Maid for You

Chapter 15 - Confidentiality

Marc was sitting in the offices of We Also Walk Dogs. The office had that hum of activity that any small but thriving business had. People were busy talking on the phone or working on their computers. Claire's desk was neat and tidy. Still, it had enough paperwork and notes on it to make it obvious that We Also Walk Dogs was pretty busy right now.

"Hello Mr. Templeton. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Hello Mrs. Harris. Likewise, please call me Marc."

"Then please call me Claire. Marc, what can I do for you?"

"Claire, as I am sure you are aware, Jocelyn is working for me as a maid."

Claire nodded. "We normally say domestic help, but yes."

Marc continued. "As I am sure you are also aware, she was not contracted by me but by a third party." Claire nodded again. "I work as business consultant and so I often need to handle quite sensitive information. While I am quite confident of Jocelyn's integrity, I am sure you can understand that it puts me in an uncomfortable position to have someone working in my house or offices who is not employed by me. I would like to know who is paying Jocelyn to work for me. In particular, I would be interested in seeing if they were willing to release Jocelyn and let me take over her contract with you."

"It was a very odd request. My client was very insistent that I do not reveal who they were to you. They already knew Jocelyn was working for We Also Walk Dogs and asked specifically if Jocelyn could work for you. Seeing you here today, the request seems odder than ever. We do get requests to employ domestic help on behalf of others fairly regularly. Often the people do not want to be named. This is normally in the case that someone who wants to provide extra help to an aged parent or other relative and doesn't want to hurt that person's pride. Jocelyn would be a good candidate for that kind of a role as she has basic medical training, although she doesn't enjoy working for the sick or very old. It hurts her too much if the person in her care dies." Marc was impressed to see just how well Claire knew Jocelyn.

Claire continued. "This clearly doesn't apply in your case. I can tell you that I know the client personally and that the maid was certainly intended to be a help to you. The client was concerned that you were buried in work and didn't have time to relax. I can assure you that there was absolutely no intention to have the integrity of your clients be compromised.

"I do understand your concerns. Obviously, we need to maintain our client's confidentiality in a similar way that you do in your business. We are often privy to private information about clients in a similar way that you would be privy to business information. I am in a bit of a bind because I cannot release my client's details to you. I wouldn't do it generally and I would be especially unhappy about it in this case since the client was quite insistent that their name remain unknown. It might be easier to refuse the contract and I can send someone else to you."

"I would definitely prefer to keep Jocelyn if that is at all possible. However, I also understand that you need to maintain your client's confidentiality. Would it be possible for you to contact your client and let them know that I am extremely grateful for their most generous gift, and ask them if they would be willing to meet with me to see if we can find a solution?"

"I can certainly contact them and ask, but I also can't promise that they will meet with you."

"Of course. Please let me know once you have a decision from your client."

"Certainly."

Marc stood up. It was clear that he had achieved everything that he could today. He put out his hand towards Claire. "Thank you, Claire. I do appreciate your time and help."

Claire stood up and shook hands with Marc "My pleasure Marc. I will let you know as soon as I hear anything."

Marc nodded, picked up his jacket, and left.

+ + +

Claire's husband, Greg, looked up. "What do you think? Will she meet with him?"

"It is really difficult to say. She wanted to make quite sure that Marc did not find out by accident that she was paying for Jocelyn's help. She said that Marc was a really prickly man. Well, that might be true, but he certainly doesn't need help in the way that I expected him to. It sounds as though he is really pleased with Jocelyn's work and has come to trust her. I would say that Marc Templeton is a man who is clearly capable of doing any job that he sets his mind to. I have no idea what she is playing at. I am curious to know what is going on as well now. I'll call her right away."

Greg nodded sympathetically as Claire reached for the phone and started to dial.

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Hi!

Sorry I have not been able to update for a while. Life happened with a vengeance over the past few weeks. Thanks for being patient. :-)

So? Who do you think is paying for Jocelyn to work for Marc? And why?

Thanks very much for reading. It is a huge support just to see my work is being read...:-)

Please don't forget to vote, comment, and share.

Thanks!

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If you would like to read the complete book, it is available for sale on Amazon. To find it, go to "Kindle Store", then search for "Cabert Silversmith".

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Have fun, play safe,

Cabert