“Yes.” She swallowed back the unease she felt in saying it after he’d just declared his feelings. But it was for the best. Someone needed to wake him up. “You didn’t go back for a watch the other night. You went back to bother Jeff. He hadn’t even come near us. He can’t even be in the same town with you.”
His shook his head. “Stop, just stop.” He swallowed hard and his eyes seemed to pierce right through her. “I won’t bother you again. Bye, Elsie.”
He turned and left. She heard the loud clunk of him pressing down on the door lever and the solid finality of the door shutting behind him. She sank down and hugged her knees. Why she was crying, she wasn’t sure, but her quiet tears helped relieve the tightly wound feelings demanding to be let out.
Her dad found her several minutes later, and she scrambled to her feet before he could bend down to try to help her up.
“Oh, Dad.” She hugged him, and he patted her back.
“I don’t know what’s wrong, dear, but you don’t cry very often so it must be something serious. Do you want to talk about it?”
She shook her head into his shoulder.
“You ready to go? I have plenty of books to last me the week.”
She nodded and wiped her face, trying to make herself presentable before having to go up to the checkout counter.
They walked out slowly together, and her dad didn’t ask a thing about it. He gave her one more hug as she brought him to the door of his house and he turned and smiled. “Don’t come in. Go see Jane. She’ll be a lot more helpful than your mother if she sees you like this.”
Elsie nodded and ran back to her car. She wasn’t sure she was up to telling even Jane, but Jane met her at the door, holding a folded slip of notebook paper secured with tape.
“Will dropped this off for you. I’m heading to the post office, but I want to hear all about this mystery note when I get back.”
Chapter 18 ♥Sincerely, Will Darcy
The letter ripped a little as she tried to unseal the tape and Elsie considered tearing the whole thing up, but she owed it to Will to read it, and in all honesty, she was dying to know what it might say.
Dear Elsie,
Don’t worry. I’m leaving town immediately and you won’t have to see me again. But I hate that you’ve been duped by Jeff, and worse, that he seems to have turned it into a game. So, though I don’t want to dredge it all back up, I feel I have to.
You are correct. I didn’t go back into the corn maze for a watch. I went back for Jeff. I spotted him making out with your sister, Lydia, and I went to go talk to them. Yes, it was a pointless, meddling thing to do, but I was under the impression you had feelings for him, and also, I was worried about Lydia being with someone so much older and more experienced. She assured me it was none of my business.
I’m assuming Jeff mentioned seeing me there. Though why, I can only guess. He has a history of toying with people, including my sister, Gianna. She was only fourteen when our mother died and took it very hard. She started sneaking into our family’s liquor cabinet and it was a while before my father figured it out. I left college for a semester and came back to help. She went to therapy, and we removed all alcohol from the house. It was our family secret. My dad was huge on appearances and no one could know about it. Unfortunately, she confided in Jeff.
Jeff and I had been childhood friends until things started disappearing from our house after his visits. He was intimidating and manipulative, even back then, and when he blamed me for some missing money, I let him. But I also told him I didn’t want to be friends anymore. I didn’t see much of him until after my dad died. Jeff suddenly took an interest in Gianna. She was eighteen and I was busy, trying to get my business off the ground and handle the inheritance. He tempted her with alcohol and promises that he cared about her, that I didn’t, and that she deserved her portion of the inheritance immediately.
The night of the accident, I called her, wanting to know where she was. She wouldn’t talk to me. She handed the phone to Jeff, who told me they were fine and not to worry. Right before he hung up, I heard the crash, and the screams, and then the call ended.
I will always wonder if the accident was partially my fault. After all, he’d run a red light and plowed straight into a large truck while on the phone with me. But he was drunk and he knew it. He squeezed out of the crumpled car and tried to make a run for it, leaving Gianna trapped and badly injured. Witnesses tracked him down and held onto him until the police arrived. Gianna was taken to the hospital where she underwent surgery. It didn’t matter. She is paralyzed from the waist down and always will be.
If keeping him away from her makes me controlling, then so be it. She’s all I have left. Secret keeping is in my blood, but I can see now it’s time to let that go.
Sincerely,
Will Darcy
P.S. I had high hopes for Jane and Charlie. He was afraid a long distance relationship wouldn’t work, as it’s been a disaster for him in the past. The only thing I urged him to do was let Jane know.
Elsie dropped the letter and plopped onto the couch. It was too much to take. Her mind went to a million places. Jane reduced to a P.S.? Gianna paralyzed? Jeff had never once mentioned that when he talked about the accident. He’d only mentioned the consequences for him. She got up and ran to her laptop, typing Gianna Darcy into a Google search. The top result: Gianna’s wheelchair basketball team raising money for charity.
Of course. Why would Will lie about his own sister? Why had Elsie been so quick to take Jeff at his word? She hadn’t jumped up to do a Google search then. She’d been so blind. So very blind and foolish. Yes, Will was a grump and he’d been rude to her when they’d met. Her pride had been hurt and everything he’d said and done after had been tainted by her early opinion of him.
She’d always prided herself on being logical and fair. She’d been neither.
***
Will packed up quickly, trying to tamp down his churning thoughts so he could focus on the task at hand. The last thing he needed was a trip back here because he’d left something important. But he couldn’t stop reliving the way Elsie had clung to him for a moment, as caught up in their kiss as he was. Stubborn girl, she wouldn’t let go of that grudge she held against him. All the while accusing him of holding grudges. Jeff had poisoned her, but it wouldn’t have worked if Will had acted friendly from the very beginning. Yes, Elsie was stubborn, but he was a fool and he’d ruined this.
