The Assistant

Chapter Twenty-Two

Charlotte

Charlotte had never heard the Black’s house this quiet before. But with Jesse at her mother’s, Viv at a study group and Tommy at a friend’s, that only left her and Emery and the two of them had been working nonstop for hours, not muttering a single word between them.

It had been a stressful day. Emery’s team was strong, they could handle a significant workload, but nothing had gone right from the moment Charlotte had arrived at ten minutes of nine this morning. With all the disasters she’d been dealing with, she’d really started to learn the intricate layers of Emery’s business, becoming knowledgeable in environmental reports and soil testing and wind mitigation—things she knew nothing about before. And, surprisingly, Charlotte was really enjoying it. She liked knowing how much she was helping him and how much work she was taking off his plate the most.

Tonight was going to be a late evening. Emery had a set of drawings due at midnight, so Charlotte was acting as a filter, making sure no one got through to her boss, giving him the space he needed to finish. But, if she wanted to last any longer, she needed to put some food in her body.

She stood, stretching her arms and back before she walked to the kitchen. She roamed the shelves of the fridge, grabbing a package of freshly sliced turkey. She took out two baguettes from the bread basket, added in the meat and covered it with cranberry relish and brie, and toasted the sandwiches. She added some cucumber salad to the plate and brought them into Emery’s office with silverware and napkins.

She said nothing as she set the dish in front of him and the other on her desk, returning to the kitchen for drinks. She made Emery’s favorite, which was seltzer with a splash of cranberry and lime, and got water for herself, placing his on his coaster.

By the time she sat down, she heard, “Charlotte, this is excellent.”

“Oh.” She blushed. She wasn’t expecting such a response. She was even a little surprised he had looked up from his computer since he had been in such a zone today. “I’m glad you like it.”

“I don’t think I’ve eaten all day.”

“You haven’t.”

Charlotte hadn’t either. Neither of them had moved unless it was to use the restroom in the far side of the office and Emery hadn’t even done that.

She bit into her sandwich just as he said, “I appreciate you making me dinner.”

She nodded, covering her mouth when she replied, “I’m a professional sandwich maker.”

“Why sandwiches?” He wiped his lips with the napkin, placing it right back on his lap. “You’re excellent at it, don’t get me wrong. I just wonder why you didn’t choose something like pasta or cheesecake.”

Charlotte took a drink. “I get a little passionate when it comes to baking bread and sandwiches are the easiest dinners to make when you’re single. Whatever fits between the slices is the perfect amount for one.”

Once she took a breath, she realized what she had just said. She wasn’t sure if telling her boss she was single was technically appropriate. She’d never discussed her relationship status with any of her managers before, but she had also never worked this closely with them. The proximity made things feel different and giving him that information didn’t necessarily feel wrong.

Emery put a cucumber into his mouth and said, “I need to hear more about this bread making.”

Charlotte felt herself smile. This was something she loved talking about. She’d been baking bread since she was young. The ingredients weren’t that expensive and having it on hand meant she and her sister always had something to eat, which was important when growing up with a mother like theirs. Even though their mom worked at a gas station and Charlotte reminded her to bring home food, her mother never remembered. At least that was the excuse she gave, however she never forgot beer.

Charlotte looked up from her desk, not realizing she had been staring at it. “I enjoy making all different kinds. Sometimes as simple as a white bread or a honey wheat. Even the sweeter ones like pumpkin and banana. I find it relaxing.”

At her previous job, she used to bring in treats for her coworkers. She’d do it a few times a month when she was experimenting with recipes, using them as guinea pigs. There was no reason she couldn’t do the same at this job. She was sure the kids would enjoy it if she brought them something with chocolate chips. Since Emery and Jesse were on the healthier side, she was thinking a zucchini or an apple bran for them.

She decided not to mention it to Emery. She didn’t want to set any expectations. But if she had time over the weekend after returning from Boston, she would bring in a few loaves Monday morning for everyone to enjoy.

“You’ve been doing it for a while?” he asked.

Charlotte nodded with a huge piece of turkey in her mouth. “Long enough.” She swallowed and leaned into her desk, dragging a cucumber through the dressing. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“I know tomorrow we’ll be flying on a smaller plane. Will it feel similar to the commercial one we took?”

Emery used the seltzer to wash down whatever was in his mouth, and then he wiped his lips with his napkin. “You don’t like to fly?”

He had read her expression wrong. She didn’t want him to think she feared the flights they would be taking weekly, therefore dreading the trips to Boston because that wasn’t the case. She just didn’t have a lot of experience flying and didn’t know what to expect out of a smaller plane. “Don’t love it. Don’t hate it either. I’ve certainly never flown private before, so I didn’t know if it was different.”

“It’s different, all right.” He moved several cucumbers around on his plate before he put them in his mouth. “A lot less people, a lot more luxury, the process will take two hours door to door instead of five.”

“Sounds lovely.”

Emery smiled and Charlotte found herself staring at it. “As for the flight, it’ll be about the same. The plane will be much smaller, but if the air is rough it doesn’t matter what size jet you’re in, you’re going to feel it.”

Charlotte had read the brochures on both companies he had been considering. Each had given her about the same information Emery just did. She still thought it was reassuring to hear it from him and now maybe she wouldn’t be so nervous for tomorrow’s flight.

Knowing their time together was limited before he shut her off to design again, she lifted her tablet off the desk and pressed the screen. “Can we just take a second to confirm your schedule for Boston?”

He started on the second half of his sandwich, swallowing before he said, “We’re going straight to the jobsite after we land and we’ll be meeting the builder there. Once we get everything done there, we’ll go to my house where we’ll meet Adam and work the rest of the day.” Charlotte glanced between the screen and Emery, making sure she had allocated the right amount of time to work with his plan. “As you know, Wednesday night the builder and I will be having dinner with the Mayor of Boston.” Emery paused, so Charlotte glanced at him. “I would like you to come,” he said.

“Really?” She couldn’t contain her excitement. She had made the reservation for them at the highest rated restaurant in Boston. While doing so, she’d taken a peek at the menu just to see how amazing it was, never expecting she would be ordering from it.

“I’ll take that as a yes?”

Charlotte nodded. “Yes, thank you, I would love to attend.”

Emery set his fork on top of his plate and pushed it to the side of his desk. He only had five hours until the designs were due and as she learned his process, she had a feeling he would need every minute to finish.

She went over and picked up his dish, stopping in front of him long enough to say, “Let me know if I can get you something or do anything to help you. I’m going to stay until you’re done.”

“Thanks, Charlotte.”

He turned toward his computer, hands now on the keyboard, eyes fixed on the screen. Within seconds, Emery was lost in a creative bubble. Charlotte didn’t understand that process or what it felt like to be consumed by artistic energy. But once she returned from the kitchen, where she cleaned up the counter and washed both of their dishes, she watched Emery. She followed his hands and the images he was making on the screen. She was amazed at what she was seeing.

The more time she spent staring at him, the more she began to understand this talent he had. She just couldn’t believe his level of focus. It was as though he didn’t know she was even in the room.

Charlotte couldn’t forget he was here.

And that wasn’t just because he was her boss.