Lost and Found (7 page)

He loosened his tie and unfastened the
top buttons of his shirt.

It was a good thing he was taking her
home. He had a few words for his little brother.

At five o’clock, Darcy opened his
office door. “I didn’t know if you were ready to go or
not.”

Ed shook his head. “I just got news of
a delay. I’m on the phone with Valerie.”

“
Her company has another
delay?’

“
No. She’s pulling us out
of a pinch. One day you’re the guy with your head on the chopping
block. The next you’re the savior.”

He sat back in his chair with the
phone to his ear.

Darcy checked her watch. “Unless you
need me, and I’m happy to stay, why don’t I get downstairs and
catch that bus.”

“
Oh, yeah. I’m sorry. I’ll
be a bit, so that would be good. Valerie is headed over to help me
out with this, so you’re good. Have a nice night.”

Darcy nodded and let herself out of
the office.

Ed replaced the phone receiver and
buried his face in his hands. He’d had the last hour to evaluate
his earlier thoughts, and he’d decided the last thing he needed was
to worry about Darcy. Starting now, he needed to put up a wall that
divided his feelings. There was no place in business for
feelings.

His cell phone chimed, and he looked
at his text message. It was from Valerie.

I’ll meet you at Steve’s
in 20. TY for the invite.

At least he hadn’t lied—not
completely.

Darcy pulled her
prepackaged meal out of the microwave and set it on the counter.
She could hear the opening credits to
You’ve Got Mail
on the television,
and she hurried to pour herself a drink.

She’d been looking forward to having
dinner with Ed, but now that he was “working late,” she’d lose
herself in her favorite movie and a manufactured meal. After all,
Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan could fix anyone’s bland mood.

Darcy had seen the movie so many times
that she could quote every line. The movie had been one of her
mother’s favorites. When she was undergoing chemotherapy, they’d
watched it all the time.

The purpose of the movie was to get
her mind off her boss. She’d had that nasty ping of jealousy creep
into her when he’d mentioned Valerie. There was no reason to worry
about him with another woman. This man was her boss. He was much
older than she was. Again, this man was her boss.

But the moment Greg Kinnear mentioned
sushi in the movie, Darcy set her food down and kicked her feet up
onto the coffee table. Why did she care that he’d thrown out his
sushi and was hungry today? She’d wanted to get him a meal—and then
he’d asked her to join him for one.

She was much too comfortable with him
already. That was supposed to be good for a working relationship,
but at the same time, he crossed her mind a bit too
much.

Midway through her movie, just as Meg
Ryan’s character was dissing Tom Hanks’s character in a news
interview, there was a knock on the door.

Darcy’s mind went straight to Ed.
Maybe he’d come by to discuss something. Well, that would be
silly—but maybe.

When she opened the door, she smiled
wide. The face was close, but this one belonged to
Christian.

“
I need a
favor.”

She laughed, looking him over. He was
covered from head to toe in mud, and he carried a grocery bag full
of clothes. “I can’t wait to hear it.”

“
I need to borrow your
shower.”

“
I thought you were going
to start wearing clothes around me.”

“
Yeah.” He looked down at
himself. “Charity game for a school. Sprinklers. It was a
mess.”

“
And why are you wanting to
shower down here?”

“
My shower head broke. John
will fix it tomorrow, but I need a shower now.”

Darcy stepped back and swept her arm
through the air as if to say “you know the way.”

A few moments later, she heard the
shower start. She picked up her half-eaten dinner and threw it in
the trash. She opened two beers, which John had put in her
refrigerator when he’d delivered the furniture. She set one beer on
the table and took a sip from the other just as there was another
knock on the door.

Again, she wondered how she had so
many visitors when she didn’t know anyone in this town.

She’d thought Christian standing at
the door covered in mud was shocking enough, but seeing Ed standing
on her doorstep, a bag from Steve’s BBQ Pit and Beer in his hands,
definitely took her by surprise.

“
I thought you might be
hungry. I promised you dinner.” He held the bag up.

“
You really didn’t have to
do that. But I am hungry. The microwave dinner I made didn’t cut
it.” She stepped back. “Come in.”

Ed walked through the door, and the
smoky smell from the restaurant lingered on him.

“
I assume you ate then?”
she said, taking the bag and walking to the kitchen.

“
Yeah, well, sort of.
Valerie was a bit preoccupied for conversation. So she scarfed her
dinner and ditched me. But we got the delay figured
out.”

“
Well, that’s good. Can I
offer you a beer?”

“
I’d like that.”

Darcy walked to the kitchen, pulled a
beer out of the refrigerator, and handed it to him.

“
Thanks. Are you having
one?”

“
I have one out here. I was
just watching a movie.” She walked out into the living room to
fetch her beer, and he followed.

“
You have another beer out.
You’re either having a fun evening, or…” He stopped and looked
around. “Is that your shower? I caught you at a bad
time?”

That was when the shower turned off,
and the door opened slightly letting the steam out.

“
Darcy, do you have a clean
towel I can use?”

“
Under the sink,” she said
as she looked at Ed whose eyes had grown wide.

“
I did
interrupt.”

She saw the pulse in his temple beat,
and she shook her head. “No. No.”

A moment later, the door opened and
Christian walked out of the bathroom, only a towel wrapped around
his waist.

“
Hey, bro.”

“
Don’t hey bro me. What’s
going on here?”

Darcy stepped forward. “Nothing is
going on here. He…”

“
Chill out,” Christian
reached for the clothes he’d left on the chair. “God, you’re such a
freak about things.”

“
You’re standing in her
apartment in a damn towel. What am I supposed to think?”

“
And what does it matter?”
Christian stepped up to his brother. “She’s a grown woman, and
you’re only her boss. Would it matter if I were here for any other
reason?”

Darcy watched the two of them as they
went at each other with their words.

“
Christian, don’t push
me.”

“
I didn’t do anything.
Christ, my shower is broken. John can’t fix it until
tomorrow.”

Ed nodded. “Oh.”

“
Besides, you owe her an
apology for the way you just accused her without asking her calmly
if something was going on. You came in here acting all bossy like
you always do when you’re not in control of a
situation.”

Christian headed back toward the
bathroom.

Ed tucked his free hand into his front
pocket and rocked back on his heels. “Hey, I’m sorry about
that.”

“
It’s okay.”

“
You had said he wasn’t
wearing clothes when he texted you and now…”

She scrunched her face up, and then
she remembered. “Oh. No…he…”

“
It’s okay. He’s right.
It’s none of my business.”

Christian walked out of the bathroom
dressed. “Thanks for the use of your shower. Sorry the ass here
accused you, but I really appreciate it.”

“
My pleasure. I opened a
beer for you.”

Christian walked up to her and kissed
her on the cheek.

“
Oh, thanks, but I have to
run. I have a hot date. Give it to Mr. Uptight. He could use
it.”

And with that, Christian disappeared
out the door and up the stairs.

Darcy stood there for a moment before
she turned back toward Ed.

He took a long pull from his beer.
“How about some dinner?”

“
Did you really think I was
up to something with Christian?”

Ed let out a long breath and let his
shoulders drop. “I’m sorry. It shouldn’t be any of my business,
even if you had been up to something.”

“
That’s right. My private
life isn’t part of my job description, is it? I mean, you all seem
to have taken me in, and you have no idea what that means to me.
But if you’re trying to be all big brother on me, I don’t need
that.”

Ed nodded. “I was out of
line.”

Darcy crossed her arms over her chest.
He was out of line. And she was mad that he’d assume she’d fall
into bed with someone she’d just met. That certainly wasn’t her
style, and she was fairly sure, after having met most of his
family, that wasn’t his style either. So why were they standing
there with tension in the air.

One thing her mother had taught her,
in an awkward situation, a meal usually pulled things together. A
smile formed on her lips. Perhaps that’s why her mother was such a
large lady. Food had cured many things in her life, and at this
moment, perhaps it would clear the air.

She started toward the kitchen with Ed
right behind her.

“
Why are you smiling?” he
asked as he set his beer on the table.

“
I was just thinking about
my mother. Whenever someone was upset, or something had gone badly,
she always cooked a big meal. And here you and I are arguing, and
we move into the kitchen to eat.”

She pulled the containers of ribs,
corn, and bread out of the bag.

“
Do you eat here all the
time? This is the second time this week I’ve eaten
this.”

Ed rubbed his hand over the back of
his neck. “No. Valerie likes it there. It’s her kind of
place.”

Darcy nodded. “I see.” She pulled down
two plates and began to fix them up. “So you and
Valerie?”

She looked up at him, and his brows
had narrowed in obvious confusion.

“
Me and Valerie
what?”

“
Are you seeing
her?”

“
Val?” He let out a grunt.
“Are you kidding me?”

Darcy carried the plates to the table.
“She’s not attractive?”

“
No.”

That made her laugh. “Why?”

“
At some point I’m sure
you’ll meet her, but let me give you the run down. Six feet tall.
Completely muscle. And not interested in people of my
gender.”

Darcy sat down and looked up at him as
he waited for her response. She thought about it for a moment. “Oh!
I see. So, if you’re sister had gone to dinner with
her…”

“
She’d have made it further
than I would have.”

“
Got it.”

Ed sat down across from her. “She
likes her beer, her NASCAR, bluegrass, and bar-b-que.” He picked up
a rib as if to drive a point. “I like my women a bit younger,
too.”

Darcy swallowed hard. “How much
younger.”

“
Valerie is
fifty.”

“
Oh, and
you’re?”

“
Thirty-five.”

He was younger than she’d thought. He
was just so mature. Christian was much more playful. Darcy would
have pegged him for forty-five or fifty, even if he didn’t look
fifty at all. That made her chuckle again, just as the thought of
her mother. Quickly, she bit off a piece of meat to keep her mouth
shut.

“
So this fundraiser on
Saturday—just how fancy do I need to dress?”

Ed bit off a piece of his rib. “Prom
with some class.”

“
Oh.” Darcy wrinkled up her
nose. “I have a black cocktail dress.”

“
Isn’t that supposed to
work for any occasion?”

She chuckled. “Well, that was what I
was hoping. I don’t get a paycheck yet, and I have to pay rent.
So…”

“
Are you in need of
money?”

“
No, that’s not what I was
saying.”

He nodded. “Right.”

Darcy sat back in her chair and looked
him over. “You’re the caregiver in your family, aren’t
you?”

“
What do you
mean?”

“
You want everyone happy
and taken care of. You’re the kind of person who would give the
shirt off his back to someone who needed it, but you still expect
everyone to pull their weight.”

“
That’s how I was
raised.”

“
Oh, I see that you were
raised very well. But your brother is different. Not that he
wouldn’t take care of anyone, but he’s more about himself and into
having fun. He’s a little more carefree.”