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She closed her eyes, took a deep breath. “Something more than that happened, Troy.”
“Says a man who is out of his mind.”
“He was clean when Raoul was here.”
“You trust him.”
She lifted her face, which even angry and frustrated, was still beautiful and still affected him deeply. “Yes.”
“I’d like to be added to that list, Darcy.”
“You have to earn a spot.”
Troy’s turn for the closed eyes and deep breath. “By unconditionally agreeing with everything you say and do?”
“By trusting me. Trusting that I know what I’m talking about.”
He counted to three. Then five. Then ten. God help him, right now this pain was altogether too familiar. Instinct was telling him to run, far and fast, and it was shouting louder than his heart, which still wanted him to stay and protect her. How naive to expect he could heal and totally change the type of woman he went for.
“I think I should go.” He had more to say, but he wasn’t going to say it now, late at night in a kitchen inhabited by a psychic—or psycho—pothead.
She looked startled, then drew herself up tall. “Okay. So. I’ll get a ride from Ace.”
He held her gaze a few more seconds, unable to see anything but cold resolve in her eyes. Not a flicker of uncertainty or of longing. Apparently, she was not kidding when she said she regretted becoming human.
“G’night, Darcy.” He walked out the back door, got nearly soaked in the few steps to his car, and pulled away from the restaurant alley in one of the foulest moods he’d been in since…
Since he was dating Debby. What a surprise. Why did the lows always come with the highs? Why couldn’t he be one of those guys whose greatest moment of emotional upheaval came when his beer ran out before the football quarter did?
He drove home, scowling through the blinding thunder of drops on the windshield. Maybe he wasn’t cut out for relationships.
Or maybe Chad had been right, and he wasn’t cut out for Darcy.
“EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE shaping up perfectly.” Candy lifted her face from her folder and gave a thumbs-up, nodding around their table at the Women in Power meeting to Kim, Marie and Darcy, who was trying her hardest to appear enthusiastic and interested while pain gnawed great holes inside her, like a swarm of carpenter ants hollowing out a log.
A party for married and engaged couples. What fun now that she’d believed again in the fake promise of real and permanent happiness and had it ripped away.
Whee.
“We have enthusiastic sponsors. Milwaukeedates.com of course.” Candy grinned at Marie. “But also Bridal Boutique, Home Depot, Franny’s Flowers and Cakewalk Cakes. They’ll all donate certificates for prizes as well as help with costs. We have twenty-three confirmed couples attending and five undecided.”
Darcy snorted. “Can’t decide if they’re coming or can’t decide if they’re couples?”
“Can’t decide if they’re coming. And of course…” Candy smiled at Darcy. “There are other couples who might become qualified in the next few weeks.”
“Hmm, yes, do we know anyone like that?” Kim nudged Darcy.
“Don’t think so.” She pressed her lips together, brows raised, trying to appear brisk and unconcerned. That they knew she’d become involved with Troy didn’t surprise her. That they assumed because she’d been with him a couple of weeks, she and Troy were on their way to the altar, did. And that she was feeling empty and sad knowing there was no way she and Troy would be at that party as any kind of couple horrified her. She didn’t want to be married to Troy or anyone else. Especially not to Troy after the way he’d laughed at her fears and done nothing to help or support her when she needed him. When she left her last boyfriend, Chris, aka Mr. Cheaterpants, she’d promised herself no more men who prized only their own feelings. No matter how much she missed what was good between her and Troy, she was not going back into a relationship like that.
Frankly, she was proud of her resolve and having made the decision so quickly and forcefully to get out of yet another no-win situation, but this time before she got in any deeper.
