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Just so he didn’t end up looking like an idiot in front of Marigold Soaper.
Darren sighed. He knew he was a sap when it came to her. The raven-haired beauty was just stunning. She was fun and feisty, lighthearted and cheeky. Add to that she was probably the most beautiful woman he had come across, and it felt like a winning combination. Darren knew if he was brave enough, he would have asked her out months ago. That would be perfect.
But Trey Lofthouse had gotten there first, and Marigold had been swept off her feet. Darren didn’t know what to think about it. He had warned her about dating a sponsor and that it wasn’t a good idea, but Marigold had said she knew what she was doing. All Darren could do was step back and let her make her own choices.
Which she had. By dumping the bastard when he thought he could cheat on her and it would be okay. Darren would never understand how anyone could do that; he certainly couldn’t.
And why anyone would want to cheat on Marigold, he had no idea.
Bracing himself, Darren left the bathroom and went into the main room. Only to stop abruptly when he saw Marigold and Trey. They looked like they were having a standoff, Marigold looking angry while Trey looked smug. When did he turn up?
“It’s going to be a fight in a moment.”
Darren turned to see Jake standing behind him. Nathan was with him. Both of them looked unhappy about the situation.
“Should we go and break them up?”
“Maybe. Marigold looks like she’s coping well with it.” Jake shook his head. “God, Trey had a nerve. He not only made a beeline to her as soon as he entered, but he brought Robyn Grey with him.”
“What? Robyn Grey is here?”
“Yep. Check it out.”
Jake gestured across the room, and Darren turned to see Allison and her sister facing off. Allison looked like she was trying not to scream. Darren groaned. He was fed up with Robyn coming around anything involving the Vikings. Ever since Stephen dumped her, she seemed determined to get him back. Darren couldn’t begin to count how many times he had needed to have her escorted out of the building once Stephen ended things with it. It was like she didn’t understand the word no unless it was on her terms. And it didn’t help that it was upsetting Allison.
So much for having a good Christmas party.
Darren tugged off the hat and the beard.
“I think I’ve got some damage control to do now.”
Nathan’s mouth twitched.
“You just want a reason to get out of the suit.”
“This is important, Nathan. Or would you rather leave Marigold dealing with Trey on her own?”
“I’d be happy to deal with him.” Nathan winked. “Anything to get Marigold’s attention.”
Jake nudged him in the ribs, but that didn’t stop Nathan from smirking. Darren wasn’t about to ask what he was thinking about. He started tugging at the suit.
“Can you help me get this off? I need to go to Marigold.”
“She’s a big girl, Darren.”
“Don’t argue with me on this, Jake. Just help me out of this bloody thing.”
Jake sighed and started to tug the suit off. Darren heard something rip, but he didn’t stop to check. Stepping out of the suit and catching the padding before it dropped to the floor, he tossed everything at Jake, who almost dropped it all.
“Hey!”
“You can deal with that.”
Darren didn’t stop to wait and see if his friends were going to listen. He just hurried across the room. Marigold was standing closer to Trey, jabbing him in the chest.
“I told you to leave me alone, Trey. This is not how you leave someone alone.”
“I’m here as a guest, Marigold. You can’t expect me to stay away, not with the money I’ve put into this team.”
