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“So, book tickets for everybody. Bella? Audrey?”
“Yes. They’ve both said a break would be welcome. The ceremony is Saturday night. There’s a lot to do here, but we can spare twenty-four hours. This is a big deal for Daisy. We’d like to be there for her.”
“She’ll be thrilled,” Noah said.
“I already arranged for a table at the banquet. Bella is the only one I didn’t know would be there, but there was an extra seat at the table anyway.”
“So, you wanna come in on Saturday afternoon and fly out Sunday morning?”
“As close to that as possible, yes. And we’ll need some rooms.”
“Consider it done.”
Edward emailed him the information required to book the tickets—names and dates of birth, etcetera. Noah got out his laptop and began searching, only to find that on such short notice, it would be impossible to get them all on the same flight. Finally, he just chartered a jet. It was pricey as hell, but even if the mayor didn’t reimburse him, he wanted to do it for them. For Daisy. And why have all this money if he couldn’t use it for good?
Hotel rooms in NYC were scarce. Between it being tourist season and a weekend, they were also far from cheap. Not caring about the price, he booked the closest one with enough rooms. He arranged for Adam and Kate’s room to have a crib and then hired a ten-passenger limo—with an infant car seat—to drive them to and from the hotel. He tried to anticipate their every need but didn’t want to overstep either. They would be on their own to walk or take a cab the short distance from their hotel to where the banquet was.
Everyone had been cc’d on the email Edward sent, so Noah just “replied all” with the flight and hotel information.
When finished, he went to find Daisy. She was in the kitchen, eating pie.
“Ah. You fell into my sugar-laden trap,” he said, rubbing his hands together, hoping to coax a smile.
She huffed out a laugh. “Hard to resist apple pie,” she said.
“All part of my plan to get you to eat. Next comes broccoli casserole.”
Even in tragedy, Daisy continued to surprise him. His initial expectation that she’d be an entitled princess had already blown up. Then, his assumption that because she was pretty and acted ditsy in her videos, she wasn’t too bright fell apart. Now, he had to admit that every supposition he’d had was crumbling quickly. Seeing her serious, empathic side had added yet another dimension.
He shook his head. He wasn’t here to get to know her, or catalog the pros and cons of her character. He was here to protect her, and he’d have to focus on more than her fabulous legs and winning personality to do that.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he said, standing abruptly and leaving her to her pie. He needed some time alone to readjust his priorities and get his head on straight. Once they arrived in New York, she’d be out of hiding and in danger again. To keep her alive, he had to stay vigilant. That meant no more musings about Daisy and her attributes.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Friday morning, Noah and Daisy took a cab to the airport.
“You sure you’re okay leaving?” he asked.
“I wasn’t doing much good anyway,” Daisy said. “My sisters are closer to Bella than I am because they see her more. They’ll take care of her and Nana. Poor Nana. I’ve never seen her so shaken up.”
“I’m not sure I’ve said it yet, but I’m sorry for your loss.”
She laid a hand on his arm. “Thank you.”
Once she was away from the house and the doom and gloom, she felt a little lighter. Death sucked, but it was part of life. The worst of it was helping those left behind. In this case, Nana, Bella, and her dad. Her dad was tough, but he’d lost his brother, and no matter how stoic he was, that couldn’t be easy.
The plane ride was uneventful, and they landed on time. In the cab to the hotel, Daisy nodded off and woke with her head on Noah’s shoulder. “Sorry,” she said, yawning. “I haven’t slept well the last two nights.”
“It’s okay,” he said. “Hey, now that we’re back in this, everyone will know where you are, so we’ll have to be on high alert again.”
“I know. I thought of that. But there are millions of people in New York, so no matter where you go, there’s a crowd. Shouldn’t that deter someone from trying anything stupid?”
“Maybe. New Yorkers aren’t exactly known for their willingness to jump in when someone’s getting shot at though.”
She shrugged. “Is anyone in any city?”
“Touché.”
