Page 53 of Dark Desire
“You’ll see it. I’ll take you.”
I gulped, keeping my mouth shut because my stupid emotions were getting the better of me again.
“I just need to stop by the newspaper. You can wait here or go ahead to Beryl’s if you want and I’ll meet you there after.”
“No. It’s okay,” he said, refusing to let go of my hand. “I’ll come with you.”
I nodded and refrained from telling him I’d be fine on my own for half an hour. He was obviously afraid to let me out of his sight, worried that The Fates might show up when he wasn’taround. It was incredibly sweet but also a painful realisation of how much he was going to resist the inevitable. I had already accepted my fate. He clearly hadn’t.
Pushing open the door to the newspaper office, I smiled when Evie lifted her head from behind her desk.
“Darcie!” she yelled, jumping up from her chair and rushing towards me. “I heard they dropped the charges against you yesterday, and I am so pleased. Honestly, they’ll just try to pin it on anyone these days…” She paused when she saw Zoran behind me. She lowered her glasses down the bridge of her nose and looked up and down with disbelief. “And who is this?”
I tugged him forward by his hand and it was like moving a sack of steel. “This is Z. My boyfriend.”
“Boyfriend?” Evie baulked, clearly confused why I had never mentioned him before.
“Very new boyfriend, but we’re pretty serious already,” I explained, but it only seemed to confuse her more.
“Well. It’s wonderful to meet you, Z. Is that short for anything?”
“Zachary,” I said at the same time he grumbled, “Zoran.”
Zoran’s head snapped to me with a lethal glare as I tried not to laugh, knowing how much he hated me saying another man’s name. Evie looked bewildered.
“Zachary Zoran,” I clarified, offering her a nod of understanding. “A mouthful, I know.”
“Right,” she replied, still staring at his towering frame with apprehension and awe. “Can I get you two a drink? I didn’t think you were working today, Darcie.”
“Oh, I’m not,” I said, prying my hand out of Zoran’s iron grip and following her over to her desk. I inhaled deeply to gather myself before I said the next words. “I’m actually here to hand in my notice.”
She tripped over her chair leg and fell into the seat, staring up at me with shock. Zoran stilled behind me. “Your notice?”
“Yes. Z and I are going to do a bit of travelling. See the world. But I just wanted to say thank you,” my bottom lip trembled as I sucked in a breath. “When I came here, not knowing a soul, you took me under your wing and made me feel welcome. You saw me taking pictures and offered me this job. I loved working for you, Evie, and I’m going to miss you so much.”
“Oh, my darling.” She stood up from her chair and grasped my shoulders, pulling me into a hug. “It was my pleasure. And I’ll miss you terribly. But I expect to hear from you from every new place you visit on your adventures. How exciting.” She stepped back to look at my tear-streaked cheeks. “Oh, don’t cry! Oh, hunny. You know you’ll always have a place here if you want to come back. In fact, I insist. Oh no, now you are making me emotional!”
I chuckled through my tears, wiping my cheeks with my sleeves.
“Let me get you a tissue,” Zoran said, disappearing from the room to the toilet out back.
“Are you sure about this, Darcie?” Evie asked, holding on to my shoulders. “I know young love is spontaneous and exciting and it’s easy to get swept up in plans, but are you sure? You barely know this man. I know he’s gorgeous, but who even is he?”
“I’m sure. And I’ve known him for a lot longer than you’d think. Do you believe in soulmates?”
She raised her eyebrows. “Seeing as I have three failed marriages under my belt, I think the answer is no.”
“Maybe number four will be? But I know Z is mine.”
“Then…” she exhaled. “I am so very happy for you, darling. Go see the world together and live a happy, contented life.”
I nodded, fresh tears rolling down my cheeks.
“But I do have to ask. What the hell is he wearing?”
Despite the crippling sorrow of my goodbye, I burst out laughing.
Lifting her finger as if she remembered something, she pulled open her desk drawer. “Before I forget, this was here when I opened up this morning. Delivered without a return address.” She handed me a standard brown envelope with my first name on the front, but I immediately recognised the swirly, elegant handwriting. I frowned, taking it from her as Zoran walked back into the room and handed us both the tissues.
