by Davis, Alexa
As she ran into her room and I plated up the food, I felt a newfound sense of determination. I could do this; I would do this. I had to.
***
“Okay,” I muttered to myself as I sat at the computer screen ready to begin. “Let’s do this.”
“Did you say something?” the elderly gentleman using the computer next to me asked. “Sorry, I thought I heard you speaking.”
My cheeks flamed with embarrassment. I needed to remember that I wasn’t in the privacy of my own home. “Oh sorry, just talking to myself,” I admitted. “I’ll try to keep it down.”
I twisted my body away from him and clicked on the job website. There were hundreds of places to find jobs out there, but this was the site I preferred. No real reason, it was just easy to use. It was laid out well, and the salaries were listed clearly.
Of course, I wanted a job I liked, but in all honesty, it was all about the money. I needed to ensure I had enough money to keep Delaney and me afloat. With Mark refusing to give me any money while he didn’t have the custody agreement that he wanted, it was all down to me.
As I scrolled through the postings, trying to find one that fit my skills, I felt my heart sinking. There should be hundreds of ads looking for cleaners, surely that was something that everyone wanted… But it seemed I was completely out of luck.
I widened my search a little bit, considering other positions that I might be able to do. I didn’t have a college education under my belt, which it seemed more and more jobs wanted now. Even retail assistants needed to have more qualifications than I could give. It was looking more and more hopeless with every passing second.
In a moment of weakness, I clicked on Facebook. I didn’t want to get distracted, that wasn’t what I was in the library for, but I couldn’t help it. I just needed to look at something else before my head exploded.
I scrolled through the mindless posts about food, new books, vacations pictures, all with glazed over eyes. It wasn’t until I spotted something that actually could be useful to me, a link to another website with jobs posted which had been shared by a friend of a friend. Something about it drew me in. I needed to try something different. What I was doing clearly wasn’t working, so this was worth a try.
“Cleaner Wanted”
I spotted it almost right away: the words that I longed to see. My heart skipped a beat with excitement, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high. I needed to see the details first.
“Temporary month-long position cleaning a home while the owner recovers from an injury. Experience required, interview necessary. Possibility for the job to become long-term.”
Okay, so that wasn’t ideal . I wanted something much more secure before I dove in. I pursed my lips together thoughtfully, trying to work out whether or not it would be worth it. Then my eyes fell further down the page, and my eyes bugged out my head at the salary. It wasn’t the amount that the college degree jobs were offering, but it was much more than any other cleaning jobs would offer. Even short-term, it would do Delaney and me really well. I needed that.
I needed to give it a try.
I copied the email address, and I pasted it into a blank email. Before even starting to write, I attached my resume so the employer could see my limited experience. It wouldn’t be much, but I hoped it was enough to get an interview at least. I was a quiet person in general, especially with people I didn’t know, but with Delaney’s face in the back of my mind, I knew I could shine.
I would have to!
“Dear Mr. Trainer,
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my application. I appreciate the opportunity to work with you. I have attached my resume so you can see my previous work experience. As you can see, I have spent the last eighteen months working for a motel company, which has been much harder than I’m sure working for you will be. I can bring that experience to the position.
I’m a hardworking, dedicated, very loyal person with a child to support, so of course, I will take the job position very seriously. I won’t ever let you down. I will always do whatever is needed of me. I would love a chance to speak to you to discuss the job further.
Kind regards,
Elle Blanton”
As I typed my number along the bottom, I hoped it was the right mix of personal and professional. I didn’t want to be totally boring in my email, I wanted some of me to shine through, but I needed him to know that I would do the job.
After applying for that job, I couldn’t see any others that caught my eye. To be honest, the salary that Mr. Trainor was offering was so good I couldn’t see anything else. I just really wanted that position.
“Miss,” the elderly gentleman next to me shook me for my attention. “Miss, I just thought I’d let you know that your phone is ringing. You’re not supposed to have your cell phone on in here.”
“Oops.” I leaped up and grabbed my bag. “I’ll just go outside and answer it.”
I didn’t even bother to shut the computer down. I needed to get out quick before the ringing disturbed anyone else.
“Hello?” I answered before I even looked at the number on the screen. I cringed as I realized that I didn’t even know who I was talking to.
“Is that Elle Blanton?” a professional, deep male voice asked me. “This is Alexander Trainor.”
The name shot sparks through my body. It was him , the man who I desperately needed to hire me. Even though he couldn’t see me, I straightened my back and tried to make myself look a little more presentable. “Yes, this is Elle. Thank you for calling me.”
“I received your application, and I would like to invite you for an interview.”
Oh my God! “That would be great,” I gushed. “Thank you so much.”
“I will be interviewing a few of the people that applied for the position, just so you know.”
Urgh, did he have to? Couldn’t he just hire me? “Yes, of course, I completely understand.” I’m the best one! Please, don’t worry about the others! Don’t even interview them, just consider me.
“I will email you an address. Can you be there at 2 p.m. tomorrow afternoon? It is in Manhattan, is that suitable for you?”
“Of course, that sounds great.” A bit further away than what I was used to, but that was okay. Trains were there for a reason. “Thank you again.”
As I hung up the phone, I punched the air with excitement. Okay, so it was only an interview in among many others, and it was only a temporary position with the chance of becoming permanent, but it was a start. Plus, I had an interview lined up, which was what I promised Delaney. She would be so proud of me. I couldn’t wait to tell her that I was halfway to getting a brand new, amazing-sounding job. And working in someone’s home, not in a dirty old motel. It was like a damn dream come true for me.
Oh God! I glanced at my watch realizing that I needed to get going if I didn’t want to be late to school to pick her up. I tore away from the library, forgetting all about the computer I’d left on. I had more important things to worry about.
Chapter Five
Alexander
Wednesday
I flicked through the resumes with a deep sigh, wondering why none of the people that I’d interviewed were working out. I wasn’t sure what it was, they just didn’t feel right. I was interviewing them on the porch of my mother’s home, trying to get to know them a bit before I took them inside and no one had made it past that point yet. Mom was upstairs sulking, and I knew that if there were anyone I would actually brave going to see her, it had to be the right person.
“Elle Blanton,” I muttered, wondering if this was just going to be another waste of time. “You better be the right one.”
I glanced at my watch as I saw someone approach the house, impressed that she was ten minutes early. I appreciated punctuality when it came to my employees, so that same feeling spilled over here. One of the guys who wanted the job actually dared to be late. He didn’t stand a chance – I wasn’t even going to consider him before we even
spoke.
I glanced my eyes up to see someone shockingly beautiful. Her dark wavy hair spilled down her back, her piercing blue eyes sparkled and shone, and her smile was utterly heart stopping. Then there was her body; she was slim and curvy, and her breasts burst against the very sexy shirt that she had on. Under that knee-length skirt, I could see legs that went on forever… She was truly stunning, but I didn’t get the impression that she knew it. She didn’t have an air of arrogance about her at all.
“Hello, I’m Elle Blanton,” she gushed a little too excitedly. “Thank you so much for agreeing to meet with me, I really appreciate it.”
Gratitude, that was another good sign . “Thank you very much for coming. Please, take a seat.”
She sat down, tucking her skirt under her as she did, and for a moment, I was mesmerized by her. It had been a very long time since a woman had caught my eye in such a striking way. I forgot where I was for a moment.
“Oh right, erm.” I forced my eyes to look downwards to regain my concentration. “So, it says in your resume that your cleaning experience is eighteen months in a motel.”
“Yes.” She clasped her hands in her lap. “I know it isn’t much experience with regards to cleaning, probably not as much as some of the other people that you’ve seen today, but I can promise you in that time I have done a lot of cleaning jobs. Things you wouldn’t even want to think about.”
As she laughed, I couldn’t help but join in. There was something infectious and adorable about this woman; I was officially intrigued. “So, what did you do beforehand?” All of a sudden it wasn’t so much about the work experience. That was where I was going wrong before; it was more about the jobs they’d done when I really should have been thinking about personality. Elle’s personality was sweet. I thought my mother would actually like her, which was the biggest obstacle I had to overcome.
“I worked at the restaurant owned by my ex-husband for a while, but then I had my daughter.” Her expression closed off as she said this. I appreciated her honesty; most people wouldn’t have been so forthcoming. “When that all ended, I got the job at the motel.”
“Why don’t you work there any longer?” I caught a moment of hesitation in there which suggested there was a story. “You can tell me; it won’t affect your job here. Unless you killed someone, of course!” What was I doing? Was I teasing her? That certainly wasn’t the appropriate way to act at an interview…
So why couldn’t I stop?
“You really want to know?” She cocked an eyebrow at me. “Are you sure? It isn’t a pretty story.”
“Now I have to know.”
“The motel needed to make layoffs because they are losing money. The manager suggested that I could keep my job if I were willing to…do certain things.”
Instantly, I felt my stomach coil up in knots. That wasn’t ever the way to treat an employee. “I hope you’re suing!” I clenched my fists, trying to keep my temper in check, but it was bubbling over regardless.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. For now, I just want to concentrate on getting another job. I don’t want to lose my home or anything. I need to take care of my daughter.”
Guilt washed over me. Sometimes with all the money I’d acquired in my life, I forgot how hard it was to struggle. Or more realistically, I didn’t know. If we ever had financial difficulties when we were younger, my mom sheltered me from all of it. It seemed that Elle was trying to do the same for her child.
“Yeah, of course. You gotta do what you gotta do.” I felt like there was a million and one questions that I needed to ask her, but something just felt right about this woman. So far, I was really impressed with her. There was only one subject left that we needed to tackle. “So, the job is working for my mom. She recently had a fall and broke her leg. She doesn’t want help, but she needs it.”
“Sounds like an independent lady.” So far so good. She didn’t look put off by that at all. “That’s my kind of woman.”
“I’m glad you see it that way.” I laughed gratefully at Elle. “Because if you’re going to work for her, she might be a little prickly.”
“I don’t mind that; prickly is better than letchy.”
“Now that is true.” I made a snap decision; it just felt right. “Would you like to meet her? It’ll give me time to show you the house, as well. Then you can see more about what you’ll do around here.”
“Of course!” Elle leaped up eagerly. “That sounds awesome.”
I led her through the house, pointing out specific things that I knew my mother wanted to be done in a certain way. If Elle did decide to work here, I wanted her to have the best chance of getting along with Mom. I didn’t want there to be any issues where there didn’t need to be.
The more we spoke, the more I liked Elle. She was quieter than some of the people I’d spoken to, but she had a great side to her. Everything she said felt considered like she truly meant it. I liked that. I just knew that if Mom opened up her heart to Elle, she would like her, too.
“Okay, Mom is upstairs. Do you want to meet her?”
Elle nodded, not looking nervous at all. She clearly had no idea what she was letting herself in for. I wished I could share her quiet confidence, but I just couldn’t. Mom did not want help and had fiercely argued that point with me, so I had no idea how this would go.
“Mom?” I peered my head into her bedroom door to see my mom perched on the chair in her room watching the television. “I have Elle here. She’s interviewed to be your maid, and I want her to meet you.”
Mom turned to stare at me with a flame in her eyes. A thick ball of fear lodged in my throat. I was scared that she was about to humiliate me totally, but thankfully, she nodded. “Okay sure, come in.”
I brought Elle into the bedroom and stood just beside her. “Elle, this is my mother, Katherine. Mom, this is Elle.”
Elle stepped forward with a welcoming smile on her face and extended her hand to shake Mom’s. “Hello, Katherine, it’s really lovely to meet you. I have to say you have the most incredible home. You have done a really lovely job with the interior.”
Mom shook Elle’s hand while peering behind her to look at me. There was an unreadable expression on her face. I felt like Mom was trying to convey something to me with her eyes, but I couldn’t work out what.
“It’s nice to meet you, Elle. I have to ask what makes you want to work for me?”
“Oh.” Elle’s cheeks tinged pink; I wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or something else. I wondered how Mom would react if she told her the story with her old boss. “Well actually, I have a daughter to support, and since my old job wasn’t working out for me, I thought I’d apply.”
“No husband?” Mom dove right in, not caring about social convention at all.
“Nope, just a troublesome ex.”
“Oh, I know all about that, believe you me.” Mom rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Alex’s father was a real nightmare.” She patted Elle’s hands in a friendly gesture. “I can relate to what you’re going through. You just keep being strong and independent, that’s the best way to keep on going. Whatever shit he throws at you, you just keep on going.”
“Thank you, that’s really nice, Katherine. And even if I don’t get the job working for you, it was lovely to meet you all the same.”
“Pfft, are you crazy? Of course, you’re getting the job! I would love for you to come and work for me.” My mom answered in the most shocking turnaround of all time. I couldn’t believe it as those words left her mouth. “I mean, I’m hoping to be back up on my feet soon enough, but until then, I would love to have you around.”
I was shocked, utterly blown away. Elle had truly worked her magic on the both of us. There was something truly amazing about that.
“How much have you offered to pay her, Alex?”
“Erm, seventeen dollars an hour.”
“Make it thirty-five.” I didn’t mind that at all, but I was stunned by my mother’s request. “We want to make sure that Ell
e wants to work for us and that she wants to stay the entire time.”
“Oh no, that’s too much…” Elle attempted, to no avail. As she shook her hands in front of her face, my mother dismissed her completely.
“Nonsense.” Mom shook her head. “Alex can afford it, don’t you worry. You can start tomorrow. That’s okay with you, right? You have childcare?”
“My daughter will be in school tomorrow, so that’s no trouble.”
Elle looked at me for confirmation, so I gave her a nod. “Of course, that sounds great. Come on; I’ll walk you out.”
As I said goodbye to the beautiful raven-haired beauty that Mom had really taken to, I wondered what was going to happen next. I felt like all the control had been stripped from me, and I didn’t know why. Mom had to be up to something – she was usually far too stubborn to change her mind like that. I needed to find out what…
“So, what do you think?” I asked her causally. I didn’t stare too intently at Mom while I tried to find out more. “Elle seems nice, right?”
“Oh, she’ll do just fine,” Mom replied with a bright smile. “She’ll be a great help around here.”
“Uh huh, that she will.” I tried to keep my tone casual. “So, what made you change your mind? I thought you didn’t want help. I seem to recall you arguing very strongly with me about it.”
She shrugged. “I relate to her. I know what she’s going through, and she needs this job. Elle is a good lady who just needs a break. If you’re insistent that I need someone, I would rather it be her.”
I felt like it was much more than that. I knew Mom was kind enough to do something like that, but I could sense there was something else going on underneath the surface. I just wasn’t sure what…
Chapter Six
Elle
Wednesday
Wow, that was something else!
I almost shook my head in shock as I walked away from the massive townhouse that I would now be cleaning – for a damn good wage, too. I couldn’t believe just one person lived there. I could fit my entire apartment into Katherine’s living room. Of course, I was secretly jealous. I would love to be able to afford such a place for Delaney and me, but that was completely out of my league. I was just about holding together the apartment that I had!
