The Assistant

15. The Plan.

Scarlett

It's one of the best nights sleep she's had since arriving in England. She feels safe and comforted, wrapped in Matthew's strong arms.

She wakes up the next morning to being gently shaken. When she opens her eyes, she's greeted by a familiar sight. Matthew, standing beside her bed, fresh out the shower and dressed in one of his suits. And while she loves starting her day with this view, she was looking forward to seeing him when he first woke up. The bed head, the wrinkled shirt, the sleep circles under his eyes, his morning voice...

"But didn't you...?" She snaps her head towards the part of the bed he slept on, discovering it perfectly made. It confuses her. Did he actually sleep with her last night? Did she make it up? Was it just another dream?

His fingers are tilting her chin back in his direction. He smiles softly at her. "I wanted to get a head start on breakfast. Especially since you skipped dinner last night."

At the mention of breakfast, she can feel her stomach growl. She hopes that they will share another night like last night, that she will get to wake up next to him the way she's always dreamed of doing so.

"Would you like me to start the shower for you?" He asks, stroking her hair.

"That's okay, thank you," She rubs her eyes, suddenly remembering. "Are there any updates about the Charles situation?"

"Not yet," He's making his way to her closet, retrieving some clothes for her to wear on the way to set. He drapes them on the back of the armchair in her room. "But I'll let you know as soon as I hear of anything."

She takes 20 minutes to get ready for the day; showering, applying lotion to her body, and getting dressed. She leaves her face bare and her hair brushed so that hair and makeup can get started as soon as she arrives. When she enters the kitchen, she finds him standing at the kitchen counter preparing her plate. The clock above the stove tells her they still have a bit of time before they need to leave.

"Thank you." She tells him after he places a plate of scrambled egg whites and fresh cut fruit in front of her. She smiles in appreciation when he places cream and sugar next to her coffee cup. "Would you mind if we went over some things really quick?"

"Of course." He pulls out the chair next to her to take a seat. He reaches into his blazer pocket for a small notepad and pen. She remembers him always taking notes for her father at breakfast every morning like this, and now it's a strange feeling to have him doing so for her.

She begins stirring in cream and sugar into her coffee. "Let's start simple. I'd like to set up catering for the cast and crew for lunch the rest of this week. And then every Friday going forward after that."

He jots this down. "Any specific preferences?"

"No. As long as we have vegetarian, vegan, and gluten free options available. I think those are the big ones, right? Maybe we avoid shellfish to be safe." She takes a bite of a strawberry and chews it before she gets another idea. "Let's keep it mom and pop shops. Small businesses. And then we'll shout them out on Instagram. Hopefully get them some exposure for them. Kind of like that Keith Lee guy on tik tok. Obviously a generous tip too."

"I like it." He says as he continues writing.

"We'll have to involve the account manager for this one but I'd like to make a donation." She takes another bite and chews slowly. Mostly because she's anticipating his possible reaction to this. "I'd like to make a donation of at least $100,000 to RAINN. To start. I imagine there will be more donations to come."