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“This is cute.” I smiled. “I’m sure I can make it my own.”
“Please do,” Casey laughed. “The other assistants were so uptight and too stuck on trying to impress my dad, they never gave this place any personality of its own. Anyway, this is the workspace, now let's go check out the living space. I know you’re gonna love this.”
Chapter Three
Ariane
TheapartmentLogansetme up in was a lot bigger than the tiny house I’d moved from. It was more like a miniature penthouse. Casey let me know I had free range of everything inside, and there were no cameras or house rules. As long as I took care of the place like it was my own, outside of any repairs, no one would bother me.
“Don’t worry, everything in here is brand new. The beds, toilet seats, fridge. Any traces of any old assistants have been wiped clean and set up for someone new.”
“Thank you,” I laughed. “Speaking of old assistants”—I leaned in closer to her like we weren’t the only two in the room—“what happened to the other assistants?”
“My dad.” She playfully rolled her eyes. “He just likes to nitpick at everyone. To let him tell it, no one is up to standard and must have lied on their resumes to get the job, because, as soon as they get in the office with him, they had no idea what to do. That's why I'm so glad you double as a life coach,” she laughed. “Because he really needs some coaching on how to release whatever negative energy he has lingering around inside. I love my dad, but he is one grumpy man.”
Grumpy men were my specialty. When I first started out as a life coach, I’d prided myself on being able to change a man's attitude about love, life, relationships, marriage—anything that troubled them really. I had a soft spot for damaged men, I didn’t know why. But it was part of the reason I’d stayed with Lucas for as long as I did.
“That shouldn’t be too hard to overcome,” I chuckled. “I’ve had my fair share of grumpy men as a life coach. Some of them took heed and reached for change, and some of them just wanted to see a pretty face. Hopefully your dad and I get along well.”
“Hopefully.” Casey smiled an awkward smile. Almost as if she recognized something but didn’t want to speak on it. “Anyway, that’s it for today. I’ll get out of your hair and let you get settled in. Office hours are eight to five, Monday through Friday. Mr. Logan Taylor likes for his assistants to be in the office earlier than him and have all appointments ready to go. Your workweek requests go straight to the planner on your iPad and there’s a phone for you and my dad to be able to reach each other about anything work related. Clients as well. So, if you don’t need anything from me, I'll be on my way.”
I didn’t need anything. Everything was pretty self-explanatory, but if I did have any questions, having the phone to be able to contact Logan—personally—was more than enough for me.
“That’s it for me.” I smiled. “Thank you again for showing me the ropes.”
I hadn’t packed much when I left Florida. One, I really didn’t have much to pack and two, I didn’t want to haul any bad juju with me to a new place. I was on a fresh start in an entirely new lane, and I wanted to keep it that way.
After I got settled and familiarized myself with the apartment, I stepped out to buy a few groceries and some much-needed wine and chocolate. I also wanted to get a few candles, to make the place smell like my favorite scents instead of an empty home. After that, I planned to meet up with a friend I already knew from the city.
“Hey, girl! Oh my god! I cannot believe you finally made the move to the big apple!”
My girl Trinity was a straight-up firecracker. She was a huge ball of fun energy and good vibes. When she’d first heard about me going off the grid to get away from Lucas, she was furious! She was always nagging me about moving to New York with her, but I always declined. I hadn’t been ready to show my face to the world again; I was too afraid.
“I did!” I squealed as we embraced each other outside of a snazzy restaurant I was eager to try. “Let’s get inside, it’s chilly out here.”
We checked each other out as we made our way to our reserved table. It had been seven long and dull years since I last saw Trinity, and she hadn’t changed a bit. I was most thankful for her never giving up on me after Lucas had secluded me away from all of my friends and family. Because without her support, I honestly don’t think I would’ve made it.
“Wow.” She grinned as she looked at me. “Girl, you look amazing. I'm so happy to see you right now, you don’t even know.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I thought you weren’t ever gonna get back to normal. I'm so glad you did.”
“I know, right. It's been a long time coming and I'm here now.”
I didn’t tell Trinity about my new job right away, because she knew how I got myself into the mess I was finally out of, and I wasn't sure how she would react to the fact that I was now Lucas’s father’s assistant.
I wanted to get a feel for my position and see how well Logan and I worked together before I told her anything. So, we kept our conversation focused on our friendship, and the hate she had for Lucas.
“Is this move permanent? Or you just testing your wings again?”
“I’m not sure, but I want it to be permanent. Once I get back into the groove of taking clients and building my rapport again, I believe it will be.” I nodded at the possibility. “With this new name change and everything, I’m having to start all over because I just don’t want people in my business.”
Logan
I beat Ariane to the office the following morning. At first, I didn’t really count it against her, because it was her first day and she only came in ten minutes after me. But when I saw the sleep still in her eyes and smelled the scent of alcohol seeping from her pores, I made a mental note for strike one.
“Good morning, Mr. Taylor,” she greeted me with a worried smile as I sat behind my desk.
“You’re late,” I replied.
Her head swiveled toward the clock to double-check that she was in fact on time, but she didn’t contest.
