Sweet Heart (The Hearts of Sawyers Bend #2) - Ivy Layne Page 0,89

that my father was the manipulative bastard I'd always suspected he was. I tried to pick up The Inn uniform.

“Don't even fucking think about it. Just go, and think about what I said. Stay away from Royal Sawyer and the police chief. I'll give you the rest of the day off, but I expect to see you at the bakery for opening tomorrow. Otherwise, I might be forced to talk to West myself. Your grandmother was so disappointed when she saw how you'd stolen that money. When I tell her I found you here trying to take my cash and going through her jewelry box—”

I didn't wait for the rest. Leaving the uniform on the bed, I pushed past him and took off down the hall. His voice followed me. “Be smart, Daisy. Do what you're told and everything will be fine.”

Be smart. I strode back to Main Street, my mind reeling, not sure what that even meant. Be smart. How? By doing what my father told me so he could keep trying to destroy Royal and I could stay out of jail?

That might be smart by Darren Hutchins' definition, but it wasn't right. I loved Royal. More than I'd ever dreamed I could love a man. He deserved so much more than being tied to a woman like me, one whose own father had been trying to destroy his business.

What was I going to tell Royal? And West? I had to call West. I should walk straight to the police station and tell him everything. Pulling my phone from my back pocket, I stopped the recording.

What did I have to tell West, anyway? The recording was mostly filled with threats against me. My father hadn't confessed to anything. Not really. It was my word against his. What if I went to West and I ended up in jail?

My dad was right about one thing. Technically, I'd stolen twenty thousand dollars from my grandmother.

Who was I kidding? There was no technically about it. Despite all of our plans, I was not a part-owner of the business.

I was an employee, and I'd transferred twenty thousand dollars from the business account to my own. Even if I had the contract, I'd still stolen the money. My intentions didn't matter here. That I'd thought of the money as half mine was irrelevant.

I'd taken money without permission. That was a crime. End of story.

I walked aimlessly with nowhere to go. I didn't want to be at my apartment with the two housekeepers from The Inn still working. I couldn't go see Royal, Hope wasn't home, and I had to stay away from the Sawyers until I figured this out.

I needed my car. With my car, I could go anywhere, if only for long enough to get my head together. Reluctantly, I turned in the direction of The Inn when I hit Main Street. I wasn't ready to see Royal, but my car was still there, parked in the employee lot.

And blocked in. Royal had blocked me in. His own car was parked behind mine, bumpers almost touching, leaving me no room to get out. Damn. I'd hoped to sneak away and drive until I had a chance to think. I wasn't ready to see Royal. If I wanted my car back, I had no choice.

I took the easy way out and texted him. I composed and erased the text twice before I settled on the right words.

Can you come move your car? Too annoyed.

I'm downstairs and my car is blocked in. Too distant.

Rough morning. I need to go for a drive, Clear my head. Do you mind moving your car?

Chapter Thirty-Five

royal

Rough morning. I need to go for a drive, Clear my head. Do you mind moving your car?

The words were casual, but I didn't believe them. If she’d had a rough morning, why couldn't she talk to me about it? Why go for a drive?

Everything about her text felt off. I wasn't reassured when I found her standing beside her car.

Shifting her weight from foot to foot, she looked everywhere but at me. Something was very wrong.

“You okay?” I asked, moving in to pull her into my arms. A hug didn't fix everything, but it was a good place to start. To my relief, Daisy settled against me, burrowing her face into my chest and letting her breath out on a long sigh.

“No,” she said. “I'm not okay.”

“You want to talk about it?” Seeing her start to close down, I forged ahead. “Did