expecting, I came face to face with a perky, curly-haired girl about my age. She made a beeline for me, her brown eyes wide with excitement as she glanced down at her phone and then up at me again.
“Are you Leah James?” she asked, almost breathless as she stared at me. “I’m Katelyn Collins. If you are Leah James, then I’m your new assistant.”
I blinked a few times in quick succession, unable to believe that the gorgeous, petite girl with the sparkly jewelry and the pretty dress was supposed to be my assistant. What the hell happened to my normal life?
“I’m Leah James,” I said carefully, afraid that if I moved too fast, the world would flip right-side up again and she’d disappear. “Are you sure you’re here for me? Like, no one’s going to jump out from behind a wall and tell me I’m being pranked, right?”
A tiny crease appeared between her dark brows. Then her curls bounced as she shook her head and smiled at me. “Mr. Oliver didn’t tell you to expect me, did he?”
“Mr. Oliv—” Oh. Right. I guess he really isn’t the Great Dane or Insane Dane up here. “No, he didn’t. It must’ve slipped his mind.”
She tugged at the shiny beads around her neck, seeming genuinely perplexed about what had happened. “I’m so sorry. He sent me a picture of you so I’d know who to look for. I just assumed he’d told you I was coming. Something came up, so he asked me to take you to breakfast instead.”
There was a flicker of disappointment in my chest, but I got it under control fast. So what if I’d wanted to have some more time with Dane? He wasn’t my babysitter and he’d sent Katelyn for me. I’d be fine.
Clearing my throat, I dragged in a deep breath before offering her my hand. “No, I’m sorry. This is all just a lot for me to take in. Dane mentioned I’d be getting an assistant, but it didn’t really occur to me that it meant there would be a real person who would be assisting me.”
A slow smile formed on her lips. Then a chuckle slipped out and she placed her hand in mine. “Call me Katie. It’s nice to meet you, Leah. Is it okay if I call you Leah? I have a feeling you and I are going to be friends.”
“Leah’s perfect,” I said, taking a step back to glance around the lobby. “So, are we having breakfast here, or do we have to go someplace fancy?”
“It’s your call,” she said. “There are no set plans for your breakfast today. Mr. Oliver just told me to make sure you eat before we go into the office. He said you had a busy day ahead and we had to keep you fed, or you’d turn into the Hulk.”
I let out a soft sigh, then curled my fingers in a beckoning motion. “Let me see that picture he sent you real quick.”
She didn’t question me, frowning curiously as she unlocked her phone before handing it over. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I was merely repeating what he told me.”
“I’m sure,” I said, not even trying to suppress my triumphant grin when I saw the picture was one Rick had taken of me and him at the farewell party. “It’s just that those words sounded too familiar for them to have been random. This photo is proof that my dear brother has been gossiping to his friend about me. That’s all. Now I know I can tease him about not having anything better to talk about than his little sister.”
“I’m so lost,” she said as she took her phone back when I offered it to her. Her freckled nose wrinkled. “The friend your brother has been gossiping to is Mr. Oliver?”
“Yep, but where I come from, we just call him Dane.” I motioned toward the terrace where the hotel breakfast was still being served. “Care to join me? It’s already paid for as part of the room if we eat here.”
“You’re nothing like I expected you to be,” she said, eyes lighting up when she smiled. “I like it and yes, I’d love to join you. Any free food is good food.”
I decided right then and there that she was right. We were going to get along just fine. “Agreed.”
We walked out to the terrace side by side, sitting down at a table with a starched linen tablecloth and a small plant on it. The