town, as if he didn't have a place here with her anymore. It had just slipped out.
He shrugged, either ignoring her comment or missing it. "I checked in on the case when I called to find out about Handyman Express. There's nothing new. Still no idea who's doing those crimes."
"Looks like they can't get along without you," Darcy said jokingly.
Immediately she wanted to stuff her foot in her mouth to keep herself from talking. It was like she just couldn't stop saying things that made it sound like she wanted him to leave again, even though nothing could be further from the truth.
He regarded her, then edged forward on the chair and steepled his hands on his knees. "We never really finished our discussion from lunch."
"No, we didn't." She held her breath. "I remember you said something about wanting to come back, though."
"It's…well, it's complicated."
Her heart sank. She folded her knees up to her chest defensively and waited for him to tear down the hope she had built up.
"I mean, how I feel about you isn't complicated," he tried to explain. "I feel like the worst mistake I've made, in a long line of bad mistakes, was leaving you. I was hurting at the time. I had just sent my sister to prison. I didn't know which way was up and it seemed like the best thing I could do was give myself some breathing space."
"Can you breathe again?" she asked, trying not to sound sarcastic.
"You might say that. Anyway. I know I should have stayed with you. That would have helped me a lot more than uprooting myself from you and Misty Hollow and the life I had started to build here."
Darcy nodded. She felt like a huge weight was about to drop. There was a lot more he hadn't said yet.
"The thing of it is," he said, rolling his hands so that the fingers interlocked, "I can't just quit my job out there. I wouldn't be able to support myself, let alone you, if I ended up quitting that position without a job to come back to here, or being able to find something else to do."
"Jon, I don't need you to support me. I own this house. I have a business that's doing very well. We're even selling books on the internet now. Did I tell you that? There's a couple of people right here in town who have an amazing talent for writing and I've put some of their stories out for sale. One of them has really taken off. You remember Pete Underwood? Him. Anyway. I don't need your money. And," she added quickly so that she wouldn't lose her nerve, "if you came back to live with me here I could support you."
He smiled, but she could see he wasn't sold on the ide a of having his girlfriend be his main source of income. "We'll figure it out," he promised. "Just, give me some time with it."
She didn't want to give him time. She wanted him to fix this, right now, so that she would know everything would be all right between them. That's what she wanted. Instead, she did the mature thing and gave him his space.
Sometimes, she really hated being an adult.
"So what did your new police department know about this Handyman Express?" she said, unable to keep herself from being just a little bitter when she mentioned his new department.
"Th ey confirmed that it's a business over in Oak Hollow," he answered, his eyes studying hers. "Run by a husband and wife team, Cassidy and Angela Whedon, out of their house. They didn't know much more than that. I have the phone number. I'll call tomorrow and set up an interview with them. I'll need to go into the police department for a while, anyway."
Darcy swallowed back the hot lump at the back of her throat. "I thought you might stay for a few days."
His smile was sweet and frustrating all at the same time. "You have to work tomorrow anyway, don't you? I promise I'll come back tomorrow night . After I've interviewed the Whedons."
Darcy decided that was the best off er she was going to get from him. For now, at least, and perhaps for a
He shrugged, either ignoring her comment or missing it. "I checked in on the case when I called to find out about Handyman Express. There's nothing new. Still no idea who's doing those crimes."
"Looks like they can't get along without you," Darcy said jokingly.
Immediately she wanted to stuff her foot in her mouth to keep herself from talking. It was like she just couldn't stop saying things that made it sound like she wanted him to leave again, even though nothing could be further from the truth.
He regarded her, then edged forward on the chair and steepled his hands on his knees. "We never really finished our discussion from lunch."
"No, we didn't." She held her breath. "I remember you said something about wanting to come back, though."
"It's…well, it's complicated."
Her heart sank. She folded her knees up to her chest defensively and waited for him to tear down the hope she had built up.
"I mean, how I feel about you isn't complicated," he tried to explain. "I feel like the worst mistake I've made, in a long line of bad mistakes, was leaving you. I was hurting at the time. I had just sent my sister to prison. I didn't know which way was up and it seemed like the best thing I could do was give myself some breathing space."
"Can you breathe again?" she asked, trying not to sound sarcastic.
"You might say that. Anyway. I know I should have stayed with you. That would have helped me a lot more than uprooting myself from you and Misty Hollow and the life I had started to build here."
Darcy nodded. She felt like a huge weight was about to drop. There was a lot more he hadn't said yet.
"The thing of it is," he said, rolling his hands so that the fingers interlocked, "I can't just quit my job out there. I wouldn't be able to support myself, let alone you, if I ended up quitting that position without a job to come back to here, or being able to find something else to do."
"Jon, I don't need you to support me. I own this house. I have a business that's doing very well. We're even selling books on the internet now. Did I tell you that? There's a couple of people right here in town who have an amazing talent for writing and I've put some of their stories out for sale. One of them has really taken off. You remember Pete Underwood? Him. Anyway. I don't need your money. And," she added quickly so that she wouldn't lose her nerve, "if you came back to live with me here I could support you."
He smiled, but she could see he wasn't sold on the ide a of having his girlfriend be his main source of income. "We'll figure it out," he promised. "Just, give me some time with it."
She didn't want to give him time. She wanted him to fix this, right now, so that she would know everything would be all right between them. That's what she wanted. Instead, she did the mature thing and gave him his space.
Sometimes, she really hated being an adult.
"So what did your new police department know about this Handyman Express?" she said, unable to keep herself from being just a little bitter when she mentioned his new department.
"Th ey confirmed that it's a business over in Oak Hollow," he answered, his eyes studying hers. "Run by a husband and wife team, Cassidy and Angela Whedon, out of their house. They didn't know much more than that. I have the phone number. I'll call tomorrow and set up an interview with them. I'll need to go into the police department for a while, anyway."
Darcy swallowed back the hot lump at the back of her throat. "I thought you might stay for a few days."
His smile was sweet and frustrating all at the same time. "You have to work tomorrow anyway, don't you? I promise I'll come back tomorrow night . After I've interviewed the Whedons."
Darcy decided that was the best off er she was going to get from him. For now, at least, and perhaps for a
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