Hudson (Anderson Billionaires #4) - Melody Anne Page 0,36
chance it would then make national news, and maybe more people would stand up for the next building.
The negative side of hearing his name was it made her think of another Anderson she couldn’t stop thinking about. When would that stop? She hoped very soon. But since Joseph was right before them she didn’t get long to dwell on thoughts of Hudson Anderson, who was probably living it up right now in California. She actually didn’t know where he’d been heading after leaving San Francisco and never would because she’d snuck away from his fantastic hotel room like a thief in the night.
“Good morning, ladies,” Joseph said as he moved up the steps, stopping a few feet from them. They had a chain wrapped around the handle of the double doors and over their waists, keeping their hands free to move.
“Good morning,” Darla said, obviously star struck.
Daisy said nothing. Joseph’s eyes zeroed in on her, and it was a bit unnerving to have his full attention. She could imagine what it would feel like to be making a deal with this man. He didn’t appear to be someone who was ever denied what he wanted.
“I haven’t seen you since you were about ten, Daisy,” he said, shocking her.
“It’s been a very long time,” she said, straining her memories, but coming up at a loss for when she’d seen him last. It had been long enough she hadn’t recognized him.
“I was at your parents’ funeral, so I understand you not remembering. I had darker hair back then,” he said with a sad smile. “That was a terrible time for you and your grandfather, and I was heartbroken for you both.” Just the mention of her parents had tears welling in her eyes. She strained her mind again but didn’t remember Joseph being at the funeral, but she didn’t remember much from that day. She’d either been clutching her gramps’s hand or looking at the ground.
“Gramps often talks about you, but as my friend here pointed out, I don’t keep up on social media channels so I haven’t seen your picture in a very long time,” she told him.
“Your grandfather’s a very good man,” Joseph told her. “You’ve grown up. It’s shocking how time seems to slip away.”
“What are you doing here?” Daisy asked. She wasn’t allowing his friendship with her grandfather to soften her heart. She loved her grandfather more than any other person on the planet, and she’d do anything for him, but she wasn’t going to back down to his friend just because Joseph Anderson owned half of the state of Washington and thought he was entitled to even more of it.
“I like a person who’s direct,” Joseph said. “Why don’t you two unchain yourselves and we can sit and have a chat?”
“No way,” Daisy said emphatically. “The second we move, they’re going to knock this building down.”
“No, they won’t. I’ve called in a favor to the judge,” Joseph said.
She eyed him suspiciously, and he laughed before pulling out a piece of paper and handing it over. She took five minutes reading it twice, then turned a triumphant smile Darla’s way.
“We have a stay,” she said, so excited she couldn’t stop her tears from spilling over. “They’re happy tears,” she said on a little sob as she reached for Darla and hugged her. “We have time to save the school.”
Darla looked from Daisy to Joseph, and then back again, her eyes wide, her mouth opened in an O of surprise.
“How?” Darla finally asked.
“I respect those who fight for what they believe in. And I happen to agree with you about this school,” Joseph said.
Daisy’s fingers shook as she pulled out the key to unlock the chains. It took three times as long as it should have with how bad her trembles were.
“You don’t know what this means to me,” Daisy said once she was free. Without a second thought, she stepped forward and threw her arms around Joseph, giving him a hug that he returned with enthusiasm. “I thought you were coming to rip us away. Thank you for caring.”
Now that the tears had begun, she couldn’t seem to get them to stop. Darla waited for the hug to end and Daisy to step back from Joseph.
“We appreciate this, sir,” Darla said as the three of them moved down the steps of the building. “But what comes next?”
Joseph smiled at both of them. “You keep fighting. I simply gave you some time to figure it all out,” Joseph said.