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Me: Hey. Just checking in. Hope everything’s okay.

Casual and not at all desperate.

I hit send and watched the screen, waiting for those three dots to appear. They didn’t. Five minutes passed. Ten. Fifteen.

“Dammit,” I muttered.

I pushed back from my desk and grabbed my keys. Fuck it. If she wasn’t going to respond to my texts, I would just have to show up in person. It was harder to ignore someone standing on your doorstep.

I stopped at a burger place on the way, ordering enough food for two. Cheeseburgers, curly fries, and cheese sticks because why not? I was starving and hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Showing up with dinner made me look thoughtful instead of desperate. Plus, it would be harder for her to turn me away if I came bearing gifts. She wasn’t the kind of woman to reject a good burger. I’d seen her love of cheese.

Strategic thinking. That was all this was.

I drummed my fingers against the steering wheel, running through possible scenarios in my head. Maybe she’d lost her phone. Maybe she’d been in back-to-back meetings all day. Maybe she was just bad at texting.

Or maybe she already regretted everything that had happened between us. I pushed that thought away as I pulled into her driveway. Her car was there, which was a good sign. At least she was home.

I grabbed the bag of food and walked up to her front door, taking a breath before I knocked. The sound echoed through the evening air, followed by silence. What if she was out? She could have gotten an Uber somewhere. I rang the bell again.

The door swung open.

“Oh my god, are you alright?” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. “Did you fall down a well?”

Darcy stood in the doorway looking like she’d been through some kind of natural disaster. Her hair was a tangled mess. It appeared to have been up at one point, but there were strands sticking to her face. Dirt was smeared across her forehead and cheek, with more of it on her arms. She wore old yoga pants and a faded t-shirt with giant red lips.

She blinked at me, confusion on her dirt-streaked face. “What are you talking about? I’m fine.”

“You’re covered in dirt.”

She glanced down at herself like she’d forgotten what she looked like. “Oh. I was in my garden.”

“Your garden.”

“Yes, Beau. My garden.” She crossed her arms, a hint of that familiar ice creeping into her tone. “Some of us have hobbies that don’t involve staring at our phones. I’m all the elements. Fire. Ice. Earth.”

I waited.

She arched a brow. “What?”

“That’s three. What’s the fourth?”

“Water.”

“Are you a mermaid?” I couldn’t help the teasing. It was who I was.

She sighed. “Really? That’s why you’re here.”

I held up the bag of food like a peace offering. “I brought dinner.”

Her eyes dropped to the bag. The smell of beef wafted between us. I could have sworn I saw her nose twitch.

“Is that a bacon cheeseburger?” she asked.

“I didn’t know what you liked, so I went with the classic.”

She hesitated for another moment, then stepped aside. “Come in. But we’re eating outside. I need to finish up before it gets dark.”

I followed her through the house. Clean and modern with touches of warmth that surprised me. Fresh flowers on the entry table. Candles scattered throughout. A bookshelf stuffed with paperbacks that looked actually read. There were at least twenty throw pillows on the couch along with a throw blanket over a chair. The woman had layers.