Soul Protector (16 page)

“Sounds like a pretty cool
childhood you had, travelling the world?” I thought of the happy
family unit sticking together on their adventures, in complete
contrast to my own childhood, running away from Dad.

“It didn’t seem cool at the
time, Gracie. To be honest, I hated it. There was so much hardship
everywhere. Each time we came back to the UK, it got tougher to
leave. I missed my mates, my football, even my bed. And all the
time I was being told by my parents how selfish I was to think like
that. I mean, I know that’s right now, but I really resented it at
the time. I just wanted a normal life. And then when I found out
about the whole Soul Protector thing, I hated that too. I didn’t
want to give up my life like Mum and Dad had. I just wanted to be
my own person, doing the things I enjoyed.”

“Oh right, I didn’t think of it
like that.”

“And I hated lying to my
sister. Me and Nat were really close once, but then my world
changed and I couldn’t tell her anything. After, when Tom and I
knew what we were, it was never the same between us. I think she
could sense something was different, or maybe it was all in my
head, but anyway we lost our close brother/sister bond. She’s not
in touch with any of us now.”

He looked sad as he spoke, and
I resisted a strong pull to hug him.

“That must really hurt.”

He nodded. His face softened as
he changed the subject.
“So, what do you do for
kicks, Gracie Reynolds?”

My mind whirred into action.
Out of all the things I loved doing, what would sound the most
exciting? That I liked shopping? Going out for meals? Watching
movies?

“Oh God, Dan, I’m boring
compared to you.”

He stopped walking and looked
at me.

“
You
are
definitely not boring. Come on. Tell me what you do for fun – you
and your mates.”

I couldn’t see how he was going
to find it interesting, but as he’d asked...

“Well, there are three of us
who go out together quite a bit. Kerry, she’s my oldest friend, and
then there’s Lydia… She’s the one I was changed into when you
nabbed me off the street.” It still made me cringe when I thought
about it.

“Ah yes, Lydia. Has she
forgiven you for not letting her in your flat the other day?”

“No not yet. I know she will
eventually, but she’ll enjoy making me suffer in the meantime.”

“Sounds like you’ve got past
experience. Do you have to do a lot of apologising to this
Lydia?”

“No. But then normally I’d
never refuse to see her. It’s not the sort of thing you do to
Lydia. She calls the shots – she’s like the Queen Bee, and we all
kind of fuss around her. Well, I do anyway.”

Dan pulled a face at me and I
laughed.

“I don’t mind, I’ve known her
for years and it’s always been that way, since we were kids.”

“Well, she sounds like a great
friend.”

“She is. I’m making it all
sound worse than it is; she’s got good points too. She’s fun to be
around, she’s very generous and believe it or not, she does have a
big heart buried inside that tough exterior. It’s just that...”

“You’re the B-list friend and
she’s the A-list?

I stopped talking and grinned
at him. “I think you’ve hit the nail on the head there. You know,
I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be Lydia. She breezes
through life with no effort. Good things just fall in her lap and
she never seems to struggle like everyone else.”

Dan was really easy to talk to.
I hadn’t meant to get into deep and meaningful topics with him just
yet.

“And does she seem happy to
you? I mean deep down, genuinely happy?”

I stopped walking and chewed my
lip.

“No not really. Actually, she’s
probably the least happy person I know. I mean, she’s got
everything most people want, but she spends a lot of time moaning
about all the little things. It’s like nothing’s quite good
enough.”

“Doesn’t add up does it?”

“I do love
her, but I’ve always thought underneath her perfect exterior, she’s
a little
ruined on the inside. It’s not her fault. I think
she’s just had everything too easy.”

“Beautiful on the outside
only?”

“
Dan,
it
sounds really bad when you put it like that. She’s beautiful on the
outside, and… I don’t know,
cool
on the inside.”

Dan raised his eyebrows.

“I bet she’s not half as cool
as you think. Everyone, even Lydia, has their inner geek just
waiting to burst out.”

“Well if that’s true, some
people manage to keep theirs better hidden than others,” I said,
thinking how lucky my inner geek was to be given such free
reign.

“You’d be amazed what people
hide.” The volume of his sentence dipped as a couple walked past in
the opposite direction. “I’ve swapped with loads of people who
appear fine on the surface, but inside they’re crippled by
insecurity.”

“Seriously?”

He nodded. “The image people
project isn’t always a true reflection of their inner self. Once
you understand you’re not the only person who sometimes feels
awkward, anxious or insecure, you feel a whole lot better about
yourself. We’re all just human after all.”

“I guess so.”

“It really is the best job in
the world, Gracie.” His face was expectant as he looked at me.

“Oh, not that
again, I told you my answer, and it’s a definite
nooo
.”

He took a deep sigh. “Okay. No
pressure. But if you ever change your mind...”

“…I know where to find you.” I
finished for him. “Actually Dan, I have no idea where to find you.
You’re a man of mystery.”

He reached into his jacket
pocket and pulled out a business card which he flipped to me. I
caught it and scanned the text. No company name, no logo, just his
name, address and mobile number. That was all I needed. I tucked it
deep inside my pocket. There was no way I was going to lose it.

Up ahead was a wooden bridge.
We walked onto it and stopped in the middle to gaze out over the
lake. The view from that angle was magical. I let go of Dan’s hand
and hopped up onto a low bench beside the barrier to get a better
glimpse of the city lights being reflected in the water.

“That’s where Tom and I live,”
Dan said, pointing out towards the west of the city. I followed the
direction of his finger, squinting towards the lights in the
distance, but it was impossible to pick out streets, let alone
houses.

As I stood there enjoying the
scenery and breathing in the cool night air, I became aware of him
moving closer behind me. And even though he was barely touching me,
I felt the heat of his body through his clothes. I held my breath.
Everything seemed to stop; the breeze, the hum of traffic,
everything.

His fingers began to gently
rake through my hair, making me shiver as they grazed the back of
my neck. He gathered my hair into a loose ponytail and swept it to
one side, causing my heart to pick up an unsteady rhythm. I held
onto the wooden rail for support and lowered my head.

He leant forward and began to
kiss the exposed skin; his lips and breath were deliciously warm.
When I was completely under his spell, he placed his hands on my
shoulders and slowly, so I didn’t fall off the bench, he turned me
round to face him.

“Hey, you’re trembling,” he
said, his voice all husky. “Are you cold?”

I nodded, glad to have an
excuse. No one had ever made me feel like that, just from a few
kisses.

He took off his jacket and
placed it round my shoulders. It was about ten sizes too big for
me, and still warm from the heat of his body.

Stood up there on the bench, I
was almost as tall as him. I dared to hold his gaze, and saw his
expression had gone all serious and brooding. He put one hand up to
my face and ran his fingers downwards, tracing my jaw line, before
gently tilting my chin towards him. I was overwhelmed by all the
sensations flooding my system; his closeness, the spicy warmth of
his aftershave, the electricity of his touch. It was a heady
mixture and I was completely lost in him. I leaned forward to close
the gap.

This time, he didn’t back off.
He took control and started kissing me slowly, teasingly,
unleashing my wild side. I ran my hands over his shirt, tracing his
hard, firm muscles, loving the way they contrasted against the soft
material.

We broke the kiss, and looked
at each other, panting.

“Wow,” I gasped, almost falling
off the bench.

He caught me, and gently
deposited me back on the bridge.

“Oh, that good, huh?”

My heartbeat gradually slowed
down to a healthier rate and I could feel warmth spread across my
cheeks. Why do I always have to ruin the moment? I looked up at him
and nodded sheepishly.

To my relief, he wrapped his
strong arms around me, drawing me into his chest. “I’ve never met
anyone quite like you before, Gracie Reynolds.”

I pressed myself into his warm,
firm body. I didn’t think it was possible to feel any happier than
I did right then.

An urgent beeping sound from
his mobile phone cut through the moment. Sighing, he released his
grip on me and reached into the jacket pocket that I was still
wearing, and pulled out his phone. As he listened to the caller,
his face fell into a frown. He answered with just four words, “I’m
on my way.”

My shoulders sagged as he
explained he had to go on another shout.

All too soon, he was dropping
me back at the entrance to my flat.

“Sorry for the speedy exit,
Gracie. I’ve really enjoyed being with you. I’ll be in touch,
okay.”

I leant up hoping for another
kiss like before, but he hastily kissed the top of my head, the
same way my Mum would have done.

“I’ve got to go. Sorry.” With
that, he practically ran back to his car and sped off.

I felt deflated as I reached
into my pocket and pulled out his business card. I rubbed my
fingers across the top, and stroked the embossed blue lettering
which spelled out his name. He said was going to be in touch. I
dared to believe him.

~~~

CHAPTER 12

.

Meanwhile, Back at the
Mill…

.

I heard Donald’s raised voice
as soon as the lift shuddered to a halt. As I made my way over to
my workspace, I noticed everyone who had come in early had their
heads down, pretending not to hear. I had to walk right past
Donald’s door, and the ferocity in his voice made me flinch. I knew
I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t help glancing in. Donald was stood by
the door, red in the face, balling out Camille. Unfortunately he
looked up at the exact same moment and I caught his eye.
Damn.
I looked away, cringing as I heard him slam the door
shut.

I hurried over to my desk and
Arthur’s head appeared above the privacy board between our work
areas. A smile was playing on his lips.

“Blimey, what’s up with
Donald?” I asked.

Arthur gestured for me to move
closer so he didn’t have to raise his voice.

“From what I can make out, the
lovely Camille submitted a feature and, to quote dear old Donald,
‘it’s not fit to wipe his backside with.”

“Oh that’s just great. I guess
we’re all going to suffer then.”

Arthur nodded, and turned his
attention back to his work. I glanced back to Donald’s office and
saw he was still going for it and I actually felt sorry for
Camille. It took a lot for Donald to lose his temper, but when he
did he made up for lost time. I slipped off my jacket, sat down and
began rifling through my in-tray. This was definitely a day for
keeping your head down and staying out of trouble.

After about ten minutes,
Donald’s door clicked open. There were a couple of nervous coughs
from around the open plan area as Camille walked out. I sneaked a
quick peak and saw she was all hot and bothered. My heart sank as
she made a beeline for my desk.

“Gracie, in my office, NOW!”
she bellowed.

I felt my cheeks start to
redden, half from the nerve of her talking to me like that, and
half from the embarrassment of everyone else listening.

I took a deep breath, stood up
and smoothed down my skirt. After making an ‘aargh’ face at Arthur,
I followed her into the office.

When I got in, she gestured for
me to shut the door.

“What’s up Camille?” I asked,
thinking now was not a good time to remind her about manners.

“Did you hear that?” she
practically spat out.

“I think everyone did.”

“Well, Don called me in early
this morning for the biggest bawling out of my life. And it’s your
fault, Gracie.”

I gulped. “Me? What did I
do?”

“That report… err… what was it
called…Woman in Work. Donald said it was absolute rubbish. There’s
no way he can use it in this month’s edition.”

“Oh.” I couldn’t think of
anything else to say. I certainly couldn’t defend it. All I had was
a vague memory of what was in it, because I’d been switched when my
primary body typed it and handed it in.

“Donald is absolutely livid.
The print deadline is today, and he’s got no article to submit. As
I’m your supervisor, he’s blaming me.”

I looked at the floor. “I’m
sorry, Camille.

“Well sorry doesn’t help,
Gracie.”

We stood there in silence for a
few seconds. My mind was thinking back to the night ‘Gracie’ did
the report.

“I handed that feature in a
week ago, right? Didn’t you read it before you gave it to him?”

“Oh for God’s sake, Gracie,
I’ve got better things to do than double-check all your work. I’m
too busy to do your job as well as mine. This is your problem and
you need to sort it out, fast.”