Chapter 2: Job Interview

The early shifts were always the worst for Sarah, because it seemed like every single worker in town was eager to find themselves a cup of coffee before going to face their boring workday.

She had been working at the coffee shop downtown for a few months now, trying to juggle with her studies and taking care of her grandmother, who was getting sicker and sicker with time.

Sarah was always a good student, and thanks to the money that her mother had left, she was able to afford a good school and a good college. Unfortunately, the money was over before she could finish it, and she also had to stop her last semester in order to take care of her grandmother.

For a while, she struggled to find something nice. No company wanted to pay well for someone who didn't finish college. Then stores and small establishments were the last options she had.

The coffee shop job wasn't enough to pay the hospital bills, so she often offered to cover for a few coworkers so she could get some extra money. Her grandmother had some money that was left from her deceased husband, but that was only enough to pay the bills of the house.

Sarah lived with her grandmother in her tiny apartment in the suburbs of Seattle since she could remember. Her mother had died giving birth to her and she had no idea who her father was, so she was raised by Nana. They were a team, both of them against the world. So loosing her grandma wasn't a choice. She would do everything in her power to get the money to pay for her grandmother's surgery and treatment.

"Hey, miss!" An annoying high-pitched woman's voice took her out of her daydream. "I would like my coffee still hot, if that isn't too much to ask."

The woman was staring at her very impatiently, looking like a very important and busy person.

Sarah nodded and apologized, handing her the cardboard cup. The woman left without even saying 'thank you', and Sarah took a deep breath, counting the minutes to end her shift.

Her Nana had an appointment with the doctor that afternoon, so she had to take her to the hospital. At noon, she felt the cold breeze struck her face as soon as she put her feet on the sidewalk.

"Nana, let's go!" She said a few hours later, after she had finished cleaning the kitchen and washing the dishes from lunch.

"Well, I'm just waiting for you, dear." The old lady said, getting up from the couch with Sarah's help. She wasn't invalid or anything like that, but with age and her illness, it was getting hard for Nana to do a lot of things by herself without feeling tired.

They took a cab, something Sarah had to afford in order to give her grandmother at least some comfort during her late years of life. Not that she was expecting her Nana to die anytime soon, but she wanted to give back everything that her grandmother had given her her entire life.

"So, how was work today?" Nana asked, stroking her hand gently. She was a very sweet and delicate old woman, but she was also very strict while raising Sarah. She wanted her granddaughter to be an independent woman, someone that could go after whatever she wanted and fight for what she thought was right. And Sarah was very proud to recognize that she had achieved that.

"You know… Same old same old. Just a bunch of arrogant people thinking that just because they are paying, we are their slaves." Sarah rolled her eyes, looking at the window, but still holding her grandmother's hand.

"It pains me to see that you studied so hard and is so smart but ends up working at a coffee shop. Nothing wrong with that though, every work dignifies men, but you know… I had high hopes for your future."

"Nana… You don't need to worry about this, alright? I've told you that already. You're my life, so I'll do everything I can to take care of you, just like you did with me for twenty three years. I'll win in life one day, just wait."

Nana smile widened a bit, holding on to that hope as well.

"I know you will. I can feel in my heart that destiny is going to be amazing to you. We just need to be patient, right?" Nana also rolled her eyes, making Sarah smile.

"Yeah, something we both aren't!"

"That's one thing you got from me for sure," Nana concluded, getting out of the cab, while Sarah paid the driver.

The doctor's appointment went smoothly as it could be, until the end at least. Sarah knew her grandmother's situation wasn't pleasant, but they were doing everything they could so she had a good life quality. But she didn't have healthy insurance anymore, since the expenses were getting absurdly expensive. And exams were not a cheap thing.

"Mrs. Johnson, I need you to make a few exams so we can see how is your heart and lungs holding up, alright? I know we did one last year, but as time passes, we need to make sure that the disease is not progressing faster than we think."

Sarah agreed, of course, since she didn't have much choice anyway, but when she saw the bill from the hospital, she almost collapsed. All the money she had saved so far that month was gone. And her grandmother even had to spend the rest of hers to complete it.

After dropping her grandmother at home, Sarah decided to go for a drink at a pub near her house. She called her best friend, Brie, to chat and vent her sorrows.

"You know what? I just heard that Mr. Reed's hiring someone to be his nephew's nanny. He had a problem with the last one, it was a mess in the mansion." Brie explained after Sarah told her that all of her money was gone in just one day.

"Who's Mr. Reed again?" Sarah asked confused.

"Mr. Reed is the guy I worked for a few years ago."

"Ah, the rich CEO?" Sarah widened her eyes.

"Rich is an understatement," Brie replied with a smile. "The guy basically owns Seattle."

Sarah took a sip from her drink.

"Doesn't he own a tech company or something? How could he own the whole city?"

"Sarah, I know this is a very distant world from ours, but with the money he has, it wouldn't surprise me if he had bought the whole town." Brie laughed, also grabbing her drink from the table.

"You have a point. So, the position is for a nanny? It should be simple, right?" she asked.

Brie's face darkened.

"His nephew is everything to him, so it's not that easy." Brie leaned forward, trying to look mysterious, and whispered. "The servants said that he saw the nanny slapping the little boy and yelling at him."

"What?" Sarah asked in shock.

"Shhh!" Brie put her fingers in front of Sarah's lips, so she could continue the story.

"They said the man didn't even raise his voice. He just told her to get the hell out of there."

"Really?" Sarah frowned. "That is the least he should do after that, in my opinion."

"Anyway, I think you should try. You are smart, and you can teach English and Spanish to the boy. You know a bit of French as well, right?" Brie continued, ignoring Sarah's remark.

"I do, but…"

"And the boy also has teachers that go to the mansion to teach him other things, like Math, Physics, and Chemistry, so you don't need to worry about that. Basically, yeah, it should be easy. Just make sure you don't do anything to the boy, otherwise, you will never get a job in your life again."

Sarah swallowed, but the idea wasn't bad. Working for a CEO probably had its advantages. She could use the money, that's for sure. And she loved kids, so that was also a plus.

On the next day, Brie texted her the address of the mansion after promising Sarah that she would arrange the interview for her. She still had some contacts inside the mansion anyway, so it would make things easier.

The mansion itself took her breath away. She had never seen so many expensive furniture and decorative objects. She barely knew how to behave in such a place.

One of the servants, a grey-haired old man, who she thought was the butler, guided her through a hallway filled with doors and made her get inside a very large and bright library. She waited there for a few minutes, wiggling her fingers nervously, even though she didn't know exactly why.

What she didn't expect, or at least she didn't pondered over it, was that it was going to be Mr. Reed himself the one who would interview her.

And when he entered the room, one more thing was clear. She wasn't expecting the man to be so handsome, young, and breathtaking.