Page 7 of Finding My Charming

“Sure, Ari. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Love you!”

“Love you.”

I clicked off the call and sighed again. Her plan was the best option I had right now. She sounded so sure that we could figure this out, and maybe we could, but did I really want to? I had so much planned for this summer, and I knew I wasn’t going to get to most of it. Adding an impossible quest to find some guy wasn’t a top priority. The minor detail of finding him and convincing him to go out with me was another problem.

My only reason was for my family’s sake. Every one of the women on my mom’s side had found their first loves with the necklace. They hadn’t necessarily married the guy the same day, but it had helped Beth know to say yes when her husband, Finn, asked her out for the first time. Mom met her first love in high school. They’d been paired up for a project in chemistry when the necklace changed. All perfect timing, except mine of course. I can’t be the first in hundreds of years who messes this up, right?

I pulled up to Dad’s office and parked. Most stressful day of my life coupled with starting this. How about some rain clouds? That would make this day so much better.

Sherrie, the office secretary, greeted me when I walked in. “Happy birthday, Elise, darling! I can’t believe you’re eighteen.”

“Thanks, Sherrie.” I smiled and set my things down on the open seat next to her.

Sherrie had been a fixture at my dad’s practice since before I was born. She’d started when he was a young attorney fresh out of law school. His father had been a partner then, and Sherrie had worked as a paralegal for the firm. Years later, she was still here, though as a legal secretary. She claimed the job kept her young and busy, but I wondered if she might be avoiding being at home since her husband had passed away a few years ago.

She was practically another grandma for me and my sisters.

“I’m sure you must be disappointed you’re here and not out with your friends for the summer, but I’ll try to make it as fun as possible.” She slid a small neatly wrapped box toward me and winked.

My gaze bounced from the box to her and back. I shouldn’t have been surprised she remembered my birthday was yesterday, but I was still touched. “Thanks.”

Since no one else was around, I carefully unwrapped the gift. Inside was a pair of very discrete wireless headphones. I turned the box over in my hands and burst out laughing.

“Thank you! I love it!”

She turned with a smile on her face and shrugged. “I thought you might like something that would keep your mind off how badly you don’t want to be here. It could always be worse.”

“You’re right. It could.”

We spent the next few hours training how to answer the phones, hold and transfer calls, schedule meetings and depositions, and even how to use the copy machine. All very exciting things, but Sherrie kept me entertained the whole morning. By the time noon rolled around, I was set up on my own phone and computer, working away like I’d been there for weeks instead of a few hours.

“Hi, honey.” My dad stood on the side of the desk, smiling.

“Hello, Mr. Benson. Is there anything I can help you with?” I asked in my most professional tone.

“Ah, the sarcasm starts already. You’ve trained her well, Sherrie.”

I smirked while Sherrie broke out in laughter. “I couldn’t have done that much damage in just a couple of hours. That’s eighteen years of being your daughter, Bryce.”

My dad smiled. “You’re probably right. I’m heading out to a mediation for the Springer case. Can you hold things down here for a few hours?”

She shot him a condescending look. “Of course. I’ve been doing it for twenty years.”

Another reason why I loved this lady. She was the only person I knew that would dish it out to my dad without being grounded.

“That’s why I keep you around!” He waved as he walked out the front door.

“So, what are we doing for lunch?” Sherrie asked with a serious tone the second the door clicked shut.

I smirked. “Who around here delivers?”

She pulled out a drawer between us and gestured like she was showcasing the grand prize on a TV show. There were dozens of to-go menus.

“I have them sorted through in order of who delivers and the average time it takes to get here.”

I laughed but stopped at her serious look.