NO DOUBT [bwwm]

• 7 • The Assistant

Three weeks had passed since I had first cleaned the Ricci Residence. In that time, I got the chance to have short yet meaningful conversations with Orlando about Shakespeare and his writings. He told me he was currently reading a collection of his sonnets, and he had a couple to recommend. The oldest Ricci brother had such a way with words, his talking only could put me in a daze for hours. The younger one, however, was incredibly stubborn in his pathetic attempts to flirt with me. It was more like he was flirting to me, instead. He wouldn't give up, though lately he had been more friendly and teasing with it.

Another Ricci who managed to get off my back during that period of time was Giulia. I guessed she warmed up to me since we saw each other almost everyday. And each passing one, she grew more and more cordial. She knew how hardworking and dedicated I was and got to witness it herself, and my guess was, she learned to respect me - and maybe even like me - for it. About damn time, too.

New York stopped being so intimidating and unknown thanks to my new friends. Felicia, Tyler and I would have our weekly CNN's. Candy & Netflix Nights. It was each Friday, Saturday and Sunday and each of us would take turns in picking which Netflix show we would binge-watch that night while eating junk food. The picker of the night was the winner of a rock-paper-scissors contest, and the night was over whenever he or she fell asleep. We were a cute little trio. Felicia and I would often have fun tying Tyler's hair into small ponytails whenever he slept, my photo gallery is filled with goofy foolishness like that.

Felicia wouldn't admit it, but she would get all shy and flushed with Tyler around in the beginning. Of course, with time she grew comfortable with him, but the way she got all giddy when she talked about him hinted me that my friend had a certain attraction for my neighbour. The latter seemed responsive, but only to a point. But I knew that with Felicia loosening up - and some of my meddling - the both of them would become an item in no time.

I was thinking about how I could speed up the process of their getting together while cleaning the last of the large kitchen windows at the Ricci's. Once done, I made my way to the living room from which I could hear voices, those of Giulia and Stefano. I decided to head to the entrance instead, not wanting to interrupt. In those three weeks I've also learned not to be around them whenever they were arguing, which was almost every single time they talked to each other. I heard it's important to keep the fire going even after years of marriage, but I think those two lit the wrong one.

I hastily walked past the gigantic opened double doors of the living room. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast - or silent - enough because I heard Giulia call my name from the living room where her and her husband were standing by the chimney. I hesitantly took steps backwards, a fake smile on my face.

"Mrs Ricci," I said to the lady in front of me.

"Dio mio, Josie, remind me to never ask you to lie, it's an awful look on you," Giulia grimaces.

My smile dropped and I fixed my posture, feeling slightly embarrassed.

"We're deciding which colors we're going to paint the bedrooms. I was just telling Stefano that we need a feminine neutral point of view, and you passed by," she smiled. "So help us choose, mint or baby blue?"

She showed me the color templates and after a couple of seconds of reflexion I answered.

"None." The room was silent before I started explaining myself, "I think with the more rustic and high-end allure of the house, mint nor baby blue have their place in it. Maybe colder shades?" I pick up the templates and go through them rapidly. "I'd suggest hunter green or even a tea green, but if you insist on blue, you can find a happy medium in, say... teal or turkish blue."

Stefano slowly nodded, Giulia didn't budge from the frown she had since a couple moments earlier as she stared at me even when I pointed the colors. Silence invaded us some more as I waited for an answer from my bosses.

"Stefano." He hummed at his wife. "You can cancel the interviews I found her," her eyes sparkled as she kept them on me.

Stefano seemed lost, "Found who- oh. Don't you think it's a bit early-"

"No," she cut him off before addressing herself to me, "You're hired."

I look at her in confusion, "I'm sorry ma'am, I don't remember being fired in the first place..."

"Oh, well, you are now," she grinned at her statement as if she didn't just render me jobless. "Goodness, I'm getting ahead of myself," she inhales, "I'm firing you as a waitress and housekeeper, and I'm hiring you as my personal assistant."

A personal assistant? To the woman who I thought despised me in my first weeks working for her? Yeah, this was not going to happen.

"I won't take no as an answer," she quirked an eyebrow. "Whatever it is that we pay you, I'll triple it, and that's excluding growth potential."

All I heard was 'mo money'. It would have been stupid of me to refuse, right?

"And what does being your personal assistant include, Mrs Ricci?"

"Consider yourself a... secretary."

"A secretary?" My brows furrowed.

"In some way, yes. Only, you'll follow me around from 8 to 6, breaks included, of course. You'll do everything I could do, if I didn't have more important matters to attend."

I nod.

"Weekends off?"

"Weekends off. I could ask for you exceptionally from times to times, but that would include a bonus. So, do we have ourselves a deal?"

I left a couple of seconds of suspense, "We do."

She exhaled, "Perfect! You start Monday, meaning, you're not fired until then. Lord, you don't know how exhausting and frustrating those damned interviews were, just idiot after simpleton..."

I nervously laughed at her rant, but Stefano saved me, "It was even harder on me, trust me, having to hear you whining after each one, woman..."

They began bickering and I took the opportunity to hurry to the entrance where I should've been a while ago. Away from the crazy.

A/N:
Hey lovezz
This is more or less a filler chapter... it's more of a get-it-over-with chapter you know? Next one though....
Vote and comment for virtual hugs xx 🤎