I let out a slow breath. I wanted to throw down some ridiculous lie to block the hire, but with Kai looking at me with so much joy on his face, I would feel like too much of an asshole.
“Great,” I said, forcing a smile. “Can’t wait.”
Chapter Four
River
I stoodat the entrance to Silver Lining. My tie hung loosely around my neck, and I dangled a sugary coffee by my side as I tried to work up the enthusiasm to go in and make a good impression.
Ugh, I was not looking forward to working for Kai’s business partner and roommate. The guy was nice enough, but he kept staring at me with this weird fixed expression that seemed totally fake. Plus, he made it sound like he enjoyed his clients having their hearts broken.
Rude, if you asked me.
Despite feeling pretty blah about Leo, I tried to summon my gratitude. Part-time office work with good pay wasn’t something I could turn down right now, and it would give me enough time to settle in Pittsburgh and figure out what was next in my imploding life. With a noisy sip from my iced coffee, I headed in.
The space reminded me of a cool contemporary office from a television show. There was a beer and snack station, more couches and comfy chairs than desks, and contemporary art on the walls, kind of like in the condo. In big neon letters, the name of the firm hung over the back wall, glowing.
“Hello, do you have an appointment?” A man with a shaved head and blue eyeliner blinked at me from behind a round silver desk. “Oh, you must be Kai’s brother!”
I smiled. “Yeah, I’m starting here today? I’ll be Leo’s assistant.”
He offered me his hand without standing. “Welcome. He’s back and to the left.” As soon as I took his hand, he pulled it away and turned to the computer. “I’ll come introduce myself when I have a quiet minute,” he added brightly.
I owned two secondhand suits, and I’d picked the loose gray one that had a seventies vibe for my first day. As I walked across the office, though, instead of seeing a bunch of professional types like Kai, it seemed like half the people there should have been sitting in the background of a music video.
Leo stepped out of an office right as I approached. “River,” he said. “You made it.”
His suit fit him snugly, and even though the blue checkered pattern and tailored cut were a bit formal, it looked casual on him. His sharp beard was a little darker than his carefully combed haircut, which neared blonde. But his most distinguishing feature was his eyes. They were dark gray, a swirl of shadowy silver and black that struck me every time I looked at him.
“Is now a good time?” I asked as I took the hand that Leo offered.
“Sure, I don’t have any appointments. I can get you settled in, and I’m sure Kai wants to say hi.”
I glanced over my shoulder at the busy place. “The firm must be doing great. Lots of dramatic breakups lately?”
“And your brother’s business smarts. Neither of us can do what the other can.”
“And what is it you do? Considering I’m working for you and all.”
Leo smiled. The way his lips turned up seemed just a little too cocky, which annoyed me way more than it should have. “I make the clients happy and turn their problems into solutions. But you won’t have to worry about that. You’ll just need to push some paperwork around and help me keep my schedule organized.”
I nodded. “Got it. I actually kept the books for a little theater in London for a while. Office skills are one of the things Kai and I share.”
“Perfect. Imagine it’s like your old job, but the clients constantly reschedule for no good reason, and they’ll never remember your name.”
I shrugged. “Won’t bother me.”
“That’s the spirit,” Leo said with a chuckle, then went straight into setting me up at the small desk outside of his office. He leaned over the computer and chatted casually, and even though his confidence irked me, I smiled and did my best to pay attention.
There was just something about these high-powered career types that stressed me out. The fact that Leo and Kai were a team made total sense to me now that he’d said it. Kai did have a brilliant, logical mind, but he’d never be the dominant type of personality that was probably necessary in this world.
And I definitely couldn’t see my brother managing high-stress celebrities.
Anyway, the firm was providing the roof over my head as well as my paycheck, so I swallowed my pride and thanked Leo. I gave him a nice compliment on his suit, which he really seemed to appreciate, then turned straight to the work that was waiting for me.
The rest of the morning I sat at the desk with my face in the computer, adding a pile of contacts to Leo’s address book and calling in reservations for his lunch and dinner meetings around town. A few of the other workers in the office came by to say hi, and I was relieved that I instantly got along with all of them, especially a sweet British woman who did graphic design and chatted with me for a while about our favorite parks in London.
By the time lunch came, I was actually opening up and enjoying the place a little. The little bottles of this perfect lemon green tea I’d been indulging in from the snack table probably helped, since they made me feel buzzy and hyped.
