My breath stuttered in my chest. I rested a hand against the window, as if the cool glass would protect me from his smoldering look. Whether he was influenced by the potion or not, I had no idea why he’d said that about my eyes.
Darcy leaned closer, and even though there was still a foot between us from where he sat on the other side of the gondola, his presence seemed to fill the space. “WhereI’mconcerned, you should get used to disappointment.”
I ground my teeth. Was he flirting with me or shutting me down? The fact that I couldn’t tell was even more disconcerting than the rest. “Is this just a game to you?”
“If it was, I’d be playing to win.”
“Probably because you’d be the one setting the rules.”
“And I imagine you like to break them.”
“That’s because there’s more to life than winning. You could play for enjoyment, strategy, or even to share the moment with someone else.” I leaned forward in a silent invitation for him to open up to me.
He gave me a slow smile and shook his head. “An unearned victory is no victory at all.”
Well, hex. So much for that.
We made it back to the ground, but Jane and Charles hadn’t gotten off the ride yet. For a moment, Darcy and I stood in silence. I watched the dancers, who had moved from a line dance to a reel.
Mr. Lucas appeared. “Lizzy, how good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too.” I smiled at him.
“You’ll have to tell Charlotte to come visit more. Her siblings always complain that they never see her since she moved out, and she isn’t always the best at returning our calls.”
“I’ll do that.”
“And Darcy, so nice to see you.” Mr. Lucas clapped him on the shoulder. “I hope you’re enjoying the festival.”
“It’s made quite a memorable impression so far.” Darcy’s gaze jumped to me as he used my own words from the night we met at the club.
I lifted my chin, not breaking eye contact.
“Why are the two of you just standing here? You should join the dancers.” He grinned at Darcy. “Lizzy would make an excellent dance partner.”
“Oh no,” I said. “I wasn’t standing here so that Darcy would have to ask me to dance. We just got off the Ferris wheel, and we’re waiting for Jane and—” My cell phone rang, giving me the perfect excuse to slip away and stop rambling. “I’m sorry. I need to take this,” I said before stepping away and putting the phone to my ear. “Hello.”
“Is this Elizabeth Bennet?” a hesitant, feminine voice asked from the other end.
“Yes, it is.” I held a hand over my ear to block the music from the dance. “Who is this?”
“Sable Hancock.”
My pulse took off. It was Easton’s sister. “Thank you for getting back to me.”
She was silent for a long moment. “I wasn’t sure I was going to. Mom is so tired of us talking to reporters, butwhen you mentioned your mother had been caught up in the case, I guess it changed my mind.”
“I’m sure this is difficult for you, and I appreciate you reaching out.” I took a few steps away, trying to get some privacy from Darcy even as I stood in the middle of hundreds of people. If I remembered right, Sable was only fourteen, and I could only imagine how hard it was on her to lose her brother. The thought of anything happening to one of my siblings was more than I could bear.
“It is.” Sable sniffled. “But I don’t care if it’s risky, I’ll do whatever it takes to find out what happened to Easton.”
“What do you meanrisky?” I asked.
Sable hesitated, and I could almost sense her already regretting her call.
“Can you tell me about Easton?” I asked instead. A glance over my shoulder proved Darcy still stood by the Ferris wheel, devoting his attention to his phone. Mr. Lucas must have left.
“Easton’s the best big brother.” Her voice broke. “He’d do anything for me. I mean Steven is a good big brother too, but he wasn’t around as much as Easton.”
