Page 69 of The Monster and the Masochist

I glanced at my phone. It was only 2:30. Surely the movers weren’t here yet? Cass would have known I’d need a bit of time to pack before she sent them…

Frowning, I abandoned my half-baked packing plans to answer the door.

It swung open to reveal a petite woman in business casual attire and a short brown bob.

She was clutching an iPad to her chest, and her eyes lit up with excitement the moment they landed on me.

“Hi! Are you Theodora Fairview?”

“Uhh, depends who’s asking,” I muttered suspiciously.

“I’m Alyssa Merriweather. Cassandra Walker’s Executive Assistant. I’m here to help you get all packed and moved in!”

My eyebrows rose in surprise, and I glanced behind her to find a U-Haul reversing carefully into the back of the main house.

“No shit. Well, nice to meet you, Alyssa,” I said, giving her a gentle smile.

“Likewise! Do you mind if I come in? I asked the movers to bring in some boxes once they park. I can help you get organized while we wait. They didn’t have any packing services on such short notice, so I guess you’re stuck with me.” She laughed lightly and brushed past me without waiting for me to answer.

“Uhm… sure, I guess. Come on in,” I mumbled to the dead space she’d been occupying moments before.

Shutting the door, I turned to follow this stranger into my house, feeling slightly amused at how she was already scurrying about, taking stock of my meager belongings.

“This is great! You barely have anything to move. We’ll have you out of here in no time!” she beamed before making a beeline directly for my bedroom.

Unsure if I was supposed to take offense to that or not, I ambled in behind her and watched from the door as she started shamelessly digging through my drawers and pulling out all my shit.

“This pile will be athleisure…” she said, then after a moment of further inspection, she giggled to herself. “Well, maybe all the piles will be athleisure. Do you have any formal attire that needs to be hung up to avoid wrinkles?”

I nodded my head toward my closet.

“Yeah. I have a suit in there.”

“Great!”

Feeling weird that I was watching this random woman pack up all my shit without me, I hesitantly stepped into the room to try to help.

“I don’t want to mess with your system or anything, but I feel strange just watching. Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Sure! Please sort all the t-shirts in that pile, and I’ll make another pile for shorts over here, so it’s easy to know what’s what when we’re unpacking.

“On it,” I said, before getting to work sorting through my massive collection of black dry-fit t-shirts.

“So, you’re Cassandra’s assistant, huh? Does she often have you doing weird personal tasks like this?” I asked as Alyssa made quick work of most of the clothes in my drawers.

She was much more efficient than I was when it came to folding, and she already had a few piles neatly organized in a line on my bed.

“No, this is a special case.” She shot me a dreamy smile, and I swear little cartoon hearts started floating around her head. “It’s not every day Cassandra Walker needs help with her fiancée. Her request was short notice, and I just couldn’t bear to disappoint her. She’s very eager to get you moved in. It’s so romantic.”

I tried to keep the surprise off my face.

I shouldn’t look surprised that my fiancée was excited for me to move in. Cass obviously hadn’t told Alyssa this was all some fake, organized scheme to help her make partner… but still.

She was… eager?

“I don’t think anyone’s ever accused Cassandra of being romantic before.” I chuckled, and Alyssa shot me an admonishing frown.

“I hope you’re not as hard as everyone else is,” Alyssa quipped, her excited, bubbly demeanor shifting slightly. “Especially not if you’re supposed to be her partner.”