“I don’t have children. With my mother gone, no relatives. I’m on my own.” He nodded and was surprised by that. He wondered if there was a man on the scene, and maybe it was why she had come to Paris, but it didn’t sound like that either, from what she’d said, which would also explain why she needed help.
“I’m normally not an impulsive person, and not very spontaneous. I work all the time. This is very unusual for me, to take a year off, come to Paris, and rent an apartment. I’m a little surprised at myself. It’s scary as hell, but a nice change.” She smiled at him.
“I just came back from Argentina, where I grew up. I hadn’t been back in twenty-five years. I guess taking a break once in a while isn’t such a bad thing. I’ve never done it before either.”
“I’ll probably start working again in a few months. I just don’t know at what. But not another magazine.” She asked him about his salary then and was pleasantly surprised at how reasonable he was.
“It doesn’t seem fair to ask you for my usual wage. I won’t be doing most of what I normally do as a butler. This is really more of a jack-of-all-trades position, lending you a hand where I can. It sounds like fun, and it will be refreshing. I can go back to formal service when I go back to England if the right job turns up. And that might take a while. I don’t want to rush into anything, and get stuck in the wrong position.” Neither did she. She felt exactly the same way about her next endeavor.
“Would you like the job, Joachim?” she asked him directly, and he smiled.
“I’d like that very much.”
“When do you want to start?” She was pleased by his answer, and he looked happy too. It seemed like one of those fortuitous moments when two people and an opportunity collide at the right time.
“How does Monday sound? That will give us both time to gather our wits, make some lists, and figure out where to start. I’d suggest Ikea on Monday morning to order the kitchen and whatever else we find that catches your eye. I can rent a van if you like.”
“That would be terrific. Monday at nine o’clock?” she said and stood up. And he did the same. They shook hands on it, and she walked him to the door, and then he turned to her with a final question. He was just friendly and personable enough, and just formal enough to be respectful. He had clear boundaries and didn’t try to pretend that they were friends. He knew where the line was and stayed well behind it.
“One last thing. Costume. Blazer and slacks? Black suit? I don’t believe my livery would go over well at Ikea,” he said with a grin, and she laughed.
“We can play it by ear. Blazer and slacks if we go somewhere nice, like a fancy antique store, or if I have someone over. Black suit if I give a dinner party. And jeans for Ikea. How does that sound?”
“Precisely as it should be,” he said, and inclined his head slightly as a salutation of respect and left an instant later. She smiled as she locked the door behind him. Life was certainly galloping ahead. She had an apartment in Paris. And a butler. Her life was changing at lightning speed.
Chapter 7
Joachim picked Olivia up at exactly nine o’clock on Monday morning, in the van he had rented. They agreed to go to the new apartment first, so he could get a look at it, size up what they needed in the kitchen, and do some measuring. He brought a notepad, a laser to measure distances, and two industrial tape measures, with both centimeters and inches, since he didn’t know which she preferred. He took photographs with his phone and looked around the rest of the apartment with her, measured some key spaces, for a new bed if she wanted one, coffee table, and some cabinets in the bathroom. He took the basic measurements in the kitchen and told her that once she selected the cabinetry she wanted, he would measure again more precisely. He was businesslike and professional, and half an hour later, they were on the highway to Ikea.
“It’s a beautiful apartment,” he said, as they drove along. “You made a very good choice.” Everything was in good condition and well maintained. The windows closed smoothly, the doors locked well, the alarm was a modern one. “You should be able to get it set up in no time.” He doubted it would take her three months to organize it, and he’d be out of a job before that, which was all right with him. “I’m going to call the phone, gas, and electric companies this afternoon when we get back, or tomorrow morning.” He seemed fast and efficient. She had called the agency to say she had hired him, and so had he, and they were very pleased. They had promised to send some cleaners for her to interview. She wanted to get the apartment clean before she moved in, and had decided to buy a new mattress. Joachim said he knew a place that would be better than Ikea for that.