A New Deal For Christmas-Newsies

Chapter 4-The Kelly Mansion Driveway

(A/N I meant to update on Wednesday but I was busy. Sorry for the delay)

45 minutes later

"Katherine, why on earth did you not pick up your phone?!" He said, slamming the car door as he handed his briefcase to Darcy.

"I'll show you, sir." Katherine answered, nodding to Adelaide and Stephie to bring the boy out.

Jack's eyes immediately soften at the sight of the young boy. He'd been bathed and reclothed since arriving, but the Refuge-boy evidence was still left in his messed up hair and makeshift crutch. His face was a lot paler than Katherine had first realised, after removing all of the dirt from his cheeks, it was clear that Crutchie hadn't seen much sun for a while.

"Who are you?" Jack asked as Crutchie became shy.

"Crutchie -uhhh- Sir."

"No need to call me Sir, kid." His eyes flicked to Katherine but he kept his attention on the young boy. "Adelaide, take the boy to the... library," He said after thinking for a while. "And he can choose a story. I'm sure he'd love a story." Jack was grasping at straws and playing a guessing game of what Crutchie might enjoy, but he seemed to have hit the nail on the head as Crutchie nodded eagerly. Adelaide led the boy away.

"Katherine, what do you think you're doing, bringing a boy into the house!" Jack began as soon as the door closed.

"Sir, I was simply following the plan of all the other people in your meetings. Didn't you all agree to house a boy for Christmas?"

"Didn't I tell you I've abandoned that plan?!"

Katherine just smiled smugly. "I thought by now, sir, you'd know I merely use your orders as a guideline. And besides, Crutchie's a good kid, it won't do you any harm to spend some time with someone every once in a while. You've become awfully distant."

"It's because you people don't listen to a word I say!" He stormed off towards the mansion, leaving Katherine to jog after him, her strides significantly smaller than his.

"Sir," she called, barely keeping up with him. "Crutchie's a good kid, maybe if you spend a little time with him, you might open up a bit. He... he's from the Refuge." Jack turned around, his brows furrowed.

"Why'd you get him there? Why not the orphanage?"

"I- I thought you'd have something more in common with the boys from the Refuge..." she said, knowing he wasn't going to like her reasoning.

"Is this all I am to you, Katherine? A charity case? A good for nothing man who can barely hold himself together and needs to open up around people?" He glared at her and shut her down as she went to reply. "Get out of my face. I'll spend time with this kid, but not because he's here, and not because I want to. Just know that." He stalked off inside.

Bill patted Katherine's shoulder awkwardly, getting back in his car.

"Nicely done, Kath, I told you he'd hate it." Darcy followed Jack into the house.

Stephie didn't say anything as she walked away, the gravel crunching under her. Katherine watched where she had been long after she departed.

She was alone in the driveway.

————

"Is she upset?" Crutchie asked Jack as they sat by the window, glancing at Katherine.

"Maybe. But she didn't do what I'd asked her to do." He said, trying to tear his eyes away from where his secretary stood dejectedly by the door to his house.

"She brought me here. That's what you didn't want her to do, right?" The kid asked, immediately putting two and two together.

"I won't lie to you, Crutch, yeah, thats what she did. I'd asked her not to because I'm busy over Christmas. It's unfair to have guests over and not talk to them." Mr Kelly stood up and went to leave.

"Katherine said that a boy from the Refuge might hit a little closer to home for you. What does that mean?"

Mr Kelly stopped still where he was stood, he inhaled sharply as his fists clenched. Of course, Katherine had told the kid about his past, she was the only person who he'd told, but she had to go and be a blabbermouth. Who else had she told? The rest of his staff?

"Goodnight, Crutchie." He said coldly, leaving and shutting the door behind him, heading off down a long corridor to his bedroom. He needed some time to himself, without Katherine there to twist him around her finger.

Somewhere within his right mind, Jack knew he should fire her. It wasn't in her job description to look after Jack's best interests, despite how misjudged they were. But he knew she was good to him. Katherine was a firecracker, get on the bad side of her and she could set you alight. So Jack couldn't bring himself to fire her.

They needed to have words.