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I went to his office and looked around. It was so neat and elegant. I was afraid to touch anything. Thane Erickson was a much different man than I originally thought.
I finally decided to sit at his desk, pretending to be a serious businesswoman. I laughed at myself and then looked down. There were several neat piles of paperwork. I saw a notepad and decided I would write him a note to find later. “If I could just find a pen,” I said out loud.
I opened the drawer and looked down. “No pen here,” I said to myself. I was about to shut the drawer when a name on one of the papers caught my attention. “Erickson, Peglar, and Flynn, LLP Law.”
My heart stopped. I knew that name. This company represented the people who evicted my family out of three homes. “Erickson…” Oh my God! All the blood drained from my face, and my hands felt cold and sweaty. Vomit threatened to come up, and tears spilled down my cheeks.
When Thane came back from his meeting, he took a look at my face and crumpled his brow in confusion. “What is it? Are you okay?” He walked over to my side.
I had nowhere to go, so I ran to the restroom. I went into a stall and gave in to my pain.
THANE & DARCY
Thane
“I’ve just come to say hello and let you know that I’ve decided to move to California instead of Miami. I thought this might be the place for me to put down my roots, but after a lot of thought, I’ve changed my mind,” Candiss told me as she waltzed into my office, all smiles.
Shit! Why do you have to come here now of all times?She couldn’t be here when Darcy got back from the restroom. I looked at her and felt immense relief. Although we had gotten closer over the last little while, every time I saw her, it always opened up old wounds.
“Well, Candiss, I hope everything works out for you with your move,” I said, walking her to the door, anxious for her to leave before Darcy got back.
“I’ll text you my new address once I get settled,” she told me. She gave me a big bear hug and then kissed me on the lips.
I jerked back, putting my hands on her shoulders to push her out of my personal space. “Sounds good. Safe travels,” I said as she turned to walk down the hallway. I turned my head at the sound of Darcy approaching.
The look on her face was one of pure jealousy. “What isshedoing here?”
We went into my office, and I closed the doors, hoping Darcy wouldn’t yell too loudly.
“Apparently, she’s moving to California instead of staying here. She just came to say goodbye,” I answered.
Darcy narrowed her eyes, searching my face for any hint of dishonesty. She would find none. “How do I know I can trust you on that?”
“You’ll have to believe me. I’m not interested in Candiss, Darcy. You need to let go of the past, just as I do,” I said.
“And what about these condos you are building? Don’t you see how many lives you wreck when you do that? Please stop the process,” she begged.
She took my hands in hers and looked me in the eyes. “I know I’m asking a lot, but I’m falling in love with you, Thane Erickson.” She let go and turned around. She walked to the other side of the room and back, stopping in front of me. “This thing between us can’t go anywhere if you go through with that project. Please don’t come and see me anymore.” Her words came out as a whisper, and tears flooded her eyes. She ran out of the office before I had a chance to tell her I loved her, too.
* * *
I stoodthere for a few minutes, feeling like someone had kicked me in the stomach. At that moment, I realized that I had fallen in love with her. It wasn’t something I could ignore or wish away. It was fact, and the evidence was in my heart.Dammit!She had worked her way into my heart. I had to go after her.
When I arrived at Darcy’s, Lila was there. She let me in and said, “What did you do? Darcy just came in here, a complete mess, and went to her room. The fact that you’re here minutes after she walked in tells me you’re the culprit.”
“Tell her I’m here, and I want to talk to her,” I said gruffly. “I’m not leaving until I talk to her.”
Lila put her hand up and said, “You need to give her some time to process everything.”
I filled Lila in on everything that had happened.
“Please go and get her,” I pleaded with Lila.
“So, you’re dating my daughter, are you?” A voice from behind us startled both Lila and I. Darcy and Addison’s mother came into the kitchen, stumbling and smelling like alcohol.
Lila left the kitchen to go get Darcy.
“That’s none of your business,” I told her. I didn’t want to get into it with her.
