"EEeeeeeyaaah!" Charlie screeched, leaping out of her chair. But when she only saw Royce leaning against her desk, she braced an elbow on the wall and tried to force her heart to stop racing. "Good grief, you scared the bejeezus outta me!"
She had half a mind to snap at him about how both he AND Alexander Crowne had done the same thing and her opinions about THAT, but just barely had enough presence of mind to drop it. Any mention of Crowne would just hurt Royce, and doing that would only make her feel like a worm.
Charlie took a deep breath and let it out, calming herself down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to... well, freak out. I'm not very good with people sneaking up on me." Thanks for the mental scarring, Jer. For a moment, she envisioned her brother sneaking up on one of his girlfriends and getting severely slapped, and just like that, her good humor had returned.
Returning back to her seat in much better spirits, she smiled up at Royce. "The Doc's out paying house calls to horses and cows and chickens, last I heard. Anything I can help you with? Is Abbey okay?" she asked, suddenly becoming alert. Royce's furry friend was always at his side, and only now did Charlie notice her absence.