Sweet Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #2) - Ivy Layne Page 0,28
but the person we hired to fill in for her just decided to take a different position. If you're interested, show up at The Inn tomorrow by 8:30. I'll introduce you to Marcy, and we’ll see how it goes. It doesn't pay a lot, and Marcy will work you hard, but I think you’ll like it, and her.”
Sterling sat frozen for a long minute. “Really? You’ll give me a job at The Inn?”
“I'll hire you on a trial basis. In the end, it will be up to Marcy.”
Sterling stood and nodded. “I'll kick ass in event coordination, you'll see.”
“I can't wait.”
Sterling's smile was a little shy when she said, “Can I, um, ride in with you tomorrow? I don't have any gas in my car, and I guess I won't have any money to fill it until I get a paycheck.”
“I go in at eight, and I'd love to give you a ride.”
“I can't remember the last time I got up that early,” Sterling said. She leaned over and gave me a quick hug. “Thanks, you're the best, Royal. I swear I won’t fuck this up.”
“What about me?” Griffen said, sounding affronted.
Sterling sent him a saucy wink. “You're not bad, but Royal just gave me a job, so he’s my number one brother right now. If he fires me I'll give the spot back to you.”
“If he doesn't fire you because you have a job you like and you're doing well at it, then I'm happy to take number two. As long as you don't put Tenn ahead of me.”
Sterling laughed, a sound I realized we didn't hear enough. For a party girl, she never seemed to be having that much fun. A moment later she was gone, closing the office door behind her.
Chapter Twelve
royal
That was unexpected,” I said.
“You okay with giving her a job?” Griffen asked, noting something down on the pad in front of him.
“I guess that depends on how it ends up working out. But I never would have thought she'd slow down the drinking the way she has. Who knows? She seems a lot less angry. Less reckless. That means a lot. And unlike the rest of them, she didn't revolt at the idea of working for a living.”
“Always a good sign. I assume Bryce wasn't interested in a similar offer?”
“I didn't exactly make Bryce a similar offer,” I admitted. “Mostly because he's still an asshole, and he's not my little sister.”
“Well, we have to put up with them living in the house once the guest wing is ready, but nothing in the will says we have to support them. If Bryce decides he's willing to lower himself to employment, maybe we'll find something for him.”
“You still haven't gotten to your lunch,” I said, stacking my empty dishes on the tray. “I’ll run down The Inn business while you eat.”
“Works for me,” Griffen said, picking up his sandwich again. “I'm starving.”
“Tenn is going to make an offer to Forrest Powell. If he works out, he’ll fill in for the time I’m spending here and put us a little ahead.”
Griffen ate as I went over construction details on the cottage expansion. While I was talking, my phone beeped. A quick look showed a message from Tenn.
Produce emergency averted. I don't care what the coin says, next crisis is yours.
“Tenn said he covered the latest emergency. We have to figure out who’s behind the sabotage at The Inn before it gets any worse. At first, it was canceled reservations and guests who thought things were missing from their rooms. Then the guy with the cockroaches—”
I shook my head as I remembered the swelling in Daisy’s cheek. That was on me. I wasn’t the one who’d hit her, but she should have been safe at The Inn.
“Tenn will have the purchasing staff call all of our major vendors, letting them know to double-check any unusual changes. But narrowing it down seems impossible. West arrested cockroach guy and it still didn't get us anywhere.”
“Lately, all we have are dead ends,” Griffen agreed. “West still doesn't have anything on the nutcase who tried to run me off the road and broke into the Manor. Same story—somebody paid him to do it, but he doesn't know who it was. I believe him, but that doesn't fucking help us.”
“I'm not even sure I can narrow down the suspects,” I said. “Dad had so many enemies one walked right into Heartstone Manor and shot him in the head. I'm not sure they see