Family Ties

It's Mine

Harry's POV

I stepped off the elevator, rubbing my hand over my face as I tried to wake up. I'd been up half the night with Mace, chasing monsters out of her closet and trying to reassure her she was safe before I eventually just passed out in her bed with her. I was exhausted, and wondering how I was gonna get through the day before I was greeted by some girl I didn't recognize sitting at Caroline's desk.

"Good morning, Mr. Styles." She smiled, standing up and greeting me.

"Morning." I replied, doing my best to shoot her a smile and not show how confused I was. "Is Caroline around? I have some things I need to go over with her."

"Oh, um, I'm sorry. I guess nobody told you...Caroline is off for a while, Mr. Payne hired me to cover for her." She said nervously just as the elevator dinged and Liam stepped out. "Speak of the devil." She smiled as he approached us.

"Good morning." Liam smiled as he clapped me on the shoulder. "I was just coming down to fill you in. You got a minute?"

I motioned to my office, following Liam as he entered and throwing my bag down on the floor next to my desk while he plunked himself down in the chair.

"I was on site for two days, what the hell is going on around here?" I asked as I sat down, rubbing my face with my hands. "Or did you tell me about this and I just can't remember shit anymore."

"No, bro." He laughed. "You're good. Caroline needed some time off, her grandson is sick in the hospital so she's helping her son look after her grand-daughter. She didn't know how long she needed so she suggested we hire someone to cover her. She's worried about you, she feels horrible and she knows you've got a lot on your plate."

"Well, yeah...but of course she can have the time off, I should probably call her and see if there's anything I can do." I said, knowing how much her grandkids meant to her and how hard it must be on her to have one of them be sick.

"She said you'd say that." Liam smiled. "But she wanted me to assure you that she will be fine and not to worry."

I sighed and nodded, making a mental note to at least call her later to make sure she was alright.

"I just don't know what I'm gonna do without her, she's irreplaceable. She knows what I need before I have to ask for it." I sighed as I leaned back and ran my hand through my hair.

"I know, and I know you need all the help you can get, that's why I made sure I replaced her ASAP. I just found out yesterday, I was gonna fill you in this morning but I got caught up in some other shit. Anyways, this one is supposed to be really good, she came highly recommended from a few different people." He assured me. "Besides, she's pretty cute."

I shot him a look and rolled my eyes. I honestly hadn't really looked at her, or noticed whether or not she was attractive. That was the last thing on my mind. I knew she was obviously much younger than Caroline, but I'd found that ever since I met Hannah it never even occurred to me to notice whether other women were attractive or not.

"I don't need cute, Liam. I need good."

"Well she's both." He chuckled as he stood up. "I'll send her in on my way out."

I nodded and said goodbye as I started to sort through the things on my desk, trying to get organized for the day. About a minute later, there was a soft knock on the door and I looked up to see her poking her head into my office.

"Come in." I motioned to her, doing my best to be friendly even though I was eager to get to work. "I'm sorry, I don't even know your name."

"Taylor." She smiled softly as she shook my hand. "It's nice to officially meet you, Mr. Styles."