Page 13 of In Good Company

Her jaw flies open as she hurriedly sits down on the bench in front of me, straddling the bench as her eyes bore into mine. “Callahan Hastings offered you a job as his private chef? When do you start?”

I look down, my fingers playing with the hem of my uniform skirt. “I haven’t accepted it yet,” I answer quietly. For some reason, saying it out loud that I haven’t said yes already does sound a little crazy. Maybe the fact he’s my ex’s brother isn’t a good enough reason to turn down the job. The money he’s offered would be enough to help not just me but my family as well.

I keep it to myself that another part of the reason I’ve told him no is because it seems like he’s never been told no. It’d be good for him to be denied for once.

“Why haven’t you accepted it?”

I shrug. “It’s weird for me to work for my ex’s brother, right?”

Charlotte reaches between us and grabs my hands. She gives them a squeeze, a smile spreading across her lips. “No, actually, I think it’s weird that you won’t take it because of a shitty ex. If Cal’s brother isn’t even worth your breath todiscuss, I don’t think he should get in the way of you accepting a once-in-a-lifetime job offer. Not many people can say they worked fortheCallahan Hastings.”

“Thomas Boucher is well-known too,” I counter before pulling my lip between my teeth because even I know it’s not the same.

Thomas Boucher is well-known in his own right. Anyone who has a membership at Pembroke Country Club is wealthy beyond measure. They’ve excelled enough in their careers to not only afford what I’m sure is a hefty yearly membership fee at the club but also the notoriety to even be invited to join the club to begin with. You can’t just have money to be a member at Pembroke. To be a member, you must also havepower. People must know your name.

Pembroke’s for the best of the best, and Cal is one of its most prestigious members.

Charlotte drops my hand and rolls her eyes. It’s clear she thinks I’m crazy for not accepting the offer.Maybe I am crazy for not considering it more.“The Bouchers are great,” she begins, her voice sweet. “A lovely family, actually. They tip well and are always very kind, but Thomas isn’t Callahan. Having Callahan Hastings on your resume could open you up to any job you wanted after this. You want to be a chef for Scarlett Astor? Winnie and Archer Moore? The king? Having a recommendation from Callahan would get you a foot in the door with any of those people.”

A laugh escapes me as I shake my head at Charlotte. “Royalty? I’m not so sure about that.”

Charlotte tosses her long, blonde hair over her shoulder and shrugs. “Working for Scarlett Astor would be cooler, anyway. Did you know her family are members here? Maybe Callahan knows them.”

“The Astors are members here?” I ask in disbelief. ScarlettAstor is one of the most famous actresses in the world right now. You can’t watch a movie or see a brand campaign without seeing her face. The Astors are film royalty. I don’t know how I’ve missed them.

Charlotte nods confidently. “At least that’s what I’ve been told. I’ve never seen them here, but imagine if they are. You could become a celebrity chef.”

I roll my eyes at my friend. She’s a big dreamer, and I love that about her. But even if the Astor family were members at Pembroke—which I doubt they are—I’m not looking for another private chef position after this summer. Once fall arrives, I’m on a flight back to Virginia to help with the family business. I’m supposed to take it over from my father. My resume as a private chef won’t matter.

“I haven’t even taken the job with Cal. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I respond, my tone a little sad. I wish I could plan for the future I want, but I can’t. I’m lucky my family’s even given me the time I’ve had now to live out my dream career.

“As your friend, I can’t let you turn down the job. Unless…” She pauses for a moment as she purses her lips. “Is the pay shit? Did he lowball you?”

I laugh at the question before letting out a sigh. “He said he’d pay double what Thomas offered.”

She tilts her head to the side. “Then why are we still talking about this?”

My head falls back as I let out a loud whine. “I don’t know. Because it still feels like I shouldn’t take a job from my ex’s brother. What if Oliver visits?”

“Then you poison his food.”

My eyes widen. “Charlotte,” I scold, hitting her on the thigh.

She shrugs, clearly not seeing anything wrong with hersolution. “Don’t worry about stupid Oliver. Take the job, Lucy. Or I’m going to take the job for you, and I’m a terrible cook.”

I laugh, remembering when we had a movie night, and she almost burned down my tiny apartment just by making a frozen pizza. Mr. Fred, the owner of the shop my apartment is above, came to our rescue in his pajamas with a fire extinguisher. “I’ll never forget the one time I let you cook for us.”

“I thought the plastic piece under the pizza was supposed to go inwiththe pizza. Sue me.”

I shake my head. She can’t cook at all, and her sense of humor is a little dark sometimes, but Charlotte is the best of the best. Making friends when you’re an adult is hard, especially when in an unfamiliar place. I’m lucky to have found her, and although I won’t be poisoning Oliver anytime soon, maybe she’s onto something.

Am I overthinking this?

I scrub my hands along my face as I let out a groan. “Am I thinking too much into this? Should I have already said yes?” I wonder if I’m being a little childish by wanting to deny the offer just to tell him no.

Charlotte scoots forward, placing her hands on my shoulders. “Yes, you should’ve already said yes, but that’s beside the point now. It’s not too late to say no.”

I nod, meeting her green gaze. “What if it is? I accidentally wasn’t the politest to him at lunch today…” I cringe a little, remembering how short I was with Cal. I think he left the restaurant still wanting me to take the job with him with the way my responses only made his smirk even wider, but I can’t be sure.

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