Charlotte was already arching her eyebrow in question as she swiveled in her chair to look at Autumn. “Why do you ask?”
“Uh, well…” Autumn’s discomfort and clear regret at asking the question was amusingly apparent as she fidgeted with her work phone in her lap. “You didn’t have a meeting with Ms. Spencer on Tuesday, and you sent the care package, and…” She trailed off, clearing her throat as she stared into her lap.
Charlotte leaned her elbow into her desk, staring down her assistant across the desk. “And?”
“I just, well, you did say that given our constant proximity—yours, mine, and Maya’s—that dipping into each other’s personal lives at times would be highly likely and that we could discuss it as long as we don’t cross any lines. Maya said to me last night that she thought… Ms. Spencer… anyway…” She fumbled. “I was just wondering, Senator,” she hesitantly added before her eyebrows scrunched together and she bit her lip.
Charlotte hummed again under her breath. “And you don’t think that question regarding Ms. Spencer and me was crossing a line?”
Autumn’s eyes widened, her mouth falling fell open in sheer horror. “I— No, I— Yes, I shouldn’t?—”
Charlotte broke, the entertainment she’d felt showing itself in a smirk. “I’m joking, Autumn. It wasn’t crossing a line. You’ve noticed something has been… abnormal with me, and you asked about it; we spend upwards of ten hours a day together. It’s all right.”
Her assistant melted into the chair with relief. “Oh, thank god.” She furtively looked up at Charlotte. “So… is everything all right, then?”
While she didn’t find it inappropriate for Autumn to ask, it still didn’t mean she was about to lay her inner turmoil out for her. The muddle of her feelings was certainly not her assistant’s business. Charlotte sometimes wished it wasn’t even her own.
“Everything is fine, Autumn. I’ve been a little distracted after my meeting with Sutton on Monday, but it’s nothing to be concerned about.”
“Your, um, meeting with her on Monday, when you went to her house?” Autumn asked, giving Charlotte a very curious, expectant look.
Charlotte nailed her with a look in return. “The very one.”
Autumn looked down at her lap, barely able to hold back a smile, though the way she bit her lip certainly implied she was trying. “Right.”
As Charlotte leaned back in her seat, she studied the young woman in front of her. “You know, Autumn, you would do quite well to learn to control your facial expressions a bit better, especially if you’d like your political career to go further,” she commented mildly.
The hiding-a-smile look completely vanished as Autumn looked up at her in wide-eyed alarm. “Senator, I?—”
Charlotte waved her off. “It’s still Charlotte, and I’m not admonishing you; I’m giving you a piece of advice. You wear everything on your face. You could learn a bit from Maya.”
That alarm only grew, a surprised squeak leaving Autumn’s lips before she pressed her fingers against them to silence herself. Her face slowly started turning tomato red. “Right. Yes. Good idea.”
As if Charlotte didn’t ever pick up on things like,Maya and I will meet you there Monday morning, and,Last night, Maya said, from her own staff.
To stem Autumn’s clearly growing panic, Charlotte held her hand up. “You’re not in detention, Autumn. There’s no power imbalance between you two. Just continue to keep it discreet, please, and think about the fact that I always expect professionalism in the office.”
She wasn’t concerned about that; in fact, unsurprisingly, she had very little fears regarding that fact. She’d chosen Autumn and Maya for specific reasons, and both of them maintaining the upmost of hunger and motivation in regard to their careers was one of them.
When Autumn continued to stare at her, like she had just been caught shoplifting, Charlotte barely smothered a laugh. “You can go home for the weekend, Autumn. Thank you for your diligence. I’ll see you Monday.”
Autumn nodded quickly, packing her bag as efficiently as always. “Will you be leaving the office soon? I can get your dinner sent if not?” she hurriedly asked, looking as though she was ready to bolt.
It was impressive, the way Autumn was doing her job even as she was heading out the door. Charlotte nodded in approval. “No, don’t worry about it.”
Autumn popped up out of her seat, slinging the bag over her shoulder. “All right. I’ll send the preliminary schedule for next week to you by Sunday.” She swallowed, her grip tightening on her bag, and she took a step toward the door. Then she paused, looking back at Charlotte before she took another step. Then paused again.
Charlotte watched, fascinated and, frankly, amused by the distraction from her own love life.
“I—we aren’tromanticallyinvolved, Senator,” Autumn explained. “It’s only that it’s difficult to meet people at times, and—we aren’t in a relationship. Maya is aggravating, honestly, and I’m just saying that if we were, I would have reviewed the ramifications with any necessary superiors.”
“I don’t quite need to know the details of your escapades outside of work, Autumn, but I appreciate the clarification.”
“Yep! I’ll see you Monday!” Autumn very nearly flew right out of the office, clicking the door shut behind her.
Charlotte watched and chuckled, spinning her chair once more to look out the window. She had no doubt that Autumn was scrambling to tell Maya that their boss knew and to overanalyze what that could mean for them.
Which meant Charlotte now had ample time to go back to overanalyzing her own romance.
