"This one looks nice." Betsy commented lamely.

The brick building before them was large and rather unremarkable. With wooden framed windows that hadn't been updated since the building was created and peeling paintwork on the doors, it didn't exude promise. Only the vivid artwork painted onto the concrete outside and the brightly coloured pictures dangling within the windows told of the true purpose of the structure.

Nick turned his head and raised his brows at her. "It's a school, Betsy. I'm not worried about how nice it looks." His gaze swept over the length of the building. "Though this school isn't getting off to a great start."

Betsy nodded her head. Nick's breath caught. Her lip was pulled between her teeth and her blonde curls fell around her face in the most distracting manner. He swallowed loudly and ripped his gaze away.

They had already looked at three other schools. Two private schools and one boarding school had been vetoed unanimously. This, the fourth and final local option, was their last hope.

Nick released a slow breath. He felt simultaneously relieved and disappointed as he looked at the buildings.

"It's okay to want the kids to stay at home, you know. My sister was the same when she first let the girls go to nursery. She had more trouble letting go than the girls did." Betsy soothed, slipping her small cool hand into his and resting her head upon his shoulder. "Just give it a chance. If you don't like it, Delilah can continue with her tutors."

Turning his head, Nick pressed a kiss to her curly hair. "You always know the right thing to say."

Her fingers tightened around his before she peered up at him, a cheeky grin playing across her lips. "Really? I was just making that stuff up."

With a shake of his head, Nick guided her forwards towards the entrance.

Despite the weathered exterior to the building, the interior of the school was well maintained. The floors were clean, the walls freshly painted, and the place exuded a warmth which had been missing elsewhere. A tall slim woman with grey streaked brown hair and a dowdy brown suit stood just inside the door. Her face was open and kind as she turned to greet the pair, wrinkles forming at the corner of her eyes as she smiled.

"You must be Mr Davenport," She stated, smiling as she held out her hand. "I'm Elaine and welcome to Green Acre Primary School."

"Please call me Nick." Nick accepted her palm and gave it a firm shake. "And this is my partner, Elizabeth."

Betsy accepted her hand, her cheeks burning hot under the other woman's scrutiny. "Nice to meet you."

"Well, I think that's enough pleasantries. Barb? Can you hand me those?" Elaine called to the elderly woman perched behind the desk. A second later she had an armful of glossy booklets. "Thanks Barb. Here are some brochures about the school to get you started. Now, I firmly believe the best way for you to decide if this is the best choice for you and your children is to see for yourself."

"Sounds good with me." Nick agreed, nodding his head as he did so.

With a clap of her hands, the woman spun on her sensible heels. "If you'll follow me we can get started."

She set off down the hallway at a steady pace, responding to any greetings with a smile and a soft spoken reply.

Nick glanced at the woman at his side, chuckling at her grin. "I know, I think I like her too."

"Damn, she's fast. We better catch up before we lose her." Betsy muttered, hurrying after the woman at a fast pace that was ridiculous to watch.

Chuckling, Nick followed, his eyes watching the exaggerated wiggle of her hips as she walked as fast as her legs could carry her.

"In case you haven't had a chance to research us, this school has been given an outstanding rating by OFSTED. I should warn you that we do things a little differently here at Green Acre. We do care about grades; this is a place of learning after all. But, as well as focusing on academics, we aim to nurture the creative side of the children to ensure that each child has the best start in life they can be given. We want them to be well rounded individuals."

"And how do you do that?" Betsy asked, a furrow between her brows as she clutched the brochure to her chest.

"I'm glad you asked," Elaine answered, folding her arms behind her back as she slowed her pace. "As well as offering multiple language options, we offer a wide program of extra-curricular activities which run from three until four in the afternoon every day. We alternate activities so each child gets a chance to try as many different things as possible to find out what they like. For example we offer dance, art, cooking, gymnastics, and gardening this term and then there will be sewing, cycling and a selection of other sporting activities next term." Elaine reeled off seamlessly.

She continued to talk for several minutes about several aspects of the school's curriculum. She only paused when she stopped outside of a green painted door.

A hand written sign declaring it 'Mrs Lane's Class' was tacked to the middle. Through the wood we could hear the soft murmur of voices. "But don't take my word for it. Let's take a look at some of the classrooms so you can get an idea of what it is we do here."

Forty minutes later found Nick and Betsy standing outside. Swallowing loudly and his heart pumping within his chest, Nick wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I think this is it."

Betsy's head snapped up, her eyes doing that sparkling thing he enjoyed so much. "Really?"

"I think you're right. She needs to be around other children and this is what I want for her."

"You do realise your in-laws are not going to be happy about this. They had their hearts set on the academy."

"That's their problem, not mine. Carol and Greg may hate it, but I feel comfortable with letting Delilah come here. My children deserve the best and I think this is it."

Betsy lifted up on to her tiptoes, her hand resting on his cheek as she guided his face down. Her lips brushed across his, her kiss brief before she pressed another kiss to the end of his nose. "I'm proud of you. You're growing up." She murmured, her blue eyes peering up at him.

Nick swatted her butt playfully. "I take offence to that. I'll have you know I've been able to grow a beard for over ten years."

Betsy laughed, head tilted back as the sun glinted off of her blonde hair. "Is that so? Thank you for inviting me along today."

Nick smiled and pressed his lips to hers, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away. "Thank you for coming along with me. I don't think I could have done this by myself."

"You're braver than you think you are."

"Is that so?" Nick murmured as he lifted his gaze. Several pairs of curious eyes stared back at him through the window. Raising a hand, Nick gave the children a wave causing the spectators to scatter. "Come on, let's get back home before we cause a scene."

Betsy giggled and backed away. "Well, we definitely wouldn't want to cause a scene. Would we?"

Taking her hand in his, Nick led them back to the waiting car. True to British weather, the sun which had shone in the sky only half an hour before, was obscured by darkening clouds. Rain would soon fall. Nick could smell it; that small change in the air just before the first drops would being to fall.

Opening the door to the passenger side of the vehicle, Nick held onto her fingers as Betsy clambered up into the seat. Releasing her fingers, he pulled the seatbelt and stretched it across her body. As he clicked it into place, he turned his head and stole a quick kiss before pulling from the vehicle.

He barely recognised the man he was becoming. Before Betsy, Nick had only ever imagined public school as a distant blip on the horizon. Now he had his heart set on sending his only daughter to a public school.

As he closed the door to the vehicle, Nick's phone shrilled from his pocket. He sighed.

And there was reality reminding him of the man he would always be.

As he walked around the car, he deftly plucked the handset from his pocket. Holding it to his ear, he answered, "Nick speaking."

"Mr Davenport? It's Tina."

"What's wrong? You're not normally this formal."

A pause. A pause that lasted just a few seconds too long. A pause that caused a blip in his pulse.

"We have a bit of a situation at the office." Tina continued finally, her voice strained.

"What kind of situation?"

There was a pause before a crackled reply came down the phone line. "There appears to have been a break in to your office."

"Appears to have been?" Nick asked, slamming the car door closed behind him. He could feel Betsy's eyes trained firmly on his face. "How can it just 'appear to have been'? It either has or it hasn't."

"The office has been ransacked but, from what we can determine, nothing has been taken. At least nothing valuable to any of your current projects."

"I'll be at the office within an hour." Nick replied shortly. "Get security to pull up the CCTV so it's ready for me and I will personally want to speak to everyone who was on shift. This kind of lapse is unacceptable."

Without waiting for a response, Nick ended the call and calmly slipped his phone back into his pocket.

"Is everything okay?" Betsy asked, her hand resting on his arm.

Nick lifted Betsy's hand and pressed his lips to her palm. "Everything's fine, there's just a small problem at the office. I'm afraid I'll have to push back our lunch date."

"That's fine."

"Dinner instead?"

"Perfect."

**

His office building was a hive of activity as he strode through the doors. A man clad in the black security uniform approached him as he strode through the lobby. Nick slowed his pace, allowing the older man to catch up, as he moved to the bank of elevators.

"Brief me," Nick commanded, shoulders pulled back and his face perfectly blank as he stepped into the elevator.

"Ms Young discovered the breach at nine thirty this morning. All patrols through the night went seamlessly and no intruders were detected. All doors were secured as per protocol."

"Well something didn't go to protocol if a person has managed to get in and out of my office undetected." Nick stated, stabbing the button on the panel with a little more force than necessary.

"We've reviewed the CCTV, and we spotted a woman entering the office during the shift change at seven thirty this morning." The man replied, his fingers tugging nervously at his collar. "She had a key card so she was able to walk in and out without any obstructions."

"I want a copy of that CCTV. And find out just whose key card she was using."

"Of course, sir."

"Did the CCTV show her taking anything?"

"Just an envelope. Though Tina has confirmed that all the files relating to your current projects are still in the office."

Nick swallowed, his hands bunching into fists as his side. He drew in a deep breath. "What colour was the envelope?"

"It was a brown manila envelope. Standard issue."

"Right." Nick nodded his head, burrowing his hands into the pocket of his trousers. "I need to go and sort this out. The CCTV within the hour."

Without waiting for a further response, Nick stepped out of the elevator as soon as the doors drew open and powered into his office. Whoever had infiltrated his office had made no attempt to hide their activities. Drawers were open, folders were littered every surface and their contents spilled over the floor.

Striding around his desk, Nick halted when he noted the bottom drawer to his desk had been prised open, the lock wrenched off to reveal the messy interior. Swallowing in an attempt to clear his dry mouth, Nick crouched down.

He knew it would be gone. In his gut, before he had discovered the file was missing, he just knew.

Bracing his hands on the top of his desk, Nick bowed his head. He breathed deeply to fight back the sudden churning in his stomach. He lifted his hands and then slammed them back down on to the desktop.

"Shit."

"Watch that language. Or do I need to wash your mouth out with soap." Tina chastised, bustling into the room with a stack of folders held closely to her chest. "I'm guessing from your reaction you know exactly what has been taken. Do I need to get any lawyers to take damage control measures?"

"What was taken had nothing to do with the business." Nick replied, standing up straight. He ran a hand down his face and stared blankly at the mess around him.

"What was taken?"

"Private information about someone I care about." Nick drew in deep breath and then nodded to his assistant. "Can you excuse me for a few minutes? I need to make some calls. Then we'll start on this mess."

"Of course," Tina nodded and retreated from the room.

The door clicked shut behind her. The sound felt oddly final as he was left to his own thoughts. Nick turned and walked to the wall of windows. The rain pattering against the glass just about reflected his mood.

Whoever had broken into his office had known about the file. They had been after one thing and one thing only. The mess was just collateral damage.

Nick ran his hands through his hair and then tugged sharply on the ends. "Damn it! I knew things were going too well."