Page 68 of Love You
He pulled out one of those bagged salads, found a bowl, and dumped the baby greens in. There was a bottle of ranch in the door. Colt came in and grabbed a few frozen patties and soaked some oak chips in the sink.
“What’s going on with that house you looked at?” Colt added hamburger buns to his pile.
“I’m waiting for Reggie to work up a price. I doubt I can afford it. The place needs work but it’s awesome. Right on the river with a dock and gazebo. Gardens like you wouldn’t believe.”
“Mom and Dad might help you.”
Colt and TJ had bought their own places without their parents’ help. Hannah had inherited her and Josh’s house from her aunt Sabine. But even so, Josh could stand on his own two feet. There was no way Win would let himself be the only son who got a leg up.
“Nah, I want to do it myself,” he said.
“You were willing before . . . with Britney.”
“That was different. I had a baby to think about.” At the time, he’d been in a panic to do everything right, even if it meant taking money from his parents. Thank God it had been a false alarm.
Colt nodded in understanding. “Even if this one doesn’t work out, you’ll find one that does. It’s just good that you want to buy a place.”
Win got the context of Colt’s words loud and clear: It’s good that Win was finally growing up. He didn’t take offense at it because it was simply the truth. At almost thirty-two it had been a long time in coming and had actually taken the unfortunate situation with Britney to kick him in the ass.
“Now, if you could just stay out of bar fights we’d be getting somewhere,” Colt said, and Win gave him the finger.
During the course of making dinner, Delaney showed up and Colt threw another burger on the grill. They ate out on the deck, enjoying the balmy Sierra evening, listening to the katydids, while the sweet smell of jasmine filled the air. Win loved spring in Glory Junction when all the flowers were blooming and the sunsets were the things of old Western landscape paintings with their brushstrokes of bright oranges, blues, and purples.
He helped with the cleanup and headed out but was too restless to go home. Without thinking about it, he took the road to Hilde Wallace’s cottage. There was an expensive-looking Mercedes parked in front of Hilde’s garage and he wondered what that was about. Darcy had a Volkswagen and Hilde . . . well, she didn’t have a Mercedes like that. It was the kind of car he would’ve remembered her driving. He parked next to it and checked the time. It was eight o’clock and in his mind not too late to come calling.
He rang the bell and Darcy opened the door, dressed like she was going to a Junior League tea.
He bobbed his chin at her in a half greeting. “What’s up with the clothes?”
She looked over her shoulder and whispered, “My mother’s here.”
“Let me say hi.” He started to push his way in but she grabbed his arm.
“Now’s not a good time.”
“For you or for her?” Darcy was acting weird and he didn’t like it.
She came outside and shut the door. “My father’s been having an affair.”
“Ah, jeez.” He scrubbed his hand through his hair at a loss for what to say because it sucked. “Is that what the divorce is about?”
“According to Mom, it is.” She shrugged.
“Is that why you haven’t been returning my calls?”Yeah, because it’s all about you, asshole.
Darcy huffed out a breath. “She showed up this morning, hysterical. We just got back from dinner.”
Win noticed that she’d sidestepped the question but it sounded like she’d had her hands full. “You okay?”
“To tell you the truth I’ve been better.”
He pulled her in for a hug. Even though she was bantam-sized, she fit and he held on, running his lips over her hair. “Want to go for a drive?”
She looked up at him. “Is that a euphemism for something else?”
“Seriously? Just for once, can you drag your mind out of the gutter?” He grinned. “Nah, I thought we should talk.” He nudged his head at the house. “And it seems like you could use a break.”
“Can I change first?”
