“I have to give him a chance, don’t I?”
“Yes,” Charlotte agreed. “Let him surprise you.”
Darcy shifted her weight from foot to foot and knitted her fingers together. Reliving the night before, she remembered how she embarrassed herself with the heap of unwanted and unwarranted opinions she’d thrown his way. Something about him riled her up. If she wasn’t daydreaming about him, then she was picking a fight with him. She’d no doubt offended him and yet . . . they’d shared another moment.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Char asked. “I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to go out on the lake for an evening. How often do you get the chance to go boating?” She narrowed her eyes again.
“I pretty much told him off, and then I almost kissed him.”
“What!” Char shrieked.
“Yeah,” Darcy whispered. “I don’t think I can go out without feeling like a complete idiot.”
Char stared at her blankly, unable to move. Darcy bit her lip then waved her hands in front of Char’s face and snapped her fingers.
“Char, please say something,” Darcy begged.
“I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you almost kissed him. How did that happen?” Char exclaimed.
Darcy thought she saw admiration and shock in her friend’s eyes. Darcy would admit to shock herself. She hadn’t been close enough to kiss a man in a long time.
“There was a moment. I can’t explain it. But I think it was mutual.”
“You think?” Char asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“I didn’t let it happen. I freaked out and ran away.”
“That’s my girl,” Char said with a smile. “I almost didn’t recognize you for a minute there.”
“Ha-ha.”
“Look, you have to come. Don’t think of it like a double date,” Char said, shaking her head.
“But that’s what you said it was,” Darcy opened her eyes wide.
“You should know better than to listen to me. You’re coming out with John and me and we’re going on the boat. That’s it.” Char concluded.
“All right,” Darcy said with a shrug.
“Good. Now get changed because we have to be there in ten minutes.”
“What’s wrong with this?” Darcy asked looking down at her T-shirt, jeans, and flats.
Char looked her over. “Jeans are your uniform,” she said. “Put a little effort into it.”
“Char, then he’s going to think I dressed up for him,” Darcy whined.
Charlotte rolled his eyes. “Fine, don’t get changed, stay exactly the same.”
“When you say it like that, I have to change.” Darcy grumbled and stomped off to her closet.
She reemerged in five minutes in a cardigan set and shorts.
“I guess that’ll have to do. It’s better, at least,” Char muttered.
“Thanks for the ringing endorsement.”
Char rolled her eyes. “Just put on some mascara and lipstick and let’s go.”
“Fine,” Darcy replied, dutifully heading to the bathroom.
“Good,” Charlotte assessed. “You look good. You look pretty but it’s hard to figure out what’s different. He won’t think you tried for him. He’ll just think you look nice.”
Darcy rolled her eyes. “Let’s go, please?”
“Okay, okay. I told John we’d walk with him. Ben took the boat out earlier today, so he’s already at the marina.”
The pair walked out their back door and crossed the green to John’s patio.
“Ready?” he asked from his lounge chair, a beer in one hand with his ankles crossed, looking the very height of relaxation.
“Yes,” Char said and smiled.
John stood up, kissed Char on the cheek, and waved to Darcy. Darcy tried her hardest not to react, but she couldn’t deny her surprise at the gesture. John and Char had been spending most days together. Darcy hadn’t realized how close the pair had grown in that time.
“Darcy you look nice,” John said with just a hint of bewilderment.
“Thanks,” Darcy muttered fighting against embarrassment. Maybe she did need a style intervention.
“Let’s go,” Char told him, entwining
“Yes,” Charlotte agreed. “Let him surprise you.”
Darcy shifted her weight from foot to foot and knitted her fingers together. Reliving the night before, she remembered how she embarrassed herself with the heap of unwanted and unwarranted opinions she’d thrown his way. Something about him riled her up. If she wasn’t daydreaming about him, then she was picking a fight with him. She’d no doubt offended him and yet . . . they’d shared another moment.
“What aren’t you telling me?” Char asked. “I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to go out on the lake for an evening. How often do you get the chance to go boating?” She narrowed her eyes again.
“I pretty much told him off, and then I almost kissed him.”
“What!” Char shrieked.
“Yeah,” Darcy whispered. “I don’t think I can go out without feeling like a complete idiot.”
Char stared at her blankly, unable to move. Darcy bit her lip then waved her hands in front of Char’s face and snapped her fingers.
“Char, please say something,” Darcy begged.
“I don’t know what to say. I can’t believe you almost kissed him. How did that happen?” Char exclaimed.
Darcy thought she saw admiration and shock in her friend’s eyes. Darcy would admit to shock herself. She hadn’t been close enough to kiss a man in a long time.
“There was a moment. I can’t explain it. But I think it was mutual.”
“You think?” Char asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“I didn’t let it happen. I freaked out and ran away.”
“That’s my girl,” Char said with a smile. “I almost didn’t recognize you for a minute there.”
“Ha-ha.”
“Look, you have to come. Don’t think of it like a double date,” Char said, shaking her head.
“But that’s what you said it was,” Darcy opened her eyes wide.
“You should know better than to listen to me. You’re coming out with John and me and we’re going on the boat. That’s it.” Char concluded.
“All right,” Darcy said with a shrug.
“Good. Now get changed because we have to be there in ten minutes.”
“What’s wrong with this?” Darcy asked looking down at her T-shirt, jeans, and flats.
Char looked her over. “Jeans are your uniform,” she said. “Put a little effort into it.”
“Char, then he’s going to think I dressed up for him,” Darcy whined.
Charlotte rolled his eyes. “Fine, don’t get changed, stay exactly the same.”
“When you say it like that, I have to change.” Darcy grumbled and stomped off to her closet.
She reemerged in five minutes in a cardigan set and shorts.
“I guess that’ll have to do. It’s better, at least,” Char muttered.
“Thanks for the ringing endorsement.”
Char rolled her eyes. “Just put on some mascara and lipstick and let’s go.”
“Fine,” Darcy replied, dutifully heading to the bathroom.
“Good,” Charlotte assessed. “You look good. You look pretty but it’s hard to figure out what’s different. He won’t think you tried for him. He’ll just think you look nice.”
Darcy rolled her eyes. “Let’s go, please?”
“Okay, okay. I told John we’d walk with him. Ben took the boat out earlier today, so he’s already at the marina.”
The pair walked out their back door and crossed the green to John’s patio.
“Ready?” he asked from his lounge chair, a beer in one hand with his ankles crossed, looking the very height of relaxation.
“Yes,” Char said and smiled.
John stood up, kissed Char on the cheek, and waved to Darcy. Darcy tried her hardest not to react, but she couldn’t deny her surprise at the gesture. John and Char had been spending most days together. Darcy hadn’t realized how close the pair had grown in that time.
“Darcy you look nice,” John said with just a hint of bewilderment.
“Thanks,” Darcy muttered fighting against embarrassment. Maybe she did need a style intervention.
“Let’s go,” Char told him, entwining
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