Falling For Mr. Greenfield

§ 4 § (BWWM)

THE CALL

"Hello."

Sorrow answered her cell phone.

She wasn't sure why Mr. Greenfield was calling her. There had never been a time in the past that he had called her for any reason.

The attorney paid his cleaning service invoice by check and all other communications came to Sorrow in the form of a note left next to the check with finely detailed itemized instructions on what he required from her. 

Beginning on day one, when she assumed the management of the company, Mr. Greenfield instructed her regarding the movements he'd allow within the walls of his residence as if she was nothing more than any of the numerous subordinates he'd managed over time. 

With their relationship firmly cemented as employer and employee, Asher detailed what he required of her service and Sorrow provided the housekeeping and occasional cooking add-ons and made sure every move was documented to give her client some semblance of control over his hired help and all that he commanded.

Sorrow retrieved each check that was left on the table in the foyer and that was the only interaction between the two, except for the rare occasion when Mr. Greenfield chose to text an update to her regarding the meal prep schedule.

Her client made it clear that even though he would retain her services, he preferred to limit his interactions with his housekeeper as much as humanly possible.

With that stipulation in mind, Sorrow believed a sudden call from Mr. Greenfield could only mean some disaster had befallen their arrangement and she needed to prepare herself to deal with the fallout.

In her thoughts, she began to run down all the possible transgressions that necessitated a call from Asher Greenfield. 

Maybe he'd been more offended to find her in his home than he'd let on. Surely, he wasn't that type of petty person to hold something against her when she had done nothing wrong?

With concerns freshly polluting her peace, Sorrow pressed the green button on her phone.

"Hello?"

"Miss Shay... this is Asher Greenfield. Please, accept my apologies for, ummm... disturbing you so early this morning." 

She wasn't sure what she'd expected, however, his voice sounded uncharacteristically strained with each pause between words and quite hesitant.

"It's fine, Mr. Greenfield. To what do I owe the pleasure of your call, sir?" 

"Ooo... are you busy today?" He mumbled.

"No, not really."

"Would you mind stopping by my home sometime this morning?" 

Again, he spoke each word in a hushed tone. 

"Sure; when would be a good time for you?"

"It's 9 am. Is an hour too soon?"

"No. That's fine. I was just here planning my week. I can reach your house in about 45 minutes. If that is okay?"

"Sure, that will be just fine. I'll be waiting." 

With his final remarks, he disconnected the call.

§§§

UNCHARTED

Why in the world did he say he would be waiting? She already knew that.

Asher chided himself for tripping over his words. Decades had passed since he last attempted to date someone, and all the rules had changed while he was in the comfort and safety of married life. He was by no means a smooth operator and to make matters worse, he hadn't the slightest idea how to approach a woman.