Nadia Knows Best by Jill Mansell

and as far as she was concerned it was perfect.
    But would Jay think so?
    Finally he spoke. “You did all this?”
    â€œAbsolutely. Flat lawn before, I can show you the photos to prove it. I did this three years ago,” Nadia told him with pride. “Every last inch of it myself, down to carrying these flagstones.” She stamped her heel against the pale honey Cotswold stone covering the terrace. It had almost killed her, but no need for Jay to know that. Let him think she was Superwoman and be suitably impressed.
    â€œI’m impressed,” said Jay.
    Phew. Nadia exhaled.
    â€œI knew you would be. Otherwise I wouldn’t have brought you out here. So, do I get the job?”
    â€œI still have other people to see. The appointments are all set up.”
    â€œCancel them,” said Nadia. “You don’t need them anymore. You’ve got me.”
    As she said it, a half-remembered snippet of conversation floated into her mind. Janey, one of the other girls at the garden center, confiding over coffee that she’d applied for a gardening job advertised in last week’s Evening Post .
    â€œI shouldn’t.” Jay glanced at her, then broke into a grin. “But what the hell. OK.”
    Yesss! A fast-moving, quick-thinking, executive-decision-maker, unconcerned with breaking the rules and letting other people down. In other words, absolutely not the kind of person to ever get romantically involved with.
    In fact, the kind who’d cause you nothing but grief. The sensible part of Nadia’s brain carefully noted this fact down in her beige leather-bound notebook. The hopeless part gave a happy shiver of anticipation and wondered what her new boss looked like naked.
    Because she was almost sure he fancied her. You could generally tell.
    â€œExcellent,” Nadia said happily.
    Jay smiled. “I’m pleased you’re pleased. Now, I’ve drunk several cups of coffee.” He gestured toward the house. “Could you point me in the direction of the bathroom?”
    Point him in the direction? Blimey, what did he have in his trousers, a fireman’s hose?
    But in deference to the fact that he was her new boss, Nadia didn’t say this aloud.

Chapter 7
    Having shown Jay through to the downstairs cloakroom, Nadia returned to the sunny garden and sat down on the wooden bench to mentally compose her letter of resignation.
    Dear Mr. Blatt,
    It gives me great pleasure to inform you that I have been offered a much nicer job than the awful, boring one I’ve been stuck with for the last two years and I shall also be working for a much nicer—
    â€œSo?” A female voice behind her made Nadia jump. “What have you done with him?”
    Damn, Clare had said she’d be out this afternoon.
    â€œDone with who?”
    â€œI’ve just been told”—Clare’s tone was arch—“that you have a man out here with you. In fact, I was told that you had a rather spectacular man out here with you. Naturally, I had to come and see this vision for myself. So where is he? Buried in the compost heap? Tied to a tree? Manacled to the lawn mower and locked in the shed? Nad, how many times have I told you, this isn’t the way to stop a man running out on you, they have to want to stay.”
    Nadia knew who she’d like to manacle to the lawn mower.
    â€œHe’s gone to the loo, and as soon as he comes back we’re leaving.” She mentally resolved to have Jay out of the house in three seconds flat. “Anyway, I thought you were out this afternoon. You said you were meeting Josie for lunch and the two of you were going to hit the shops afterwards.”
    â€œWe were, until her boss overheard her on the phone talking about it.” Clare, who had never worked office hours in her life, shook her head in disgust. “He said any more three-hour lunch breaks and she’d be getting her pink slip. All she’s allowed is fifty