19. Anthony
ANTHONY
“Look, under no circumstances will I allow you to charge for that,” I said into the phone. I was starting to get pissed off. One of the music execs who was co-organizing the jazz competition had the outlandish idea to ask participants to pay a fee for the privilege of being in the final.
I typically didn’t get involved in such minor decisions, but when word reached me of this, I decided to step in.
“Listen, Mr. LeBlanc, you have to?—”
A loud cry pierced the air, and I froze. I was 100 percent sure it came from Daisy’s office.
“I’ll get back to you later,” I said into the phone.
“But we need to?—”
“Later.”
I hung up and immediately left my office, going into hers.
She was on the phone, one hand on her forehead. “But what did the doctor say?”
Fuck, what’s going on? I closed the door behind me because this was clearly something private.
“Right. Okay. Thanks, Annelise.”
I took in her body language. She was obviously in distress. Her shoulders shook, and her eyes were glossy .
I went up to her, putting a hand on her cheek. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. I could practically feel her relax beneath my touch. I placed my other hand on her waist.
“Thanks a lot for letting me know. I have to think about my next steps.”
After ending the call, she put the phone on her desk.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
She just shook her head and closed her eyes. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
“Fucking hell, Daisy, you’re worrying me.”
She didn’t seem able to talk, so I just pulled her close, resting her cheek against my chest. She softened as I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close and safe. I wanted to take away whatever was causing her this distress, but I couldn’t without knowing what was going on.
After a while, she straightened up. “Annelise just called,” she explained in a shaky voice. “My dad had an accident early this morning. He fell off the tractor and broke a few ribs and his leg. He’s stable. They brought him home from the hospital this afternoon.”
“That’s good.” Broken ribs sucked. You couldn’t do much except wait for them to heal. At least they hadn’t perforated a lung or something. “How is your mom coping?” I asked.
“Mom didn’t tell me. I spoke to her this morning. I’m sure it was after the accident!” Daisy shook her head again, running both hands through her hair. “She kept this from me. Can you imagine that?”
I frowned. “She probably didn’t want you to worry.”
“He’s my dad,” she replied. “Of course I worry!”
“Fair point.”
“I need to get my head in the game and figure out what to do.” She licked her lips. “Could I take a few days off? Just so I can head up there and check how things are? I don’t trust talking to them on the phone. They’ll try to placate me. I promise I’ll work from there. ”
“Daisy—”
“I won’t fall behind.”
“Daisy,” I said in a more forceful tone, and she stopped talking. “Of course you can take time off. No work. Take care of your family and yourself.” As I spoke, an idea popped into my mind. “I want to come with you.”
She furrowed her brow. “Home?”
I nodded. “Yeah. As support. I want to make sure you’re taken care of.”
“But you have a busy week.”
“I don’t give a fuck, Daisy. I just want to make sure that you’re okay. We can deal with everything else later.”
She took in a deep breath, then let out a shaky exhale.
“That, um… that would be wonderful, actually. God, I don’t know why I’m so out of sorts.”
“It’s understandable.”
“Annelise said he’s not in any danger. But if he can’t move, Mom will have to take care of him and the farm.” Daisy had mentioned that they had a few farmhands, but her mother would still be the one managing it all.
I stepped closer to her, grazing her temples with my thumbs and kissing her forehead. “Let’s take things one step at a time. I’ll book us tickets for tonight.”
“It’s going to cost a fortune,” she countered.
I looked down at her, “I have a fortune. And I don’t mind spending it to get you home as quickly as possible.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ll take care of everything.”
“But I’m your assistant.”
“The only thing you have to worry about is packing quickly.”
“I don’t think we’ll leave that fast. There aren’t that many daily direct flights to North Dakota.
” She backed away, seemingly pulling herself together.
All I wanted to do was tug her back and tell her how much I cared.
It was so unlike me in one way but so right in another.
She was the woman for me. “Thanks for staying so calm.”
“It’s easier when it’s not happening to you,” I said truthfully. “Now, call an Uber and go home. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“Thank you so much, Anthony.”
“Don’t mention it. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” I knew she wouldn’t be, though—not until she saw her father with her own eyes.
There were no more direct flights tonight, but there were plenty of options with a layover. We’d get there late, but it was preferable to flying out tomorrow.
After making all the arrangements, I headed home to pack quickly. Then I ordered an Uber and went to pick Daisy up.
On the way, Beckett called me.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“Fuck, I forgot about the meeting.”
“What?”
“An emergency came up.”
“What happened?” Beckett’s tone suddenly changed to tense.
“Daisy’s father had an accident. We’re heading there to see how we can help.”
“First of all, sorry about that. Is he okay?”
“Yes, he’s home. Just immobile and probably in pain.”
“And second of all, we ?” He sounded stunned. “Am I missing something? The grandfathers did say you two were out on the boat, but…”
“Ah, couldn’t keep that to themselves, could they?” I wondered out loud.
“Obviously not. So, what am I missing, exactly?”
“Long story. But Daisy wants to check on her parents, and I’m going as… ”
“Moral support?” Beckett finished for me.
“Exactly.”
“I don’t even know how to react to that,” he said, and I laughed.
“You don’t have to.”
“I’m shocked.”
“I surprised myself when I suggested it,” I admitted to my brother. But I wanted to take care of her even if I couldn’t do much else.
“When will you be back?”
“I don’t know. We’ll play it by ear.”
“Does the rest of the family know?”
“They don’t. You have the priviledge of being the first.”
“Why, I feel truly honored. Want me to share it with the rest?” he offered.
I hesitated for a split second. “Sure, why not? Everyone will catch on that I’m not at the office.”
“What do you want me to tell them?”
“Everything I just told you. Actually, wait. I’ll double-check with Daisy if she’s comfortable with me sharing this with everyone.”
“How is she coping?” Beckett asked.
“She’s worried.”
“I bet she is. If something like that happened to any of our grandparents or even parents, I’d lose my shit.”
“So would I. Sorry I stood you up.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll check if Chad has time to discuss some numbers. I looked them over with Xander last night.”
“Irregularities?” I asked, frowning.
“No, just things we could do better.”
That was one of our unspoken mottos. Things could always be better.
“I can log into a call if you do need me,” I said.
“Dude, you just said you want to take care of your woman. Why don’t you focus on that? ”
“You’re right, but keep me in the loop.”
“Sure. I’ll copy you on any emails.”
I expected my brother to hang up after that, but he didn’t.
“What?” I pushed.
“Nothing. I’m just surprised at this development. First, that you’re crossing that line again.”
I groaned. “I don’t like that description.”
“No, you’re right. Shitting where you eat again. Is that better?”
I groaned. “Beckett, come on.”
“Sorry. Someone has to give it to you straight.”
“It’s different than before. It’s more different than anything I’ve done in my life.”
“Well, at least that’s good. Just be careful.”
“Daisy is not like her,” I said.
“I wasn’t implying that. We all like Daisy. Even our grandfathers, and they barely met her.”
“They said they’d keep quiet about our run-in on the bayou.”
“I believe they told you they wouldn’t tell the grandmothers.”
That’s true. Details like that were very important in my family.
“So, who else knows?” I asked.
“Just me. I asked them specifically not to share it with anyone else.”
“That’s awfully thoughtful of you.” I was downright suspicious.
“Nah, that just means I’m the only one who can give you shit for a while. But they will put two and two together when I tell them you’re off with Daisy.”
“I know.”
“Do you need me to step in and take care of anything while you’re gone?”
“Actually, yes. There are a few meetings that are important.”
“Perfect. I’ll ace them. ”
I was certain he would. I trusted all my brothers implicitly.
“I’ll talk to Dorothy, too, let her know what’s going on.” She was going to figure out what was going on, but it couldn’t be helped.
After I hung up with Beckett, I called her right away, and she answered immediately.
“Dorothy, I’ll make this quick. Daisy and I won’t be coming into the office for a few days.”
“Are you on location somewhere?”
“No. Daisy’s father had an accident.”
“I see. And you’re both going.”
“Yes. Daisy and I are?—”
“Oh, I know. I’ve been watching the two of you. It’s not my place to say this, Anthony, but do you think it’s a good idea?” she asked softly.
“I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”
After an awkward silence, Dorothy replied, “Well, if that’s how you feel. Thanks for letting me know. I needed some signatures from you, but it can wait until you’re back.”
“Perfect.”
“Give Daisy my best.”
“Will do.”
When I arrived at Daisy’s place, she was already in front of her building with a carry-on.
I got out of the car as the driver opened the trunk.
She was still on edge. She kept massaging the side of her neck, as if she had an ache there, and her eyes were still a bit glassy.
I immediately put her bag in the trunk and then returned to her, cupping her face.
“We’ve got this, Daisy,” I said.
“I tried to talk to Mom. I think she was a bit mad at Annelise for telling me.”
That was so bizarre to me. What did the woman think? That her daughter wouldn’t find out her dad would be bedridden for a while ?
She looked at me, her lip trembling. “God, I’m such a mess.”
“And I’ll do my best to help you unwind a bit.”
That was my mission for the next few days. Nothing else mattered. Only Daisy.