by Ella Miles
The door to her office finally opens, and Sean steps out. He walks past me without even glancing at me or anyone else in the office, and he leaves just as quickly as he got here.
“Olive, can you come in here a moment?” Jamie calls out from her office.
I stand up and walk into her office with a large grin on my face, carrying her dry cleaning that she asked me to pick up on my way into the office today.
I’ve been Jamie’s assistant for far too long. Today is the day I have been waiting five years for. Today is the day I’ll finally get promoted. There is a management position open, and I know that she wants me in it. That way, when she takes a couple of months off to be with her baby, I can step in and run things for her. She just needs to make it official.
This is the moment when my life changes. This is the moment when I stop being an assistant. I can stop getting coffee or baking cookies. Although I have a feeling, no matter what position I hold in the company, I’ll have to keep making cookies. But at least I’ll get paid well. At least well enough to afford more than a studio that holds nothing more than a bed and a small couch and something that resembles a kitchen that wouldn’t even fit in one of those tiny houses that you see on TV. They should start videoing my life if they want to know what it’s like to live tiny.
“You’re an angel, Olive,” Jamie says standing as I hand over her dry cleaning. “I couldn’t very well work today in sweatpants.”
I smile as I look down at Jamie’s attire to see that she is indeed in sweatpants. I know she has two closets worth of clothes in her apartment, so she should have had something else to wear. Unless she didn’t sleep at her apartment last night.
Jamie takes a seat behind her desk and motions for me to do the same.
I take a seat and wait for her to speak, trying to be as polite as I can even though, inside, I’m bursting to say, Yes, I’ll take it!
Whatever job she is going to offer and whatever level of money that comes with it will be better than what I get paid. I know everyone else in the company makes at least three times as much as I do, and that’s being conservative. The best in the company make ten or more times than I do.
“So, I bet you are wondering why I called you in here this morning.”
I nod even though I know exactly why she called me in this morning instead of just emailing me a long list of things she needs me to take care of, like she usually does every morning.
“As you know, some things are about to change with how the company is run around here.”
I nod again, smiling brightly, as my suspicions seem to be confirmed.
“And, as you know, I’m pregnant. But, at my last checkup, my doctor said I needed to start taking it easy and be on bed rest until the baby is born.”
I nod as I look down at her still-flat stomach. There is no way this woman is five months pregnant. I still can’t believe it.
“But, anyway, I want to take at least six months off when the baby is born. I want to just be a mom, which means I need to leave someone I trust in charge of the company to ensure it will continue to head in the right direction.”
My eyes widen, and my jaw drops a little bit at what she is suggesting. “You think I am capable of doing that?”
Jamie laughs. “Oh, no. I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant at all. That would be a huge jump for you, and you are not ready for that at all. But I don’t trust my realtors to lead the company either. We both know, if I let that happen, they would just use the leverage to start their own company. No one is loyal like you are to this company.”
I smile, but my smile is weak because I have no idea where she is going with this.
“So, anyway, I hired Sean to be me when I’m gone. He’s the best, the absolute best. And I just need you to report to me about how things are going while I’m gone and he is in charge. If things aren’t going well, I’ll end my maternity leave and come back, but if you tell me things are going well, then I will leave him in charge. Can you do that?”
“Of course. Does this new job come with a promotion?”
She laughs again. “I’m so happy you are my assistant, Olive. You always know just what to say to brighten my day. Of course it’s not a promotion, just a favor between two friends.”
I nod, but I can’t keep smiling. I’m not getting promoted. My heart sinks.
I don’t understand. Jamie and I have been friends for years. I’ve been completely loyal to her and the company, but I still haven’t earned a promotion. I don’t understand, but I’m not going to question her. I trust her completely, and anyway, I owe her.
“Is that all you need?” I ask.
“Yep. I’m still planning on going to your boyfriend’s concert tonight. I need one last night out before I’m confined to my bed for these next few months.”
I try to smile, but it’s impossible to be excited about spending time with my friend tonight. I nod and then leave Jamie’s office to try to go about the rest of my day like usual.
I walk back to my cubicle.
“Hey, Olive. Where is the coffee?” Lewis, a realtor in the company, asks as he walks by my desk.
“I’m sorry. I had to go pick up Sean and dry cleaning on my way into the office today. I’ll make it soon.”
Lewis frowns but walks away, grumbling, “It can’t be that hard to make coffee, can it? What are we paying an assistant for anyway if she can’t even make coffee?”
I sigh and try to remember that he doesn’t mean it. He just hasn’t had his morning coffee today, so he’s grumpy.
“Olive, where are the cookies for today’s open house?” Audrey, another realtor, asks.
“I’m sorry. I was never told you were doing an open house today. I thought it was scheduled for this Saturday.”
“It was, but my client moved it late last night. I really need the cookies.”
“I’m sorry. I think there are some frozen ones in the fridge that you can warm up and use. They’ll taste just as good. I promise.” I try to smile to reassure Audrey.
“You really should start making cookies every day. That way, we’ll always have cookies. You know clients want us to move things at the last minute all the time.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll do that in the future. I can go grab you some fresh ones if you want. There is an awesome bakery just around the corner.”
Audrey laughs. “I’m sure they are great, but they aren’t as good as your cookies are. Your cookies sell houses.”
I smile even though, inside, I feel like dying. I like baking cookies. It’s a huge stress reliever. But, when I baked a batch of cookies for Jamie’s birthday about a year ago, I never thought it would turn into everyone relying on them on a weekly or now daily basis.
I sigh and then get to work. At least, tonight, I’ll get to have a little fun, watching Owen, my boyfriend, play his guitar.
“When does your ass of a boyfriend go on?” Keri, my friend who used to work at Parks Real Estate with me, asks.
I sigh as I glance at my watch that now reads after eleven p.m. It’s going to be another long night with little sleep. “I thought he was already supposed to be on.”
I take a sip of the white wine I ordered. It’s only my second glass. Though, after the day I had, I am tempted to drink something stronger.
“We are waiting ten more minutes, and then we are leaving,” Keri says, sipping on a margarita.
“Oh, relax, and have some fun. Tonight will be the last night I go out in months,” Jamie says, sipping on her water.
I frown. “I can’t do that to Owen. I promised I would come to his show today.”
Keri shakes her head and finishes off her margarita. “You are too good to that boy. You have to be up in less than eight hours. You need to go home and get some sleep.”
“Maybe, but I would feel horrible if I missed his show.” I take another sip of my wine.
Keri raises an eyebrow. “You wouldn’t feel horrible if you broke up with him.”
Wine spews out of my mouth
. “Why would I break up with him? I love him.”
Now, it’s Jamie’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Because he treats you like dirt, and you are so much better than him.”
“He does not! Just last weekend, he took me to that amazing hotel—”
“And you spent most of your night cleaning up his puke,” Jamie says, also ganging up on me.
“He just drank a little too much! It can happen to the best of us.”
“It was your birthday, Olive! He was supposed to be taking care of you! Instead, you probably spent the whole night apologizing for letting him drink that much.”
I blush. She’s right. I did.
“I don’t want to talk about Owen anymore.” I ask Keri, “How are your classes going?”
She has gone back to school to get an English degree. A degree that I don’t have the heart to tell her won’t make her more money than what she was making when she was a real estate agent.
“I quit.”
My jaw drops open. “What? Really? That’s great! There is a new management position open that I think you would be perfect for.”
Keri starts laughing until she is snorting.
“What’s so funny?”
“I didn’t quit. I just wanted to get your honest feelings about if I should be going to school or not, and I knew you wouldn’t give me an honest answer unless I told you I’d quit.”
“Oh my God! I’m so sorry, Keri! I didn’t mean…I mean, you should—”
“Stop apologizing, Olive.”
“I’m sorry.”
Keri raises an eyebrow at me.
“I’m sorry. I mean—”
Keri shakes her head. “Anything new going on at work?” she asks, looking from me to Jamie.
“I hired someone to be me while I’m gone these next few months,” Jamie says.
Keri eyes me but doesn’t say anything even though I know she thinks I should be the person for the job.
Jamie turns to me. “What did you think of Sean? You think he’ll make a good me while I’m gone?”
I blush. “I’m not the best person to judge Sean. We didn’t get off to the greatest of starts.”
Keri leans back in her chair, glancing up as Owen and his band finally take the stage. “And why not?”
“Because I didn’t make the best first impression with Sean.”
“How bad of a first impression?” Keri asks as she studies me with her eyes.
“The kind where I spilled coffee on him, accidentally kissed him on the lips, and introduced him to the team by the wrong name.”
Jamie laughs. “You did not! I didn’t realize. He usually tells me everything.”
I blush a brighter shade of pink.
Keri grins. “Plus, you probably apologized about a million times.”
I frown but have to nod.
Owen starts playing with his band, and we all fall silent as we watch him.
An hour later, Keri says, “I need to go home, or I’m never going to get out of bed on time in the morning.”
I nod. “Good night.”
Keri glances from me to the stage. “Just don’t stay all night.” She hugs me and then starts walking out of the club. She stops and hollers over her shoulder, “And don’t stay up all night, making those asshole real estate agents cookies for their showings tomorrow! You need your sleep.”
“I won’t!” I yell back.
I’ll just get up a couple of minutes early and throw some cookies in the oven while I’m getting ready.
I turn my attention back to Owen and his band onstage. At least I have Owen. He might not be perfect, but I love him, and he loves me back. That’s enough.
Jamie lays her head on my shoulder. “I’m exhausted. I’m not going to last much longer.”
I laugh. “I’ll get you into a cab then.”
I take Jamie to a cab, and then I go back to my seat to finish watching Owen play. I love watching him play, but I really wish he would book more weekend gigs and less during the week.
I rest my head in hands as I watch him continue to play. I know they still have three or four more songs before they finish their set. I can make it through. I close my eyes. I’ll just listen and rest my eyes…
“Olive!” Owen shouts, jolting me awake.
I jump awake.
“I don’t know why you even bother coming if you are just going to fall asleep,” Owen says.
“I’m sorry. I’ve had a really long day. Let’s just go back to my apartment and go to sleep,” I say.
He sighs. “My apartment is so much nicer though. Your apartment is tiny.”
“But my apartment is closer to my work, and I haven’t seen my cat all day. You don’t have to be anywhere in the morning.”
He shakes his head. “I’m going to my apartment. You coming?”
I think back to this morning—how late I was going into work because he’d turned my alarm off again, how long of a subway ride it was to get into work.
“I’m sorry. I can’t tonight. I’ll stay over tomorrow night,” I say.
Owen frowns and then leaves without so much as a good-bye kiss.
I love Owen. He loves me, I keep repeating to myself.
We’ve both just had a bad day today. Tomorrow will be better.
But then I remember that I have to deal with Sean tomorrow, and I realize that tomorrow is going to be just as bad.
3
Sean
It’s eight o’clock sharp when I make my way into Parks Real Estate Office. It’s not early by anyone’s standards, but considering I own a company that operates mainly in the evenings, it’s early for me. I expect to see an office full of life as I walk through the office. Instead, I find a mostly empty office.
What the hell? Does no one come to work on time?
I keep walking toward Jamie’s office. I need to take some time to make it mine if I’m going to be working here for a year in Jamie’s place. I can only handle so many motivational quotes and hippie incense.
“Good morning, Sean,” a sweet voice says as I walk to my new office.
I stop to greet the person when I realize it’s Olive. I cock my head to the side as I look at her sitting behind her desk. She looks slightly more put together today than she did yesterday. Her long hair is a little more tamed but still frizzy. She’s wearing dark dress pants with dress boots that are much more appropriate for the weather and the office, but somehow, it disappoints me. I quite enjoyed looking at her bare legs yesterday. She looks put together, except when I study her further. Her eyes have the tiniest of bags underneath them. Her lips are stifling the need to yawn. She’s exhausted.
“Coming into work early isn’t going to win you any favors if you are exhausted and worthless to the team, especially when it’s clear that no one comes in this early,” I say.
“I’m sorry. I mean…” She shakes off her apology. “I always come in this early. I try to beat Jamie in, so I can make sure the coffee is ready and everything is ready for her. I’m always the first to show up and one of the last to leave. That’s who I am. I’m sorry if I seem a bit tired. I had a bit of a long night last night. Tomorrow, I’ll be better.”
I narrow my eyes at her and resist the urge to laugh at her ridiculous apology. I continue into my office without another word to her.
I begin moving the incense, candles, and pictures of Jamie and her boyfriend off the desk and put them on the floor to make room for my laptop on the desk. I fire it up and open my email. Over a hundred unread messages pop up with more coming in each second as I stare at the computer. Some are from my business, and some are from Jamie’s business. Either way, it looks like I’m going to be spending most of my day answering emails.
I really need to find a manager who can be me when I’m not here. I know Jamie doesn’t believe in managers, but she doesn’t get to complain about how I run the company if she isn’t here.
I decide to start with looking through the applicants for the management position that I sent out yesterd
ay. I said that all applications had to be in by noon today, so I expect most everyone who is interested in applying has already applied. Although I’m sure I’ll get a few stragglers today. Those who wait until today to send in their applications will get a mark against them. I need people who know what they want and are prepared for anything. Not someone who waits until the last minute.
I pull up the emails that are in reference to the position and am in shock when I see only five applications. Out of more than a hundred employees who work here, only five have applied so far. Hopefully, it’s the best five employees.
Did I not make it clear that the position would come with a huge raise?
Everyone should be fighting for the position, not unconcerned about it. Jamie really must have convinced these people that it’s better to be happy and have work-life balance than make money because this is not how normal people respond to the opportunity to make a lot more money.
I open the first email. It’s from Sandie. She has only one year of experience and is fresh out of college. Not what I’m looking for.
I open the second email from Melissa. Three years’ experience. Slightly better but still not what I want.
The third email is from Floyd. Seven years’ experience. He claims he brings in more commission than anyone else at the company. And he’s male, so he won’t distract me from what I need to be focused on. He sounds perfect.
I open the last two emails, and while I know I’ll interview all of them, my gut tells me that Floyd is my guy.
The first is more of the same. From Clay, who has limited experience.
The last email almost knocks me on my ass. It’s from Olive.
Maybe there is another Olive in the company? One who isn’t an incompetent assistant?
But, as I read the email, I know this is the Olive sitting right outside my office. The Olive who spilled coffee on me and apologized for kissing me. That was a first. Most women don’t apologize for kissing me. And that was the one thing she did right. If she would just kiss me every time she fucked up instead of apologizing, I would like her a lot more.