Chapter Six

Chapter Six

The Monday rush tended to be worse than all the other days of the week. The rush remained until Wednesday morning, dying until Friday afternoon when it peaked again. It being a Wednesday, she was almost done with her work and calm had settled over her.

Mr Robert was a fair man and knew what he was doing which made her job a hundred times easier. Lithia, Mr Robert's P.A had left the Friday before, using the week to get Charlie up-to-date with everything. It had been equally challenging and invigorating to be back in the rush of grumbled words, shouted accusations and demanding questions. She really was happy.

Generally her day started off with bringing Mr Robert's coffee up from the tea room and checking and double checking his meetings. Mr Robert's clients were rather important and she couldn't afford to slip up on anything. Luckily for her, working under pressure was what she had been born to do, so the work didn't phase her in the least.

"Charlotte, please reschedule my meeting with Dr. Rivers," Mr Robert said. "Try for Thursday, if possible. I need the frustration of a week to talk to that man. He's so happy all the damn time, I feel like I need to use him as a stress-reliever."

Charlie laughed softly and nodded in understanding. "Your meeting with Mrs Allison is scheduled for three so if you leave now, you'll reach L'Anima by ten to. I ordered your favourite and I'm sure Allison would devour the gluten-free vegan salad. What is a gluten-free vegan salad anyway? Who goes to an Italian restaurant and doesn't order their amazing pastas? But not to worry. I got some dessert waiting for when you get back so don't feel down for trying to put up a good front," she cajoled, casually pointing to the mini fridge in which she'd stashed a white box in the morning.

Mr Robert let out a bark of laughter before leaning over and placing a fatherly kiss on her forehead. "God has sent you down from the very heavens, Charlotte."

She smiled. "Lithia trained me well." She was interrupted by the trill of the phone. She picked it up, mumbled her agreement and set it down.

"The car waiting downstairs?" Mr Robert asked, already heading towards the lift.

She nodded and lifted her hand in farewell as he waved back, before entering the lift. He would be gone for the next two hours and despite the rush, she'd managed to complete most of the work for the day. It usually helped if she organised everything into list and times and refused to get frazzled by delays. Being a waitress had made her an expert on delays and frustration.

Lifting her mug to her lips, she realised that it was empty and groaned because she knew that she'd have to go to the break room for more. Sometimes, trudging through the other employees was more effort than it was worth—especially because she didn't know them as well they knew each other. But it was more of an effort to get through her work when she needed a caffeine boost so dragging her chair backwards, she straightened her skirt, grabbed her mug and headed out towards the lift.

Mr Robert, being a named partner, had a lovely office that almost took up the entire floor. It was a pleasure to work there. The view was great from her side but if you looked out of his window, you felt like you were in the clouds. It gave her a dangerous sense of vertigo to stand there too long.

Passing her finger over the touch screen buttons, she tapped on the number ten and sighed as the doors slipped silently closed and the lift slid smoothly down the floors. It opened with a pleasant ping and she stepped out, reveling in the warmth of the central heating throughout the building.

She waved and smiled at the associates that she knew, stopping to chat to a few before entering the break room. It was surprisingly well-stocked with every type of beverage available and even a few snacks. Grabbing a packet of Angel Nougat Biscuits, she made her way to the coffee machine and popped in two capsules of vanilla flavoured coffee. The firm really spoiled their employees and thankfully, their empployees appreciated it.

When her mug had filled up, she lifted it to her nose to take in the whiff of heavenly vanilla aroma and had to hold in her moan of appreciation. This was the life.

Smiling to herself, she turned around and stood with her back leaning against the counter, hands wrapped around her mug as she observed the proceedings outside of the glass walls.

She turned her head to the side when she heard the wail of a child and wondered who had brought their child to work. She would have assumed that it was a client's child but no clients were allowed on this floor. It was employees only. The client elevator didn't even have this floor listed as an option.

So, who had brought their child to work? Curiosity got the better of her and she grabbed her biscuits before leaving the room and following the sounds of the distressed wails. It was a sound that would always tug at her heart. Innocent cries made her anxious to soothe them.

Turning the corner, she saw one of her fellow P.A's hoisting a baby onto her hip and trying, in vain, to calm the child down. Charlie's eyes widened as she recognised the shock of black curls and her heart lurched as she hurried forward to greet the girl.

"Sandra! Hi!"

The girl looked at her with frazzled eyes, panic soon to overwhelm her.

"Charlie, help. He won't stop crying!" She turned the child to face her and Charlie saw that indeed, it was Michael in Sandra's arms.

Charlie nodded and setting her mug and biscuits on the table near her, she carefully lifted the boy from Sandra's arms and tucked him into her shoulder, rocking him and patting his back. After a few minutes, his wails quietened down, turning into pitiful hiccups.

Pulling him back to look at her, she wiped the tears from his face before placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Hello Michael. How you doing?"

He hiccuped again as his shiny eyes looked at her, sighing a little as he ignored her question and nuzzled his face back into her neck. It tickled and she laughed a little before turning back to the girl.

"You know him?"

Charlie nodded but didn't give any explanation. Instead she asked, "Why is he here?"

"He's my boss's nephew and since last month, Mr Lavery has left him in my care every Wednesday and Friday. I thought that he was used to me by now but I don't think he likes it here. I can't keep him in the office because he'll disturb everyone so I have to bring him down here."

Charlie nodded her head in understanding, but frowned at the unprofessional-ism of it all. Surely they could afford to hire a babysitter or such if they really needed and she didn't pick Benedict as a man who would allow this. Something didn't sound right about the whole thing but she shook off her suspicions when she felt Michael move to stuff his thumb into his mouth.

"Hungry, little man?"

He nodded his little head, curls bouncing as he continued to suck on his thumb. The way his bright eyes shined up at her tugged at her heartstrings, reminding her strongly of another pair just like them.

She struggled a bit before opening the box and grabbing a biscuit from it she tugged his thumb out of his mouth and replaced it with the biscuit. He took it from her hand and began to nibble on it.

Sandra let out a sigh of relief.

"You have no idea how grateful I am to you, Charlie. You are a heaven-send!"

Charlie giggled at the words. "That's the second time someone has said that to me today."

Sandra beamed. "That's because it's true. Oh dear. Don't you have to get back to the office?"

Her eyes immediately filled with worry and Charlie hastened to reassure her. "Mr Robert is gone out for a meeting and won't be back for another two hours. I can babysit him for you if you want?"

Sandra vigorously shook her head. "Mr Lavery will kill me! He gave specific instructions not to leave the office with Mikey but I had to come down. Would you mind coming back up with me though? Sam from the foyer usually rings me when Mr Lavery is coming up so you can make your escape then."

Charlie wanted to laugh at Sandra's theatrics, as if she would be flogged for being present. She sobered up quickly when she realised that not every man was as easy-going as Mr Robert, and even he was demanding at times.

She nodded her agreement and watched with gratitude as Sandra took her mug and biscuits, following her to the lift. They stepped in and Michael let out an eager hand to press the buttons. Charlie motioned at the number fourteen and giggled when he smashed his entire hand onto the numbers lighting up thirteen and fifteen with it. He clapped his hands in delight before turning and offering his biscuit to Sandra.

"San'ra? Beescuit?"

Sandra smiled and shook her head, to which he turned back to Charlie and almost shoved it into her mouth.

"Beescuit?"

Sandra giggled at his tricks. "Be careful of Charlie's face, Mikey. You're going to get crumbs all over it."

Michael stared at Charlie and suddenly lifted a chubby hand, sans biscuit, to her mouth. Charlie stuck her tongue out as she'd done the previous time and tickled the middle of his palm to which he pulled back again with a squeal of laughter.

"Charrrrly! Charlie, Charlie!"

He tongue rolled around the 'r' of her name, the a's rounding into almost o's and it sounded adorable. He found that he quite liked the name and began chanting it over and over again.

"Yeah my name's Charlie. What's yours?"

Abruptly he stopped his chanting before yelling, "Michael!"

With that pronouncement, he shoved the remainder of the biscuit into his mouth, and ignoring the fact that it could barely fit, he chomped down on it sending crumbs flying everywhere.

Sandra sighed. "Oh dear. This is going to get messy."

An hour later, washed and wiped, Michael's head lolled onto her shoulder as he struggled to keep his eyes open. She pressed a kiss into his unruly curls before fitting him into the crook of her arms and rocking him to sleep as if he was still a baby rather than, according to Sandra, a bouncing two-and-a-half-year-old.

In a matter of minutes he was fast asleep, warm breath fanning out across her blouse. Her heart felt like it was going to explode as she gazed down at his pink-tinged pale cheek. He was a work of such art and it was so beautiful. Looking at him, she picked out the features that he had inherited from his father. The black waves and turquoise eyes were obvious. But now that she looked, she could see the cupid bow shaped lips and long eyelashes too. She was snapped out of her dreamy thoughts when Sandra spoke.

"Are you gonna cry on me now?"

Charlie looked up to see Sandra watching her from behind her desk. "No. I think it's just my hormones making me so emotional."

"He is a delightful little boy though, isn't he?"

Charlie nodded her head before laying him in his pram and tucking the blanket around him.

"Sleep tight, sweetheart. And sweet dreams."

He murmured in his sleep and snuggled deeper into his blankets. Just perfect.

She gave a sigh of contentment before returning her attention to Sandra.

"What time do you have to babysit him on Fridays?"

"Same time as now, three to half four. Mr Lavery usually goes out at this time, fetching Mikey from downstairs and leaving him with me before heading out again."

Charlie nodded. "Okay, well, can I come visit you when I'm free then?"

Sandra nodded in glee. "Yeah of course! Mikey loves you and it would help me so much. As long as you're free, though. I don't want Mr Robert getting wind of this, okay? Mr Lavery would kill me and you I think."

Charlie laughed this time, just to ease the tension in her chest then with a last lingering look at the sleeping toddler, she got into the elevator and went back to reality.