‘I don’t mind, Hilary, it’s fine with me,’ Carla said obligingly, giving Millie a cuddle. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t let this Jazzy boss anyone around cos I’m the boss.’ She winked at Sophie.
‘Are you sure?’ Hilary didn’t want her treasured babysitter to feel pressurized.
‘It’s all good,’ Carla assured her. ‘Go and enjoy the wedding and don’t rush home.’
‘You’re a pet,’ Hilary said warmly, knowing how lucky she was to have a terrific babysitter. The girls loved her, she’d been their babysitter since they were very small and Hilary felt very confident leaving them in her care. She went back to the phone. ‘That’s fine, Colette. Drop Jazzy over, Carla said she’d mind her. I’ll get Niall to pump up the airbed and she’ll make it up for her tonight.’
‘Super duper, I knew I could depend on you,’ Colette said gaily. ‘Sorry we can’t give you a lift into town, Mum and Dad are sharing the car with us. How are you getting in?’
‘Taxi.’
‘OK! We’ll see you with Jazzy in twenty minutes or so.’
‘Nope, we’ll see you at the church. The taxi’s booked to come in the next ten minutes and I’m not paying him to keep the meter running,’ Hilary said firmly.
‘Oh!’ Colette wasn’t expecting this. ‘Right then! I’ll just drop Jazzy in and pay your babysitter,’ she said a touch acerbically.
‘Fine, I’d better go and root out the blow-up bed. See you at the church.’ Hilary hung up and went in search of Niall to tell him the latest.
‘Typical,’ he retorted when she thrust the navy-and-red blow-up bed and air pump at him.
‘Just pump it up, Mr Dishy, and hurry, the taxi will be here any minute,’ Hilary urged.
‘I want to sleep on the pump-up bed,’ Sophie announced.
‘No, I do, it’s my turn, you slept in it the last time,’ Millie protested.
‘Don’t start,’ warned Hilary, beginning to feel harassed. It was always the same when Jasmine was coming to stay. ‘If there are any rows I’ll tell Carla to put the two of you in our bed and Jazzy can sleep in one of yours and we’ll sort it when we get home. Do not misbehave and annoy Carla, OK? Now I mean it,’ she said sternly.
‘OK!’ her daughters agreed sulkily.
‘Don’t be like that, girls. Behave yourselves. Give your mother a kiss and tell her to enjoy herself, and don’t spoil her day,’ Niall ordered as he began to pump up the bed, his black shoes gleaming. He looked so handsome in his black tie gear, Hilary thought appreciatively, glad that he had backed her up.
‘Have fun, Mammy.’ Sophie flung her arms around her and Hilary hugged her. ‘You look gorgeous,’ her daughter approved.
‘I love you, Mam, sorry,’ Millie said as the doorbell rang.
‘I love you too, pet.’ Hilary gave her a kiss, so glad that her children generally were very good-natured and not prone to holding grudges.
‘It’s your taxi, Hilary,’ Carla called.
‘Bring us home some wedding cake.’ Millie slipped her hand into Hilary’s as Niall gave the bed a few last pumps before following them down the stairs.
‘They’re good kids,’ he said proudly, waving at them from the taxi as they stood on either side of Carla blowing kisses enthusiastically.
‘Yeah, we’re very lucky.’ Hilary nestled in against him.
‘Carla will have her hands full when the little madam arrives. I give them five minutes before a row starts.’ Niall put his arm around her.
‘Carla won’t stand for any nonsense. She’s a brick! And one thing I do know, Colette will pay her well over the odds. She’s not stingy.’
‘True and good for Carla but she’ll earn it today.’
‘But you and I are going to knock as much fun out of today as we possibly can. Let’s watch all the Joneses outdoing each other!’
‘Yeah, let’s see how the social elite behave. I’ll try not to belch and eat with my mouth open,’ he teased.
‘Spoilsport. Could you imagine the faces of Jacqueline and Frank if you let off a magnificent rasper?’ she chuckled.
‘Don’t tempt me, Hilary, don’t tempt me,’ her husband laughed as the taxi headed for the Southside.
‘Mummy, I don’t want to stay here, I want to go to the wedding.’ Jasmine scowled at her mother. ‘I want to be a flower girl!’
‘You have to stay here with Millie and Sophie—’
‘But I don’t want to!’ Jasmine stamped her foot.
‘Jazzy, behave,’ Colette hissed. ‘Carla, thank you very much,’ she said, handing the babysitter an envelope. ‘We’re very obliged to you. See you. Be a good girl for Carla, Jazzy,’ she cautioned, hastening out the front door.
‘Muuummaayyyyyyy!’ wailed Jasmine but Colette kept going without looking back.
‘Don’t cry, Jazzy, we’ll mind you,’ Sophie, ever the soft heart, said kindly.
‘I don’t want you to mind me, I want my mummy,’ screeched Jasmine.
‘Well your mummy’s gone,’ Carla said calmly as the car disappeared from view. ‘How would you like to go to Howth on the DART to see the seals and we’ll bring a picnic?’
‘That’s a silly idea! I don’t like your stupid DART. I go on the tube, you know. I live in London.’
‘Good for you,’ Carla smiled. ‘But we’re going on the DART and we’re having our picnic and you can tell us all about living in London.’
‘We’re going to live in America. We’re going to Disneyland,’ Jazzy informed her.
‘You’re lucky,’ Sophie said enviously.
‘Well we are very rich, you know.’
‘Are you?’ Sophie was wide-eyed.
‘Stop boasting,’ Millie said crossly. She had been so looking forward to their jaunt with Carla, but now they were going to have to listen to Jazzy bragging about everything!
‘Right, girls, let’s get a move on. There’s a DART at ten past two, let’s be on it,’ Carla said briskly, much to Jasmine’s disgust. She didn’t like that this strange girl was bossing her around. But there was something about her firm manner that led Jasmine to believe that Carla wouldn’t take any nonsense so throwing a tantrum wouldn’t get
