“She takes her directing duties seriously, doesn’t she?”
“Too much so. I wish she’d find a new hobby. How was your Sunday?”
“Remember that Heritage House fundraiser your mother mentioned? Eric wasn’t able to go after all. His brother-in-law returned from Afghanistan yesterday. He, Julie, and Nerina drove over to Columbus for the welcome home party. So, those poor people expecting to hear about baseball had to listen to me talk about life in the military.”
“I’m sure they weren’t disappointed. You’re every bit as interesting as Eric.”
“You obviously aren’t familiar with Eric’s history. Have you been a good girl and memorized your lines?”
“I know the ones for the second scene which is what we’ll be doing tonight.”
“I have a whopping thirty-five words. I might take a nap. You can nudge me when it’s time to say something.”
“Did you have a bad day?”
“You could say that. I ran into a very angry dog who took exception to my presence on his property. If the owner hadn’t showed up, I’d probably still be running.”
“Does that happen often? Running into angry dogs, I mean?”
“A few times a year. Carrying treats in my pocket helps, but I didn’t have time to get to them today. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway; Beau was past caring about dog biscuits.”
“I’m glad you didn’t get bit or anything.”
“Me, too.” He pulled the truck into the parking lot and shut off the engine. “Are we going to continue the tradition and get something to eat afterward?”
“As long as you don’t mind the drive-thru again. I’m not ready to face an entire restaurant of people.”
He smiled faintly as they walked into the opera house. “Works for me.”
* * * * *
Two hours later Matt and Darcy were eating tacos in the breakfast nook of his kitchen. Now that he knew who she was, he could see glimpses of the twelve year old he remembered in the woman she’d become. She still had the same determination, candor and streak of realism running through her character, but the older Darcy had acquired an irresistible charm of which she was entirely unaware.
“Where’s your roommate tonight?”
“You mean Delilah? She’s back with Eric. I wouldn’t admit such a thing to him, but I miss her being here.”
“You should get a dog of your own.”
“I’ve thought about it. Any more craft shows or bake sales coming up?”
“I don’t think so. I need to find a job, but that’ll be challenging with my face like it is. I’m not ready to work with the public yet.”
Here was something he could help with, at least temporarily. “I know a landscape company that needs someone to put their books in order. If you’re interested, I can put in a good word for you.”
“Are you joking?”
“Not at all. I should warn you that the pay isn’t great.”
“I don’t mind that. When can I start?”
Her enthusiasm drew a smile from him. “Before you agree, it might be a good idea for you to see what you’re walking into. It goes without saying that you can change your mind at any time.”
Darcy played with the straw in her drink. “It can’t be that bad.”
“It’s probably worse.” Matt gathered up their paper wrappers and threw them in the trash can. “There’s a reason I never wanted a desk job, and why I need Julie to help me balance my bank account.”
He led the way down the hall, stopping just outside the open door. “Welcome to the corporate headquarters of Gibson Landscape Company.”
The huge maple desk dominating the smallish room was covered with catalogs, flyers and receipts. Emerging from the chaos was a computer screen, but there was no sign of the keyboard or mouse. Several drawers of the filing cabinet behind the desk were open and the floor surrounding the chair was dotted with wadded up balls of paper. A miniature basketball net hung over the door of the closet.
Matt surveyed her shocked expression with amusement. “I’m not very organized.”
“No, you’re not,” she said, chuckling.
“Want to reconsider? I won’t be offended.”
She shook her head. “No way. This is just the kind of challenge I need. I’ll enjoy bringing order to this…madness.”
“If you’re available tomorrow afternoon, I’ll swing by your house and pick you up after we finish.”
“That’ll be fine.”
He turned off the light and followed her back to the kitchen. “Eric wants to take Julie to dinner for her birthday. He asked me to babysit Nerina. Since you’re the only person I know who’s had any experience with babies, I was hoping I could talk you into helping me.”
A shadow crossed her face. “I don’t know. Would Eric and Julie be comfortable with that?”
“I don’t see why not. I’m planning to introduce you to them beforehand.”
She rubbed her hands up and down her arms as if she was cold. “I meant comfortable with my epilepsy.”
Matt caught her restless hands and held them loosely in his. “I know what you meant. Between the two of us, I’m sure we can work out an effective strategy for babysitting a newborn.”
“Effective strategy? Are we planning a military campaign?”
He ran his thumb over the back of her hand, noting the softness of her skin in comparison with the roughness of his. “Everything runs smoother when you have a plan.”
“In that case, I’ll be happy to help.”
“You’ll need to know the day.” With some reluctance, he let her go and moved the necessary few feet to consult the calendar on the wall. “Julie’s birthday is a week from Friday.”
“I should be free then.”
“Are you free now to take a walk?”
“Let me take care of something first.” She reached into her purse and pulled out a pill box. Then she refilled her cup with water from the sink. “I need to take these before I forget.”
“Have I given you a headache? Eric says I do that to him all the time.”
Darcy shook her head. “This is my seizure medication. I’m grateful to have it, but I never thought I’d be taking pills twice a day at twenty-one.”
“I never thought I’d have to put on my leg every morning, either. It’s all about keeping things in perspective.”
He opened the door to outside. As she passed him, the scent of vanilla that always clung to her pulled at his senses. If he made it through the rest of the evening without kissing her, it would be a miracle. “Is that why you needed to get home by ten the other night?”
She nodded. “I didn’t have my pill box with me.”
But she had brought it tonight. Did that mean she’d hoped to spend time with him? After they descended the steps to the sidewalk, he reached for her hand. “This is like old times.”
* * * * *
To Darcy’s surprise, Matt moved in the direction of the driveway. Not that it mattered where they walked. She was too busy dealing with what was happening inside her to worry about such mundane details. What was it about holding a man’s hand that was so soothing and disturbing at the same time?
“I’d take you to the lake except it rained last night,” he explained. “If we stick to the pavement, we won’t get muddy.”
“I don’t mind. Just being outside is nice.”
“I agree. How do you know Ian’s family? I only remember seeing you that one time.”
“I was spending the weekend with one of my cousins while my parents were out of town. Ginette was friends with Katie. The night I met you was the only time I was ever at their house.”
“I’m glad I happened to be there.”
“Me, too,” she said softly. Their eyes met briefly, and then she glanced at the sky. “Wow, you can really see the stars here. There are too many lights and traffic where I live. This has the feel of being away from civilization – like you’re out in the middle of nowhere.”
“When Eric b
ought all this ground, it was in the middle of nowhere. Urban sprawl eventually caught up with him.”
“And so the walls went up, huh?”
“He didn’t really have a choice. The media tends to forget that celebrities have a right to privacy as much as anyone else. Eric doesn’t want his every move captured on camera.”
“Have they tried using you to get to him?”
“Not really. The only thing that happened to me was a reporter followed me through the gate. When he realized I wasn’t Eric, he took off.”
“I don’t blame him. You’re a big guy.”
Matt shrugged. “When a giraffe marries a giraffe, they make more giraffes.”
This was too much for Darcy. She burst out laughing. “Thanks for the biology lesson.”
“You’re welcome. Anything else you need to know?” he asked innocently. “Science was my best subject in school.”
“I’ll take your word for it. You’ve got the lake. Do you have a boat?”
He sent her an amused glance. “You segued into that very nicely. The lake isn’t big enough for anything other than something with a trolling motor. We have paddle boats, a Jon boat and a canoe.”
“When I was about fourteen, my dad and I got caught in the middle of Clarks Hill Lake in a thunderstorm. The wind and waves tossed our little boat around like it was a plastic toy. I really thought I was going to drown that day. I haven’t stepped on a boat since.”
“Does this aversion to water extend to swimming?”
“Oh, no, I love to swim, but I prefer to do it in a pool.”
“Me, too. Fortunately, Eric was considerate enough to have one put in.”
She turned her head to look at him. “Can your prosthesis get wet?”
“I’ve got a protective sleeve that goes over it for swimming. Obviously, for other things like showering, I remove it completely.” He hesitated a few seconds, his eyes watching her, as if deciding whether to say more. “I don’t sleep with it on, either.”
It made sense that he wouldn’t, but Darcy was glad he couldn’t see the blush entering her face. “I imagine your…your leg gets sore.”
“If I overdo things, it does. The stump has to have exposure to air. I take off the prosthesis in the evening and switch to crutches. Hopping around like a kid on a pogo stick takes too much energy.”
“Stairs must be challenging.”
“You’re not the only one who’s ended up at the bottom.” He stopped suddenly and turned her to face him. “Do you remember what you told me the first night we met?”
Her startled gaze dropped to the level of his chest. This probably wasn’t the best place to look, either. The thin material of his shirt did little to disguise the network of chiseled muscles underneath. “I told you lots of things. I was a regular little chatterbox back then.”
“Let me refresh your memory. You said that if I took a girl for a walk, she would expect me to kiss her.”
To her annoyance, her eyes instinctively rose to his mouth. What was she doing? “I didn’t know what I was talking about.”
“So it’s not true?”
His fingers began playing with the hand he held, sending delicious tingles up and down her arm.
“What I mean is, the situation doesn’t apply to us. We’re just friends.”
“Would it be such a terrible thing if we became more than friends?”
He wasn’t serious. He couldn’t be. “I hadn’t thought about it. I like things the way they are.”
“I do, too, but I don’t think we should rule anything out.” He brought her hand to his lips and lightly kissed her knuckles. “It’s getting late. We better get you home before your parents send out a search party.”
Darcy let him lead her back to the house, glad he didn’t seem to expect conversation. She’d thought holding hands was exciting; that was nothing to the sensation of his lips grazing the skin of her fingers. What would an actual kiss from him do?
* * * * *
After returning from Darcy’s house, Matt didn’t bother trying to go to bed. His body was tired and his leg was aching, but his spirits were soaring. He’d felt the quiver that went through her when he held her hand and heard the tiny sound she made when he kissed her fingers. Those two reactions told him something important: Darcy wasn’t indifferent to him.
He knew from experience that telling Darcy her epilepsy didn’t matter to him wouldn’t be enough. The qualities that enabled her to be strong and independent also made her cautious. It would take time to draw her out of the protective shell into which she’d been driven and get her to believe he was different from the guys in her past.
The following morning when he arrived at Eric’s house to load the equipment trailer, he was surprised to find his brother waiting for him. “I thought you were taking off today.”
“One of Julie’s friends is coming over. There won’t be a quiet moment. I figured I might as well help you.”
Matt shrugged. “Fine with me. The sooner we get done, the sooner I can pick up our temporary accountant. I asked Darcy to help me tackle the mess on my desk.”
Eric laughed as he laced up his work boots. “It’s about time you got someone on board who actually knows what they’re doing. How did your meeting go with Sarah?”
“It was uncomfortable to say the least. You were right, by the way. She did want us to get back together.” He paused, his eyes shifting to a point in the distance. “A few weeks ago, my decision would have been a no-brainer; but apparently I’m not the same as I was a few weeks ago because I couldn’t do it.”
“I figured as much. It’s because of Darcy, isn’t it?”
Matt sank down on the tailgate of the truck. “I really like her, Eric. She’s beautiful but not obsessed about it, intelligent, fascinating, complex, and just fun to be with. If it didn’t sound so ridiculous, I would say I’m half in love with her already. How can I feel this way so soon? Sarah and I dated for months before I felt this level of…closeness or whatever you want to call it.”
“Falling in love isn’t an exact science. There’s no time requirement. Who’s to say that it can’t happen quickly?”
“I always laughed at the notion of love at first sight because it seemed impossible to be so deeply connected to someone without spending lots of time with them. Maybe I underestimated or simply misunderstood how love works.”
“I’m not sure anyone really understands it. Love is unpredictable and sometimes inconvenient, but I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. To love someone else is the closest you’ll ever get to being truly selfless.”
“Because you want someone else’s happiness more than your own.”
Eric picked up a pair of work gloves lying in the bed of the truck. “Exactly. That’s what makes love so different from infatuation. The first is all about the other person; the second is all about you.”
“I want you and Julie to meet Darcy. You’ll need to anyway because she’s going to help me babysit Nerina.”
“I hope you don’t get so distracted by all her fascination and complexity that you forget why you’re there.”
Matt rose to his feet and closed the tailgate. “Even if I did - which is doubtful given my level of anxiety about being responsible for your firstborn child - Darcy won’t. She’s much more mature than I was at twenty-one.”
“Who are you kidding? She’s probably more mature than you now.”
“I’m sure she is. There’s something else you need to know about her.” He stopped and waited for Eric to look at him. “Darcy has epilepsy. It was the result of a car accident.”
The smile on Eric’s face disappeared. “Seizures are no picnic. I played baseball with a guy who had them. It got pretty intense at times.”
“She had one last Thursday. That’s why she fell down the stairs. Can you imagine not knowing when something like that is going to happen? I’d be scared to leave the house let alone go away to college like she did. I don’t think she’s ever had a serious boyfriend
.”
“I’m not surprised. It takes a special person to deal with something like that.”
“It doesn’t bother me.”
Eric nodded. “That doesn’t surprise me, either. You don’t see obstacles; you see challenges. And when you want something, you don’t let anything get in your way.”
Matt’s face broke into a smile. “What’s got into you? Has Julie been working on your people skills again?”
“Just telling it like it is.”
“Don’t do it too often. My heart can’t stand it.”
Eric slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry; I won’t.”
* * * * *
Darcy could hear Matt whistling in the kitchen. She’d spent much of the previous evening and most of today wondering whether he would revisit the subject of their relationship and what she would say if he did. That in itself was alarming because she knew what her answer should be. But could she do it? Or would her heart continue to exert too much influence over her head?
In any event, she’d worried over nothing. After making sure she had everything she needed, he left her alone. Without his disturbing presence, she should have been able to focus on bringing order to the chaos in his office. So, why couldn’t she?
The longer she sat there, separated from him by a mere twenty feet, the more disturbed her thoughts became. It’s a wonder a bolt of lightning hadn’t shot out of the sky when she told him she liked things the way they were. The truth was so different.
The beeping of the microwave snapped her out of the trance she’d inadvertently fallen into. A few seconds later, Matt’s head appeared around the corner.
“Time to call it a day. Those bills and invoices will still be there next time you come.”
Darcy pushed back from the desk. “I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“You’ve been working nonstop for hours. I was beginning to think you’d forgotten I was here. Do you know what that does to a man’s ego?”
She hadn’t forgotten he was there. She’d been aware of his every move. “I apologize for any harm done to your ego. Once I get working, I block out everything else.”
Stealing His Heart: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 2) Page 12
