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My mouth opened, but nothing emerged. He—he didn’t know? Wasn’t he the president of the company or something?

“Hi, Dad. When did you get back?”

My gaze shot to the side, where Cam approached us slowly, his attention fixed on his father. At the periphery of the office, people continued to go about their business, but I sensed their curiosity drifting toward us.

A fleeting smile appeared on Shep’s face when he looked at his son. “Ah, Camden. Good to see you, son. I got in this morning.”

Cam continued a casual stroll toward us—no, toward me. The blue-sweater-over-white-button-up combo was unfairly flattering, but I tried not to stare. What was it about his eyes that rendered me so…weak?

“You changed your flight?” Cam asked.

The older man grunted. “Was your mother’s idea.”

Camden nodded as if this made perfect sense. “I trust it was pleasant?

Ignoring the question, Shep pointed at me. “What’s she doing here, son?”

Was that a hint of suspicion I detected in his tone? Or just disdain?

Cam kept his attention fully on his father. “She works here.”

“She works here?” Shep asked. “As what?”

“A consultant. Ivy hired her to help with the marketing issues we’ve had recently.”

A faint, disbelieving sneer marred Shep’s handsome face. “Ivy? Really?”

Cam’s unhurried steps brought him partway in front of me, facing his father. “She made a good argument. The Sweetheart of Sugar Springs and all that.”

Shep studied his son thoroughly, eyes narrowed. “I go away for a week to smooth things over, and Ivy Hayes has conveniently brought in Shay Honeycutt?”

Judging by the way Cam tensed at my name, his father’s emphasis on it held some intrinsic meaning, but I didn’t know what. Hating my disadvantage, I could only assume, given the strange tension brewing between the three of us, that my presence was definitely not convenient.

I thought of that city council meeting a million years ago. Shep really knew how to hold a grudge.

Cam shrugged. “It’s only good sense.”

Shep shifted his focus to me, gray eyes flashing, and Cam moved again, slipping directly between me and his father.

“When did you move back to town?” Shep asked me, all polite, like he actually cared about the answer.

I cleared my throat and peeked around Cam. “I—I’ve been back since August.”

“That was fast,” he muttered under his breath.

Cam’s tone sharpened. “Dad.”

The two exchanged a long, silent look, one fraught with a deeper significance than I could fathom. After a moment, Shep straightened his shoulders and offered me a curt smile. “Welcome to Henley, Miss Honeycutt. I’m glad you could avail yourself of this wonderful opportunity.”

“Th-thank you.”

Cam took my elbow in a gentle hold and guided me away. “I’m sorry,” he said once we were halfway to my desk. “He wasn’t supposed to be back until next week.”

“Am I in trouble?”

“Not at all.” He checked our surroundings, his blue eyes clouded. “My father is not a fan of surprises. I’d just hoped to speak with him before he came across you.”

I tried to smile, but the reminder that his father had never liked me was a bit depressing. “Am I really such a terrible surprise?”