Chapter 18 Section five

"I'm back!" Rhett looked up and down the silent corridor uneasily. "Pip?" "In the kitchen, Cathy. Come in." Rhett heard conversations in the kitchen.She slowly opened the door, her eyes fell on Pippa, she stood upright behind the kitchen table, with her hands clasped in front of her, a young man who looked a bit embarrassed was opposite her. "I'm sorry. Didn't expect you to have guests." "This was the last one to come for the interview," Pippa explained. "Come in. Cassandra. This is Mr. Robinson. Can you trust the agency to send him to our home? As an Au Pair?"

The young man jumped up and held out a hand to Rhett, apparently welcoming her uninvited presence. "Steve. Steve Robinson. Nice to meet you, Cassandra." "My friends call me Cathy. You can call me Rhett if you're brave enough. Nice to meet you, Steve." "Cassandra is a policeman," Pippa said, never taking her eyes off her guest. "A senior police officer. At least a Detective Chief Inspector." Steve doesn't seem to know how to react. "I'd better check the duty sign on the car before I leave." He gave a crappy grin. Rhydra opened a chair. "So, Pippa is giving you a hard time?"

Steve is tactful: "Ms. Clayton Ward conducted a very thorough interview. There is nothing wrong with doing that," he added. "When you're contemplating letting a stranger into your home, it can't be too serious to investigate." "In this case it is," said Pippa firmly. Rhett wondered if the sentence was grammatically sound.She raised an eyebrow at Pippa.Pulling out an apple from the fruit plate, he gnawed on it, ignoring Pippa's disdainful eyes. "So, what did you do before, Steve?" "Well, starting this September, I'll be an elementary school teacher. Newly certified. I just moved here with my fiancée."

"You moved to London to find a job as a schoolteacher?" Rhett paused from the click, thinking about what he was going to say next. "No offense, Steve, but how can you afford living expenses? Teachers earn less than cops." Steve's answer was interrupted by Rhett's cell phone ringing suddenly. "Excuse me, hi, Anna." "Anna is Detective Inspector, part of Cassandra's team," Pippa explained to Steve, who had nothing to do with the matter.To Rhett, "No problem, I guess?" "Anna just told me that Yates is on sick leave again. It's obviously bad, he can't even get out of bed. Probably hungover. Ever considered being a cop, Steve? It's worse than controlling a whole class of kids easy."

Steve smiled back. "The police are not for me, thank you. My philosophy in life is that if we can educate them well when they are young, they will not become criminals in the first place and we will not need as many police officers." "Just what I want," Rhett nodded eagerly. "Well, I don't know about you, my lawyer, but I think Steve is ideal for the job." Pippa glared at Rhett. "Really?" Turning to Steve, "Obviously we have other candidates for interviews, Mr. Robinson. We'll be in touch." She held out a firm hand, signaling that the interview was over.

Steve understood. "Thank you. It's an honor to be here for the interview." "This way, Steve. I'll take you out." Reed pointed to the corridor with one finger, and gently closed the door. "Don't pay attention to what Pippa says," she "whispered" aloud. "She's not very good at one-on-one interviews. When can you start this job?" "Start? In my opinion, Ms. Clayton Ward doesn't approve of me as much as you do." "I'll fix her, Steve. We'll let you know in about a day." Steve smiled gratefully. "If you could at least let me know the outcome..."

Rhett patted him on the back and led him slowly toward the front door. "Trust me, this job is as good as yours. Oh, and don't forget to check your car tax clearance." She grinned mischievously. "I'll be watching!" Rhett closed the door and turned around to find Pippa standing in the hall, her hands folded on her chest, her nose fluttering, looking angry. "Don't forget to check your car tax clearance, Steve," Pippa mimicked her tone, eyes icy. "I'll be watching! Honestly, you're so good at flirting with men, it's hard to see that you're not interested in men."

Rhett laughed. "Are you jealous?" "Don't be stupid. I'm trying to tell you why you told him to start tomorrow. He's just not the right guy." "Not right? He's just perfect, Pip." "He! Exactly! What is this agency thinking? Sending a man to take care of my child?" Rhett slipped his hand to her mouth, feigned anger, his blue eyes twinkling. "My God! Really? A man? How can a man be allowed to babysit? Everyone knows that all men are pedophiles." Rhett glared at her partner as they passed by "Especially It's you!"

Pippa followed Rhett into the kitchen. "That was not what I meant." "Then what do you mean, lawyer?" Pippa looked around, trying to explain. "You're not a mother, Cathy. You won't understand." "God, I totally get it. Come to think of it, I used to admire you in court, standing up, and defending men who were wrongfully accused of abuse. I also admired how you convinced a jury not to rely on the gender of the accused Judgment. Gender has nothing to do with his guilt. Not all men are born rapists or pedophiles. You also said—" Pippa slid into the chair, propped her elbows on the table, and buried her face in her hands. "Okay, okay. It's just..."

Rhett wrapped one arm around Pippa's shoulders. "Just what?" "It just freaked me out. When I looked at the list given by the agency, I thought it was Stevie, not Steve. When he turned around, I thought he was a door-to-door salesman. When he said He came for an interview, and I panicked." "Philippa Clayton Ward, Crown Counsel, flustered? This is the first time." "It's not funny, Cathy. To be honest, I'm afraid I've been a little unkind to him." "Just being unfriendly? It would be strange if he was willing to step in here again."

Pippa looked at Rhett pitifully. "I was that scary at the time?" "Scarier than you think. You might scare off the best person for the job." "There are still many applicants." "How about it?" "Both totally inappropriate. Either too young, too irresponsible - Ella will be affected badly - or too dignified. Reminds me of my mum." "so what?" Pippa forced a smile. "Having a Mrs. Sheen is enough, thank you. And what do you mean, Steve is the best candidate? You only chatted with him for a few minutes. You didn't read his paperwork. His references, his criminal record, etc." "No need, dear. If he can get an invitation to come here for an interview, all of the above will be in order. As for perfection... Pip, think about it." Rhett said, fingering each item in the air enumerate. "He's a teacher. He loves kids. He understands kids too. He can even do some tutoring for Ella. You always say she should do more homework." "Ok." Red strikes while the iron is hot, "He will also set a good example for Jack. This will also not benefit Richard's appeal, in case he seeks custody of the children." "Ok……" "The best part is you never have to worry about coming home and finding me rolling in bed with him." Pippa smiled. "Seriously? Cathy, have you ever seen me jealous?" "When have I never seen it?" Pippa couldn't help nodding under Rhett's discussion. "I find it difficult to find holes in your defense, Cathy." She took Rhett's hand. "Thank you. I think we have a new Au Pair." "Until Daiman comes back." "Daiman won't come back, Cassandra, you understand." Pippa waved Rhett's thought away with her hand. "Now, I think we'll go out for a drink tonight to celebrate. Even sneaking out late at night? The kids can have tea at my mum's and stay the night." "Sounds good. Only, I have to see Betty Andrews first. She invited me to see her. Maybe she's feeling lonely." "My kindest regards to Elizabeth. What happens next?" "I think we can go 'Union.' You know, catch up with the lads." Pippa made a face. "You know how much I hate that place, Cathy. A typical... public bar with drunks, overturned tables, and vomit everywhere." "There are almost no cases like what you said. The bar staff don't dare to sell so much alcohol to anyone. And most of the time, this bar is full of police." "I mean the police," said Pippa deadpan.