A Fluffy Tale 2: Warm & Fuzzy Read online

  A Fluffy Tale

  Ann Somerville

  These stories are a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  ‘A Fluffy Tale 2: Warm and Fuzzy’ Copyright © 2011 by Ann Somerville

  Cover image © ginvin2010

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  For more information please visit my website at http://annsomerville.net

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Published by Ann Somerville

  Chapter 1

  As Daniel opened the front door, Kani popped his head out of Daniel’s pocket and chirped.

  “You smell pizza too?” Kems never ate but for some strange reason Kani found the scent of cooking pizza irresistible. To Daniel, it meant food, and he was starving. Something healthier for supper might have been better, but the relief of not having to cook after an exhausting day, and knowing Dee would have just pulled out one of the frozen ones they’d made in bulk last week, made it difficult to feel really guilty.

  “Go find Veen and Lili. Go play,” he said, putting his kem on the ground and patting his little grey bottom. Kani squeaked and scampered off up the stairs.

  He opened his mouth to tell everyone he was home, but Dee bounced out of the kitchen before he could make a sound. She came to a halt and put her hands on her hips. “Well?” Her kem, Lili, perching on her shoulder, put her head up with an identical expectant expression on her furry little face.

  “I start next Monday.”

  Dee yelled and ran for him, Lili jumping off with a squeak before she was squished in a sibling sandwich. Daniel caught Dee up and swung her around. “You did it,” she bellowed into his right ear. “Proud of you!”

  “Thanks, Dee. Where’s Alex?”

  “Alex!”

  Daniel stuck a finger into his now deafened ear and let her go so she could shout up the stairs. “Daniel got the job! Come down.”

  Alex thundered down the stairs and jumped straight at Daniel. “Really? Are we going to be rich?”

  Daniel grinned and ruffled his brother’s red hair. “Not quite, squirt. Who’s hungry? I’m starving.”

  “We’re having pizza,” Dee confirmed. Veen, Lili, and Kani tumbled down the stairs, and Kani squeaked excitedly as the magic word ‘pizza’ was mentioned. Dee bent and picked up her kem. “Daniel, you should call Grandma.”

  “I will, but after I eat. I didn’t have lunch.”

  She pulled a face that reminded Daniel achingly of their mother. “That’s a bad habit.”

  “Nag, nag,” he said, tugging on her ponytail, then scooping up Kani and putting him on his shoulder. “Come on.”

  As they ate the pizza, Daniel vowed that some of his new salary would go towards better food. The pizza was delicious but the household budget was tight, and he hated opening the fridge and seeing all the discount stickers on the new items, meaning Dee had been scouring the bargains again. It took her time which she didn’t have to spare, between her studies, her archery, looking after Alex while Daniel had searched fruitlessly for a job that an unqualified would-be engineer with no experience could do, and spending a tiny number of hours of week socializing with her friends—something Daniel was determined she should continue to do. He didn’t want her turning into Alex’s ‘mother’—or his own.

  “Maybe we should hire a cleaner once a week,” he said after he wiped his mouth, burping a little.

  “We can’t afford it,” Dee snapped.

  He did a double-take, her outrage as uncharacteristic as it was shocking. “It was just an idea, DeeDee. We can afford it with me working—”

  “No way. We can manage. The house is clean, right, Alex?” Her little brother nodded vigorously.

  “Yes, it is,” Daniel said, patting her arm. “But your exams are coming up, and I’ll be out of the house all day—”

  “No. You’re not working to pay for someone to do what we can do ourselves. Mum would have hated that.”

  “But she had a cleaner for a couple of years when Alex was smaller....” He shut up, as the mulish set to his sister’s jaw became something sadder, and her eyes started to fill. “It was just an idea, Dee. I’m worried about you doing too much.”

  “You too.”

  “I’m fine. We’re all fine, right, Alex?” His brother nodded again. “There you go. I better go phone Grandma. Alex, dishes.”

  “You don’t have to tell me,” Alex grumbled, climbing off the stool.

  “No, I don’t. You’re a good kid. You’re both good kids.”

  “Huh, you’re not exactly an old man,” Dee said, smiling a little.

  “Maybe not, but I have to fake being a responsible adult now. Why don’t you go up and talk to Susan?”

  “She’s got a new boyfriend.” She made it sound like ‘herpes’. “Natalie wanted me to go online though, when I finish my assignment.”

  “Need any help with it?”

  “No, big brother, I do not need you to do my homework. Go call Grandma and tell them I send my love.”

  He grinned and went to his parents’ office to make the call. He couldn’t call it ‘his’ office in his head, and never would. His parents’ books and papers, their desks, were just as they’d been left, and though Daniel had cleared a small space for his own laptop, he couldn’t bring himself to disturb the rest of it more than absolutely necessary. If he’d had any inclination to, it would have disappeared after coming in one afternoon and finding Dee curled around one of their mother’s medical books, sobbing her heart out in their mother’s chair. It was too soon to think of changing anything. It probably always would be.

  His grandmother took a long time to answer the phone and even though this wasn’t unusual, Daniel’s chest still tightened with anxiety. He couldn’t help having bad associations with people not responding to his telephone calls. He wondered if he would ever react normally to perfectly ordinary things like building sites and unanswered calls again.

  Finally his grandmother’s voice came on the line. “Daniel? How are you, dear?”

  “I’m fine, Grandma. I just wanted to let you know I got a job.”

  “Oh, wonderful. Which one?”

  “Personal assistant in a company which works with job creation charities. Microloans and that kind of thing.”

  “Oh goodness. I didn’t know you knew about that kind of thing, dear.”

  “I don’t. But the guy I’ll be working for says all that matters is that I’m smart and willing to learn, which I am.”

  “Well, I hope it goes splendidly for you.” She paused to cough and Daniel’s chest got tight again. “How are the children?”

  “All good, and sending their love. How’s Grandpa?”

  She paused and Daniel had a horrible feeling she was preparing to deliver bad news. “He just finished the chemo today. He’s tired, but holding up. He’ll be so pleased to hear about the job.”

  “As soon as Alex and Dee finish school this year, we’ll come up. At lea
st, they will. I don’t know if I’ll be able to get holidays so soon.”

  “That’d be lovely, dear. Alex knows not to be too noisy, doesn’t he? Joseph hasn’t been sleeping well.”

  “He’ll be good, Grandma. They’re great kids, you know that.”

  “You all are, dear. I wish we could have you here to stay. It’s so worrying that you’re all so far away.”

  “I know. Can’t be helped. I’ll call you again after I start work next week, let you know how I’m getting on. And you’ll let us know how Grandpa is?”

  “Yes, of course. He’s doing as well as we hoped. You mustn’t worry about us, dear.”

  Some hope of that. “Tell Grandpa to get lots of rest. Love you.”

  “You too, Daniel. Love to you all.”

  He hung up. He often wished he hadn’t felt it so important to keep the family house and stay here, instead of moving across the country. He hadn’t wanted to disrupt Dee and Alex’s schooling, not on top of all the other changes in their lives, and, selfishly, he hadn’t wanted to deal with the hassle. When Grandma had the heart attack and then they heard about Grandpa’s cancer, he’d felt paralysed by fresh grief and worry, and that had made making a decision to move even more impossible.

  Too late now, after he’d spent months looking for a job and finally got one. Now he’d have to make the best of it, earn and save enough to give them security, let Dee and Alex have the freedom to do the things their parents had wanted them to do. If he could at least afford to send them to their grandparents for the long hols, that would be something. It would be good for all of them, and if he’d be a little lonely for two months, it didn’t matter so long as the kids had a much needed break and his grandparents had company.

  Kani licked his face, and Daniel smiled at the gentle touch. He patted his kem, who nuzzled affectionately under his chin, reminding Daniel was still wearing his tie. He tugged it off with a sigh. No hope that his new job would be relaxed about such things. Anthony—“Call me Tony,” he’d said—Noble, his new boss, had explained that the company had a strict dress code to inspire professionalism in their clients and confidence in their wealthy sponsors. Daniel hated ties with a passion. But he hated denying his sister and brother security and little luxuries even more. So ties were in, at least until the bank account was a little healthier.

  “Come on you, let’s go help Alex and Veen.” Kani chirped, jumped down and scampered off towards the kitchen. If only Daniel could feel so much innocent excitement about his new job. Once he settled in, it would all be easier. He just had to get through the first few weeks.

  Chapter 2

  “Spencer, have you time to come and meet my new assistant and talk about the project?”

  Spen patted Myko away from his mobile phone and wagged his finger at his kem as he listened to the call through his earpiece. “Sure, Tony. I’ll be along in ten minutes.”

  Tony closed the call, and Myko made an odd little hiss as Spen took his earpiece off to rub the spot behind his ear. “What’s the matter with you?”

  Myko sniffed but declined to give any more clues. Spen could guess. His kem didn’t like Tony Noble for some reason, and the signs of disapproval had only increased in the six months since Noble had joined the company. Spen didn’t have strong feelings one way or the other, except he wished the high and mighties had picked a more IT literate manager to supervise the implementation of the software designed to coordinate communications between the company, trainers and trainees. Although a more IT literate manager might have interfered more, which would have been definitely unwanted. Spen had very strong ideas about managers stomping all over his department and his team.

  He lifted his head and caught the eye of his deputy manager, Jyoti. “Off to a meeting, number two. You have the conn.”

  She saluted with a grin. “Aye aye, captain.” Spen’s team was one big geek hive, and he loved it.

  Myko rode on his shoulder, chirping happily in greeting to other people and their kems as Spen walked through the corridors and rode in the lift. It reminded Spen again that he’d never seen Tony Noble’s kem. Some people, strange to say, didn’t care for their kem’s company during the working day—or at all—and Noble seemed to be of that mind. Stroking Myko’s fluffy tail, Spen couldn’t imagine enduring the office day without his little friend. Myko, apparently reading his thoughts, gave his cheek a lick.

  “Yes, I was thinking about you, you nuisance. Now behave and don’t hiss at anyone. Not even him, okay?” Myko squeaked, but the mischievous glint in his golden eyes didn’t reassure. Kems did what they wanted in the end. Their humans could only hold their hands up and say “Wasn’t me, honest”.

  He knocked on Noble’s office door and walked in. A young man stood as he entered. Spen’s first thought was to wonder if the school kids on work experience had started early this year.

  “Ah, Spencer, thanks for coming,” Noble said, without rising. “This is Daniel Walkinshaw, my new PA. Daniel, Spencer Reardon.”

  So, not a kid. Spen shook Daniel’s hand, but still couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea that this was a man in his twenties, or so he assumed. Girlish features, large green eyes and a shy expression all contributed to the disconnect. “Hi, I’m Spen.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Daniel’s grip with a callused hand was firm enough, and his voice was definitely a man’s. Not girly at all. His eyes did travel up and down Spen’s body before he remembered his manners, but Spen was used to that. After all, when you were six and a half feet tall, you had to get used to it.

  Spen forced himself to stop staring. Myko, who’d been rather tense until now, suddenly chirped in enquiry, his tail flicking towards the little grey kem on the back of Daniel’s chair. “And this is Myko.”

  “Oh, hello, Myko. Kani, say hello.” The grey kem jumped onto Daniel’s arm and ran up to his shoulder, where he chirped excitedly at Myko above him on Spen’s shoulder. Spen felt Myko’s need to join the other kem, but he stroked Myko’s tail and sent a silent wish for him to behave, a wish Myko granted.

  Noble cleared his throat somewhat impatiently. “Take a seat, Spencer.”

  Spen obeyed. Myko hopped down to the floor, where Kani joined him for a discreet cuddle and licking session. Daniel shot his kem a tiny smile, then looked down as if worried that he’d offended someone by doing so. New employee nerves, Spen diagnosed.

  “Daniel, Spencer is our IT manager, and in charge of implementing the Cross-Channel project in this location under my supervision. You and he will be working closely together to ensure that the software is installed and activated smoothly, and handle the feedback from our people. If it goes well, we’ll be presenting a report at the national conference in two months’ time. It’s very important to me that this project is a success, so I’ll be depending on you two to work together to make it happen. Spencer, I thought you could introduce Daniel to your people and give him a more technical overview. I have, of course, given him the broad outline of the goals and features of Cross-Channel, but I thought I’d leave the nuts and bolts to the technicians.”

  Spen made himself smile, and stopped himself rolling his eyes. Managers tended to notice when he made it clear, silently or otherwise, that he thought they were manifestly unqualified on a particular subject. Most of the managers in the company weren’t that tech literate, but since Spen had heard from a reliable source that when Noble joined the company, he’d asked his PA at the time how his trackpad worked, it had been a surprise to learn he’d been selected to oversee the rolling out of a large and complicated IT project. Still, he’d apparently recognized his own limitations and knew when to leave Spen to get on with it. Spen only hoped this kid he’d hired had some basic computer knowledge, otherwise he’d be wasting a lot of time bringing two non-techs up to speed.

  “Shall we do that now, Tony?” Daniel asked.

  “Yes, yes. Take however long you need. Be back here at two though, as I want to prepare for that meeting tomorrow.”

  “Yes, I
will. Kani, come on.” Daniel’s kem ran over and up to his shoulder—his favourite perch, obviously. Myko did the same with Spen.

  “We’re in the basement,” Spen said as they walked out together.

  “Yes, I know. I read it in the manual.” Daniel flushed. “Um, I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  “You weren’t. You read the manual? Tony gave you time to do that already?”

  “I, um, took it home. I wanted to make sure I knew all the office procedures and key personnel.”

  O...kay. Actual technical manuals, Spen could understand. But the office manual? He’d been in the company two years and he’d never actually read the thing, though he’d written the section on the IT department. But then he’d been headhunted so he felt secure in his new job. PAs were easier to replace—fortunately for Tony Noble, since Daniel was his third in six months.

  He waved his ID card at the sensor. “You’ll need access too, I guess. I prefer IM and emails but I guess face-to-face is unavoidable in this kind of thing.” Daniel smiled hesitantly, but didn’t comment. Spen would have thought after a week he’d have lost some of his new boy nerves, but apparently not. “Come on in, we don’t bite. Much.” Daniel’s eyes widened as if he believed Spen was serious. Good grief.

  “Guys? Meet Daniel, Tony Noble’s new assistant. He’s going to work with us implementing Cross-Channel.”

  A chorus of “Hi, Daniels” broke out and the kid went red again, although he waved back and said “Hi” in a reasonably confident tone. His kem squeaked and jumped down to the floor, having spotted a bunch of new playmates, and all the office kems, including Myko, rushed over to begin the traditional love-in. Daniel started to move towards them, but stopped.

  “Sorry—do you mind Kani doing that?”

  “Can hardly stop him, can we? Don’t worry about the kems. Come meet everyone. This is Jyoti, my deputy. That’s Devi, Luke, Amanda, Wendy, and Joshua. I have a couple of people off sick so I want to wrap this up pretty quickly this morning. I can give you all the documentation to read and you can come back with any questions. Is that okay?”