The Sturniolos' Assistant

Chapter 4: Trustworthy

When I hear my alarm, I'm quick to turn it off, hoping the sound doesn't wake Matt. This couch was actually comfortable, and I slept well, considering how uncomfortable and unprofessional I feel for spending the night. I'm supposed to meet them at ten today, so now I have to go home and get ready.

I put my blanket on top of Matt and tell him I'll be back, even though it's too early for him to comprehend what I'm saying. I have a key to their house, so I let myself out. I'm lucky that I only live twenty minutes away because that's one of the things I put on my resume that isn't my strongest skill; time management. I'm still working on using my time wisely and although I'm never late when meeting them, I think it would be more difficult if I lived further away.

After I shower and change, I put my long golden-brown hair in a claw clip because I'm too lazy to dry it and leave my apartment. It's almost nine and I have enough time to go to the grocery store. I decided to make them scrambled eggs, bacon, and French toast. It's kind of like our Saturday tradition when they don't have much going on that day. I make them breakfast and we work from their house. I can make a lot of breakfast foods, chicken alfredo pasta, and desserts. They love it. I actually got Matt to like French toast a little more than chocolate chip pancakes.

I get all the ingredients I need then head back to their house. It's about 9:30 and the house is quiet. Matt is still sleeping on the couch. Before I make breakfast, I make Matt the tea I swear has healing powers or something. As I wait for the water to heat up, I grab the thermometer again and check his temperature. It's 99.7. They don't have any events to attend today, just a meeting with Laura, so he shouldn't stress out about being sick.

While the bacon is cooking, I start making the batter for the French toast and hear Matt stir on the couch.

"Hey," he says in a deep voice.

"Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Better." He gets up and sits down at the table. I put the mug of tea in front of him. He makes a face at the smell, probably the weird combination of mint and orange.

"It helps, I promise."

He takes a sip, and my stomach does a flip. I like that he trusts me. I'm almost done making breakfast when Chris comes up the stairs.

"Hey, Malia." Chris smiles.

"Hey," I smile back at him. He sits down next to Matt, but not too close because he says he doesn't want to get sick.

"Bro, guess who I met at the party," Chris says. "Cassie Carlisle."

"Who?" Matt asks.

"Dude, she's like a billionaire. Check it." Chris slides his phone to Matt. My back is turned to them as I soak a piece of bread in the batter. I can only assume this Cassie chick is a hot rich influencer or something. I haven't heard of her at all, and I feel out of the loop sometimes when they talk about people who are famous like that, and I have no clue who they are.

"Oh yeah. She's hot," Matt says quietly and I almost burn my hand trying to flip the bread.

"Yeah, and I got her number." Chris does a little dance as I set the plate of French toast in front of them. "She invited us to stay next weekend on a private island."

"What private island?" Nick asks, coming down the stairs.

"Santa Lyla, it's off the coast of L.A. It's like a ferry ride away, she said."

"What's on the island?" Nick asks, getting a piece of French toast.

"She hasn't been there in a while because it's hard to get a reservation, but she talked about a golf course and a spa or something. I can't remember."

"Wait, start from the beginning," Matt says as he finishes the tea. Nick and Chris fill us in on the party. Nick met a cute guy named Louis and hung out with him all night while Chris was off talking to Cassie.

"What did she say when she invited you?" I ask.

"She said that I can invite whoever I want to go and that it's on her. We don't have to pay for a thing."

What I'm trying to wrap my head around is that Cassie said it's hard to get a reservation, but she told Chris to invite whomever he wants. And it's not like I'm meeting billionaires every day, but it's hard to believe that she can be so generous with her money to someone she just met. Maybe the island reservation isn't as expensive as I think it would be or maybe she's super nice which makes me feel uneasy. Regardless of how I feel, I keep it to myself as I listen to the boys talk about it. By the end of breakfast, they've decided that they want to go to the island.

When we meet with Laura, they bring up the trip and she thinks it'll be fun. Chris FaceTimes Cassie to get more information. I'm sitting in the corner, taking notes, but I can see Cassie's face and she's gorgeous. She also has a fun energy about her. Laura and Madi have other obligations here, so they said they couldn't go, but then Cassie's eyes land on me.

"What about her? Can she go?" she asks. They all turn to me, and I hate being put on the spot. I don't really want to go, but if Laura's not going, I want to be there for them.

"Um, yeah. I can go." It's not like I have anything else to do. My life is pretty much nonexistent except for being their assistant.

"Perfect!" Cassie smiles brightly through the phone. I feel like I'd be intruding on their weekend getaway because it's not technically work but Cassie invited me.

After the meeting, I pulled Laura aside and asked if she was sure she couldn't go with us. She said that she trusts me and knows I can handle this. I really hope she's right because as much as I want to say I'm 100% confident in myself as their assistant, something can always go wrong.

If something goes wrong, it's my job to fix it and I'm worried I won't be able to.