Page 82 of Second Chances
“What did she say?”
“I asked if she was free tomorrow night to talk about what’s going on and she said that she was, so I’m going over there after work to grab dinner together.”
He nodded, resigned to her plan.
“I can tell her not to say anything to Charles if you want…if you want to be the one to tell him,” Beth suggested, knowing that his and Charles’ relationship could be the next casualty in this nightmare if it wasn’t handled properly.
“I should,” Darcy began, “I just… I’d rather hear what Jane has to say first, if she knows the whole story behind why Caro is here.”
Beth couldn’t help herself from wincing every time he used her nickname, wondering if he had always called her that, wondering if he’d called her that while she was drawing him, naked.
“I don’t want him to feel like he has to choose between his sister and me, when it comes to divulging information or not,” Darcy continued, oblivious to Beth’s momentary discomfort. “If Jane can figure out why Caroline is here, then I can go to him knowing all the information and asking him for help on the best way to handle it; I can go to him without having to ask him to pick a side.”
Even though she was sure that he couldn’t have felt her slight twitch, it was as if his subconscious had picked up on her response, causing him to switch from ‘Caro’ to ‘Caroline’.
“Ok, I understand, I’ll tell her.”
Beth rested her head against his back, feeling him exhale deeply. She clung a bit tighter to him for a moment before dropping her arms, reaching for one of his hands.
“Take me to bed?” she asked softly, suggestively.
That was all it took for the spark to be lit in his eyes, reflected in the glass. He turned toward her, his expression turning molten with desire as he followed her into their bedroom, their refuge, the one place where they only had each other.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Impatient.The only word, Beth could use to describe her Monday. Her brain was truly annoying her, taking any and every spare moment to jump to a new conclusion about what was financially motivating Caroline. The blessed moments where she was forced to focus on her work, on her clients, became fewer and farther in-between as the day progressed. Which meant that all day she was impatiently waiting for the workday to be done so she could leave to talk to Jane.
There was, now that she thought about it, one other positive of the day - no contact with Caroline, her client or the crazy bitch alter ego. Which was, honestly, a little concerning to Beth after what Darcy had said last night.
What if she suspected?
Maybe I was too cold, too standoffish. What if I gave something away?
On the other hand, if Caroline knew that she had been discovered, one would think that she would have upped her game immediately, that she would have approached or contacted Beth right away. Unless she had something else planned, something more devious.
Oh, my God, Beth, just relax. Who knows what is going through her head; all you can worry about is what you DO know and right now, that is that Caroline still thinks she has the upper hand.
Right, Beth closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.
Tapping her foot impatiently, she hit the home button on her phone to check the time.
Four-thirty.
And a text from Darcy.
Why hadn’t she heard her phone buzz?
Probably because you are busy obsessing over what Caroline MIGHT or MIGHT NOT know, MIGHT or MIGHT NOT do.
Opening up the message, she let Darcy do what he did best - distract her.
-How’s your day going, sweetheart?
She smiled at his endearment, even though his question was laced with the unspoken need to know if Caroline had contacted her in any way today.
~So far, so good. Just about to head over to Jane’s.
- Are you sure you don’t want me to take you?
