The Butler(27)

“One last thing. Costume. Blazer and slacks? Black suit? I don’t believe my livery would go over well at Ikea,” he said with a grin, and she laughed.

“We can play it by ear. Blazer and slacks if we go somewhere nice, like a fancy antique store, or if I have someone over. Black suit if I give a dinner party. And jeans for Ikea. How does that sound?”

“Precisely as it should be,” he said, and inclined his head slightly as a salutation of respect and left an instant later. She smiled as she locked the door behind him. Life was certainly galloping ahead. She had an apartment in Paris. And a butler. Her life was changing at lightning speed.





Chapter 7


Joachim picked Olivia up at exactly nine o’clock on Monday morning, in the van he had rented. They agreed to go to the new apartment first, so he could get a look at it, size up what they needed in the kitchen, and do some measuring. He brought a notepad, a laser to measure distances, and two industrial tape measures, with both centimeters and inches, since he didn’t know which she preferred. He took photographs with his phone and looked around the rest of the apartment with her, measured some key spaces, for a new bed if she wanted one, coffee table, and some cabinets in the bathroom. He took the basic measurements in the kitchen and told her that once she selected the cabinetry she wanted, he would measure again more precisely. He was businesslike and professional, and half an hour later, they were on the highway to Ikea.

“It’s a beautiful apartment,” he said, as they drove along. “You made a very good choice.” Everything was in good condition and well maintained. The windows closed smoothly, the doors locked well, the alarm was a modern one. “You should be able to get it set up in no time.” He doubted it would take her three months to organize it, and he’d be out of a job before that, which was all right with him. “I’m going to call the phone, gas, and electric companies this afternoon when we get back, or tomorrow morning.” He seemed fast and efficient. She had called the agency to say she had hired him, and so had he, and they were very pleased. They had promised to send some cleaners for her to interview. She wanted to get the apartment clean before she moved in, and had decided to buy a new mattress. Joachim said he knew a place that would be better than Ikea for that.

    “You can make the calls you need to from my apartment. There’s a workspace you can use. I don’t need it,” she told him. He had brought a laptop in a briefcase.

They were both quiet on the way to Ikea, lost in their own thoughts. She didn’t feel obliged to speak to him, and he didn’t annoy her with small talk. He was respectful of her space, and his own position. He didn’t attempt to become friends, although they had chatted amicably in the interview, but it was mostly to learn about the composition of her household, and his history.

They walked into the huge store together. He picked up a large bag and they followed the yellow markings on the floor to the kitchen section. The choices were vast with every kind of counter surface from granite to the least expensive options, shiny lacquered cabinets, or wood ones, everything in a multitude of styles and colors and finishes, and dozens of different kinds of handles. All of it was displayed in a variety of attractive combinations, to show how the products could be used.

    He was surprised by how quickly she made her selections and how decisive she was. She acted like a businesswoman after all, but not in an aggressive way. She showed him all the things she wanted him to order. White lacquer cabinets with a high gloss, simple brushed steel handles, a high-grade white plastic counter surface which he recommended. He had used it for one of the young Cheshires, and it had worked well. They picked light fixtures for the kitchen and he recommended a different store for appliances. They picked shelving, and everything they needed for the kitchen. They walked through the rest of the store then, and she picked kitchen plates and glasses, a big, powder pink, cozy armchair he would assemble for her bedroom, some mirrored cupboards for the second bedroom that could be set up for shelves or hanging, light fixtures for the bathroom, freestanding lamps, assorted tools, and practical things he said he would need for small installations. Two hours later, they were back on the road, with the van full. He was going to order the kitchen online, after he took the correct measurements, and they would install it within a week. Everything was moving quickly.

“You’re a whiz, Joachim,” she complimented him, and he smiled.

“I think that’s what you’re paying me for, if I’m not mistaken.” They had spent astonishingly little at Ikea. He was mindful of her budget. “Next stop, Darty,” he said, “for appliances.” The apartment had a washing machine, dryer, and dishwasher, but she had to buy a refrigerator, stove with oven, assorted small appliances, and a vacuum cleaner.

They went back to the new apartment to unload it all afterward. The rest was being delivered. They stopped at a sandwich shop to buy lunch, ate it in the van, and then went to buy her a new bed, not just a mattress. Then they went back to her current apartment, so he could call about the utilities. She had never seen anyone as efficient. And when they had dropped off her purchases at the new apartment, he had taken the exact measurements for the kitchen, so he could place the order for everything she’d chosen.

    “What about TV and stereo?” he asked her once they were back at her place on the quai Voltaire.