Page 63 of An Enchanted Moment on Ever After Street
Suddenly there’s a shout from outside and the door bursts open. ‘There you are!’
Darcy yelps and scrambles for the Beast mask and I jump to my feet and shield him behind my enormous Belle skirt while he yanks it back on, swearing at shaking fingers, as Rick storms in and hits the light switch, setting the chandeliers ablaze with bright light.
‘Sorry, Marnie!’ Sadie barrels to a halt after him. ‘I tried to stop him but he wouldn’t listen.’
‘It’s okay.’ I try to reassure her because she looks distraught. ‘If there’s one thing we know, it’s that Rick is incapable of doing anything he’s asked to.’
‘Didn’t interrupt anything, did I?’ he says with a grin in my direction.
Only the most special moment of my life. ‘What are you doing here? Why are you at a book festival? You don’t even like books.’
‘I bought a ticket. I have every right to be here.’
‘If I’d have known that, I’d have put a system in place for vetting the guests first,’ I mutter, standing on unsteady legs and feeling knocked off-kilter by the interruption.
I glance down at Darcy. He’s still sitting on the step, his re-covered head in his hands, and I lean down to touch his shoulder. His re-gloved hand slides over mine, just once, and then he gets to his feet, towering above me.
‘Wouldn’t mind knowing what you’re doing with thatthing?’ Rick demands.
‘Who I spend my time with is none of your business.’
Sadie has sidled out the open door, leaving us to it, and Darcy’s hand touches my back in silent support, and Rick glares at him. ‘I’d like some time alone with mygirlfriend, if you don’t mind,mate.’
The word ‘mate’ has never been spoken in such an un-mate-like way before.
‘I don’t think she’d like any alone time with you,friend.’ Darcy’s unfriendly tone mimics Rick’s, and at full height with the Beast mask over his head, he’s an imposing figure, and I can see Rick’s blood boiling at being intimidated by someone he thinks is beneath him. This is a situation that needs defusing before it escalates.
Despite the frustration at such an important moment with Darcy descending intothis, and the exasperation at Rick’s trulyhorrific timing, I reach over and touch Darcy’s arm. ‘It’s okay, let me talk to him. This needs to end and if you stay, he’s only going to be interested in getting one up on you and strutting around all over the place. You go.’
‘Yeah, mate. You go.’ Rick preens.
Darcy hesitates, unsure of leaving me alone with him, but Rick is a peacock, and with Darcy here, his only focus is going to be on parading his pretty tailfeathers in front of him and he’snevergoing to listen to anything I have to say. I give his arm a reassuring squeeze and he nods the Beast head in understanding and very, very reluctantly, starts making his way across the ballroom to the door. Darcy bends to retrieve a doorstop and wedges it underneath, deliberately holding it open, and I get the feeling he’s not intending to go very far, which is fine by me. I’ve always felt edgy around Rick, even when we were together, but Darcy’s belief in me has given me more confidence than I had a few weeks ago, and I feel like I can speak up for myself now and I have a right to be listened to.
‘Marnie?’ Darcy turns at the door and the blue Beast’s eyes look back at me. ‘In case I don’t get another chance to say this before the time comes, I’m not going to let you down. And I’m sorry.’
He disappears around the corner and I blink at the empty doorway in confusion at his crypticness.
‘What?’ I call after him. ‘What does that mean?’
‘Never mind anything that comes out of that ugly twat’s mangled mouth.’ Rick approaches me with his arms open, like he’s expecting a hug.
‘I’ve just kissed his mangled mouth and it felt very un-mangled to me!’ I snap at him, not intending to have let Rick know there’s anything going on between me and Darcy.
‘You and…him?’ Rick lets a finger hang in the air, halfway between pointing to the doorway, his mouth hanging open inshock. And then he starts laughing. ‘Oh, wait, I get it! You’re winding me up! Trying to make me jealous, but it’s just too hilarious. This is a publicity stunt for the shop, right? You dressed as that Disney woman in the yellow dress and him as the Beast? Have you joined forces to “win” the costume competition and cheat your way out of having to give any prizes?’
‘No, because I’m not a cheater, unlike you.’
‘Oh, come on, Marn.Onemistake. You can forgive me that much, can’t you? Come here, let’s hug it out.’
He comes towards me with his arms open again, but I whack his hand before he gets within touching distance and step out of his reach. ‘Don’t touch me.’
‘Okay, you’re going to make me work for it, fair’s fair. Could you give me a timetable for this scheduled sulkathon?’ He checks the designer watch on his wrist. ‘I mean, are you going to finish punishing me tonight or should I come back next week?’
‘Come backnever, Rick. We’re done. We always will be done. I don’t want you in my life, and I can’t make that any clearer.’
‘Oh, now, don’t be like that. I come bearing gifts.’
‘I don’t want any gifts.’ I’m trying to be civil to him. In reality, I want to strangle him, but trying to strangle people comes with pesky court proceedings and Rick isn’t worth that.
