I swear the entire office thinks I am a witch. Anytime anyone has problems, they always call me first. I guess that’s how we set it up when we came here, though.
Being an assistant doesn’t leave you even when you are promoted to the chief financial officer position.
It doesn’t help that my boss is still Maximilian Williamson.
He is the best guy I have ever met, but I don’t think he knows how to tie his shoes without me by this point.
“Oh, there. You see that? You have a period there. It’s making the formula think this field is invalid. Let’s remove that, then…” I wave at the screen as the document formats the correct way.
“Thank you, Iris. Gosh, I swear pregnancy brain doesn’t leave because you have a baby. I promise I am getting better.” Charlotte looks up at me, embarrassed.
“Stop worrying and show me that adorable baby girl,” I tell her.
She opens her phone and starts showing me pictures.
My heart pangs at the sight of her new baby. I haven’t seriously thought about a family in a long time, but now that I am thirty-three, that clock inside of me is ticking louder and louder.
When will it be my turn?
I spent a decade of my life focusing on building a career. I always only meant for my position at The Williamson Hotel to be temporary. A stepping stone to the next best thing. Then Max happened, and I couldn’t justify leaving him. Not when he paid me more than I could ever make elsewhere and practically let me act as him when he wasn’t available.
I went from an executive assistant to his most trusted confidant. It didn’t matter that my title never changed because everyone at the company knew who I was.
They respected me.
When Max’s brother Mason wanted a change so he could be closer to his newfound family, Max offered to give up his cushy job at the hotel to take over as CEO of Williamson Group.
I could have stayed. Mason would have let me, but it wouldn’t have been the same.
So I followed Max and landed the CFO job without even an interview.
Now I’m wondering if all my hustling all these years was worth missing out on the parts of life I can never get back. Is it too late to find someone to settle down with?
Dating in my thirties is a scary idea.
I look over my shoulder down toward where my office sits next to Max’s.
I always thought it would be him. That one day he would wake up and that chemistry from the day we met would flare back to life. That he would give me everything I ever hoped for.
A decade later, and I’m still waiting.
“She is beautiful, Charlotte. I want more pictures later, but I need to go now. Max is expecting me.”
She smiles. “Of course. Thanks again.”
As I leave her desk, the familiar sadness sets in. I never noticed it before, but a couple of years ago Max found out he had a niece that neither he nor Mason knew about. When she came into our lives, that changed. My view of the world started to morph.
Now I don’t know how to be content with the life I once loved while missing the one I pushed away.
Walking into Max’s office, I shut the door and plop down on the loveseat he has in the corner.
“Are you all right?” he asks, some humor in his voice. “Please don’t tell me it was Benny asking you out again. He is a good security guard, but he should know better.”
I wave my hand at him.
He’s right. Benny has been hitting on me, but I would never shit where I eat, and he knows it.
Still, I look over at Max.
