Chapter 239: I Would Do It Again
Franz was still in his study when his phone buzzed. Daryll’s name on the screen. He almost let it go to voicemail. But he picked up.
Daryll didn’t say hello.
"Noah, what the hell were you thinking?"
Franz didn’t answer.
"The airport, Noah? 4 AM? In a mask? You might as well have sent out a press release."
"I wasn’t thinking about the cameras."
"Clearly." Daryll took a breath. Franz could hear him moving. Pacing. "The good news is the PR firm was able to contain it. We got ahead of the narrative before it could turn."
"What does that mean?"
"It means the headlines this morning were ’Noah Hart’s Mystery Woman Revealed.’ By noon, they were ’Noah Hart Protects Girlfriend from Airport Mob.’ We spun it. The photos of you putting your cap on her head. The hand-holding. The way you pushed through the crowd with your body in front of hers. People are calling you a hero."
Franz said nothing.
Daryll kept going. "The comments have shifted. They’re calling her lucky. Saying any woman would want a man who does that. Saying you’re protective. Romantic. All that nonsense."
"It’s not nonsense."
"I know it’s not nonsense, Noah. But the public doesn’t know the difference between performance and reality. They think you’re playing a role. A knight in shining armor."
Franz’s jaw tightened. "I wasn’t performing."
"I know. That’s why it worked. That’s why we were able to spin it. If you had been acting, people would have seen through it." Daryll paused. "The point is, you’re not in crisis mode. Not yet. But you need to be careful. No more 4 AM airport runs without telling me first."
"I’ll try."
"That’s not good enough, Noah."
"It’s what you’re getting."
Franz hung up. Set the phone on the desk.
The headlines were favorable now. People were calling him protective. Calling her lucky. The photos of the airport crowd were being shared with captions about chivalry and romance.
But the comments about Dominic were still there. The old engagement announcement. The speculation. That hadn’t gone away.
He stood up. Walked out of his study.
Breakfast was quiet.
Arianne sat at the table with the twins. She was on one side. Lily was next to her. Leo was across from Lily. The whale was on the table next to his plate.
Franz sat at the other end. Far away. The length of the table between them.
Aunt Estella made eggs. Toast. Fruit. She set the plates down. Poured coffee for Franz. Poured tea for herself. She looked at Arianne.
"Nothing for me," Arianne said. "I haven’t slept."
Aunt Estella nodded. Took the extra cup away.
Arianne hadn’t slept since before the plane. The hurricane. The hotel with no power. The eighteen-hour flight. The airport. The crowd. She’d been awake for more than a day. Dark circles sat under her eyes like bruises.
Lily ate her toast. Leo pushed his eggs around his plate. Franz drank his coffee. Arianne sat with her hands around an empty space where a cup should be.
The only sounds were forks on plates and the refrigerator humming in the kitchen.
Lily looked back and forth between them. Her eyes moved from Arianne to Franz. Franz to Arianne. Back and forth. Her toast was halfway to her mouth. She lowered it.
Then she put her fork down.
"Are you two fighting?"
Arianne looked up. "No."
Franz looked up. "No."
Lily didn’t believe them. Her face said it. Her mouth pressed into a line. Her eyes narrowed.
"You’re lying. Both of you. Your faces are doing the thing."
Arianne glanced at Franz. Franz glanced at Arianne. Then they both looked away.
Leo picked up his tablet. Typed with one hand. The other hand stayed on the whale. His thumb moved slowly across the screen. He turned it toward Lily.
THEY LOOK SAD.
Lily read it. Nodded. "Yeah. That’s the thing."
No one said anything after that. Aunt Estella came out of the kitchen, saw the table, and went back in. She didn’t ask questions. She never did when the air was tight.
The rest of breakfast passed in silence. Forks on plates. Chairs shifting. The clock on the wall ticked.
After breakfast, Arianne walked to the west wing.
She didn’t stop in the hallway. Didn’t hesitate. She wanted to get this done so she could sleep. Her feet were heavy on the hardwood floor. The carpet swallowed her footsteps.
Franz was in his study. The door was open. She could see him sitting at his desk. His back was to the window. The morning light was behind him.
She knocked on the door frame. Two knuckles. Soft.
He looked up.
She stepped inside. Closed the door behind her.
"Gilbert called," she said. "About the trip."
Franz nodded. "He offered his property. Remote. Secure. We can take the twins. See the northern lights."
"When?"
"We can leave tomorrow. If you want."
She was quiet for a moment. Her hand was on the back of the chair across from his desk. The chair was leather. Brown. She didn’t sit. If she sat, she might not get up. She might fall asleep in the chair. Her eyes were so heavy.
"The twins need this," she said.
Franz looked at her. His face was hard to read. The light from the window was behind him. Shadows fell across his eyes.
"You need this," he said.
Arianne stood there with her hand on the chair. Her fingers curled over the top of it.
"Tell Gilbert yes," she said.
She turned to leave. Her hand left the chair. She walked toward the door. Her skirt brushed against her legs. The fabric was wrinkled from sleeping in it. She didn’t care.
Franz stood up.
"Aria."
She stopped. Didn’t turn around. Her hand was on the doorknob. The brass was cool against her palm.
He didn’t move from behind his desk. Didn’t walk toward her. Just stood there.
"I’m not going to apologize again. I meant it the first time."
She waited. Her back was to him. She could hear him breathing.
"But I need you to know something. I would do it again. If someone tried to hurt you while you couldn’t defend yourself, I would burn it all down again. The only thing I’d change is telling you first."
She turned around. Looked at him across the room.
Her eyes were red. Not from crying. From exhaustion. She hadn’t slept. She could barely keep her eyes open. But she was still standing. Still listening.
"That’s not nothing," she said.
"It’s not everything either."
"No. It’s not."
She turned back to the door. Opened it. Walked out.
The door closed behind her.
Franz sat back down.
Later, the twins were in the playroom on the east wing.
The playroom was at the end of the hallway. The door was painted white. There were stickers on it. Stars and moons. Lily had put them there. Leo had helped.
Inside, the room was bright. The sun came through the window. Dust floated in the air. Toys were scattered on the floor. Blocks. Stuffed animals. A bin of crayons.
Lily was at the table. Drawing. The lion was almost finished. She’d added a mane. It was orange. Too orange. But she liked it. The lion’s face was yellow. Its eyes were blue. Blue lions didn’t exist. She didn’t care.
Leo was on the floor. The puzzle was spread out in front of him. The castle was almost done. Towers and walls and a drawbridge. He wasn’t working on it. He was just sitting there. Holding the whale.
The whale was pressed against his chest. His fingers were wrapped around it.
Lily put her crayon down. The orange one. The tip was flat from too much pressure.
"They’re still doing the thing," she said.
Leo didn’t look up. But he picked up his tablet. The screen was cracked in one corner. It had been cracked for months. He didn’t care.
He typed with one hand. The other hand stayed on the whale. His thumb moved across the screen. Slow. Careful.
THEY WILL FIX IT.
He turned the screen toward Lily.
Lily frowned. "How do you know?"
Leo typed again. Slower this time. He had to think about the words. His thumb hovered. Then he typed.
THEY ALWAYS DO.
He turned the screen toward her.
Lily looked at the words. Read them twice. Her forehead was wrinkled. She was thinking.
Then she picked up her crayon. The orange one.
"Okay," she said. "But I’m drawing them a picture anyway. In case they need help."
She picked up a red crayon. Started drawing something new. Two stick figures. One with long hair. One with short hair. She didn’t label them. She didn’t need to.
Leo didn’t respond. He picked up a puzzle piece. A corner piece. Blue sky. He fit it into place. The castle was almost done.
The whale stayed in his lap.
Arianne walked back to the east wing.
She could hear Lily’s voice through the playroom door. High and happy. Talking about something. Arianne didn’t go in. She was too tired. She would see them later. After she slept.
She walked to her bedroom. The door was still open from when she left. She went inside. Closed it behind her.
The room was dark. The curtains were still drawn. The bed was still unmade from when she had lain down earlier. She hadn’t slept then. She had just lain there. Staring at the ceiling.
Franz’s cap was still on the nightstand. She looked at it. The black fabric. The curved brim. It was just a cap. Nothing special. But it had been on his head. And then he put it on hers.
She didn’t touch it.
She sat on the edge of the bed. The mattress sank under her weight. She was so tired. Her bones ached. Her skin felt heavy. Her eyes were burning.
She lay down. Still in yesterday’s clothes. The black blouse was wrinkled. The beige skirt had a small stain near the hem. She didn’t have the energy to change.
She pulled the blanket up. Just to her waist. Her head pressed into the pillow.
The ceiling was white. The crack near the corner was still there. She stared at it.
She thought about Franz. She closed her eyes.
The crack disappeared.
She slept.