Chapter Twelve
Charlotte
When Charlotte and her younger sister were growing up in Florida, Charlotte’s mom had a hard time paying her bills. The small income she earned at the gas station wasn’t enough to cover rent, utilities, food, the needs of her two kids, and the alcohol she liked to drink when she wasn’t at work. Every few months, Charlotte and her family were evicted from their apartment, requiring the three of them to move again, Charlotte and her sister having to change schools.
She was always the new kid.
But by being one, it taught her how to adapt to unfamiliar situations and to never be afraid to try something new, like an executive assistant position for Emery Black. Despite her knowledge of administrative duties, Charlotte had never actually worked as an assistant before.
She was anxious to start.
And a few hours after she returned the signed and notarized documents, there was a courier at her door. He handed her a package and she paused girls’ night just long enough to see what was inside. It was a notebook with the word, Everything, written in black sharpie on the front.
Later that evening, after her friends had left, Charlotte climbed into bed and opened the notebook, reading it from front to back. It wasn’t quite a manual, more like a CliffsNotes version of everything she would need to know to work in the Black’s house.
Charlotte’s previous jobs had required research and studying, but none of them had ever been quite like this. It would take her weeks to memorize everything on those pages, but she appreciated having them as a reference guide. Still, she wouldn’t let herself get overwhelmed. She would embrace Monday with a mindset that it would take time before she was comfortable, but her passion and desire to be there outweighed the painful learning curve they were about to endure.
When her alarm went off the morning of, she shot right out of bed and immediately went in to the shower. She dressed in a pair of black pants and a hot pink top and spent extra time getting her hair just right. Charlotte believed in being early, so eight minutes before nine she was standing on the front step of the Black’s house, ringing the doorbell.
She was only there for a few seconds before the door slowly opened. She expected to see Jesse on the other side, welcoming her like she had done the last time Charlotte was here. But it wasn’t Jesse.
It was Emery.
Charlotte felt herself take a deep breath, the cold burning her insides, her hands tightening into freezing balls within her mittens. “Emery,” Charlotte said. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” He held the door wider and Charlotte stepped inside, standing in the foyer while he locked up behind her, eventually turning in her direction. “Now that you have your own code, please feel free to come and go through the side door,” he said. “I’d hate to have you out here in the cold, waiting for us to answer the door.”
Charlotte had looked at him during the interview but had divided her attention equally between the couple. Now that the pressure was off and she had the job, she could really take him in. During the hour she had been here, she hadn’t noticed the rich, chestnut color of his beard or the incredibly sexy lines at the sides of his eyes that told her the man liked to smile. She just hadn’t seen him do that yet. What she had noticed the other day and again now was that he was even more handsome than in his pictures online. He had a boyish lightness to him, yet an extremely mature, distinguished face. He was well dressed on both occasions and it was obvious he took good care of himself.
“The side door sounds much easier,” she replied. “I’ll start using it tomorrow.”
“Great, follow me.”
Jesse was standing at the counter when Charlotte and Emery walked into the kitchen. Jesse handed him a mug, holding her own in her other hand. “Happy Monday,” she said to Charlotte.
“To you as well,” Charlotte replied. She pointed at Emery’s cup, remembering what had been written about his coffee preference in the notebook. “A latte with a full tablespoon of whip and a sprinkle of cinnamon and freshly ground nutmeg.”
“She’s good,” Emery replied.
Charlotte blushed and nodded toward Jesse’s mug. “What do you prefer? I’m happy to make it for you in the morning.”
“That’s not necessary,” Jesse responded.
“Please,” Charlotte said. “I would like to do it.”
A few seconds passed before Jesse spoke again. “A regular coffee with a splash of almond milk and a dash of Splenda.” When Charlotte smiled at her, Jesse added, “Have you used one of those before?”
Charlotte followed Jesse’s finger and wanted to laugh when she realized what she was referring to. This wasn’t a regular machine or even a multi-cup brewing system. This was an appliance that was built into their wall with a touch screen and several levers and an array of sprouts.
Charlotte shook her head. “No.”
“Don’t worry,” Jesse said. “We’ll go over it today. You’ll be an expert by lunchtime, it’s easy.”
Charlotte had been told through email that for the first part of the day, she was going to be shadowing Jesse around the home, getting a tour of the property, learning the entire space. Charlotte was relieved this was one of the things they would be covering.
“Do you drink coffee?” Jesse asked her.
“Yes.”
“Then, let’s make you a cup now.”
Charlotte followed Jesse over to the machine. As they stood in front of it, Jesse explained the buttons she was pressing, showed her where the different sized mugs were located in the cabinets, and where to place the cup for the specific kinds of coffee.
“Sweetener is in there,” Jesse said, nodding toward a cabinet on the other side once the coffee started to brew. “Creamer, almond and coconut milk are in the fridge. If there’s something else you put in that we don’t have, please notify Luz, our housekeeper, and she’ll make sure it’s stocked for you.”
“Creamer will be fine,” Charlotte said.
“Same is true for food,” Jesse added. “You’ll be working long hours and if you’re in my home I want to feed you. Luz is an excellent chef. Feel free to ask her to prepare anything and to stock whatever you like.”
“Thank you,” Charlotte said, taking the mug from Jesse’s hand. She went over to the fridge, adding in some creamer that she found in the door.
Before she shut it, she took a peek inside, seeing that the drawers were filled with fresh vegetables and the shelves held meats and fishes and dairy and things you didn’t find in a single woman’s fridge. Charlotte loved to cook. She just didn’t love to cook for one.