“I’m sorry, Charlotte. Apparently I hadn’t put two and two together.” Despite her words, my grandmother didn’t seem very surprised at all. “I would have never imagined that the condescending prick you described was Reed.”
“Bathroom? What are you talking about?” I asked.
Charlotte began to explain, “When I left you at Millennium Tower, I went to use the restroom in the lobby. That was where I ran into Iris. I obviously had no idea she was your grandmother. She saw that I was upset. I told her everything that had happened with you during the showing. We stayed there a bit and talked—bonded—and that’s when she offered me the personal-assistant position here.”
Oh, hell no.
Hell. No. This woman was certifiable. There was no way she was going to have access to my personal dealings.
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“Grandmother, can we speak in my office for a moment, please?”
“Of course.” She smiled before looking over at Charlotte, who had bent down to pick up the pieces of the broken vase. “Why don’t you head back to your office, Charlotte, and get acclimated to the company database. I’ve asked Stan from IT to meet you in your office if you have any questions. I’m sorry that the beautiful vase you made for me broke. You don’t have to clean it up. I can get someone to do that.”
“It’s okay. I’ve got most of it. We may need someone to vacuum the shards, though.” She stood up and dumped the broken pieces into a nearby trash can before turning to me with glaring eyes. “Maybe Stan can work on getting a sensitivity chip installed into your grandson. He seems to be missing one.”
I snapped my fingers. “They must have forgotten to put it back in when they installed my bullshit detector.”
I really need to stop enjoying this.
Charlotte’s eyes lingered on my stern gaze before she turned away from me. A strange feeling bubbled in my chest as I watched her blonde locks moving back and forth while she walked away. I knew it was guilt creeping in. My reaction to her was the only sensible one, given her craziness, but somehow, I felt like a total asshole now.
My grandmother quietly followed me into my office.
I shut the door behind us. “You know your day is going well when your own grandmother calls you a prick.”
“Well, you certainly act like one sometimes.” She seemed amused by my anger. “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”
Sure, if you consider expressive eyes, luscious lips, and a body like a 1950s pin-up “pretty.” More like kryptonite.
Charlotte’s physical beauty was undeniable. But there was absolutely no way I was going to acknowledge it. “Crazy” eclipses beauty.
I grimaced. “Grandmother . . . what are you trying to pull here?”
“She’ll be a great addition to our staff.”
Pointing back toward the door, I yelled, “That woman? That woman has no experience. Not to mention, she’s crazy and a known liar. You should’ve seen the ridiculous things she put on her application to see that penthouse.”
She grinned mockingly. “Dog surfing, I know.”
“You know about that, and you hired her anyway?” I started to pace, my blood pressure rising. “I’m sorry, but you need your head examined. How can you be okay with having her handle some of our most sensitive and personal business?”
My grandmother took a seat on the sofa across from my desk, then said, “She didn’t know what she was doing when she filled out that application—didn’t even remember doing it. It was a drunken lapse in sanity. We’ve all had nights like that. At least, I have. I’m not going to tell you everything we discussed because it’s private, but there was a very good reason for her actions. I saw something in her that reminded me of myself. I think she has a determined spirit, and that’s the type of vibrant energy we need here.”
Is she kidding?
Vibrant.
To me, Charlotte was like blinding sunlight shining into your face after a hangover. Vibrant, maybe—but most unwelcome.
My grandmother was a kind and empathetic person who saw the good in people. I respected that but had to wonder if she was being manipulated here.
“She’s a liar,” I stressed again.
“She lied . . . but she’s not a habitual liar. There’s a difference. She made a mistake. Charlotte opened up to me—a complete stranger. She didn’t have to do that. She’s one of the most honest people I’ve ever met.”
Crossing my arms, I shook my head in disbelief. “I can’t work with her.”
“Her employment status isn’t up for debate, Reed. You have plenty of money to hire your own personal assistant if you don’t want to use the shared one, but I’m not firing her.”
“She’s going to have access to all of my personal information. Shouldn’t I have had a say in this?”
“Why? Do you have something to hide?”
“No, but—”
“You know what I think?”