Yet another reason his colossal fuckup couldn't get into the press and screw up Evan's work and reputation. If it had been any one of his other brothers, Tyler might not have cared as much, but everyone-including him-had a soft spot for Evan, whose congenital heart defect and four surgeries had never prevented him from going after what he wanted. Including his girl Hannah, who was now living with him at his beachside cottage in apparently blissful happiness.
All of which meant Tyler had to suck it up and fix his mistake. Even if the toppling piles of books and crammed file cabinets felt like a mountain. Even if he had no idea where to start.
"Also, I'm compiling information about Sugar Rush's history of candy for the new revamp of the website, so I'm looking for vintage ads." Kate approached the desk, gesturing to the book she still held, which bore the title The Origins of Candy. "And I need data on the latest 'healthy chocolate' trends for Mr. Stone."
"Which Mr. Stone? Luke or Evan?"
"Mr. Spencer Stone."
Christ. Now she was working for his lab-nerd brother too?
"He's researching ways to diversify the nutritional composition of traditional chocolate." Kate placed a sheet of paper at his elbow. "And this is a starting list of books and documents I need for the Cocoa Bean Team. Once you find them, you can either bring them to Luke's office or call me and I'll come pick them up."
Tyler squinted at the paper-a neatly typed list of stuff including words like strategic initiative, analyst's report, and risk assessment. No clue what any of that was, much less where to find it.
"Yeah, this isn't really my area of expertise," he hedged.
"Since this is your new job … " She peered over the tops of her glasses at him. "You'd better make it your area of expertise."
Well. She had a strict schoolmarm thing going on too. How much of that was an act? He let his gaze wander over her body. The top button of her white shirt had come undone, revealing a tempting V of pale, creamy skin. Maybe she wore sexy lingerie under her starchy clothes and had a secret erotic side she rarely let other people see.
He tried to smother a sudden rush of intrigue. A woman had gotten him into this mess in the first place-heck, the female species had been getting him into messes since first grade because he could never say no to them-and he sure as hell didn't need one getting in his head now. Especially not one who, lush body aside, seemed to define the word uptight.
"You're a super-assistant, aren't you?" he asked. "Able to leap over scheduling conflicts in a single bound."
She looked unamused.
"The more I know about what's going on, the easier it is for me to do my job." Kate whipped a crisp white business card out of her breast pocket. "Here's my card. You can reach me either at my direct number or email. Let me know if you find any historic Sugar Rush advertisements."
She started toward the door. Tyler looked at her ass, which unfortunately was once again hidden behind the straight black curtain of her skirt. He picked up the business card. Kate Darling, Executive Assistant, Sugar Rush Candy Company.
A chuckle rumbled in his chest. She looked like a Kate for sure. A Darling not so much.
He tossed the card back on the desk and surveyed the mess of a library. His father had made it clear-organize the collections to his standards, pay off the boat damage, and then they would "have a discussion" about Tyler's future.
He had no choice. His father had cut off his access to his trust fund and allowance. He'd get paid for his work at the library-standard entry-level salary-which he'd use for basic living expenses and to pay Savannah's father back for the speedboat. If he didn't, he risked prosecution. He wasn't so stupid not to realize he'd still gotten off easy, considering the alternative.
There was just one question left. How the fuck was he going to get this done?
He picked up Kate Darling's card again. Not only did she rule over his older brother's life of schedules and meetings, she was helping with both the Cocoa Bean Team, and Luke and Polly's upcoming wedding. And she was doing research about chocolate or whatever for Spencer. In other words, the woman got shit done, even to the high standards of his anal-retentive brothers.
So if anyone at Sugar Rush could help him with the damned library, it was a hyper-efficient assistant who knew about things like spreadsheets and databases. A woman who actually gave a damn that a book collection was in alphabetical order.
Relief filled Tyler's chest, easing the knot of tension that had been there since he'd first been handed his sentence.