But these weren’t normal circumstances. Charlotte Darling was far from normal, and I needed to keep my guard up.
Readying to give her a piece of my mind, I stomped down the hall and took a deep breath before opening the door to her office without knocking.
The sight of my brother, Max, with his feet up on the couch threw me for a loop. Although it shouldn’t have been a surprise that he rushed to make an impression on the attractive new assistant. This was typical Max.
“Can I help you, Mr. Eastwood?” she asked coldly.
Max smirked. “Charlotte, I know you two have already met, but let me formally introduce you to my older brother, otherwise known as our evil overlord.”
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Great.
Manwhore Ken had wasted no time moving in on Nordic Barbie.CHAPTER 7
CHARLOTTE
The mood had completely changed the second Reed entered the room. The vibe sort of reminded me of when I was in elementary school and the teacher would suddenly turn off the lights to calm the rowdy class down. The fun was officially over.
Suddenly, my palms were sweaty again.
Taking a sip of the iced caramel macchiato Max had brought me from the Starbucks across the street, I tried to compose myself, but it wasn’t working. Everything about Reed intimidated me—his stature, his bow tie and suspenders, his deep voice. But what I found most intimidating was the fact that I suspected he hated me. So, there was that.
His brother, Max, on the other hand, was the total opposite—charming and down-to-earth. If this were high school and not Corporate America, Max would be the class clown. Reed would be the cranky teacher.
Max had managed to help me momentarily forget about Reed’s chastisement earlier. But the reprieve was short-lived.
Reed flashed Max a dirty look. “What are you doing in here?”
“What does it look like I’m doing? Welcoming our newest employee, which is more than I can say for you.”
Reed’s eyes were like daggers. He looked even more perturbed that I’d told Max about what had happened out there. But I couldn’t help it. Max had asked me what was wrong, and I’d decided to be up front about it. What was wrong was Reed Eastwood.
The younger Eastwood, on the other hand, had told me not to take anything his older brother said or did personally, that Reed could sometimes be tough even on him. He’d assured me that Reed was not as mean as he might appear. He’d just apparently had a rough year. It was really hard to imagine that he was the same person who’d penned that heartfelt blue note. Which made me wonder about Allison. Had she left him because of his attitude? It certainly wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. I felt a twinge of guilt knowing about his failed wedding and that he had no clue how I’d really come to find him.
Reed gestured toward his brother. “Don’t you have—I don’t know—to go get your shoes shined or something, Max?”
Max crossed his arms. “Nope. Actually, I’m good. My schedule is clear for today.”
“Big shocker.”
“Come on . . . you know I’m president of the welcoming committee.” Max took a sip of his coffee and settled himself deeper into the black leather couch.
“Funny how the welcoming committee seems to be very selective. I don’t see you down in accounting welcoming the new bookkeeper who just started today.”
“That was gonna be my next stop.”
“Right.” Reed glared at his brother.
The two of them were similar but different. Although they resembled each other and both had dark good looks, Max had longer hair and seemed wilder and more carefree with a shit-eating grin. Reed was put together and perpetually angry. The latter shouldn’t have appealed to me, but there was something about the unattainable that I’d always found attractive. Through his heavy flirtation, Max made it clear that I could probably have him if I wanted him. And that sort of turned me off. On the other hand, I wasn’t even sure if Reed hated me, yet I was captivated by his mysterious personality.
“Well, I need to talk to Charlotte,” Reed said. “About actual business, unlike whatever it is you call what you were doing just now. Give us some privacy, please.”I sat up straighter in my chair as Reed closed the door behind his brother. Unlike Max, he didn’t take a seat on the couch. No, this brother preferred to stand with his arms crossed while looking down his nose at me. And I wasn’t putting up with it anymore. I stood, kicked off my heels into the air, and climbed up on top of my chair.
“What do you think you’re doing?” He squinted at me.
Mimicking his posture, I folded my arms across my chest and glared at him over my nose. “I’m looking down at you.”
“Get down.”
“No.”
“Ms. Darling, get the hell down before you fall and get hurt. I’m sure your years of practicing balancing with a dog on the front of your surfboard has made you think you’re capable of riding a chair with wheels, but I can assure you that falling and cracking your skull on the edge of the desk is going to hurt.”