Her plump lips twitch with poorly concealed amusement. “My apologies, Mr. Fletcher,” she says in a mock British accent. “That’s a great name to say with a British accent.” I open my mouth to reply as she adds, “And for the record, I was early, but your receptionist out there wanted to see my ID before I came back here, and I left it in my car, so I had to run back down to get it, and well…that was the two-minute delay. I’m a very slow runner. And I was really bummed I didn’t get to hang in your waiting area. It’s aces! Did I see kombucha in that mini fridge?” She leans close to me, and the smell of coconut wafts over me as she winks. “Very nice touch caring about your staff’s gut health.”
“It’s not for the staff. It’s for clients,” I announce. My eyes blink as I try to figure out why the fuck we’re talking about gut health. “And most people bring their identification to interviews. And most dress—”
“Dress for the job they want!” Cassandra interrupts, puffing her rather large chest out proudly. “Nothing says number-one nanny like homemade tie-dye.”
She looks past me and smiles warmly. “You must be Everly. Love that top, by the way.”
Everly tugs on her bright pink tee. “I love yours more. You made that yourself?” Everly presses up against my arm as she struggles to look around me. “That’s so cool. I love tie-dye.”
“Who doesn’t!” Cassandra barks back. “This was actually a reject. You should see some of my masterpieces.”
“Didn’t think a masterpiece would be good for a job interview?” I grumble under my breath, fully intending for Cassandra to hear me.
Everly pinches my arm through my suit and turns a bright, genuine smile to the orange blob beside me. “So…Cassandra, what do you like to do for fun?”
“Call me Cozy.” Cassandra winks at Everly. “I was a really chubby baby, so everyone called me Cozy Cassie…pause for shock and awe.” She gestures to her body, which is apparently supposed to confirm her coziness? “Anyway, I decided to rock the Cozy instead of Cassie as I got older. It’s more fun, don’t you think?”
“Definitely,” Everly says with a giggle.
I huff out a forced laugh that Cassandra does not give notice to. She leans past me toward Everly, pressing me back in my seat before she brushes my chest. “You know what I like to do for fun?” She pauses and waggles her dark eyebrows playfully. “Nothing.”
Everly jerks back with a puzzled look on her face. “Nothing?”
Cassandra nods and smiles, flashing her round emerald eyes at my daughter. “A whole lot of nothing. My life philosophy is why do more when you can do less.”
I roll my eyes and sigh. I’m not surprised. Her résumé had next to nothing on it. This must be some cruel joke Rebecca is playing on me for being a pain in her ass client.
“Isn’t doing nothing kind of boring?” Everly asks, her brows pinched together with rapt fascination.
“Only if you have a boring mind,” Cassandra quips as she props her chin on her hand and narrows her gaze at my daughter. “Do you have a boring mind, Everly?”
Everly scrunches up her nose as if she’s trying to think seriously about this ridiculous question. “I don’t think so.”
“I don’t think you do either…I can usually spot a boring mind.” Cassandra’s eyes slide to mine, and her intent is as subtle as her entrance into my boardroom.
I clear my throat, knowing I need to take over this interview that’s venturing on completely ridiculous with a candidate who listed Subway as her last place of gainful employment four years ago. “I’m afraid our life philosophies don’t quite match up, Cassandra. My ex and I like Everly to stay busy and feed her mind. She’s on the swim team and does gymnastics. She has piano lessons and her chess club. We have her booked up for several camps this summer. Oh, and her book club—”
“I’m in a book club…What are you guys reading right now?” Cassandra interrupts.
“It’s called Mostly The Honest Truth…it’s kind of sad.” Everly looks disappointed.
I frown and open my mouth to respond to that but am cut off once again. “I love a good tearjerker!” Cassandra gushes, adding excitedly, “Especially the kind that makes your nose run. It’s like your body’s way of cleansing your soul.”
“Cleansing your soul?” I mock.
“I never thought about it like that!” Everly peals with a thoughtful smile, erasing the sadness in her voice she had a moment ago.
Cassandra returns Everly’s smile and shoots a small wink at me before refocusing on Everly. “It’s fun to think about things, isn’t it? That’s what doing nothing gives you the opportunity to do. Let your imagination run wild and daydream.”
“So that’s really your proposal with my daughter this summer? To do nothing?” I ask dryly, hoping she has a backup response that she’s going to pull out of her back pocket at any moment.
Cassandra nods proudly. “We’ll also do a lot of sitting. I’m an expert at sitting,” she deadpans.
“Okay…I think we’ve heard enough, Cassandra.” I move to stand, but she reaches out and touches my arm, halting me in my tracks.
“Cozy,” she corrects with a wink.
The teasing look in her eyes causes my skin to tighten. I do my best to shake it off as she refocuses on Everly to share with her the last book that made her cry. Her hand slides off my arm, and my eyes lock on the way her index finger trails off the fabric of my suit.
I’m left struggling to shake this silvery feeling her delicate touch has left on my arm, so I take a moment to inspect Cassandra a bit closer now that her focus is off me. Her facial features are round, a faint dimple appearing in her cheek as she talks animatedly to my daughter. Her alabaster skin is a stunning contrast to her nearly black hair cropped bluntly just above her shoulders. She has shockingly plump lips slathered in a pale pink gloss that thankfully doesn’t match the orange jumpsuit that looks like something a teenager would wear. Her ample curves indicate she’s very much not a child.
“How old are you?” I blurt out and then blanch at how unprofessional of a question that is. I close my eyes and curse under my breath. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that.”
“I’m twenty-six, Big Daddy,” Cassandra replies with another wink and then immediately dives back into conversation with my daughter.
Big Daddy? I frown at that very unpleasant label. Jesus Christ, so unprofessional. No fucking way…over my dead body. This will not work. I click my tongue and bring out my CEO voice. “Cassandra…I thank you for coming in, but I’m afraid—”
“You’re hired!” Everly bursts out, standing up so she’s eye level with me. She thrusts her hand across my face and reaches for Cassandra’s, mimicking me to a T how I’ve handled many successful boardroom transactions.
My mouth hangs open as I sit frozen, watching Cassandra stand in what feels like slow motion to take Everly’s hand and accept the offer.
“This is so awesome!” Cassandra shakes Everly’s hand so hard, she starts to giggle. “This summer is going to be GOAT!”