Page 11 of Stuck with Mr. Grump

“Who are your siblings?” he asks.

“Carson and Anika,” I reply sheepishly because really I wouldn’t be in this position if I hadn’t wanted to give myself a tour of someone else’s home. I was wrong. “I apologize for the intrusion, Mr. Harrington. It was an honest mistake.”

He studies me for a moment longer, the tension in his jaw easing slightly. Then he’s pulling his phone out of the pocket of his black pants. I stay silent as he types something in and two minutes later, Karl appears.

He shoots me a sharp look and I apologize as best as I can with my eyes.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Harrington. Miss Cameron seems to have wandered off,” he says to his boss.

Sterling turns up his aristocratic nose, the frown on his face not letting up in the slightest.

“She’s Carson’s sister?” he asks Karl suspiciously.

Dude, I already told you I was.

“Yes sir. She arrived with him and Miss Anika Cameron.”

“Alright then,” Sterling Harrington states, turning to me with a curt nod. “Karl will escort you back to the living room.”

As I follow the butler back, I feel the weight of Sterling Harrington’s gaze on me, a mixture of suspicion and something else I can’t quite place.

CHAPTER 4

Sterling

As soon as the woman’s gone, I’m looking down at the quiet five-year-old at my side. I lean down so we’re eye level, giving him my best disappointed expression. He avoids my eyes, making it clear he’s aware he did something wrong.

“What have we said about talking to strangers, Sean?” I ask.

“You said I shouldn’t do that,” he replies.

“So you remember? Good. Now explain to me why were you talking to her?”

He shrugs. “She didn’t look like a bad person. And she’s pretty.”

I pause at that. Now that I think about it, she was pretty, with her shiny blonde hair and dainty doll-like face. I’ve never met Emilia Cameron before but I have heard about her. Carson’s long-lost sister.

She’s fiery. I think back to how she stood her ground, her blue eyes meeting mine head on, something even some grown men are unable to do.

“Pretty people can be bad people, too,” I tell Sean. “Just don’t do that again. If you see a stranger, don’t talk to them. Just walk away.”

I’m actually surprised he engaged in a conversation with her. Sean’s a socially reserved kid. He mostly keeps to himself, playing with his toys or reading a book.

“Okay, Daddy. Can I go play now?” he asks hopefully.

“No,” I say, shaking my head. “You and I will go and greet our guests. I’ve kept them waiting long enough.”

His nose wrinkles. “Do I have to?”

I smile. He really does not like hanging out with other people.

“But the pretty woman from earlier will be there, too,” I point out to provide some incentive.

It works because his expression brightens. “Okay, I’ll go.”

It would seem Emilia Cameron is the exception when it comes to his feelings about human interaction. Interesting. He slips his hand into mine as I lead him to the living room. The Cameron siblings are there, standing in a half-circle and whispering about something.

If I was a betting man I’d say Emilia’s informing them about our interaction. She’s gesturing wildly with a frown on her face. I look from her to her brother, who’s listening to her with a shit-eating grin.

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