Just One Look (Castleton Hearts)

“Welcome to the chaos,” Sasha said, gesturing. “It’s organized, I promise.”

There were stacks and stacks of boxes, multiple shelves filled with coffee cups, bracelets, bookmarks, shirts, and all kinds of other things.

There was also a long table with a printer on it, and bins of shipping boxes and mailers.

There was almost too much to look at, but there was a clear path through the room so I wasn’t worried about tripping on anything. All the boxes and shelves were labeled, and I could tell every single bin was organized. At first glance, what looked like chaos, was actually just an overwhelming amount of stuff.

Sasha showed me over to a desk that I hadn’t seen at first. She had a desktop monitor and a laptop. She brought me a chair from the long table so I could sit.

“A lot of my work is virtual,” she said, launching right in. “I manage author’s newsletters, email accounts, their social accounts, ad accounts, etc. Then there’s this.” She gestured at everything else in the room.

“I’m in charge of mailing things out for them. Sometimes that’s signed books, sometimes it’s swag or other things, and sometimes we’ll do a special subscription box. My days are never the same and I feel like I’m always managing chaos.”

She showed me her list for the day, which included scheduling one author’s newsletters for a few weeks, checking another’s advertising accounts and doing updates, and finishing packing up some signed paperbacks for another. And that was just at the beginning of the day.

“In the summer, Jax is a huge help,” Sasha said as she handed me a shipping label to press onto the front of a bubble mailer. I figured helping was part of the shadowing, so I was happy to give her a hand.

Sasha kept a playlist on low volume so we could talk, but every now and then I’d catch her singing to herself and dancing a little as she worked.

“I really love my job, and even though it’s a lot to learn and manage, you can start small and build. If you’re looking to get into any kind of virtual assisting work, even temporarily, let me know. I have people contact me all the time and I have to turn them away. I can teach you anything you’d need to know.”

That was such a generous offer, I didn’t even know what to say.

“Just think about it,” she said, patting my arm and then shoving two signed books into a bubble mailer and sealing it with practiced ease.

We took a break for lunch, and Sasha told me a funny story about one of Jax’s students who wouldn’t stop using “spicy language,” a.k.a., cursing, in the classroom.

“Oh bless them, they’re just learning how to be people and it’s not easy.”

“Why are kids using curse words so funny?” I asked, wiping my eyes.

“I don’t even know.”

Sasha fed me a Greek farro salad, and it was so good, I wanted to lick the bowl.

“Don’t thank me, Jax made it. If she didn’t meal prep for me most of the time, I’d end up microwaving mac and cheese at two p.m. because I forgot to eat,” she said.

She snorted as a text message came through and she held it up so I could see. It was Jax, reminding her to eat lunch.

“I promise, I am an adult, but sometimes I forget how to take care of myself. Thankfully, I have Jax.” She smiled and typed a message back and then laughed at the response.

“I know you’re a new friend and all, but I need to tell someone,” she said, putting her phone down.

“Um, okay, sure?” I said, hoping she wasn’t going to tell me something horrifying.

She looked around as if someone was going to overhear.

“Jax and I are eloping soon,” she said and then squealed and put her hands over her mouth.

“Congratulations!” I said, and I really meant it.

“Do you want to see my dress?” she asked, and I couldn’t say no. She dashed up the stairs and I followed at a more leisurely pace.

“So Jax is banned from this room for now,” she said, leading me into another guest room and then pulling a hanging bag out of the closet.

The dress was huge, and it took both of us a bit of time to wrestle it out of the bag.

The skirt was a full ball gown of white, shimmery tulle, with a sweetheart top that plunged a little, and had little lace cap sleeves.

“It’s a princess dress,” I said.

“That’s the idea. I know it’s cliché, but do I care? No. I’m only doing this once, so I’m doing it up. Plus, why wouldn’t I want to twirl around in a ball gown?”

“I totally agree,” I said. I’d never really been close to being engaged, but I’d thought about a wedding. Somewhere I could see the ocean on a warm, sunny day. I’d want my mom to be my maid of honor, of course, and though it seemed silly, I’d always wanted a reception in a castle.