Chapter Fourteen

"So, what's pissed you off?" Charlie asked, getting right to the point as she and Joey got into the back of the car so that Angelo could take them to school.

"What has it got to do with you?" Joey snapped.

"Well, you were fine last night and then…"

"And then you humiliated me!"

As usual, Angelo was listening in. Charlie blocked him off.

"What do you mean I humiliated you?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

Joey scowled and turned away, looking out of the window of the posh car. Charlie tugged on her arm, forcing her to face her.

"Joey, talk to me!" she insisted.

"You made me think that you liked me and then you rejected me," the younger girl said.

Charlie was stunned to see how vulnerable she was. She had no idea what to say.

"Joey…"

"What was it, Charlie?" Joey asked. "You heard all about my reputation and thought you'd play me at my own game?"

"No!" Charlie insisted. "Of course not!"

"Then why?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Charlie lied. "There's never been anything between us but friendship. And a professional, working relationship."

Joey stared at her in disbelief.

"You were there last night, weren't you?" she asked.

"Yes," Charlie said. "We had a nice evening, said goodnight and then went our separate ways. There's no need to say anything more about it. And there's no need to take your bad mood out on the rest of the world."

Joey glared at her.

"Whatever," she muttered.

She turned back to the window, wishing she could escape Charlie, even for a second.

The day had been long and very much a struggle for both Charlie and Joey. They'd barely spoken and neither of them were in a great mood. It was a relief to separate back at home, with Joey having dinner with her parents and Charlie heading down into the servants quarters with the people she was more comfortable with.

"She never lightened up then?" Leah asked as Colleen served them all their food.

"Nope," Charlie said grimly.

"I don't understand," Aden said, joining them at the table. "You were really starting to make progress with her, weren't you?"

"I thought I was," Charlie said wistfully.

She was devastated at her relationship with Joey seemingly being ruined.

"What happened?" Leah asked.

Charlie felt uncomfortable under her scrutiny, with her being aware that she had feelings for her charge.

"She just got the wrong end of the stick, that's all," she said unhappily.

That evening, Charlie braced herself to go and talk to Joey. She couldn't bear the tension between them, especially not after the way they had bonded in recent weeks. Taking a deep breath, she knocked tentatively on the door.

"What?" the eighteen year old barked.

"Can I come in?" Charlie asked through the wood.

"Whatever," Joey replied.

Taking another breath, Charlie pushed open the door. She found Joey sat at her large, oak desk in lamplight, poring over some papers.

"What are you up to?"

"Writing a novel," Joey snapped, not turning around. "What do you think?"

Charlie hovered anxiously behind her, hoping she would look at her.

"Can we talk?" she asked when it became apparent that she was going to be ignored.

"I have nothing to say to you," Joey replied.

Sighing heavily, Charlie pulled up a chair and sat beside her.

"Then I'll talk," she decided.

She caught Joey offering her a sidelong glance at her, although she pretended to keep making notes for school.

"I'm attracted to you," Charlie said honestly.

Joey dropped her pen, sat up and looked at her.

"Excuse me?"

"I think you're beautiful," Charlie told her. "But more than that, I think you're a wonderful person. I think you're sweet, even though you hide it well. You crack me up and I have so much fun with you. And last night, I genuinely did want to kiss you."

Joey eyes lit up but she looked troubled.

"So why didn't you?" she asked.

"Because I'm your guard, Joey," Charlie said. "It's my job to look after you, to protect you, to keep you out of trouble. It's not my job to take advantage of you."

"But you wouldn't be!" Joey protested. "Not if I wanted you too. Which I do."

"It would still be taking advantage and I can't do that," Charlie said.

"But it's not like you're that much older than me or anything," Joey argued. "Barely a couple of years."

"I know," Charlie said. "And in the real world, it wouldn't be a problem. In the real world, I wouldn't have any hesitation, believe me."

Joey narrowed her eyes, searching her face.

"Is this because you don't trust me?" she asked.

"Sorry?"

"You think I'm being disingenuous or something," Joey accused, although mildly. "You think I'm tricking you?"

"No!" Charlie said, taking both her hands. "No, I trust you. I promise. I feel like… like I've really got to know you over the last few weeks. The real you."

Joey smiled sadly at her. She reached out and stroked Charlie's face.

"Then why won't you be with me?" she asked sadly.

"Because I can't," Charlie said. "I can't be with you and be your bodyguard at the same time. And I can't lose my job. I'm sorry."

"You could get another job," Joey said hopefully.

Charlie laughed a little bitterly and shook her head.

"I was beyond lucky that your Dad was willing to take me on," she said. "Otherwise, I'm pretty much unemployable."

"Why?" Joey wondered.

She was surprised when Charlie actually told her.

"I was kicked off the force because I shot someone," the former police officer admitted.

Joey couldn't hide her surprise.

"You what?"

"I was pretty new to the job and we were chasing a suspect," Charlie explained. "He turned and pulled a gun out and I shot him before he could shoot me or any of my colleagues."

Joey nodded slowly.

"It was lawful and it would have just been a blot on my record if he hadn't been the son of someone pretty important," Charlie explained. "They would have dragged me and the local police station through every court they possibly could if they hadn't been appeased with a public apology and the loss of my job, plus the promise that I would never wear a uniform again."

"But he was going to shoot you," Joey protested.

"I couldn't prove it," Charlie replied. "Plus… I didn't cope all that well afterwards."

"How so?"

"I still get nightmares," Charlie admitted. "I suffered with panic attacks and all sorts. I guess the guilt of taking a life has been pretty overwhelming. And… well, I was falling to pieces anyway so it was easier all round for me to leave. My Dad has never been so ashamed of anyone in his whole life though."

Joey squeezed her hand.

"I'm so sorry," she said. "So sorry for what you went through."

They smiled sadly at each other.

"Anyway, I just… I wanted to clear the air, okay?" Charlie said, drawing away. "Can we go back to the way we were?"

"Yeah," Joey sighed, evidently not happy about it. "We can."

"Great," Charlie said, standing up and heading for the door.

"Charlie?" Joey said.

Her minder turned back around to face her.

"When, like… I don't know, sometime a hundred years in the future when my Dad gives me some actual freedom… could we?"

Charlie grinned.

"Of course we can."

Next time… Joey has a surprise for Charlie…