Page 112 of The Rebel

“She’s working from home today.”

“Things went sour between the two of you?” Beckett asked.

I frowned at him. “No. Why would you even ask that?”

He shrugged. “You look like someone pissed in your coffee. I took a wild guess.”

“No, nothing’s wrong between us.”

“That sounds more like a question,” Chad said, sitting a bit straighter. He and Julian were both looking at me.

“Samantha, our recruiter, called,” I said.

“Oh, come on, dude. Don’t tell me that things between you and Daisy didn’t work out professionally,” Julian said.

“Why is everyone suddenly assuming the worst?” I asked.

Beckett eyed me. “Like I said, you just give off that vibe today.”

“No, she just asked if I’d be willing to give Daisy a reference.”

“She found another job. That would explain the sour expression,” Julian said.

Beckett was frowning too. “I don’t get it. You always knew she’d only be your assistant temporarily.”

“Because the job is in North Dakota,” I explained.

No one said anything for a few seconds. Then Chad snapped his fingers as if he’d just had an aha moment. “Because of her parents’ situation, I take it?”

I nodded. “Yes. She mentioned this in passing when we went to visit, but I didn’t realize she’d actually meant it.”

“That’s insane,” Beckett said. “She was just saying at the fragrance shop how much she enjoys living in New Orleans. And that it’s the first city where she sees herself settling down.”

She’d told Beckett that? Hope suddenly surged through me.

“I don’t think she necessarily wants to move, but she believes it’s necessary,” I said.

“Just putting it out there, but you did offer to help her parents, right?” Julian asked.

I bristled. “I am helping. Her parents and I hired two additional employees. But her mom and dad didn’t want Daisy to know. They thought she wouldn’t seem comfortable with the idea.”

“What the hell?” Beckett said. “That’s insane. Have you spoken with her yet?”

“No. I haven’t had a minute—I spoke to Dorothy and then came to this meeting.”

“Which is now over,” Chad cut in, “so you can go and focus on your woman. You should’ve canceled this meeting, you dick.”

“That’s right,” Julian said. “Since when does my brother hesitate?”

I laughed, looking around the table, specifically at Xander. “You going to join them with that advice or what?”

“Yes, obviously,” he said, then added, “Dipwhistle.”

I jerked my head back. “What even is that? I didn’t expect that from you.”

Xander was always the most calculated out of all of us. I wouldn’t say cold—that would be unfair to my brother—but he’d definitely prioritized business over his personal life for many years. Until Bailey.

“You’d never postpone a meeting unless there was a crisis,” I told Xander.