Seven Days Grace (A Grace Rose Novel Book 1) (45 page)

‘
You
’
re turning into a do-gooder.
’

‘
No
,
I
’
m doing what I feel in my heart I
’
m meant to do with my life. I want my stories in
The Star
,
Nick
.
Despite our differences
,
it
’
s a great rag and I still want to be part of it and come back and visit occasionally. If not
,
no problem. I
’
ll put them up for sale to the highest bidder. It
’
s your call.
’

Nick rested his chin on his pointer fingers
,
flailing the remaining ones in the air
,
giving the impression he had a lot to think about.

‘
Deal
,’
he said emphatically and stood up to shake Grace
’
s hand. Then he gave her the Scouts Honour Salute.

She took out her phone from the dorky holder on her waist. She took a picture to remind him of his oath. She knew he wouldn
’
t break it.

‘
I have a feeling we
’
re going to get along a lot better now we
’
re not in the same office together
,’
Grace said.

She realised she had been a little afraid of Nick since she first met him. His lurid ways
,
his rants
,
his tirades and lack of respect towards her and the other staff had caused some underlying anxiety within her. Had he changed? Or was he being nice to her today because of their new contract and the fact he probably sold a lot more copies of his newspaper this morning? Either way
,
it would no longer affect her. She had a new life ahead of her and her fear had disappeared.
Why did I ever let him get to me?

‘
Nick
,
try and find a nice girl
,
one who
’
s not after your slick new car
,
when you get the insurance pay out
,
one who
’
s not after fame and fortune
,
one who likes you for you – if that
’
s possible – and settle down with her. You may surprise yourself and like domestic bliss.
’

‘
Firstly
,
thanks for the last dig in the ribs
,
I would expect nothing less mocking. Secondly
,
I think you might be right
,’
he said.

Is he agreeing with me? The leopard may change his spots after all.

‘
See ya
,
Nick. I
’
ll be in touch. Oh
,
I
’
m going to clean out my desk while I
’
m here.
’

‘
No problem. I
’
ll wait till you
’
re done and we can lock up together.
’

She was about to walk out his door when she turned back.
‘
Ah
,
I have to ask. Why have you relentlessly given me such a hard time? Did I ever do anything out of line? Hand in work below par? What?
’

He paused.
‘
I feel awkward saying it.
’

Grace bit her tongue as he stared at the carpet.
Come on
,
Nick.

He took a long
,
deep breath and let it out slowly
.
‘
Considering we
’
ve made a truce then I may as well
‘
fess up
,
especially as I won
’
t feel too embarrassed because you won
’
t be here on a daily basis. I
’
ve had a crush on you
,
Gracie. I knew you wouldn
’
t stoop to going out with a player like me but there
’
s something special about you and not many women possess it. It
’
s not your beauty or intelligence
,
though that is a part of it
,
it
’
s an almost indefinable characteristic. You know who you are and you have a soul and spirit people are attracted to on a level I don
’
t think any of us understand. And I admire how you fight for what
’
s right even though I tease you about it. So
,
there you go
,
I
’
ve let it out. Wow
,
I feel a whole lot better.
’
He bowed his head as Grace digested this newsflash.

‘
Oh
,
Nick.
’

‘
See
,
I didn
’
t want to make you uncomfortable.
’

‘
I
’
m not at all. I
’
m humbled actually.
’

‘
Grace
,
you
’
re special. You have this essence of being you and it
’
s a gift. It
’
s quite intoxicating.
’

‘
That
’
s one of those compliments I
’
ll remember forever. And from my ex-boss
,
who
’
d have thought?
’

‘
Now get out of here before I say something else to humiliate myself.
’

Grace packed up her personal pieces from her desk and chatted with Kate.

‘
I know you don
’
t want to talk about it
,
however
,
this is my last ditch effort. Apparently
,
Jake
’
s in a real state
,
Grace
,
he doesn
’
t know what to do. Says he can
’
t have you and he doesn
’
t want to live without you. What have you done to this guy?
’

‘
All I said was I needed time to figure myself out.
’

‘
You didn
’
t give him the friend
’
s line
,
did you?
’

‘
Yeah
,’
Grace said cringing.

‘
Oh
,
Grace
,
you can
’
t say that to a man who
’
s in love with you.
’

‘
You
’
re the one who suggested it.
’

‘
I
’
m sorry
,
bad call on my part.
’

‘
It doesn
’
t matter. He didn
’
t react positively to the news of me needing
‘
me
’
time anyway.
’

‘
Can you blame him? The guy can
’
t help how he feels about you. It
’
ll all work out in time
,
one way or the other.
’

‘
I
’
m putting it out of my mind for now. Anyway
,
he
’
s known me for one week
,
how can he be in love with me?
’

‘
I have a feeling this has been going on a lot longer than a week.
’

Grace shook her head.
‘
A bit of time will help me to figure it all out. I need it. Okay?
’

Kate nodded.
‘
I
’
m going to miss you around here. It
’
s going to be weird.
’

‘
I know. It
’
s been a long time. There is an extraordinary amount of history in this place. It feels surreal.
’
Grace took time to absorb the moment and let out a sigh.
‘
Alright
,
chicky babe
,
let
’
s go
,’
and Grace picked up her small backpack of belongings
,
hoisted it over her shoulders and onto her back.

Kate picked up a small box of Grace
’
s personal items along with both of their handbags. She made her way to the office doors. Grace followed. Nick was waiting to lock up.

Grace turned and took one last look at the office she had worked in for almost ten years. Strangely
,
she felt sentimental. She had written perhaps thousands of stories she had researched and published. She had met people from all walks of life – rich
,
poor
,
black
,
white
,
entrepreneurs
,
unemployed
,
sports stars
,
tycoons
,
politicians
,
priests
,
unsung heroes and the Antonio de Silva
’
s of life. These were the ones who turned your life upside down and made you stop and think about how unfair life can be at times. Online publishing had become the biggest juggernaut to hit the media since the first newspaper was printed. She had experienced good times
,
not so good times
,
laughs
,
tears and a long-list of unforgettable moments. The fond memories were flooding her thoughts and she swallowed and blinked hard before someone spotted any tears.
I hope I
’
m doing the right thing.

The three of them left the building.

Outside
,
the journos stood on the streets of the centre of Sydney and absorbed the silence of the city on a Sunday morning. Grace could feel Nick regarding her.
‘
Grace
,
can you get home okay?
’

‘
We
’
ll be fine
,’
she said as she nodded to Kate.

‘
I want to say thank you for what you
’
ve done at the
Star
. And I
’
m not talking about this past week with this monumental story but for all the stories
,
your work ethic
,
etc. You know what I
’
m trying to say. We should be having a farewell party
,
not standing in Martin Place on a Sunday morning as if we
’
re the only people in the city. Anyway
,
we
’
ll all miss you around here
,
won
’
t we
,
Kate?
’

‘
It goes without saying
,
Nick
,’
Kate agreed.

‘
I
’
d also like to apologise about giving you grief over dropping in to see Rich
,
as in Minister Sleen. You were right. It is your job to interview politicians. Okay
,
well
,
take care
,
Grace
,’
Nick kissed her on the cheek.
‘
And considering the insurance hasn
’
t organised a car for me yet
,
I
’
m off to meet some friends
,
on foot. See ya soon
,
Kate.
’
He pointed to his feet
,
turned and waved to the girls.