8. Surprise
8
Surprise
Asher
“Daisy!” I jump down the stairs as fast as my legs can take me, hoping to catch her before she hits the ground.
But I won’t be fast enough. As I reach for her in vain, a fireman working at the bottom of the steps swoops in, catching her just in time. There’s a general gasp around us, and my heart has never beat faster.
“Daisy! Are you okay?” I ask, finally reaching her side. A bruise colors her cheek, and she’s darting her eyes back and forth, clearly disoriented.
She nods, then turns to her savio r. A pang of jealousy courses through me.
“Thank you,” I say to him. “That was—”
My blood freezes as I stare at the thirty-something, dark-haired man in front of me. No, not thirty-something. Exactly thirty-two. My brother’s birthday was last month. My chest aches, like someone is punching my heart, trying to see how much I can take. But looking into his eyes after all this time is like nothing I’ve ever experienced. And I’m not sure I’ll be able to recover.
“Asher,” he says, his voice almost a whisper. He’s clearly as stunned as I am, if not more. Though for what it’s worth, I knew he lived in Chicago. He had no idea I was here.
I avert my gaze. Crap . There’s no getting out of this.
Daisy shakes her head, blinking rapidly. “Wait. You two know each other?” she asks, glancing back and forth between Evan and me.
“Everything all right, lieutenant? We’re done over there, if you need me,” a young guy says, hurrying over. I glance to my right and see the rest of his company standing near the river, probably wrapping up another call.
Evan stands up and slaps the other guy’s back. “All good, Harrison. Meet my brother, Asher.” He turns back to me. “Asher, this is Jaime Harrison, our squad candidate.”
I have no idea what that means— probably some fireman jargon. I nod to the younger man, then bring my attention to Daisy. “Are you okay? Should I take you to the hospital?”
“No need, Ash,” Evan says casually, as if we’re still brothers who chat every Sunday. When in reality, hearing that nickname after twenty-two years sends chills down my spine. “Our medics will look her over.”
“I’m okay, I think.” She nods as I help her to her feet. “Thank you. But . . . you two are brothers?” Her gray eyes study us, as if searching for the family resemblance. Frankly, it’s not that hard to spot. We have the same jawline, eyes, and hair color, although everyone knows I’m the most handsome.
“We are,” Evan says, a gleam in his eyes.
“Oh,” Harrison exclaims, his wide eyes fixed on me. “Are you in town for the ceremony? I’m so lucky to be working under the best lieutenant in the CFD.”
“Ceremony?” Daisy frowns.
I’m racking my brain for something to say to stop this avalanche, but my mind has gone blank, my airways constricting.
Evan clears his throat. “I’m being honored for a rescue I carried out last month. I didn’t know you were in town,” he says, staring at me from beneath furrowed eyebrows. Yeah. As if I would tell him. We hav en’t spoken in years. What did he expect? It’s not like I’ve been answering his emails or cards. I needed a clean slate to heal, and now I’m reminded why. Evan rubs the back of his neck. “I’d love for you to come. You too, Daisy.”
Daisy opens her mouth to respond, but I’m faster. I can’t let her take the lead on this one. “I’m only here for a few days, and I have a very busy schedule. This is a work trip. I won’t have time.”
Daisy waves a hand in dismissal. “Of course he can come. I’ll reorganize the itinerary.” She flashes Evan a bright smile. “How can I refuse? You saved my life, after all.”
“Great.” Evan clasps his hands. “It’s settled, then. Now, let’s take you over to the medics so they can look at that cut.”
I blink slowly, my mouth slightly agape. What on earth just happened? And why wasn’t I able to stop it?
I’m not going to lie. Seeing Evan after all this time has stirred something inside of me. Have I missed him? Possibly. But he hurt me. Both he and my mom did, and I’ll never forgive them for what happened back then.
After a few minutes, the medics r elease Daisy, and my brother and his team leave the Riverwalk.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I sigh, looking at her. They put a bandage on her cheek, but other than that, she looks like her usual happy self. That calms my racing heart a notch.
“Why didn’t you mention you have family here?” she asks, just like I knew she would. Her eyes are teasing, as if I’m a toddler who’s been naughty.
“I haven’t spoken to him in twenty-two years,” I say curtly. “And I’m happy to keep it that way.”
She does a double take, clearly taken aback by my sharp tone. “What happened? He seems like a great guy.”
“Look, Red. I don’t want to talk about my family. Can we just go back to our regular programming?”
She raises her hands in surrender. “Fine. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. Let’s go grab something to eat.”
We manage to spend our entire lunchtime without discussing the incident, and Daisy really seems fine, so after a while, I relax again.
Following lunch, she resumes her endless list of facts and curiosities about the Riverwalk before leading me back up to the street. She points out more famous buildings until we reach the famous Chagall Four Seasons Mosaic.
“Wow,” I breathe out, gazing up at the large-scale mosaic that represents the artist’s childhood with bursts of color. “This is incredible. Right off the street too.”
“I know.” She beams, her smile reaching her eyes. “I love all the public art we have here in Chicago.”
“We have some in New York too, of course, but definitely not by Chagall.”
Her smile widens. “We also have a sculpture by Picasso a couple of blocks away.”
We check out the Picasso sculpture, then stop to admire more buildings, including The Rookery, the oldest standing high-rise in Chicago. I have to say, it’s pretty cool. Finally, we make it to the tallest skyscraper in Chicago.
“So, this is the famous Willis Tower, huh?” I say, glancing up at the impossibly high structure.
“Sears Tower,” she immediately corrects. “To Chicagoans, it’ll always be the Sears Tower, even though there was a name change years ago. But yes, this is it. America’s third tallest building.” She shoots me a warning glare. “Don’t ask me about the first two.”
I chuckle, unable to contain my l aughter. “I don’t need to. I already know.” The first and second highest towers are both in New York, of course.
She offers a knowing smile, and we walk inside.
After cramming into an elevator, we finally make it to the top, and the view is spectacular. I’m a sucker for skylines, and New York’s is phenomenal, but this is equally impressive, the blue expanse of Lake Michigan adding to the appeal. We walk around, and I snap countless photos, soaking in the view as the sun sets.
“Do you want to try The Ledge?” Daisy asks, arching an eyebrow.
“What is it?”
“A glass balcony that gives you the impression of being suspended in the air. I actually haven’t tried it before.”
I grin. “Let’s have a look.”
We make our way to the attraction, and it seems kind of fun. You get to step out over Chicago, nothing but clear glass beneath your feet. “I’m down. Should we get in line?”
She nods and begins to rattle off numerous fun facts about the tower, once again leaving me speechless. This woman is amazing. No wonder Jan asked her to show me around the city. I doubt anyone is immune to her charm. She’s like the firm’s secret power when it comes to recruiting candidates and clients, I’m sure.
Finally, it’s our turn, and I v enture onto the glass floor, my eyes drawn to the street far below. But when I look up, Daisy is nowhere to be seen.
“Um. You do it,” she says from behind me. “I’ll wait here. Do you want me to take your picture?”
“Oh, come on.” I turn around, offering my hand. “It’s perfectly safe. You know that. You just listed off all the engineering and construction facts about it a few minutes ago.”
She winces, wringing her hands. “Uh, I don’t know.”
“Just hold my hand. It’ll be fine.”
She presses her lips together, clearly hesitating. Then, she stretches her shaky hand out, finally taking mine. A sparking sensation tingles through my hand, but I hold her palm tight, showing her I’m not going to let go. Slowly, she walks onto the glass floor and lets out a long sigh.
“Wow,” she breathes. “This is crazy. I bet you don’t have this in New York.”
Well, we do have The Summit, but I’m not going to test her right now. She seems petrified, and I want her to feel safe. “Are you okay?” I squeeze her hand.
She nods. “I am. Thank you.”
“Should we take a selfie to immortalize the moment?”
She smiles, but I can see she’s not completely reassured. I snap a couple of selfies, and before I know it, our time is up. We step out of the glass balcony , Daisy breathing hard next to me. I cast her a concerned look.
“I’m fine,” she says, still not releasing my hand. “Thank you. That was fun.”
“Tell that to the hand you just crushed,” I joke.
Her eyes widen, and she jerks her hand back. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry. Guess I was a bit scared.”
I give her a pointed look.
She rolls her eyes. “Fine. A lot scared . I’m ready to go back down now.”
I laugh. “Let’s go.”
We take the elevator back down, then exit the building and begin our walk back to my hotel. I’m a little disappointed that the tower was our last stop on today’s itinerary, but Daisy is going out with her roommate tonight. Plus, this is a work trip, I remind myself.
“I hope you had a good time today?” she asks as we’re approaching my hotel block.
“I did.” I bob my head, truly meaning it. It was a fun day, aside from that incident I don’t want to think about. “What time are we meeting tomorrow?”
“I have to check how long it takes to get to your brother’s firehouse. The ceremony is at—”
“Wait. What are you talking about?” I snap, the blood draining from my face.
A wrinkle creases her forehead. “You r brother’s ceremony.”
“You weren’t serious about that, right? There’s no way I’m going. I’ve been estranged from my brother for twenty-two years, and I intend for it to stay that way.”
“But—”
“We’re not going, Daisy,” I boom, cutting her off. My tone is firm, commanding, but I don’t care. This is my family. It’s my call.
She scoffs, her eyebrows shooting up. “Listen, pal. You can do whatever you want, but you do not make decisions for me. I’m going. He saved me back there, and I want to show some support.”
“Daisy,” I begin again softly, instantly regretting lashing out at her. “I’m so—”
“I’ll see you tomorrow at the firehouse, or I’ll text you when it’s over, and we can find a place to meet. Have a good night.”
And with that, she spins on her heel, leaving me with a flood of thoughts creeping into my brain. The same ones that I’ve been trying to shove away for years, but now, I can’t seem to avoid.