Page 21 of Losing his Daddy

“I’m open to the possibilities,” I finally replied after giving it some heavy thought. “I wouldn’t mind having someone around all the time. At least then I’d know my place wasn’t being missed. If they could also fill the roles I needed handled, then it would be a win-win.”

They didn’t look as if they believed me all that much. I would have been offended if it weren’t for the fact that I barely believed myself.

I was faking it until I made it. There was no other choice.

The morningafter my meeting with Tucker and Patrick, I woke to find multiple texts on my phone. I slipped on my reading glasses, then looked over who had reached out and for what.

Tucker:It was so good to see you last night! We need to do it again soon. Keyword - SOON. You hear me, mister? Don’t make me get Daddy to tell you.

Tucker:*heart emoji*

Unknown:My name is Pruitt Stark from NightShade Security. I received a message from our client requesting services for your home. Please reach out to me at your earliest convenience.

Unknown:Hi there! Tucker reached out to me about you needing some help. I’m Princess Aster, and I might just have the perfect person for you. Can you call when you have a chance? Thanks bunches! *monkey heart eye emoji*

I stared at the screen for far too long after. It was a toss-up for who I wanted to reply to first. Curiosity told me it should be Princess Aster since he already had someone in mind. If that person turned out to be the best fit, then they could reach out to the NightShade people to coordinate everything else.

Tucker was my business to handle, so I shot him a quick text to say thanks for his help and to promise I’d visit again soon.

From there, I proceeded to the text from Princess Aster. He’d specifically asked for me to call when I had the chance. While I knew most people hated phones these days for anything more than texts or social media, I felt refreshed for something different.

I decided to just do as he requested. I didn’t need to read any further into it.

The line rang twice before a delighted voice answered. “Hello?”

“Princess Aster?”

He giggled. “The one and only. You must be Wes.”

“I am. Your message mentioned you might have someone who's a good fit.”

“Yes, I do. Give me a second to get somewhere private.” There was a bit of noise in the background as he went wherever he needed to go. I could hear several other voices as he moved, though none clear enough to make out.

When he came back to the line, it was much quieter. “Ok, I’m good now. I hadn’t expected you to call so early. You must really need the help.”

“I do. Did Tucker tell you any of what happened?”

He hummed. “Not really. He just said you needed someone to manage your life. Like a Tucker 2.0 for home only. This isn’t for an office. It’s a personal hire, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct. I was engaged. It ended recently due to… reasons. Those said reasons are also why I fired all my staff. I’d like to replace as much as possible in one person if I can.”

“Are you trying to make someone overwork themselves?” He asked bluntly.

“No! It’s more that these jobs alone don’t keep one person busy. Like the cooking isn’t all that critical since I tend to eat out two times a day. And the housekeeping isn’t a deep-clean situation. It’s more like light dusting and then making the bed every now and then. I wouldn't want the person to feel overwhelmed at all.”

“And the personal assistant role? What do you need that for?”

“Well, to be honest, that one is more to help keep me on schedule. My job requires I work with dates and numbers all day long. By the time I clock out, I don’t want to do the same at home. If I could have someone who was there to back me up, then I figured I wouldn’t be able to ignore things to the point they pile up. They’d also occasionally help me with scheduled events and work trips, depending on time.”

Princess Aster made a noise that could have been one of sympathy to my plight or absolute judgement for thinking I could fit this all into one individual. Honestly, I felt it could go either way.

“I think the person I have in mind will actually fill the role perfectly. They’ve also gone through something hard recently. Honestly, it’s been ongoing for a while now. They could use a good break. Are you the person who can give it to them?”

I wasn’t sure what he meant. If they needed a good break, then yeah, I totally could be the person depending on how things went. I decided to answer him the best way I knew how.

“You know I’m a member of the club, right? Patrick vets everyone to gain access. I’m not some shady guy looking totake advantage of anyone. I know too well what it’s like to trust someone and have them throw it in your face.”

Princess Aster chuckled softly. “This is either going to go horribly or it will be the best thing ever. Can you meet him today? I’d love to connect you as soon as possible.”

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