Chapter 11
Sunlight streaming across my face woke me in the morning. I raised my arms over my head and stretched, then a slight tug on my hand had my eyes flying open.
Oh no.
Everything that had happened yesterday came crashing back, and I jolted upright. It wasn’t just the binding on our wrist that had tugged at me. Darcy and I were holding hands! Had I done that? Had he?
Tingles swept over me, and I released his hand like it was an open flame under a cauldron.
Darcy sat with a groan and rubbed the stubble on his chin. His hair was a tousled mess. “What time is it?”
I glanced at my watch and tried to smooth my braid without him noticing. Had he realized we were holding hands? “Half past seven.” My stomach dropped, and I cursed. “I have to get to work.” With everything that had happened yesterday, it had completely slipped my mind.
“You’re going to work like this?” He held up his hand and blinked at me sleepily.
“I need to at least show my face and let my boss know I came in. Then maybe Riley can cover for me.” I bit my lip, thoughts whirling.
With a promotion dangling in front of me, now was the wrong time to be skipping, but after discovering the truth about Darcy, I didn’t have a lead anymore.
I needed to regroup and go over what I knew.
There were too many possibilities and not enough information.
Maybe now that Darcy and I weren’t enemies, he could fill in some of my gaps about Easton—and himself.
Darcy was a brooding mystery wrapped in a riddle, and today I’d start peeling away the layers for no other reason than to figure out what happened to Easton.
We got ready in silence. Charles dropped off a bag of clothes and toiletries so I didn’t have to do the walk of shame out of here.
He’d already swung by to see Jane this morning.
After I changed, I squeezed my eyes shut for Darcy, though the rustle of clothing and the way my arm reacted to his movements made me acutely aware of what he was doing.
We brushed our teeth side by side at the sink, then I undid my braid.
It hung to my waist in soft waves, and I brushed it out with long, sure strokes before glancing up to meet Darcy’s gaze.
His attention snapped back to his reflection while he shaved.
Now that he was so pointedly not looking at me, I could study him without fear.
His dark green eyes were narrowed in concentration, and I couldn’t help but notice the flecks of gold in them. Clearly, he wasn’t the type to go out not looking his best. Maybe he overdressed sometimes, but he wore his outfits well.
Our eyes met in the mirror again, drawn to each other like lodestones.
Remembering his comment about my bewitching eyes, I dropped mine to my hands.
I was an idiot for letting it fluster me, especially since I wasn’t sure if that was how he really felt or something he’d said simply to catch me off guard.
Whatever Darcy’s reasoning, that was one puzzle I didn’t need to solve.
After a quick breakfast of pumpkin scones and tea, we were on our way. The same man drove us into town and dropped us off near Main Street.
“You can drop us off on Main Street since the parking lot is under construction at work,” I told the driver.
Darcy held out his hand again once we got out of his car. My stomach dipped as I remembered we would have to go around town holding hands, that or keep getting yanked around by each other all day.
I put my hand in his much larger one, and we walked down Main Street. The sunlight from earlier had disappeared behind dark storm clouds.
Ms. Bates bustled down the street, a bag of groceries on her arm and a pumpkin in the other. Her face lit up as she took in Darcy and me.
“Oh, Lizzy. Good morning! It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it? And, oh my, who is this gentleman you’re holding hands with?”
“Good morning, Ms. Bates. This is Darcy.” Unsure what else to say, I left it at that.
“What a delightful surprise. I can’t remember the last time I saw you holding hands with anyone. And he’s such a handsome fellow too. Very strong. He looks like a perfect gentleman.” She gave Darcy an approving look and nodded her head.
Darcy somehow maintained a serious expression, but amusement flashed in his green eyes.
“I’m sorry we can’t stay to chat, but I’m afraid I’m late for work.” I pulled on Darcy’s hand, urging him down the street.
Ms. Bates gave us a cheerful wave, then pulled out her phone and made a call as she walked off.
“So much for anonymity,” I muttered with a sigh.
“What?”
“Half the town will know about us soon.” Including my parents, which didn’t matter since I was an adult, but neither of them was Darcy’s biggest fan after hearing what he’d said about me at the club.
“Us?” Darcy raised an eyebrow.
“I mean this.” I fought off a flush and raised our interlocked hands.
Darcy sighed but kept his head high. I wasn’t sure he even knew how to be unobtrusive.
“Then we should figure out what we’re going to tell people about why we’re together and always holding hands even though…
” He trailed off and pressed his lips together.
“Maybe we should just tell people we’re dating. ”
“What?” I stumbled to a halt.
Darcy stopped next to me. “I think it’s our best option at this point. If we act suspicious, that’ll draw even more attention to our situation. At least this way we can stay on top of the gossip.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. He seemed pretty confident about how to spin a story to his benefit and handle situations. Another piece to add to the puzzle that was Darcy.
“All right.” A chill breeze whipped down the street and rustled the leaves overhead.
“All right?” He raised an eyebrow.
“What? Did you want an argument or something?”
“I don’t want it, but I was expecting it.”
“I’ll do my best to be more contrary next time.”
His lips twitched, but he said nothing until we made it to the front door of the Sanditon Chronicle. Darcy stopped short, yanking me to a halt next to him. “This is where you work?” His voice was low and hard.
“Um, yes?”
“You’re a reporter?”
“Does that surprise you?”
He gave me a long look, then sighed and held the door open. “I guess it explains your nosiness.”
“Someone has to get to the bottom of things.” I stepped inside and headed to the elevator. It opened a moment later, and we stepped in, giving us a momentary bubble of privacy. “Speaking of, I never did ask what you and Easton were arguing about that night in the yard.”
“It was nothing. A trivial discussion about a woman.”
“A woman?”
Darcy rolled his eyes. “Yes, a woman. Despite what Charles says, I do know a few.”
I ignored how that statement made my stomach twinge. “So was it Easton’s girlfriend or yours?”
“Easton didn’t have a girlfriend—trust me, I’ve already looked into it.”
“Oh.” I peeked at him.
“And neither do I,” he said. Before I could figure out the correct response to that, he continued. “Easton was my bodyguard, but sometimes—”
“Your bodyguard? I thought the bodyguards were for the Bingleys.”
“That’s what we wanted everyone to think.” Darcy sighed and raked a hand through his hair.
“Why?”
The door opened with a quiet ding. I shot Darcy a regretful look, and he squeezed my hand. It felt like a silent promise that we would get back to it later.
The familiar click of keyboards and the scent of coffee greeted me as we stepped out of the elevator, and I wrapped it around me like armor.
I was a journalist, and I was going to find the truth.
With one door closed, that meant I was that much closer to opening the right door.
Surely the two of us together could figure out what happened.
“Eliza.” The voice cracked like a whip, severing me from the everyday sounds of the office and stripping me of their comfort.
“Yes, ma’am?” I turned to face Maxine. This was the encounter I both dreaded and needed. She had to see me here, trying to earn the promotion I so desperately wanted. But the man at my side complicated things considerably.
“Who is that?” Her sharp gaze assessed Darcy.
“My… boyfriend.” I tried not to choke on the word.
Maxine’s eyes widened a little, but the rest of her expression could’ve been carved from stone. “And what is he doing here?”
I thought fast, trying to satisfy her without revealing anything compromising about Darcy. “He’s helping me with research for my story.”
She was silent for one second. Two. Three.
“I expect a copy of your first draft in my inbox by tomorrow night.” She turned and disappeared into her office.
“Yes, ma’am.” The words spilled from me even though she was already gone, and my shoulders relaxed. I walked to my desk and picked up my laptop. I had nothing outlined and tomorrow was far too soon for the story, but Maxine didn’t accept excuses. Only results.
“Let’s go before I have to introduce you to anyone else,” I said.
Darcy was silent as I led us back to the elevator. We were almost home free.
I pressed the button, my foot tapping on the tile as I waited for it to arrive.
“Bennet!”
I stiffened and bit back a curse. Letting my boss know about Darcy was one thing, but sharing it with my coworkers was another.
Darcy’s grip tightened around mine as if he could sense my hesitation, so I forced a smile and turned to greet Riley. “Hey.”
“Where are you going? Didn’t you just get in?” Riley’s gaze bounced between Darcy and me before falling to our connected hands. Was it so weird to see me with a man?
“I came for my laptop.” I held up the case dangling from my fingers. “But I have a tip I’m going to check now. I need to get going.”
“Wait.” Riley grabbed my wrist, the dragon tattoo on his upper arm peeking out from under his sleeve. “I’ll go with you. I can help.”
I fought to keep my smile and stuck with the same line I’d already used on Maxine, ignoring my phone as it buzzed in my pocket. “Thanks, but I don’t need help, and I don’t want you getting behind on your work.”