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‘Of course I get upset! Jack, she came to my office today, moaning about Barbara. She was jealous that Blake was coming here tonight. I knew she was planning trouble …’ Nina closed her eyes. ‘I have to support Barbara in this. If every time she tries to discipline her, Janey comes running to me, things aren’t going to get any better. I’ll speak with Barbara and suggest that if Janey gets the basement sorted then she can come and spend Sunday night with me.’

‘She won’t and you know it,’ Jack said. ‘If you send her back now, or they put her in a temporary placement, she’s just going to be a whole lot angrier at you. Now, let’s go to my apartment and from there we can sort things, but any minute now you’ll have the department knocking, especially if they found her here last time.’

He was right, so Nina grabbed a few things and a few minutes later her little family was sitting in Jack’s car, Blake beside himself he was so delighted, Janey angry and silent. Nina just quietly panicked, embarrassed by the chaos of her life and unsure this was the right thing to do.

‘We need to ring them.’

‘And we will. We’re not fugitives.’ He turned and smiled at her. ‘You’ve got access to Blake, Janey’s nearly sixteen, you’re her sister …’

‘Could this get you into trouble?’

‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m doing what I think is right and I’ll tell that to anyone who asks. I am not having her taken back just to run away again.’ He glanced in the rear-view mirror and met the hostile stare of Janey. ‘We’ll be there soon.’

As expected, she didn’t reply.

His apartment was huge, but not designed for children. Blake was at his most annoying, running around, while Janey just sat silently on one of his lovely white sofas. All Nina could think was that they were all so out of place in his perfect life.

Even Jack was wondering what on earth to do with them. Yes, there were spare bedrooms but somehow a luxurious bachelor pad wasn’t really conducive to talking, not with a messed-up teenager anyway.

He didn’t do the family thing, had never had the family thing himself. The only time he’d done anything remotely family-like had been … And it was then that Jack had an idea and he turned to Janey.

‘You’re to ring Barbara and tell her that you’re safe, that you’re with your sister, and that you’re going away for the weekend.’

‘Jack!’

He turned to an angry Nina. ‘And you’re to ring back Janey’s worker and tell her the same,’ he said to Nina’s rigid face. ‘She’s not in any danger, she’s with her sister who has access, so just tell them that you’ll bring Janey in on Monday morning to the office.’

‘So they can send me back.’ Janey looked at him.

‘I don’t know,’ he admitted. ‘But running away isn’t helping things.’

Janey just turned her head away and carried on staring out of the window and then did the same in the car as they left Manhattan.

Of course he’d have a place in the Hamptons, Nina thought darkly as the car drove through the night.

They stopped for provisions and she was glad that he didn’t embarrass her by offering money, just suggested she get a few warm things. She bought some food too as Blake raced around the aisles of the store and Janey just walked silently beside her. As they stepped out into the parking lot she half expected Jack to be gone, but of course he wouldn’t do that, Nina knew. He’d probably drop them off at his mansion and then belt it back to Manhattan.

Still, she was grateful to him.

His stern words had helped her handle the department and this small window of time with Janey might mean that hopefully, hopefully she could get to the bottom of things.

‘Wow!’ Blake was wide awake and admiring the huge houses they passed. ‘Is this yours?’ he asked as they slowed down.

‘Nope.’

‘This one?’

‘Nope.’

And then Jack indicated, they turned into a small street and Jack parked.

‘We’ll have to walk from here.’

It was a tiny house on a large block and they couldn’t park in the drive because it was covered in thick snow.

It was actually funny trying to get to the door. Jack put Blake on his back and even Janey laughed as, up to their knees, they waded through snow and he deposited them inside and then went back to the car and got all their bags.

They were all soaked and the house was colder inside than out.

They walked into the lounge and Jack lit a fire that had been prepared and reminded himself to leave a big tip for the cleaning lady who came in and aired the place regularly. They all stood shivering as the fire took. ‘There are a couple of heaters I can set up in your rooms …’ He looked at Blake and Janey. ‘I’ll go and check things out. Janey, can you make something to drink?’

Nina followed him, dragging the heaters into the small bedrooms, and she looked around. ‘I was expecting a mansion.’

‘Disappointed?’

‘No, it’s lovely, just cold.’

‘Yeah, well, not for long. I’m just waiting for planning permission then the bulldozers will be in.’

Once the heaters were on in the kids’ rooms he showed her the main bedroom.

‘You’ll freeze,’ Jack said.

‘I’ll be fine.’

They went back through to the living area and Janey had actually done as she’d been asked and made everyone a drink. By the time they’d finished, it was terribly late and Blake was falling asleep on the sofa. When Nina returned from taking him to his bed, Janey was already heading off to hers.

‘Janey, wait,’ Nina called, but Janey wasn’t hanging around to talk to her.

‘‘Night.’

They sat in the lounge and when finally they were alone, Jack closed the door and spoke to her.

‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ Jack said, and she sat there silent as he spoke on. ‘Are you absolutely sure that you want full custody?’

She looked at Jack and she knew it was their death knell, knew that it would be the end of them, and even though it hurt like hell, yes, she was sure and she nodded.

‘Because if I go into bat for you …’ Jack looked at her ‘… you’ll get it. I always win.’

‘Not always,’ she said. ‘You didn’t win with Sienna.’

‘That’s because I privately thought you were right,’ Jack said. ‘If I hadn’t there would have been no way Sienna would have gone home to the care of her mother.

I just want to be completely sure that this is what you want.’

‘Yes,’ Nina said. ‘I want my family together.’

‘Then we’ll sort it out, but right now you need to back off from Janey and stop trying to get her to talk to you.’