Chapter 6
1032 Words
Aubrey
The nerves from the morning ahead wouldn't allow me to eat. I had been at the Kennedy homes many times, never had I been nervous. Never had I felt the need to be nervous. If anything, James and I had been on the same side.
The change was daunting. Being ever the efficient person, I miss the LA morning traffic. However, I am so early that I genuinely consider sitting in the car and waiting.
Today would determine my future at the company. I couldn't imagine my future without working with James, but maybe I needed to.
Bring some change into my life.
Instead of tempting fate, I choose to wait in the rarely used sitting room near the entrance.
Sitting as small as possible reading the morning news. Aside from my low curses, when I reached a paywall behind a good article, the only other noise in the home was their cook. The rest of the house was in blanket silence with no signs of life.
At exactly 8AM, I make my way to the Kennedy breakfast table, as I had expected they are both sitting, waiting.
"Good morning, Mr and Mrs Kennedy." I greet, taking a seat.
While James only nods, Zara returns the greeting. He's always a block of ice in the mornings. Once on a trip to Tokyo we had been woken up by a false fire alarm in the early hours of the morning, by the end of our stay we had been upgraded and offered a free stay on our next trip from his complaints to management.
A table setting is put in front of me by their cook with a warm smile. Quick to follow is a hearty breakfast. As I thank her, Mrs Kennedy addresses her, letting her know that I will be joining them every morning of the workweek for the foreseeable future. The comment halts my movement for a second before I decide to start the meeting.
They both give me their attention as I explain the schedule for the day and the change of plans for the Miami trip. Instead of next month, the project presentation would have to be moved up, and he would need to go in order to make a decision during that presentation.
"Mrs Kennedy will be joining us for the trip, let the pilot know the headcount." James orders taking a break from his coffee.
"Of course." I note down heart beating erratically.
While on the surface, we seemed to be in the usual motions of our back and forth, I was sweating in my suit. Sweating profusely. Their eyes seemed to be on me the entire time. They followed every time I would lift my fork, take a sip of my coffee, or write in my journal. It wasn't anything I could complain about and quit over.
Technically, everything about the morning had been above board.
My car is left at the Kennedy residence, making me want to pull out my hair. We both sit in the back of the SUV, James with his eyes closed, his dark hair catching the light.
He definitely wasn't a morning person. Occasionally, I would glace over otherwise answering emails. The pilot had already been updated on the headcount.
The traffic forced us to sit in the car for another 30 minutes before we reached the ports. Some of the materials for a job were being held, and it was causing a delay. Instead of letting anyone else handle it, James would deal with it.
I waited in the waiting area as he was escorted to the one in charge. While he wasn't particularly in a foul mood, he wasn't in a good one either. I feared for the person handling the matter.
Two hours later, we were able to make our way to the office with the problem solved. At lunch, I had his food delivered as usual, on his desk, laid out with his third cup of coffee. I truly didn't know how he hadn't developed an anxiety disorder from the amount of coffee he consumed - at the very least, a heart attack.
Unlike usual, however, I did not join him for lunch. I sat quietly in my office eating my feelings. A part of me had expected him to call. To demand that I join him. He hadn't. He had respected my choice to be alone.
The day progressed with us in meetings, bouncing off each other like usual. We were back in our groove.
The stain on my shirt wouldn't wash out. I had decided to grab a red bull from our kitchen.
Unexpectedly, it had exploded, messing up my shirt and ruining my mood. The stall down the bathroom opened with James fixing his belt.
Through the mirror, I watched him approach. "What happened there?" he questioned, washing his hand, staring at me through the mirror.
"Red bull happened-" I sighed, breaking the eye contact. While the stain was better, the bottom of the shirt was completely soaked.
"I'll be back." he muttered, drying his hands.
That reminded me of the hand dryer. I could use it to dry my shirt.
Shirt raised to the dryer, James entered with a black button up in hand, pausing my movements.
"Here- change into this." He ordered, handing it to me.
I had forgotten that we had a spare outfit in the office for James in case of emergency. It seemed like I would have to do the same. With a muttered thank you, I started to change.
I came to a pause when I realised he was watching my every move. In the mirror, his gaze followed mine.
His dark eyes followed as I undid the remaining buttons, leaving my upper body bare.
He watched as I changed, throwing the white shirt in the bin. Just watching through the blasted mirror with a dangerous look I'd seen once.
I didn't want to deal with that - the wet shirt.
His shirt was a bit big, but nothing alarmingly big. I removed my tie from my neck, with no desire to struggle with it or ask the man in the bathroom with me for help.
- Writer
