Early that evening, they were back in the incrementally less formal lounge having a drink.
Blake was sitting on the sofa, barely sipping, mostly staring morosely out a window.
Dair was next to her, definitely drinking, and watching her face.
He was hoping he never again in his life had to identify another body.
Helena had looked peaceful, but the blanket had been pulled up under her jaw.
She hadn’t been wearing her seatbelt. She’d sustained massive internal injuries during the crash and was eventually crushed. She’d also broken her neck.
Her driver was wearing his seatbelt, but he’d also been crushed.
According to witnesses, a boy racer was zigzagging between lanes while speeding, lost control of his car, and on the busy motorway, he took seven other cars with him. Though, the police told him they were lucky he didn’t involve more.
The boy racer was the last on the list who’d lost his life.
Even so, several others were still in hospital, including the dead little girl’s mum.
While viewing her mother, Blake had not wept. She kept the stiff-upper lip her mother’s side of the family gave her, signed the paperwork, spoke briefly to the police, and then Dair hurried her back to the car and home.
“Anything specific on your mind, lass?” he asked.
“I just…” She shot straight then her head whipped to him. “Daddy!”
She put her drink down and raced from the room.
Much slower, Dair followed suit.
By the time he made the front door, Blake was crying, “Nora!”
Dair stood on the front step as Blake ran to give a quick buss to Nora, then she went direct to her father and threw her arms around him.
And aye, there was Nora Ellington, a family friend of Blake’s, looking classy and elegant and not at all like she’d boarded a plane at the crack of dawn her time.
Dair moved into the gravel drive to go to Nora.
He touched his cheek to hers, stepped back and said, “Glad you’re here.”
Nora had eyes only for Blake. “How is she?”
“She’s had half a banana today and my girl likes her food.”
“Hmm,” Nora hummed, then turned, and he saw her brows immediately arch up. Not long later, he saw a supercilious expression come over her face. “Helena, not exactly full of surprises, but still she manages to surprise,” she said under her breath.
Dair didn’t have to turn, but he did, to see Jeff standing at the front door.
Blake was coming to say a proper hello to Nora as Ned moved his way, his focus on Jeff, his face carved from granite.
Nothing escaped the man, it seemed.
He wiped his expression clean when he offered Dair his hand. “Dair.”
“Ned, good you’re here.”
Ned sent a sideways glance to his daughter who was chatting with Nora.
When he returned his attention to Dair, Dair shook his head once, doing so communicating a number of things including, no, she was not okay, and no, she didn’t know what Jeff was.
