Breathing out a long, low breath, she unclenched her jaw. Best not to think about that as she was heading into lunch together.
Yeah, shecouldn’tlet herself get even deeper embroiled in this.
“Is that Darcy?” She heard Colton’s voice in the background. “Hey, did you hear? We bought a house!”
“Tell him that I heard, and that I do expect him to be committed to becoming a full-on farmer version of himself,” she informed her sister.
“I will. I’m looking forward to it.” The excitement had crept back into Blythe’s voice.
“I really have to go.” And now, she didn’t know what she’d prefer: finally having this face-to-face with Juliet or talking to Blythe about the bomb dropping of hernew house. “I’m walking into the restaurant now.”
“I wish you would have borrowed one of my outfits,” Blythe managed to get in before Darcy hung up.
She slid her phone into her back pocket, glancing down at herself as she pulled the door open.
Not that she’d needed to look down at herself to look at her outfit; Côte & Crumb was essentially all windows and reflective surfaces. She blinked rapidly as she slid her sunglasses up to rest on the top of her head, as all of the natural light poured in from every possible angle. It was nearly blinding, and she squinted as her vision adjusted.
The voice in the back of her mind that saidyou don’t belong herewas quieter now than it had been eight months ago, but she still had to quell it every time she walked into a place like this.
She turned to the hostess, ticking her lips up into a small smile. “Hi, I’m–”
“Darcy Kincaid,” the woman swiftly cut in, grinning brightly at her.
She was still not really used to that, either, to strangers knowing who she was.
“Right. I’m here–”
“The other member of your party has already arrived,” she promptly and discreetly informed Darcy, clearly deliberately not naming Juliet. “Would you like me to bring you to the table?”
Darcy looked up, deeper into the bistro. It wasn’t dead, but it wasn’t busy, either. And even though she’d never actually met Juliet, Darcy’s attention landed on her immediately.
Sitting at the far back of the restaurant, the sun shining in through the windows both behind and next to Juliet illuminated her, like she was some sort of angel.
Darcy barely controlled the way her eyes wanted to roll at the thought, before she turned back to the hostess, who was looking at her expectantly. “Ah, no; I see her. Thanks, though.”
“Of course.”
She gave the woman another polite smile, before turning in Juliet’s direction.
Darcy refused to brace herself now, she refused to give in to any of the thoughts that had circled her mind over and over again regarding Juliet in the last few months.
If there was one thing her rise in fame had given her perspective on: everyone was just a person. Just like she was.
Even Juliet fucking Jacobs.
The funniest thing was that if this had been a year ago, before Darcy’s life had completely been thrown upside down, she’d have tripped over herself seeing Juliet. Not because she was a celebrity, but because she wasJuliet.
Granted, a year ago she’d have never stepped foot in this restaurant. Though Côte & Crumb was modeled in simple, upscale décor, it was one of those places that was deceptively expensive. Darcy had looked at the menu last night in preparation, and a garden salad with a glass of wine cost was just about equal to what she’d made in her typical shift at the bowling alley. That was a habit she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to break, always wanting to prepare for the price tag that wouldcome along with a day out, regardless of knowing that she could definitely afford it, now.
In her cropped t-shirt and flared, ripped jeans, she’d have been given the stink-eye if she stepped foot in here last year. Maybe they wouldn’t even have let her in.
Granted, she was still wearing the same clothing. But that was a deliberate choice on her part. She wasn’t going to change who she was because of this. She was still the same person that many of the clientele in this bistro would have looked down on before, and even if she had some lingering insecurities deep inside, she wasn’t going to put on an act.
Now that she wassuccessful, she was treated very differently. People who wouldn’t have given her a second look – or would have given her a dirty one – looked at her with respect, with a smile.
Now, she was here to have lunch with Juliet. To settle their differences.
Now, Juliet was very much aware of who Darcy was… and inexplicably disliked her.
