Stealing His Heart: A Sweet Contemporary Romance (Finding Love Book 2)

by Delaney Cameron

  As she made to walk by him, he put out an arm to stop her. “It would be easier for me to do that if you weren’t so pretty and didn’t smell so good all the time.”

  How could she be rational and detached when he said things like that? Darcy moved to put some needed distance between her and disaster. Unfortunately, the door was behind her so she wasn’t able to go far enough. “Is this how you talk to your employees?”

  His smile had the butterflies in her stomach spinning in circles.

  “I’ve never had a female employee before. If I’d known it would be this enjoyable, I might have done it sooner.”

  “Are you ever serious?”

  “Not if I can avoid it. Taking life too seriously makes you play scared. Sometimes you have to take the road less traveled and see where it goes.”

  It would lead to her being alone. With a broken heart. “What if I already know where it goes?”

  He slowly shook his head. “You only think you know.”

  His words tugged at her heart. She wanted to believe he meant them. But how could she? He only had a small piece of the puzzle. There was still so much he didn’t know. “When do you want me to come over again?”

  “Are we talking business or pleasure?”

  Was there a difference? “Work, of course.”

  “When we’re standing this close together, it’s not as obvious as you think. How about Thursday? Then we can leave from here to go to rehearsal.”

  She latched on to this suggestion. A few days away from him might not be a bad thing. “Thursday’s good. It should only take me a few more sessions to finish. Once I get things organized, I’ll show you what to do. There’s nothing difficult about bookkeeping. The important thing is having a system in place and being disciplined about not letting things pile up.”

  “Hmm. Private lessons. Now we’re getting somewhere.”

  Darcy shook her head and started down the hallway to the kitchen. “You don’t give up, do you?” she said over her shoulder.

  “No, I don’t. You might want to keep that in mind.”

  Chapter Six

  The grin on Matt’s face disappeared as he returned to the truck. His mood change had nothing to do with Darcy or her creative (but futile) attempts to keep him at a distance. If she thought treating him like a brother was going to drive him away, she was way off.

  The reason for his frown was the five missed calls, three texts, and single voice mail that had accumulated on his phone while he’d been at the play rehearsal. All of those attempts to reach him originated from the same person.

  He wondered how Eric was going to take this latest development. Like a bad penny or whatever that saying was, their elusive father had reappeared. This was a pattern with him. He would stay long enough to make everyone uncomfortable and then leave again.

  Was wife number three still with him? It was anyone’s guess. Matt tried to remember the last time he’d seen his father. By his estimation, it had been at least two years. The plan for their newly wedded father and his much younger wife to relocate to St. Marys hadn’t lasted six months. Without a word to either of his sons, Mark Gibson disappeared again.

  Fifteen minutes later, Matt was walking up the steps to Eric’s house. Just as he reached the top, the door opened and Julie appeared. Her eyes went to the dog in his arms.

  “Did Delilah sneak over to your house again?”

  He grinned as he put the dog on the ground. “No; I found her chasing a rabbit down by the gate when I came home.”

  “I wonder what she’ll do if she ever catches one.”

  “Try to bury it. I’ve never seen a dog so driven to dig holes.”

  “You had rehearsal tonight, right? I still can’t believe you’re in a play.”

  “Me, either. I would have backed out by now if it wasn’t for Darcy. The only downside is putting up with the guy who’s playing the leading man. He’s always touching her arm or shoulder. I want to tell him to keep his hands to himself.”

  Julie laughed. “You remind me of the way Eric was when some of the fathers of his little league players talked to me.”

  “Eric has more self-control than I do. He has that pitcher’s mentality of never showing his emotions. When I’m happy, sad, or whatever, it’s very obvious.”

  “Yeah, I’m like that, too. Eric is almost impossible to have a good fight with. He just waits quietly for the storm to pass.”

  “Speaking of the one person who can make Eric angry, Dad’s on his way here.”

  Julie moved to sit down in one of the chairs. “I guess he’s coming to see Nerina. Eric called him last week.”

  Matt dropped down in the chair opposite. “Eric actually called Dad?”

  “I managed to convince him that it was the right thing to do.”

  “You’re the only one who could do it.”

  “It was a very short conversation. Less than two minutes. I don’t understand how Dad can be happy living the way he does. It’s like he’s afraid to care about anyone.”

  “I have a theory about that. I’ve always believed that as much as he could love anyone, he loved my mother. His behavior doesn’t reflect that, but he never forgot her birthday or their anniversary. He made sure he was home on those two days.”

  “That’s a strange way to express love.”

  “My mother’s eyes would light up when he walked in the room. It didn’t matter how long he’d been gone; she was always happy to see him.”

  “I don’t think I could be like that.”

  Eric strolled out the door. “Be like what?”

  “Like Mom,” Matt answered. “I’ve got some news for you. You might want to sit down first.”

  “No need. When will he be here?”

  “Sunday. I’ve been wondering how to break it to you, and you already know.”

  “Have a little faith in me, Matt. I know him better than anyone. When I told him about Nerina, it was only a matter of time before he came.”

  “I didn’t think being a grandfather would mean all that much to him.”

  “From something he said to me, I think he’s viewing this whole grandparent thing as an opportunity to make amends without having to actually apologize or admit he did anything wrong. I’m okay with it as long as he doesn’t upset Julie.”

  “I’m pretty sure he’s figured that out by now. What I’d like to know is what happened to Brianna.”

  Eric shrugged. “We all know what happened to Brianna. That union was doomed from the start. A twenty-five-year age difference isn’t easy to overcome even when the couple is madly in love. In their case, it lasted longer than I thought it would.”

  “You’d think he’d learn his lesson and find someone born in the same decade.”

  “The women his age have distractions like ex-husbands and children. He doesn’t want to deal with that. He’s always been an all or nothing kind of person.”

  “He’s not a family man, that’s for sure. Are you going to be around on Saturday afternoon? Darcy is coming over to watch football again, and I thought it would be a good time for you to meet her.”

  Eric looked at Julie. “We don’t have any plans this weekend, do we?”

  “No, and if we did, we’d cancel them.”

  Matt leaned forward in the chair. “I assume Eric told you about her epilepsy.”

  “Yes. He also mentioned that she went away to school. I admire her for not letting seizures keep her from pursuing her dreams.”

  “She’s handled a bad situation with guts and determination.”

  “We’re looking forward to meeting her, aren’t we, Eric? Just give us a heads up before you walk over. That will give me time to throw on some powder and lipstick.”

  “She really means it will give her time to make sure I comb my hair and put on a decent shirt,” Eric responded with a grin.

  Matt stood up. “I was going to fish for a while, but I’m too tired. Give my niece a kiss goodnight for me.”

  “Didn’t you already get you
r goodnight kiss?”

  “Goodnight, Julie,” Matt said, not bothering to answer his brother.

  Eric chuckled. “That sounds like a ‘no’.”

  “It sounds like he’s taking things slowly,” Julie put in. “Given what Darcy has been through, I think Matt’s doing the right thing.”

  “I know that. This is just a little payback.”

  “Which you’ve earned the right to enjoy,” Matt conceded. “See you bright and early in the morning.”

  * * * * *

  Darcy locked the door and then walked over to look out the window. She never moved a muscle until Matt’s truck left the driveway. What had been a one-time thing had quickly become a habit. Now she couldn’t stop herself from watching him leave.

  She found her parents in the living room engrossed in a black and white Cary Grant movie. They made a cute picture sitting together on the couch sharing a bowl of popcorn. What was the secret to staying in love for so many years? Was it a choice that you made? Or was it a choice that was made for you?

  “Did you lose the coin toss again, Dad?” she asked. “That’s the only time you’ll watch old movies.”

  Her mother smiled as she reached for the remote. “Actually, he picked this one. It’s got Myrna Loy in it. We didn’t expect to see you for a while. You’re not sick, are you?” A worried note had entered her voice.

  Matt had asked her the same thing when she turned down his invitation to dinner. Her unimaginative ‘I’m a little tired’ had been accepted with a smile she hadn’t understood. “I’m fine. The play is another story; it’s turning into a farce. No one can keep a straight face delivering those ridiculous lines.”

  “Aunt Rita called earlier. She wanted to know if you’d be interested in working at the hospital gift shop. It’s only part-time, but it’s better than nothing.”

  “I’ll fit right in. I look like a patient. When did she want me to start?”

  “A week from Monday.”

  Darcy smiled. “That’s even better. I should be almost normal by then. I’ll leave you lovebirds alone to finish your movie.”

  In the privacy of her room, she sat down on the bed and reviewed the mess she was making of everything. Her efforts to perpetuate the friendship myth with Matt were making her miserable. Worse than that, they weren’t working. When they stood facing each other on her mother’s welcome mat - alone except for a few moths dancing around the porch light - she knew she hadn’t fooled him. And when he took her hand and ask her in the sweetest, kindest voice if she would come over to watch football on Saturday, she couldn’t refuse.

  She was worse than the moths on the porch. She knew the danger of dancing too close to the light.

  The chime of her phone sounded loud in the silence of the room. It better not be Cason with another complaint about her performance. Darcy was well aware that her mind hadn’t been on the play tonight. Grabbing her phone off the nightstand, she glanced at the screen. The text was from Alison.

  Have to postpone shopping for my wedding dress. The girl who was supposed to work my shift at Starbucks quit today.

  This was probably for the best. The idea of seeing her bruised face in the three-way mirrors of every bridal shop in town hadn’t been something Darcy was looking forward to.

  * * * * *

  Matt grabbed his keys off the counter and made for the door, his anticipation building. Hopefully, the rain that had threatened all morning while he mowed his yard would hold off until he got back with Darcy. By the time he pulled out of the parking lot of Dom’s Pizza, the sky had lightened considerably.

  Darcy must have been watching for him because the door opened just as he came up the steps to her house. “Hi, Matt.”

  “You put your hair up. It looks nice.” It also exposed the creamy skin of her neck and shoulders. There went any chance of keeping his mind on the game.

  “Thank you.”

  He took the bag dangling from her fingers. “You didn’t need to bring anything. I told you I’d take care of the food.”

  “Don’t you want to try my mom’s homemade brownies? They’re fantastic.”

  He’d rather try her lips. He’d been thinking of nothing else but kissing her for days now. “Of course I want to try them.”

  Darcy closed the door behind her. “We’ll be bouncing off the walls with all this sugar.”

  “That’s not a bad problem to have.”

  She led the way to the truck. “I thought we might be in for a rough afternoon, but it’s looking better now. Every time there’s a thunderstorm, we lose power. Does that happen at your house?”

  “Sometimes. If it gets bad, I go to Eric’s. He’s got a backup generator that runs almost everything.”

  “That must be nice. We make do with candles and flashlights.” As he opened the door, her eyes landed on the large square box with the bright red letters resting on the console. “You got Dom’s. What a great idea.”

  “I picked up one of those chicken white sauce pizzas you’ve been talking about.”

  Darcy hopped inside and took the bag from him. “You said that chicken had no place on a pizza.”

  Matt hid a smile as he walked around to join her. “I’m not afraid to admit I could be wrong. How did shopping for wedding dresses go?”

  “We had to reschedule because Alison had to work. I felt bad for her, but I was actually relieved. I’m not quite ready for the general public yet. I’m supposed to start working at the hospital gift shop a week from Monday. Hopefully, I’ll look better by then.”

  He maneuvered around the parked cars on her parents’ street. “Am I losing my accountant already?”

  “It’s just a part-time job. I’ll still be able to finish your stuff.” She lifted the lid of the pizza box a few inches. “Can you smell that? I might not be able to wait until we get to your house.”

  “Go ahead and have a piece. There should be some napkins in the glove box.”

  “I don’t want to eat without you.”

  Matt’s eyes narrowed when he saw the blue car parked on the side of the road with the hood up. He had to stop; he couldn’t drive by like he hadn’t seen it. “You might have to if you want it to be hot.”

  “Why is that?”

  He slowed down and pulled up behind the car. “Because we’re going to make a slight detour. It appears Sarah is having car trouble.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  He’d probably broken another of those don’t-ever-do-this-with-someone-you-like rules. There had to be one that dealt with helping an ex-girlfriend while out with another woman. Why did these situations always happen to him?

  “I shouldn’t be long; she’s probably already called someone.” He got out of the truck and made his way over to where Sarah was propped up against the grille of the car. She glanced up from doing something on her phone. Some things never change. Her obsession with her phone had been a running joke between them.

  “I don’t want a lecture about checking the fluids or letting my roadside assistance coverage lapse.”

  “Hello to you, too,” he said with a wry smile.

  Pushing away from the car, she shoved the phone in her pocket. “Hi, yourself. Do you happen to have any water in your truck?”

  “I do. Did your thermostat get stuck again?”

  “No, this was me forgetting to take the car in for servicing. I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out who to call next. My parents are out of town, my brother isn’t answering, and Jason’s phone is going straight to voice mail. What’s the good of having a phone if I can’t reach anyone when I need them?”

  “You could have called me.”

  Sarah shrugged. “It didn’t feel right.”

  He knew what she meant. They were in a social no-man’s-land. It was difficult to know exactly how to behave. There was too much history between them to make normal interactions comfortable. “Well, since I’m here, let me get the water.”

  Returning to the truck, he opened the back door and reached behind the se
at for a gallon of water. Only a few more minutes, and this uncomfortable encounter would be over. His glance collided with Darcy’s. “I’m going to put some water in the radiator. Be right back.”

  As he passed by her car, Sarah emerged from inside. She held out her hand for the water. “I’ll take care of it. I just realized you have someone with you.”

  “A few more minutes won’t make any difference.” He walked around her, carefully removed the radiator cap, and poured in the water. “That should get you where you need to go.”

  “Thanks for stopping. I’m not sure I would have.”

  He grinned. “Yes, you would. Enjoy your weekend.”

  “You, too.”

  As Matt headed back to the truck, he looked through the windshield to where Darcy sat waiting. In a way, his actions today were symbolic. He was walking away from the familiar toward the unknown. Life had brought him and Darcy together a second time. He wanted to believe it meant something. As his old army captain had been fond of saying: nothing happens by chance.

  * * * * *

  Darcy watched as Matt walked back to the truck. At various times in the last few weeks, she’d tried to form a mental image of what Sarah looked like. She hadn’t been anywhere close to reality. The tallish, dark-haired woman who finally emerged from behind the hood of the car was a surprise, not because she was lovely, but because she was older than Darcy had imagined her to be. Sarah was closer to thirty than twenty and had the poise and confidence to match.

  Matt had looked the most comfortable during their short exchanges. Was he that good at hiding his feelings? Or was he doing it because he knew Darcy was with him? Sarah’s smile seemed forced, and her hands kept playing with the keys in her hand. Was she embarrassed at being confronted by someone she no longer cared about? Would she have preferred him not to stop?

  Of the two of them, Matt received the lion’s share of Darcy’s sympathy because this had to affect him more. It also said a lot about his character. He obviously didn’t carry a grudge against the woman who broke his heart. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stopped at all. He really was a nice guy - not that she needed a reminder. She had enough proof from her own dealings with him.