The Billionaire's Personal Shopper

Mr. Blackwood’s Ruined Shirts

Mom picked me up around one, we’d have a relaxing day at the spa. It was a great way to spend our Sunday afternoon together. Things between mom and I were good these days. She wasn’t pushing me to head out and be more social. She accepted me as I am. It felt good. We were seated in the back seat of her car, the driver taking us to a more upscale establishment.

“Mom.”

“It’s on me today.” She reminded me, “Just let me do this.”

“Okay.”

If she wouldn't judge me, I had no right to judge her. It's not like we couldn't afford it. It was okay to let her spoil me every once in a while. The car stopped in front of the spa, mom and I headed inside and were immediately greeted by the woman at the front desk. She wore her blonde hair in a bun, her face glowing and a warm smile spread across her face.

“Mrs. Merigold, you can go right ahead.”

Mom guided me to a private dressing room, “There is a robe waiting for you. Let’s get changed.”

The lighting in the hallways was dim but not unpleasant. It smelled like tea tree oil mixed with lavender and oranges. The smell was quite relaxing. I entered my dressing room and changed into the fluffy white robe. I locked up the room and slipped the key into the pocket of my robe. Mom and I met up and sat in the lobby with a large pool which was bright blue. We were served cucumber water and decided what we’d do today.

“I’d like to get my nails done.” I let mom know.

“I’d like that too, but let’s get a massage first.”

“Yes, that’d be great too!” I smiled at her, “I think Nick should pay this place a visit too. He’s so uptight lately.”

Mom sighed, "I know, that boy really needs to relax sometime."

I sipped from the cool water, “It feels like it’s really hard to get to know Nick.” I leaned back in my chair, “I asked if he wanted to hang out more and he’s not opposed to it.”

Mom nodded, “Nick likes being alone. I think with his busy schedule at Merigold Chocolate he likes to be on his own to de-stress.”

I finished my water, putting the empty glass on the table before us, “Maybe we should invite him with us next time.”

“We should.” Mom found that hilarious, a grin spread across her face, “Anyway, let’s not waste time.”

We got a massage first just like we planned. I asked for an aromatherapy massage. I didn’t feel like getting kneaded up until it hurt. They say the best massages hurt like hell but I wasn’t up for it. I rather be surrounded by nice smells and relax a little by gentle kneading. The oils the therapist used were to battle stress. It involved some lavender and sage. There were other ingredients too but those were the scents I recognized. After the massage mom and I were settled on very comfy chairs, getting our nails done.

“This was great.” She sighed.

I smiled, “Yeah, it totally was.”

Mom glanced at me, “About the launch party, you haven’t changed your mind about my friend’s son, right?” She asked.

“No, I haven’t.” I confirmed, “What is he like? I’d like to know a little more about him.”

Mom was getting her nails painted in a nude color while I asked for French tips. We got our nails and toenails done. It felt great getting all dolled up.

“He works as a limo driver, he’s the personal driver of Polly Walker. You know, that woman who owns a chain of jewelry stores. Whenever she comes to an event she wears a statement piece of jewelry which blinds you.”

I then knew exactly who mom was talking about. The woman was around her forties, never had a family of her own. She dates younger men, she's currently dating an upcoming rockstar. I think he was a rocker. I haven't read page six in a long time. I left that to Bradford. She was always dressed to impress though. I rather liked her style.

“Does he work flexible hours?”

“Yes, he needs to be available all the time. So that might be difficult to work with.”

She didn't say it but we both knew me it wasn't a problem. I didn't work a fulltime job, I just worked whenever Mr. Blackwood decided he needs another item. I was expanding my horizon, but it was doing it at my own pace. One of mom's friends did reply to my email, we're working things out. She’d send me pictures and a list of things she needed. I’d probably receive an email next week. The point was I of all people could work around his crazy schedule if things did work out.

"Okay, so what his name and age and you know what does he look like?"

“Want to know all his sizes too and know what kind of brands he’s into?” My mom teased me.

“Mom!” I playfully glared at her, “I think the things I asked are quite important.”

“I’m just messing with you.” She clarified, “Lucas Chase, he’s twenty-nine. Quite tall, six foot four. Dark brown hair and green eyes. I think, could be hazel but I didn’t pay that much attention to him.”

I looked at her with curious eyes, “Do you have a picture? Maybe I can look him up online.”

“He’s handsome enough.”

I honestly didn’t care much for looks, I liked confidence in a guy but not the overly confident type of guy. That bordered to rude and annoying and I hated it. Just confident enough to feel good in his skin.

“Okay, that’s all you know about him?”

Mom made a face, “I mean I always creepily question my friends about their single sons. That really creates a bond, don’t you agree?”

I grinned at her, “I love your sarcasm.”

We chatted like long lost friends. Mom needed this more than I did, she looked far more at ease after our spa girl’s date. I didn’t mind doing it again, maybe next time Nick would actually join us. As mom paid for our time at the spa I went through my emails. I struck me as odd that I received an email from Mr. Blackwood.

“What’s with that face?” Mom asked when she turned to look at me after paying.

“Mr. Blackwood needs me to buy him new shirts as soon as possible.”

“What happened?” Mom frowned.

Realization dawned on us both, “You don’t think?” I asked.

Mom shrugged, “It might be a possibility.”

I quickly emailed Mr. Blackwood back, letting him know that I was right by a brand store of his liking and I’d pick up the essential white shirts. We could set another appointment where he’d give me a list of the colors and the kind of shirts he liked.

“Poor thing.” Mom muttered, climbing in the backseat of the awaiting car with me, “That woman must have known there could have been a possibility of the relationship ending a lot faster than she’d like it to.”

“She seemed very confident about the relationship when I met her.”

I bit my lip as I recalled the times of meeting the hairdresser. She definitely behaved like she owned the place. The fact that Mrs. Quake didn’t like her said a lot too. She was nice enough to me though. Then again I was the woman who bought her the things she needed and wanted. She was smart enough not to make an enemy out of me.

“So she destroyed his shirts when he broke up with her?”

“I don’t know.” Mr. Blackwood always kept his emails to me professional. His emails were straight to the point, “But if I run into his housekeeper while he’s not around then I’ll get the dirty details.”

Mom’s lips tugged up, “Well, I don’t know if I want to know the dirty details.”

I shared a laugh with her, “You can drop me off here, I have some shopping to do.”

Mom kissed my cheek, “Okay, hon, I’ll see you at the launch party.”

I left the car and headed into the store. I bought the white shirts he needed to at least get through the week. I took a cab to his penthouse, feeling anxious to go up there. I didn’t know the state of his house. I didn’t know if he was around or not either. When I took the elevator I took a minute to calm myself down. It was just another job, there was no need to feel this anxious. I’d just put the shirts away, maybe have a talk with Mrs. Quake and then leave. The elevator doors slid open and I sighed in relief when the penthouse looked impeccable like always.

“You’re here already.” Mrs. Quake came to meet me at the elevator, “Mr. Blackwood just left. He was quite upset to find his shirts cut up and tossed on the bed. She left no shirt untouched.” Mrs. Quake sounded amused which made me press my lips together so I wouldn’t burst out in laughter.

“She didn’t take the break-up well then.”

Mrs. Quake smiled, “No, she didn’t. Since she pissed him off she won’t be allowed back up here either. She is the first one he’s so done with. I heard him calling his lawyer for her.”

My mouth dropped, “What? Is he going to sue her for ruining his shirts?”

Mrs. Quake laughed at me, “No, pretty sure he wants to consult his lawyer about a restraining order. He might be able to get it since he is you know Mr. Blackwood.”

“Money can get things done, I’m fully aware of that.” I held up the sleeves which contained the shirts I bought for Mr. Blackwood, “I’m going to put these away. Do you have time for some tea?” I asked.

She looked excited about it, her eyes dancing due to the suggestion I made, "I'm going to make us some now. White jasmine tea?"

“Yes, please.”

While she disappeared into the kitchen I made my way to Mr. Blackwood’s bedroom. There was no mess, no torn up shirts or pieces of expensive fabric laying around. Mrs. Quake was fast. She cleaned everything up. I entered the walk-in closet, there were no shirts around. The entire rack with his shirts was empty. That woman destroyed all of them. I also wanted to call Mr. Blackwood ‘the poor thing’ but I didn’t think I could get away with it. Mom could. I put away the shirts, five white shirts which he could wear when heading off to the office. I put the sleeves away in the back and then met up with Mrs. Quake in the kitchen. She had a cup of tea awaiting me.

“Here you go, sweetheart.”

“Thank you.” I grabbed the cup and sat on the barstool at the kitchen island.

Mrs. Quake had a cup of tea as well, she sat down beside me white a plate of cookies was placed in front of me. She was a nice woman, we didn’t sit down like this often but I felt comfortable around her. It was like hanging out with my mom. I liked to think that Mrs. Quake liked spending time with me too.

“So what happened?” I asked curiously.

Mrs. Quake smiled, "After breakfast, he wanted to have a talk with her. They had their talk in the bedroom then Miss Fancy Pants started screaming at him. He gave her time to get her things together so she could leave but she must have locked herself up in there."

“And ruined his shirts to get revenge? Awful.”

“I thought it was funny.”

“Mrs. Quake!”

She reached for a cookie, “He must have known it would happen sooner or later.”

“Well, obviously.” I muttered, also grabbing a cookie, “So Mr. Blackwood just told her to pack up her things and leave? She gave up her apartment for him, did she not?”

“He always makes them keep their apartment, he pays the lease while they stay with him. When it’s over they can go back home as if nothing happened.”

I sipped my tea, “He has it all figured out.”

“That he does.” Mrs. Quake agreed.

We talked about my spa day, I mentioned the launch party which confused Mrs. Quake. She had no idea I was related to Jim Merigold, the CEO of Merigold Chocolate. It wasn't something I shared with people. It always backfired on me. I had no genuine friends in high school or college. Then I decided it was best to never mention it at all. People recognized me from time to time but not often. I liked it that way.

“Merigold chocolate is the best chocolate I had so far.”

“I’ll bring you the delux box and the fruity box," I promised her.

“You’re the best.”

I finished up my tea when I received a text from Nick. He wanted to hang out at his place, watch a horror movie and order in takeout. It was odd that my brother reached out to me today. Well, he never asked me to hang out with him. I was eager to spend some time with him though. I was kind of disappointed I didn't run into Mr. Blackwood but at the same time, I was relieved. I don't think our first meeting in like months would go well when he was annoyed due to Miss Hairdresser. I'd meet him at the launch party. I was looking forward to it. Taking a cab to Nick’s apartment I grabbed my phone to inform Mr. Blackwood about the shirts.

Mr. Blackwood.

Five white shirts have been put away in your closet.

Let me know if you want to set an appointment about replacing your shirts.

Have a nice weekend.

Kind Regards,

Miss Merigold.

I stared at my name. He must know I’m Jim’s daughter. There was no way he wasn’t informed about me. It might be the reason why he was so trusting. I knew it wasn’t normal that I had so much freedom around his house. The hairdresser let me know she found it odd. It was odd. Not wanting to overthink things I let Nick know I was almost at his house. Mr. Blackwood lived close to Nick’s apartment. It was only a ten minute drive maybe fifteen. My phone beeped.

What do you want to eat for dinner?

-Nick

I pouted my lips. I had Indian food with mom and it was freaking amazing but I knew Nick wasn't that into spicy food. Maybe Italian? I could go for some pasta. Deciding pesto pasta with mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, and baby spinach was something I was crazing. I knew Nick also quite liked Italian food. I quickly texted him what I wanted.

What are we going to watch?

- Nina

I smiled reading Nick’s quick reply.

That’s quite a detailed list. I’m placing my order.

I want to watch something scary but not bloody.

- Nick

The driver let me know we were at the location. I paid the cab fare and climbed out. I took the elevator to Nick’s floor. He let me in once I arrived at his apartment. It was quite spacious. Decorated in navy, beige, white and grey. I think he hired someone to decorate his place. It was very neat and well put together. I kicked my shoes off by the door. I wore white sneakers today. It was my comfy Saturday look. I made sure to wear comfy clothes since I knew I had to change clothes at the spa.

“You smell nice.” Nick let me know, “Is that lavender?”

I followed him into the living room, “I had aromatherapy at the spa. It was good.” I grinned at him when he handed me a glass of white wine, “Thanks.” I muttered, “You should join us next time. You’re going to love it.”

He looked skeptical about it but he didn't refuse straightaway. Maybe he was considering it. Food would arrive in forty minutes. Nick showed me the movie he wanted to watch. I didn't have a problem with it so we settled on the couch with some wine and watch the movie together. I was so getting into it. The scenes all beautifully shot, it wasn't a crappy horror movie. The acting was great and there was an actual storyline. The monster in this movie was beautiful too. There were times I jumped which made my brother laugh at me. Like every older brother did he made fun of me. Teasing me and trying to scare me some more. There was this scene where the girl was holding her breath while trying to escape the monster when the doorbell rang so loud my heart jumped, making me squeal and nearly making me spill my wine.

“That was priceless!” Nick laughed.

“I nearly spilled wine on your comfy couch, so joke’s on you!”

He gave me a pat on the head, “Calm down, you’re safe.” He was definitely mocking me, “I’m getting our food. Help yourself to wine.” He nodded to the bottle.

I paused the movie and refilled our glasses. Nick returned after a few minutes handing me a plate of delicious smelling pasta. I had a lot of fun today hanging out with people who were important to me. I took a quick glance at my phone but Mr. Blackwood didn’t respond to my email. I felt a little disappointed but I also knew the guy probably needed some time to himself after his break-up. I might hear from him come Monday. I put my phone away and focused on eating dinner without choking on it because of the movie.

“You should stay for the night.” Nick let me know, “You had a few glasses of wine, I don’t feel comfortable sending you home like this. I have a spare bedroom you can use, the en-suite has everything you need.”

“Thank you, Nick.”

It was a perfect Saturday evening. I loved that Nick reached out to hang out. I hoped that Mr. Blackwood also had a better night. Maybe right now he was also hanging out with someone he cared about, having a drink to forget about the ruined shirts. That woman did show him that not every break-up would go smoothly. Maybe he also learned a thing or two from this situation.