"If he thought you were a witness, he undoubtedly would have killed you," Griffen added, and I was reminded that while he was doing a stellar job running Sawyer Enterprises, he wasn't a businessman by trade. Before our father died and stuck him with all of this, he'd been with the best private security company in the country. This wasn't Griffen's first run-in with a killer.
"Hey, Griffen— Oh, sorry—" Sterling hovered in the open door, her eyes searching for Griffen.
Smoothly, he slid the manila envelope into a drawer, his eyes warming as he leaned back in his chair. "It's okay, Sterling, what's up?"
"I just wanted to let you know I won't be home for dinner."
Griffen slanted her a big brother look, his eyes narrowed on her face. I wondered if he caught her swollen lips or the hint of beard burn on her cheeks. "Hot date?"
Sterling narrowed her eyes back at him before her face broke into a sunny smile, lighting her blue eyes until she was so beautiful it made my heart hurt. "None of your beeswax, but yes, I do." Sticking out her tongue, she turned to flounce out of the room, reminding me painfully of the little girl she'd been.
"Wait a sec, we want to ask you a question about Dad."
Sterling deflated, the spring gone from her step as she pivoted to face us. "What about Dad?" she asked, her voice weighted with caution. Anything to do with our father had Sterling gathering her armor, barricading herself deep inside where she was safe.
"Do you remember if he was seeing anyone a few years ago? Around the time he started fixing up the family wing? Or after?"
Sterling shook her head slowly, eyes focused on the ceiling as if she were flipping through her memories. "I don't…" She shrugged, eyes dark, her light dimmed. "I was drinking a lot back then and he was…" She stopped, gathering her thoughts. "He was gone a lot. Not always overnight, but he missed dinner pretty often. I remember that because I'd skip dinner if he was around and eat in the kitchen after the staff went home, but if he was gone, they'd serve me his meal in the dining room." She shrugged a shoulder. "I was drinking too much then, but I was eating pretty well."
I hated knowing that. Why hadn't it ever occurred to me that Sterling was hiding in the kitchen to eat alone when Prentice was home? Why hadn't we checked in on her? Back then, it had felt like it was every Sawyer for himself. Avoiding Prentice and Heartstone Manor had been my modus operandi. I hadn't spared much thought for my youngest sister, assuming she and Prentice must get along alright or she would have left too.
"Why did you stay?" I wished I'd kept my mouth shut when Sterling looked away.
Hope answered for her. "Sometimes, being alone is scarier than being with someone who makes you miserable." Sterling's lips quirked into a half-smile that didn't reach her eyes.
"You moved out, though," Sterling said, referencing Hope's great act of rebellion against her Uncle Edgar.
Hope smiled, shaking her head in denial. "I did, but not until I was older than you are now. It took me ages to work up the nerve, and while Uncle Edgar can be an ass, he was never a match for your father."
Finally, Sterling's face cracked into a genuine smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "That's true. Even at his worst, Edgar is nowhere close to dear old Dad." Straightening her shoulders, she studied Griffen. "Why'd you ask about Dad? Did something happen?"
Griffen shook his head. "Nothing happened, we were just trying to work out what he might have been up to."
Sterling snorted and turned for the door. "Good luck with that. He was up to a lot, and none of it was good. Now, I'm going to follow in his footsteps and get up to some trouble myself." She winked and shut the door behind her.
Griffen stared at the closed door for a long moment before letting out a breath. "I don't like her with Powell. She's going to get her heart broken."
I sank into the chair opposite his desk. "Agreed. He's working out well as CFO for the Inn, and he seems like a good guy, but—"
"Any chance you two are just being overprotective?" Hope asked. "She's a grown woman and he seems to care about her."
"There's a few things you don't know—" Leaning forward, I told Griffen and Hope about the fight in the hall and reminded them about catching Forrest searching the guest wing.
"Other than that, he seems above board," Griffen said. "But I'm with you. I don't like it."
"Too bad it isn’t any of your business who Sterling goes out with," Scarlett said, one eyebrow raised and a hand on her hip. "And if you badger her about Forrest, she'll probably drag him off to Vegas and marry him just to show you who's in charge."