‘OK, what do you want to nag me about?’ Nel chuckled. ‘I don’t want to nag you. I just want to talk about safe things.’ ‘I see. You don’t want to talk about how attractive you are, and how foolish Simon is not to have got you down the aisle long since?’ ‘No!’ she squeaked. ‘Honestly! Anyway, what makes you think Simon wants to get me down the aisle?’ ‘The fact that he knows the internal measurements of your house, for one thing.’ ‘That’s nothing! Estate agents like that sort of detail. Anyway, he knows I’m not interested in anything full time and permanent until the children have well and truly left home.’ She frowned a little, hoping Simon did know this, and was not confusing Fleur’s gap year travelling with her actually leaving home. ‘Oh, why is that?’ He seemed genuinely interested, so Nel answered. ‘I can’t bear the thought of another man telling them off. I didn’t even like it when Mark did it, and they were his children.’ ‘That’s easy, you’ll just have to find a man who won’t tell them off.
