Chapter 102: Good News (2)
"What’s wrong?" she asked, concerned.
"I just got off the phone with Abigail and learned from her that I don’t need to hire an interior decorator to help furnish my new mansion, because apparently someone has already taken the job."
"Oh, um, is that a problem? I thought you would appreciate me taking the initiative. Besides, I’m taking that interior decorating class and it’ll be perfect for my first assignment. Even better, when my professor saw the 3D scans, she asked if she could use them for a joint class assignment."
Instead of going to NSU, Miranda was going to The Bailor School of Fine Arts and was taking an eclectic mix of classes that would amount to degrees in political science and hospitality. The latter included classes on how to manage large households with staff. They had not discussed all the classes she was taking, probably because they tended to wind up communication non-verbally.
"How long will this assignment take to complete? How do you plan to acquire, deliver, and install the furniture? And, most importantly, how do you think I felt having to lie to Abigail, so she didn’t think I was ignorant of what my people were doing?"
"Oh shit! I...Um, I’m sorry. I thought you would appreciate me taking the initiative to help."
"I don’t have a problem with you taking the initiative, but I do have a problem with you acting without my knowledge. I don’t expect you to tell me every little thing you do, but I do expect you to talk to me before taking any action that intersects with my business. If you asked me to let you handle the interior decorating, I probably would have said yes, assuming I liked your answers to the other questions I asked."
He struggled to stay serious because of her sheepish, "I fucked up," look; it was super cute. It felt almost like he was scolding a puppy for bringing him his slippers, only slightly damp from slobber. Still, she needed to understand that it was not okay to act on his behalf without talking to him first.
"I’m sorry. I...I think I understand. I just wanted to help."
He sighed. "There’s nothing wrong with wanting to help, but make sure you talk to me first."
"Okay."