“This… This is my office? This… whole room?”
“Yes.”
Penelope blinked in disbelief. She walked to the window and gasped. The view was incredible. She could see a good part of 7thAvenue, and Central Park in the distance. No wonder she’d never wanted to live anywhere else in the world. Even though she hadn’t traveled much, she doubted any other city could convince her to leave New York.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Jenny cocked a perfectly drawn eyebrow. “What for?”
Penny turned to her and shook her head slowly. “I’m sorry. I guess I was just talking to myself.”
“If you want, you’re free to hang some art on the walls. I’ll admit they’re a bit cold and boring right now.”
“Are you sure this is my office, though? I mean… I’m just a personal assistant. This looks more like the office of a CEO, if you ask me.”
Jenny laughed. “You’re funny. I like you. Now, let’s go over your tasks for this week. Starting tomorrow, you and Mr. Goldman will work very closely, but if you have any questions, you can count on me. He told me to help you with whatever you need until you get used to this place. Later, I’ll show you the shared office space, introduce you to our colleagues, we’ll check out the kitchen, and the terrace. If you smoke, you’ll find me there most of the time.”
“I… I don’t smoke.”
“Cool.”
They sat down, and Jenny placed the stack of files in front of Penelope.
“Take some time to study these, but the first task is a priority.”
Penny opened the file on top. It contained around fifteen teacher resumes. English, Math’s, Science…
“I’m confused. What is this?”
“You’ll have to go through each resume and choose the candidates for the interviews. You’ll conduct them yourself. This is a small list, as I didn’t have time to do a lot of research, and then Mr. Goldman decided his new personal assistant would be better fit for the job. So, if you don’t find these people satisfactory, you’ll have to look for others.”
“Err… okay, but…”
She was beyond confused. Why would Richard need her to interview teachers? From what she could tell at first glance, all the resumes mentioned homeschooling experience. But, Richard’s kids were all in their twenties.
“Yes.” Jenny placed her palms flat on the table. “Ask me anything you need.”
Just as Penny was getting ready to do that, Richard Goldman knocked on the door and entered without waiting to be invited in.
“Miss Shields, I’ll take it from here. Thank you for your time.”
Jenny stood up, nodded, and was out of the office in a matter of seconds.
Penelope straightened her back and watched her new boss as he closed the door behind the brunette, then crossed his hands behind his back and walked over to the window. For a long while, there was complete silence between them, and Penny didn’t know whether she was supposed to break it. It was strange. She had known this man since she was little, yet she sensed his energy was different from what he displayed at home. When the Goldmans and the Waltons met for tea or spent a weekend golfing while the ladies sunbathed by the pool, Rick was warm, funny, and even a bit of a joker. Now, Penelope almost felt like she didn’t know the man. On the other hand, she figured it was normal for someone who was running such a huge investment company to put on a mask when he was at work.
“Do you like your office?”
“Yes. Definitely. I didn’t expect it to be this spacious. The view is breathtaking.”
“I’m glad.”
He made a long pause, as if he was trying very hard to formulate his next sentence in an appropriate way. It was as if something was weighing on his shoulders, and he knew he was supposed to pass it on to his new personal assistant but wasn’t sure how.
“Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Mr. Goldman. I won’t disappoint you.”
She had said it before, at the end of the interview. Even though she didn’t like repeating herself, she had nothing else to say.
He nodded and finally turned to her. His dark, thick eyebrows were furrowed. At sixty-three, Rick Goldman was still strong and well built. He made sure to work out every day, he maintained a clean diet, and when he wasn’t at the gym, he could only be seen in an elegant, expensive suit. It was as if he was born in an Armani.
