The Assistant

Chapter Three

Charlotte

Until this morning, Charlotte didn’t know what it felt like to wake up on a Monday and not have a job to drive to. It was purely out of habit that she had set her alarm the night before and gotten up at a quarter past six, the same time she’d been rising for the last three years. She then brought a mug of coffee into the shower, setting it next to her shampoo, sipping it as she began her regular routine. It wasn’t until she stepped out of the warm spray that she realized she didn’t have to dry her wet hair or dress in a conservative outfit or drive the short distance to work where she’d spend the next nine hours.

That was because after deciding she needed to try something new, she gave her two-week notice and she already completed her last day.

That didn’t mean she was going to do nothing today. There were plenty of things in her apartment that needed to be cleaned and organized. But, before she dug into any of that, she twisted her sopping hair into a knot on top of her head, slipped on some comfortable clothes, and took a seat at her small desk. Once the monitor turned on, she typed in the web address of a local job search site and scanned through each of the listings.

Only one headline caught her attention.

Executive Assistant to an architect, flexible schedule and traveling required, in-home work environment.

Charlotte had been single for over a year and didn’t have any children, which gave her the most flexible schedule. Traveling was something she would love to do. And although she had never worked in someone’s home, it was an environment she was sure she would enjoy.

She clicked the link and a more detailed job description popped up. The bullet points said it was a full-time, salaried position. The trips would consist of flying back and forth between Burlington and Boston with several overnight stays every week. An extensive list of administrative tasks were outlined. The last bullet point mentioned there would be two teenagers in the home and light duties involving cooking and transportation could occur but wouldn’t happen regularly.

Charlotte had worked jobs that were much more strenuous than the responsibilities she had just read, so she knew she could handle the position. Besides, administrative duties came easy to her and she loved kids. Her sister was a single mom and Charlotte had helped raise her two nieces since the day they had been born.

But she didn’t immediately click the Apply button. She stared at it, her finger hovering above the mouse, as she tried to make sense of all the different thoughts in her head. She knew her life was in the process of changing in so many ways and it would be a long time before anything felt normal again. She also knew this was only the first step in achieving what she was after.

She told herself she was ready for it as the screen came back into focus and her finger fell onto the mouse. She followed the instructions to upload her résumé and once the confirmation appeared, Charlotte got up from the chair and went over to her closet, looking at every piece of clothing that hung on the rack. Because of the jobs she’d had in the past, everything she owned was so traditional—solid colors, high necks, and fitted skirts. She had very little fun clothes.

What was needed for an interview like this was something different than what she was looking at. What she needed was an outfit that showed her personality.

Closing her closet, she went over to the couch and lifted her phone off the coffee table, opening a popular shopping app. In less than fifteen minutes, she had purchased eight shirts, four pairs of jeans, and three pairs of pants that were all being delivered to her doorstep in the next few days.

Efficient was one of the adjectives that had been used in the bullet points. Charlotte was pleased with how well she just proved that to be true. She was even more pleased when an email came in two days later, inviting her to Emery Black’s house to interview for the Executive Assistant position. The time she was expected to arrive, his address, and a phone number were included.

Charlotte’s hands shook with nerves as she replied to his email, thanking him for the opportunity and confirming she would be there at the time he requested.

There was a lot of pressure to nail this interview.

Somehow, she had to get it right.