The Pitchfork Girl

Chapter One

Nick and I set out into the darkness, leaving our friends chatting in the boozy warmth of the bar. The night air was thick with drizzle, the rooftops shrouded in fog. Despite the horrible weather, there were still plenty of people out in Chester, hurrying from one bar to the next. I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself, wishing I'd worn something warmer than a black dress, even if it did have long sleeves. Nick walked slightly ahead, his broad shoulders back, more of a strut than a walk. I cast around for something to say to him, this man that I'd met only five minutes before. Now we were alone I felt tongue-tied and awkward. A new experience for me; I usually had plenty to say for myself.

'Are you sure about this, Jackie?' He turned to look at me, blue eyes resting on mine. My blood whooshed and fizzed in my veins. What was wrong with me? He was nice looking, sure, with short dark hair, high cheek bones and a wide curling smile, but I knew plenty of handsome men and they never had this effect on me. 'You don't have to give me a lift, you know. I can easily get a taxi.'

I breathed in and shrugged like I wasn't bothered. Perhaps it would be better if he got a taxi? Really, it wasn't very sensible to offer lifts to strange men in the middle of the night. But then again, I knew who he was, where he worked, and he was friends with a whole bunch of people I knew, all of whom had seen us leave together, so I figured I was pretty safe. 'It's fine, I'm driving home so I may as well give you a lift.' I picked my way over the cobbled pavement, careful not to fall in my platform heels. 'Anyway, I'm parked down a creepy side street so I'll be glad of your company.'

'I'll be your bodyguard then.' He smiled and slowed down so he was walking beside me. 'Although, I think it's a bit unwise to be parking in side streets when you're out on your own. How come you're driving tonight anyway?'

'I wasn't on my own earlier. I was with my boyfriend, well, ex-boyfriend now.'

'Oh dear.' Nick grimaced. 'So where is he? He's not going to appear suddenly and accuse me of stealing his girl, is he?'

I laughed. 'No, he was on his way to a nightclub the last time I saw him.'

'On his own?'

'Yep.'

'Blimey. So what happened?'

I made a growling noise and huffed. 'He's been away with work so much lately I've hardly seen him since New Year. And then he turns up tonight, our first date in ages, and tells me we're meeting clients. I mean, who does that? So I decided to drive so I'd be able to get home easier if I needed to. I'm glad I did now.'

'Why did you even agree to go out?'

'I don't know. I wish I hadn't. I was so bored. Not that his clients weren't nice, but all they did was talk about work.'

'So what did you do? Just walk out?'

'No, nothing as dramatic as that. I waited until his clients had gone and then I very nicely told him that it wasn't working out and I didn't want to see him again.'

'Ah, so you waited until he was alone and abandoned him in the middle of town?'

I frowned. 'I wouldn't put it quite like that. Besides, he was meeting people in the nightclub. '

'So it was all pretty amicable then? He wasn't too upset?'

'Not too much, no.' I bit my lip and tried to block out the memory of Rob screaming my name down the road as I walked away. Nick was watching my reaction closely. I glanced up at him. 'What is this? Are you trying to make me feel bad or something?'