I take a sip and move to stand, but Cassandra splays her hand out on the table. “Can we just…indulge her for a moment?” she asks with a wobbly smile. “It’s certainly a memorable send off for my last night here.”
I swallow the knot in my throat at the reminder that she leaves tomorrow and sit back down. “You still plan on leaving tomorrow?” I hate that I want her to stay.
She nods, a fleeting look of sadness casting over her features. “I found a small house on the north side that should suit me. It’s a rental and needs a lot of TLC, but it has a great she-shed in the backyard that I can make into my workshop. I’ve got a lot of charcuterie boards to get going on for Kate’s bookstore launch.”
“So you’re doing it then? Working with Kate?” I ask curiously because I can’t seem to stop caring about this woman in front of me.
She nods again and smiles. “Yeah, I’m excited about it. Kate seems like a great person to get involved with.”
“She will be,” I reply knowingly and realize this likely means Cassandra won’t be out of my life entirely after tomorrow. I can’t tell if that makes me feel better or worse. “She subscribes to your willy-nilly lifestyle a bit too, I think.”
Cassandra nods slowly and then inquires, “Have you been busy with your work lately too?”
“Yes, it’s been a stressful couple of weeks, but I think I have things sorted out now.” I stare back at her, wondering what she knows.
“Paisley mentioned—”
“She did call then?” I sigh with relief because after the conversation we had, I wasn’t sure she would follow through with my instructions. She’s a spicy thing.
“Yeah, she called yesterday. I’m glad you gave her my number. It was an enlightening conversation on so many levels.” Cassandra licks her lips and pauses. “Max, I had no idea you’d gone to all that work to cut Jenson out of the merger. Why didn’t you say anything?”
I shrug dismissively. “You told me not to consider you with my decision. I didn’t consider you. I considered myself and my staff. I can’t partner with a man who treats his staff like they’re disposable. And I can’t employ people who foster a toxic company culture. Not now, not ever.”
“I gathered that,” Cassandra responds as her eyes flash back and forth between mine.
“You should have gathered that two weeks ago,” I snap, the pain in my voice evident.
Her lips rub together as sadness creeps into her features. “Max.”
“What?” I exhale heavily.
“I’m sorry.”
I tilt my head and watch her carefully for a moment. “For what exactly?”
Her chin trembles. “For my preconceived notions when I started this job. I wanted to hate you. I wanted to judge you, and I expected to watch you choose your job over your kid all summer long. You would then confirm everything I ever witnessed at my old job.”
“But?” My brow furrows as I wait for her to continue.
“But…you didn’t. In fact, you turned my world upside down. I thought the only way to live a full life was to do less, want less, be less consumed by the hustle and bustle of a job. But you showed me that there are people who can do it all. You work hard, but you are so committed to Everly that it shows in everything she says and does. Honestly, I think she might be my favorite human in the whole world, and I’m going to miss her fiercely when I leave tomorrow.” Her voice cracks as her eyes well with tears. She sniffs once and continues, “She’s a testament to you, Max…and Jessica.”
“Thank you for saying that,” I reply, my voice thick in my throat. Despite my anger toward Cassandra, her opinion of Everly and me matters…even if she doesn’t love me. “I’m not Jenson Hunsberger.”
“I know,” she says with a laugh, and her cheeks flush a deep ruddy color as she chews her lip nervously. “Which is why I wondered if I could submit my résumé.”
“Résumé for what?” I inquire, my head jerking back at the surprising turn of this conversation.
“For a position with you.” She rubs her lips together anxiously as she waits for me to reply.
“What position are you inquiring about?” I ask, wondering what Paisley must have said to her to think I wanted her to apply for a job under Fletcher Industries.
She pushes up from her seat and holds a finger up to me. “Will you wait here? I have to go get something out of the tiny house. I’ll be right back.”
My heart pounds inside my chest as I speed walk all the way down to my tiny house that’s all packed up and ready for me to move out tomorrow. I half wondered if the invite from Everly tonight meant she knew I was leaving. But now that I’ve seen this is some sort of a parent trap setup, it’s as if the universe gifted me Lindsay Lohan and this incredible kid to help me have the perfect setting to make up for my life’s greatest fumble.
My little Sea Monster.
With trembling hands, I grab the sheet of paper I printed off in the Fletchpad earlier today when I was alone. I do my best to walk smoothly back up to Max, who watches me the entire way over to him. And when I say watches me…I mean…he watches me. His eyes don’t even try to hide the fact that he’s checking out every square inch of my body, and I gasp for air when I realize I was holding my breath in my pursuit of him.
Breathing heavily, I sit back down in my chair and slide the paper over to him.
“Cassandra, I don’t even know what positions I’ll have open at the company,” Max says, looking flustered for the first time since I broke his heart on his driveway. “There are still a lot of interviews we have to conduct with the new staff. And I’m not sure this is a good idea, considering our history.”
“Look at the top line,” I state, cutting him off. “It’ll tell you what position I’m applying for.”
His focus shifts down to the sheet of paper in his hands. Lips parted, he looks up at me, his eyes wide and full of so much shock and…maybe even excitement, that I dare myself to hope.
“Future wife?” His voice is thick as his eyes rake over my face.
“It’s a little presumptuous, I know. But why do less when you can do more?” I shoot him a wobbly smile and shrug. “Plus, I’ve been reading a lot of Mercedes Lee Loveletter stories, and that woman loves a grand gesture. But if you read on, you’ll see all the reasons I think I might be a good candidate for the position.”
He blinks back his shock, refocusing on the sheet that I stayed up half the night creating over an old bottle of wine that I needed to polish off in my fridge. The more I drank, the more genius my idea became. And in the light of day this morning, I thought it looked crazy and I’d be a fool to show this to Max.
Then I remembered that Max likes my weird, and I am strong enough to present this to him and finally lay my cards out on the table.
I’m too impatient to sit here in silence as he reads, so I begin narrating everything I included. “I love Everly is the number-one attribute I possess. Like…love her with all my heart. Like, I’ve been hiding my tears from her the past few days, knowing this is my last week as her nanny. Spending my days with her has been the greatest summer of my life, and I mean that more than you’ll ever know.”