Page 44
“Maybe I just dreamed that,” I said.
She stared at me, clearly trying to determine if I was messing with her. I gave nothing away.
“You’re lying,” she said finally.
“Am I?”
“You have to be.” But there was uncertainty in her voice now. A flicker of doubt. “I don’t sing.”
“If you say so.”
I hummed Livin’ on a Prayer.
She froze, a forkful of fluffy eggs halfway to her mouth. I continued eating. I wasn’t going to tell her. Not yet, anyway. Some things were better left as mysteries. I’d tease her a bit more.
“I should probably get going,” she said eventually, pushing her empty plate away. “I’ve got work to catch up on.”
She pulled out her phone and started ordering a ride.
“So,” she said, not looking up from her phone. “When’s our next public appearance?”
“The masquerade ball. Your company’s event.”
She nodded slowly. “Right.”
“Plenty of time to recover from last night.”
She shot me a look. “I’m already recovered.”
“Sure you are.” I smirked.
Her ride arrived ten minutes later. I walked her to the door, watching as she gathered her purse and slipped on those heels she’d kicked off the night before.
“Thank you again,” she said, pausing in the doorway. “For everything.”
“Anytime.”
She hesitated, like she wanted to say something else. Then she walked out, her heels clicking against the pavement as she headed for the waiting car with her sunglasses on.
I stood in the doorway and watched her go, thinking about the woman I’d seen last night. The masquerade ball was going to be interesting.
14
DARCY
Istood under the shower for what felt like an hour, letting the hot water pound against my skull like it could somehow wash away the memories of last night. The singing was hazy but everything else remained very vivid. The conversations. The laughter.
I turned off the water and wrapped myself in a towel, catching my reflection in the foggy mirror. I looked like death, but at least the nausea had subsided. The headache lessened.
I drank close to a gallon of water and grabbed a Gatorade for the drive to the office. By the time I walked through the doors of Corwin Gems, I felt almost human again.
Almost.
I settled into my desk chair and pulled up my emails, determined to focus on work. The marketing team had sent over mockups for the holiday campaign. There was a stack of contracts waiting for my signature.
All I could think about was Beau like some silly lovesick teen.
He made me breakfast like it was the most natural thing in the world. Memories of the night before had been flashing through my mind the last hour. He’d tucked me into bed after getting me crackers and making me take ibuprofen.
