Page 8 of The Day After Christmas
‘You are impossible,’ said Felicity, but she could feel a smile tugging at her lips.
‘Incorrigible, don’t you mean?’ said Andrea, her eyes still on her computer.
‘That too.’
‘So, Felicity, I’ve delivered you a gorgeous young man to help you around here. He’s perfectly polite and seems good with the animals and he’s super easy on the eye, and you’re here in my office all angry and cross. What’s the problem exactly?’
Felicity’s shoulders sagged. ‘I have no idea,’ she admitted, eventually.
‘Well, good. Off you pop home to your Penguin Man and we’ll say no more about it.’
‘Fine.’
‘Fine.’
Felicity tried to ignore the feeling of uncertainty tightening her chest. Or perhaps it was good old-fashioned protectiveness. She loved Animal Saviours like it was her second home, she loved the way she and Andrea worked together so seamlessly, telepathically almost, and she loved that she could do the whole job with her eyes closed, practically. She was damned if some young upstart was going to come in and mess with the status quo. Even one that looked likethat.
That night in bed she tried to tell James about their new arrival. He was irritatingly calm about the whole thing and the more he refused to be drawn in, the more irate Felicity became.
‘So, what’s the problem exactly? Tell me again?’ he said, massaging his temples with a finger and thumb. Felicity tried to ignore the way his arm muscles flexed as he did so.
‘He’s been in some trouble but we don’t even know what he did, right? He might be an axe murderer or something.’
James laughed. ‘Doing community service? Unlikely.’
‘Okay, fine, I take your point. But we don’t know what hediddo. The thing is, I just don’t trust him.’
James opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again rapidly.
Felicity scoffed. ‘I know, you’re going to say, “There’s a surprise”, like I don’t trust anyone or something.’
‘Well, you don’t. But no, that’s not what I was going to say. I was going to say you should give him a chance, that’s all. Andrea has, after all, and she’s usually spiky as hell about new people.’
Felicity leant over and kissed James hard on the mouth.
‘Woah. What was that for?’
‘Well, you’re right of course, Andrea hates new people. She’d never normally welcome someone into our little inner sanctum so quickly.’
‘She invitedmein, let’s not forget.’
James had briefly spent time volunteering at Animal Saviours as part of a sabbatical from work the previous year. It had started for the sake of his well-being but ended up being mainly so he could spend time with Felicity. Which in itself was a kind of therapy for both of them. Even now, she still missed him being around the place. And not just because he was in equal parts easy on the eye and good at moving heavy stuff.
‘Yes, but that was so me and you could spend more time together, you know that. She’s a devious one.’
‘So…?’ James lifted an eyebrow.
‘So, the same applies now. I knew she was up to something.’
‘What though? She’s not trying to get you to trade me in for a younger model, is she?’
‘I’ve no idea, but I’m sure as hell gonna find out.’
James was already reaching for his phone. ‘We could start by finding out what he did. What’s his surname?’
‘You know what? I’ve no idea.’
‘That might be a good place to start.’
