Forever Yours

First Impressions [2]

2. First Impressions

Ryan Adams

It was about ninety degrees and I'd been standing out here in the heat for thirty minutes.

I was staff; I was newly employed. Whatever. But they told me to be here at nine thirty and now, it was ten o' clock. It was messed up but I shouldn't have been surprised. I mean, these were the Carvellis.

I ran a dismissing look over the estate. I had never seen, much less been near, any property this massive. Trimmed trees lined the long, private road extending from the iron gates enclosing the property to the mansion, where it curved in a circle around an island of exotic plants. There was a lake on one side of the lane and on the other, a giant expanse of abnormally bright grass.

The mansion itself was the hugest thing I'd ever seen. There were a million windows, an elaborate entryway, and grass all around. Not quite the White House but a close runner up.

You could tell that whoever owned this place (which, naturally, happened to be one of the richest guys in America) had a ridiculous amount of money to waste.

I hadn't been too into the job of chauffeuring around one of the famed guy's daughters. Connor, director of the employment agency, looked mind-blown when I turned down the offer, point blank. Yeah, I needed the money but not to the extent of going into slavery for some snobby, rich girl, to be at her beck and call all hours of the day.

But once he told me what the exact figures of the salary were, it would've been stupid to say no. Putting myself through college was tougher than I'd ever planned it to be. My dad was a useless prick who abandoned us when I was thirteen and Mom was up to her neck with the doctor bills and the mortgage payments. I moved out a couple of years ago and keeping up with my rent, my phone and internet bills, the curriculum and all the extra crap that came with being twenty and on your own was rough. I had to opt out of taking on an internship because there weren't enough hours in the day to work, study and then really work (work as in income). I tried working at a hotel. Pay was awful. I did a brief stint as a prom night limo driver. It was July; prom season was over. I was sort of desperate by the time I applied to Connor's agency.

He told me they were looking for someone young, someone inexperienced, someone who didn't have any accidents or criminal activity on their record. Connor said he liked the look of me and was willing to vouch in my favor.

So I said yes. Who wouldn't?

My attention was drawn by two gardeners standing on ladders beneath one of the trees, using long shears to trim its leaves. A sudden gust of wind swept through the lawn and blew away the massive pile of leaves that a third gardener was attempting to collect. He started fumbling with the leaf blower. He didn't seem to know what he was doing because in his rush, the leaves started blowing everywhere else but the spot he was aiming for.

"Hey, you need some help?" I called. He glanced up, was surprised to see me, and then shook his head.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks anyway." He said. He got the machine under control then and in a matter of minutes, the lawn was completely restored to immaculate order. I shook my head to myself. Give me a break.

I glanced at my watch. This was getting ridiculous.

And then finally, I heard the tell-tale clicking of heels on asphalt coming from behind me. I turned, straightening up, working to drain from my face any signs of annoyance.

Instead, my mouth went dry and my former impatience deflated into nonexistence.

There was really long, awkward second where I couldn't find my vocal cords. And she didn't speak, which upped the ante of intimidation. This was my new employer? I was pretty sure she was the prettiest girl I'd ever laid eyes on.