Stealing His Heart: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 2)

by Delaney Cameron

  “Taking a nap. He’s got the late shift tonight.”

  Matt slowly reeled in his line. “Did he tell you about Sarah?”

  “He mentioned it.”

  Picking up his tackle box, he closed the distance between them. “Do you share his absurd theory?”

  “Truthfully, I don’t know what to think. When Sarah came to see Nerina, she didn’t ask about you, and I didn’t volunteer anything.”

  “You’re as tactful as Eric.”

  As they approached the house, the screen door opened and his brother walked out. “I wondered where you’d run off to.”

  Julie met him at the bottom of the stairs and lifted her face for his kiss. “Where’s our daughter?”

  “Still sleeping, but getting a little restless.”

  “I better get a bottle going.”

  After Julie left, Eric looked at Matt. “You saved me a trip. I’ve got another favor to ask.”

  Matt leaned his rod against the porch railing. “Can you let me get the first favor done before you spring another one on me?”

  As usual, Eric ignored this. “Julie’s birthday is in two weeks. I’d like to take her out to dinner.”

  “Uh-oh. I know where this is going.”

  “Hear me out first. It would only be for a few hours. Nerina will likely sleep the entire time.”

  “And if she wakes up? What then? I don’t know anything about babies. Do you really want me taking care of yours?”

  “It’s not that complicated, Matt. We’ll show you exactly what to do. And if you’re unsure about anything, you can call us. It’s not as if I’m taking Julie to dinner in New York City. We can be home in fifteen minutes.”

  “Can’t you get one of Julie’s friends?”

  “All of them have families of their own.”

  If he had someone else with him, it wouldn’t be so nerve-wracking. Darcy had mentioned taking care of Stella. Maybe she’d be willing to help him. “I’ll think about it.”

  “That’s all I ask.”

  “Some official-sounding woman called me this morning from the Heritage House Foundation confirming the change from you to me. She asked if I minded appearing in uniform. I suppose I have you to thank for that.”

  “Now you don’t have to wear one of my overpriced suits.”

  “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  Eric’s lips twitched into a mischievous grin. “Because you had other things on your mind. I’m a little in awe of you. Darcy today and Sarah tomorrow. You’re becoming quite the man about town.”

  “When you say it like that, it sounds terrible. The situations aren’t in any way the same.”

  “Not yet anyway.”

  “You’re sticking to the idea that Sarah wants to get back together.”

  “I am, but I’ve been wrong before.”

  “The only reason I was able to forget about it today was because Darcy was with me.”

  “I was hoping you’d bring her over to meet us.”

  He’d told Eric about Darcy falling down the stairs. At that time, he hadn’t known the reason. “She’s sporting a colorful black eye right now. She wasn’t up for meeting new people.”

  “That’s understandable. Getting used to you is challenging enough.”

  “I know. I definitely didn’t get much of the Gibson charm.”

  “Just enough to make you dangerous and a little impatient.”

  Julie appeared at the door with Nerina in her arms. “Okay, boys, time to come in. I’m getting hungry.”

  As Matt followed them into the house, his uneasiness about tomorrow once again took precedence in his thoughts. In a way, he wished Sarah hadn’t contacted him. After months of sleepless nights, he was finally making progress getting over her. He didn’t want to stir up all those old feelings again.

  Chapter Five

  Darcy had previously arranged to meet her friend Alison for lunch at the mall. That was before her tumble down the stairs. With her face displaying most of the colors of the rainbow, their plans had changed to getting together at her house instead. She wasn’t prepared for Alison’s reaction to her new look.

  “Oh, Darcy. It’s so much worse than I thought.”

  “They’re just bruises, Ali. There’s no lasting damage. The key is avoiding mirrors.”

  “How can you joke about it?”

  “What else can I do? Sit around all day and cry. Let’s stay out here on the porch. Mom’s still working feverishly on some new chicken salad recipe for us to try.” Darcy took her usual spot on the steps. “Have you and Rob decided on a date yet?”

  Alison laid her purse and phone on the bench by the front door and then came over to sit down next to Darcy. “We’re thinking March or early April. Neither of us wants a huge wedding, but you know my mother. She’s talking several hundred guests and a reception at the yacht club.”

  Darcy laughed. “You’re the daughter of a judge and an attorney. What did you expect?”

  “Rob has threatened to elope, and I have to admit the idea is romantic.”

  “Only until you get back in town and have to face two sets of angry parents.”

  “Mom and I are going shopping for dresses on Friday. You know how different my taste is from hers. I foresee countless trips and endless arguments. Please say you’ll come with us. I need someone along who’s on my side.”

  “I don’t think your mom wants me there, too. Looking for a wedding gown is a mother-daughter thing.”

  “I’m the bride. I should have a say in a few things.”

  “We’ll have to see how I look by then. I don’t want to upset the other customers.”

  Alison examined her perfectly manicured nails. “I was surprised you felt up to going on a date yesterday.”

  How many more times was she going to have to explain this? “It wasn’t a date, and Matt had already seen me.”

  “I wanted to text you for updates, but Rob told me to leave you alone.”

  “They would have been very tame updates. We basically watched football and stuffed ourselves with food.”

  “You like him a lot, don’t you?”

  Like had been left in the dust. Darcy was - very foolishly - falling in love. “Yes, but he only sees me as a friend.”

  “That can change. If he’s one of those shy types, you may have to be the one to get things rolling. You know, let him know you’re interested.”

  Shy wasn’t the first word that came to mind when she thought of Matt. Alison might be disappointed by the lack of any physical sign of interest, but Darcy wasn’t. Matt had made his enjoyment of her company obvious without resorting to actions that would have seemed strange given his comments to her about Sarah. “I hit him with some pretty heavy stuff, and he didn’t run screaming from the room. No need to get ahead of ourselves.”

  “You’re right. We should be celebrating the fact that you actually went to his house in the first place. That tells me he must be special. It’s been a long time since you allowed a guy to get near enough to ask your name let alone ask you out.”

  Darcy was relieved to hear the door open. Her mother’s arrival couldn’t have been timed better. Not even Alison really understood her reasons for opting out of dating. Some things couldn’t be explained; you had to experience them yourself.

  * * * * *

  Matt glanced at his watch for the tenth time. Sarah’s habit of running late hadn’t changed. Never had he found that trait so annoying. He couldn’t sit on the couch any longer. Whistling for Delilah, he opened the front door and waited for his little companion to come out of hiding. A few seconds later, she appeared with one of his socks in her mouth. He bent down to take it from her.

  “You’ve been poking your nose in the laundry basket again, haven’t you? Get outside and find one of those bones I bought.”

  Deprived of her prize, Delilah bolted through the opening and into the yard. Matt walked around to the side of the house and grabbed the hose. Might as well do something productive while he tried to
ignore the tension building inside him.

  Something shiny in the grass by the sidewalk caught his eye. When he looked closer, he saw that it was an earring – the same one he’d seen Darcy wearing yesterday. He picked it up and put it in his pocket. Then he reached for his phone to send her a message.

  One pearl earring found.

  Are you sure you sent this to the right person?

  How many women do you think come to my house?

  I don’t know. I’ve never been to your house. This is Alison. I’m Darcy’s friend. She went to help her mother in the kitchen.

  Was this a joke? Hi, Alison. This is Matt, another friend of Darcy’s. It’s nice to meet you, or in this case, text you.

  Same here. I’ll tell Darcy about the earring.

  It appeared someone else had been using Darcy’s phone. He turned on the water and adjusted the nozzle. A few minutes later, his phone beeped.

  I’m so glad you found the earring. I couldn’t figure out where I lost it. The set was a graduation gift from my parents.

  Matt smiled. It’s safely in my pocket. Have you decided anything about tomorrow?

  Alison’s reaction to my appearance has given me second thoughts. I’ll let you know when I make up my mind.

  Okay. Your friend had me going there for a few minutes.

  She thought your response was great. I didn’t know this, but apparently, she used to have a crush on your brother.

  I hear that all the time. It’s okay to admit you did, too.

  We’ll leave a discussion about our childhood crushes for another day. I’ve got to go.

  Darcy’s remark about her friend didn’t surprise him. Half the women in St. Marys had a crush on Eric. It came with the territory.

  Matt was almost finished watering the plants on the porch when Sarah’s car came to rest outside his garage. Calm – he needed to be calm. Across the distance of the yard, their eyes met and held. For a brief moment it was as if they’d gone back in time, but the impression left as quickly as it came. He slowly put down the hose and walked over to meet her at the top of the stairs.

  “You went with forest green for the door and shutters,” she said as she joined him. “It looks nice. Thanks for letting me come over.”

  “No problem. Did you want to talk here or inside?”

  “Here’s fine.” She took a seat on one of the wicker chairs and waited for him to do the same.

  The silence that fell between them was awkward and strained, so different from what it had been before. Matt wanted to fill it with something, but had no idea what. When her purse fell off the table, they both reached down to get it. He held it open while she picked up the few items that had fallen out.

  With heightened color, she sat the purse on the ground beside her chair and glanced at him uncertainly. “Now that I’m here, I don’t know where to start.”

  This admission surprised him. Sarah was one of those people who were never at a loss about how to handle a situation. Unlike him, she was always in control. What could have happened to get her so obviously rattled? “Tell me how work is going.”

  “My new job is going well. I had to get used to working five days instead of three, but having every weekend off is a nice tradeoff. What about you? Are the Gibson brothers still mowing yards?”

  It seemed strange that she didn’t know. Matt leaned back in the seat and tried to relax. “We can’t stop now. I’ve got a mortgage.”

  “You should have enough customers to hire other people to do the work.”

  “We did pick up a few part-time college students for the summer. The problem is most of them are allergic to manual labor. All they want to do is ride the mower and text their girlfriends. It’s like they can’t make a single decision on their own.”

  “How does it feel to be an uncle?”

  “It’s a little scary.”

  “Nerina looks like a miniature Julie, doesn’t she?”

  He nodded. “We should all be thankful for that. Eric’s features look fine on him; I’m not so sure they’d look good on a female.”

  She clasped her hands tightly together in her lap. “When I came to see the baby, it was like coming home. There was a time when I practically lived at Eric and Julie’s house.”

  “That’s because you were dating a guy that had just started a business and was saving for a house. I didn’t have any extra money for expensive dates.”

  “I didn’t mind. Those were fun times. Seeing it all again was like a wake-up call. After I left here that day, I drove around for hours trying to tell myself that I hadn’t made a mistake. But I finally had to admit the truth. I never should have broken up with you. At the time, it seemed like the only thing I could do. We were getting closer and closer to marriage, and I got scared. I wasn’t ready for that level of commitment.”

  Matt sent her a puzzled glance. “You told me you didn’t love me. That’s not even in the same ballpark as being scared of commitment.”

  Sarah made an impatient movement. “I was confused. I know now that I never stopped loving you. My actions hurt you terribly, and I’m sorry about that. Is there any way you could give me another chance? Could we start over?”

  He could hardly believe what she was saying. “Start over? What about the man I saw you with?”

  “Jason’s a great guy, but he’s not you. We had something special, Matt. I think we could have it again.”

  Her words moved him, but not in the way he would have expected. Instead of being happy, he was shocked and perturbed. It wasn’t that he doubted her explanation. Sarah hadn’t purposely misled him or cheated on him. If he loved her, there was no reason they couldn’t try again.

  But did he still love her? Or had Darcy’s entry into his life somehow muddied the waters?

  “It’s not that simple,” he said haltingly. “I met someone.” He knew by her expression that she hadn’t even considered such a possibility.

  “Is it serious?”

  Matt hadn’t thought about his relationship with Darcy in terms of Sarah. The two were distinct in his mind: the one a part of his past, the other a potential part of his future. He’d never envisioned a scenario where he would have to choose one or the other.

  In a purely selfish way, he resented being put in this position. Sarah was the one who’d walked away. If she’d just explained her doubts about where they were headed, he would have given her all the time she needed. And he wouldn’t have become interested in someone else.

  This was the crux of the matter. If he went back with Sarah, he couldn’t continue to see Darcy. Was he prepared to do that? Was the chance of a future with Sarah enough to make him forget his attraction to Darcy? Or had that ship already sailed?

  “Not yet, but I’d be lying if I told you that she doesn’t mean anything.”

  Her lips twisted. “Which is another way of saying it’s too late.”

  Matt raked his fingers through his hair. In every way that mattered, it was too late. He couldn’t define exactly how it had happened, but he knew that the all-consuming love holding him to Sarah had faded. “Yes, it is.”

  Grabbing her purse off the floor, she slowly rose to her feet. “If that’s the case, there’s nothing more to say. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”

  “Don’t say it like that, Sarah. You didn’t waste my time.”

  Her eyes were dark with frustration and anger. “Then I wasted mine, and to make matters worse, I swallowed my pride for nothing.”

  A strange numbness settled over him as he watched her leave. He mechanically rolled up the hose and drifted inside the house, his actions hardly registering. There was a scene he never wanted to live through again. Would he wake up tomorrow and regret his actions? Should he have taken more time to decide? There were no easy answers. For better or worse, he’d made his choice.

  * * * * *

  Darcy did what she could with foundation and dark sunglasses, but short of wearing a bag over her head, there was no hiding the fact that her face had come in conta
ct with a hard surface. The only reason she was leaving the house tonight was because of Matt. It was her fault he’d been dragged into Cason’s comedy of errors. She couldn’t leave him to suffer through another rehearsal alone.

  Her mother met her at the bottom of the stairs. “You look like a movie star trying to escape the paparazzi.”

  “Thanks, Mom. That’s just the look I’m going for.”

  “Should I leave the light on for you?”

  “Please do. The last thing I need is to trip over something trying to get to the front door.”

  Her mother pushed aside the lace curtain. “Matt just pulled up. His injury hasn’t kept him from staying in shape, has it? He’s got muscles on muscles.”

  Darcy laughed as she tugged on her mother’s arm. “Come away from that window before he sees you.”

  “I wonder why he didn’t bring the car.”

  “Probably because this one is easier to get in and out of.”

  “Well, I’m off to the kitchen. I need to check on the meatloaf. Have fun tonight.”

  Darcy opened the door just as Matt pushed the button for the doorbell. She eyed his stubble of beard with amusement. “Are you attempting to get into character?”

  He grinned widely as he pointed to her sunglasses. “I was going to ask you the same thing. This is my normal look. I hate shaving.”

  “Well, this isn’t mine, thank goodness.”

  “You make even a black eye look good.”

  She laughed as she stepped into the truck. “I don’t believe you, but thanks anyway.”

  When he got in beside her, he reached into one of the cup holders and retrieved a small envelope. “One earring as promised.”

  She took it from him. “Where did you find it?”

  “In the grass by the sidewalk. It must have fallen out on the way to the car. Your friend Alison has a good sense of humor. Was she your roommate in college?”

  Darcy nodded. “We met in high school. I couldn’t have made it living away from home without her.”

  “Good friends are a blessing we should never take for granted.” He started the truck and backed out of the driveway. “I’m glad you decided to come tonight.”

  “After Alison left yesterday, Cason came by and gave me her interpretation of ‘the show must go on’ speech. She convinced me that any discomfort with my looks is vanity and should be avoided.”