Page 65 of Second Chances
Right, except that was a verbal threat from someone whom she knew, who was sitting right in front of her. This is something far beyond that. She didn’t know who this woman was, and it seemed like both Darcy and the CB wanted to keep it that way.
Well, if you can’t confront her in person, there’s still a second option.
Feeling a twinge of guilt and hesitation, Beth opened up her computer and searched through her email ‘Trash’ to find the email the CB had sent her on Monday.
She was going to tell Darcy, she really was, but she was going to give this CB a piece of her mind first.
Opening up the message, she hit ‘Reply’.
Thank you for the beautiful flowers, but I have to say, black really isn’t my color. While I appreciate your concern for Darcy’s happiness, I can assure you that you are the farthest thing from someone who is able to make that happen.
Our relationship may not be perfect, but at least we are equals, at least I haven’t abused him to the point which leaves him traumatized and unsure of what love is.
Darcy loves me, and I love him; and even if I bought into your petty threats and left him, he would still never come back to you. But, don’t just take it from me. If you ‘know’ him so well, then surely you know that his good opinion, once lost, is lost forever. I would say that after what you did to him, what he watched you do to him, and what he had to go through to recover, that his ‘good opinion’ of you, if he ever had one, is most certainly lost.
Try whatever you want. Darcy belongs to no one, but he has chosen me. Do the right thing and just move on.
Before she could second guess the rashness of her decision to respond to the CB, Beth hit the send button and then immediately went and blocked the email address so that she wouldn’t receive any response back.
Beth took a deep breath, feeling satisfied and slightly more confident in herself. She was still going to tell Darcy - maybe not about this email, but definitely about the things that the woman had said and done. Jane was completely right, both Darcy and she were so determined to do things, solve things, on their own, but that’s not how a relationship works.
Her phone buzzed, pulling her back to the moment. She picked it up to see that Darcy had texted her four times since she’d thanked him for the roses that weren’t from him.
-I didn’t send you roses today.
- Who sent you roses?
- Hello???
- What’s going on, Beth?
He was probably freaking out from her lack of response.Shit.Just as she began to quickly type her response, the incoming call screen took over her attempt.
“Hey, I’m sorry, I was on the phone with Jane. I just got your messages,” Beth answered, knowing it was a weak attempt at avoiding the question that she knew was coming next.
“Who were the roses from?” Darcy’s hard voice sounded from the other end of the line.
Thank God they weren’t from Patrick, Darcy sounds like he’s ready to kill whoever would dare to send me flowers. Although, in this case, he definitely would want to for a whole different reason.
“Can we talk about this when I get home from work?” Beth asked, really hoping to avoid having this conversation now.
“Who, Beth?” was his response.
She could hear the sharp edge of anger in his tone. He was jealous and protective and there was no way she was getting off this call without telling him who had sent them. She took a deep breath.
It was time to face the music.
“They are from her, Darcy. Your ex sent me black roses.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Beth stoodin the lobby of her office building waiting for Darcy to get there. She tapped her foot nervously, probably annoying her security guard detail standing alongside her.
Darcy hadn’t said much…or anything really…when she had told him about the flowers. There had been a slew of expletives followed by a deathly silence on the other end of the line before he said that he would pick her up at her office tonight at five o’clock sharp. Beth peered out the glass windows in the lobby of Gardiner’s offices. Ignoring the people walking in front of the building, she tried to take a close look down along the front of the building for anyone who was standing and lingering. She didn’t see anyone suspicious, unless Darcy’s ex was dressed very convincingly as a homeless man.Which I highly doubt.Ironically, looking for the woman who was stalking and threatening her was giving her less anxiety at the moment than the thought of the discussion that was about to occur with Darcy.
In her periphery, she saw Jason, one of her bodyguards, put his hand up to his Bluetooth earpiece and mumble something.
He must be close.
