Just before Christmas, Lark had started advertising for a personal assistant. He had halted the interviews just before Christmas because it was Christmas after all and people were going away for the holidays. He checked his e-mail daily though and on Boxing Day he received an e-mail from one of the applicants. Her name was Sasha.
Dear Sir/Madam.
I am writing about my application for the position of your assistant. I would like to inquire if you have considered interviewing me. I believe I am very well suited for the position and I would be most grateful if you would interview me. I do apologize for pressing you for an interview at this time but I have limited resources and time in New York City before I have to leave if I do not find a suitable position to support myself. In truth, my application for this position is my last chance. I have always dreamed of being in New York and I hope that you would consider making my dream come true.
Sincerely,
Sasha Trohan.
Lark had never heard of any such appeal before and he could only imagine that most prospective employers would turn their noses up at such a prompt for an interview. He however knew what it was like to have one’s dreams shattered and so he gave Sasha a call and invited her to join him and Lynn for lunch after which he would interview her.
Lynn decided that she had to step up her game. She decided she would take control and take their relationship to the next level if Lark didn’t. She believed she had sent more than enough signals the day before to make her interest obvious. She had hoped Lark would jump at the chance to go to the next level with her but he hadn’t. Perhaps he was shy. Maybe the years, no centuries of not being with a woman had made his skills with women rusty. It didn’t matter. She would take charge if she had to.
Lynn arrived at Lark’s house and he welcomed her inside. She was earlier than the day before and Lark presented her with a belated Christmas present. It was a scarf made from wool so soft she fell in love with it immediately. She wrapped it around her neck and felt the warmth it generated almost immediately. Lynn thanked Lark and then kissed him on the cheek before he could do anything. She felt him tense up when she kissed him and realized that maybe the curse involved kissing him.
With the scrying Lynn had done after Lark had left her place, she had been able to ascertain that he was cursed and that the curse was linked to a woman. She had been able to glean little more than that but now thought that perhaps the curse was linked to a kiss judging by his reaction. Lynn suspected that she would need to try and find out more information from Lark without making it obvious she knew about the curse.
Lark told her that he had invited Sasha for lunch and that he would be interviewing her after lunch. Lynn was surprised but since it was Lark’s house and he was employing an assistant, he could do whatever he wanted.
Sasha arrived a short while later and Lark let her in. Lark felt an itching all over again like he always did when he transformed. He found it curious but put it out of his mind.
He introduced Sasha to Lynn and they sat down to lunch together.
Lark asked Sasha to tell him about herself.
“I always wanted to be in New York,” she said. “I grew up in Ohio though and still live there with my parents. I saved enough money to be able to come to New York for a while and try to find work here. I don’t know if I came at the wrong time but I’ve just had no luck at all and now my money is almost all finished. If I don’t get a job in the next few days, I’ll have to go back. My parents are really strict and it was hard enough to get them to agree to let me come out here on my own. If I go back, I doubt they’ll let me come back again.”
“What sort of work would you like to do?” Lark asked.
“I’ve always wanted to be a writer,” Sasha said.
“Really?” Lark asked his interest piqued. “What kind of writer?”
“A writer of books. An author,” Sasha said.
“Well, then you may have come to the right place,” Lark smiled. “Maybe dreams do come true.”
Lynn looked at Lark. He seemed suddenly happy and brighter than usual. She felt a touch of jealousy at the way he seemed to be taking to Sasha and how easily things seemed to be working out with her.
“I don’t understand,” Sasha said curiously but hopefully.
“Well, I’m Lark Cursor,” he said.
Sasha stopped eating and looked at Lark incredulously, “Wait… the Lark Cursor? The author?”
Lark smiled and nodded. “The same.”
“Oh wow,” Sasha said. “I would love to work with you, Mr. Cursor.”
“Lark, please,” Lark said. “Let’s finish lunch and after that, we can continue our discussion in my office.”
They enjoyed the rest of their lunch and most of it was filled with Lynn recounting how Lark had saved her after she had been mugged in the alley. Sasha was awestruck by Lark’s kindness and generosity while Lynn began to feel more and more jealous and threatened. She felt that Lark and Sasha had taken to each other very easily and couldn’t help feeling threatened by it. She tried to push the jealousy away telling herself that Sasha had absolutely no idea who Lark was. She just needed a job and Lark might be kind enough to give it to her. After lunch Lark excused himself and Sasha and they moved to his office where they continued the interview.
Sasha impressed Lark with her knowledge and analysis of the books he had written. She had the secretarial skills he was looking for in the person he employed. He decided they would be a very good fit. He liked Sasha and was taken by how much she reminded him of Erin. He kept telling himself that it was not the reason why he wanted to employ her but at the end of the day he had to admit that it influenced his decision.
When they were finished, Lark gave Sasha a verbal offer. She thought about it briefly before she accepted. There were other benefits aside from the financial aspect. She would be able to work with a famous author and learn from him, not just about writing but the industry and publishing and she was sure he would help her when she was ready to publish her first book.
“Well then, I would like you to start on the first Monday of January. I’ll pay you for the full month though and I’ll have my lawyer draft the employment contract. As soon as I’ve gone over it, I’ll e-mail it to you and you can sign it and send it back. I’ll even pay your airfare home so you can go home and see your parents before you start work. I’ll also pay for your airfare back here and if necessary, you can stay in one of my spare rooms until you get on your feet. No strings attached. I’ll leave it to you how much of that you want to tell your parents. They might not be that happy if they hear that I’ve offered you a room here. I know parents can be very protective.”
“Thank you. That is most generous of you Mr…”
“…Lark,” he reminded her with a smile.
They spoke a bit longer and Lark finalized her ticket home as they spoke. He e-mailed it to her and she thanked him profusely.
Lark smiled and walked her out of his office. He saw her out of the house ad locked the door behind him. He was struck by the sensation that he always felt when he transformed back to normal after she left. He paused as tried to analyze the situation and then shrugged it off.
“Good news?” Lynn asked as he entered the living room.
“I have given her the job,” Lark replied. “I think she’ll be perfect for it. Thank goodness she pressed to get the interview.”
“That is good news. She seems like a nice person,” Lynn said offering a strained smile. “When is she starting?”
“The first Monday of January,” Lark replied.
Lark offered to make coffee and headed into the kitchen with Lynn in tow.
As Lark set the kettle to boil, Lynn pretended to bump into him as she set the cups out for the coffee. They turned to face each other and Lynn looked up at Lark making her desire clear.
She looked at Lark’s lips as she circled her arms around Lark and pulled him close. He did not resist but put his arms around her as well and then gently guided her backward until she was pressed against the island in the center of the kitchen.
He looked down at her, the desire in his eyes, clear.
She looked up at him, her lips parted invitingly. She looked at his lips and then spoke softly, “What are you waiting for? I’ll never look better than this.”
Lark smiled but then broke their embrace.
“What is it?” Lynn asked. “Is something wrong?”
Lark hesitated before replying. “No. Nothing’s wrong. I just…”
“You’re just what?” Lynn asked.
“I… I’m not ready,” Lark said.
“Why? What’s the matter? Don’t you like me that way?” Lynn asked.
“It’s not that,” Lark said. “I like you very much.”
“What’s wrong then,” Lynn said.
“I can’t,” Lark replied looking into her eyes.
She knew about the curse but she had a feeling there was something she had not been able to glean from the spell she had cast. There was more that she needed to know. She sensed that it was integral to her plan working and so she told herself not to push too hard.
She backed off. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to push you…”
Lark shook his head. “It’s okay. It’s not your fault.”
Lark wanted to simply kiss her without saying a word as he had told himself so many times he would do the next time he met Emma reincarnated. If he told the truth it might ruin the possibility of getting together with her but he could not help wondering what might happen if she had been right all those years ago.
What if there was a second curse that would be activated when he kissed her? He did not want to not tell her and then find that a second curse was activated when he kissed her. It would be worse than killing her father which he had done twice. It was not something he could live with. If a second curse existed and was activated perhaps dooming her to an eternity of a cursed life how would it be fair to her? No, he did not want to consider that possibly happening. He had to tell her but would she believe him?
They finished making coffee and Lark carried the cups on a tray to the living room. An uneasy tension had settled between them and Lark realized that he owed Lynn an explanation. He knew he could make up a lie but that wouldn’t solve his concern and it would make him feel eternally guilty if she became cursed when they kissed.
They drank their coffee and made small talk but a tension had settled between them now and both Lark and Lynn did not enjoy it.
Finally, Lark spoke to try and clear the tension. “I’m sorry about what happened back there in the kitchen Lynn.”
“It’s okay,” she replied.
“It’s not that I don’t like you. I am attracted to you but I’m just not ready to take the next step yet. I know that might mean losing you and if I do then that’s my loss. It’s not fair of me to ask you to wait, I know but I guess that’s what I’m asking you to do. It’s selfish and you don’t have to agree. I can’t tell you when I might be ready to move on, I just can’t.”
Lynn nodded but didn’t say anything.
“It’s the best I can offer you right now although it’s nothing.”
Lynn shook her head. “No. I understand. Everyone is different. We all have our issues to deal with and sometimes we don’t want to talk about them. But, if you want, I’ll be glad to help you if you’re willing to lean on me.”
“Thank you for that and thanks for understanding. I appreciate it,” Lark said.
“There was something I wanted to ask though,” Lynn said.
“What’s that?” Lark asked.
“Well, my stint in the hospital has hit me harder than I expected. My landlord’s put up the rent, the hospital bill was unexpected and I have lost some business although I haven’t lost clients so I’m in a kind of a financial crater right now…”
“…if you need a loan I’ll be happy to help you out,” Lark offered.
“I was going to ask if you would mind if I stayed here for a while until I’m back on my feet,” Lynn said.
Lark hesitated. “Well sure. I don’t mind. I made the same offer to Sasha in the interview. It sounds like she’s going to need some time to get on her feet too. I have enough rooms and I’m sure you’ll get along just fine.”
“Thank you, Lark. I appreciate your kindness.”
“When would you want to move in?” Lark asked.
“I could do it this week if that’s okay while everything’s still quiet and before my clients start placing more orders in the new year. At least I’ll be settled by then.”
“Sure. By all means,” Lark said.
The tension seemed to have dissipated and they spoke for a while longer before Lynn went home.