Tiny Island Summer (14 page)

She nodded at her, took one final drag, and then threw the butt out into the gravel.

“You okay?”

“Yes. Sorry.”

“It happens more than you think,” Marjorie said.

Darcy nodded, pulled out a wad of cash, and paid her.

“If there are any problems, call me,” she said, handing her a piece of paper.

“I will. Thank you,” she replied.

Marjorie gave her a meaningful nod and stepped inside. Darcy turned back to Char and shrugged, following her to the car. They pulled out of the driveway and retraced their route back to town.

“Stop the car!” Darcy shouted.

Char nearly rolled the car into a ditch on the edge of Bayfield but managed to pull into the gravel driveway near a little yellow house instead.

“What’s wrong with you? Why did you scream that? I could have just killed us.”

Darcy jumped out of the car and made her frantic way over to the door of the little house.

“What are we doing here? Do you know these people?” Char asked.

“No, of course not,” she said, surprised. Then she caught on to her misunderstanding and pointed to the small sign resting against the door. “This is a bakery. It’s the best in town, from what I’ve heard.”

Char perked up at that. And they were in luck. It was a Friday, apple doughnut day. Darcy salivated at the smell of baked goods coming out of the small bakery and left with a pie and a dozen doughnuts.

They took their doughnuts and drove to the park on the lake in the center of town. They walked down to benches that were a little out of the way, the better to enjoy fatty delicious treats without being judged by prying eyes. Darcy had her first bite of doughnut, enough to make her sigh with pleasure, when the phone rang. She looked to Char, half expecting it to be her on the other end. Char looked back at Darcy quizzically and grabbed the doughnut so she could pull the phone out of her pocket.

The number displayed was listed as unknown, so Darcy quickly swallowed that first bite whole and said a bit unsteadily “Hello?”

“Hi? Darcy?”

“Yes?”

“Hi, it’s Eric.”

“Oh, hi,” she said brightly.

Darcy wondered if he could hear the smile in her voice. Char hit her on the knee and mouthed
who?
She ignored her and got up from the bench to get a little bit of privacy.

“I was actually getting my tattoo. It’s so funny that you called.”

“You did? Good for you.”

Darcy laughed a bit nervously in response.

“I was wondering if you wanted to meet up for dinner tonight?”

“I can’t tonight. I’m busy,” she said smoothly.

“What are you doing?”

Darcy paused, which was unfortunate. She hadn’t wanted to tell him the truth for fear that he might actually come. She was probably tone-deaf. Singing karaoke wasn’t going to win her any points with him. But thanks to the pause, if she wasn’t entirely honest, it would be too easy to think she was lying. She didn’t want him to think she didn’t want to see him.

“I’m going to the Bell Street for karaoke with some friends.”

“Oh,” Eric replied.

He seemed to be at a loss. Did he believe her or think she had made up some story? She didn’t want to take a chance on a miscommunication, so she elaborated. “My best friend is putting me up to it. I’m mortified thinking about it, to be honest.”

“I might see you there then.”

Darcy was disappointed. She’d hoped he say he was coming or at least would ask her out for another night. Was he saying
see you there
as a brush off?

“Great,” she said a touch too brightly. “I’ve got to go. I’m out with a friend.”

“Of course. I’ll see you around.”

“Absolutely. Bye,” she replied, trying to sound noncommittal and happy.

Darcy walked back over to Char and sat down on the bench a little dejected. She reached her hand over for her doughnu and took another bite, the initial rush of sugar soothing her.

“So . . . ” Char began slowly. “Who was that?”

“Eric,” Darcy said softly.

Char didn’t respond, so Darcy looked up at her and saw the blank look of ignorance on her features.

“The guy from the bar.”

“Oh, Adam Levine.”

It was Darcy’s turn to be confused.

“That’s what John called him. And I think it’s pretty spot on. He’s a lot buffer than Adam Levine, though.”

“Yeah,” she sighed breathlessly.

“What did he want?”

“To go out tonight.”

“And?” She asked. The broad smile on her friend’s face gave her pause. Darcy bit the inside of her cheek.

“I said I had plans,” Darcy replied.

“Darcy,” Char gasped.

“What? I do,” Darcy whispered. Her ears burned and she looked away from Char.

“Oh my—John and I are
not
plans! Not when there is a good-looking man who wants to take you out to dinner.”

Darcy took a bite of her doughnut, nearly eating the rest of it whole.

“Darcy, come on,” Char said. She nudged her friend’s shoulder and sighed.

“He said he might see me there,” Darcy continued through a full mouth. She paused to swallow and consider. “But he didn’t ask me out for Saturday. He’s probably not interested,” Darcy said, still feeling defensive and hurt.

“I’m sure he will, and I’m sure he’ll come tonight,” Char reassured.

Darcy rolled her eyes. “Thanks, Mom.”

They ate three doughnuts each. By mutual consent, after realizing they had each eaten their entire caloric intake for the day, they did what any sane girl would do. They got off the ferry and immediately picked up a pizza. They ate it cold after dropping off the remainder of the doughnuts for John. Then it was time for naps to sleep off the food and rest up for the evening ahead.

The problem with being on a boat alone, Ben found, was that you were on a boat alone. Having no one around to talk to, Ben had spent an entire day thinking and pacing. The bright blue sky had been wasted on him. Dark clouds fit his mood better. He’d finally admitted to himself that maybe he hadn’t acted in an entirely blameless manner when it came to Darcy. He’d let his emotions about his mom affect him, and she’d been the unwitting scapegoat.

Ben liked her. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. He could picture something with Darcy. He could imagine a future and a life with her in a way that he’d never let himself dream about with any other girl. He didn’t know that he wanted that right now. But maybe his mom had a point too. Maybe there never would be a good moment.

After a day spent cruising around the islands, he’d moored the boat at the yacht club, walked down to town for dinner, and returned to the town homes to find them dark and shuttered for the night. Ben glanced at his watch. It was only eight o’clock, but typically the outside lights would be on by now, if anyone was home.

He walked into a dark house, turned on the kitchen light, and at the bottom of the note he’d left for John, he found one meant for him.

“Ben—I’m out at the Bell Street Tavern. If you decide to apologize and want to come out with us, you’re more than welcome.”

Ben sighed. He didn’t want to go and apologize. But he knew he had to. He headed upstairs, decided to take a quick nap before he showered and headed over there.

“What’s your brother’s problem?” Darcy asked John boldly.

John held her gaze for a moment, long enough for Darcy to squirm and turn to look away.

They’d been at the Bell Street Tavern for a while and had already downed two drinks each and a round of shots. Darcy had enough of a buzz to relax, but not enough to claim she didn’t know what she was doing. Char had wandered off to the bathroom, leaving John and Darcy alone. They’d developed a friendship of their own, and while it probably wasn’t appropriate to put someone on the spot about their sibling, she thought their connection was enough to finally get some answers.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“I mean, why is he . . .” her mind trailed off. Darcy was searching for a word but her brain was slow from inebriation.

“You have him wrong, you know,” John said to Darcy, pulling her back to their conversation. “He’s not . . . there’s a lot going on with him right now.”

She dramatically rolled her eyes. “No, I don’t have him wrong. First impressions are never wrong,” she told him.

“Says you.”

“Says me,” she agreed.

They let the conversation drop off awkwardly. How long had Char been gone? Had she taken the ferry back to Bayfield to find a bathroom? Darcy pulled out her phone to text her, when John spoke again.

“Why do you care so much?” John asked with his usual, mischievous grin. “Why bring him up?”

“Because,” she stalled, twirling the hem of her skirt between her fingers. “Because I can’t stand that someone doesn’t like me based on their misinterpretation,” her words tumbled out in a petulant rush. She sounded like the prepubescent version of herself. Darcy wanted to kick herself then hide under the table.

John stared at her intently, carefully measuring his response. “But Darcy, isn’t that a two-way street?” he asked in all seriousness.

Darcy stared at the ground and thought about his question. She tried to give the impression that she was absorbed in her shoes, desperately trying not to let her inebriated self declare the truth screaming in her eyes.

“It doesn’t matter,” she mumbled as Char rejoined the table.

“I leave for three minutes, and now you’ve both gotten so serious?” Charlotte waved their waitress over. “Another round of shots, if you please. This time two Jägerbombs and . . .” she paused, pointedly looking at Darcy, “a lemon drop.”

Darcy sat up straighter, “thank you,” she primly told Charlotte, crossing her legs in a more ladylike manner.

The moment her shot glass hit the table, she felt a hand grazing her lower back. Darcy turned and instantly smiled. Eric smiled back.

“Hi,” she said in her lowest voice.

Darcy was feeling sexy and attractive and confident. Seeing Eric felt perfect. She couldn’t shake the feeling that something good might happen with him if she could let herself relax around him.

“Hi,” he replied, staring deeply into her eyes.

After a moment’s hesitation, enough to make her blush in a very girlish way, Eric turned to her companions. He nodded hello to Charlotte and reached across the table to shake John’s hand.

Darcy almost giggled. She felt like she was introducing him to her parents. Eric pulled a bar stool over from another table and sat tantalizingly close to her. His thigh almost touched hers and she could feel the heat of it against her bare legs. Their arms rested on the table next to each other.

Darcy couldn’t stop smiling as she looked at him.

He smiled back. “Is everything okay?” Eric asked.

“Yes,” she grinned. “I’m so glad to see you.”

He chuckled. “Me too.”

Then he reached out to brush a lock of her hair off her shoulder and onto her back. “I like your hair down. It’s long.”

Darcy shivered from his touch and grinned even bigger. How could he make an offhand observation sound like poetry? Maybe the alcohol was helping him a little. Maybe she’d been single for too long. Maybe the fact that he looked like Adam Levine was overtaking her senses. Or maybe, just maybe, everything he said was genuine. He was cool and sexy and looked like a bad boy. But more than anything, she thought he liked her. That was more than enough for Darcy.

“Thank you,” she replied.

“Eric, we didn’t get a chance to talk at Tom’s. Are you from here?” Char asked.

He proceeded to respond to any and all of her questions. He asked many of his own about both John and Char. Over the course of an hour and a half, or two drinks and three shots later, they all got much better acquainted. Darcy could see Char liked him, but John was hard to read.

John wasn’t grimacing as much, but he definitely was not smiling. He was not laughing or being his usual friendly self. At one point, Darcy gave him a look to try to puzzle him out. It must have been goofy because he asked her, “Darcy, what is it?”

“Nothing,” she said too quickly. “Actually . . .” she paused trying to think of something. “Um, actually do you want to dance?”

Luckily John laughed at her, shook his head to show that he was going to humor the poor girl, and led Darcy out to the dance floor.

Once they were out of earshot, she started questioning him about his behavior.

“John, what’s your deal?”

“What are you talking about?”

“What’s with the cold shoulder you’re giving Eric? You’ve barely spoken to him.”

“That’s nothing. Only guy stuff,” he said too quickly.

She looked at him skeptically.

“We know nothing about this guy, Darcy.”

“True. We also didn’t know anything about you until a month and a half ago.”

“But Darcy, he’s old.”

She laughed at that. “You’re silly.”

“I’m serious. He’s old and you don’t know him.”

She laughed harder. “John, that’s sweet that you’re concerned. But come on, he’s maybe a decade older than me.”

He rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

“Oh come on. Don’t get mad, John. I like him. I don’t know how much yet. I am just getting to know him.”

“Okay.”

“You’ll be nice please?”

“Fine,” he replied as if I’d wrung the words out of him.

“Mind if I interrupt?”

A voice asked as a hand snaked around her waist. Darcy hesitated for a second, not sure how comfortable she was with that much physical contact. Eric was smooth and she’d never liked smooth. She turned into Eric, and her face came into an easy kissable distance to his. He hesitated for a moment, smiled, then spun her. Out of the corner of her eye, Darcy saw John walk over to the table, sit down, and have words with Char. It looked like they were arguing, but she quickly lost interest.

“Why haven’t we seen each other before now?” Eric asked as they danced across the floor.

Darcy smiled. “Because I was busy.”

He shook his head. “How busy can you be on a tiny island?”

Darcy shrugged her shoulders. “Fairly busy when you’re running after a promotion.”

He didn’t say anything.

“Maybe I’m a woman who believes in a little mystery,” Darcy felt compelled to answer.