Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
I t was the morning of the Solstice Party. But Darcy was on the wrong island. She was back on Carlotta’s yacht.
Carlotta had insisted she stay the night after the work on their pitch ran long last night. Carlotta’s employee had led her to a little guest bedroom with a round window and the comfiest bed she’d ever slept on. There was a television, a collection of Shakespearean plays, a Turkish rug, and a photograph of Carlotta with Macron, the president of France. Now that it was morning, Darcy stretched her arms through the golden light and took a moment to truly see and feel where she was. It was practically heaven. And it came from Carlotta’s wealth. A wealth Carlotta was always quick to remind Darcy that could be hers if she gave herself completely over to this way of life.
Carlotta rarely picked someone to mentor, she’d explained. But Darcy was it.
Darcy performed her face exercises that morning and prepared herself mentally to see Carlotta at the breakfast table. Steven texted her a “good morning, beautiful” message, and Darcy winced at the memory that she still hadn’t told Steven about Carlotta nor Carlotta’s “vision” for Darcy’s future. No matter how much her love bloomed for him, it was becoming more and more difficult to imagine that future including Steven. It meant she felt split in two.
Darcy had, of course, told Rachelle about that future. And Rachelle was over the moon.
Darcy video-chatted Rachelle from her phone and grinned madly from her cozy enclave on a very expensive yacht. Rachelle was seated in a piazza in a pair of big Audrey Hepburn sunglasses. It was her day off.
“I cannot believe this,” Rachelle sputtered into the video. “You look gorgeous. And look at that view! Meanwhile, I feel like I haven’t slept more than a few hours this summer, and two Italian men have already broken my heart.”
“Two? What happened to Gio?”
“We don’t say that name anymore,” Rachelle said.
“Got it.”
“Tell me more! When are you coming to Rome?”
“We’re coming to Roma on July fourteenth,” Darcy said.
“Roma! Listen to you. You’re practically a local,” Rachelle teased.
“Ha. I’m so nervous, Rachelle. Carlotta and I have gone over and over the pitch, but I can’t imagine what I’ll feel when I’m up against all these rich men with money to throw around. I know they’ll look at me and think ‘meek American girl.’”
“They’ll think, ‘beautiful, talented American woman with a great idea,’” Rachelle assured her. “Don’t discredit yourself. Carlotta isn’t the kind of woman to throw her affection around. She’s sort of known around here. I mentioned her to Diana, and Diana freaked and said, ‘I’m terrified of her.’”
“I feel the same.”
“I’m sure her bark is worse than her bite,” Rachelle said.
“Let’s hope.” Darcy winced at the sound of someone in the hall of the yacht. “I’d better get going.”
Rachelle’s face fell. “I hate that I’m missing the party today. Send pictures.”
“Of course. Love you.”
“I love you, too.”
The morning on the yacht didn’t go as Darcy expected it would. What she envisioned as a slow and luxurious breakfast in the sun resulted in her sitting at the table by herself with a mimosa and numerous questions. Carlotta’s staff couldn’t tell her where she was. But something about their tone made Darcy think that they weren’t entirely pleased with whatever Carlotta was up to. They knew her better than anyone, probably. And they knew when she was making a mistake. (If, in fact, the great Carlotta Gionnocaro could make any mistakes at all.)
The answer came just before Darcy made up her mind to head back to Nantucket. Carlotta’s laughter floated across the yacht from the dock. Darcy had to stop herself from racing to the edge to peer over and wave hello. She wanted to seem sophisticated. She wanted to seem a part of Carlotta’s world.
Carlotta and a broad-shouldered and blond man of six foot four appeared on deck. The man kept his hand secure on Carlotta’s lower back, and Carlotta practically floated with joy beside him. It was clear this was Bobby Ringmaster, her longtime American boyfriend and the reason she spent so much time in the United States at all. They were the most beautiful couple Darcy had ever seen.
“Good morning, darling.” Carlotta kissed Darcy on both cheeks. “I’m sorry to make you dine all by yourself. Bobby surprised me this morning with a sail.”
“It’s okay,” Darcy said, feeling clumsy.
Bobby got closer and took her hand. “Carlotta has told me so much about you. She just adores you.”
Darcy’s cheeks were hot, and she smiled nervously. Bobby held her hand a split-second too long, and his eyes penetrated hers. She gave Carlotta a sheepish smile that she knew Carlotta would deem weak, even if she didn’t say it.
“Don’t smile like a Girl Scout,” Carlotta told her.
Bobby laughed. “Don’t mind her. She always has to say exactly what’s on her mind. It’s not the American way.”
“But that’s why you love me, darling,” Carlotta said.
“She speaks the truth,” Bobby said.
Drinks were brought for the three of them. Darcy felt the pull from her mother in Nantucket; she needed to leave to help her set up the party. But Bobby and Carlotta’s attention was intoxicating. She was wrapped up in their world, their games.
“Bobby’s just decided he’s coming to Rome with us,” Carlotta explained. “Let’s just hope he doesn’t get in our way.”
“I know better than to stand between my lady and her clients,” Bobby said. “It’s a new age, Darcy. Women are stepping up and taking the lead. I imagine us men will float on for a few generations before women kick us to the curb.”
“He loves to pout,” Carlotta said. “He’s been up to his ears in litigation as of late. It makes him cranky.”
It was terribly bizarre that they spoke to Darcy as though the other wasn’t there. Darcy filled her mouth with wine and told herself you can leave after this drink. Make any excuse.
“To use the English expression, it’s been a load of bollocks,” Bobby said with a smirk. “But we’re nearly through the lovely American legal processes that stand between all of us and freedom. What do you think, Darcy? Should we celebrate in Rome?”
Darcy couldn’t imagine what kind of legal problems this very handsome and clean-cut man could have found himself in. She made a mental note to google it later.
“I’d love to celebrate with you,” Darcy said. Her voice was overly sweet.
“You didn’t mention how adorable she is,” Bobby said to Carlotta.
Carlotta’s eyes flickered. Darcy’s smile waned. Is she jealous?
But then Carlotta said, “I wouldn’t busy myself with anyone who wasn’t.”
It was as though Darcy wasn’t there, as though they spoke about her after she’d gone.
It was one thirty before Darcy managed to leave the yacht and head to the harbor to grab a ferry. There were four missed calls from her mother and five messages from Steven on her phone, and her chest felt heavy with guilt. She called her mother from the inner room of the ferry to tell her she’d be back by two thirty, then she called Steven. He answered on the third ring.
“Hey! I’m on my way to your mom’s place.”
“Oh? Really?”
“She called me in a panic,” Steven explained. “She said you got held up and wasn’t sure if she and your grandma could finish setup in time for the party.”
Darcy’s soul shimmered with happiness at how wonderful Steven was. You don’t deserve him.
“I’m on my way back,” Darcy assured him. “I can’t thank you enough for stepping in.”
“Sure!”
In the background was the sound of the local radio station introducing Hall and Oates’s “Rich Girl.” A shiver ran down Darcy’s spine.
“Where were you, anyway?” Steven asked. He didn’t sound angry or worried, just curious.
“I’ll tell you when I see you.”
Now, there was a spark of anxiety. “Oh? Nothing bad, I hope?”
“Nothing bad. Everything is good. Better than good.”
Steven’s voice was like honey again. “Wonderful. I have some news for you, too.”
It wasn’t long after Steven and Darcy hung up that Darcy’s stomach lurched, and she dove into the nearest bathroom to vomit. Her head rang, and she saw fireworks. In the mirror, she analyzed her red-tinged eyes and her pale skin. What’s gotten into you? Are the lies eating you from the inside out?
Darcy wasn’t accustomed to having a boyfriend. She wasn’t accustomed to lying either. Nothing new in life felt comfortable. But she didn’t want to get “comfortable” with lying to Steven. She resolved to tell him immediately.
Darcy parked in the driveway of the Jessabelle House and got out to find her mother and her grandmother hanging a string of garden lights over the veranda. Steven and Derek, her mother’s fiancé, set up tables and chairs, while a team of caterers worked downstairs on hors d’oeuvres. That would have been Rachelle’s job if she hadn’t gone off to chase her dreams.
“My prodigal daughter!” Sam cried and embraced Darcy. “I need you to make little bouquets for each of the tables. And then I have a list of twenty-five other things on the dining room table. Pick what you want. Everything has to be done by five.”
Darcy winced. She knew her mother wanted to uphold Great-aunt Jessabelle’s old tradition of having Solstice Parties at the Jessabelle House. But it was an incredible amount of work.
Darcy hugged her grandmother in passing. Behind her came a car door slamming, followed by Aunt Hilary’s and Aria’s voices. They’d come to help.
“I think we’re going to make it,” Sam announced to nobody in particular.
Darcy hurried to kiss Steven. He grinned madly and practically glowed when he saw her. Darcy didn’t want to wait another second. She took his hand and guided him to her bedroom at the Jessabelle House. Behind the closed door, he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Her heart seized. Tell him now. Don’t hesitate.
“I can’t believe this happened,” Steven said after their kiss broke. “But the tour has completely exploded.”
Darcy blinked confusedly at him. “What?”
“The tour! Remember how it was supposed to be just a couple of dates in August? Now we have people calling us from New York, Baltimore, and DC. We have dates as early as July tenth all the way to August fifteenth.”
“That’s amazing!”
Darcy was stricken with guilt for having thought his tour was just a little thing nobody cared about . She’d been so wrong.
Darcy wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again.
“It’s only because you pushed me,” Steven reminded her. “I wouldn’t have gone after this if we hadn’t talked about what we want. You remember?”
“Yes. I do.” Darcy swallowed. “I have news, too.”
She told him a little about Carlotta, her interest in the app, and their meeting today on her yacht. Darcy didn’t mention it was her third time on the yacht or that this had been in development for over a week. Steven practically floated with joy for her.
“You’re going to Rome? With this super-rich lady? To pitch your app?” His eyes widened.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” she agreed. Her eyes filled with tears of happiness.
“There’s always been something special about you,” Steven assured her. “I think it makes all the sense in the world.”
Darcy and Steven returned to the veranda to help with the rest of the setup. There were floral arrangements to make, tables to set, and stereo systems to plug in. A half hour before five o’clock found the lot of the setup crew strewn across the veranda with beers and glasses of wine as the sun floated dreamily in the sky. It was the longest day of the year, meaning it was just starting. Darcy held Steven’s hand under the table and thought maybe we’ll both be something special. Maybe we’ll grow together.
Carlotta still won’t be able to stand it. To Carlotta, Steven will never be enough.
She wasn’t sure why she thought that, nor why it seemed to matter.