Chapter Nine
Charlotte
Charlotte was in the middle of a wine store when she felt her phone vibrate in her back pocket. Thinking it was one of her friends, she stopped in the pinot noir aisle to take out her cell and look at the screen. It wasn’t a text like she thought. It was an email with the subject: Job Offer: Executive Assistant for Emery Black
She opened it and read the first few sentences. She could tell Jesse had helped Emery write the email. It was formal, but with the warmness of a woman. The email congratulated Charlotte on the job offer and explained the two documents attached, one was a contract and the other a non-disclosure agreement. If accepting the job, both had to be signed, notarized, and returned immediately. Emery was requesting a Monday start date, which was four days from now, and he wanted a decision in twelve hours.
Charlotte heard someone pass by her in the aisle, their cart getting extremely close to hers. But she never looked up, she was too focused on her phone, pressing the attachment, and waiting for it to download. The contract was several pages long and she began to read each one. It outlined many of her responsibilities, duties they had discussed during the interview. It also detailed an extremely generous salary, three weeks of vacation, and a hefty benefits package she was not expecting.
The offer was double than what she was making at her last job.
She opened the non-disclosure agreement and was satisfied with all the verbiage. Working in the home of two extremely successful entrepreneurs, she expected there to be legal documents she would have to sign, and she had no problem doing so.
Once got home from the wine store, she would read both attachments in detail, get them notarized, and return them to Emery before the end of the day. By the time she got back home, her three girlfriends would just be arriving. It was Thursday, which was girls’ night. Charlotte and her friends took turns hosting and it was Charlotte’s turn. This morning she had picked up several different kinds of cheeses and olives and nuts and fruits. The only thing left to buy was the wine.
The timing of Emery’s offer couldn’t have been more perfect since tonight she would really be able to celebrate.
She had taken a huge risk during that interview and she was relieved it had paid off.
Charlotte was smiling so hard in the pinot noir aisle, her cheeks began to hurt. She took a deep breath, tucked her phone back in her pocket, and looked at the rows of bottles. Normally, she would have chosen ones in the fifteen-dollar range. She had to buy eight bottles and that added up quickly. But with the salary Charlotte had just been offered, she decided to splurge, choosing a few that were double her typical budget. On her way to the register, she grabbed a bottle of champagne, thinking she would kick off girls’ night with a toast.
As Charlotte paid for all the items, she decided she would take tonight to unwind, shut off her brain, and celebrate. Because, come Monday morning, everything was going to change. Working for Emery would be an adjustment and it would challenge her in ways she hadn’t been before.
She was ready for it.