She then walked out of the bedroom, where she wandered back down the stairs and towards the front door.
Her shoes clattered against the marble flooring as she made her way back to the elevator.
John, the elevator operator, stood by the elevator, waiting for an attendant. The moment he saw Avelina, his lips pulled up into a smile.
"Avelina, how has Miss Paola been doing?" He asked just as she walked into the elevator. He already knew exactly where the young woman needed to be without having to ask; she had to go to the bottom level to get herself a taxi.
“She's been better," she answered him, a polite smile on her face.
When they made it to the lobby, the doors pulled apart, leaving her to look over the elegant building.
"Goodnight, Avelina.”
She sent him a small wave before exiting the elevator and strolling past the front desk. Avelina wandered out into the busy streets where heavy rain welcomed her with open arms.
When a yellow taxi suddenly came driving down the road, she quickly waved her hand, letting the cab driver know that she needed a lift. The man in the car pulled over in front of her. She quickly sped-walked to the cab before hurriedly pulling open the car door and getting in.
"Where to?" He questioned.
She told him her address after shutting the door with a sigh escaping her mouth. Sometimes, her job took a lot of energy out of her. Depending on her client, she would sometimes go home, feeling completely exhausted.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
Letting out a huff of annoyance, she grasped her cellphone from the inside of her pocket before answering and pressing it against her ear.
"May I speak to Avelina Santos?" A man had asked.
Furrowing her brows, she couldn't help but wonder who it was. She also wondered what their purpose was for needing to speak to her.
"Speaking.”.
"Good evening, Miss Santos. I am Johnathan Miller, the CEO of HomeCare. I've recently received your file to see that you have gotten a 'Bachelor of Science in Nursing' degree, is that correct?"
Avelina nodded her head slowly before realizing that he couldn't see her.
"Yes, sir."
“I have a friend of mine who requires a nurse and caregiver all-in-one. I would love to speak with you in person about this when you are free. Does tomorrow sound okay?" He questioned.
Once again, she nodded her head nervously. There always seemed to be anxiety that loomed over her actions when she spoke to people that she didn't quite know.
"Yes, of course. I don't have to see my client until tomorrow afternoon," she informed him, thinking about Miss Paola.
"Perfect. I will meet you at 'Java Palace' at about ten in the morning.”
"Okay, I will see you there. Goodnight," she said just before hanging up the phone.
She allowed her elbow to sit on the space beside the window. Her finger graced her soft lips while she sat there waiting for the taxi driver to drop her off at home.
It didn't take much longer to pull up in front of her Row House. She paid the taxicab driver for the drive along with a tip just before stepping out and walking towards her front door.
Grabbing her keys from her pocket, she inserted it into the keyhole, where she unlocked her door and headed inside.
CHAPTER TWO
Care for Coffee
Avelina got out of her cab and looked up at the place Johnathan had wanted to meet her at, Java Palace. She glanced down at her watch to see that she was fifteen minutes too early.
As she walked towards the entrance, she noticed how the coffee shop was practically empty, aside from the employees.
Pulling open the door, she strolled into the small store with a warm smile on her face. An employee was quick to look up at her before returning her smile. "Welcome to Java Palace. What can we do for you today?"
"A caramel latte is fine with me.”
"Can I get your name?" He asked, flashing a flirty smile.
She did not detect the fact that he was preparing to flirt his way into her heart. "Avelina,”
"You have a lovely name,” he began, “I’m not sure if it's just my ear damage due to the blender, but I hear a tiny accent. Are you from here?"
He placed her card back into her hands as She shook her head.
"No, I'm from Brazil.”
He nodded his head and then turned around to begin making her drink. She decided to stand there and wait, seeing as there was nothing else to do.
"If you don't mind me asking you, Miss Avelina, what made you come here?" He asked.
She tucked her hair behind her ear, looking down at her watch once more.
There was that feeling of nervousness that rushed through her at the thought of the meeting happening very soon. She didn't know how high-class the client had to be if the CEO himself would need to talk to her.
"I got a scholarship. Now that I've gotten my degree, I may plan on going back," Avelina answered the cashier.
Just then, the door opened, leaving her to turn to look at the intruder. It was a clean man dressed in a suit with his black hair slicked back. He looked to be in his mid-thirties as he scanned the entire shop.
With a sigh, he sat down at one of the tables while glancing at his watch.
"Excuse me," She said to the cashier before walking up to the man.
In her heart, she was hoping that he was the Johnathan she was supposed to be meeting.
When she got to his table, she noticed how his eyes skimmed down her entire body before going back up to her eyes. "Are you Johnathan?"
"Yes, and you are?"
"Hi, Avelina Santos. I'm the woman you spoke to on the phone yesterday," she reminded him.
The boy from the cash register walked up to her and handed her the caramel latte. When she looked at the cup, she had noticed that he wrote his number on it. Johnathan seemed to have seen it as well but didn't comment on it.
"Oh! I am so sorry. I didn't expect you to look so..."
He stopped himself trying to figure out the right word to keep the conversation professional.
"…So young."
"No, don’t worry about it. I know that most caregivers tend to be a bit older. I only began caregiving to pay for my college books," she blushed as she moved to sit down in the seat in front of him.
"How is college now?" He asked, attempting to start up a conversation.
"I finished recently. That's where I got my nursing degree, which you already know," she chuckled slightly.
"Oh, right."
He cleared his voice before looking over her file once more.
"Tell me, Avelina, why do you go out of your way to care for others? One of your clients left a review stating, 'my children don't look after me the way Miss Santos does. The nights I can't sleep, she comes to my home to sing me my favorite song because she knows it helps me sleep at night. I will never forget her. That woman deserves a raise'," Johnathan read, then glanced up to look at Avelina once more.
She smiled as she immediately recognized the person that left the message. He was an older man, and she could remember the calls he made to her phone almost every night. She didn't mind putting him to sleep because it always caused a feeling of proudness to run through her.
"It's my job. Every time I take care of others, I think about how I'd want them to treat me. Most of the people I care for are lonely and don't have anyone to watch over them. The contract states I can only care for them for three months, so I make sure that it is the best three months of their lives. They deserve that," she answered softly.