“No thanks are necessary. I’ll get in touch with you in a few days, but with any luck, I’ll have someone over at the house this afternoon. Just don’t go anywhere.”
We say our goodbyes and then end the call. Meanwhile, for the next few hours, I stay on the desktop and overlook some administrative work. Liam’s paying me a salary to be an operations manager for furniture shipping companies he owns in Northern Ireland. I didn’t even know he had them until he told me. The whole point of me assisting the family is to work on exporting guns out of Northern Ireland to the United States and wherever else’s needed.
A knock against the office door causes me to glance up. “Come on in,” I tell whoever’s on the other side.
At the sight of her naturally curly red hair, I instantly center myself. Delaney’s the quiet one of the family. Better yet, she’s the one who doesn’t care much about other people’s business or what they’re doing.
“Hey, there’s a man at the door for you. He said he was a physical therapist hired by Liam. I have one of the men in the formal living room with him until you can make it downstairs.”
“All right, well, I was finishing up.” I close out of all my tabs, then shut down my desktop and rise from the chair. Delaney stands in the doorway of the study, and as I fill the frame, she walks out toward the hallway, and we proceed to walk alongside each other.
“I figure you’ll find out sooner or later, but I told Delilah I’d help her and Cassie with the party.”
“Cassie?” I have no idea who that is.
“Yeah, she’s Delilah’s assistant. It’ll give me some good experience in event planning, and it’ll help occupy my time for a bit. I think I may go off to university for something like this, but I’m not sure.” Delaney’s eyes sparkle in the beginning, but when it comes to her speaking about university, the light disappears from her eyes. I can tell she’s nervous, and while I don’t blame her, she should be focusing on what makes her happy.
“I’m sure you’ll be a great help to both Delilah and Cassie,” I say with a smile, and Delaney smiles brightly at me.
“You think?”
“No, I know so. You’re going to do amazing,” I say as we make our way down the stairwell. Delaney walks with me to the formal living area, and I meet the man Liam sent. He’s short, a little stocky, and has some sort of folding table with him. I’m wondering if he got me a physical therapist or a masseuse. We make introductions, and my guard takes us downstairs to a workout room. I didn’t even know this was down here.
Delaney’s observing this guy like she’s some sort of auditor, so I glance back at her. “Did you know this was down here?”
She stifles a laugh. “No. I get lost trying to find my bedroom every night. Coming down here would just make me lost for weeks on end, and that’s if you ever found me before I starved to death.”
Joel’s eyes go wide, and I doubt he understands the type of humor we have in our family. “Shall we go ahead and get started?”
I give him a nod and walk over to where he is, hoping that even though I’m certain this will hurt, it won’t be too bad.
CHAPTERNINE
DELILAH
Now that Cassie and I have a plan for the fundraiser event at Keenan’s new house, or rather the one where he’s staying, I call a meeting to bring everyone up to speed. It’s also the perfect chance to introduce Delaney and her role in the charity.
My father started this charity several years ago, and while it took me a long time to work up to the position I’m in now, I didn’t mind the work. I’ve always wanted to help people, and this seemed like the best way to do it.
Cassie once told me it’s guilt that drives me to work so hard for the charity, and maybe she’s right. I’ve never known what it’s like to wonder where my next meal is coming from or how we’re going to make rent. In fact, growing up, I never knew much about how things were paid for. They just were.
When I said I needed a new computer, one appeared. It was as simple as that.
Having an affluent upbringing doesn’t mean that I don’t see those who have a different life. Keenan, Delaney, and the rest of their siblings didn’t have anyone to lend a helping hand, and I want to be able to do that for others.
Maybe it’s too big of a job, I don’t know, but that’s why events like this are so important. Bring the money in so I can push the funds out to those who need it. We take none of it, and a lot of the time, there is more demand than money.
That’s why this needs to be an amazing fundraiser, and I can’t thank Keenan enough for letting us use the house. If it weren’t for his gracious offer, I don’t know what we would’ve done.
Once everyone is in the conference room, I take my place at one end of the table. It’s me, of course, Cassie and Delaney, then the four other people who work with me. It’s a small crew, but we get things done.
“So, I’m sure you all know why I’ve called this meeting,” I begin. “First, I want to introduce you to Delaney Gallagher.” I gesture toward her while she gives them all a little wave. “She is coming on to help Cassie with all of the craziness that’s about to happen due to the changes we’ve had to make.”
A round of greetings rumbles through the room.
“I’m sure we’ll all make her feel welcome.” After whispers of agreement, it’s time for me to move on. “Now, you know that the damage to the venue is too much to overcome, and a friend has graciously offered his house for us to use.”
“It’s incredibly regal and beautiful,” Cassie offered.
