Not without his consent, anyway.
He despised journalists.
Although after she’d helped him out tonight, and now that they’d be spending the next ten days in Atiu together, would he get to know her well enough to give her an exclusive interview?How could she ask without the risk of him pushing her away?
Running Man: The Highs and Lows of Daniel Jones…
Would he do it?
Excitement buzzed through her.Unable to settle, she rummaged in her bag for her phone.Tia Rosa’s Wi-Fi was weak and slow, but when the headlines and images loaded, the stories came through loud and clear.Daniel Jones and Isabella had officially, permanently split.Photos of them were placed side by side, each looking away from the other, sad and wistful.Those photos probably weren’t even taken in the same year, let alone at the same location.
And of course, there was no mention of her affair with Xav Hunter.There were quotes about how difficult it had been for her and Dan in recent months following his accident.Then a whole bunch of stories—rumors, really—based on fifth-hand accounts and tenuous speculation.
Right.
Libby turned off her phone and grabbed her notebook and pen.
Lightning Strike: The Real Daniel Jones…
She wrote the heading in capitals, drew two thick lines under it, and added bullet points—the accident, Dan’s recovery, his family’s support, his ex-fiancée.
The effects of accident/injuries on relationship with Isabella.
She underlined that heading, too, and added more bullet points—support, recovery, wedding canceled, relationship breakdown, sex.
She scrubbed that last word out and replaced it withintimacy.Sex was too blunt, too gossipy.Too salacious.And if Libby ever got as far as proposing these interviews to Dan, she’d be wise to keep Isabella out of it as much as possible.This wasn’t about her or their relationship.This was about Dan’s journey to recovery.About helping and inspiring other people who’d gone through similar experiences.
And it was also about helping Dan.
Because wouldn’t it make him feel better if something good came out of something so bad?
Chapter 11
Withjusttenseatsand only eight passengers, including Karim, Dan, and her, this aircraft bound for Atiu was by far the smallest Libby had ever been on.Doubts and nerves crept in.More so when the co-pilot squeezed himself out of the little cockpit and welcomed everyone aboard.He looked barely out of his teens!
“Relax, Libby.”
She blinked at Dan, a giant in the land of the munchkins.His long legs filled the narrow aisle between them.
“So what if the pilot doesn’t even look old enough to drive,” he whispered.“And so what if his co-pilot is doing a crossword puzzle instead of his safety checks.”
“What?”Her gaze shot back to the cockpit, and sure enough, the co-pilot was filling in boxes in a newspaper.When one propeller thrummed into action, closely followed by the next, he placed the pen and paper down and flicked a couple of switches.Libby held her breath.
The aircraft began to taxi.
“At least the engine works,” Dan said.
Libby reached for Karim’s hand and triple-double-checked his seat belt.Massive passenger planes were one thing, but this… Oh, god!Engines whirled, the ground fell away, and she drowned in another tsunami of mom guilt.How could she put her son’s life at risk like this?Not even to mention how far away fromanywherethey were heading.Nice work, Liberta.Nice work.What the hell was she still trying to prove?Of all the stupid, stupid—
“Chill, Libby.I’m sorry.I was only joking.”A large hand rested over hers.Her gaze shot to Dan, who was looking at her like people did at a cornered animal.“I know you don’t like take-offs.”Had he remembered that from their Auckland flight?His warm smile stilled her thumping heart.“We’re safe.It’s all good.”
Karim was happily running his toy truck along the armrest, oblivious to her panic.Libby exhaled.“I’ll be okay in a minute,” she said.
Dan removed his hand from hers.Her stomach dipped, and the fact that she missed the warm, solid weight of his touch was just as unnerving as the little paper airplane they were flying in.After spending so much time on her own these past few months, it was nice having someone look out for her.Even if it was just for a moment.Unsure what to make of that, she turned her attention back to Karim.But as he played with his truck, her mind drifted back to Dan and the many sides to his personality.
There was the grumpy, pity-partying athlete, dealing with his injuries and recovery.Then there was the cheated-on, jilted fiancé.And last night, Libby had stumbled across the young boy who’d been forced to grow up overnight when he’d lost his dad.That whole dinner had been an eye opener for her.Carina was lovely, so incredibly strong—physically and mentally.Malek was cute, too, and despite his strongman image, he was very unassuming.And as for Dan… Well, this morning was the happiest Libby had seen him.
She’d been eating breakfast with Karim when he’d gotten back to Tia Rosa’s, announcing there were still places on the flight and he’d bought the same budget package as her, in the same accommodation.
