Page 87 of Love You
“Fine, Darcy.” His voice was cold. “Whatever you say. Call me when you get over your insecurity trip, we’ll do lunch.” He walked away, jumped into his Jeep, and drove down the driveway without a second look.
She watched his exhaust plume in the breeze and waited for the sound of his engine to disappear in the distance. A part of her hung on to the hope that he’d hang a U-turn, hightail it back, and plead for her to be his. But just like the moon hiding behind the clouds, he was gone. And he’d taken a piece of her with him.
Her father would’ve called her little scene melodramatic, which she supposed it had been. Her mother would’ve called her a fool for ever thinking she could’ve held a man like Win.Go back to Lewis, you were lucky to have him.
She forced their voices out of her head, padded up the walkway into the house, and crawled in bed with Nana.
* * *
Instead of going home, Win swung by Old Glory. If he was lucky Dale would be there and could bust his head in. Then maybe he wouldn’t feel so bad for being a douchebag. He’d screwed up with Darce and couldn’t stomach the idea that he’d hurt her. Madison had basically treated her like a doormat and he’d tacitly gone along. He’d kept his mouth shut for a lousy business deal and he felt ashamed.
“Yo,” Boden called from the bar. The place was packed. But what did Win expect for a Saturday night, even if it was past eleven? “Your brother’s on fire tonight.”
Uh-oh. He’d forgotten that Colt’s band was playing. The last people he wanted to see were his brothers. But if he had to pick one it would’ve been Josh, who knew how to mind his own business.
Someone rammed him in the back and he reflexively swung around. Speak of the devil.
“It’s about time you showed up,” Colt said. “We only have one more set before we close this place down.”
Win rubbed the back of his neck. “Darcy and I were showing that CEO around.”
“How’s that going?”
“Okay, I guess.”
Colt watched him. “You okay? You look tired.”
Win looked past him near the stage at the table the Garners usually commandeered whenever Colt played. “Where’s the fam?”
“Mom and Dad were here earlier and left a little while ago, Josh and Hannah are around somewhere, and TJ and Deb had something else going tonight. Delaney’s at the table. Go over and say hi.”
“Uh, okay. Let me get a beer first.”
Win turned to the bar and waved to get Boden’s attention. “Give me whatever Colt’s drinking.” His brother was a craft beer snob. Win didn’t much care as long as whatever he was drinking was cold and wet. But Boden would take all night giving a dissertation on every brew on tap—he had a lot—so it was easier to cut him off at the pass.
Boden drew him the beer as he eyed a couple of women who’d just walked in. “If they’re twenty-one, I’m Barry Bonds.”
Win swiveled around to get a better look. He didn’t recognize them. Probably tourists down from one of the resorts.
“Ingrid, take over for a sec,” Boden called to one of the bartenders, and went off to check IDs.
Win snatched his pint from across the bar, left a ten, and strolled over to Delaney.
“Hey.” She hopped up to hug him, then pulled out a chair. “Did you just get here? Keep me company.”
He sat down. “A few minutes ago. We were wining and dining a prospective client.”
“Colt told me. FlashTag, huh? That would be a coup.”
“Yeah.” He nodded.
She reached out and smoothed a wrinkle from his shirt. “You don’t look too happy about it. Is it not going well?”
“It’s going pretty well with the client.” He didn’t know why but he told her about Darcy. Even though the band was on break it was loud and she kept asking him to repeat things.
When he was finished telling her the story she said, “I had no idea you were seeing Darcy. Colt never said anything.”
“I don’t think he knows. We’ve been discreet about it since we work together.”
