Chapter 4
Darcy pushed the start button on her dishwasher and leaned against the counter while scanning the kitchen of her three-level
townhouse. Darcy’s parents had bought the home for her and Jace as an early wedding gift. It was supposed to be their home
to share after the wedding, and she and Jace had appreciated her parents’ generosity.
They loved the house’s large kitchen and family room, three bathrooms, three bedrooms, two-car garage, balcony, deck, and
small backyard. It was the perfect starter home for them since Jace was an architect by trade and dreamed of designing his
own house once he was established in his job.
But now the spacious townhome was just a large reminder of everything Darcy had lost the day a man in a pickup truck had run
a red light and stolen her bright future.
It was also a reminder that Jace never got a chance to fulfill his dream of designing a home for them. The guilt of that continued
to weigh heavily on her.
After Jace died, Darcy had contemplated selling the home and starting over somewhere new. But then she realized that if she
sold the home, she’d be letting go of Jace—the man whom she’d loved for five years, the man who had risked his life donating
a kidney for her as her paired donor, the man who had loved her unconditionally, the man whom she could never repay for all
he’d done for her.
Tears filled her eyes, and her body felt heavy with grief. She missed his warm smile, his radiant sky-blue eyes, his warm hugs, his contagious laugh, his sweet kisses, his easy sense of humor, his kind and generous heart, and his quiet support.
How could she move on when he had given so much of himself for her?
Her phone began to sing with an incoming call, and when she swiped it from her pocket, she found her mother’s smiling photo
on her screen. She dabbed her eyes with a paper towel and sniffed before answering the call.
“Hi, Mom. How’s the beach?” Darcy hoped she sounded more chipper than she felt.
“It’s cool out, but we’re enjoying it,” Mom said. “But that’s not important. I’ve been impatiently waiting to hear from you
all day. Tell me all about your appointment. Oh, and how was your big presentation today? I’m sure you knocked it out of the
park.”
Darcy couldn’t stop her smile. Her parents were her biggest emotional support—always cheering her on and telling her that
she could do anything she set her mind to. She couldn’t imagine life without them.
“Both went great.” She meandered into the family room and sank down onto her sofa while sharing the details of her appointment.
“My kidney numbers are perfect, and Dr.Reyes doesn’t need to see me for a while.”
“Oh, Darcy. I’m so relieved to hear that. And how was the presentation?”
“It went well, but I was almost late because my car wouldn’t start when I walked out of the doctor’s appointment.”
“Your car broke down?”
Then she heard her father’s voice in the background.
“Hold on, honey! Your dad wants to talk. Okay, now you’re on speaker.”
“Hi, Darcy,” Dad’s warm voice sounded through the phone. “What happened with the car?”
“I needed to have the starter replaced.” She shared how Carter called for a tow and rescued her. “Haven drove me to Flowering Grove to pick up my car.”
Her father clucked his tongue. “I’m sorry that happened, but I’m relieved someone was there to help you.”
“I forgot to tell you last week that I’d had a hard time starting it. I also forgot to take it to the auto parts store to
have the battery tested.”
“All that matters is that it’s fixed now,” Mom said.
Darcy rested her feet on her coffee table. “Tell me about the beach.” She reclined while her mother described the cool and
overcast weather and the restaurant where they enjoyed lunch earlier in the day. She covered her mouth with her hand to shield
a yawn.
“Sounds like you need to get to bed,” Mom said.
Darcy peered over at the clock on the mantel. “I didn’t realize it was almost ten. It’s been a long day.”
“We’ll let you go,” Dad said. “Call me if you have any more trouble with the car.”
Or I can call Carter.
Darcy tried to push that thought out of her head, but Carter’s smile filled her mind. She rested her arm on her forehead and
slammed her eyes shut. She’d probably never see him again.
“Are you coming over Sunday?” Mom asked.
“Of course. Have fun and be safe driving home.” She said goodbye to her parents and dropped her phone onto the sofa beside
her.
Her eyes moved to her laptop sitting on the coffee table, and she considered her conversation with her doctor from earlier
in the morning about the organization that could help her find her biological mother. She popped up from the sofa, then located
her purse on the counter and the note with the website written on it.
She returned to the sofa and pulled her computer onto her lap. A familiar guilt clutched at her as she looked down at the piece of paper. She adored her parents. They were the most loving, giving, supportive people she knew, and she was beyond blessed that they had chosen her.
Yet the questions that had haunted her since childhood continued to echo in her mind. Where had she come from? Who were her
biological parents? What would her life have been like if her biological parents had kept her?
And then the most urgent question of all: Did kidney disease run in her family? Darcy hoped to be a mom one day, and she needed
to know if there was a chance she would pass the illness on to her future children.
Although Darcy felt like it was time to find her biological mother, fear mixed with her guilt. What if her birth mother didn’t
want to be found? Or what if her birth mother struggled with kidney disease and was no longer alive?
But most importantly, what if she hurt her adoptive parents—the ones who had raised her and loved her for all of her twenty-seven
years?
Sagging against the sofa pillows, she studied the website name and then dropped the piece of paper on her laptop.
Darcy yawned as she turned off the lights and climbed the stairs to her bedroom. She’d tortured herself enough for one evening.
She’d figure this out another day.
***
Two weeks later, Darcy lifted her cup of Diet Coke and forced a smile to her lips. “Do you like the beach?” she asked, peering
across the table at Mason Haines, Haven and Derek’s latest blind date.
Mason looked up from his pulled pork barbecue special at the Barbecue Pit, a restaurant located on Main Street in Flowering Grove. “Not really. I’m more of a mountains kind of guy.”
With dark hair, gray eyes, and a strong jaw, Mason was fit, and his broad shoulders and muscular arms led Darcy to believe
he enjoyed going to the gym. Sure, he was attractive, but his near-constant frown seemed to be a sign of an unhappy or unimpressed
person.
Or perhaps he was just as delighted as she was to be spending his Saturday on a blind date.
Darcy took a long drink and glanced down at her watch. It had been thirty minutes, and she hadn’t found anything she and Mason
could discuss. She snuck a gaze over at Haven beside her, and her best friend gave her an encouraging expression before clearing
her throat.
Oh no.
“Mason is a software engineer who works with Derek at Byrum Consultants,” Haven said a little too brightly.
Darcy licked her lips. “Oh, that’s—that’s great. So interesting.”
Mason and Darcy shared an awkward look.
“And Darcy works in public relations,” Haven added.
Mason swallowed a hush puppy. “Uh-huh.” Then he glanced around the restaurant. “So this is supposed to be the best barbecue
place in North Carolina, huh?” He snorted. “Could’ve fooled me.”
Derek’s honey-brown eyes flared with something that looked like annoyance as his mouth formed a thin line. Derek was a native
of Flowering Grove, and it was obvious that his friend had hit a nerve.
Darcy popped a hush puppy into her mouth and wondered how Derek and Mason could be such good friends.
Haven reached across the table to rub her boyfriend’s shoulder as if to calm him, then turned her blue eyes on Mason once
again. “Are you a car fan?”
Mason shrugged and checked his cell phone.
“I think the car show is going to be fun tonight,” Haven added. “Don’t you, Derek?”
Her boyfriend pushed his hand through his dark hair and nodded. “Yeah. I saw a lot of cool cars out there.”
Darcy had the same thought when they drove down Main Street and parked behind the restaurant. She had scanned the area for
the big black Suburban that had come to her rescue two weeks ago, but she hadn’t seen the vehicle or its owner.
She had tried to forget about Carter, but he still lingered in the back of her thoughts. She couldn’t help but think of him
every time she started her car. A small part of her had also hoped Carter might text her, but why would he? The idea that
he might want to see her again was ridiculous. A man as handsome, kind, and thoughtful as Carter most likely had a steady
girlfriend or a wife.
“Do you, Darcy?”
“Huh?” Darcy’s attention snapped to Haven, who was watching her with something that looked like impatience. “I’m sorry. What
did you say?”
Haven gave her a pointed look. “I asked if you need to use the restroom.” Her words were measured, as if she were trying to
send her a coded message.
“Yeah, I do.” Darcy pushed her chair back. When she stood, she noticed Mason scrolling through his phone while Derek scowled.
Darcy followed Haven to the ladies’ room, where Haven stood with her hands on her hips and stared down at her.
“Will you even try to talk to him?”
“Have you been sitting at a different table?” Darcy gestured toward the door. “He hasn’t asked me a single question, and I can’t seem to connect with him about anything. Now he’s more interested in his phone. At least Star Wars guy maintained some eye contact with me when he wasn’t showing me photos of himself dressed as a Jedi Knight.”
Haven touched her shoulder. “I know this is hard for you, Darce, but I just want to see you happy, okay? I’m sure you can
find something to discuss with Mason.”
“I seriously doubt it. He just insulted the restaurant. How is Derek even friends with him?”
Haven’s smile was a little too bright. “I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”
“He sure looked like it to me. He seems very unimpressed with the food and with me.”
Haven pulled her in for a hug. “You look gorgeous tonight. If Mason hasn’t noticed, then perhaps he is as arrogant as he seems.”
She frowned. “I was wondering what Derek saw in him too.”
“Aha!” Darcy gave a victorious smile. “You do agree with me.”
Haven looped her arm around Darcy. “Let’s see if we can hurry up this meal and go walk around and look at the cars. Maybe
that will loosen up Mason.”
“We can only hope.”
Darcy and Haven returned to the table, where the men were discussing politics. She finished her meal with the men’s conversation
as background noise. After the men paid the check, they headed out to the street. The delicious aromas from the restaurant
mixed with the odor of exhaust and the smell from a nearby street vendor selling burgers, hot dogs, and fries.
As Mason held the door open for Darcy, his cell phone rang. He pulled it from his pocket, and his expression lit when he read
the screen. “Oh, I need to take this. Excuse me.”
Darcy turned toward Haven and rolled her eyes.
“I’m sorry he’s being such a jerk,” Derek muttered. “I thought he’d be different.”
“It’s okay,” Darcy told him. She pivoted to face Mason and found him grinning while talking on the phone.
“No, it’s okay, I can talk,” Mason said, just loud enough for Darcy and the others to hear. “Yeah, I’m on a date too. How
have you been?” he said into the phone. “Yeah, I miss you too. Your date is a disaster? Who’s the guy? Well, there’s no way
he could be as charming and handsome as me, right? You said I was the best boyfriend you’d ever had.” He chuckled.
Haven’s mouth fell open. “Is he talking to another woman?”
Darcy shook her head and started down Main Street. She could count this as another failed blind date. She continued to wander,
taking in the classic cars lining the road. She spotted a gorgeous blue Shelby Cobra, a purple 1969 Camaro, and a black late-model
Dodge Viper. She noticed the Barton Automotive sign in the distance, and the memory of Carter’s smile tickled her stomach.
She once again wondered if he was somewhere on Main Street admiring the snazzy vehicles, and butterflies danced in her belly.
She silently scolded herself. What were the chances she’d ever see him again?
Darcy stopped in front of a baby-blue Ford Bronco that looked as if it might have been built in the 1960s. Her thoughts suddenly
turned to Jace, and she wondered if he would be standing beside her admiring the cars if he were alive.
Surely she and Jace would have continued their double dates with Haven and Derek, since he and Derek had been close friends since college. Memories of their college years together filled her mind. While she and Haven had been roommates, Derek and Jace had met through their fraternity. The four of them were inseparable after Haven and Derek started dating and Derek introduced Jace to Darcy. Although Jace wasn’t a car enthusiast like her father, he enjoyed a car show every now and then. He just seemed to like being with her, regardless of what they did together.
She felt her eyes start to prick with tears, and she sniffed.
Don’t lose it, Darcy. Not here.
“I always liked the 1968 Bronco, but if I were to pick a year, I’d have to say that 1978 is my favorite.”
Darcy caught a whiff of woodsy cologne as she registered the familiar voice. The scent took her back to the ride she’d shared
with Carter in his Suburban.
She turned to look up at him and couldn’t stop her smile. She was once again struck by those dark-brown eyes, which were complemented
by his tan t-shirt. A few days of scruff lined his jaw, and he somehow seemed taller and broader in the shoulders. His light-brown
hair was hidden by a ball cap sporting a Chevrolet logo, and when he smiled, she felt sparking electricity travel through
her body.
“Carter. Hi.”
“Hey.” His expression was open and friendly.
“My favorite year Bronco is definitely 1968. I saw one at a car show once and fell in love with it. I wouldn’t mind having
a pink one.” She held her hand up. “And before you tell me that pink isn’t a cool color, there was a pink one, and it was
very, very cool.”
“Huh.” He chuckled. “Well, I’ll agree that 1968 is a great year, but I’ll have to take your word about the color pink.”
She scanned their surroundings in search of his companion but found no one nearby. Folks moved up and down the sidewalk admiring
the cars, but no one else seemed to be lingering. “Are you here alone?”
“Yeah.” He rubbed the scruff on his jaw. “My sister and brother-in-law checked out the cars and then went to dinner with some
friends.”
“Why didn’t you join them?”
He shrugged. “I had eaten something at the house earlier. I figured I’d walk around since all of the reality shows are reruns tonight.”
“All of them, huh?”
“Oh yeah.” He counted off on his fingers. “ The Bachelor , The Bachelorette , the housewives shows, and I Married My Brother-in-Law’s Sister’s Podiatrist . All reruns.”
She grinned. “ I Married My Brother-in-Law’s Sister’s Podiatrist ? Sounds riveting.”
“Oh, it is—especially when they show the feet.” And his crooked grin made its grand appearance.
A bubble of laughter escaped her throat. Darcy was drawn to his sense of humor. In fact, she wasn’t sure she’d been this charmed
by someone since the early days of dating Jace.
“You’re easily amused if you laugh at my sorry attempts at a joke.” His smile broadened, and those dark eyes twinkled.
She imagined getting lost in their depths, then shook herself back to the present.
“What do you really watch on TV if it’s not reality TV?” she asked.
“I watch my version of reality TV, which is MotorTrend. It’s a lot of rebuilding and restoring cars. That sort of thing.”
“My dad watches that, much to my mother’s dismay. She says it’s like watching paint dry.”
“Sometimes it actually is watching paint dry when they’re painting a car.”
They both laughed, and she felt a strange comradery.
“How about you? What do you like to watch?” he asked.
“Would you think less of me if I told you I love cooking shows?”
“I don’t think I could ever think less of you.” His smile made her insides melt as he came to stand beside her. “How’s your
car doing?”
“No problems—thanks to you.”
“Good.” Carter scanned the cars lining the street. “I haven’t seen any ’58 Dodge pickups tonight. I guess your dad didn’t bring his truck, huh?”
“He didn’t come tonight.”
“Are your folks still at the beach?”
She studied him, surprised he recalled that detail about her life. “No, they came home last week, but he and my mom had plans
with friends. Their social life is much more exciting than mine.”
“Oh.” He nodded slowly, as if contemplating what she’d said. “Do you attend a lot of car shows?”
“Not too often, but I used to go with my dad when I was younger. My friends dragged me here.” She paused. “Not that it’s painful
or anything,” she quickly added.
He laughed, and she relished the sound. And that smile.
“Did you work today?”
“No. Thankfully the shop is closed on Saturdays.” He leaned on a newspaper dispenser. “What about you? Any other big weekend
plans?”
“Usual Saturday stuff. I did some grocery shopping, a little bit of cleaning, a lot of sleeping in.” She tilted her head.
“Not necessarily in that order.”
“Carter! Carter Donovan, is that you?”
They both spun toward where Derek and Haven headed toward him. Mason lagged behind, still talking on his phone.
“Derek McGowan.” Carter’s face lit up as he shook Derek’s hand. “I haven’t seen you since graduation.”
“It feels like it’s been a hundred years.”
Darcy and Haven shared confused expressions.
“Carter and I went to high school together,” Derek said, then looked between Carter and Darcy. “How do you and Darcy know
each other?”
Haven placed her hand on her boyfriend’s arm. “Carter is the mechanic who rescued Darcy a couple of weeks ago.”
“I forgot you told me her car was towed to Flowering Grove,” Derek said. “I didn’t make the connection.”
Carter nodded. “Small world.”
“Where do you work?” Derek asked.
Carter jammed his thumb toward his shop. “Barton Automotive.”
“So you’re working for Ernie Barton?”
“That’s right.” Carter shoved his hands in his pockets. “I started right after high school. My sister married Gage Barton
six years ago, so it’s kind of the family business now.”
“My dad always took his car and my mom’s car there. How are Mr. and Mrs.Barton?”
“Ernie is slowly embracing retirement. He’s doing more fishing than brake jobs, but he comes in just about every day. Glenda
retired from the post office. She runs the office and does the books.”
“That’s cool.” Derek patted Carter’s shoulder. “You always said you’d be the fastest oil changer in Flowering Grove.”
Carter blew on his fingers and rubbed them on his sternum. “I’m proud to announce I am the fastest.”
They all laughed, and Haven shared a look with Darcy.
“Do you live nearby?” Derek asked.
Carter hesitated before nodding toward Main Street. “Yeah, just a few blocks from here. How about you?”
“I just bought a place out in Matthews, and I work in Uptown Charlotte.” Derek pivoted toward Mason, who stood with his back
to them while talking on the phone. He shook his head and mumbled something under his breath before addressing Carter again.
“Would you like to join us?”
Carter glanced at Darcy as if for approval, and she smiled, hoping he’d say yes. Then he met Derek’s gaze. “I’d love to.”
“Great.” Derek looped his arm around Haven’s shoulder. “Lead the way.”