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Adam was holding the last space for Daisy if she wanted it. And if all went as planned, she just might.
Sophie Parker did not allow cell phones at her dinner table, so after dinner, there was always a mad rush to the basket in which they were kept. Since Daisy’s whole life revolved around social media, it was especially nerve-racking to put it away for so long.
When Daisy retrieved her phone and checked her messages, she went pale. “Oh, my.”
“What?” Emma asked. “Something happen?”
“Another contestant is out of the running,” Daisy said.
“More blackmail?” Kate asked.
“No,” Daisy said. “Her name’s Veronica. And she’s dead.”
“How?” Adam asked.
“A car accident,” Daisy said. “There’s a link to the article. Hold on.” She clicked on the link and took a second to skim through it. “Hm.”
“What?” Lucy asked.
“They think it might have been a hit and run. There were no witnesses, but there was damage to the side of the car, indicating it was hit before it left the road.”
“This worries me,” her dad said, brows knit in concern. “What if it has to do with the contest?”
“Oh, Dad,” Daisy said. “I doubt that. It’s just a silly award. Important to business, but not worth killing over.”
“Well, it’s apparently worth blackmailing over. Who’s to say someone isn’t stepping up their game to take out the competition? And you plan to travel alone? What if something happens, and we can’t get a hold of you?”
Daisy put her arm around her dad’s waist. “It’s fine, Dad. If there’s really an emergency, Emma can track my phone.”
Her dad looked at Emma for confirmation. Like Daisy was lying or didn’t know what she was talking about. She tamped down the irritation. Even at twenty-eight, they treated her like a baby.
“That’s true,” Emma said, nodding. “I went with her to get her new cell phone, and she linked it with mine, so we can ‘find’ each other.”
“I’ve lived on my own for a long time,” Daisy said, trying to subtly remind her family that she was a full-grown and capable woman. “And I’ll be careful. I promise.”
“Uh, Daisy,” Kate said. “Do you read the comments on your videos?”
“I skim through them every once in a while. There are too many to read and reply to everyone. Why?”
“Have you ever seen anything like this?” Kate flipped her phone to show Daisy what she’d been looking at. “It’s in the comments of your latest video.”
“‘Drop out or your next,’” Daisy read out loud. “Huh. No, I didn’t see that.”
“They misspelled ‘you’re,’ so they can’t be too bright,” Kate said. “But it seems concerning.”
“Not the time for a grammar lesson, Kate,” Lizzie said.
“No. You’re right.” Kate waved a hand and shook her head. “Sorry.”
“I don’t like this,” her dad said. “You going off all by yourself.”
“What if someone comes with me?” Daisy said. “Kate’s got the baby, and Lucy’s too pregnant, but what about Emma or Lizzie?”
“That just puts two of you in danger!” her mom said. “Do you really have to go?”
“I’ll go with you,” Nana offered. “I’ve been taking karate lessons.”
That explained the thick yellow belt she’d worn all through dinner.
