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The Hamptons were beautiful and in the heat of the summer in the city, many people didn’t mind the three hour or so drive to get there. But Sophie understood that her aunt didn’t have the energy to make the trip that often anymore.
“This chicken was delicious. Maybe you’ll share the recipe so I can impress Millie and try to cook for her.” Max took his last bite and leaned back in his chair.
Aunt Penny looked pleased by the compliment. “I’ll take a picture of the recipe and send it to you. It’s not difficult. And she will love it.”
When they finished eating, Sophie brought their plates into the kitchen and put some of the macarons she’d bought earlier onto a platter and set them down on the table.
“Would either of you like coffee or more wine?” she offered.
“I’d like more wine. Let’s open the bottle Max brought for us. I bet it will go well with the macarons,” Aunt Penny said.
Sophie opened the wine and filled Aunt Penny’s and Max’s glasses which were both empty. She took the last sip of her own and then filled it too and sat back down.
“Have either of you seenOnly Murders in the Building?” Aunt Penny asked. “I saw a preview the other day and it looks good. Maybe we can watch an episode or two?”
“I’ve heard of it, but haven’t seen it yet,” Sophie said.
“That’s the Steve Martin one, right? I haven’t seen it either. Let’s watch it.” Max stood and they took their wine and moved into the living room. Aunt Penny settled in her favorite armchair, while Max and Sophie sat on the adjacent matching sofa. Charlie sauntered over a moment later and hopped into Aunt Penny’s lap.
Aunt Penny found the show and they watched two episodes, stopping after the first one to top off their wine glasses and have a macaron or two. They’d all been too full when Sophie first set them out. And they all agreed that the show was a good one.
“Maybe I’ll swing by another night this week and we can watch a few more episodes,” Max suggested. “I’m not much of a cook as I mentioned earlier but I can order a good pizza.”
“Excellent! We’d love that, wouldn’t we, Sophie?”
Sophie smiled. “Yes, definitely. That sounds fun. It was so great to meet you, Max.”
His eyes were warm as he returned her smile. “You too. Thanks again Miss Penny for a delicious dinner.”
“Goodnight, Max. We’ll see you soon,” Aunt Penny said.
She closed the door behind him and turned to Sophie, “Well, that went well, didn’t it? What do you think of Max?”
“He seems really nice. It’s amazing that he’s dating Millie Moore and it’s already been a year.”
Aunt Penny frowned. “A year too long, if you ask me.”
“I take it you’re not a fan. Have you met her?”
“Once, in the hallway. She’s a beautiful girl, but they don’t spend enough time together. Maybe that’s okay with you young people, but I wouldn’t like it. I think he needs a nice, normal girl that is around more.”
Aunt Penny glanced Sophie’s way and her intentions were clear. She wanted to play matchmaker.
“Aunt Penny, Max dates a super model. I’m pretty sure that I am not his type.”
“Hmmm. Well, I’m off to bed my dear. See you in the morning.”
Chapter Four
At first, Sophie thought that the ad agency was a much calmer environment. When she arrived at eight thirty almost no one was there. Brooke, the office manager, buzzed her into the office and showed her to the front desk reception area where she would be spending the next two weeks.
“Everyone has direct dial or uses their cell phones, so most of the calls you will get will be from potential new clients.” She demonstrated how the phone console worked and then told Sophie to holler if she ran into any issues. “My office is right around the corner. You can also message me through the internal system.” She showed Sophie how to do that, and then headed back to her office.
Sophie got herself a coffee—the kitchen was just down the hallway and she ran down and back. But it was very quiet. The phone didn’t even ring until after nine. That’s when employees started streaming in. Many didn’t arrive until after ten, which Sophie thought was interesting. She was steadily busy by then, between the occasional phone call and with people coming in for meetings. The lobby was full most of the day with people waiting.
Sophie watched the flow of traffic go by her desk—to meeting rooms, the big conference room, back and forth all day. She took a lunch break at noon and was relieved by another admin for an hour. And she took advantage of the time to step out of the office. She grabbed a chicken salad sandwich at a nearby shop and sat on a stool by the window. She watched people walking along the street as she ate her sandwich.
The environment was less stressful than the trading floor but after lunch, the energy level increased along with the call volume and number of people walking through the door. And the overall vibe was very different. The ad agency was more colorful and the people were more diverse—she saw several walk by with pink or turquoise hair, piercings, tattoos and attire was all over the map. The creatives, the art people, were the most casual while the account executives were dressed more conservatively.
