“Résumé for what?” I inquire, my head jerking back at the surprising turn of this conversation.
“For a position with you.” She rubs her lips together anxiously as she waits for me to reply.
“What position are you inquiring about?” I ask, wondering what Paisley must have said to her to think I wanted her to apply for a job under Fletcher Industries.
She pushes up from her seat and holds a finger up to me. “Will you wait here? I have to go get something out of the tiny house. I’ll be right back.”
My heart pounds inside my chest as I speed walk all the way down to my tiny house that’s all packed up and ready for me to move out tomorrow. I half wondered if the invite from Everly tonight meant she knew I was leaving. But now that I’ve seen this is some sort of a parent trap setup, it’s as if the universe gifted me Lindsay Lohan and this incredible kid to help me have the perfect setting to make up for my life’s greatest fumble.
My little Sea Monster.
With trembling hands, I grab the sheet of paper I printed off in the Fletchpad earlier today when I was alone. I do my best to walk smoothly back up to Max, who watches me the entire way over to him. And when I say watches me…I mean…he watches me. His eyes don’t even try to hide the fact that he’s checking out every square inch of my body, and I gasp for air when I realize I was holding my breath in my pursuit of him.
Breathing heavily, I sit back down in my chair and slide the paper over to him.
“Cassandra, I don’t even know what positions I’ll have open at the company,” Max says, looking flustered for the first time since I broke his heart on his driveway. “There are still a lot of interviews we have to conduct with the new staff. And I’m not sure this is a good idea, considering our history.”
“Look at the top line,” I state, cutting him off. “It’ll tell you what position I’m applying for.”
His focus shifts down to the sheet of paper in his hands. Lips parted, he looks up at me, his eyes wide and full of so much shock and…maybe even excitement, that I dare myself to hope.
“Future wife?” His voice is thick as his eyes rake over my face.
“It’s a little presumptuous, I know. But why do less when you can do more?” I shoot him a wobbly smile and shrug. “Plus, I’ve been reading a lot of Mercedes Lee Loveletter stories, and that woman loves a grand gesture. But if you read on, you’ll see all the reasons I think I might be a good candidate for the position.”
He blinks back his shock, refocusing on the sheet that I stayed up half the night creating over an old bottle of wine that I needed to polish off in my fridge. The more I drank, the more genius my idea became. And in the light of day this morning, I thought it looked crazy and I’d be a fool to show this to Max.
Then I remembered that Max likes my weird, and I am strong enough to present this to him and finally lay my cards out on the table.
I’m too impatient to sit here in silence as he reads, so I begin narrating everything I included. “I love Everly is the number-one attribute I possess. Like…love her with all my heart. Like, I’ve been hiding my tears from her the past few days, knowing this is my last week as her nanny. Spending my days with her has been the greatest summer of my life, and I mean that more than you’ll ever know.”
Max’s jaw muscle tics as he continues reading and not looking at me. Not a good sign.
“I also think the differences you and I possess that once scared me are actually what will make us work long term. I’ll be there to remind you to do less and take care of yourself when your job gets stressful, and you’ll be good at inspiring me to do more and follow my dreams and maybe be a touch less willy-nilly about life?”
Max looks up at me with furrowed brows. “Is that really what you want?”
“I want you,” I reply quickly, my heart pounding in my chest at the unreadable expression on his face as I repeat, “I want you.”
His Adam’s apple moves slowly down his neck as he looks back at the sheet to continue reading.
“I think my skills as a nanny are subpar at best, so it’s probably better if I shift into a more friendship or mentor role with Everly. But I still think that will add value to my position as a future wife.”
I lean over the table to peer down at the sheet to see what I listed next. “Oh yes, we both come from close families, so I think we’ll understand the need to help them out from time to time or attend family functions. Said family functions will be more tolerable with each other. Don’t you think?”