“I received it five days ago. I’m sorry I didn’t reach out sooner, but I was out of town. Mr. Hart said you would be needing a job and he couldn’t recommend you enough. Would you be interested in coming in for an interview?”
“Sure. I guess.”
“Great. How is tomorrow morning at ten a.m.?”
“That’s good. Can you text me your address?”
“Of course. I’ll send it when we hang up. I look forward to meeting you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Peterson.”
When I pulled up to the Hart home, I climbed out of my car and stepped inside where I found Gina in the living room staring at the portrait of her and Steven that hung above the fireplace. I made my way through the crowd of people who were talking, drinking, and eating the catered food Gina had arranged. Walking over to her, I placed my hand on her arm and she turned her head while a small smile graced her face.
“Thanks for coming, Julia.”
“You know I would never miss this. Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Of course.” I followed her into the library.
“On my way over, I got a call from Grayson Peterson from Kind Design & Architecture wanting me to come in for an interview for a personal assistant position.”
“I was going to tell you about that, but with everything going on it slipped my mind. Steven had me send your resume and the recommendation letter over to them the morning after you visited him.”
“Why would he do that?”
“You know Steven, Julia. He always had to have all his ducks in a row.” A smile crossed her lips. “Including his funeral. Right down to the last detail. He didn’t want you to worry about a job. You know he loved you and we always considered you a part of this family. He was just looking out for you the way you always looked out for him.” She took hold of my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.”
Chapter 4
Julia
Traffic wasn’t as bad today for some strange reason which in turn had me arriving thirty minutes early for my interview. I had one of two choices. I could sit in my car and aimlessly scroll through Facebook or Instagram, or I could walk across the street to the Starlight café and grab a coffee and pastry.
I climbed out of my car and headed across the street. When I stepped inside the café, I stood in the short line and patiently waited my turn.
“Hi there. How can I help you?” The cute guy behind the counter smiled brightly.
“Hi. Good morning.” I grinned. “I’ll have a medium hazelnut coffee. Also, I’ll take that apple turnover.” I pointed to the case.
“Coming right up.”
“Excuse me.” A deep voice came from behind. “Do you have any more of those apple turnovers.”
“No. I’m sorry. That’s the last one.”
“It’s only nine thirty in the morning. How is it the last one already?”
Turning around, I gasped when my eyes locked on the man with the irritation in his voice.
“It’s yours.” I gave him a wide smile.
“Excuse me?” His bright blue eyes stared into mine.
“The apple turnover. You can have it.”
“It’s fine. I’ll get something else.”
“Nope. I insist. I don’t need the sugar or the carbs anyway. I’m really not sure why I even ordered it.” I cocked my head.
“Well, it looks to me like you could use a few carbs.”
“Thanks — I think.” My brows furrowed. “Anyway, take the turnover.”
“Thank you. Let me buy your coffee then for being so kind.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I know I don’t have to. I want to. As a thank you for surrendering your turnover.”
“If you insist.” The corners of my mouth curved upward.
“Here’s your coffee, miss. I hope you have a good day!”
“Thank you. You, too.”
I turned and looked at the dreamy man in the expensive suit who stood six foot two with broad shoulders, short dark hair, a well-trimmed five o’clock shadow and the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. Damn. Just damn. My heart wouldn’t stop racing.
“Enjoy your turnover and your day.” I grinned before walking out of the café.
“Same to you.”
When I stepped outside the café, I let out a deep breath. He was one hell of a sexy man. I had to stop for a moment and think if I’d even seen a man so handsome in my life. I had, and he was the second one in my lifetime.
Looking at my watch, it was nine fifty. I took a few more sips of my coffee and threw it in the trash can outside the building.
“Miss Benton, Mr. Peterson will see you now. Follow me.” The tall slender woman with auburn colored hair smiled as she led me down the hallway.
When she opened the door to Mr. Peterson’s office, the look on his face when he saw me struck me as strange.
“You must be Julia. I’m Grayson.” He extended his hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Grayson.”
“Please, have a seat.” He gestured to the black chair across from his desk. “So, tell me why you left your position at Hart Industries.”
“Mr. Hart passed away last week.”
“I’m sorry. I had no idea he’d passed away. I see you worked for him for the past three and a half years and prior to that you were an assistant manager at a coffee shop.”
“Yes.”
“The letter he sent along with your resume was very enduring. He must have really liked you.”
“He and his wife, Gina, considered me part of their family.”
“In his letter, he stated that you were extremely flexible, trustworthy, have excellent communication skills, organized and proactive. He also goes on to say that you are a master at multitasking, you’re very smart and a hard worker. In all honesty, Julia, Steven Hart makes you out to be a godsend of an employee.”
“I take pride in my work, Grayson.”
He leaned back in his chair and stared at me for a moment. Something told me he was hesitant about what he was going to say next.
“You are by far the best candidate I’ve interviewed. If you came to work for us, you’d be the personal assistant to Mr. Sam Kind, the president of the company and architect division.”
“May I ask why his other personal assistant is no longer working for him?”
He inhaled a sharp breath and shifted nervously in his chair.
“Well…there were some personality conflicts.”
“I see. Is he a difficult man to work for?”
“Not really. The person who works for him will need a strong personality. Kendra, his last personal assistant didn’t have one.”
“So, he is a difficult man?” I cocked my head. “It doesn’t matter. I can handle anybody, and I can work with anyone even under strenuous situations. I don’t let people get to me, Grayson. No matter their personality because there’s always some deep-rooted issue behind the scenes in their personal life.”
“Wow. I really like you, Julia. Here is the pay structure and the benefits package.” He handed me a folder.