Chapter Fourteen
Chapter
Fourteen
Beulah
When I brought her coffee and a bowl of fresh strawberries, Portia completely ignored me. She was angry with Jasper and livid with me.
I didn’t have time to worry about that. Jasper wanted to meet to discuss some business I didn’t understand. Unless he meant he had additional chores for me or needed something else in the pool house. I couldn’t imagine that was the case. I’d stocked his kitchen well.
Since he was inside, I knocked. “Come in,” he called.
I opened the door to see Jasper on the sofa with a computer in his lap, his right ankle resting on his left knee to prop the laptop up. A cup of coffee was in his hand.
Smiling, he said, “Punctual, good. Please, Beulah, have a seat.”
I walked over and sat in a prepositioned chair that Jasper must have moved to face him. Between us was a large wooden barrel, once filled with Maker’s Mark, according to its black labeling, now served as his coffee table.
“This morning went as smoothly as I could imagine. I know you were hoping for a definitive answer. But if there is one, I’m afraid we’ll never know it. However, that isn’t why I asked you to meet with me. After breakfast, I went through emails and the endless weekly details that are backed up at Van Allan Industries. Paper and electronic filing, that I never have enough time for. Jed Bankhead has been handling everything since my father’s untimely death. His own personal secretary became Jed’s. She was to become mine when I took over next year. Two days ago, Jed’s wife walked in on Jed and Bethany, my father’s secretary, naked on Jed’s desk, fucking in the Chicago office.” He stopped and took a sip of coffee. “Gotta love marriage and happily ever after? Anyway, I can’t run Van Allan yet. I’m still learning, and the curve is steep. The Savannah office is the corporation’s smallest and the newest of the branches so far. When Jed releases Bethany, which I know he will do, she’ll file sexual harassment charges—more bullshit to deal with. In Savannah, I need some help. The actual building here has only been serving as a meeting location. My father used it when his officers came to town, and once his relocation became permanent, he was going to make it functional. Since his passing, it hasn’t been used much. That’s what I’ve been doing. Hiring locally or moving people here. The southern states will now have a central location. I need help organizing the piles of paperwork that have been ignored at the office. I’m looking for a qualified secretary, but I need an extra hand now. I know you require another job. Working nights isn’t going to be enough for you if you want to keep Heidi in the home. I’d like you to work in the office. Of course, three hours a day, Monday through Friday, continuing your duties here. I’m willing to pay you $50 an hour, averaging $750 a week. This would help resolve my current issue as well as cover Heidi’s care.”
Seven hundred and fifty a week was a lot. It would be more than I needed to take care of Heidi with my income from cleaning and cooking for the house. If I kept my night job, then I could save again for college. I had to ask about that, “Are you offering this, uh, well. . . contingent on me quitting my evening job?”
Jasper frowned and replied, “I’d hoped you would. You looked exhausted this morning. But I’m not demanding you do anything. That’s entirely up to you.”
“I could cut back my hours there if the manager’s okay with that. He kinda gave me a range of hours, though if I worked at the club a couple nights a week, I’d be able to save for college.”
Jasper nodded. “Fair enough.”
He was giving me a way to make more money and wasn’t demanding anything. I took a long, easy breath. The first one I’d had in three days. Heidi was going to be fine. And I now had a chance at getting that degree.
“Thank you, Jasper. Thank you so much.”
He grinned, the kind I was sure most women visibly swooned over. It made me feel a little swoony myself. That was bad, I couldn’t look at Jasper that way. The man was my boss; he held power to break me; though his smile, the way he wore a pair of jeans, and his sculpted chest and shoulders, I could still picture clearly after his all-day and night pool party. This couldn’t and wouldn’t affect me. It was of no consequence.
“You can start tomorrow; however, after you’re done inside, we can ride over to the office, and I can show you everything, introduce you to the staff, and tell you what staff I currently have.”
“Okay,” I replied, standing up. “I should be ready to go in two hours.”
“Very well. See you then.”
Hurrying from the pool house, I couldn’t get the silly grin off my glowing face. I was going to be okay. We were both going to be okay. I’d make cupcakes this week. Although Heidi would never understand we had a reason to celebrate.
This Jasper was so different than the former Jasper. The one I thought he was when he arrived. He’d been all business and mature in there. But the party he’d held displayed a much different Jasper. The spoiled trust fund kid with nothing to worry about. I liked this Jasper much better. I just couldn’t figure out his choice of friends. I guess the wealthy all gravitate to each other.
The next two hours flew by as I hurried to get everything done. I then changed into the only nice dress I owned. My mother made the pale blue sundress three months before she got sick. For a job interview at the bank. A job I didn’t get because I had needed Saturdays off to take care of Heidi and couldn’t abandon that.
Mom would be so excited about my new job now. She’d love that I wore her dress. She had also bought the silver flats I reserved for special occasions. I slipped them on, and my toes thanked me. I then quickly made my way outside to meet Jasper, passing Portia coming down the staircase with her white tennis outfit on. Her hair was gathered in a neat ponytail. She was scowling at me.
“Why are you dressed like that?” she snapped.
“I’m going to the office with Jasper. He needs me to organize and file paperwork.”
She rolled her eyes. “Sure, he does. He’s just like his father.” She then stalked past me, and her expensive perfume filled the air. I wanted to defend myself. Tell her that, in fact, he did need me to organize things for him. But she was gone. Maybe, perhaps, I should’ve apologized earlier.