by Lacey Wolfe
“Okay, sure.” She stepped back so he could enter.
As he came through the doorway, he handed her the beautiful flowers. She smelled them right away, enjoying the rich scent.
Steven raked his hands through his dark hair and paced her living room. He looked nervous. This wasn’t good.
“Thank you for the flowers.” Darcy set them on the table. “Are you okay?”
“You might want to sit down. I have something to tell you and I think you might get mad.”
“If you’re here because you want to take back the job offer, I understand. I threw myself at you last night.”
“No, you didn’t. And I am here about the job.” He motioned toward the chair she was standing by. “Please, sit.”
She did as he requested and she thought he should sit as well, but he went back to pacing.
“Spit it out,” she demanded.
“I did something stupid today and maybe you already know. But my grandfather had me in the corner after our meeting, and wanted to discuss this whole getting married thing. I kinda told him I was seeing someone and was about to pop the question.”
“What’s the big deal? Isn’t that what we’re going to pretend to do?”
“I told him your name.”
She chuckled a little, not understanding why he acted the way he was. “He was going to learn my name eventually.”
Steven stopped pacing. “It gets worse.” He took a seat at the opposite end of the table. “He recognized your name and knows your parents.”
Oh God, now this was beginning to sound bad.
“Not long after I talked to my grandfather, your dad called.”
“What!” Darcy stood up now. “What did he say?”
“He wants us to all have dinner soon. And you need to go visit them.”
“That must be why Mom called.”
“Did you talk to her?” he asked.
“I was about to call her back when you showed up. I knew they would find out, but not so fast. And besides that, I haven’t yet agreed.”
Steven looked at her. She could see the guilt in his eyes. “I know. I’m sorry. You don’t have to take the job if you don’t want.”
Darcy eyed the envelope on the table. She was pretty sure she not only needed the job but had to take it at this point. Not only would she embarrass Steven if she didn’t, but her parents would be angry about her missing out on an opportunity to ‘marry well’. She might not be on the best of terms with them, but she didn’t want to disappoint them more than she had. She’d have to do everything in her power to make sure they never found out this was all a rouse.
“I accept the job. How soon do you want me to move in?”
“Really, you’re going to do it?” His face lit up. “I can get the house ready in the next few days.”
That sounded perfect. Most likely her landlord would be thrilled to hear she was leaving. Speaking of her apartment contract… “Um, you’re going to help me get out of my lease, correct?”
“Consider it done. I’ll stop by the office on my way out.”
“It feels a little awkward, you doing that for me.” In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she sort of hated the fact she was depending on someone else yet again. Her independence was going out the door. Perhaps life was slapping her in the face and showing her that the path she had chosen was wrong. Maybe she was destined to be like her mother.
“I still can’t believe you answered my ad and you’re the one moving in with me.”
“Yes, it is quite the surprise.” She glanced around. “I have packing and stuff I need to start doing. Guess I should get on that.”
“I’ll hire movers. Are you bringing everything here?”
Darcy looked around at her furniture. It was nothing to showcase. Everything she owned had come from second-hand stores. The only things she really needed were her clothes. “The house is furnished, right?”
“Yes, with a country décor. We can go shopping though if you don’t like it.”
“I’m sure it’s lovely. I think I only need a few items. The rest of this I can probably donate.”
“You sure?”
“Yeah, there’s got to be a women’s shelter or somewhere similar that could use it.”
Steven stood and pushed his chair in. “Let me see how soon I can get some movers over here and get a cleaning crew out to the house. We’ll have you out of here in no time.” He smiled at her.
Darcy hoped he’d lean forward and kiss her. Or at least reach out and touch her. But he didn’t. Instead he walked toward the door. Things between them were platonic at the moment. Which made her feel like an even bigger loser about last night.
“Call me when you have the details,” she said.
“I will.” He opened the door and looked back at her. “Call your mom.”
“Oh yeah, I’ll get right on that.” Her tone was laced with sarcasm.
* * * *
Darcy had avoided calling her mother like the plague. She’d come up with every excuse she could over the last few days to put off contacting her. But the moving trucks were due there in a little over an hour. Her lovely landlord had personally stopped by to wish her all the best and thank her for being such a great tenant. Of course, the landlord’s tone didn’t sound genuine and her smile had been very fake. Hopefully, Darcy would never be here again.
Allison repeatedly told Darcy she was going to have to call her parents. She couldn’t ignore them. After all, Darcy needed their money for the wedding. But could she do that to them? There wasn’t going to be a real wedding, she didn’t think. Steven had made it sound as though he needed her to pretend so his grandfather would finally retire and Steven could take over the business. Darcy didn’t want her parents to waste money…though it wasn’t like they didn’t throw the green stuff around anyway.
She couldn’t put it off any longer. Darcy dialed her mom, and as her heart beat rapidly in her chest, she hoped that maybe her mother wouldn’t answer.
“Darcy!” her mother answered, sounding beyond excited. “It’s so good of you to finally call me.”
Of course her mom had to milk it for what it was worth. “Hi, Mom. Sorry I’m just getting back to you. It’s been hectic lately with the move and all.”
“I heard, darling. What wonderful news. I wish I had heard it from you though. Can we please put all this silliness behind us and move forward?”
“My dreams aren’t silly.”
Her mother groaned. “Yes, I know. You’ve made yourself very clear this past year. And your father and I have sat back and watched as you failed miserably. And yet, you still didn’t come back and ask for our help. I get it, you want to do your own thing, and so be it. But if you’re going to be married to a McDonald, you better be ready to take a few lessons from me.”
Oh joy, mother-daughter bonding time. “Well, Mom, the movers will be here any minute.”
“Fabulous. Will there be a party soon?”
“For what?”
“An engagement party. Let me handle it.”
“I’m not enga—” She stopped herself.
“Oh dear, he hasn’t asked and I’ve ruined it. Well, do your best to act surprised then.”
Darcy shook her head. Were they already engaged or not? They really needed to sit down and get their story straight so things like this didn’t happen again.
“Dinner soon,” her mother said. “I’ll contact Mrs. McDonald and see when she wants to do it.”
“Sounds good.”
“Don’t be a stranger, Darcy, do you hear me? It’s been far too long since we’ve talked.”
“Okay.” She didn’t know what else to say.
After her mother said her long, drawn-out goodbye, Darcy hung up her phone and let out a sigh. What had she gotten herself into? Was it worth it? She was beginning to think she’d gotten herself into a situation that she was going to regret.
* * * *
Two hours later, the movers were done with her small
one bedroom apartment. Two trucks were there. One was full of items to be donated, and the other had only a few boxes. Personally, she thought it was a waste of space and money, but she wasn’t paying.
The landlord had already been by to take her keys—of course. So now all she had to do was grab her purse and leave. She took one last walk around the place. It was a little sad. This was the first place that she called her own. She’d gotten it on her own, with her money, and until recently, had been able to pay for it. She reminded herself that this was only temporary. She would be on her own again one day.
“Darcy.”
She jumped at the sound of Steven’s voice behind her. She hadn’t been expecting him. “What are you doing here?” She turned to face him.
“I thought I’d stop by and see how you were. This is probably hard for you.”
She shrugged.
“Everything out already?”
“Yup, and I guess the trucks will be leaving soon. As will I.”
“Would you like to ride with me?” he offered.
“I have a car.” She looked around. “Give me a minute, okay? I’ll meet you out front.”
Steven nodded and left. Once he was out of sight and earshot, she let a tear fall. Why the heck she was getting so emotional, she wasn’t sure. She had never liked change, and this was a huge one, but she had to keep faith that it was the right choice.
Get it together. Darcy wiped her eyes and strutted out of the apartment and down the breezeway without looking back. She found Steven leaning against her beat-up sedan, looking sexy as ever.
He smiled at her and then his tongue darted out, licking his bottom lip. “You okay?”
“Peachy.” She opened her car door, setting inside her purse and a small bag of personal things she didn’t trust the movers with.
“You don’t want to ride with me?”
“I told you before, I have a car. I can’t leave it here.”
“Hey, Mack,” Steven called across the parking lot. A man, who Darcy assumed to be Mack, jogged over. “Drive this lovely lady’s car back to the house.”
“No, really,” Darcy objected.
“You’re riding with me. We have quite a few things to discuss, don’t you think?”
Darcy handed her keys to Mack after she retrieved her things. She thought about giving Mack some smart alec remark about taking care of her ride, but decided against it. She climbed into Steven’s truck and waited as he said something to Mack. Once he was inside as well, he turned and grinned at her.
“Ready to start your new life?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Chapter 6
“Obviously we can’t just announce an engagement all the sudden or people will wonder if you’re pregnant,” Steven said as he drove.
“I hadn’t even thought about that.”
“What if we say we’ve been seeing one another for a few months now, just not publically? We like to spend our evenings in, watching movies and eating take-out.”
“Totally believable on my end. I haven’t had a boyfriend in a while. When was your last girlfriend?”
Shit, that might not work. His on-again, off-again ex, Terry, might get in the way of that idea. “How about we met up not long ago somewhere, and it was an instant attraction. Love at first sight type of thing.”
Darcy shrugged. “I don’t know how much the story really matters. Rumors are going to happen anyway. We’ll go with your theory though. We bumped into one another at the grocery store in the produce aisle.”
Steven chuckled. “That’s a little cliché.”
“This whole thing has been. Let’s just go with it.”
Steven nodded and did his best to concentrate on the road. Darcy was captivating though. She’d been pretty as a teenager, but as an adult, she was gorgeous. He could stare at her all day, but wasn’t sure she’d appreciate that. Especially since he could tell something was off. She wasn’t her typical chatty self. He’d get her to the house today and let her be. She probably had a lot on her mind, and it was best to give her some time. Even though he’d much rather wrap his arms around her and explore where their kissing could go.
His cellphone rang. It wasn’t the ringtone for work, but rather a family member. They’d been calling non-stop since he opened his big mouth to his grandfather. Steven pulled the phone from the case on his belt and looked at it quickly. Speak of the devil, it was his grandfather. He laid the phone down on the console.
“Not someone you want to talk to?” Darcy asked.
“At the moment, no. I don’t usually talk and drive.”
“You were just talking to me.”
Steven grinned and met her gaze. “I never knew you were this fun.”
“You never knew me.”
“I wish I had.” He looked back at the road. Darcy was more dangerous than texting and driving.
As he drove down the back dirt road that led to the house—their house—he couldn’t help but wonder what his mental grandfather wanted. He hoped the man would retire soon. One day he had his marbles and the next day he didn’t.
Steven parked in front of the garage. He tried to catch Darcy’s gaze, but she was already climbing out of the truck. He followed suit, then dug his keys out of his pocket. He needed to remember to get one made for her. Why the heck hadn’t he done it yet?
“You didn’t get to see inside the other day, which might be good. It was awfully stuffy.”
“I’m sure it’s fine. You did see the place I was living.”
He smiled. Yes, the place she had been living had been tiny and cramped. He still couldn’t quite pinpoint why she was living the lifestyle she was, but had a feeling independence from her parents played a big part.
Steven opened the door and said, “Home, sweet home.”
Darcy winked at him and stepped through the doorway. As she strode through the foyer, slowly letting her hand run along whatever she could reach, he studied her. She moved with elegance.
“What do you think?” he asked, closing the door.
“It’s nice. Roomy.”
“Make yourself at home. You’ll probably be here more than I will.”
She turned back and looked at him, her green eyes radiating in the sunlight. “Maybe I should get a pet to keep me company then.”
“If you want.”
Darcy shrugged. “Show me around.”
Steven held his arm out the way he had the first night they’d come here. She wrapped her arm in his and he led her from room to room. She’d liked the kitchen, but confessed she didn’t know much about cooking. She’d been awed by the sixty inch TV he had hanging in the living room. When they came to the hallway that would lead them to the bedrooms, he wished he could take her to his. Would she want to share a bed with him? Maybe eventually.
They approached her room. He’d given her the master, so she would have as much privacy and space as she needed. Perhaps he’d get lucky and she’d invite him to share her bed.
“Here’s your room.”
Darcy released his arm. She walked around the room, peeked in the bathroom, and then she sat down on the bed. “It’s so big.”
“I wanted you to be comfortable.”
Darcy yawned before she asked, “Are we sharing this room?”
Steven shook his head. “My room is down the hall.”
“Ah, okay.”
This had gotten awkward fast. Beds did that. Especially when he wanted to climb on the mattress with her. Now he had to wonder if she wanted him to join her. Was that why she was looking at him with those heavy eyes? Or was she tired? She had yawned. Agh!
“I’ll let you get settled. If you want to rest, feel free to. Do whatever you want. I’ll go get your bag,” he rambled on.
“Okay. I think I might take a quick shower, so just leave my bag on the bed.”
He nodded and then left quickly. He was growing hard knowing she was getting into the shower. She’d be naked and the only thing keeping him from seeing her that
way was a door.
Outside, he grabbed her bag. Just as he was about to close the door, his phone rang from the console. It was his grandfather…again.
“Hey,” Steven answered. He couldn’t avoid him any longer.
“I’ve been trying to call you.”
“Sorry, today is the day Darcy and I are moving into our new home.”
“You’re not even married yet. Kids these days.” His grandfather sighed dramatically.
“What did you need?”
“We’re having a family dinner tonight. You and Darcy need to come.”
“I don’t think it’s a good evening. It’s our first night here.”
“Nonsense. Meet us at Marcello’s at seven.”
There was no arguing with the stubborn man. “See you then.”
After he hung up, he slid the phone back into its case. Picking up Darcy’s bag, he hoped she was up to going out tonight.
* * * *
Darcy dried herself off with the soft, white towel. She draped it around her body and took a smaller towel and put her hair up in it. She opened the door slowly and peered through the crack to make sure no one was in the bedroom. Her bag and suitcase sat in the middle of the bed. Obviously, the movers had arrived with her stuff.
She unzipped her suitcase and dug through until she found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Darcy had hoped the shower would rejuvenate her, but it hadn’t, and a yawn escaped her. She dressed quickly and then thought a short nap might be in order.
Taking the towel down from her hair, she rubbed it through her hair until it was somewhat dry. Darcy put the suitcase on the floor, pulled the covers back, and climbed in. The bed was bouncy and soft. She’d sleep like a princess there.
“Darcy,” Steven called softly through the door.
“Yeah.”
“Let me know when it’s okay for me to come in. I need to talk to you.”
There went her nap. “Come on in.”
Steven opened the door. She caught his eyes taking in what he saw before him. Did he find her sexy lying there in bed, with her hair damp?
“My grandfather called, and my family is having a dinner tonight at seven.”
Darcy checked the time and saw that wasn’t far away. No nap for sure. “Will my parents be there?” She wasn’t ready to see them yet.
