Smiling, Darcy padded across the room, her bare feet making little noise on the polished hardwood floors. Opening the front door, she found Riley Preston. By her side, holding a white pizza box, the woman’s husband and ex-football great, Sean McBride.
Surprised and bit dazzled by what she found, Darcy laughed. The ultimate power couple, Riley and Sean also qualified as the best-looking delivery people in history.
CHAPTER THREE
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“MOONLIGHTING?” DARCY INQUIRED of the richest person she’d ever met, let alone considered a friend.
“Always good to have something to fall back on.” Riley winked at her husband as Sean handed the pizza to Darcy.
Sean McBride. The football legend wore retirement well. Tall, startlingly handsome, and still as fit as in his playing days, he looked like he could step on the field tomorrow without missing a beat.
Darcy reminded herself to breathe. The ultimate Seattle Knights’ fan in her still couldn’t fully grasp the fact that she not only knew the man but lived on his property. In his guest house. Any time she wanted, she could drop by the main house and shoot the breeze.
Not that she would take advantage of the situation. Darcy suppressed a blush at the thought. One day—hopefully soon—she would become accustomed to the fact that she was friends with the future hall of famer. But not today.
“Thank you.” Darcy sent Sean a shy smile before the implications of his and Riley’s pizza delivery kicked in. “Oh, crap. When I ordered dinner, I forgot the security gate would prevent anyone from getting back here to the guest house.”
“No problem,” Riley assured her. “We didn’t mind the stroll. Next time have the delivery person text you when he arrives. You can meet him at the front gate.”
“Don’t be embarrassed,” Sean said, sensing Darcy’s unease. “The pizza gave us the chance to see how you’re settling in. Plus, if you wanted to share a slice as a thank you, I wouldn’t object.”
“Of course.” Mentally, Darcy kicked herself for not making the offer. She opened the box. “There are plates and napkins on the counter.”
“Sean.” Riley shook her head. “We just ate dinner.”
“Salad. Kale,” Sean said with a scoff as he breathed in the spicy aroma. “A man needs real food.”
“Honestly.” Riley shook her head, but her clear blue eyes glowed with loving indulgence. “Don’t blame me if your abs turn to flab.”
“Will you leave me if I get fat?” Sean asked as he took a large bite of cheesy goodness.
“In a heartbeat,” Riley said. But the smile she sent him told a different story.
Darcy watched the exchange and felt a twinge of envy. Whenever she doubted that love could last beyond the first burst of hormones, all she had to do was look at Riley and Sean. Ten years of wedded bliss and they were as happy as the day they said I do. Happier, if such a thing was possible.
As couples went, Riley and Sean weren’t the norm. However, they gave Darcy hope that a person could find their one true love and make the relationship work—even thrive.
“Do you need anything?” Riley asked. “We built the guest house five years ago, but no one has stayed for more than a few days. If anything is missing or needs repairs, don’t hesitate to let us know.”
“I wish you’d let me pay rent,” Darcy said as she handed Riley and Sean bottles of water. “I feel guilty.”
“Don’t you dare.” Riley’s words were firm. “You need to concentrate on getting my team a championship. Living here, you’re only minutes away from work. Plus, our security system is state of the art. With the threats you’ve received, I’ll feel better having you near.”
“Threats?” Piper stiffened, her gaze darting to Darcy. “What’s Riley talking about? Are you in danger?”
“No. Of course not.” Darcy waved off Piper’s question. “A few weird emails. Some texts. One letter.”
“You didn’t say anything about a letter.” Riley pinned Darcy with her narrowed gaze. “When? How many? Where were they delivered?”
“To my office.” Darcy took a deep breath. “I didn’t tell you because it arrived in the mail this morning, before the meet and greet, and I saw no reason to make a fuss over nothing.”
“Nothing.” Sean threw up his hands. “Nothing she says. I read the emails, Darcy. They were filled with some dark shit.”
“Nothing I haven’t heard before,” Darcy said with a shrug.
“I don’t know how to take that.” Sean waited a beat. “Yes, I do. The world is one fucked up place when a woman treats any threat to her safety as a common occurrence.”
“Not common,” Darcy said in a rush. “Simply part of the job description. Some people don’t care for the idea of a woman general manager.”
“Like I said. Fucked up.” Sean smashed his fist onto the counter. “Someone needs their ass kicked.”
“Easy, cowboy.” Riley rubbed her husband’s back. “The police are aware of the problem. You did notify Lieutenant Bronson, right?”
The officer in charge of her case was sympathetic, though Darcy got the impression dealing with her problem wasn’t the best use of his time. She agreed.
“I called him right away and forwarded a copy of the letter,” she assured Riley. “The original is in a file in my desk at the office.”
“Send me a copy first thing in the morning,” Riley said.
“Already done. Don’t look now.” Darcy sighed when Riley took out her phone. “What can you do tonight that won’t wait?”
“I own the Knights,” Riley said as she scrolled through her emails. “The moment you signed on with the team, you became my responsibility. Before, you were already family. Either way, I have your back.”
Damn, damn, damn. Darcy closed her eyes as Riley, Sean, and Piper read the copied letter. She’d tried her best to downplay the contents, hoping the whole thing would blow over. She should have known better.
“Son of a bitch,” Sean growled. “Sick mother—”
Shaken by what she’d read, Riley grasped Sean’s hand. Her eyes went to Darcy.
“If you consider this filth to be mild, what have you been subjected to before now?”
“Stuff,” Darcy said, not wanting to remember. For some reason, probably because it was easier than allowing the old memories to surface, she felt like pouting. Her lower lip jutted outward. “I warned you when you hired me there would be blowback.”
“Against me, sure. I’m prepared. I have the resources to fight anything and anyone who tries to mess with me and mine.” Riley pulled Darcy in for a hug. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have to deal with this crap. Ever.”
Darcy held onto her friend for a heartbeat before she moved away. The last thing she needed was to cry. Riley’s concern added to the emotional rollercoaster of the past few weeks and she felt closer to tears than she’d been in years. Smile in place, she pulled her shoulders back.
“I’m strong. Forged in fire.” Darcy pounded her fist to her chest. “Warrior woman. You gave me the chance of a lifetime, Riley. Do you think a few crackpot jackasses will bring me down? Just let them try.”
“One of the reasons I hired you was because I know you’re tough. The first woman general manager in the NFL? Appointed by a woman owner? You have a great, big target on your back—placed there by me.” Riley closed her eyes. When she looked at Darcy again, the blue of her irises burned bright with anger. “Damn. You’ve been judged before you’ve made a single move; all because you don’t have the proper DNA to qualify for their old boy's club.”
The angrier Riley became, the calmer Darcy felt. Funny how having someone on your side—no holds barred—could make all the difference.
“Down, mama bear.” Her heart lighter, Darcy patted Riley’s arm and smiled. “I’ll be fine.”
“Mm.” Riley sighed. “If you’d let me hire a bodyguard—”
“No,” Darcy said with an emphatic shake of her hea
d.
“Bodyguard?” Piper jumped to her feet. “What the hell, Darcy. Why didn’t you tell me you’re in danger?”
“Because I’m not,” Darcy assured her friend. “I didn’t say anything because I saw no reason to worry you over nothing.”
“Not nothing,” Piper said, taking a shaky breath. “The things in that letter were scary-sick.”
Darcy wanted to drop the subject. However, she understood Piper’s concern. Because she loved her friend for worrying, she swallowed her annoyance and kept her voice even, reasonable, and—hopefully—calming.
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Tomorrow, I’ll go to work and do my job. I’ll do the same the next day, and the day after. Eventually, the person who wrote the letter—and everyone else—will figure out the sky didn’t fall simply because a woman is in charge.”
Piper didn’t look convinced. However, she seemed to get what Darcy meant. If she went about her business in a normal fashion, eventually the aftershocks from her earthshaking rise to power would stop.
“Once I help the Knights win another Super Bowl, no one will care about my lack of male genitalia.”
“Another Super Bowl. Music to my ears.” Riley fanned herself with her hand as though the prospect of a championship made her temperature spike. “And on that happy note, we need to go.”
“You’re welcome to stay,” Darcy said.
“Another time. We’re headed over to Gaige’s place for a quick visit.”
Darcy’s mouth went dry as her heart skipped a beat.
“Gaige?” She barely squeaked out the name. “As in Gaige Benson? The ex-Knights’ quarterback?”
“He and his wife Violet live next door.” Riley’s lips twitched at Darcy’s reaction. “Didn’t you know?”
“I was aware he lived in the area. But…” Darcy reminded the fangirl in her to breathe. “The idea that I live so close to a certified football god is more than a little overwhelming.”
“Excuse me?” Sean scoffed. “What am I? Chopped liver?”
“Oh, I…” Realizing her mistake, Darcy stumbled to explain. “I didn’t mean you aren’t great, Sean. Amazing. But I’ve known you for years. And Gaige is… Well, he’s freaking Gaige Benson!”
“Every time,” Sean muttered with a frown. He turned to his wife. “Why do women swoon over that blond, Nordic dipstick?”
“I prefer dark-haired men,” Riley assured him. “However—”
“However, my ass. Quarterbacks!” Sean sneered the word, but there was a twinkle of good humor in his eyes. “Just because a guy has a rocket for an arm and can throw a football with pinpoint accuracy, the world falls at his feet. I swear, if the guy weren’t my best friend, I’d kick his overhyped butt.”
“Just as likely he’d kick yours first,” Riley said under her breath. Sean heard every word.
“Excuse me?” He asked his wife before he turned to Darcy. “What’s a man to do when he can’t even count on his wife’s loyalty?”
“I’ve loved you since I was seventeen. Married you. Gave birth to your sons. Stood by your side through thick and thin.” Riley brushed a kiss across Sean’s lips. “And you still make my heart sing. What more do you want?”
“Another fifty or sixty years of the same?” Sean said as wrapped his arms around Riley’s waist.
“I won’t settle for less than another seventy.”
The intensity of emotion between the long-time couple would make even the most cynical person believe in forever love. Damn them, Darcy thought. They’d raised the bar—too high, she feared, for her to ever reach.
“If we want to visit with Mac for a few minutes before putting our boys to bed, we need to go,” Riley told her husband before turning to Darcy. “Have a great first day. And call if you need anything.”
“I don’t anticipate any problems. In fact…” Darcy trailed off as a thought hit her. “Wait. Did you say, visit with Mac? Mac, who?”
“Gaige offered up his guest house to Joshua McClain.” Sean chuckled, unaware his news made Darcy’s stomach clench. “We didn’t know until yesterday. By chance, the Knights’ new head coach and general manager live within shouting distance of each other. Funny.”
“Hilarious,” Darcy muttered.
So much for the sanctity of her new home. Why, Darcy mused, did everything in her life come with a flaw? Why? Why?
“I don’t know why.” Sean scratched his chin, unaware of Darcy’s less than thrilled reaction. “Fate?”
More sensitive to the change of vibe in the room than her husband, Riley hustled Sean to the door.
“Give me a second alone with Darcy,” Riley told him.
“I’ll meet you at the gate,” Sean said. He nodded a goodbye toward Darcy before jogging down the front steps.
“I honestly had no idea that you and Mac are neighbors,” Riley said. “Seems he and Gaige go way back.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Darcy replied as she briefly contemplated finding a new place to live then mentally kicked herself. She would not be the one who ran. She’d leave that to her neighbor—hopefully with his pointy little tail tucked between his legs. “We’re separated by hedges, trees, and a thick fence. I can’t even see the other guest house. I doubt I’ll know McClain is there.”
“You never know,” Riley said. “Once you get to know Mac, you might enjoy having him so close.”
The chances of her ever wanting to see Joshua McClain outside of work were astronomically low. Somewhere around negative zero. Because Riley was her boss, she kept the number to herself.
“One thing.” Darcy frowned. “Please don’t tell McClain about the letter.”
“Don’t you think he should know about the threats?” Riley asked.
“If I thought anything would happen, then my answer would be yes.” Darcy sighed. “Right now, McClain and I are on even footing. That will change if I play the victim card.”
“Weepy, hysterical woman?” Riley shook her head. “That’s not you. And Mac won’t think less of you for taking precautions, Darcy.”
Darcy wasn’t convinced. She’d spent the past twenty years being smarter and stronger than the men around her. Weakness—of any kind—was not an option if she wanted to maintain her advantage.
“What could McClain do if he knew?” Darcy reasoned. “For now, the fewer people who know, the better I can do my job.”
“You’re probably right.” Riley gave her a quick hug. “Good luck, tomorrow. Work hard.”
“I always do.”
Darcy watched as Riley and Sean walked through the gate hand in hand. She breathed in the cool night air, raising her face to enjoy the light mist that fell from the sky.
Squinting, Darcy could make out a faint light in the distance she assumed was the guest house where Joshua McClain resided. If he stayed on his side of the fence, and she on hers, there was no reason they had to interact, she told herself. Out of sight, out of mind.
And yet she couldn’t ignore the shiver that ran down her spine—a reaction that had nothing to do with the chilly February evening. Though Darcy knew the thought was ridiculous, she found the idea of living next door to the devil more than a little disconcerting.
CHAPTER FOUR
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THE MISTY NIGHT air turned to a steady drizzle before Joshua McClain’s eyes. Mac loved the rain. Cold as ice or warm as a summer’s day. Long walks, lost in a world he could pretend was normal, enveloped in the fall of water.
Taking a sip of the beer he’d nursed for most of the evening, Mac opened the kitchen window and took a deep breath. The smell was clean, fresh. Growing up where everything around him was dirty—the house, his clothes, his body—he never grew tired of breathing in something so clean and fresh.
Mac turned thirty-six last month. His gift to himself? A brand spanking new sports car. He hadn’t blinked at the wildly expensive price tag. Closing his eyes, he smiled thinking how far he’d come in the past two decades.
From barely scraping by to living the high life.
Hard times had taught Mac to save his money. But now and then a man needed to treat himself or what was the point of working hard? The navy-blue Maserati parked in the garage was a perfect example. His father would have died of a heart attack over the wildly exorbitant price tag. His mother would have wept and railed to think a child of hers could be so irresponsible. To prove how different his life was, he hadn’t blinked at the amount, nor felt a twinge of guilt.
Mac was alone in the world, an orphan in practice long before his parents passed away. He made no excuses for the way he lived and answered to no one. At least in his private life. Professionally was a different matter.
Setting the beer aside, Mac scrubbed a hand over his face. Tomorrow he would officially meet with his new boss.
Darcy Stratham. Mac’s lip curled into a sneer. She looked more like a supermodel than an NFL general manager. Used to working with men who were older and a bit soft in the belly after too many fatty meals consumed while hunched over their desks, Mac wasn’t afraid to admit his bias toward someone who’d lived a hard, brass knuckles in the trenches, football life.
Too pretty, too neat as a pin, too full of herself, Darcy Stratham looked like she belonged on the cover of a fashion magazine. Mac understood the need for change and innovation. And perhaps a woman in the front office was inevitable. Why, he wondered with a barely suppressed growl, was he the unlucky son of a bitch whose name would forever be linked to an experiment he felt was doomed to failure.
“When Riley Preston asked if I had a problem working for a woman, I thought she meant herself,” Mac muttered. “A woman owner? No problem. But if she’d mentioned a female general manager, I would have—”
“What?” Gaige Benson asked as he leaned his hip against the counter. “You would have turned down the chance at a head coaching job—the job of a lifetime—if you’d known about Darcy Stratham?”
Mac shot the ex-quarterback a disgruntled look. Gaige wore his blond hair a bit longer than in his playing days, but little else had changed about the man. He possessed the prototypical tall, lean quarterback’s body. In his heyday, he could scramble for yardage with the best of them or stay in the pocket and wait until he found an open receiver to throw a pass with uncanny accuracy.
The Devil Wears Blue Jeans (One Pass Away: A New Season Book 1) Page 4