4| Profession

☼Willow☼

I haven't received a single call since yesterday. They haven't called me back like they said they would if I had gotten the job.

It's almost 2:00 p.m. This must mean that I didn't get the job.

Shit.

My deadline is tomorrow, I have to move out if I don't pay tomorrow morning. Honestly, I don't even blame myself anymore, life is just being a mean bitch and if that's the way it's gonna be then I might as well move on.

I sighed deeply before neatly folding the last of my shirt into my suitcase and then zipping it up.

Yes, I'm packing. I'm getting ready to catch the first flight leaving for Ohio tomorrow morning. I've decided that it's not a bad decision at all, maybe it won't be all that bad.

Maybe, I just have a hefty amount of bad luck in this city and it will all be fine once I just start over after I settle in Ohio in the meantime. Yeah, that's not at all a bad idea.

My phone rang and I stopped packing up my bath kit for a moment so I could pick it up.

Unfortunately, I have a bad habit of picking up my calls before checking the caller ID and it was at moments like this that I wish I wasn't that dumb.

I let out a silent groan before holding the phone next to my ear.

"Chloe, dear is that you?"

"Oh my, you must've dialed the wrong number. I'll just kindly hang up so you can go ahead and contact the right person." I said with mock kindness.

"It is you! I was hoping that you'd give one of your friends and have them pretend that you were dead again."

"Don't lie, you know you'd love to hear that," I said, rolling my eyes as I threw in my bath bombs and favorite soap samples. 

"But then again, I never actually had any friends because you chased them all away saying that they would only be there as distractions. How does your style of parenting make you feel, Mom?"

"Well, dropping in on how things turned out, it makes me feel like I haven't done enough, seeing as you are still unemployed and planning to go leech off your grandmother in Ohio." She said, ending the sentence pointedly as if to tell me she'd found out already.

Leech?

"Oh please, don't act like you care, it'll make me look bad," I said, eyeing the bathroom to see if I had missed anything. 

"Not that you'd hate that," I added as an afterthought.

"There's a better life than the one you're living, come join us, your father and I are always ready to welcome you back."

"Yeah sure, I'll make sure to fall into your trap again so you can plan my engagement with some posh Englishman who is hoping to take over his father's company so that you can make your daughter leech off him for you as conveniently as she can, while you and your husband sell people overpriced houses and your fake smiles," I said, taking some time to breathe in-between words.

"Chloe!" My mother called sharply.

"Willow, Mom, my middle name reminds me too much of you," I said, dropping my bath kit right next to my suitcases that were already packed and ready.

"You have no respect." She spat, making me scoff.

"You have one child and you fucked up the chance to give her the life she wanted. I'm 25 Mom, and you're still trying to make me do what you want, what is wrong with you? If you can't think of me as a daughter, you gave birth to then just leave me alone, for fucks sake, it's not that I have no respect it's just that you don't have my respect." I ranted.

The line went silent for a second before she spoke again.

"Your life is sad, Willow." She said, her tone down as if she was ashamed.

My grip on my phone tightened.

"That's just because you're in it." I retorted and then hung up.

I took a deep breath and slowly dropped my phone on my bed so that I wouldn't feel tempted and smash it on the floor like my brain was telling me to.

I pursed my lips as I scanned my room, it looked so empty and ugly without my usual stuff hanging around. I should talk with Grams, she shouldn't go rubbing it in my mom's face that I was coming to live with her, she's just feeding her information.

My phone rang again when I was getting ready to go eat some leftovers from my fridge. This time I made sure to check the caller ID before answering, but I was shocked to find out that there was no caller ID, it was an unknown number.

I narrowed my eyes on the phone wondering if it was my mom who was calling with a different number because she's done that a few times just so she could get the last say in our arguments.

"Hello-" I started but was cut off by a voice that definitely wasn't my mom's.

"Hello, good afternoon to you. Am I speaking with Ms. Willow Bardot?" A friendly voice asked through the phone.

"Uh, yes?" I said, confused. "That's me."

"That's great Ms. Bardot, I'm Julia Martinez the housekeeper of the Albergo residence."

I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion as I leaned over my door frame trying to recall if I had been to any Albergo residence in my life.

"Uh, where?" I muttered hoping that I could get some explanation.

"Oh, my bad, I'm guessing you don't know it by that name." The caller said with a nervous chuckle. "I'm calling to inform you that your interview with Mr. Moretti yesterday was successful and I'm happy to share with you that you have gotten the job."

I felt my jaw slack.

"Really?" I asked shocked. I got the job?

"Yes, really."

I got the job!

Oh yeah! I remember Julia from yesterday, she was the one who showed me to the interview office and the car that brought me home. How could I be so dumb?

"Wow, Julia, thank you so much for calling early." I beamed turning around to look at my packed stuff. "I would've been on a plane if you were a couple of hours late."

I heard Julia laugh heartily through the phone.

"My bad, it's just that our Mr. had forgotten to inform me that you'd gotten the job, I was just learning of this." She said. "We would like you to start as soon as possible please, we have cars ready to come get you anytime you're ready."

I let out a short laugh, my slightly trembling fingers leaving a cold trail on my scalp as I ran my hand through my messy hair.

"I've already packed my stuff for the airport, I guess I'm pretty much ready right now," I said, glancing back at my suitcases. "I will be there in half an hour," I told her, my smile so wide that my cheeks were hurting.

"Oh, please don't bother to miss, if you're all set then please wait for the car from yesterday to come to collect you." She spoke.

"Um, okay," I said walking into my living room. "I should get ready before the car comes then."

"You should. I'll hang up now." Julia announced. "See you later!"

"See you later Julia," I said with a short laugh before the line went dead.

I dropped my hands to my sides, my eyes wet and my cheeks almost about to combust from smiling.

I finally got a job after two cock-sucking years.

I let out an excited squeal and jumped on my couch. I flapped around until I could feel the sides of my stomach starting to hurt.

Sitting up, I decided that I should inform Grams about my change of plans but not now, she'll have to wait until I reheat and eat my leftover mac and cheese from last night.

"Thank you," I said to the driver again as he helped me unload my stuff from the trunk.

I shuffled on my feet, eyeing the vast amount of security surrounding the house from the outside. I know he's rich but, this much security?

"No worries, miss. You can call me Jared, just ask for me and I'll drive you anywhere." The middle-aged man said, making me chuckle.

"You can call me Willow then, Jared," I said as I collected my bath kit from his hands.

He smiled at me and closed the car trunk before tipping an imaginary hat at me and slipping into the car.

Before I could decide how to get my stuff inside, two men in uniforms came and stood beside me. I blinked at them, wondering where they came from.

I opened my mouth to say hello, but another voice beat me to it.

"Kevin, Tim, take this stuff to the room I showed you earlier please while I show our guest around," Julia said, coming to stand beside me.

They complied with her orders instantly and lifted my bags like they weighed nothing. Julia chuckled at my shocked state and patted my shoulder.

"That's Kevin and Tim, they do the brawny work." She told me.

I nodded in response, turning to look at her. Julia was old, she looked to be in her mid-sixties. Her hair was a fine mix of white strands hiding among sleek black hair that was tied in a bun. She was shorter than I was and standing next to her felt like standing next to Grams.

"Let's go in, you have a lot to know before starting." She patted my back one more time before leading the way.

I was struck with awe as we entered the mansion. This was my second time but it feels like my first, I don't think I could ever get used to looking up at such high ceilings or at a freaking chandelier or even at the freakishly large sofas that were in the living room.

"Mr. Moretti called earlier today to inform me that you'd gotten the job," Julia said as she led me to the kitchen.

There was already a small pile of papers sitting on the kitchen island.

"Right now, he's out of town and won't be back until at least a week or two." She explained gesturing for me to sit down at a barstool. "And I'm sure you've known since the first email that you're going to be a live-in nanny which means that you cannot leave the house even on weekends. You're supposed to be on standby 24/7, do you understand Ms. Bardot?"

"Yes," I said. "And please just call me Willow." I offered and she nodded with a smile.

"These papers right here are detailed pieces of information about the kids and their hobbies that were put together by their past nanny. Lucas and Isabella have no allergies that we know of but they do hate eating vegetables."

"That's just all children." I inputted as I started going through the papers and Julia nodded in agreement.

My eyebrows rose in surprise when I read that Lucas was into gymnastics.

"Isn't Lucas too young to be in gymnastics?" I asked as I read through his information.

"I don't think so. Lucas was flexible when he was a year older than Isabella's current age. He always has his body in weird positions and doesn't complain about pains or anything." Julia said, pouring me a glass of water and dropping it beside me.

"His father also realized his bones were flexible when he was around eleven years old."

"His father?" I blurted, reaching out to take a sip of water. 

"You knew his father when he was small?"

Julia let out a laugh.

"I was his nanny." She said making me cough out water through my nose.

Thankfully I had avoided getting them all over the papers and I thanked Julia for handing me a napkin. She's been in his life for years. Wow.

"Anyways, Isabella loves playing the flute, but she struggles with breath control, and she can get moody about it. Lucas has social anxiety, he doesn't like going out when there are visitors in the house, he doesn't like eating in restaurants, and he can't stand being in a crowd. For these reasons, he is homeschooled." Julia explained.

I nodded in understanding.

"Overall, I wouldn't say that these children are troublesome, but they do have their demons," Julia said, making me laugh.

"I understand, but where are they right now?" I asked curiously.

"They're spending the night at their uncle's because they're sad their father left, but they will be here first thing in the morning."

"I understand."

"I trust that you'll be done reading that by morning so I'll show you to your room so you can rest and freshen up for dinner," Julia said. "I hope you don't mind pizza."

"Never," I responded seriously as I stood up, making her laugh.

"I'm glad." She chuckled before showing me the way.