The Thorns a Rose Has

Rosie's POV: I walk into the lobby of my best friend's family business. The receptionist smiles and waves towards the room that Autumn must be in. 'She better have a good reason to call me here on my only day off this week,' I thought as I walked through the oak door to Mrs. Ross' office. Walking in, I see Autumn in a mint long-sleeved blouse and black slacks; her curly, chocolate locks were pulled into a bun. Her green eyes lit up when I walked in, and she grinned, getting up to walk over to me. "Rosie!! Thank you for coming to my rescue! You're the best!" She squealed out while hugging me tightly. I smiled and looked around the room to the other people. Flora Ross sat behind her desk, black hair in curls falling around her face. green eyes bright, and a wide smile on her face. Sitting on the black couch were two men, well young men, and in one of the armchairs sat an older man. The two on the couch were watching us with curiosity. The older man was watching us with a look I couldn't read. "Hey Autumn, what's the emergency?" I ask, sitting in one of the two open armchairs in the room. I wore a Star Wars tee and black yoga pants, with my sandy blonde wavy locks pulled up into a messy bun. Autumn had told me to be there ASAP and said not to bother changing. Though I probably should have, thinking about it now. At least I was wearing a bra. Autumn decided the arm of my seat was the best perch for her to sit on. "Well, Mr. Jones and his son are going to be merging with Ross Incorporate, and I am going to have to spend time with his son and his friend. I wanted you here for moral support!" The older man, Mr. Jones chuckled at that. The two on the couch looked a little offended, and Mom, Flora, shook her head smiling. "And I couldn't have changed first? You said it was just you and Mom, not you, Mom, and three men I don't know. No heads up?" I shook my head at her, but I wasn't surprised. When I met her ex, it was similar. One of the guys on the couch started to talk, but my best friend beat him. "I thought you would be better dressed or in work clothes, sorry. But come on, I needed you here!" She turned to me with the biggest puppy dog eyes she could muster. The older man turned to me and smiled. "I'm Trenton Jones, Nice to meet you, Miss....?" the older man asked, brown eyes amused. He had his hand out for a handshake. His salt and pepper hair was short on the sides, but a bit longer on the top. "Rosie Cooper, Autumn's best friend, it's lovely to meet you too," I replied while shaking his hand. Mom decided to stand up and come around to sit in the last armchair. "Rosie dear, this is Ryder Jones and Jordan Collins, Trenton's son and his best friend. Young men, this is Rosie Cooper, Autumn's best friend and the closest thing to a sister she has. She is around most of the time. Now Ro, how was work?" Mom introduced us and then asked me. "Wouldn't know, Ma, I didn't work today, hence the comfy clothes. Work's been a bit crazy though lately. Why are you merging?" By now, Autumn had shoved me over, and we were squeezed together in the chair. "Ross Incorporate and my company have been handling the same kind of work for years, and my wife has known Flora for years. My company's headquarters got caught up in a fire that ruined three other businesses. Flora approached me with the idea to merge about a month ago. We just finished the paperwork yesterday. Since Ryder and Jordan were going to take over some aspects of my business, I brought them to introduce them to Flora today. We have agreed that they would still take over those things, even now that we are merged. Meeting Miss Autumn was a happy surprise." Mr. Jones answered for me. Ryder and Jordan sat up a little straighter when Mr. Jones mentioned they were still taking over some aspects. Autumn groaned next to me, making Mom and I laugh. "See why I needed the backup, Ro! Mom is making me work with them since they have graduated now, and I still have two years. It's not fair!" I rolled my eyes at her. "Girl, that isn't even that bad. You're going to get help, and if Ma likes his wife, then those two can't be that bad." I looked over at Jordan and Ryder, still not sure who is who, as they didn't nod or anything when Mom introduced them. The one on the right had sandy blond hair that was slicked back and deep brown eyes. The guy on the left had green eyes and red hair that hit his shoulders. They were both wearing the same outfit as Mr. Jones, a grey button-down and slacks. "I'm Ryder, and I look forward to working with you, Miss Autumn. My mom speaks highly of your mother, and Jordan's mom also raves about her to us. " Ryder, the one on the right stands and says to her. I watch Jordan as he sits back on the couch and pulls out his phone. "I am less excited, but I'll give you a chance." Autumn stood up as she spoke and grabbed something off her mom's desk. She walked back over to me and smiled. "Here's a picture I printed out and got framed for you! What time do you need to leave today?" She hands me a frame with a picture of her, Mom, and me from our childhood. When we all went to the beach, it was my first time there. Her dad, Cole, had taken it when we weren't looking. "I work at 4, 4 to noon, so like 7 tonight, that gives us a few hours," I replied, looking at the clock that read 1 pm. Mr. Jones looks over at me, surprised. Jordan looked up from his phone, eyebrow-raising. "4 am?" Jordan asked, finally speaking. I looked over to the three men, and they were all looking at me with confusion written on their faces. I guess 4 in the morning is early for them. "Yeah, I open in the morning, but I am getting off at noon instead of the usual 1. Not all of us work for our parents, I work at a cafe, and I do the opening shift usually." I replied, rolling my eyes; the number of times I have gotten this response when I meet people here isn't surprising, just annoying. "What's the job like? Fun?" Jordan questioned, now looking directly at me, phone down. "Stressful, hot in the kitchen, and has taught me people suck, but it pays the bills. It's not as easy as most people think it is, but it could be worse." By this time, Ma and Mr. Jones had gone back to the desk and were shooing the four of us out the door. "Get to know each other, kids, and have fun!" Mom called out as she closed the door. Autumn huffed and turned to glare at the guys. they looked a little taken aback, and I elbowed her roughly to get her to stop. After her last relationship, she was wary of any new guys. "I'm hungry. What sounds good, Ro?" She asked, turning to me and smiling. "I don't care, but nothing expensive, I got a car payment coming out this check." She shook her head at me and pouted. "I'll buy girlie, wanna go to the Deli around the corner?" "I can pay for myself, and sure. Are you two coming?" I turned and asked the two guys standing behind us. They looked surprised that I offered, and Autumn gave me a look. I just gave her a look back. "Uh, sure, I haven't been before, so what's good?" Ryder replied, walking on Autumn's left while I walked on her right. Jordan came up to my right and agreed with his friend. "They have amazing sandwiches and soup, and their salads are okay if you like salad. Their cookies are almost as good as Rosie's. " We were walking down to the parking lot, as Mom's office is on the 5th floor. As we reached the parking lot, I held up my keys to let her know we could take my car. "Would you like to ride with us, or would you rather meet up there?" I asked as we reached the row my car was parked in. My Ford Escape stood out because of the colorful seat covers and the tassel hanging from the mirror. "Can we ride with you guys? We don't know where this deli is." Jordan responded, we had stopped right behind my car. "Of course, I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't okay with it. Autumn will want shotgun, though." I replied, unlocking the doors and getting in the driver's side. The guys got in the back while Autumn took my phone to play music. She settled for Taylor Swift, and we sang out while we drove a couple of blocks it took to get to the deli. We parked, got out, locked up, and entered the deli. "Rosie! Autumn! Welcome back. Do you want your usual?" A perky redhead from behind the counter greeted the pair when the bell above the door rang out. Her blue eyes twinkled with amusement, and her red curls were pulled back into a low messy bun. "You got it, Emma! And we brought two newbies!" Autumn replied, pulling out her card. I nodded in agreement and smiled at our other friend. The guys came up beside us and started looking at the menu. The deli served sandwiches made with freshly baked bread and premium meats. They had some basics such as a BLT, Ruben, and the usual. You could also build your own. Autumn always got bacon, chicken, Colby jack, mayo, tomatoes, and lettuce on rye bread. I always got the same but on sourdough and added green pepper. The guys looked at us for help. I told them our usuals, and they looked relieved to hear we knew how to order. They ended up both ordering the same thing that we got but on a pumpernickel. In the end, Ryder ended up paying after we argued with him, and we sat down. Emma brought out our order with some fresh cookies with a wink, and she sat with us with her own sandwich. "Soooo, who are your new friends?" Emma asked us while eating her food. "This is Ryder Jones and Jordan Collins, my new coworkers. Mr. Trenton Jones merged with Mom's company. So we thought we would introduce them to this little slice of heaven. How's today been?" Autumn quickly shoved a cookie in her mouth and grinned around it at us. "Ahhhh, that makes sense. Well, welcome to Carol's Deli! Named after my great-great-grandmother, the home of my mom, dad, and me! I'm Emma Reed, the third amigo to these two. Also, is this why I have 3 missed calls from you, Autumn?" Ryder had eaten two cookies already, and Jordan was eating his first with a smile on his face. Autumn has eaten three, and I was on my second. "It's nice to meet you as well," Jordan told Emma when he finished his cookie, Ryder agreeing with him. We stayed and chatted for about twenty more minutes. After Emma went back from break, we decided to head back to the office. The guys went to their office, and we girls went to Mom's. "Welcome back, my girls. How was lunch with Ryder and Jordan?" Mom asked us after we all had settled on the couch. "Good, Emma likes them, and Ryder left her a huge tip," I replied. Mom handed me a shopping bag that I hadn't noticed before. I looked in the bag, and it was a pair of slacks and a blouse. I looked up at them, confused. "Rosie, dear, we wanted to ask you something, but you can't be mad," Mom said, looking apprehensive. Autumn looked up as well. She also looked confused. "Why would I be mad? And why did you hand me these clothes?" As I was asking these questions, Mr. Jones entered the room. "Well, Miss. Cooper, Flora, and I were talking about you and the fact that you refused to have the Ross' pay for your schooling. You have so much potential that could be used in school. We want to help with that. Will you hear us out? " He asked, sitting down on the couch. Now, usually, I would get upset, I don't want a handout, but I didn't this time. "I was raised by my grandparents, though my dad had custody. I was taught not to rely on others to do everything for me, so I don't like to take handouts. Also, I don't want to abuse their generosity, " I replied, assuming they were trying to offer me a job or something to that affect. "Ah, I understand, Cass, my wife, thought that might be the reason. How about I make you a deal? Now that we have merged, having only one bookkeeper makes no sense. We hire you to help set up appointments and whatever else Miss Sanders does, and we help you to get an education, whatever you want. You are brilliant, and Flora told us that you took college classes in high school. You would also be getting paid for your time, of course. Please think about it, you will get the training you need to do the job," Mr. Collins offered me this opportunity while handing me a folder, I opened it to see a contract, so I skimmed through it and noticed a spot for me to make any changes I see fit. "Rosie, while I would love nothing more than to spoil you rotten, I know you don't want that. So say this as someone who just wants what's best for you, please consider it! This would be great for you. " Mom pipes up from her spot on the couch. Autumn was looking at me with a grin on her face. She knew I would consider, as Mr. Jones had offered and not just Mom. I looked closer at my job description and noticed something. "After training, you want me to be in charge of Jordan and Ryder's clients? Just me, not Cara and I for the whole office?" "You want us to have our own secretary? Not just have Cara handle it all?" Said Ryder as the two guys walked in reading files themselves. "Yes, we feel that by having Miss Cara in charge of Flora and I's clients and you, Miss Cooper, in charge of the Boys' clients would be a better split of responsibility. You are also new to this job and so are the boys. You can learn together, and the clients they will be handling are easier to start out with. Now, this is not trying to force you to take the offer, but 5, Flora, and Mrs. Collins have all gone out and got you a full 5 day set of office clothes. This is not a bribe. Just know that you would not only have 1 outfit." Mr. Jones said to us, making eye contact with me at the end and giving me a fatherly smile. "I would prefer to give a two weeks notice at work if I were to take this position, as I feel unless you are leaving on bad terms, it is rude to not," I replied, truth be told I would prefer to work somewhere where I wasn't yelled at by people for things out of my control. I had been thinking about the offer and would be taking it if I was allowed to give a notice before starting. "That would be reasonable, and it would give us time to set up a training plan with Cara. Is that you saying yes?" Mr. Jones replied with a smile. "Yes, I accept. I will write out my two weeks and turn it in today. T If they try and cut my hours due to me leaving, will I be able to start early?" "Yes, you would be able to start as early as you want. The boys will be starting to shadow Flora and I next week. When you start, you will shadow Miss Sanders." He looks at the boys, as he calls them, and nods. "And if they do not behave, feel free to let me know." I laugh and agree. "Well, we better start signing the contract. Then Autumn can take you down to HR to do the new hire paperwork!" Mom said, looking pleased. I went over to the desk and signed to contract in my hand, accepting the job, and then the ones in Jordan and Ryder's hands, stating that I was going to be their PA. After that, mom sent us down the HR so I could fill out all that paperwork. Luckily, I had my wallet on me.