Chapter Six
Darcy looked up from chopping onions to find Alex standing in the doorway holding two cups of coffee. Darcy set down her knife and wiped her hands, then accepted one of the cups. “Thanks.”
“How’s it going?”
Darcy studied Alex over the rim of the cup. “Good.” Alex lingered. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. Darcy knew what the question meant. That didn’t mean she had to make it easy for her. “And how are you?”
Alex sipped her coffee and smiled. “Good.”
“Did you need something?”
Alex tipped her head to one side. “Well, you can tell me how your date went or you can hold out for Lia. For what it’s worth, I’m a lot less nosy.”
Darcy laughed. “It was good. Nice. Really nice, actually.”
“That’s less than you said in front of Liam. You know if I convey that to Lia, she’s going to give me a pitying look, then come for the rest of the story herself.”
Darcy shrugged. “What do you want to know?”
“Did you like her? What did you talk about? Are you going to go out again?”
Darcy gave Alex a hard time, but she didn’t mind the questions. Aside from her parents and a couple of other moms she knew, Alex and Lia were two of the people she considered herself closest to. She appreciated that they cared enough to ask and, even more, they cared about the answer. “Yes, all sorts of things, and we’ll see.”
“We’ll see?”
“We’ll see if the feeling is mutual. We talked about Liam quite a bit. That might have scared her off. If it didn’t, then maybe. Yeah. I’d go out with her again.”
Alex grinned. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”
“What do you mean?”
“She already texted me and said she was trying to wait at least twelve hours before she asks you out again so she doesn’t seem like a stalker.”
Darcy rolled her eyes. “Maybe tell her to pass me a note asking if I like her. I’ll be sure to circle yes.”
Alex snickered. “You know her heart is in the right place.”
She did, or, at least she had a strong inclination that was the case. And even if it felt a little bit high school, there was something to be said about dating someone sort of already in her circle. Even without knowing Emerson well, the fact that she was Alex’s friend made it much less likely she’d turn out to be crazy pants. “I do. It’s sweet, actually.”
“Should I tell her she can text you?”
“I’ll do one better.” Darcy pulled her phone out of her back pocket. She pulled up their previous exchange and dashed off a new message.
I hear you like me.
“What did you say?” Alex asked.
Darcy flashed her screen at Alex, causing her to chuckle. “Two can play that game, right?”
“Something like that. Let me know what she says.”
“Okay, boss.”
“Now, get back to work, will you?” As Alex turned to leave, Darcy launched a pot holder at her head. It caught her on the shoulder and she looked back. “I suppose I deserved that.”
“You most certainly did.” Despite her show of defiance, Darcy retrieved the pot holder and got back to work. The clam chowder wasn’t going to make itself.
*****
Emerson woke to the ping of her phone. She blinked a few times and rolled over. It was just after nine. Who in the world was texting her at nine in the morning? She picked up her phone and read the brief message from Darcy. If she was at all annoyed with Alex for outing her, the result made up for it. She flopped onto her back and thought for a moment before typing a reply.
Maybe. Is your source reliable?
When an answer didn’t come immediately, Emerson decided to haul herself out of bed. She made her way to the shower and wondered if Darcy was a morning person or if it was a requirement of her work schedule. Not that it mattered one way or the other. Some of her best friends were morning people. She didn’t judge. Mostly.
She emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later wearing a clean T-shirt and boxers. She picked up her phone and found Darcy’s response—assurance that she had a good source and an invitation to do dinner on Thursday. Emerson readily accepted, then sent a message to Alex.
I don’t know what you said, but it worked. Thanks for sticking your nose in. (No, really.)
Deciding it might be awkward to stop by the café now, she started a pot of coffee and checked the weather, wondering how she should spend her day. While she was pouring her first cup, Emerson’s phone pinged again. She picked it up, wondering if it was Alex giving her a hard time or Darcy laying out all the specifics of their second date. What she found was a message from her sister.
Wondering how you might feel about some company…
Emerson smiled. After Alex and Lia’s wedding, she’d made a point of calling Will. At the time, Will sounded distracted and in a rush. They’d texted on and off since, but Emerson couldn’t help but feel like something was up. She thought maybe Will was mad at her about something, although she couldn’t put her finger on anything specific.
Always.
How about this weekend?
Sure it was short notice, but Emerson didn’t have anything planned. Other than spending time with Darcy and fitting in enough work, she didn’t even have anything on the horizon. And she missed Will. On top of that, Will coming to P-town meant she wouldn’t have to see Kai, which made it even better.
Perfect. Send me your ETA and I’ll be waiting.
Emerson had a moment of worry about the apparent spontaneity of the whole thing, but she brushed it aside. Will worked at a mom-and-pop hardware store. It was probably easier to get a random long weekend than plan something too far in advance. And nothing in her messages hinted that something was wrong.
She glanced around her apartment and frowned. Even if Will didn’t count as real company, she should probably clean a little. And she hadn’t washed the spare sheets from changing the bed last week, so that meant a trip to the laundromat. And groceries. Even by her Spartan standards, there wasn’t much in the house. Looked like she had her day figured out after all.