Chapter 27
They talked round and round the issue until Felicity’s stomach started to rumble.
‘Go on, you two, you’re still on holiday for one more day. Go get some food and we’ll resume this tomorrow,’ said Andrea.
‘But you’ve only got thirty days according to this letter,’ said Felicity. The letter in question was now soggy with sweat. She placed it carefully back down on the counter and hoped no one would notice.
‘Come on, you need to go. We’ll think of something,’ said Andrea, following them to the door. Felicity wondered vaguely who the “we” was in that sentence.
Her train of thought was interrupted by the man himself. As they walked to the door to leave, Harry held up a hand.
‘I forgot… er, something,’ he said, in a pathetic voice, trailing after them.
‘Oh, that’s fine, let me help you find it,’ said Andrea quickly, starting back down the corridor towards the staff room.
‘Hold on. What did you forget?’ said Felicity, eyebrows raised.
They both stopped short. Harry looked uncomfortable. ‘Erm… I forgot my bag. I just need to pop back and get it.’
Felicity could have sworn she saw a naughty glint in Andrea’s eye.
‘Did you have a bag?’ said Felicity. ‘I don’t remember a bag. Do you remember a bag?’ She turned to James, eyebrows raised.
James grinned and turned to Harry. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll wait for you.’
Felicity bit her lip.
Harry shifted from foot to foot. ‘It’s okay, don’t worry, I’ll… I can make my own way home.’
Felicity and James glanced at each other.
‘Honestly, it’s no trouble,’ said Felicity.
‘We’ll just wait here,’ said James.
Harry looked at Andrea for help.
‘Oh, just bugger off home, you two, it doesn’t take four people to retrieve a bag,’ snapped Andrea, her face flushing.
‘It doesn’t take two people either,’ retorted Felicity, but Harry and Andrea were already making their way back down the corridor. Surprisingly fast.
‘None of this was on my bingo card for today,’ said James.
Felicity let out a sigh. ‘Let’s go home.’
It wasn’t until they got back that Felicity remembered Le Manoir was up for sale. With all the excitement of the day it had completely slipped her mind. Perhaps she ought to tell Harry. Once she had forgiven him for banging her boss, that is.
For now she had the future of Animal Saviours to deal with. This place was her lifeblood. A home, in many ways. A pseudo-family. They had to find a way to save it.
‘Is there something you need to tell me?’ said James, as they got ready for bed, ignoring their half-unpacked suitcases, exhaustion sweeping over them both.
‘It’s been a long day,’ said Felicity, by way of an answer.
‘I know.’
‘Can we talk about it tomorrow?’
‘Oh, sure. Yes. That’s fine, I’ll be able to sleep no problem. I mean, this lad has just told me something happened between him and my girlfriend, but that’s fine. Any man would be able to sleep in this situation, I’m sure.’
Felicity sat down heavily on the side of the bed, wishing she could just hide under the duvet right about now. ‘I should have told you at the time,’ she said.
‘Told me what, exactly?’ said James, sitting down next to her.
Felicity looked into his clear-blue eyes.
‘It really was nothing, okay? Don’t freak out.’
‘Well, now you’re freaking me out.’
‘I don’t mean to. It was nothing.’
‘Fine, it was nothing, whatever, but can you please tell me?’
Felicity took a deep breath. ‘Charlie has a crush on me, okay? He made me this stupid rabbit toy thing and left it in my locker.’
James let out a long breath. ‘So you’ve got another stalker. Is that all? I thought you two had…’
‘Oh, God no,’ said Felicity. ‘But…’
‘But what?’
‘But he did try and seduce me. I mean, that’s what I think he was doing. He’s just a kid, James, honestly.’
James’s jaw was clenching now. Felicity put a hand on his arm.
‘When you say he tried to seduce you…?’
‘Well, it was just me and him on shift.’
‘And?’
‘And he was in Andrea’s office…’
‘And?’
‘And he was in just his boxers.’
‘What the hell?’ James stood up and started marching up and down the room.
‘Calm down.’
‘How am I meant to calm down?’
‘Nothing happened, okay? I told him to put his clothes back on and that was that.’
‘That was that?’
‘I mean, yes, that was that. He put his clothes back on and I sent him home.’
James rubbed his face with his hands. ‘So if that was that, why didn’t you just tell me?’
Felicity blinked at him. ‘I honestly don’t know. I was meaning to.’
‘Oh, well, that’s fine then.’ James uncrossed his arms. Then recrossed them again. Sweat prickled on the back of Felicity’s neck.
‘I was going to. I meant to. It was really funny, actually. I just didn’t, in the end.’
‘No.’
‘No. I’m sorry.’
He sat down beside her again, arms still crossed, jaw still clenched, and she patted his arm gingerly.
‘I’m really sorry. I should have told you.’
‘Yes. You should. He wasn’t… naked, was he?’
Felicity could have sworn she caught James sucking in his stomach as he said this.
‘Are you clenching? You are, you’re clenching!’
‘Hey, he’s a young lad, I’m sure he’s got a great body.’
Felicity cleared her throat but elected to stay silent.
‘See,’ said James, jabbing at the air with a finger. ‘That cough, right there. That says I’m right.’
‘No, it doesn’t,’ said Felicity.
‘So he has a disgusting body covered in boils or something does he?’
‘Well, no, but…’
‘I bloody knew it. I’m going to kill the useless little nutbag.’
‘Don’t mention nutbags,’ said Felicity, bursting out laughing.
‘Oh my God,’ said James. ‘You didn’t see…’
Felicity shook her head. Her body was racked with laughter now and she couldn’t speak for a good minute. After a few more seconds of this, James began laughing too.
‘Nutbag,’ she said, cackling.
‘I’m glad we can laugh about this,’ said James, still frowning and laughing all at the same time.
‘I knew we would one day,’ said Felicity.
He kissed the top of her head and relief washed over her.
‘Of course we would,’ said James. ‘You just should have told me sooner, okay?’
‘Okay.’
‘And if he ever pulls anything like that again…’
‘Yup. I know.’
‘Right then. We’ll say no more about it. Or about your boss and your dad, now that I think of it. What the hell is that about?’
‘Like I said, it’s been a long day,’ said Felicity.