Page 74 of Second Chances
Beth stared right back, unwilling to back down, to show any signs of weakness in front of this woman who was nothing more than a bully.
Well, two could play at her game.
“Of course!” Beth replied with a false enthusiasm. “I was just really stressed this morning, running late and all, and then, well, personal issues.”
“Fighting with your man again?” Caro immediately jumped on the bait, barely able to conceal her smile at the supposition.
“Yeah, just over something small and stupid but it had me all worked up,” Beth continued, teasing her with tidbits of information, gathering up the remaining decor while Caro followed her around, “but, everything is fine.”
“Are you sure? Why don’t you talk to me about it; maybe I can help,” Caro offered falsely.
“It’s really fine. I just need a long shower and, oh, I think that is everything that I brought for the party,” Beth exclaimed, walking closer to the front door with all of her stuff. “I’m just great, don’t worry. I’ll touch base this week about your show and just make sure every detail is arranged. Thanks for all your help today!”
With that, Beth turned, opening the front door, and walked outside to the black car waiting for her, not giving Caro a moment to interject or question her further without chasing her awkwardly onto the sidewalk.
“Have a good night!” Beth yelled to Caro from the curb as she climbed into the car.
She still thinks that she’s one step ahead of me. Boy, does that CB have another thing coming.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Beth closedher eyes as soon as she got into the safety of Darcy’s car.
God, Darcy.
Now alone, the emotions that she’d crushed up and locked away inside, broke free; pain unraveling in her chest at the thought of him.
How could he not have told her?
Eyes closed, she saw his stoic face staring back at her in her mind, his expression warming as the color and detail drained from his face, slowly transforming his visage into that of Caroline’s work.
Beth’s eyes shot open.
Would she ever escape the shock and pain at seeing the drawing? Would she ever stop imagining the scene from which it was made and the events that probably preceded or followed it?
Strangely, she wasn’t mad. She knew why he didn’t tell her; it was the same reason for everything that he did - to protect her. At first, it would have made no difference if she had known that his ex was Caro or not. Caroline wasn’t present in their lives and aside from Jane’s wedding, it would have been a rare occasion that they would have been in the same location, let alone the same country. Telling her from the start would have only made it awkward for her; it would have made her feel obligated to tell Jane.
Ok, not obligated, but she probably would have told her sister out of anger at how Caroline had treated Darcy.
And then Jane would have had to live with that decision, that knowledge, about her husband’s sister.
Even after Caro approached him and began threatening her, her heart clenched at the memory of how he had wanted to handle everything on his own. True, it was typical of him to act that way, but this time was different. He wanted to handle it on his own to spare her from having to choose between him and Jane, because that it what it would have come down to; either she would refuse to be in Caro’s company, thereby alienating her sister, or refuse to alleviate Darcy’s concerns and hurt him by deliberating putting herself in a position of potential harm in order to support Jane.
He probably was afraid of who your choice would have been.
He shouldn’t have been; he would have been her choice.
Here her thoughts paused as the car pulled up at the back entrance to the hotel. Beth got out, in a daze, but stopped short of entering the elevator. She needed a minute to think, a minute alone to process, and she had barely just gotten that; she needed a plan before confronting Darcy.
Pulling out her phone, she opened up a text to him,
~Are you home?
- Not yet. I’m still out with Charles. I’ll be a little yet.
~ Ok
- Everything ok?
