Chapter Text
Meeting
You can do this Lacey….come on. Speak up for yourself.
You tap your co worker, Georgia, on the shoulder and whisper to her, “I really don’t think it is acting professionally to flirt with our client. “
“EXCUSE ME?” She almost screeches at me.
“You shouldn’t be flirting with Mr Renner.. can’t you see it’s making him uncomfortable? When he is back at the screen you should behave with a bit more decorum.”
Georgia turns to me and waves her perfectly manicured finger in my face.. “Listen here Lacey… firstly you are my assistant”
“Fair enough but we represent the same agency”.
“Don’t interrupt, and next, I’m not taking advice on how to be professional from someone who has been out of the workforce for 30 years and is in her first paying job since last century. “
“Wow! Ok. I may be old but I know how to press the mute button on a zoom meeting with a client.”
Georgia gives a great impression of a goldfish…
Just then our client came back to his place at the computer screen.
“Excuse Lacey, Mr Renner, this is her first time working with this agency.” Georgia says with a sneer.
I look down at my hands for a second and as I glance up, I swear he has a little smirk on his face. I’m not gonna let this bitch make me look incompetent. She’s younger than my daughter and has given me no reason to respect her.
“Is there any other information that you need from me?” Mr Renner asks.
I was startled out of my own thoughts by his deep voice.
“I have a few more things to ask if you have a few minutes.”
I can feel the evil side eye glare that Georgia is shooting at me. Screw it! If I go down, I go down sticking to my guns.
“You mentioned that your daughter is coming out to Australia as well, but not arriving on the same day…how big of a gap will there be between arrivals?”
“5 days. Why?”
“Just from Ava’s perspective it would be better, in my opinion, that you get here on the same day if possible. As you know, we have a 14 day quarantine period in Western Australia and it would most likely be hard for her to see you being out and about and feel she is being left behind. Do you see what I mean Mr Renner?”
“Yeah I do. I’ll talk to her mother to see if we can make it happen.”
“Also as you will be arriving separately. Do you have a code word that you have with Ava so that she knows it’s ok to come with us?”
Georgia smirks and rolls her eyes…. I swear she nearly pulled a muscle with that one.
“You know you are the first person that has ever asked that. Yes we do have a code word and I will let the person know closer to the pick up time.”
“Good plan.” Georgia interrupts “We don’t know who will be picking her up.”
She probably thinks she’ll have me fired by then. I look at the screen and see a face full of fatherly concern.
“I really don’t think that Mr Renner wants to hear that we don’t know who will be looking after the important person in his world. We will of course be sending you all the information including a police clearance and ‘Working with children check’ of all those that will be around your daughter. We will also send you a clear itinerary of any and all details pertaining to her as she is coming in from the U.S. And you will be coming from the U.K. I really do feel that she will greatly benefit from the same day arrival.”
“Does Ava have any dietary requirements or allergies that could affect her time in Australia?” I ask.
“No allergies but she won’t eat broccoli. Haha.”
“Like most kids. (smiles) What about things she loves?”
“Animals and especially horses.”
“Does she ride?”
“She’s just started lessons.”
“Excellent, we can look into that while she’s here if you like. What about hobbies, does she ride a bike or skate/board, can she swim?”
“She loves her bike and the water. Ocean and pool.”
“Ava will love it here. We have some of the best swimming beaches in the world. Ok. What about medical issues, anything that we need to be aware of?
“Nope Ava is a happy, healthy 7 year old.
“Ok Mr Renner, for this next question please don’t take it as anything other than a professional enquiry ..but are there any behavioural differences that you notice after handover from your ex-wife before she readjusts to her normal routine with you?”
“Isn't that a little too invasive for this meeting? What childcare experience do you have to warrant this type of questioning?” Georgia asks
I look at the screen and I can see the fatherly concern again, but maybe a smidge of respect as well….or I could just be hoping that’s what it is.
“I’ve been through 2 divorces and have had to deal with a child coming back from a home where the parenting style and discipline is completely different to yours, if it exists at all. There can be big issues and the kid’s usually can take a few days to return to being human….. oh wow, unless that’s just my experience, lol…return to normal at your own home. They then try to get away with anything.”
“Well how is that appropriate here?” She asks
“This young lady has not only got her usual disruptions to her young life but thrown into the mix that she will be in a completely foreign country with only her father and carer as people she is familiar with.”
“So what qualifications do you have?” She sneers.
“3 daughters who grew up to not be complete assholes.” (Oops. I said that out loud.)
Jeremy sniggers.
“Do you have anything you would like to ask me, Mr Renner?”
“How old are your kids?”
“I have a 27 year old Eve and 19 yr old twins Chloe and Rory”
“How long have you been a single parent?”
“Eve was 1 when I divorced her dad and the twins were 4 so 15 years with the last divorce. So I still am a single parent I guess.”
“Cool. That’s all I need to know. Thanks”
“Ok great.” I say as I sit back from the screen.
Georgia pushes to the fore ground again, “thanks for your time Jeremy. We will be waiting to hear from you..”
“Your agency will definitely be hearing from me. Good afternoon Georgia, Ms Holland.”
After he hangs up, Georgia turns around to me with her face the colour of a ripe red apple, and she explodes at me……
“I have never in my life worked with someone so unprofessional and up themselves. This is going into my report!”
“Excellent. Make sure it’s all accurate..”
“You’ll be fired after this, just you wait.”
Well, it was a good job while it lasted. *shrugs* It is what it is.
After a 45 minute drive in peak hour traffic I have my 1 hour session at the gym.
After looking after everyone else for the last 30 years it’s time to make myself a priority. This means getting healthy and losing a lot of weight..and I’m completely amazed that I actually enjoy the gym. Who knew?
NEXT DAY-
7:30- coffee, meds, news, more coffee.
Work starts at 11am today.
To do list: don’t get fired..
But what can I do? It’s out of my hands. Georgia will have filed her report, Jeremy Renner will have spoken to the managers stating his needs in an assistant and for what it’s worth, you don’t see a 49 yr old overweight woman to be it.. especially if Georgia has anything to do with it.
AT WORK:
As I arrive at the office, my manager, Melanie, calls me straight into her office.
Well this can’t be good!
As I walk in, Georgia is sitting there with a smug grin on her perfectly made up face.
Melanie asks me to be seated.
SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!