Page 11 of Fighting for Daisy

“What’s the award for?”

“The category is Rookie Social Media Influencer of the Year. Or something along those lines. Daisy does travel vlogs and blogs and has her own social media channel. Honestly, I’m not exactly sure what it all entails.”

It sounded pretty lame, but brushing off the mayor would be career suicide.

“So, twenty-four hours a day for two weeks? That’ll be expensive. I can draw up a proposal and see who might be available. Most of my guys work full-time as police officers and do the city gigs as a part-time thing on their days off.”

“I was hoping you could do it,” Edward said. “I need the best. Someone I can trust. When I asked around, your name came up a lot. I don’t just want some random guy glued to her side. If I know her at all, she’ll keep working, which means some travel.”

“Travel?”

“She’s planning a road trip to NYC. Leaving this week. I was hoping you could accompany her.”

“Oh,” Noah said. The request put him in a tough spot. City contracts were probably three-quarters of his business. Would saying no jeopardize that? He shifted in his seat.

“Don’t feel like you have to do this,” Edward said, sensing his unease. “Your decision won’t affect your business with the city. I’m not holding that over your head. You’re free to say no. It would be a favor to me, and I would pay you out of my own pocket.”

Noah knew the mayor to be a man of honor. Knew he wouldn’t bribe Noah or threaten him to do the job. The crease in his forehead and the worry in his eyes made it clear. He was scared for his daughter.

“Heard it through the grapevine that money isn’t an issue for you,” Edward said. “You could be retired and lounging on a beach somewhere. But instead, you started a business and work hard at it. I find that honorable.”

“Oh, yeah,” Noah said, hoping he wasn’t blushing. “I don’t tell many people about that. No one, actually.” Not since it destroyed his relationship with Sarah.

One of Noah’s hobbies was fiddling around with technology, and one day, he “fiddled” his way into a discovery that changed policing. He’d patented a device that was integrated into police body cams. Police departments nationwide used it daily, making Noah a multimillionaire.

Edward nodded. “Your secret’s safe with me. It doesn’t have anything to do with my request anyway. Just shows me what kind of man you are.”

“All right. I’ll do it.”

“Thank you.” Edward breathed a sigh of relief, and the tension in his shoulders relaxed. “You can’t realize how much that puts my mind at ease.”

“I’ll clear my plate,” Noah said.

Noah returned to the office and immediately began prioritizing everything that must be done before he took some time away. Payroll and scheduling shifts were nonnegotiable. He made a list for Janet of all the tasks he’d need help with.

“My biggest concern is the prep for this new contract. I’ll have to do it while on the road. I can take calls and deal with any emergencies remotely. Just need you to hold down the fort and handle the routine day-to-day stuff.”

“I do that every day anyway,” Janet said. “It’s about time you took a vacation.”

“Babysitting a twenty-eight-year-old social media star cannot be considered a vacation.” In fact, it almost felt like some kind of karmic punishment. One he deserved. As much as he didnotwant to do this, he did want to remain in the mayor’s good graces. “It’s definitely not part of my vision for the company.”

“Whydidyou start the business?” Janet asked. “You don’t need the income.”

Janet was one of the few people who knew about his fortune.

“I gotta do something with my time,” he said, shrugging. “Rolling around in money gets boring after a while.”

“Have you watched any of her videos?” She waggled her eyebrows. “She’s a very pretty girl.”

“Don’t,” Noah said. “Just because you’ve been married a bajillion years doesn’t mean it’s your responsibility to marry off us content bachelors.”

“I’m just saying,” Janet said. “Perhaps it’s time to get back out there.”

Noah had given up on women after his last disastrous relationship. “Sarah was a ‘very pretty girl,’ and look how that turned out.”

Janet huffed. “Sometimes I think you’re just determined to not be happy.”

She’d said it as a joke, but it hit home. In a way, that’s exactly what he was. After The Incident, he didn’t deserve happiness.

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