Layer by Layer (Riggings Brothers 1)

“Fine.” One single reply before he glances at me, and stalks off down the hall.

“Um, should I worry that he doesn’t seem happy that I’m here?” I ask Gail. I leave out the part that we’ve already met, and over the last two days, I’d convinced myself that he could be my soul mate. My romantic heart twinges at the loss of our potential happily ever after.

“Nonsense. He needs an assistant, and you were by far the most qualified candidate. Now, let’s get started. I had Conrad, who is one of the brothers,” she taps on the folder she handed me earlier, “set up all of your usernames and passwords. Normally, that would be something we would let the IT department handle. However, I pulled in a favor from the CIO.” She winks. “You will be supporting him as well. Otherwise, we could have been waiting a while until everything was signed off on.” She takes a seat and motions for me to take the chair she was sitting in when I arrived. “You ready to get started?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I take the offered chair, put my purse and phone, which I already made sure was on vibrate, into the drawer to the lower left, and pull out my pen and notebook. “Let’s do this,” I say, grinning. I’m not going to let Royce’s broody behavior keep me from doing my job. Nothing happened. We were two strangers on a plane who enjoyed each other’s company—end of story. We’re adults, and we can act as such. At least I know I can. The jury is still out on Royce.

“That’s what I like to hear. You know, maybe we should start with a tour of the floor. Maybe get an introduction to the others if they’re not busy.” Gail stands from the chair she just sat in and motions for me to follow her.

“This is Royce’s office.” She points to the office that’s closest to my workspace. “He’s the oldest, and as you know, the CEO of Riggins Enterprises,” she explains.

“Gail?” a deep gruff voice asks.

“It’s me,” she says, sticking her head through the open office doorway. “I was just giving Sawyer a tour. Do you need something?” Gail asks.

“No. Just heard voices.”

She chuckles. “Nothing gets by this one. I’m going to show her the rest of the floor, maybe meet the others and we’ll be back at her desk if you need us.”

“Thank you,” he replies politely. It’s not at all the reply I was expecting from him, but I’m glad to see he still has manners. Apparently, just not when it comes to me. Then again, maybe it’s because it’s Gail. There seems to be a strong connection there, not just with Royce, but from what she’s told me with all five of the brothers, and their parents. Gail is chatty, so I’ve learned a lot in a short amount of time.

We take a few steps down the hall and stop at another door. The name on the wall reads Owen Riggins, CFO.

“This is Owen’s office. He’s the second oldest. He’s our CFO, the Chief Financial Officer.” She points at the nameplate and smiles. “His door is often shut as he locks himself away with his numbers and spreadsheets. He’s very good at what he does, and rivals his older brother in the serious department.”

“Their positions are important. I can only imagine the pressure of running this entire operation, and being in charge of the financials would be a lot of stress.” I had it all on my shoulders at the law firm, and I was always riddled with anxiety. Then again, that probably had more to do with my skeevy boss than it did me performing the jobs assigned to me.

“You’re right, but all work and no fun leads to a life of regrets. These boys need to loosen up a bit.” She shakes her head as if she’s disappointed and continues our tour. We turn the corner, and she stops at the next door. “Knock, knock,” she says, walking on into the office without invitation.

“Gail, what can I do for you this fine morning?” a deep, sexy, flirty voice asks.

“Always the charmer,” she comments, and I can hear the playfulness in her voice. “I want to introduce you to our new executive administrative assistant. This is Sawyer. She’s taking over for Sam.” Gail motions for me to step into the room. I’ve just been hovering in the doorway.

The man, who has a strong resemblance to Royce, stands and walks around his desk, offering me his hand. “Grant Riggins, middle brother, and most charming. It’s nice to meet you.”

I’m immediately at ease. “Sawyer Gibson, likewise,” I say, keeping it professional.

“Grant is our COO, Chief Operating Officer. The director of each Riggins branch reports directly to him.”