Page 37 of The Assistant
We drive through the rest of the area, and I see wide open spaces carved into the woods and various different buildings that make this look like it could be some kind of resort if it weren’t so heavily guarded. Whatever this place is and whoever Mr. Rossi is, I don’t have a good feeling about it.
“What business do you do with this man exactly?” I ask in a hushed voice, looking at the driver briefly to see his eyes on me in the rearview mirror. I straighten in my seat and try to make myself appear as unthreatening and polite as possible.
“Stop asking so many questions and focus on your job,” Dawson replies in a short voice. He’s still on edge, and I don’t know what to expect going into this.
We pull up outside of a house that looks more like a modern-day castle. I thought Henry’s mansion was lavish, but it’s almost nothing compared to this. It’s funny that the first thing I think is that I need to keep my mom away from this man. She would leave Henry for him in a heartbeat if she saw this house.
The oversized front door opens as Dawson and I step out of the car, and an older gentleman, maybe in his late 40s, walks out in a neatly pressed business suit. A woman stands behind him in a proper-looking summer dress and a pair of tasteful wedges, her brown hair combed neatly and hanging around her shoulders. Both of them smile warmly at us as they approach.
I can’t help but think they look presidential as they greet us. It’s so formal yet welcoming at the same time, something I can only imagine had to have been perfected over the years. You can’t be in a place as intimidating as this without having to try to make your guests feel welcome.
“You must be Harper,” the woman says with a warm smile. “I’m Ella, and this is Xander. Dawson told us he’d be bringing you along today. You and I are going to be spending a lot of time together while the boys talk business.”
I look at Dawson, and he nods to let me know that’s okay. Contractually, I’m supposed to be with him during all of his business meetings, but if these ones are supposed to be private, then so be it. My mind is whirling thinking about what it could be.
“It’s nice to meet you,” I say, flashing her a smile. “Your home is stunning.”
I gesture to the house behind her, careful not to point to the compound we drove past. That’s not as stunning. It’s actually pretty terrifying.
“Thank you, I’ll make sure to give you the full tour while you’re here,” Ella says as she links her arm with mine and guides me to the front door. “But for now, I can imagine you guys must bestarving. We have lunch set up in the garden if you’d care to join us?”
“That would be lovely. Thank you, Ella,” Dawson says as he and Xander walk ahead of us.
Now that we’re here, Dawson isn’t watching me like a hawk watches its prey. There’s something relaxed about the way he doesn’t need to know where I am at all times. It’s different, and it makes me look back at the past few days with fresh eyes. Why was he so intent on watching my every move? He didn’t even let me sleep in my own bed.
The inside of the house is as lavish and opulent as I imagined. There’s an open floor plan on the first floor, showing off a gorgeous kitchen with a long banquet table that I can perfectly imagine five-course dinners being served on. All of the furniture must cost more than all four years of my art school tuition combined. Paintings and decorative art pieces line the walls, drawing my eyes toward each of them as we pass. Ella points out a few of them and lets me linger beside them as she tells me about the artists who made them as gifts for her and Xander.
We eventually reach the garden, and I’m once again amazed at the beauty around us. Flower bushes and hedges are perfectly trimmed, with benches and fountains along grass-led paths that must make for such a peaceful area. It looks like an old English garden from some sort of Regency novel.
The table is set and filled with finger food and tall pitchers of iced tea and lemonade. Dawson and I both take a seat as we help ourselves to plates of delicate sandwiches and flaky pastries. I don’t take much at first. It’s something my mom has instilled in my brain whenever I’m eating around people. If I put too muchon my plate, they’re automatically going to assume that I overeat and judge me for it.
But Ella sees that I only put one wedge of a finger sandwich and danish on my plate and promptly shakes her head, loading it up with a few other things to try.
“Our chef is unbelievable. I insist you sample everything,” Ella says with a genuine smile.
“How long have you all been doing business together?” I ask as everyone serves themselves around the table.
Xander shakes his head and wags a finger at me with a playful wrinkle in his eyes. “I have a rule never to discuss business while having a meal.”
I laugh and nod, giving him a nervous thumbs-up. Normally, I’m more than okay not talking about business, but I have to know what he does.
“Is Quinton going to be joining us?” Dawson asks before taking a big bite of an open-faced sandwich with smoked salmon and cream cheese.
“Ever since he graduated from Corium, he and his wife Aspen are traveling,” Xander explains.
“Quinton is our son,” Ella says as she leans in to whisper it to me, cluing me in on what’s going on. I nod to thank her for the information as I return my attention to my plate. I appreciate that she’s trying to keep me in the loop, but I’m so in over my head.
The three of them continue talking like old friends over lunch, and I try to keep up with the conversation. I have to remind myself that I’m just an assistant. Ella and Xander makeeverything feel so inviting I can almost imagine myself coming here as Dawson’s girlfriend. That’s what Ella’s treating this like, anyway.
I have to stop myself from getting too used to this world. Soon enough I’ll be gone, and all this will be for nothing. That feeling is made even worse by the fact that I know Dawson is hiding something from me.
But whatever that is, I’m bound to find out. He brought me here for a reason, and I’ll know what that is in time.
Chapter 19
Dawson
Being herewith Xander and Ella is refreshing. My phone is turned off and email accounts are logged out of. I don’t have to hear my father complaining about how I left before he was going to take Harper to her doctor’s appointment.
