“Penelope, I need you to come with me at the house.” What he called “the house” was actually more of a palace. “The work you’ll do for me is going to be a bit different from what you might have expected, but I want you to know it’s very important. More important than what Jenny does. Or my secretary. I see you’re confused now, but it will all make sense very soon. I just need you to meet someone first.”
“Alright. Of course, whatever you need, sir.”
He smiled, and his features relaxed.
“We’ll take my car.”
She followed him down the hall and inside the elevator, where he made a quick call. When he said they’d take his car, he didn’t mean he’d be the one driving. He had a driver at his disposal twenty-four seven, so they only had to step outside of the building and get into the black Mercedes.
The ride to the Goldman Mansion took a little over twenty minutes. They made small talk. Rick asked her about her parents, and Penny answered politely, intentionally omitting to mention how over the moon they were with her getting the job. Even though they’d been friends since forever, it was no secret that the Waltons had always thought of themselves as inferior to the Goldmans and spent all their life sucking up to Richard and his family. Penny loved her folks, but sometimes she hated the situation they had put themselves in. In truth, she had applied for the job for their sake. She didn’t mind the salary, nor the rather privileged position. At twenty-five, she was young. Who knew? In a couple of years, maybe she’d prove her worth and climb up the ladder.
The mansion seemed empty. It wasn’t, obviously, since the house staff was always busy cooking, cleaning, and gardening, but Marcia Goldman wasn’t at home, and neither were Rick’s four children. The girls, Carmine and Opal, were probably at college, or wanted everyone to think they were at college and not in some bar, drinking and smoking their life away. Zane was traveling, – his greatest hobby, – and Killian was at Goldman Corp, doing his best to follow in his father’s footsteps – no pressure.
“We’ll have something to drink later,” Goldman said, as if to excuse his manners. “We’re going to the third floor.”
“Oh.”
Penny followed him up the stairs. She knew this house like the back of her hand, every nook and corner. When she was little, she had mostly played with Killian and Zane, because the girls were too young to be fun. Now, the boys were too busy to give her the time of day. She understood them, though. Being Goldmans and the successors of such a fortune and investment business was nothing to be taken lightly.
The third floor held bedrooms and an art room where Marcia, Rick’s wife, liked to isolate herself once a week to paint. Penny was beyond surprised when her boss opened the door to a huge bedroom that looked more like an apartment, held it so she could go in first, then called two names she had never heard before:
“Juniper, Thorn! A nice lady is here to see you. She can’t wait to make friends with you.”
She blinked in confusion. Two children, aged around nine, peeked out from behind the heavy curtains on the other side of the room.
“What are you doing there?” Richard walked briskly to the tall windows, grabbed them by the hands, and pulled them out. “Why are you hiding?” He looked up at the dark red curtains and sighed. “Now I have to call a maid to draw these open again. I’ll never understand why the two of you like to turn this room into a cave.”
Penelope almost snickered. She covered her mouth with her hand. The last thing she needed was to hint to Rick how ridiculous he was for having someone else draw some curtains open, as if it was the lowest and filthiest task in the world.
“I got this,” she said, and crossed the room.
The click-clack of her high heels captured the kids’ attention. Both the girl and the boy were mesmerized by her black pumps, as if they hadn’t seen anything like it before.
“Thank you, Penelope. It really wasn’t necessary. Anyway, this is Juniper, and this is Thorn. They’re twins.”
Penny bent over, placing her palms on her knees so she’d be more on their level.
“Hi there! I’m Penny. It’s such a pleasure to meet you, guys!”
When they didn’t say anything, nor reacted with a nod or a smile, Penny looked up at her boss, a dozen questions swimming in her blue eyes.
“They’re a little shy,” Rick apologized. He pulled them toward the bed and sat them down on the edge. Gently, he pushed Juniper’s blonde bangs away from her forehead. “They don’t speak English, to tell you the truth, and that’s why I need you to make a priority of finding a good English teacher who also speaks Bulgarian.”
“Bulgarian?! Rick, what is this?”
Screw politeness and professionalism. This was not what Penny had expected from her first day at her new job.
Goldman stood up and crossed his hands behind his back, like he always did when he was thinking of some complex strategy.
“About a year ago, Marcia and I decided to adopt. Since our children grew up, the house has been so empty and devoid of… you know, play and good, positive energy. Carmine and Opal are always busy with their new friends, Zane is always traveling and taking all the weird courses and workshops he can find, and Killian has days when he prefers to sleep at the office. That’s how swamped he is.” He raised his hands in front of him, as if to defend himself. “None of it is my doing, mind you. I told him to take it easy, but you know how he is. He never listens.”
Penny crossed her arms over her generous chest and nodded. She was listening to Richard, but her eyes were on the two adopted kids. They didn’t seem very comfortable.
“Juniper and Thorn have only been with us for three months. Marcia and I decided it was better to give them plenty of time to get used to us and their new home. However, it’s time to introduce them to the outside world, so to speak, and the first step is for them to learn English. A bit of Math’s, too, a bit of Science… nothing too complicated. I’ll let you decide on the curriculum. Find the right teachers, consult them, and come up with a schedule that works for everyone and provides Juniper and Thorn with the skills they need at their age. How does that sound? Can you do it?”
Penny puffed her cheeks, then shrugged.
“Sure, no problem. I’m sorry, I probably seem shocked… I had no idea Marcia and you wanted to adopt.”
