Tequila, Tequila

I was glad someone was.

CHAPTER FOUR – CAMERON

“Yes, Mom, goodbye.” I finally hung up and set my phone screen-down on my desk.

I loved the woman, but fuck me dead, she forgot I was a grown man running her business and no longer needed her to do my laundry.

I rubbed my hands down my face and blew out a long breath. I had a day full of meetings and a house viewing with one of my most difficult clients ever. I didn’t need my mother on my back about…

Shit. I had no idea what she’d even wanted. That’s how much I’d been listening. I was going to get it in the neck anyway, so at least now she had a reason.

On top of all that, my new assistant was starting today. Thanks to my mother I was sure I hadn’t put on a great first impression. There was no doubt in my mind that my hand up and quick glance had been nothing but rude.

Not that Casey would care. I didn’t care about what she thought. She was my cousin, for chrissakes. But the new girl?

The one who’d been sitting behind the desk?

She was familiar to me. Oddly so. I hadn’t gotten a long enough look at her to be able to place her, but I knew I’d seen her before. Recently, too.

Who the hell was she?

I dropped my hands and looked at my desk. There was a stack of paper draped over my keyboard, and the first sheet had a bright yellow Post-It note slapped in the middle of the page.

Pulling them toward me, I tugged at the yellow square and read Casey’s immaculate, script handwriting.

Mallory Harper – your new assistant. Read this and pretend you care.

I grunted and balled the note up. Whatever. She wasn’t going to last long—for whatever reason, nobody did. I’d had three assistants since Casey had gone on maternity leave six months earlier.

I was about ready to steal Amanda from downstairs and find a new receptionist for the other realtors.

Still, I sighed and picked up the resume she’d left for me to read. I scanned it. She was twenty-five and had recently lost her job when her previous company folded. She had lots of experience as an admin assistant, some waitressing, and one short stint in a call center. Lots of casual jobs, but no real direction, despite having a degree in business.

The only good thing here was the admin assistant experience and the fact that, excluding the call center job, she’d lasted a long time in each of her jobs.

Waitressing had gotten her through college—which was also when she’d had her call center job—and she’d been an admin assistant ever since she’d graduated.

She had potential.

She was still familiar to me.

I put the paper down and stared at the wall. It was times like this I wish I’d put a glass panel in. Surely, if I stared at her long enough, I’d figure it out, wouldn’t I?

Not that staring at your newest employee was the way to go. Despite my recent track record with personal assistants, I did actually like to keep my employees.

Except for the last one. Answering the phone, still drunk, at ten in the morning, wasn’t the image I was hoping to portray with my family’s company.

A knock rattled my door, and I took a deep breath as I said, “Come in.”

The door creaked open to reveal Casey holding a steaming mug of coffee. “I made coffee,” she said unnecessarily, raising the cup like an offering to a deity.

“Thanks.” I waved her in. “How’s the new girl doing?”

Casey clicked the door shut behind her. “Her name is Mallory. Didn’t you read the sheet?”

“No, I used it to wipe my arse this morning.”

She clicked her tongue. “You’re such a child.”

“Then stop acting like my big sister.” I grinned, taking the coffee from her.

“You’d be a nicer person if you had one, so the job is left to me.” She rolled her eyes and tucked her skirt under her thighs and sat down. “She’s doing good. I think she’s a little overwhelmed, but I have to get Tilly at twelve-thirty, so I don’t have a lot of time to train her. Will you be gentle with her this afternoon?”

I sighed. “I wish I could. I’m not here all afternoon. I have two meetings before lunch, then immediately after, the Carlisles have two viewings for beach houses on the coast. It’s an hour each way, so she’ll be gone by the time I leave.”

Casey winced. “Damn it. She needs someone here who knows what they’re doing.”

“Move Ellen into the office temporarily and reroute her phone line downstairs. Amanda can help her.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Ellen? You want to move her?”

“Why not? She’s doing a better job than Sydney right now. Besides, it’s only for one day.”