Pierce supervised the placement of the freezer and plugged it in while Jacquie changed. She’d started a shopping list, and he added to it, then they went shopping to load up on provisions. They talked about upgrading her internet service, which was a good idea. They organized everything they’d carried home in the fridge and freezer, had a quick lunch, then the bulk of Jacquie’s order was delivered. She suggested that they commandeer a bulletin board from one of the kid’s rooms and Pierce hung it over the freezer, posting his two-week meal plan. Jacquie, much to his amusement, created a duty roster of daily jobs. Her kids were used to that, since she’d done the same with chores when they were growing up.
Pierce talked to Mack and Jimmy several times, finalizing arrangements, sorting out a last minute issue with Farah’s passport. Finally, he went to meet the plane and pick up Maddy.
And Jacquie sat in her living room, waiting for everyone she loved to arrive home.
Including Pierce Aston.
Pierce arrived at the airport with a few minutes to spare, thanks to traffic being light. Mack and Jimmy were both there, with two vans to take the girls to the hotel in Boston that Mack had booked. Everyone was masked and gloved, per his instructions. Pierce got out of the car and stood chatting with his team, pointing as the jet appeared and landed. He and the pilot had arranged for customs clearance to be completed in advance, so they were given clearance to drive across the tarmac to meet the plane. The girls erupted from the door with the exuberance he associated with Farah.
She was down the stairs first, running toward him. “Pierce! You rock!”
He smiled, holding out his fist to bump with hers when she would have flung herself into his arms. “All good?”
“Smooth as silk, just the way you always arrange it. I halfway want to kiss the ground.” She exhaled. “Hiring you might be the smartest thing I’ve ever done.”
Pierce smiled, watching the other women leave the plane. They were all following his directions, too. He didn’t know Farah’s friends, but it was easy to pick out Maddy. Even if he hadn’t seen that picture from Christmas, she was staying away from the others, following his rules. She was also on her phone already, and stopped walking as she talked.
“And Maddy is so smart. She explains everything so it makes sense. I feel like I can actually do this money thing.”
“Of course, you can, Princess.”
Farah was obviously grinning at him behind her mask. Her eyes gave her away. “Did Maman tell you that she wants to move?”
Pierce gestured to Mack. “Mack’s going to help her find a place.
“If you have any suggestions, that would be great,” Mack said, stepping forward and bowing slightly to Farah. Pierce was glad to see he wasn’t the only one unable to discard the familiar protocol. “I’d like to get it absolutely right.”
“Of course, you do. That’s the price of working for Pierce. It’s so good to see you again, Lisa. Thank you for helping us.”
“My pleasure, your....” Mack caught herself. “I mean, Ms. Rashid.”
Farah laughed before turning back to him. “Who else, Pierce?”
“You remember Jimmy Wong.”
Farah nodded and waved.
“And maybe a former SEAL you don’t know.”
“Mysteries,” Farah teased, her eyes sparkling. “You’re still all about the mysteries.”
“I have to talk to Simon first. Things are still coming together.”
“Is this our starting point, then?”
Pierce nodded. “I want to come up to Boston after this quarantine. I’ll send you a detailed proposal before that, then bring Jimmy and Lisa for the review meeting.”
“Mike is going to be green with envy.” Farah turned and waved. “Look! Here’s Maddy now. You haven’t met her, have you?”
“She was in England, Princess.”
Farah’s laugh was quick. “Of course. Hey, everyone, we need to load up and get on our way home.”
The girls cheered, waving to Pierce as they pulled their carry-on bags toward the vans. The crew also brought a number of boxes and bags, mostly with branding from high-end stores. He’d been skeptical that they needed two vans for five young women, but Mack had insisted and she’d been right. In fact, it took a bit of work to fit everything into the two vehicles. Pierce waited to see that it was done. When they drove away, he waved, then turned to the young woman watching him with her bag by her side.
“I’m Pierce Aston, Maddy. I hope you had a good flight.”
“I’m just so glad to be here. Thank you so much.” She watched him put her bag in the trunk of the car, and he held open the door to the back seat for her. She sat at the right side, keeping her distance from him, still wearing her mask and gloves. She didn’t speak as Pierce got them out of the airport and back onto the expressway, letting him drive.
“You have a serious fan in Farah,” she said when they were underway.
“I’ve known her a long time.” He flicked a glance at Maddy in the rear view mirror.
“You don’t even sound human when she describes you.”
“Oh, I’m human enough. Ask your mom.”
Maddy nodded. “You know, when I first heard about you, I wanted to hate you. I thought maybe you were taking advantage of Mom when she was alone, maybe playing to her soft heart.”
“I’m not sure your mom is that much of a pushover.”
“Oh, she can be. But then, I thought maybe she really does just want to have fun, and that made me wonder what her life had been like when we were growing up. It can’t have been easy. But she was always knocking herself out for us, taking an extra shift before the holidays, getting up early and staying up late. I
