The man seemed to awake from his stupor. He shook his head. “There will be heavy lifting involved. You look… What are you, five-foot four? One hundred and ten pounds?”
Charley grew defensive, and she straightened her back. She was a bit sensitive about her height. “Come now, Mr. Norris. I can do the work, I promise you. Give me a chance. Even on a trial run. Let me prove to you my value.”
He rubbed his temples as if he were getting a headache. A little black kitten rounded the corner and came skittering down the hallway. Mr. Norris smiled and the transformation was astounding. He bent to pick the tiny thing up. “How did you get out of your room?” he asked, his voice gentle.
He scratched the patch of white fur under the kitten’s chin and Charley could hear the loud purring. “Found her out back yesterday. I haven’t had time to take her to the shelter yet.” He gave her a small smile then turned away. “Thomas?”
The butler appeared, as if he had been waiting on the other side of the wall. “Yes?”
“Will you take her back to my office? I need to show this woman around.”
Charley almost couldn’t hold in her excitement. Mr. Norris turned back to her, his deep scowl gone. “All right. You may stay and start the job. But if you can’t handle it, you’ll need to leave tomorrow morning.”
Elated, Charley clapped her hands together and bounced on her toes. “Oh, thank you, Mr. Norris. You won’t regret this. I promise.” Before she could think, she bounded over to him and kissed him on the cheek. The look of surprise on his face almost made her laugh, but she finally came to her senses and stepped back from him, feeling her cheeks redden.
His frown fell back into place and he once again looked her up and down. “I can assure you, I most certainly will,” he said under his breath. “You may follow me and I will show you to your room and get you started on the job.”
“Yes, sir.” She decided she’d better temper her excitement for the time being. Maybe after she was alone, she could do a little victory dance. She grabbed her suitcase and wheeled it behind her as she followed him through the front hallway.
He started up the grand staircase. Charley followed him, in awe of the home, but pinching her lips together. She would wear her boring socks tomorrow and act like a perfect lady. She would show him she could do this job without screwing up.
He opened the first door they came to and ushered her inside. The bedroom looked like it belonged in a museum. Every piece of furniture was antique, and she mentally calculated the value and details as she rolled her suitcase onto the carpet. “Very nice.”
“This will be your room for tonight.”
She ignored the implication that she’d be leaving the next day and nodded. “Thank you.” She took off her coat and walked toward the closet.
“No need to hang your coat. You’ll be needing it.”
Charley stopped short. “I will?”
“It’s rather cold in the garage.”
She blinked at him. “I’ll be in the garage?”
“Yes. I explained everything to Gregory.” He once again rubbed his temples. “I see my time was wasted.”
Nice. Her father hadn’t mentioned anything about a garage. Hopefully the antiques had not been stored there for long. The extreme temperatures would not be good for them. “Don’t worry,” she said, slipping on her coat. “I’m ready to work.”
He sighed and walked out of her bedroom. She sprinted to catch up. She followed him through the house. When he stepped into the kitchen, a woman with short, dark hair turned to them. She looked to be in her fifties. She wore an apron and Charley assumed she was the cook. “Well, hello,” she said, a smile spreading across her face.
“Dorothy, this is Charley.” He emphasized her name, like he’d been misled about it. Charley held in a frown. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to her.
Mr. Norris continued. “She will be staying the night.” Mr. Norris didn’t even stop to allow them time to shake hands. He opened a door and disappeared.
Charley tossed Dorothy a wan smile. “Hello.”
Dorothy’s nod seemed to hold an apology. Charley hurried to catch up to Mr. Norris. When she stepped into the garage, she sucked in a breath. The entire three-car garage was filled with moving boxes piled high over her head. Some had water stains, and others were half-open, revealing clothes or bric-a-brac. Mr. Norris stood in the one space that wasn’t occupied. “You will go through these. Anything not of value is to be taken to charity. Anything of value is to be placed up for auction.”
Charley stared at the mounds of sagging boxes and her heart sank. This was the job? Sorting through junk in a garage?
“You will work in here today.”
Charley stuck out her chin, determined to show this awful man she could succeed. “And if my work is satisfactory?”
His gaze penetrated through her. “If you can do the work, then you will stay until the garage is empty. I will pay you ten thousand dollars.”
Charley knew the job paid well, but she hadn’t expected quite that well. She swallowed. “All right. I’ll get to work.”
He nodded and brushed off some imaginary dust from his dress pants. “I’ll leave you to it, then.”
He turned and left her alone in the garage, the cold December air seeping in. Charley blew a strand of hair from her face. She’d better get started.
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About the Author
Victorine and her husband live in Nebraska with their four children and two cats. She loves all things romance, and watches While You Were Sleeping about once every six months. When she’s not writing, she’s designing book covers for authors or making something with her extensive yarn collection.
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