Sweet Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #2) - Ivy Layne Page 0,75

struck me as familiar, but when I tried to break it down—was it her face? her build?—I came up empty. I couldn't remember a tall blond. I knew tall women and blond women, but not both together. Of course, she could have been wearing lifts or a wig.

There was definitely premeditation involved. Not just stealing an Inn uniform or the possibility of a disguise, but the security team reported that the system was shut down in the stairwell, elevators, and admin suite on that floor of The Inn. They'd gone offline right around the time I was called back to the front desk to deal with the reservations snafu.

Lucky for me, or I would have been in my office when the mystery woman went after Forrest in my place. Or unlucky because if I'd been in the office with Forrest, it was likely no one would have been stabbed, and she would have tried again another day.

Either way, it was late afternoon by the time West went back to the police department with a plan to question Forrest again the next day in the hopes that he'd remember something useful. Forrest had tried to work the rest of the afternoon, but Tenn and I sent him home to sleep off the worst of the pain. I did not ask if Sterling went with him.

I bailed on Tenn after West left, packing up Daisy's used storage containers to take back to the bakery. I knew she must be dying to know what had happened after she left, and I needed to see her face, to assure myself she was well and safe, insulated from all this craziness. I wasn't keen on the idea that someone had tried to stab me. I was even less keen on the idea that they might come after Daisy.

I can't remember the last time I’d entered Sweetheart Bakery from the front door. Ever since I'd been seeing Daisy I'd used the alley door to the kitchens, bypassing the customers in the front. More to the point, bypassing Grams and Daisy's mother. Grams was all too happy to see me, but the few times I'd crossed paths with Daisy's mom she'd glared at me, prompting Daisy to usher me away before we could be properly introduced.

I let her do it, proving I was a coward when it came to meeting the parents. I'd never bothered to meet a woman's parents before. Maybe it was karma built up from all those casual relationships. My first attempt at a real relationship and her parents hated me. Crossing my fingers that Grams would be alone at the counter, I pushed open the door to Sweetheart Bakery.

Should have texted Daisy and asked her to open the back door, I thought as I was hit with the sweet scent of sugar and the bitter glares of both of Daisy's parents. Great. Just what my day needed.

“Can I help you, sir?” Daisy's mother asked, her voice dripping with saccharine sweetness, her eyes shooting daggers. If I hadn't been sure Forrest's attacker had been white, I might have suspected Sheree Hutchins. I couldn't remember any woman looking at me with so much dislike. It was intense, especially considering we'd never formally met.

Biting the bullet, I stuck out my hand. “No, thank you. I'm Royal, Daisy's boyfriend. I'm sorry we haven't officially met. She asked me to stop by—”

“We know who you are,” Daisy's father cut in. He was handsome, with dark hair and chiseled features. He probably had a very charming smile when he used it. I doubted I'd get to see. He glared at me with even more animosity than his wife.

I dropped my hand, shoving it in my back pocket. Well, okay, what now? I was here to see Daisy, not start an argument with her parents, but shoving past them to the kitchen door was too rude despite the way they were acting. I was considering leaving and going to the back door when Sheree spoke up again.

“Look, Daisy isn't here. And from the things she's said, even if she were here, she doesn't want to see you. You need to break it off with her. She wants you to stay away.”

I stared at Daisy's parents, dumbfounded. I knew that wasn't true. It couldn't be. I'd only left her side a few hours before. Even if she was freaking out over what had happened to Forrest, she would have called. She absolutely would not have asked her parents to break up