Page 67 of Love You
And Nana knew it too because she looked Mother straight in the eye and said, “Max obviously doesn’t see it that way because he loves her.”
Geneva began to wail all over again. Darcy’s phone buzzed and she surreptitiously reached for it in her purse and glanced at the screen. She never thought she’d be thankful for a text from Lewis but at that very moment she felt beyond beholden to her ex-husband.
“I promised Lewis I’d spend the day doing data entry for him,” she said, quickly shoving the cell back inside her bag. Nana gave her a panicked look.Please don’t leave me alone with your mother. Darcy hurriedly added, “And Nana has a doctor’s appointment. So we need to get going soon.”
“You’re welcome to stay, Geneva,” Nana said. “Perhaps a little time in the garden would do you good.”
Mother nodded, her eyes red-rimmed and puffy and Darcy felt instantly ashamed. “If you want, you can come with us. We could go to that mall you like for some shopping therapy.”
“No, I’ll stay here. Hilde’s right, a little time outdoors might be restorative.”
Since when? Geneva hated the sun, was scared to death that it would age her. But it was better than the alternative: Geneva coming with them to Reno.
“When we get back we can all go out for a nice dinner,” Darcy said. “There’s that gastropub, Old Glory, that you liked so much the last time. Or if you’d prefer we could go to the Indian—”
“Anything is fine.” Geneva waved her off. “You go. I’m glad you’re spending time with Lewis, maybe there’s still hope for the two of you.”
Darcy didn’t bother arguing. Her mother had enough to contend with. The last thing she needed was to deal with her constant disappointment of a daughter.
* * *
After work Win decided to stop off at Colt and Delaney’s because it beat going home to his empty apartment. He’d tried to call Darcy a few times from the lake where he was giving a paddleboard lesson to four surly teenagers whose parents wanted to keep them busy. Paddleboard lessons weren’t usually his bag but the guide who was scheduled to do it had to fly to Texas because of a death in her family. He’d had an open slot, which this time of year—or any for that matter—was a rarity.
Darcy didn’t answer and he wondered whether she was intentionally ignoring him because they’d had sex. Really good sex. What Darcy lacked in experience she made up for in enthusiasm. Or maybe it had been his six-month moratorium. In any event, it bugged him that she seemed totally unaffected by the whole thing, just running off to book club like nothing had happened between them. Women typically wanted more from him after he’d slept with them. And while it was a relief that Darcy was so chill, it also sort of pissed him off. There was something about her that got to him. Her snarky mouth for one. Her curves for another. And those baby blues of hers slayed him. But really, he just liked being with her. He didn’t have to pull out the exhausting Win bag of tricks of constant charm and humor with her. He could just be himself.
He pulled up to his brother’s house and tried her again. Voice mail. “Darce, did aliens abduct you? Seriously, call me.” He didn’t give a shit if he sounded needy.
He closed his Jeep door with a thud, his mood growing darker. Colt was sitting on the deck, strumming his guitar, staring at his new carport with a self-satisfied look on his face. Before he’d moved in with Delaney he’d lived next door and parking had been a bone of contention between the two of them. Now they had enough for both their cars and a guest.
“You come to eat my cereal?” Colt put his guitar down.
“That or whatever you’re making for dinner. Is Jack on night duty?”
“Yep. Now that we have the new guy I actually get a regular weekend when TJ isn’t calling me in to take over someone’s tour.”
“I got stuck today with giving paddleboard lessons to four kids who couldn’t put down their phones for even five seconds,” Win said. “Danielle’s aunt died.”
“I heard. That’s too bad. But better you than me.” Win definitely had more patience than Colt.
“Where’s Delaney?” Win peered through the window.
“Working late. She’s getting ready for fashion week.”
“Isn’t that in the fall?” Win didn’t know a lot about the world of couture but he’d picked up a few things having a sister-in-law who was a famous fashion designer.
“Yep. But it takes months to prepare.” He pinched Win’s cheek. “Something you wouldn’t know about, Winifred.”
This was the kind of bullshit he’d had to put up with his whole life.Winifred. It was a hell of a lot better than being named after malt liquor or a gun.
“What’ve you got to eat?”
“I could grill us some burgers.” Colt eyed his big-ass stainless-steel built-in barbecue, a last-minute add-on to the carport job.
“Sounds good. You got salad fixings?”
“Probably. You gonna put it in a blender and make one of your disgusting green drinks?”
Win ignored the crack. So what if he tried to eat healthy? He went inside Colt and Delaney’s house and rummaged through the fridge. The house was one of those modern numbers everyone was building in Glory Junction. High on architectural doodads, low on personality and no yard to speak of. He much preferred Reggie’s log cabin.
