The Ceo's Angel

Chapter 3 Ashlynn

Ashlynn

I got to work at five forty-five a.m. I had four tins of cookies to lay out in the break room along with my hot chocolate. I had two thermoses of peppermint hot chocolate and two regular. I made sure to label them and put out the mugs. I had festive Christmas paper platters to put all the cookies on. I put four cookies on a small festive plate and made coffee just the way Mr. Williams liked it per Miles' instructions. I took the cookies and coffee and walked into Mr. Williams office and set the items on his desk right where he would sit. By the time he gets there, the coffee should be at perfect temperature. I checked his schedule and then printed it out and laid it next to the cookies. I then grabbed the dirty clothes he had in the office bathroom and brought them to my desk where I had a bag waiting to put them in. I would take them to the cleaners once Miles got in and talked to me about today's agenda.

I looked around the office as I sat in my chair. My desk was next to the secretary’s desk. I remembered her name was Maggie. She was fifty-two with three grandchildren. She had a daughter, Suzy. Who was married to Billy, her high school sweetheart. Maggie was a widow. Her husband was mugged and shot three years ago. I had felt bad for her when Miles told me. He said the only reason he told me was, so I wouldn’t ask if she was married or had children. He said it was best to let her bring it up. Which she would, because Maggie liked to gossip, even about her own life. That had me giggling. I was the complete opposite. I only talked about growing up with a military dad who became a sought-after top chef.

Miles tried to pry, but all I gave him was that I was single and had no children. I had a father who used to be in the military and now was a top chef. I had no responsibilities, no pets. I could be at Mr. Williams' beck and call. Miles told me to call Mr. Williams Jace. I couldn’t bring myself to do that, unless I heard it from the man himself.

I looked at the time on my phone. I was still the only person here. My brows furrowed. It was six fifteen. I was sure Mr. Williams told me to be here at six a.m. I went to his office and checked his coffee. It was still hot, so I went back to my desk. I booted up my computer, maybe he emailed me. Miles surely gave him my email. Nope nothing. I decided to read and wait until someone showed up. By six-forty, I was a little bit mad. I checked the coffee, it was lukewarm, so I picked it up and went to the break room and dumped it. I made him another cup, it was going to be scalding hot if he showed up now.

I took the coffee back to his desk and really looked at it. There was nothing personal about it. No pictures of his parents, or girlfriend or friends or even a boyfriend if he swung that way. It was just his computer monitor, computer mouse and keyboard, the coffee and cookies and the print out of his schedule. I looked around his office. It was so bare, it was just charcoal and beige. I scrunch my nose at how boring it all was.

I heard the elevator ding and I quickly left the office. I looked at my phone and saw it was seven. Maggie came around the corner and beamed at me.

“Hi, Ashlynn right? I’m Maggie, Jace’s secretary. Why are you here so early?”

“Oh, um, Mr. Williams told me to be here at six sharp.”

“That’s odd. He doesn’t come in until nine.”

What? Nine? Seriously?

“Oh, maybe I misheard him.” I knew I didn’t. Jerk.

“Well, Miles should be here any minute. Would you like some coffee, or tea?”

“Oh, no, thank you. I brought homemade cookies and hot chocolate. They are in the break room.”

“You brought homemade cookies and hot chocolate?” Maggie asked. I nodded and smiled at her. At least someone was going to enjoy my culinary work early in the morning.

Miles showed up ten minutes later shocked to see me.

“Why are you here? You don’t need to be here until eight thirty.”

“I know you told me that, but Mr. Williams told me he wanted me here at six a.m.”

“He did?”

I nodded, and he looked confused.

Maggie came back with a plate full of Italian wedding cookies and a mug of hot chocolate. It was peppermint, I could smell it and I smiled.

“Where did you get all that?” Miles asked.

“In the break room, Ashlynn made all this and brought it.”

I was nodding as Miles went to the break room. I followed him. He looked shocked.

“This is wonderful, thank you so much, Ashlynn.”

“You’re welcome. I thought some holiday cheer would help all of us work better. I have my canvas bag with me and have little decorations. Do you think I could put some up?”

Miles stared at me and I watched as a little twinkle in his eye sparkled.

“How about just the break room for now?”

“Okay.”

I went to my canvas bag and got out a couple of three-inch Christmas trees and put them around the break room along with some colorful tinsel. I had a tree on top of the microwave and the employee fridge and one next to the cookies and hot chocolate.

I had four little snowmen and two snowmen magnets. I stuck a snowman on the fridge and one on the side of the microwave. I put a snowman by each tree. It looked a little less boring in the break room. I went back to Mr. Williams' office and grabbed the coffee. I took it to the break room and dumped it again. I didn’t make him another yet.

Miles asked if I had grabbed the dirty clothes and I said yes. We then decided to walk together down to the dry cleaners. There was a light dusting of snow. I had on black fleece leggings, under my white sweater dress. I had put on my puffy coat and a red scarf with my red gloves, and I was nice and toasty.

“I don’t know how you can walk in this weather in those boots,” Miles said.

I had on black high-heeled lace-up boots that went to the knee.

“I’ve been in heels my whole teen and adult life. I have worked in hospitality since I was fifteen. I’ve worked with high society women, and had to look the part, and I even worked in a high-end department store for a year when I was twenty, when I worked two jobs. I’ve always worn heels. The only time I don’t is when I go to the gym or at home.”

“Don’t your feet hurt after a while?”

“They used to, now I think my nerves are just numb,” I said, chuckling as he opened the door to the cleaners.

The dry cleaner looked at us and smiled. Miles talked to her, but he was going slow so she would understand everything Mr. Williams wanted done to his clothes.

“Miles, do you need help?”

He looked at me confused.

“What exactly does Mr. Williams want done?”

“He’s allergic to starch so they need to find an alternative. Last time they put some in his collars and he broke out in a rash. I tell them this every time I come in. This place just opened up three months ago. So I am still trying them out before I have to go across town to our regular place. Also, he doesn’t like it when they pin the cuffs of his pants and shirts.”

In fluent Korean, I told the lady behind the counter. At first, she was shocked, but then we started a conversation and by the end, she was nodding and smiling. She even offered to introduce me to her grandson. I politely declined.

“You are amazing. I'm so glad you decided to interview for me,” Miles said. “Where did you learn to speak Korean?”

“Well, my dad was in the military. We traveled a lot wherever he was assigned every two to four years. It was easy for me to pick up the languages wherever we went. I started working young in some of the foreign places at their hotels and department stores. When we came back to the states, I sent out resumes and got hired right away at Hotel Lemonde and worked there until I didn’t. We had a lot of foreigners come through Hotel Lemonde. So I was a huge help to them.”

“I bet you were. I am more and more impressed with you and I just know you are the right fit for Jace. Maybe he’ll even keep you on after the holidays.”

“I don’t know, he doesn’t seem to like me. Both times I’ve encountered him, he’s been rude, and he told me to be here at six, when he doesn't even come in until nine.”

“Both encounters?”

“Oh, I bumped into him coming out of an appointment I had before the interview.”

“Okay, well, he doesn't know you, so he can’t have an opinion on whether he likes you or not yet. As for him telling you to be here at six, I will find out what that’s all about.”

“Okay.”

We walked into JTECH and I noticed a lot more people were in the lobby. When we got back to the offices, everyone seemed to be at their desks and I was happy to see everyone had cookies and hot chocolate.

I was introduced as Jace’s new PA for now, and I got a lot of smiles and welcomes. Also, a thank you for the treats.

Miles went over Mr. Williams schedule with me. What he would need during the meetings. He told me he ate lunch in his office unless he had a lunch meeting.

“Sometimes you will have to go with him. Make sure you take meticulous notes. He will have you dictate the meeting back to him when you guys get back. You will go on business trips with him, so make sure your passport is up-to-date. Always have a bag ready to go at home and I recommend you have one ready to go here also. You are literally at his beck and call, you do whatever he asks. Your job is to make sure his personal life goes smoothly so he can concentrate on his work life. It would help if you could memorize clients' dossiers. I have a folder on your computer with everyone we have contracts with and everyone that we could potentially have a contract with. If someone new comes along, find out all the information you can on them. I am going to give you my little black book that has all the names and numbers you might need to help make Jace’s life more comfortable. Some of the numbers I have you may already have with your connections. Any questions so far?” Miles asked.

“Um, does he date? Is there a special store he likes to use for his girlfriend’s presents? Will I be breaking things off for him with women? I have had to do that before for my father,” I said.

Miles chuckled, “No, Jace doesn’t date. In fact, you will most likely become his plus one at events. It’s the whole reason I hired a woman. It'd be easier for him so he doesn't find some clingy woman that won’t leave him alone or reads too much into him taking them to an event.”

“Got it, not a problem.”

I looked at my phone and saw it was a quarter to nine.

“I need to go make his coffee. I’ll be right back.”

I went to the break room and made his coffee. I brought it to his office and put it on his desk.

The elevator pinged and I took a shaky deep breath. Here we go.