Jenny's Heart

Chapter 10

The next morning, Jenny awoke to the early morning rays hitting her eyes through the parted curtains. She groaned and turned on her side, nestling in the extremely warm comforts of the bed. It was decidedly quiet, and it was something she wasn't used to. Normally, the sound of angry drivers and the bustle of the pedestrians was what woke her, but now she was too far above them to hear any of it.

She glanced at the wall-clock that hung above her dresser. It was just after six and, not knowing what to do, she decided to get up and change into the same outfit she wore yesterday. It wasn't like she had a wide selection to choose from (probably why Nathan wanted her to buy a few outfits) and the clothes she normally wore in her apartment wouldn't fit the expensive taste of the penthouse.

Her gaze moved towards the bed, and she smiled. Isabella was still sound asleep; her small body was curled around a continental pillow while her dark hair was a wild mess around her. Jenny pondered over waking her but decided against it. She'll wake her up when breakfast was ready. She doubted it would be ready so early on a Sunday morning.

As Jenny fixed her hair into a ponytail, she caught sight of the cellular device sitting on her bedside table. She decided to take it with her, hoping to figure out how it worked, and quietly opened the door to make her way towards the kitchen where the smell of coffee was strongest. 

When she entered, she noticed Alfredo grabbing ingredients from various cupboards, a freshly brewed cup of coffee sitting on the counter.

"Good morning, Alfredo," she greeted. 

The man jumped, almost dropping the carton of eggs in his hands, and Jenny could only assume he swore in French as he spun around, frantic eyes latching onto her. When he realized who it was, he sighed and slouched his shoulders.

"Pardon me, Jenny. I was not expecting you to be up yet," he said and took a deep breath as he placed the eggs on the counter.

"Nor I you, Alfredo. What are you doing here so early?" she asked as she walked up to him. 

She was grateful that he had stopped being so formal with her. She had asked him to call her just 'Jenny' yesterday while they worked together. It felt odd for an older man to call her that.

He sent her a baffled look. "I'm making breakfast?" he asked, almost as though he couldn't understand why she was shocked at seeing him there.

"So early though?" 

The chef nodded as he placed his toque on his head and went to collect more ingredients. "I have to so that I have the table ready by seven o'clock."

"Even on a Sunday?" Jenny asked with a frown.

That didn't seem fair. That was a very long week for Alfredo - working from before six in the morning until after seven each evening. She knew all about long work-hours. But, she supposed, he earned more money in a week than she did in two years at that diner. It did make it more worth while.

After all, you had to put in the hours to reap the benefits, right?

Alfredo shook his head. "No, I normally have Sunday mornings off; however, Mr Walker is leaving this morning, and he won't have time to take Rosa for breakfast."

Jenny nodded. "So he normally spends Sunday mornings with Rosa?" she asked as she slowly sat on one of the barstools by the island counter and placed her phone beside her.

The hefty man nodded his head as he started cracking eggs and putting them in a bowl. "Yes, he loves spending time with his daughter, but Sundays are normally the only time he gets. Even then, it's not a full day," he said as he worked. "He used to spend more time with her, but the past few months have been very busy for him. I hope he has more time now."