Page 17 of Second Chances
She started her second loop in the park, forcing her thoughts onto the other things going on today and tomorrow. Tomorrow was going to be crazy - Renée had invited so many more people than usual in her excitement over how great the response to her film had been. Beth was prepared, of course, but she’d always preferred a more intimate gathering; that, and she hoped that Darcy wouldn’t change his mind about going when he found out that the crowd was going to be about a hundred people bigger than she expected.
If he finds out.Ugh. She should tell him.Later.He wasn’t even home yet; she would deal with that bridge when they came to it.
As for today, she’d talked to Jane last night who said that Caroline was really excited to meet her. Beth could tell that Jane was nervous to meet and spend time with her future sister-in-law; Jane was always concerned about people not liking her for some reason.How anyone could NOT like Jane was beyond her.Jane’s anxiety showed, asking Beth what she should wear, if she’d spoken to Caroline any further, if it was too presumptuous to ask her to be in the wedding, etc. Beth tried to reassure her as best as she could without telling her to just calm down. It was completely normal to ask future persons-in-law to be a part of the wedding party but if Jane wanted to wait until she got to know Caroline better, that would be ok too. In spite of all that, the fact that Beth was going to brunch with them was the biggest relief for her sister - to know that she wouldn’t be alone.
Beth just walked back in the apartment door when her phone buzzed with a text from Jane.
~See you soon! Are you sure the dress is ok?
Beth shook her head at her sister, always second-guessing herself.Yes! It’s perfect. See you in a bit.
She quickly jumped in the shower, expediently washing and shaving. She had two hours before she had to meet them at Balthazar and she wanted to send out some last-minute emails before she left.
She stepped out of the shower to hear her phone buzzing back on the nightstand in the bedroom. Grabbing her towel to start drying her hair, she darted out of the bathroom to see who was calling. The sudden change in temperature or the caller ID were both equally likely reasons for her whole body breaking out in goosebumps.Except they weren’t equal at all; he was always the reason.
“Hello.”
“Hey, babe,” Darcy’s deep, husky voice responded from the other end.
“What’s up?” she asked breathlessly, trying to maneuver the phone so she could continue to towel dry her hair.
“I just finished out here. My flight leaves in an hour.” The hard edge of anticipation in his voice, unmistakable. “What are you doing?”
“Well, I was up early, so I went for a run. Now, I just got out of the shower,” she replied nonchalantly.
She heard his tortured groan.
“Fuck,Beth.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, genuinely confused.
“Nothing except that I’m hard as a fucking rock thinking about you all warm, moist, and naked from the shower,” was his terse and strained reply.
“Oh…” Her response was soft, her body no longer reacting to the external temperature in the room only the heat from his words.
Recognizing how curt his response sounded, he continued, “I’m definitely not wearing the best pants for this right now, especially if I’m going to sit on a plane for a few hours.”
She couldn’t help herself from laughing at his tortured admission. Even though the strain in his voice was still crystal clear, he was trying to make light of his situation for her.
“Well, I’m very much looking forward to alleviating that problem for you when you get home,” she said coyly.
“God, Beth!Are you trying to kill me?” he asked, half-serious, “The things I would do to you…willdo to you when I see you. You better prepare yourself, woman; make sure you get all of your calories in today; you’re going to pay for this torture.” The words he used made it seem like a joke, but his tone was completely serious. He was deprived of her and he was going to have his fill later.
“Yes, sir,” she responded with mock seriousness.
“What are you doing today?”
“Well, I have brunch this morning with Jane and Ca—” she paused when she heard some commotion on his end of the line.
“Sorry, gorgeous. I have to go. I’ll see you later.” Even amidst whatever he was dealing with, his words held passionate promise -I’ll have you later.
“Ok - have a safe flight. Bye,” she responded quickly before the line cut out.
Setting her phone down, it took her a moment to collect her wits and remember what she needed to do. Pulling the towel from her hair, she quickly patted down her body, drying any remaining moisture that was left, trying not to think about how sensitive certain parts of her body had become during that too-brief conversation.
Throwing on her sweats, she went into the kitchen and pulled out an individual-sized carton of Icelandic Skyr yogurt - something to hold her over until brunch. Plopping down into her favorite spot on the couch, she pulled her laptop open on her lap and opened up iMessages and her email. She sent a quick text over to Alaina, checking to see if she had any questions about the SharkTank event tonight. When she responded that everything seemed to be under control, Beth texted back that she had a brunch meeting and then a walk-through with a new client but to text or call her immediately if she ran into any issues. She usually didn’t hound her people like this, but ever since Phil had come and talked to her earlier this week about her unpredictable performance as of late she'd become slightly overbearing as a response.
Next, she checked on her dress rental for next week that was supposed to be arriving the following Thursday; it was a navy blue, sleeveless gown by Nicole Miller. Even though it had a high neck, the front of the dress had a lace-illusion V-neck the fell low on her chest. The lace-illusion details continued on the side of the dress and then onto the back. It was discreetly enticing, leaving something to the imagination, and she had found a blue lace mask to match it. She wanted to feel attractive and blend in but still maintain a level of conservativeness since she was technically working the event - even though Renée was a friend and would argue with that assessment.
