Taking My Life Back
Morgan
Melissa hesitantly agreed to meet with us at the bike shop. I was sure she was curious why Creed and I wanted to meet with her, but we couldn’t prematurely disclose too much information. All she knew was that it was in regards to Addie.
I didn’t want to leave Addie for too long, and Creed felt the bike shop was the best place to meet outside Creed’s Lake. I was laughing at Victor who was once again giving Garrison a hard time when Melissa arrived. We greeted her and invited her to a small conference room in the back.
“Melissa, it’s so great to see you again. Please have a seat.” She pulled herself up on a chair and had a very curious but cautious look on her face. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with us. This is Creed, the owner of this bike shop and Creed’s Lake.”
They shook hands then Creed took a seat next to me.
“I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Creed.” She said.
He gave her a nod. “Its just Creed, and I hope you heard nice things?”
“Sure, you help out a lot in the community.”
I smiled. “Yes, he does, but ever since everything that happened with Callie and Addie neither of us have been out much.” A wave of sadness hit me.
“Yes, I was devastated to hear everything. Callie was a good friend to me, and sorry I didn’t make the services. I was in Chicago visiting some friends. How is Addie adjusting? I heard she’s in your care.” She truly looked concerned.
“She’s doing about as well as can be expected. She has a friend that was in her kindergarten class that happens to live on the lake. It’s been good for her to see some familiar faces. She’s had some difficulty adjusting and feeling safe, but I think that’s to be expected.” I answered.
“It’ll take time, I’m sure. So, I’d love to know how I can help the two of you.” She looked at both of us.
“As I mentioned, it’s good for Addie to see familiar faces. I know the two of you had a close relationship at one point and I think it would be good for Addie to spend some time with you.”
She smiled. “I do miss that sweet little girl.”
“That’s what we would like to talk to you about. I am fully aware you run a daycare from your home, but unfortunately Addie won’t be able to spend much time away from me. That’s why you’ve been asked to meet with us. I’d like to offer you an amazing opportunity to come work for me.”
She tilted her head. “As a nanny?”
I shook my head. “No, more like an assistant, but childcare would be part of the job. I plan to be a hands on mother to Addie, but I can’t always be with her. I don’t need a full time nanny, but I do need an assistant. My publicist is currently working on a press release to announce my retirement from acting. Unfortunately, that doesn’t excuse me from certain contractual obligations. I’ve never had an assistant, only a publicist, business manager, and entertainment attorney that sometimes acted as an agent and worked with Nicole at times. Typically, if I didn’t have time to make travel arrangements, manage my schedule, etc., my body guard and business manager would handle it. I always felt like the less people I had in my life the better. But now I have a new role, and that’s as Addie’s mother. I will be adopting her.”
Melissa smiled. “That’s wonderful news.”
“Yes, I’m honored that Callie asked me to take that role in Addie’s life. My first decision after taking Addie was that I would be a hands on mother. She wouldn’t be raised by a nanny, and she would have a stable parent in her life. The reason I asked you to meet with me is because I will need help with Addie, but I don’t plan for that to be a full time job. I’d like to offer you a position as my assistant and part time babysitter. I think you are the perfect person for the job because you are so good with Addie. I’m aware you’re a full time daycare provider and I couldn’t ask you to leave a full time position for a part time one. So instead of hiring a part time babysitter and an assistant, I decided to make it one position. My parents are currently handling most of my affairs while I focus on Addie, but they have full time jobs and can’t do the work forever. On a day to day basis, I’d need someone to manage my schedule, arrange interviews, stay in contact with my team in Hollywood, make travel arrangements, and travel with me to help with Addie. It’s pretty much just to assist me with all facets of my professional and private life. Is that something that might interest you?”
Her eyes were as big as saucers. “Umm…yeah I’d like to learn more about it.”
Creed leaned forward. “In order to give you all the information, we would ask that you sign two non-disclosures for both Creed’s Lake and for Morgan. Would you mind signing these for us? These documents do not obligate you to employment. They are simply for our protection.”
He slid the documents toward her with a pen on top. She looked them over then signed. He took the documents back and looked at her signatures before sliding them into the file folder. Then he gave me a nod to proceed.
“Addie and I live with Creed at Creed’s Lake. As you know it’s a private community. You will be working closely with us in our home, so we need your strictest confidentiality. This job will come with some amazing perks, but also a lot of responsibility. A lot of lives are at stake, and it’s vital you do not ask questions and keep everything you hear to yourself. Nothing that happens at Creed’s Lake leaves Creed’s Lake. That’s the downside, but the pros outweigh the cons. We would ask that you live at Creed’s Lake full time. For now, you would live with us, but Creed has a few ideas to make you more comfortable at Creed’s Lake.” I looked at him and he began his offer.
“You are the person we need. The bond you created with Addie cannot be duplicated. We want the best for her, and that means making you an offer you cannot resist. Morgan will not be directly paying your salary. She has an account through my company, and we will be billing her monthly for the majority of your salary. This is so you’ll be employed by Creed’s Lake, and we can offer you the same insurance and retirement benefits my other employees are offered. Our offer also includes a furnished rental home on our lake. I will have a home built to accommodate your needs. You will also have an account and you’ll be billed monthly for rent, access to the amenities Creed’s Lake offers, your food, and everything else. We do not exchange cash. We have a commissary on site for you to purchase your groceries, a restaurant, a bar, indoor and outdoor pool, access to the gym, the beach, a theater, and pretty much everything you need. You can help design your rental home, but it won’t be completed for some time. I’d like you to live with Morgan and Addie for a while. I’ve been called back up to the military and deployed for an undetermined amount of time. I think your presence would be good for them while I am gone. Your duties will be assisting Morgan and watching after Addie. There will also be times you’re asked to help out with other children that live in the community. That includes assisting Morgan with the drama, music, dance, and singing lessons she will offer, and her work at the training center teaching our undereducated adult residents.” He wrote a six digit number on a sheet of paper and slid it toward her. “I think this salary might interest you.”
He slid it toward her and her jaw dropped in shock.
“Like Morgan said, there are some downfalls to living and working at Creed’s Lake. First of all, we are not just an MC. We do top secret work for the government, military, and some law enforcement agencies. That is why we demand so much secrecy. Well, that and Morgan is kind of popular.” He chuckled and she giggled.
“Kind of?” She was amused.
“Okay, she’s very popular. Anyway, with that being said, we cannot allow you to have visitors. You are more than welcome to come and go from Creed’s Lake to do your own business, unless we are on lockdown. Times of lockdown can last from a few hours to weeks, depending on the situation. We are currently on lockdown due to Morgan and Addie’s situation, but they rarely occur on a normal basis. We believe the situation is currently handled but for now we are playing it safe. Life on Creed’s Lake is similar to life on a military base, except we offer much more. We are currently building a medical and rehabilitation facility, and we do have a doctor and mental health provider already on site. We are adding some first responders and honestly we are constantly growing and adding more conveniences.”
I spoke up. “All your travel expenses will be covered. That can also be a perk because you will be given the opportunity to see the world. As far as Addie’s education, we would like to keep her in public school and try to keep travel at a minimum during the school year. If we find that’s impossible, we will decide later what’s best for her education. I would rather not travel without Addie. So, we will have to play that by ear. Fortunately, with time I won’t have any obligations to Hollywood. Unfortunately, my retirement will be a slow process. I have one movie premiering in a couple of weeks, and I have another we just wrapped up before I returned home. It will be released next year. The other upside to that is as my work slows down, Creed’s Lake is growing. I have a degree in education and will be getting my license to teach in Indiana. I believe I will always need an assistant if I plan to teach the children in our community whose parents aren’t comfortable with public schools.”
I could tell by looking at Melissa her head was spinning. “If I accept, when would this position start?”
“I have obligations to be in Hollywood two weeks from today. I would need you for that trip.” I said.
She asked a few more questions, then she said she would call us back the following day with an answer. I understood, if she did take it, she would need to give the parents of the children she provided daycare services time to make other arrangements.
Creed and I headed home. Addie was there with Stephanie, but all the Originals would also be there for their weekly night of hanging out in Creed’s basement. I already cooked finger foods and did some baking, so all Stephanie had to do was warm things up. It might have been a weekly occurrence, but that night was different. We had a few more guests. Anthony Jennings was promoted, and was classified as an Original. He was married to Heidi, and they had three children. I learned AJ was twelve, Hazel was nine, and their youngest, Nora, just turned six.
As I sat at the kitchen table talking with Stephanie, Valerie, and Heidi, I realized how fulfilled I felt. I didn’t think it was possible after Callie’s death, but Creed changed everything. He didn’t just provide safety for us. He provided so much more. I was making new friends, which was rare for me. I was able to watch as Melissa was offered a whole new life. I knew she would accept. When she left I watched her smile all the way to her car. Creed gave me a home, something I hadn’t had since I left my parents home for college. I felt safe, loved, and relaxed. I may have owned a house in Malibu, but it was never a home.
Creed and I constantly grew closer. Although we both always had complicated lives, we were easy. It might not have been at first, but once we gave into our intense attraction, we simply fell into place.