside Janine. She emptied he contents of the bag into the sink. She then turned the tap on and watched the cocaine go down the small hole, into the drains. Janine turned and started pacing up and down her bed sit. She couldn’t face working tonight. She realised that she was hungry and grabbed the key to her bed sit.


About twenty minutes later, Janine stood in the busy street. Most of the shops were now starting to close, as were the stalls. Janine looked at two women walking along, each pushing a baby in front of them. She wondered if she would be like that. Janine looked over at the fish and chip shop. Ian was outside, looking over the price list. Janine knew that she could go over there and wipe the smirk of his face, but she didn’t.

As Janine made her way through the crowded sopping centre, she saw more mothers and their children. Janine continued on her way, towards the small café at the other side of the building. As Janine waited to use the lift, she thought about her pregnancy. As the doors of the lift opened, Janine was shocked to see a girl sitting on the floor of the lift.

Janine walked over to the girl, and looked at her. She wondered where the little girl’s mother or father was. The child must have been about four years old, a little too big to be pushed around. As she picked the little girl up, Janine felt strange.

“Where is your mummy?” Janine asked.

“Gone” the little girl replied.

“Gone where?” Janine asked. The little girl shrugged her shoulders. Janine decided that she should bring the girl up to the next floor, to search for the girl’s mother. After the doors to the lift closed Janine looked at the little girl, who looked scared. As the doors opened Janine saw that there were quite a few people waiting to get into the lift.

“Oh your little girl is so cute” a woman in her fifties told Janine.

“Oh, she is… isn’t she? Thank you” Janine blurted out, surprising herself. She had not expected to say those words, but they just came out. The woman got into the lift and Janine smiled at the little girl.

“Don’t worry, we will find your mummy” Janine tried to reassure.

Suddenly a man rushed over to where Janine stood.

“Oh there you are Hayley. You were very naughty running away like that,” the man said. “Where did you find her?”<br>
“She was on the lift,” Janine said handing the little girl over. “I thought that she must have wandered off”<br>
“She did wander off, while we were shopping and I was so worried. I couldn’t bear it if I lost her after…” the man stopped in the midway through his sentence. Janine wondered what the matter was.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“Yes, I… my wife died a year ago today”

“I am so sorry” Janine said honestly.

“Thanks”

“Well, I better be going, goodbye” Janine said turning around.

“Thanks again” the man said.

Janine got into the lift and watched the doors close. Hayley was waving at her, and Janine waved back.

[pearly queen]

Very good. I'm looking forward to seeing how the nasty, selfish Janine copes with a pregnancy in that environment.

[eithne]

Part 2

Hours later, after deciding not to work, Janine sat on her bed, thinking about her future. She knew that she had to get a proper job, and she also knew that she would have to get rid of the baby. There was no way she could keep it – could she?

Janine jumped as her phone started to ring. She looked at the name of the person calling her. It was one of her “clients”. Janine switched the phone off – choosing to ignore the call.

As she crossed the square, the following morning, Janine sighed as she saw Billy walking Terence. She suddenly felt guilty about the way she had treated him the last few moths, and went over to him.

“Look Billy, I am sorry” she said, surprising herself, as well as Billy.

“What?” Billy asked, shocked.

“I am trying to change, and I want to say I am sorry” she said as she continued her apology.

“O-okay, what’s the catch?” Billy asked.

“There is none… I am sorry about everything I did in the past. I took advantage of you when I shouldn’t have. I am sorry. You were good to me Billy, and I treated you like dirt”

“Why are you changing?”

“I am… pregnant”

“Pregnant … but its not?”

“No, it isn’t yours”

“But who?”

“I don’t know” Janine lied.

“What are you going to do?”

“Look Billy, I don’t know. I have to go. But like I said, I am sorry" she said walking away. As she entered the Mini Market, Janine picked up the Gazette. Maybe she could find a job – get off the game. Janine paid for the newspaper and left.

Ten minutes later, Janine sat in the Café, looking over the paper. She wondered if she could find a job. As she browsed through the pages of the Gazette Janine sighed. Finding a job was going to be harder than she thought.

The following day, Janine walked home from an interview – her second refusal of the day. The first was in photography, but she wasn’t qualified, and the second was a shop assistant, but she wasn’t right for the job – or so they said.

As she walked past a newsagents, Janine noticed an advert for a nanny. She quickly took down the number and the details.

Twenty minutes later Janine sat in the bed sit, wondering if she should ring or not. Janine picked up her phone and started to dial the number. She quickly changed her mind and pressed cancel.

Two days later Janine finally got some good news. She was starting work in a posh restaurant on the other side of London. It would mean early starts, but the wages were good. On her second day of working in the restaurant, disaster struck.

A large number of wealthy businesspeople were having a meal in the restaurant, and one of the men liked Janine a little too much. He walked over to the bar where she was working and leaned over it, watching everything she did, as he sipped his glass of wine.

“Do you want that filled up again?” Janine asked feeling uncomfortable around the man.

“No, I don’t want that” the man said.

“Are you sure?“ Janine questioned again.

“I am, thank you, gorgeous” the man said as he continued to leer over the bar. Janine became more and more annoyed at the mans unwanted attention, and eventually told her boss, Simone.

“Janine, I am sure you are over reacting” Simone said.

“But…” Janine trailed off.

“There are no buts about it. He is just enjoying his drink, and other things too. Leave it alone and go check to see if the toilets are okay” Simone continued.

Janine did as she was told, and checked the women’s toilets first. As she walked into the men’s Janine looked nervously around. Only one of the cubicles had an occupied sign on it. But there was a little girl sitting on the counter in a carrier. Janine noticed that the little girl was none other than Hayley, who she had met a few days ago.

“Hello,” Janine said. The little girl did not respond, but smiled at Janine. “What are you doing here?”<br>
Again Hayley did not respond. Janine turned as she heard the door behind her open. The man who had been making designs on her all evening stood in the doorway.

“Hello,” he said. “What a pleasant surprise to find you waiting for me”<br>
“I was not waiting for you” Janine said. The man moved closer to her and grabbed her arm, not noticing Hayley.

“Get off me”

“Or you will do what?” the man asked, as he tried to pull Janine into a toilet cubicle.

“Help me” Janine shouted. The stranger pushed her into the cubicle and closed the door behind him.

“You want me don’t you. You are trying to play hard to get”

“No, don’t” Janine said. The man turned so he could close the door to the cubicle, but as he did so the door flung open and the man was sent backwards after being hit in the face. Janine saw that Hayley’s father was the man who had kicked in the door. The man who had tried to rape Janine was unconscious after the attack.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Yes, thanks” Janine responded, shocked by the events which had just taken place. One moment she thought she was about to be raped, and the next she was saved by a man she barely knew.

“You are bleeding”

“What? Am I?” Janine said looking down at her hands. They had been cut in the struggle. Suddenly Janine was interrupted from gazing into her saviours eyes as she felt something pull on her skirt.

“Hayley? Are you okay” Janine asked looking down at the little girl.

“Mummy” Hayley said in a whisper. Janine smiled, before turning to see that her assailant was starting to wake up.

“Hayley, can you say that again”

“He is starting to wake up” Janine said.

“I don’t believe it” said Hayley’s dad.

“What?” Janine asked.

“That was the first time I have ever heard her speak since her mothers death. It has been over a year since she spoke”<br>
“She spoke to me the day I found her in the shopping centre” Janine answered, looking back down at Hayley.

”She spoke to you?”

“Yes” Janine said, turning to look at her attacker again. He was now on his feet.

“I am going to get you fired for this” the man said.

“You won’t, especially when she tells her boss what you were trying to do to her” Hayley’s father said. The attempted rapist growled before walking out of the toilets.

“Thank you”<br>
“You are welcome”<br>
“I still don’t know your name” Janine said.

“John, my name is John Dennison”<br>
Janine introduced herself and then made her way into the main section of the restaurant. After explaining what had happened in the toilets, Janine broke down. John walked out of the toilets a little later, after cleaning up Hayley and changing her clothes.

“Do you think you will be able to stay here after this?” Simone asked.

“Huh?”<br>
“Janine, do you think that you will be able to stay working for us after this?”<br>
“I… no I don’t think so. I can’t get the image out of my head” Janine said, suddenly feeling sick. Both the pregnancy and the attempted rape were making her throw up. Janine jumped up and ran to the sink in the kitchen.

“I am sorry” Janine said taking the towel from Simone.

“It is okay. Why don’t you go home now and rest? You need to relax and get him out of your head. You will be able to call the police around to your house won’t you?” Simone asked, not knowing very much about Janine.

“Yes, thanks. Bye” Janine said as she gave her boss a hug and walked towards the door. She turned as Simone shouted her.

“Here is twenty pounds, get a cab home so that you will be safe. I have your number, so I will ring you and send you your wages in the post”<br>
“Thanks” Janine repeated before leaving the kitchen. Once in the main area she walked over to John.

“Goodnight and thanks for everything. Without you I dread to think where I would be”<br>
“Don’t think about it. Goodnight” he said. Janine smiled at Hayley before turning and walking out into the cool London air. Even though it was May, it was still cold.

[eithne]

Part 3

The following morning Janine had made some decisions after finding it difficult to sleep. She had decided to keep the baby, after the idea of an abortion had filled her head after the attack. Also she would try to get a new job, somewhere safer than the restaurant, where men wouldn’t be all over her all day long.

As she looked through the Gazette Janine realised how lucky she was to have found the job in the restaurant, but she couldn’t work there though.

”Maybe I could go back to college” Janine said to herself, although she would be close to having the baby in September and October when these courses started.

After investigating the idea, Janine knew that it would be too difficult. She sat on her bed after getting home from the college. She was now down to her last ten pounds from her short amount of time in the restaurant and needed work badly. Suddenly she noticed the slip of paper on which she had taken down the details of the nanny job and picked it up. She took out her phone and started to dial the number. The job had probably been filled, but if it hadn’t then maybe, just maybe Janine could have a job.

“Hello,” Janine began after a woman answered the phone, ”I was wondering if the nanny’s job had been filled. Has it?”<br>
“No as a matter of fact it hasn’t. Are you interested?”<br>
“Well yes, but I have very little experience”<br>
“Oh, well we have been trying to find a nanny as I can’t cope with her by myself, but you see we have had very little luck”<br>
“I see” Janine said.

“So can you tell me about your qualifications?”<br>
“Well I don’t have any I suppose”<br>
“You must have some? Do you ever babysit or look after little children?”<br>
“Well I do look after Liam, my nephew, sometimes” Janine lied. She hadn’t seen Liam in ages.

“Oh, what age is he?”<br>
“Ahem, let me see. He is about three” Janine guessed.

“Oh, my little one is about the same” the lady said. There was a silence before she spoke again. “I think that I should meet you for an interview. How would Friday be?”<br>
“That would be good. What time?”<br>
“Let me see, how about three thirty in the afternoon?”<br>
“Yes, that would be good. What is the address” Janine said. The lady gave out the address and Janine took it down.

“Goodbye then”<br>
“Bye” Janine pressed end call and smiled to herself. An interview. Suddenly butterflies arrived, despite the interview being two days away.

“What am I going to wear? How will I get there?” Janine asked herself. The first priority was how she was her outfit. She knew that she would need something smart and at the moment she had nothing smart. And she had no money to buy anything smart. Janine knew that she would probably have to steal, but in the end an unexpected twist meant that she could earn things without thieving.

Janine looked up over the rack of suits. The were still there, causing her to sigh. The two burly security guards were still talking near the stairs and she was sure that they were keeping their eyes on her. She had been looking at the suits for the past five minutes and had picked out the one she wanted to take, but the two men were the only problem.

Another five minutes passed slowly and Janine decided to come back to the suits later. As she moved to a place out of the guards sight, her jacket got caught in a hanger and she ended up tearing a blouse, without meaning to do so. She sighed. Was anything going to go right in her quest to look smart for the interview?

Janine picked up the blouse and brought it over to the nearest check out.

“And she only caught her Alex in bed with that Sheila one from upstairs”<br>
“Sorry” Janine said as she interrupted the conversation between the workers. One of them walked over to the counter and examined the blouse.

“Yes love, oh what a terrible rip. Do you have the receipt?”<br>
“No I…”

Janine was interrupted again. “Oh well I shouldn’t but I will refund it for you” the girl said opening the till and taking out sixty pounds. She took the blouse and handed Janine the money.

“There you go love. Have a nice day” the assistant said before turning back to her friend.

”Thanks” Janine muttered, as a smile started to form on her face.

”And now she wants to get back with Alex. If he did that to me then I would kill him” the girl said to her friend.

“Sixty quid, now I can get the suit” Janine thought to herself and smiled as she walked away from the two women.

[sunshinesuperman]

What happens next? I want to know.. this is very good and your writing style is excellent. A great fastmoving story that unfortunately would be TOO GOOD for the real Eastenders!!

Please continue. Please!!

[eithne]

Oh goodness. I've been so busy with everything recently that I've forgotten all about reposting this story, but I'll definitley do some now that it is proving popular.

Thanks for your kind comments SS (that's why I exhaled you). Welcome once again by the way!!!

[eithne]

It has been a long, long time coming (well over 6 months actually!) but here is the next installment of LOAH. If anyone reads it then enjoy!

Part 4

Standing outside of the house Janine felt butterflies start to resurface in her stomach. It was in a rather nice part of London, with steps leading up to the house. It looked old and was probably worth a lot of money. Millions possibly. Janine took a deep breathe before moving up the steps. She was very nervous and hoped that her interviewer wouldn’t notice. Janine noticed her hands were shaking as she pressed the doorbell. She was usually so confident.

"Hello, may I help you?" asked a small little lady in maid’s clothing. She had brown hair and was rather plump. Standing beside the door she looked up at Janine with distrusting and suspicious eyes.

"I am looking for…" Janine began but was interrupted by the maid.

"We don’t give money to beggars" she said. Obviously Janine’s new clothes and new image hadn’t worked.

"No, it is not that. I am here for an interview about the nanny’s job" Janine said.

"Wait here" the maid said. Janine picked up on the suspiciousness the maid seemed to have towards her. After what seemed like an hour, but in reality was about thirty seconds the maid came back.

"Come in" she said. Janine walked past the maid and into the house.

Looking around Janine noticed how beautifully decorated the house was. It a staircase which was the centre point of the hall. A red carpet covered most of each step, although the steps could be seen. The golden handrail was so clean a face could be seen in it. Identical vases were placed on small stands. Fresh flowers were in each vase and their aroma could be cherished the moment a person entered the hall. Looking up at the roof Janine saw beautiful patterns, some of which stood out from the ceiling.

"Hello my darling" came a loud voice from the top of the stairs.

Janine looked up to see a lady in her late fifties or early sixties standing looking down at her. The lady made her way down the stairs, never taking her eyes of Janine as she did so. Janine noticed the woman’s eyes on her and felt the nerves kicking in once again. The maid had slipped away as Janine had been looking around.

"Judith Trinity-Chamberlain" the lady said. "Pleased to meet you"

"Janine Butcher, likewise it is a pleasure to meet you" Janine said, trying to put on an upper class accent. Judith smiled, although Janine was not sure what this meant.

"Please follow me" the lady said. Janine did as she was asked, admiring the various ornaments and pieces of furniture as she followed Judith through a door and then down a hall and into a large room with a warm fire burning at one end. At the opposite end there were two large glass doors which opened out onto a large garden.

Judith motioned for Janine to take a seat, before herself sitting opposite Janine.

"So Janine please tell me a little bit more about your experience" Judith began.

"Well as I mentioned I do look after my nephew Liam. He is my brother Richard’s. I am good with children and often looked after my former step-brother Grant’s daughter"

"These two gentlemen, where are they now? In case I need to telephone them"

"My brother Rick-Richard is travelling in the North of England, but I don’t have an exact number. And Grant is in South America I think. I haven’t seen him in a couple of years"

"I see. Have you any other experience? Have you ever worked as a nanny"

"No"

"Have you any qualifications in childcare or first aid in case of an accident?"

"I learned some first aid in school, but I have no qualifications, but I did finish school" Janine said, finding herself more and more uncomfortable.

"Janine, what would you consider to be the most important aspect of bringing up a child?"

Janine was speechless, but eventually started thinking.

"Love" Janine said.

"And…" Judith began but Janine continued.

"Making sure the child knows you love them no matter what. I didn’t have all that much love as a child being the youngest of four. My father was always working and my mother died when I was young. Nobody really cared for me and my stepmother was so cruel to me" Janine said. Maybe a sob story would win her the job.

"Your mother died when you were young?"

"Yes"

"My mother died giving birth to me. There was always some resentment towards me when I was growing from my father and my stepmother was a wicked, unflattering lady much younger than my father. My own daughter died not too long ago" Judith said. "But we must continue"

"Where is the child I will be looking after" Janine said, "if I get the position of course"

"She is out with her father. As I said her mother and my daughter is deceased" Judith said. Both were silent for a while, Judith thinking about her daughter and Janine waiting for the next question. She knew that it would be amazing if she got this job. None of the upper class voices she put on could cover over the fact that she had so little experience. Most of what she had already said was lies anyway.

"What ages were the children you were looking after?"

"When I was looking after them Liam would have been just a baby while Courtney would have been about three or four"

"Okay"

Judith looked at her watch, before looking back up at Janine.

"Well another girl called us shortly after you did and we interviewed her earlier today. And I am sorry to say that you haven’t got the job" Judith said bluntly.

"Okay" Janine said, saddened that she hadn’t got the job.

"You need more qualifications and more experience" Judith said. "If you had good references and qualifications then I would have given you the position, but you were just too inexperienced"

"Thanks anyway" Janine as she stood up. She walked to the door and turned to Judith. Judith held out her hand for Janine to shake.

"It was nice meeting you. Good luck in the future"

"Thanks again" Janine said.

"You know the way out don’t you?"

"Yes, yes I do" Janine said. As she reached the entrance hall she took one last look around before putting he hand on the door handle. Janine felt a tear beginning to build up in her eye. It quickly rolled down her cheek. She had tried so hard. What was she going to do now?

[eithne]

Part 5

Janine looked down at the door handle. Someone was opening the door from the outside. Looking up Janine saw John Dennison standing in the doorway with Hayley by his side.

“Janine, what are you doing here and what is wrong?” John asked.

“I was here for a job interview, but it all went wrong. I tried so hard to get the nanny’s job, but I didn’t. It is all such a mess” Janine said.

John took her in his arms, neither noticed the smile on Hayley’s face. Suddenly Janine realised that she was crying. What had came over her? Hormones?

“I am sorry, you don’t want to hear about me and my problems do you?” Janine said as she pulled away.

“No, it is okay. I don’t mind. You found Hayley and really helped me when I needed it so don’t worry” John said, smiling.

“I went to so much trouble to try and get the job, but I didn’t. It just feels like such a waste”

“The nanny’s job you said?”

“Yes, Mrs. Trinity-Chamberlain said that she had found someone else”

“She did, did she?” John said. Janine realised that he was the father of Judith’s granddaughter and that Hayley was the girl she would have been looking after.

“Yes” she answered quietly.

“Wait here with Hayley, will you?” John asked.

“Okay” Janine turned to Hayley, who had a huge smile on her face. John walked into one of the rooms, in search of his mother in law.

“Judith, there you are” John said after finding Judith where Janine had left her. Judith now had a woman in her mid-forties talking to her. John noticed the interior design magazine that they were looking at.

“Hello John, this is…” Judith began but was cut short by her son in law.

“Nice to meet you. You don’t mind if I take my mother in law out here onto the garden do you? Thanks” John said, not waiting for a response from Judith’s guest. Judith quickly followed John out onto the garden.

“Where is Hayley?” she asked.

“Waiting with Janine at the door” John said.

“Janine? The girl who…”

Again Judith was interrupted.

“Was supposed to be Hayley’s nanny? That who you are talking about?”

“Yes”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you were interviewing people. Did you not think that I would like to interview the people who were going to be looking after my daughter?”

“Well, I thought that you would be too busy at the office” Judith said.

“Too busy. Do you think that I cannot cancel a couple of meetings here and there so I can attend the interviews? That isn’t an excuse Judith and you know it. I thought that you were happy looking after Hayley during the daytime”

“Well I have been looking after her for over a year now and it is not my responsibility. I am sick and tired of having her ruin my designer suits. You should have hired a nanny months ago John”

“Why didn’t you say something? If you couldn’t cope why didn’t you tell me? And another thing when exactly were you going to tell me? When the nanny started working here or in a few years time?”

“There is no need to be sarcastic is there? She is my granddaughter and I didn’t want to trouble you. I know how important the law firm is to you”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that it seems to be more important to you than your own daughter. You spend more time there than you do at home with Hayley” Judith said, turning back towards the door. John grabbed her arm and she turned back to him and shot him a look of disgust.

“That is not true Judith. I love my daughter. Just a few days ago I took her out with me. You are the one trying to offload her on some nanny”

Judith managed to pull her arm away from John and walked back into the room where the interior designer still sat.

“Isabella can we cancel today? Maybe next Wednesday or Thursday as an important issue has arose”

“Same time next Thursday Ms. Trinity-Chamberlain” Isabella said.

She left the room. Judith turned back to John, still outside.

[eithne]

Part 6

Janine stood uncomfortably beside the door. She watched the interior designer leave and wondered what was happening between John and Judith.

Meanwhile Judith and John were still arguing over the nanny situation.

“So tell me about this nanny you interviewed this morning” John started again after making his way inside. He looked at Judith, waiting for a reply. He realised that she had lied to Janine, there was nobody else.

“You lied didn’t you?”

“I thought that if I told her that then” Judith began, but stopped. She didn’t know why she had told Janine the lie.

“I don’t believe you”

“I…”

“Let me finish. You are cold-hearted and selfish, not to mention a liar. I don’t want Hayley to be brought up like that and I am sure her mother would not have wanted that either”

“What are you saying John? Are you saying that I can’t visit my own granddaughter?” Judith retorted.

“If I have to stop you then I will” John said. He noticed to late Judith’s hand heading for his face and rubbed his cheek following her slap.

“How dare you” Judith shouted.

“Get out” John said moving to the door.

“You won’t stop me from seeing my granddaughter. I will have the best legal teams in the city on my case”

“You forget Judith, that I am the best” John retorted. He noticed her coat and grabbed it. He then threw it at her.

“You will not stop me” Judith said. He walked closer to her and grabbed her arm.

“Let go of me” she squirmed.

“Do you want me to get Charles to have you escorted out of the premises?” John referred to the butler. Judith looked at him one more time, before pushing him away and walking out the door. In the hall she met Janine and glared at her. Janine felt Judith’s eyes fixed on her, but didn’t move. She held Hayley’s hand.

“Goodbye Hayley. I will see you soon” Judith said, kneeling down to kiss her granddaughter. Hayley moved behind Janine.

“Hayley” Judith said weakly. Her eyes welled up with tears as the rejection got to her. Judith then walked out of the house, closing the door behind her as she did so.

Janine heard a noise and turned to see John in one of the doorways. Hayley reappeared from behind Janine and ran over to her father. John scooped her up in his arms and held her close. Once the hug had finished he turned to Janine.

“How does a trial period of two weeks sound?” John asked.

“What?” Janine said, shocked by his question.

“I need a nanny and you are the best person for the job. How does a two-week trial sound?”

“Ahem... great”

“So, do you want to live here, there is definitely enough room, or do you have a place of your own?” John asked, smiling.

“I have a bed sit, but I will stay here for the two weeks, I think”

“And you don’t mind starting now, do you?”

“No, of course not” Janine answered, still in shock over her new position.

[eithne]

Part 7:

That night Janine moved in with John and Hayley, although she wasn’t too sure that she would be living with them all that long. Her first night went well with Janine meeting all the staff. She realised how wealthy the Dennison’s must be as she met all the staff. There were chauffeurs and chefs, maids and John even had a personal assistant who visited that night to discuss a case.

After her first couple of hours, Janine felt that things were going well. John was being very nice to her and she was even starting to develop a crush on her boss.

“So how are you settling in?” John asked that evening. He had walked in on Janine reading Hayley a bedtime story and Hayley had just fallen asleep. Janine smiled and turned to John.

“It’s great. I still can’t believe that you picked me though”

“Well you and Hayley get on well together. She likes you and you make a great nanny” John said. He looked at his watch and realised the time.

“I’d better be going, I have a business dinner” John said, not sounding all that happy about the prospect.

The following morning Janine was up at seven. She wasn’t sure what time Hayley would be waking up at so she wanted to have everything ready. After she got dressed she went down the stairs. Janine was surprised when she found John down in the kitchen. She assumed that he wouldn’t be up for another hour or two after the previous night’s business dinner.

“Morning” he greeted warmly. “Your up early”

“Yeah, well I didn’t know when Hayley’d be waking up so I thought I would get up early”

“There is some bread in that press there if you want toast and there are cereals there as well if you want them. Just feel free to root around and get whatever you want” John said. He smiled as he watched Janine making toast. He liked her rather a lot. There was something warm about her.

“So any plans for today?” he asked looking back down at his newspaper.

“No, is there anything that Hayley usually does on a Saturday?” Janine asked as she buttered her toast.

“No, nothing really. Judith or my mother usually bring her with them if they have any luncheons or leave her with Alicia” John answered referring to one of the maids. He finished off his coffee, left down his newspaper and picked up his jacket.

“I have a couple of things to attend to at the office. I might be back later, but probably won’t. You will be all right won’t you?” John asked, searching for the keys to his jeep. He had decided to drive into work rather than be driven in.

“Yes, I think so”

“Good, oh I nearly forgot. Hayley needs some new clothes, ones that she likes. Judith picked most of her clothes before you started and she could do with some nice things” John said as he took out his wallet. He left five hundred pounds down on the table.

“You want me to bring her shopping?”

“Yes. I have spoken to Arthur and he will bring you into the city, wherever you want to bring her” John said opening the back door. He then turned around again, back to face Janine, and tossed a set of keys onto the table.

“Those are yours. Hayley should be awake around eight, although it may be a little earlier. She usually has cereal for her breakfast. Anything else?”

“No, I don’t think so”

“My office number and mobile number are on the fridge in case of an emergency. Bye” he said walking out the back door and down the steps to where his jeep was parked. Janine stood up and moved to the window. She watched him drive up the hill and then around the corner.

Soon Hayley was awake and after she had finished breakfast, Janine decided to get her ready to go into town.

As she looked through the clothes in Hayley’s wardrobe, Janine realised that John had a point. All Hayley seemed to have were dresses worth thousands, but they were too big. Also there were jackets and other things which were nice, but were too old for Hayley. There was jewellery which would suit a forty year old more than a four year old.

“So where do you want to go?” Arthur asked. Janine was sitting beside Hayley in the back of one of the cars.

“I don’t know” Janine answered. “Where does her grandmother usually take her to get clothes?”

“Will I drive you there?”

“Okay” Janine answered. This was not going to be as easy as she first thought it would be, especially since she didn’t shop for four year old girls that often.

As she walked through the doors to one of Judith’s favourite shops, Janine realised that she probably wouldn’t find what John wanted here. Janine walked over to the where the sign telling people what was on which floor hung. Children’s clothes were on the sixth floor. As she walked towards one of the lifts, Janine noticed a list of places where the shop was situated – Paris, Milan, Sydney and New York.

After they reached the sixth floor, Janine and Hayley got out of the lift. Janine noticed some of the puzzled looks she was getting from ladies browsing with little children by their sides. She realised that those were probably Judith’s friends.

Two hours later, Janine and Hayley were sat at a table in a coffee shop. Janine was exhausted after the shopping. On the chair beside Janine were about ten bags, all filled with clothes for Hayley.

“Ready to go then?” Janine asked, knowing that Arthur would be waiting for them in the car.

As she and Hayley walked in the direction of the lifts, Hayley slipped her hand into Janine’s. Janine smiled.

As the lift door opened, Janine watched as a woman step out. The woman smiled at Janine, though Janine noticed that it looked fake. When she looked down at Hayley the woman’s facial expression turned from a smile into a look of horror. She looked back up at Janine.

“Problem?” Janine asked. When the woman didn’t reply Janine walked into the lift, with Hayley by her side.

[eithne]

Part 8

John smiled as he walked in that night, at nine thirty. He was tired, because a new lawyer had been drafted in to help him defend a wealthy man accused of murdering a young woman and John had to bring her up to speed on the case.

He spotted several bags of new clothes on the kitchen table. As he looked around in them, he realised they were just what he wanted for Hayley to wear. They were simple, a fact Judith would not approve of. John continued through to the living room, where a fire was burning. Janine and Hayley were asleep on the couch.

“They look so peaceful don’t they?” Said a voice from behind John.

“They do, don’t they Alicia.” He said, deep in thought.

Janine opened her eyes. The soft pillow felt so inviting. She wanted to stay in bed all day, and not get up at all. She felt so comfortable. Her eyes slowly closed once again, and she started to breath deeply. Then a thought quickly flashed through her head – Hayley.

As she looked at her clock, Janine realised that she was late, very late. It was 10am, and she realised that Hayley and John were probably downstairs ages ago. She quickly jumped out of bed, and got dressed quite quickly. Janine walked out of her bedroom, and down the hallway towards the stairs. She passed Hayley’s bedroom, but stopped when she heard laughter coming out of it.

“There you go.” She heard John say.

Janine knocked on the door, took a deep breath and walked in.

“Good morning.”

“Sorry I’m up late. I hope you don’t mind.”

“No, of course not. We all lie in on Sunday.”

“So what do you do on a Sunday, after the lie in?” Janine asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable. John and Hayley, both in their pyjamas, were laughing at something and she didn’t know what.

“I really like the new style.” John said.

“Wha…” Janine looked down at her clothes. She was wearing a shirt, which was buttoned up all wrong.

“Yeah, it really suits me doesn’t it.” She said, smiling herself. She didn’t know what it was, but she didn’t feel embarrassed.

“We usually go to the park, to one of those markets like Notting Hill or do something like that on a Sunday.”

“And what are we going to do today?”

“I’ll let you choose.” John answered, with a small smile.

“I really couldn’t say.”

“Oh, come on. It’ll be fun.”

“A Sunday market? I’ve never been. Or maybe the park?”

“We’ll do both then. After breakfast we’ll head down to one of the markets, then after that get something to eat. Then maybe we’ll be able to find a park. I think I know one where they have a little playground for Hayley.”

“Sounds great.”

Later that day Janine, John and Hayley attended the market. Janine watched John as he enjoyed himself haggling down the prices at the market, even though he’d easily be able to afford them. In the end they came away with a small antique table, which John intended to refurbish.

“I didn’t see you as that sort of guy.”

“What sort of guy?” John asked.

“The sort who does things up.”

“Well, you never know. Maybe there’s something about you that I don’t know.” John said, with a joking smile. Janine avoided his glance, but he didn’t notice as Hayley pulled at his hand seeing something she liked.

An hour later, John and Janine were sitting in the park, eating sandwiches they’d had made up at the market. Nearby Hayley was playing in a small playground, with just a slide, a climbing frame and a few swings.

“That was far better than I thought it would be.” Janine said, finishing her cheese and tomato sandwich.

“The sandwich?”

“No, the market of course.” Janine answered with a smile. She had really enjoyed herself today. It was so different from a Sunday back in Albert Square, and it wasn’t over yet.

“It was good, wasn’t it?” John said, sadly looking at the ground.

“Are you okay?” Janine asked.

“Long story, for another Sunday.” He replied, looking up at her.

“Ah, you’ve got a bit of…” She started, putting out her hand. It reached his face, and wiped away the small piece of tomato. He put up his hand, and placed it on top of hers as he looked into her eyes. He moved slightly closer to Janine, but before he could he jumped up off the seat and ran away. Janine’s hand hit the bench, with a painful thud. She sat still for a moment, reflecting, before turning to see what was wrong.

She looked across and noticed John, picking up a crying Hayley, who had a fairly large gash on her forehead. Hayley had fallen off the swing she had been sitting on. Janine stood up and rushed over towards them.

“Is she okay?” She asked.

“Fine.” John answered. Janine noticed some anger in his voice.

“Are you bringing her to the hospital?” Janine asked again.

“Yeah, I think I should.”