Second Chances

phone call-------->chp3

Phone call:

It was half-past one by the time she got a phone call. It wasn't a familiar number, but she knew who it was. Nervously swallowing the food she'd just taken a bite of, she reached for the phone to answer it. "Hello?"

"Hi. Is this Marinette Kurtzburg?"

"This is she."

"Hello. My name is Adrien Agreste. My good friend, Alya Cesaire, suggested I call you regarding a nanny position."

Had Alya not prepared her beforehand, Marinette would have been completely blindsided by such a call. "Yes, she did call to warn me you'd be giving me a call."

"Good," he said, sounding a bit relieved. "Then this isn't completely out of the blue. I suppose I should ask if you would be interested in such a position before I go any further."

Marinette took a breath. Was she? This was Chloe's kid, after all. Many a time, Alya had sworn up and down that Emma was nothing like her mother, but it was still a bit hard for Marinette to wrap her head around the fact that she'd be watching the daughter of the woman who bullied her throughout their school years. "I would be, but I'd like to hear all about it before I commit to anything."

"Fair enough. I'll be frank with you right now; if you decide to accept the job, I have a two-week trial basis during which I may terminate you at any time if I see things aren't working out. I'll give you fair pay for that time, even if it isn't completed. I know it sounds strict, but my daughter is picky and so am I. Is that an acceptable stipulation for you?"

Marinette took a moment to think it over, slowly liking the idea more and more. "As long as you accept the fact it's a trial period for me, too. I don't know if Alya told you or not, but I'm not a certified nanny. The most credentials I have is babysitting the daughter of Ms. Chamack, the newscaster. I may not be well suited for this job."

"Alya actually did inform me you weren't an official nanny," he said. "But that is no problem for me considering that she swore you were more than capable and completely trustworthy. I respect Alya's high opinions."

In that case, Marinette hoped she wouldn't let her friend down.

"That being said, I fully understand and accept your own two-week condition. So, if that is settled and we both are understanding each other's terms, then I'll describe the job. My work schedule is hectic. I'm certain you've heard of my last name and my father's business. I do work for my father, handling the business side of his company. Depending on the season and time, my workload varies between thirty to fifty-hour work weeks. Sometimes, this seeps out into the weekends though I do try my best to avoid this. I'm able to tell weeks in advance what my work load will be-as in, whether the days will last seven or ten hours, for example-but I understand if inconsistent scheduling is a worry for you. Would that be an issue?"

Marinette frowned. "To clarify, you can nearly guarantee weekends off, correct?"

"Yes. If I ever work on the weekends and need someone to watch Emma, I might give you a call, which you would be completely allowed to turn down. However, I would pay you well should you ever accept."

Marinette could handle that. "All right. Those are acceptable terms. Please, continue."

"Normally, my schedule involves me starting at nine in the morning, so I'd like you here about fifteen minutes before then. More often than not, I work at my office in my father's design house, but there are days I work at home. It usually depends on the week and what duties I have. However, even when I am home, I can't always be watching Emma. So, your duties would consist of watching and caring for her. Furthermore, because my days can stretch to ten-hours, I don't always have time to pick up some household chores when I feel my time would be much better spent with my daughter."