“Great. I’ll have someone meet you here with the keys and paperwork. Nine o’clock okay?”
“I’ll make sure I’m here.” I’d ask Sylvia which bus would get me closest, then walk the rest.
“You’ll be on a three-month probation period with a pay review at the end. That’s standard for all employees.” She ran her eyes over a stack of boxes. “I’ll get a dumpster ordered.”
“Only one?” I couldn’t help myself—the words just popped out.
Luckily, Emmy laughed. “You’re right. Multiple dumpsters are needed. Come on, let’s get out of here. I can’t stand the sight of this place for another second.”
I took one last glance before she closed the door behind us, burning the image into my retinas. No doubt it would fuel my nightmares for weeks to come.
CHAPTER 8
AT FIRST LIGHT the next morning, my sense of euphoria at having a job was soon tempered by realism.
When I told Emmy yesterday I’d start with one room and work through, it had sounded so easy. But which room? They were all horrendous.
I hit my first challenge before I even left my apartment. What should I wear? I’d seen Sylvia in her perfectly pressed shift dress, and I didn’t have so much as an iron. My only short black dress may have been suitable for hotels, but it wouldn’t look the part in Rybridge. Still, I didn’t have much choice. I picked a couple of bits of lint off my apron and slipped it into my bag, and as an afterthought, I added a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, just in case I was allowed to wear them. Climbing over Mr. Goldman’s piles of debris in my regular outfit wouldn’t be particularly practical.
I hadn’t thought the food situation through either. Microwave noodles had become my staple, but cooking in Mr. Goldman’s kitchen was out of the question for the foreseeable future. It would have to be plain peanut butter sandwiches since I’d run out of jelly.
The bus Sylvia suggested trundled along and got me within a mile of the house. While the drive with Emmy had roared by, my new commute was just shy of two hours. Thank goodness for library books.
At least it didn’t rain, probably because I’d remembered my umbrella, and I couldn’t deny the walk was pleasant. As I passed each driveway, I tried to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond the gates. Sports cars, tennis courts, and fountains abounded.
I arrived five minutes early, but I still felt late. As I hovered outside, a blonde lady leaning against a black Mercedes inside glanced at her watch before buzzing the gates open. She didn’t have the same air of intimidation as Emmy, but there was a hard edge to her, even when she smiled.
“I’m Nadia, Nick’s PA. You must be Lara?”
Another assistant? How many did he have? “That’s me.”
I followed her to the door and stood back as she flung it open. Her nose crinkled as she took in the scene beyond.
“Hell, it’s worse than I remember. At least he’s finally admitted he needs help.”
My lucky day. I’d been hoping that if I wished hard enough, the house wouldn’t look as bad as it did yesterday, but if anything, it was worse. The sunbeams shining through the grubby windows made the thick layer of dust covering everything all the more obvious. And was that the remains of a palm tree festering in the corner?
“I’ve brought a contract for you to sign,” Nadia continued. “And there’s a truck full of cleaning products on its way. The dumpsters should be delivered by lunchtime.”
“Thank you.”
She handed me a leather document folder and a pen. “I’m going to go check the mail. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
Inside the folder, I found two copies of the contract, both marked up with little sticky tabs where I needed to sign. Someone must have been working late last night—Emmy hadn’t dropped me home until after seven.
Clause 3.2… My place of work was listed as this house and “other locations by agreement.” What did that mean? I read further, hoping to find out what my working hours would be, but it wasn’t mentioned. Hold on, I got twenty days of vacation a year. Four weeks! Never in my life had I held a job that included paid vacation. The three-month trial period Emmy mentioned was noted in Clause 17.1, to be “assessed on performance.” I looked nervously at the clutter awaiting me. Seemed I’d have some long days to get that