“Not usually, but I basically talk about you whenever I’m with the GM.”
I sit back on the truck’s tailgate. “W-why? Why would you do that?”
“I don’t know. Rob screwed you over. We miss you. We want you back.”
“I can’t . . . work with him again,” I sputter.
Landon coughs out a laugh. “Oh? You didn’t hear? Bro got himself fired. Total downward spiral. I think he was part of the reason the girl who replaced you left. He acted like a nut. Oh, and hey—” He cackles again. “Did your new boyfriend punch him? Somebody sent me a pic of him from the office after the Fourth. He looked like shit.”
My face screws up. “Landon, how much gossip do you get from work?”
“Oh, you don’t even know the half of it,” he says.
A bird squawks in the background. “Where are you anyway?”
“A villa in Costa Rica,” he says. “Where areyou?”
“A farmers market in Paint, West Virginia.”
He cackles and his voice fades. “Hey, babe! Darcy’s at a farmers market! She’s a farmer now or something!” He comes back to the phone. “Marissa says hi. But anyway! Be on the lookout for a call Monday. I think they really want you back. And this is me asking you to come back.”
My mouth is dry. “Okay. Yeah. You know, I’ve gotta go, but thanks for the call.”
“Alright. See you soon!” Landon hangs up and I stand with shaking hands. I could work for the team again. I could move back to Raleigh. Get my old life back, my life before Rob, if that’s possible.
But is that what I want?
FIFTY
DARCY
Jake meetsme in the mudroom, a broad smile lighting his face. “Hey!”
“Hi,” I grin up at him from where I tie my sneakers. He kneels in front of me, not so differently from when he rescued Stormy, and clutches the side of my face for a kiss.
“Missed you last night,” he says as we pull apart.
My smile is soft. “Missed you too. How’s the new place?”
Jake’s here to grab the last of his stuff from the cabin, and have a date with me. Before Landon called, this was going to be fun. Before Maggie and Bill offered me the farm, this was going to be the best.
“You wanna stay over and find out?”
“I’ll have to clear it with my mom and dad,” I tease, even though my overnight bag sits packed at my feet.
“For god’s sake, Darcy,” Maggie moans from around the corner. “Go sleep over at your boyfriend’s house. You’re a grown woman.”
“What about Stormy?” I ask.
“She can shack up with us.” Maggie’s face pops into the doorway and she extends her arms to hug Jake. “Good to see ya again, big guy.”
Jake stoops to hug her, and I realize that’s part of how he hugs me too. He has to stoop to make himself smaller to reach me at my height. Something about the movement itself is endearing: this big man making himself small to show affection. There’s no doubting it: Jake’s a big boy. There’s nothing wrong with a short king, but there’s something to be said about feeling safe in my big boy’s arms. Jake picks up my overnight bag and taps my lower back to usher me out the door.
Jake is comfort and security. Familiar. The thrill of travel and the comfort of coming home after a long day. That’s him.
That thought haunts me as his big hand rests on my thigh while we drive to Huntington. His shoulder that’s perfect for resting my head. How wonderful his body always feels against mine.
And yet I’m still rattled. I could have the farm. I could have my old job back, maybe even the promotion I missed. But if I take either of those things, I don’t get the man sitting next to me.
