The Rivals
“No shit?”
I nodded. “Yup. So there hasn’t been a tree or any real Christmas spirit here since before we were born.”
Weston was quiet for a while as he continued to look up. “I guess Grace and I have something in common, then.”
“What do you mean?”
“I haven’t put up a tree or decorated since Caroline died either. When we were kids, she would make me spend hours helping her decorate the house. As she got older, she made me come over on her birthday, November 2nd, and spend the entire day helping her decorate. She did it on her birthday because it made it harder for me to say no.”
I smiled. “I love the relationship you two had. In high school, I remember seeing you guys walk home together all the time, or I’d see you laughing together in the hall at school. It used to make me wish I had a sibling.”
Weston looked at me with a warm smile. “What? Good old Spencer doesn’t count?”
I laughed. “Not a chance. Plus, even if we did get along, he grew up in Florida where my father stowed his second family. So I didn’t get to know him too well. And maybe he never had a chance with me because of how he came into my life.”
Weston seemed to consider something for a moment. “Would it help you to have some dirt on him?”
“Help? I’m not so sure. But would I enjoy it? Absolutely.”
He smiled and leaned in a bit, even though the sidewalk around us was empty.
“Your half-brother with the sweet, Southern fiancée and the engagement announced by her pastor father in The New York Times—well, he’s screwing a stripper in Vegas who’s a well-known dominatrix.”
My eyes widened. “I knew you had dirt on him the other day at lunch.”
“They stay at a small hotel-casino on the outskirts of town. I guess so nobody will notice them. Don’t think Spence knows I’m a silent partner at The Ace. Saw them together with my own eyes. Then I asked around. It’s been going on for a while.”
I shook my head. “I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Since Weston had shared, I thought I’d let him in on a secret of my own. “You want a little dirt most people don’t know?”
Weston smiled. “Absolutely.”
“Spencer and I are only six months apart. He’s a year younger in school, so people don’t realize that. My upstanding father had both his wife and his mistress pregnant at the same time.”
He shook his head. “I never liked your father. Even when we were kids, he struck me as shady. Your grandfather, on the other hand, always seems like a decent guy.”
I sighed. “Yeah. Grandpa Sterling is really special. I don’t see him often enough now that he moved down to Florida. After my dad left my mom, he really stepped up for us. He never missed a school recital or a tennis match. A few afternoons a week, I used to follow him around one of his hotels after school. Even back then, I saw the difference between how my grandfather and my father treated staff and how staff treated them. Grandpa Sterling’s employees revered him, much like Grace Copeland’s staff seems to have loved her. Whereas the staff feared my father more than respected him.”
“I guess every family has its black sheep.”
I nodded. “They sure do.” Realizing I’d shared a lot more about my screwed-up family than he had, I asked, “Who’s your family’s black sheep?”
Weston shoved his hands into his pockets and looked down. “Me.”
I almost laughed. “You? You’re the prince of the Lockwood family.”
Weston rubbed the stubble on his cheek. “You want to know a Lockwood secret?”
I smiled. “Absolutely.”
“I was never the prince of the Lockwood family. They only had me for spare parts.”
My smile faded. “What do you mean?”
Weston shook his head. “Nothing. Forget it.” He paused and then tilted his head toward the door. “I’m going to check on something in the office before I call it a night. I’ll see you in the morning?”
“Umm… Yeah. Sure. Have a good night.”
Chapter 9
* * *
Sophia
The next morning was busy. Weston and I brought the two contractors through the construction site together, and then I headed down to where our legal and accounting team were set up in a conference room. The smile on my face as I opened the door wilted almost immediately upon entry. My father sat at the head of the table. I hadn’t even known he was back in town…or perhaps he’d never left.
“I thought you went back to Florida?”
My father gave me a stern look. “I’m obviously needed here.”
“Oh?” I folded my arms over my chest. “Did someone tell you that?”
I realized there was a room full of men with their heads swinging back and forth, watching the exchange between my father and me. I tilted my head toward the door. “Could we…talk outside for a minute?”