Declan and Sterrin; Monday afternoon; Apt.11201
"Well only if you're sure. I'll see you then. Bye."
Declan hung up the call and stared down at his phone for a long moment. This could make things very awkward, maybe not so much for him as for his sister.
As if right on cue, the apartment door opened and Sterrin walked in looking artfully tousled with her ball gown draped over one arm, her shoes in her hand, and swimming in a very expensive looking men's button-down shirt that was long enough to reach her knees. Declan arched a brow.
"Did you have a good time last night?"
"Yeah," Sterrin replied with a grin. "You?"
He nodded and sat forward a little bit. "Have a seat," he said as he rubbed at the back of his neck. "I've got something to tell you."
Sterrin's brow furrowed, but she dropped her ball gown on an arm chair and lay her shoes on the floor before she perched on the edge of the couch next to him. "What's up? Is it something with mom?"
He watched her hands twitch in her lap, likely itching to touch him and just read in his mind what was going on, but she didn't make any such moves to do so. He took a deep breath. "Callan called. He's going to be in town for a little while."
Sterrin blinked and her entire face went blank, a tell-tale sign that she was feeling something and didn't want him to know it. "Oh. Why?"
"He's got some business," he said, watching her face. "And while he's here I'm going to have him handle a few shoots for Smashing."
"Ah." She said nothing else, just fiddled with one of the buttons on the shirt's sleeve and Declan felt himself soften for a moment.
"He won't be here long, Sterrin," he said in a soft voice. "And he won't be staying here. I've got to go pick him up from the airport, but he'll be staying at the Empress."
"Well that means the Empress will be nice and trashed, then," Sterrin said in a dry voice. "And why would I give a fuck where he stays or what he does?" she said and shrugged as she stood up. "Is that all you had to tell me?"
He crossed his arms over his chest and watched her pick up her dress and shoes again. "Yeah. Don't you want to know when he's coming?"
"It doesn't matter," she said as she headed into her bedroom and shut the door behind her.
Declan sighed and scrubbed a hand through his hair before he leaned over to grab his cigarettes and lit one up. Nothing left to do but let it play out, he supposed.