3. Anthony
ANTHONY
A week later, I was meeting my brothers in the French Quarter at eight thirty on Monday morning.
I wasn’t an early riser, and my brothers often teased me that I was always the last one to arrive.
It wasn’t unusual for me to join them around ten o’clock, but my new assistant was starting today, and we needed to hit the ground running.
It turned out Dorothy was an excellent HR manager, but she and I didn’t click this past week. Probably more my fault than hers.
The recruiter had found an assistant right away—someone named Daisy Evanston. Dorothy interviewed her and confirmed she was competent. As usual, I stayed out of the hiring process.
I was in the mood for a good coffee, and my family’s favorite hangout was Maria’s Coffee Shop on Bourbon Street.
But since I was already on Royal Street, I didn’t have time to make a detour.
That was why I headed into Coffee otherwise, I’d consider her for something there. ”
“All right. I’ll go check her out.”
Dorothy looked uncertain. “Maybe I should come with you.”
I stared at her. “I can handle my own assistant.”
“Please don’t scare her off. I don’t want to have to be your assistant again.” Dorothy actually looked concerned. Wow, I wasn’t that bad.
I burst out laughing. “Don’t worry. All right, I’m going to meet this Daisy.”
I downed my coffee and headed to the small kitchen area to throw the empty cup away. I could tell my brothers were already here because the doors to their respective offices were closed, and I could hear voices on the other sides. The only exception was Beckett. He wasn’t an early riser either.
My office was at the very end of the corridor with large windows that looked out on Royal. Most of the others overlooked the inner courtyard, but I preferred my view.
The door was wide open. I noticed a smidge of blonde hair just before I stepped through the doorway. Though maybe I was imagining things because the blonde from the coffee shop had made an impression on me.
Once I could see her fully, I stopped short, stunned. The same woman from earlier was sitting on my couch, legs crossed, currently unaware of my presence because she was looking toward the window.
Fucking hell, what are the odds?