“Can you meet me at the dock in twenty minutes?” John asked.
“Better make it thirty,” Darcy replied.
With one final embrace and longer than necessary kiss from Char, he set off down the road and Darcy dragged her friend inside. They each raced to shower, change, and pack up their supplies for a day on the boat. After twenty-five minutes, Darcy rushed Char out the door and they crossed through the golf course. To Darcy’s surprise, only John waited for them at the boat.
“No Ben? I thought you didn’t like to take the boat out by yourself,” she asked surprised.
“Are you disappointed?” John teased.
“Ha. No not at all. Just curious.”
“Well,” he told her as he helped Char into the boat. “I’ve been practicing. Come on, it’s too beautiful a day to waste docked in the marina.”
Darcy smiled and let him help her into the boat. She relaxed a bit, glad not to have to worry about Ben today. But her stomach dropped a bit all the same. Darcy made her way to the front of the boat, leaving Char and John to the cockpit. She closed her eyes and turned her face to the sun, grateful for its warmth as they pulled out of the marina and picked up speed on the open water. The sunshine was the balm Darcy needed.
They reached the island and were the only boat in the little bay, giving the illusion of complete privacy. Char dropped the anchor, then she and Darcy made their way to the back. John had set up chairs and pulled out the cooler.
“Actually I think I’d like to explore a bit first. Where’s the lighthouse?” Darcy asked.
“It’s on the other side. It’s busier over there. Charter boats take out large groups of tourists and use the main dock. I prefer to anchor here,” John said.
Darcy nodded her agreement. The boat was close enough to shore to see through the water to the rippled sandy bottom. A few large stones littered the beach before the sand was overtaken by forest. The lake was calm with barely a breeze to ruffle the water’s surface, the sky was a bright, cloudless blue, and from their position it felt like they were the only three people around for miles. It was an overwhelmingly peaceful spot.
“If you’re done with lunch, we can hike over to the lighthouse,” John added as he finished his second sandwich.
“Sure. We’d probably better go. I might curl up and take a nap on the bow if we don’t leave soon,” Darcy said with a sigh.
Char helped John lower the dinghy. She had developed quite the nautical skill set over the past month. Darcy followed Char into the dinghy, and then John hopped in and used the motor to get them ashore. They hopped out and pulled the dinghy well up onto the sand.
They walked along the sandy beach, careful to avoid the icy fingers of water that lapped onto the shore. A sign at the edge of the forest marked the trail to the lighthouse. They trekked in single file along a path that nature had begun to overtake, curving around hills, climbing over rocks, and tripping on substantial tree roots. The lighthouse at the end of the hike was a welcome sight.
It stood whitewashed and pristine, set in its own manicured yard juxtaposed against the wilderness surrounding it. The dock John had mentioned stood directly below the main house. One glance at nearly one hundred steps and Darcy was grateful for the hike through the woods. They were greeted at the door of the lighthouse by a kind park ranger, who agreed to give a quick tour before the next boat arrived in twenty minutes. They walked through sun-drenched, tidy rooms and slowly climbed up to the tower on top of the house. It was hard to imagine on such a beautiful day in the company of friends and with the arrival of a boatload of tourists imminent the loneliness of being the Raspberry Island lighthouse keeper. The stories told by the ranger took on a romantic air, only possible with the passage of time and the ignorance of the realities of life nearly two hundred years ago.
They had reached the deck outside the lighthouse when a titter of laughter rent the air in two. Ben and a girl rounded a turn and nearly ran into them. Darcy froze on the observation deck with Char and John in front of her. Ben stopped laughing the minute he saw them.
“Funny running into you here,” John said, delighted to see his brother.
Ben had the good sense to look slightly embarrassed to be out with another girl. No one spoke for a long moment as everyone save the ever-cheerful John assessed one another. The girl seemed more put together than the waitress. Was she a threat to Darcy? Why did she even go there? Suddenly a phone rang and reverberated through the air.
In shock, Darcy looked down to see it was hers. She recognized Eric’s number and smiled. He had impeccable timing.
“It’s Eric. I’ve got to take this,” she said to Charlotte and, of course, loudly enough for Ben to overhear.
Darcy smiled at Ben and his companion, and she thought she saw his hand clench and unclench before she answered and began to descend the steps.
“Hi, Eric? Sorry,” she said, slightly breathless, “I’m walking down the steps of the lighthouse.”
“Hi, well I guess that answers my question of what you’re up to. I’m actually at your house. I’d wanted to surprise you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Darcy replied genuinely bummed to miss him.
“That’s okay. But I was calling to see if you wanted to meet up?”
“I would love to. When?”
“I’ve got to lock myself in my cottage for the next couple of days, to finish up a draft for a deadline. Are you free on Friday?”
“Yes, absolutely. What did you have in mind?”
“I thought we could get dinner in Ashland. Have you been there yet?”
“To be honest, no. I’ve only driven through.”
“I think you’ll like it. How about I pick you up at seven again? Is that okay?”
“Sounds great. See you then.”
Darcy hung up her phone and found a bench in the shade to wait for John and Charlotte. They found her after several minutes, walking hand in hand. Maybe, if nothing else, something good had come out of the summer, Darcy mused as she watched them.
“Everything okay?” Charlotte asked.
“Great,” Darcy beamed.
“Did he call then?” Char asked.
“Are we talking about this in front of present company?”
“Why not? She tells me everything anyway,” John said.
Darcy’s phone loudly beeped, saving her from a response. She looked down to see a new e-mail. Her eyes grew wide as she read it. She looked up at Char, back down to the phone, and then back to Char.
“What is it?” Char asked.
“I got an e-mail this morning about a job. I sent in my resume already, and they’re interested in me. They want to interview me straight away.”
“That’s great,” Char exclaimed.
“Wow, congratulations,” John agreed.
“Yeah, wow,” Darcy agreed, letting the news sink in without telling either of them the full truth. If Char knew the job was overseas, some of her excitement might wane.
“When?” Char asked.
“Next Friday, so I have a little over a week, I guess,” Darcy answered.
Char looked at her closer, but didn’t say anything. She’d been friends with Darcy long enough to know when crucial facts were being withheld.
“Shall we head back to the boat now?” Darcy asked, trying to distract Charlotte.
“Yes, lets,” John replied, taking the lead quite handily.
“What aren’t you saying?” Charlotte whispered.
“Wait. Didn’t John just tell me that you tell him everything I tell you? Shouldn’t we announce this to him too?” Darcy whispered.
“No, no. It’s okay. Just tell me. What is it?”
“The job is in London.”
“Wow,” Char replied and her face fell and she stopped walking.
“I know. But it’s a pretty hard opportunity to pass on.”
“Yeah, I guess it would be, huh?”
“What does that mean?”
“Just it seems like you’re making a life for yourself here.
”
“Char, you don’t think I could stay here, do you?”
“I don’t know. I guess I kind of did. I guess I kind of have been romanticizing all of us staying here forever.”
“That is definitely not happening. I am very happy for you and John, but I would need some space. If I stayed, I think I’d need my own house,” Darcy teased.
“So what are you going to do?” Char asked more seriously.
“I’m at least going to interview. Who could pass up a free trip to London?”
“Yeah, good point.”
“I don’t know. I guess I need to think about this more.”
Charlotte nodded.
“Are you two coming?” John yelled back to them.
“To be continued,” Charlotte whispered.
Chapter Fifteen
“These are beautiful, Eric,” Darcy smiled as they walked down Main Street Ashland. Painted on the sides of many of the buildings were huge murals depicting the history of the town from logging to war.
“I thought you’d like them.”
Darcy turned to face him. “Thank you for taking me here.”
Eric grabbed one of her hands, brought it to his lips, and kissed it. Darcy’s smile never faltered, even as she tried to make herself feel more for his affection than she did.
“Come on, dinner’s over here.”
Hand in hand, they walked through town toward the beautiful Hotel Chequamegon. The grand hotel sat on the lake with stunning views, of course. A maître d’ led them to the veranda, and they watched big shipping boats pass by as the sun began its descent.
“I think I could live here for years and would always want to stop and marvel at the sunset,” Darcy told Eric wistfully.
“They are pretty spectacular, aren’t they?”
“How did your deadline go?”
“Okay, I think. But I’ve been running on only a few hours of sleep for the last few days.”
“What were you working on?”
“A book proposal.”
“So you haven’t started writing yet?”
“No, not quite. But I’m getting close. And what have you been up to this week?”
“I may have found a job. I’m going out for an interview next Wednesday.”
“You are? What’s the job?”
“Running a small gallery. I know it doesn’t sound very exciting when I say it like that, but the gallery does a ton of business and they are always heading out on buying trips. The job is fifty percent travel, and, honestly, I’d love to do that.”
“Where is it?”
“London,” Darcy said sighing.
“Like the United Kingdom?”
“Yeah. I lived there for a year during college, and I’ve always wanted to go back. It’s just . . .” she trailed off.
Eric didn’t supply her with any words. She needed to process her emotions and describe them in her way.
“I guess I never thought it would be hard to leave,” she added.
Eric nodded.
“I feel like I’m having a breakup talk with you before we’ve even started,” Darcy told him.
“It’s a job interview. You might take it or you might not. I’m not going to run off screaming in the other direction,” Eric teased.
Darcy offered him a half smile. “You sure? It’s a good chance to get out. You might wish you’ve taken it.”
Eric reached across the table to grab her hand and interlock their fingers. “Never.”
Dinner came, giving them ample distraction. Eric’s intensity never wavered, and yet Darcy’s feelings did. She liked Eric, but the more she learned about him the less she understood why he was with her. Eric was mature and interesting and had lived a full life. Darcy had only just started out and already floundered. She could listen to him talk about his work and the places he’d traveled for hours on end. He had a gift for storytelling, making people and events come alive.
Even as much as Darcy liked him and as self-confident as she could pretend to be, she felt nervous and awkward with him. She didn’t know how to act around him. Eric was everything any girl was looking for, and she was a bit of a mess romantically. She worked long hours and was barely breaking even. She had no idea what her future would hold. Darcy was quite clearly in the midst of a quarter-life crisis and couldn’t seem to see her way forward.
Eric, on the other hand, had it all figured out. She couldn’t help but wonder if she had somehow bamboozled him into thinking she was much cooler than she actually was. Darcy felt unsettled about it all, and her stomach tied itself into knots. But she knew that she needed to let it all go. Darcy took in a deep breath and exhaled all her anxieties.
After dinner, Eric grabbed her hand and led her to the water. They found a picnic table and sat down on the top of it. He smiled at her and kissed her hand again before pulling her in closer with a gentle tug on the wrist. Darcy let him rest their interlocked fingers on his thigh and, quite naturally, her head fell to his shoulder. Eric turned to her then and stared deeply into her eyes. He brushed her hair behind her ear with his free hand, and then they kissed. The kiss sent tingles and shivers all through her body. It was a kiss of sweetness and promise and adoration. It was never urgent or begging or desperate like the kisses she’d shared with Ben.
When he broke away, he looked back into her eyes for reassurance. Darcy smiled in response, a smile that started with her eyes. Eric smiled too, and somehow he was transformed from beau to protector. Maybe he sensed her inner turmoil, all the things she worried about that she left unsaid. It felt nice to let him take care of her, and she couldn’t help but relax for perhaps the first time since they’d started seeing each other. He kissed her forehead, and she leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. They sat together intimately and comfortably for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Darcy smiled, not wanting to break the beautiful spell of the moment by raising her head from his shoulder.
“We should probably get back,” Eric began as the chilly night air began to seep into their bones.
Darcy smiled and let him grab her hand and lead her back to the car. They drove with the radio on and held hands the entire time. Eric pulled the car into her driveway and before he even parked, unease came over Darcy. They got out of the car and walked to the front door.
Eric leaned in to kiss her after she unlocked her front door. Without thinking, Darcy turned and gave him her cheek. She turned to consider him and saw equal parts hurt and confusion flash across his eyes. A question that didn’t need to be asked hung in the night air between them. Darcy shook her head dismissively.
“Sorry, Charlotte’s watching,” Darcy whispered and blushed furiously.
“You don’t want to give her a show,” Eric teased, quickly returning to his jovial self with her explanation.
Darcy smiled back. “Not tonight,” she replied.
Eric gently stroked her arms. “When can I see you again?” he asked her.
Darcy shivered at his touch. “Sunday? Do you want to come over for dinner with John and Char? I’d like you to get to know them.”
“Sunday it is,” he said with a smile.
Eric dropped his hands and paused. He’d given her a moment to reconsider her no kissing on the front porch position. Darcy wanted to leap into his arms yet at the same time she wanted to run up the stairs. She didn’t know which one she wanted more, so she forced herself to stay in place.
“Bye,” she whispered.
Darcy watched Eric get back in his car and drive away. With a sigh, she turned and walked into her house and upstairs. She’d slipped out of her clothes and drawn a bath when Char burst in.
“What the—” Darcy shrieked and drew her knees to her chest in an effort to maintain some modesty.
“Oh please. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” Char replied dismissively, sitting on the lid of the toilet. “But what on earth was that?”
At Darcy’s aghast look, Char continued. “Hey, I heard enough. With the window
s open there are no secrets for one hundred miles.”
“I knew you were spying.”
“Of course I am. We’ve barely talked about this guy. I need to get my information where and how I can.”
Darcy rolled her eyes at Char’s dramatics. “Sorry, forgot to include you in my relationship.”
“So it is a relationship then?” Char raised an eyebrow but kept her tone even.
Darcy narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.
“I don’t know. I like him a lot but the timing feels off. I’m leaving in a week.”
“I’ve been thinking about that.”
“And?”
“Be sure you’re not running away. Make sure that taking this job is one hundred percent what you want to do.”
“I know, I agree,” Darcy blew out a sigh.
“You’ve got to stop analyzing everything. You will never be happy if you keep doing that. Life is not always about being cautious and circumspect. Sometimes you’ve got to live.”
“And what does that mean exactly?”
“Maybe you need to address whatever is going on between you and Ben.”
“Nothing.”
Char eyed her skeptically. “I’m going to bed. It sounds like we’re spending our weekend cleaning and cooking for this double date on Sunday.”
“Oh yeah, sorry about that.”
“It’s fine. I would like to get to know him better.”
Char walked out and Darcy tried to relax in the bath. But the water had grown cold, and she couldn’t stop her mind from racing. What was going on between her and Eric? Did she want to be with him or with Ben? Did Ben even care anymore? He seemed to have a never-ending string of women. Darcy had no desire to fall into that mess. Did she want the London job truly, or was it a chance to run away?
She’d gone from years with no dating to a sudden swell of social activity. It overwhelmed her and the only option was a sleepless night.
Chapter Sixteen
“Is this your move then? Crashing a double date?” John asked as Ben grabbed the bottle of wine off their kitchen counter.
“You said to make a move. You didn’t specify how,” Ben replied.
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