When Jesse woke up the next morning, he immediately groaned at what his day would look like. Today was going to be his first day working for Demi and her husband. Saying that she had a husband disgusted him in ways he couldn't even explain. It made him think of questions like; how long have they been together? Was she happy with him? Does she love Nick more than she loved him?
He wanted to dress professionally but considering he would most likely be running around New York City to get all of the ingredients needed for their unnecessarily healthy meals, he chose the casual comfy look instead. He dressed in a white polo that brought out his arm muscles and a pair of light-wash jeans. After doing his morning routine in the bathroom, he made his way to the kitchen to see Luna at the table eating a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch with reruns of Spongebob Squarepants playing in the background.
"How do I look?" He asked. It was great having a teenage daughter that always gave him her honest opinion. Even if sometimes, she was a little too honest.
"Like you're trying to impress your new boss," Luna said with a smirk while Jesse rolled his eyes. Impressing Demi was the last thing on his to-do list for today. The only reason he was taking this job rather than telling Demi to fuck off was for Luna. The more money he made, the better life he could give her. Everything he did was for her.
It only took half an hour to commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan but an unexpectedly long elevator ride up to her penthouse made him a minute late. She lived on the 79th floor of the tallest residential skyscraper Jesse has ever seen. When the elevator door dinged open he had to try his best to not let his jaw drop.
It was decorated in a modern interior with pops of color everywhere you looked. That was definitely Demi's touch. He remembered how she would talk about how much she hated the black-and-white living design. She would always say "I have a colorful personality and I need a colorful house". Jesse hated how he remembered that.
Jesse let his jaw drop when he stepped out of the elevator and in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the formal living room. Just from the living room, she had a view of Central Park and the penthouse was so high up that when you looked down, the cars looked like ants and the people were barely noticeable.
So this is what she had been doing for the past ten years? Building up an empire so she could afford all of this?
"You're late." Someone spoke from behind him. Jesse turned around to find Demi watching him. This time she was wearing an off-white sweater that fell off her shoulders with a pair of dark wash denim skinny jeans. Her hair fell a little past her shoulders and her makeup was done to perfection. It was only 7:30 in the morning and she was ready for the day. Some things never change.
"I had to pick up groceries and the elevator ride felt like it was an hour long," Jesse responded. Demi let out a small laugh at his comment. The sound of her laugh shot straight through Jesse's heart. The sound that he used to love so deeply had now become something he hated.
"You get used to it." She spoke. "Follow me, I'll show you to the kitchen."
Jesse picked up the bags of groceries that he had dropped at the front door when taking a first glance at the penthouse. The kitchen had way more color than the living room which made him happy because he couldn't do his work in such a boring environment.
He set his groceries on the counter and began to look around the kitchen. Other than the restaurant he used to work at and his kitchen, he had never cooked for someone else in their kitchen. Especially when the kitchen was as big as his living room and the renovation fees cost three times as much as his college tuition.
"I'm sure Nick's assistant gave you the list of what to make for breakfast. I'll let you get to work while I get the kids ready. Call me if you need anything." Demi said before making her way out of the kitchen. Jesse was about to let her go then realized what she said.
