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“Mom, it’s me again. Where are you? Call me as soon as you get my messages.” She left the number once more and hung up. Almost immediately the phone rang. Her mother? She grabbed the receiver. “Hello?”
A slight pause sounded on the other end. “Hello. You must be a friend of Ethan’s.”
A friend of Ethan’s?Interesting assumption. “Um, would you like to talk to him?”
“Oh, no, I’m calling for Garret. This is Jocelyn.”
The way she said her name she might as well have attachedhis girlfriendonto the end. The pancakes threatened to revolt. Of course Garret had a girlfriend. He hadn’t mentioned her, but apparently even white knights lied by omission. Not that she’d expected Garret to tell her everything about his life, but she’d told him about Stephen. He couldn’t havementioneda girlfriend? No wonder Ethan had followed Garret into the bedroom totalk.“Hold on a moment while I get Garret for you.”
Darcy returned to the kitchen, holding the phone in front of her, the mouthpiece covered by her hand. And even though she was disappointed, she didn’t want to cause him any trouble. Garret had been nice to her, gone above and beyond to help her. Just because he hadn’t mentioned a girlfriend, well, typical guy. Why had she expected anything else?
“Garret, it’s for you. Someone named Jocelyn.” And there it was. Garret’s expression turned guarded right before her eyes. He excused himself and, phone in hand, walked out.
Darcy palmed her stomach and made a face, staring down at her belly. “Come on, Marcus, the snow’s letting up. Let’s finish the dishes, then go pack.”
GARRET ENTERED his office and shut the door behind him, feeling more guilt than the situation warranted. Nothing had happened between him and Darcy. “Joss, I’ve been meaning to call you.”
“Oh? Sorry. I haven’t been home.”
Concern overrode guilt. “Where are you if not home?”
“The gallery. After you dropped me off Friday night, I heard about how bad the storm was going to be and packed a bag. I thought it better to be snowed in here where I can get some work done.”
“You could’ve come home with me.”
“And still not gotten any work done?” She laughed softly. “Besides, Tobias came by yesterday.”
“He did?”
“Surprised me, too. He stayed for hours and helped me get things organized. And you’ll never guess why he stopped by.”
“Why?”
“He, um, brought the permit I needed to open.”
Crap!Garret made a fist and punched his thigh. “Joss, I’m sorry. I can’t believe I forgot the permit. It completely slipped my mind.” How many ways could he let this woman down?
“It’s okay. I understand how busy you’ve been.”
“That’s no excuse.”
“Hey, I’m a big girl. I know how things work. And I would’ve handled it myself if not for Tobias. I was floored by the gesture.”
“Everything taken care of now?”
“Yes. Before he left we painted the far wall and hung some things. And we unpacked the displays for the pottery and assembled two of them. At this rate, I’ll be able to open on time.”
“Well, I’m glad you had help.” He owed Tobe a day of golf, dinner. Something. “But I’m not crazy about you being there by yourself.”
“I’m fine. So should I ask who Ethan’s friend is? She’s not another nurse from the hospital, is she? Didn’t he learn his lesson about that after Daddy talked to him?”
“Ahh, actually she’s not Ethan’s friend.” Garret inhaled and sighed. He couldn’t put this off any longer. “Her name is Darcy Rhodes. I found her stranded by the side of the road Friday night. She was in labor.”
“What?”
He told her the rest of the story. “I’m going to take her to a motel as soon as the roads are clear to travel. Until then I’m sleeping on the couch.” He needed to clarify that, just in case Joss had doubts. “You’re not upset because she’s here, are you?”
“Of course not. Why would you ask that?”
