Martha Fletcher has only ever had one job- Executive Assistant to Sam Courtenay.
She'll schedule his diary, pick up his dry cleaning, usher girls out of his apartment first thing in the morning... nothing was out of bounds until one night, that blur...
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Sitting in a meeting with Evelyn, my sister and partner at the gallery, my mind just wasn't on the job. We were supposed to be going over the details for an upcoming exhibition and finalising the theme of the summer show we were going to host and while Evelyn was on the ball with it all, for some reason, I couldn't concentrate.
This morning, as I was getting ready and brushing my teeth, I looked down to see a pink toothbrush in the pot. It wasn't there last week and I certainly hadn't bought one, which meant that Martha must have left it here after our latest sleepover. Her coming to stay the night at my house was becoming more and more frequent; at least four nights of the week, she was here, sleeping in my bed next to me but this was the first morning where she had left traces of herself. Not that I minded because I love having her stay the night but it was an odd feeling.
The last person who shared my space so intimately was Jasmine Gough, my former fiancée that had been the catalyst in me changing from being an arsehole to becoming the man that I am today. When she moved from New York to London, she came to live with me and quickly made herself feel at home, going so far as to put her stamp on my house in record time. Since the break-up, I hadn't changed much of what she had chosen for the house which I was now regretting. I hated seeing Martha in the space that had been decorated by another woman.
"Evie?" I call out my sister's name to get her attention. When she peered over at me from behind her long, blonde coloured fringe, I ask, "Could you help me redecorate the house, please?"
My sister frowned. "Sammy, you know I hate painting. I can recommend a decorator if that's what you want but as much as I love you, I am not spending days of my life painting your house."
"Some sister you are," I muttered playfully. Smiling at her, I begin to explain what it is that I want to achieve. "I don't need to paint, just take some things down and throw them out. My house reminds me of Jasmine and I think it'll be best if I de-Jasmined so that Martha feels more comfortable being there."
Nodding, Evie agreed, stating that she'd bring her husband, Alastair, with her. When she asked if we'd need Dan and Sophie, too, I declined that suggestion, thinking it would be better to keep them out of it. Dan had never liked Jasmine so he'd see it as a 'good riddance' kind of thing, whereas Sophie had once been close to Jasmine and might be overcome with a sense of nostalgia for certain items. Not so much nostalgia for Jasmine and their friendship but for items such as the Tiffany vase that Jasmine bought. Sophie would take that in a heartbeat and every time I would go to my brother's house, I'd have to see it and be reminded that my ex-fiancée had purchased it for our house. No thanks.
Later that afternoon, I rang Martha to double check if she was staying the night with me. She had the day off today because her father and Charlotte were at an appointment and she needed to look after her baby sister; I missed having her around at work but if she were coming over for the night, it would more than make up for today.
