Love You

by Stacy Finz

  “Lucky Rodriguez,” TJ said, repeating the same name Boden had given them at the bar. “I like it. But keep in mind he owns a dude ranch that offers corporate team building too. We wouldn’t want FlashTag to ditch us for him.”

  “Should we not go, then?” This is where it would’ve been handy to have Win add his two cents. But she hadn’t seen him all morning. As far as adventure sports and team building went, she was completely out of her depth.

  “Go. I think it’s a great idea. Just keep in mind that we’re competitors, though Lucky’s outfit focuses on rodeoing. Calf roping, steer wrestling, bull riding, barrel racing, that kind of thing. But there’s no reason we can’t join forces to give our clients a full adventure experience.” TJ checked his watch as if he had somewhere to be. “What else do you have planned?”

  “Uh, we’re working on it.”

  “It’s Wednesday, Darce, work faster.” With that he headed out the door.

  It looked like Darcy was on her own to line up the weekend, starting with lodging. She got on the phone to the Four Seasons where GA had an account, then made a reservation at the Indian place for dinner. The restaurant was formally Zaika but everyone within a fifty-mile radius simply called it the Indian place. It had become a destination restaurant in the Sierra Nevada, that’s how good it was. She called the Morning Glory and Old Glory and reserved tables for breakfast and lunch.

  When she finished planning their meals and making reservations, she Googled Lucky Rodriguez, kicking herself for not simply asking TJ for the number to the dude ranch. She found him easy enough, though. There were at least a dozen or more news articles about him, including a Sports Illustrated piece about his champion bull-riding days and how he was hanging it up to found a cowboy camp and be with his family. She plugged in the terms Nugget, cowboy camp and Lucky Rodriguez in the search engine and voilà. A beautiful website, almost as nice as Garner Adventure’s, popped up. Darcy dialed the number on the camp’s home page and in no time at all she was setting up their visit.

  When noon rolled around she had mastered a pretty tight itinerary and strolled over to Tart Me Up to reward herself with a sandwich. And maybe one of those fruit tarts Rachel made that were to die for. Then she remembered disapproving Mommie Dearest was in town and the thought of consuming anything worth eating soured in her stomach.

  Today, she’d been extra careful with her wardrobe choices, selecting pants that fit snugly through the thighs and flared at the bottom, a top with vertical stripes, and heels with a low-cut vamp. According to Cosmo, this was supposed to trick the eye into making her appear tall and willowy. According to Darcy’s mirror, nothing had changed. But at least Geneva couldn’t fault her for her selections.

  There was a line to take a number at the bakery, making Darcy consider her options. They were in the thick of tourist season so any of Glory Junction’s eating establishments would likely be busy. Carrie Jo Morgan, Colt’s receptionist at the police department, was ahead of her. Darcy didn’t know her well but she’d always seemed nice and funny, saying anything that popped into her head, even to Colt, who scared the crap out of Darcy. He’d never been anything but nice but he had a gruff, hard-as-cement exterior that made Darcy stumble over her words every time he talked to her. Once she nearly choked on a doughnut while he was in the room.

  Carrie Jo took a number, saw Darcy, and came over to wait with her in line. “This is nuts, isn’t it? I told Rachel she should franchise.”

  It was pretty crazy. But then again Oprah had recommended the bakery and now people drove up from San Francisco, more than three hours away, to get a piece of strudel. Darcy didn’t think Oprah had ever been to Glory Junction but somehow she knew about Tart Me Up.

  “Someone should open one of those little food carts on Main Street, sell hot dogs, pretzels, and falafel,” Darcy said.

  “In winter, chestnuts. They’d make a fortune.” Carrie Jo checked the board to see what number they were on. “At this rate, I’m going to have to get back to the office before it’s my turn.”

  “How much time do you get for lunch?”

  Carrie Jo hitched her shoulders. “Technically, thirty minutes but His Royal Pain in the Ass doesn’t keep tabs.” Darcy assumed she was talking about Colt. “What’s going on at GA? I hear Snapchat’s coming to town.”

  “FlashTag. They’re considering using us for corporate team building.” It was the first time Darcy had ever used “us,” which worried her. She used to think Snyder Real Estate was an “us” until she found out it was just a Lewis.

  “Cool. I hope it works out.”

  Carrie Jo’s number got called and she went up to the counter to put in her order. Not long after, Darcy’s flashed on the board. With her half sandwich and fruit salad, she went back to the office and ate at her desk.

  Around three, Win walked in the door. Despite hours on the lake or river or mountainside or wherever he’d been, he still managed to look like a Ralph Lauren ad. Windswept but not stirred. The man was so good-looking it was nauseating.

  “What’s cooking, good-looking?”

  She would’ve been flattered except he used that line on everyone. “Thanks to your lie, my mother’s in town.”

  “Huh?” He cocked his hip against the counter and stared down at her. “What’re you talking about?”

  “Lewis told my mother we were engaged. She came to help plan the wedding.” She expected him to freak out a little but he just laughed. Because the joke was on her.

  “You tell her the truth?”

  “Not yet. I’ve been too busy setting up our weekend.”

  For a minute, he looked confused, like he’d forgotten that they were supposed to entertain the very people who could make or break her promotion. “I told you we were going to be spontaneous, let Mother Nature and the vibe I get from our prospective clients dictate our schedule. It’s good to get a read on the mood, then make a plan.”

  “Well, TJ wanted us to be more structured.”

  “My brother has a stick up his ass.”

  His brother ran a successful company with that stick up his ass. Darcy handed Win a stack of printed material.

  “Our itinerary, including pictures, bios, and cell phone numbers on the FlashTag veeps so you can be familiar with their faces, names, and positions.”

  He studied the pages for a few minutes. “Looks good. Want to come to TJ and Deb’s for dinner tonight? They’re grilling steaks with the fam and we may go out on TJ’s boat.”

  It took a moment for her to grasp that he was inviting her to a family dinner. She was an employee, not family, and she certainly wouldn’t be Win’s date. So what was he up to?

  The skepticism must have shown on her face because Win quickly amended, “We could use the time to go over this.” He held up the itinerary she’d just handed him. That made sense, though Win doing after-hours homework was a surprise. He typically flew by the seat of his pants. She knew because she was constantly trying to hunt him down and keep him on course to ensure the schedule didn’t get screwed up.

  She’d never been to TJ’s house but had heard it was spectacular. Right on the lake with its own dock. But as much as she’d like to see it, there was her mother to consider. This was Geneva’s last night in Glory Junction. Although her parents only lived in Reno her mother would take it as a personal slight if she didn’t have dinner with her.

  “I can’t,” she said, already regretting not being able to go. Even though the Garners en masse turned her into a timid bird, she much preferred their company to Geneva’s. Especially after Win’s whopper of a lie about their engagement.

  Her parents adored Lewis and she’d deeply disappointed them when she’d filed for divorce. Geneva had all but said she didn’t think Darcy could do better. And judging by her social life, Geneva was right. But if Darcy had to do it all over again she would. Not the marriage part, just the divorce. Because it was easier to be unhappy by herself than with a controlling husband who reinforced all her insecurities and expected
her to be his full-time caretaker with none of the rewards.

  And even though her life lacked the kind of adventure she’d hoped for by moving to Glory Junction, it was still better than living in Reno with people who made her feel bad about herself.

  “Why not?” Win continued to stand there, looking supremely surprised that anyone would turn him down. Darcy didn’t think that happened to him too often.

  “I have to hang out with my mother.”

  “Don’t you think your fiancé should come first?” he said, and his mouth quirked. Everything was a joke to him.

  “Earth to Win, we’re not engaged.”

  “Don’t make me go to this alone.” He perched on the corner of her desk as much as a two-hundred-pound man could perch.

  “It’s your family,” she said, baffled. “Not a wedding.” There was nothing worse than going to a wedding alone.

  “Everyone is coupled up, I’ll be odd man out.”

  “So? It’s not like you couldn’t have a date if you wanted one.”

  “Damned straight but you’re better than a date.” He grinned.

  She didn’t know what that meant exactly but suspected it was offensive. Instead of going head-to-head with him, she let the comment slide. “Sorry, no can do.”

  *

  Win didn’t know what the big deal was. It was just dinner at his brother’s house and probably a few turns around the lake in TJ’s boat. It would’ve been nice for him to have a plus one for a change. The last woman he’d brought to a gathering with his family had been Britney and that hadn’t gone too well. Before that, Deb. But that was back in high school. Deb was with TJ now.

  When TJ had been single, Hannah and Delaney had tried to set him up with all their girlfriends. But no one did that for Win. He supposed they thought he could find his own dates, unlike TJ, who’d been too busy working twelve-hour days to meet women.

  Besides wanting a companion to accompany him, Darcy had sort have become his El Capitan. Painfully shy one minute, ballsy smart-mouthed the next, she’d become as challenging as scaling Yosemite’s three-thousand vertical-foot sheer rock granite.

  Five days ago, she wanted him to have sex with her. And now he had to beg her just to go to the rodeo with him. She was exasperating, that’s for sure.

  He was getting ready to walk away when a statuesque blonde came through the door into the lobby and flipped her designer sunglasses to the top of her head. It took a while for Win to realize she was middle-aged, probably in her late fifties. But she hid it well. Just enough makeup to highlight her Nordic features without showcasing the subtle lines near her eyes and mouth and a tailored dress that hugged a toned, tanned body. She wasn’t from Glory Junction, Win could tell that right off the bat. San Francisco, LA, maybe Sacramento, or some other big city.

  He started to ask if he could help her when it struck him that her face had an uncanny likeness to someone else he knew. Same blue eyes, same blond hair, same bone structure.

  “Mother, what are you doing here?” A glowering Darcy nearly hurled herself over the burl-wood counter to get to her. Win got the impression she wasn’t too thrilled to see her mom, which made him want to stick around, watch some fireworks.

  “Is that a way to greet me?” The tall blonde gave Darcy one of those European cheek-kisses, and then quickly pulled away like she might get rumpled. She took one look at Darcy’s appearance and sniffed. “Suck in your stomach, dear.”

  Darcy smoothed the wrinkles from her shirt and nervously tugged on her pants that had probably stuck to her from the heat and sitting in a chair all day. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

  “I wanted to see where you work.” Darcy’s mother darted a glance around the reception area, regarding it with interest.

  The old log lodge was awesome. Win’s parents had purchased it during the recession because they wanted the walk-in traffic from Main Street and had updated the building with a gym and rock-climbing wall, using the old bedrooms as offices. There was an enormous stone fireplace in the lobby and a seating arrangement where they often held orientations for group tours.

  After taking her fill, her gaze fell on Win. She looked him up and down, sizing him up like a boot camp sergeant. It was a little unnerving and his arms stiffened at his side. He was just about to introduce himself when she beat him to the punch.

  “I’m Geneva Wallace, Darcy’s mother.” She drilled Darcy with a look, silently rebuking her for not doing the honors.

  Win watched Darcy shrink before his very eyes and something protective stirred inside him. Moving closer, he draped his arm over her shoulders. “Now I know where Darcy gets her beauty from.”

  Usually mothers lapped that up like puppies with a bowl of milk.

  “She doesn’t look anything like me,” Geneva said, her face puckering up like she’d just been sprayed by a skunk. “She takes after her father.”

  The truth was Darcy was soft and round and small, nothing like Geneva’s tall angular frame. And not to make snap judgments but Geneva gave off a sour vibe. Darcy, when she wasn’t constantly giving him a hard time, was the personification of sweet.

  “I was hoping to meet your fiancé,” Geneva said, and brushed past Darcy to peer down the hall as if he might be hiding behind the Xerox machine.

  It was the way she said “fiancé,” almost with a sneer in her voice, that pushed Win over the edge. It took a lot to make him dislike a person but he was pretty sure he disliked Geneva Wallace. She seemed cold and disapproving. Win’s own mother was a hugger. Even though her grown sons were three times her size, she still would’ve rocked them to sleep at night if she could. Win remembered her soothing him, kissing away his tears, after a bad report card, before anyone had figured out he had dyslexia.

  “Where is he, Darcy? Lewis said he worked with you.”

  It was so many kinds of wrong but Win couldn’t help himself. “At your service,” he said, and bowed. It was unctuous as hell but he was going for shock and awe.

  He looked up expecting to find gratitude shining in Darcy’s cornflower blue eyes. Instead, they were blazing with something akin to anger. Well, shit! He wasn’t used to that reaction from women and it just made him want to dig in his heels.

  “You’re Darcy’s fiancé?” Geneva gave him a closer inspection as if she were searching for flaws.

  Darcy cleared her throat and stared daggers at him. “He’s not.”

  Geneva straightened. “I didn’t think so. Where is he? I’d like to meet my future son-in-law.”

  Darcy seemed to be weighing her options. Go with a lie or come clean.

  Win was too busy gleaning the meaning of “I didn’t think so.” The dismissal stuck in his craw. Was he to interpret it as Darcy wasn’t good enough for him or that he wasn’t good enough for Darcy? He could deal with the latter. In a mother’s eyes, no man was ever good enough for her daughter. But ever since Geneva had walked in the door he’d sensed a mother-daughter hostility that was palpable.

  “I’m not her fiancé,” he said. “I’m Darcy’s husband.”

  Chapter Six

  Geneva’s eyes grew so large Darcy was sure her pupils would burst. “You’re married? Lewis said you were engaged. When did this happen?” she asked skeptically as if she knew she was being duped.

  “We’re not—”

  “Telling anyone.” Win wouldn’t let her talk and was clearly making it up as he went along. “We wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “Well, I’m definitely surprised.” Geneva sank into one of the couches. “The ink isn’t even dry on your divorce.”

  “I was divorced a year ago, Mother.”

  Win went to the cooler and poured her mother a glass of water.

  “We were hoping you and Lewis would reconcile,” Geneva said, and Darcy felt a hot flash of anger spark through her.

  First, the statement was offensive to Win, her fake husband. But more important, how could her parents want her to get back with a man who’d made her so unhappy? “Mother, that’s nev
er going to happen.”

  “Lewis is seeing someone,” Win said, and handed Geneva the cup he’d just filled. “We hear it’s serious.”

  Who knew Win was a pathological liar? Darcy would’ve kicked him if he was standing closer. He kept digging them in deeper and deeper.

  “Lewis never said anything about a girlfriend,” Geneva said.

  Win coughed, then gave a small shrug. “She’s a stripper. People can be touchy about that sort of thing.”

  Darcy shot him a death glare. Shut up! Something was seriously wrong with him.

  Geneva sipped her water, gripping the glass as if it was a lifeline. “When were you married?”

  “Saturday night,” Win said. “Darcy came over to my place and surprised me.”

  Darcy’s mother gazed at both of them, skepticism in her eyes. Of course she was skeptical. None of anything Win said made sense. The man was deranged. A complete lying lunatic.

  Just then TJ came out of his office and found them sitting next to the fireplace. He and Win exchanged glances, TJ clearly curious about what was going on.

  “This is Darcy’s mom, Geneva,” Win announced.

  “Oh, hey, so nice to meet you.” TJ came around the corner and extended his hand, then turned to Darcy. “You should’ve told us your mom was coming.”

  “We just broke the news to her about the wedding,” Win told TJ, who looked as unconvinced as Geneva.

  “Never mind.” Darcy wanted to stop this train wreck. It was bad enough she’d have to explain to her mother why she worked with a pathological liar, she didn’t want TJ involved too.

  “What wedding?” TJ asked.

  Win’s mouth curved up. The psycho was truly enjoying himself. “We didn’t tell my brother, either. See … big surprise.” He turned to TJ. “You owe us a gift.”

  “There was no wedding!” Darcy wanted this to stop. Now.

  TJ ignored her, going along with Win. The whole family was nuts. “You and Darcy?” he asked his brother, then dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Welcome to the family.” The rat bastard knew it was a ruse and was playing along.