Sugar Crash (16 page)

The man lifted his right arm in a wave. Cam.
 

The anger she'd felt at Ryan's graveside was replaced by a flutter in her chest. She'd missed Cam and despite everything she'd said to him, she was glad to see him.
 

"Hi," she said simply when they got close enough. They'd both stopped running and stood awkwardly on the deserted sidewalk. "I hope you're not keeping tabs on me." She meant it as a joke, but when Cam's face clouded over, she realized her mistake.

"You made it clear that you didn't want a relationship, Darci," he said. "I got the message. I'm just out for my own run." He moved to dodge around her and keep running.
 

Without thinking about it, she asked, "Hey. Do you want to run with me for a bit? I could use some company."

"You? Darci Johnson is asking for company?" Cam crossed his arms over his chest. "I didn't think I'd ever see the day."

"Now you're just being mean," she said. Darci pulled her leg up behind her, stretching her quad. "I should get going home anyway." Dropping her leg, she started to run past him. Her face burned. She knew she'd deserved his animosity, but it still stung.
 

"Hey, slow down." Cam reached out and grabbed Darci's arm, spinning her around. "Sorry," he said when she was facing her.

"For yanking me? Or for being rude?"

"Okay, I deserved that." He held his hand out. "Can we call a truce?"

She took his hand and tried to ignore the thrill that went through her body at his touch.
 

"The truth is, I was hoping to run into you. Literally." He shrugged and she laughed. "I would love to keep you company on your way home."

Darci nodded and together they set out at a much slower pace.
 

"So why were you hoping to run into me?" she asked.
 

"I thought of something you might be interested in, and I couldn't wait to tell you."

"Oh?" Her eyes flicked over to him. Even in the dim light, she could see the sweat glistening off his forehead, and the damp shirt stuck to his chest. He'd been running for a while, and Darci couldn't help but wonder how long he'd been looking for her.
 

"All your talk about the Sugar Crash party, got me thinking and since you've been running so much lately, I thought you might be interested in doing more."
 

"What does running have to do with diabetes?"

"A lot as it turns out," Cam said. Even at the slower pace, it amazed Darci how easily he could carry on a conversation. It didn't look like it was costing him any effort at all. "At the end of May there's a fund-raising run in Clifton. All the funds raised go to diabetes research."
 

Darci stopped short. Cam took a few more steps before he realized she was behind. He quickly turned and came back to stand in front of her.
 

"What did you say?"

A smile lit up his face. "I thought you might like that."

"I do," she said. "But I don't understand. What kind of run? And in Clifton? That's an hour away."

"It's a pretty major deal," Cam said. "That's why it's in the city. And you can run whatever distance you want, but I thought you might be interested in the half marathon."

"Half marathon?" Darci swallowed hard. She couldn't even begin to think about the amount of training something like that would take. She'd heard about people running races but Darci only ran as a means of escape.
 

"You could run the marathon," Cam said. Darci shot him a look and he laughed. "It's really not that far," he said. "Besides, I figure you probably run at least fourteen or fifteen kilometers each night anyway. A half marathon is only a few more than that. Plus, we can raise some money and hopefully even a little awareness for diabetes research."

"We?"

"I thought I'd do it with you."
 

Darci searched his eyes for more. Was that all there was to it? He just wanted to run with her?
 

"So, what do you think?" he asked.

"I think..." Darci looked down at her running shoes and rubbed her arms. "I'm getting cold. Let's go." Without waiting for a response, she turned and started running.
 

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

For the next few days, the party planning was in full force. Taylor and Abby sat at Darci's kitchen table and took care of the details. They drew up guest lists, which pretty much included everyone they knew, chose music, approved food choices, and made elaborate lists of everything they could think of. Darci had to laugh at them, diving into the plans with more enthusiasm than she'd ever seen them apply to any school projects.
 

Darci herself had called to ask Joelle if she would come and do a presentation at the party. Joelle had jumped at the idea, and had more than a few ideas on how to make it fun for the kids. The community center had offered up their banquet room at no charge when it became clear that Barb's backyard wouldn't be big enough to hold everyone, and everything seemed to be on track.
 

With nothing else to worry about, Darci's mind continually went back to Cam's offer. A half marathon? Could she really run that far? She knew she could. Cam was right; she ran a healthy distance every night. She should be able to add a few more kilometers, especially if she trained for it. But even knowing she could handle the distance, wasn't enough to make Darci sign up. There was something that niggled at her, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
 

"Mom," Taylor called from the kitchen table. Darci popped her head up from the crossword puzzle she wasn't really working on. "Can we grab a snack? Coach Cam is going to be here in like, ten minutes to take us to practice."

Darci stood and tossed the crossword onto the coffee table. "I thought I was taking you?"

"Oh no, Mrs. Johnson, Uncle Cam offered," Abby piped up. "Is that okay?"

Darci nodded. "Of course it's okay. Make sure you have something filling," she said. "And-"

"I know." She put her hands of her hips. "Make sure you check your blood sugar." She imitated her mother so perfectly that Darci had to bite back a laugh.
 

"So, you got it then?"
 

"Got it."
 

Darci left the girls to find their snack and went out to the front yard to wait for Cam. He hadn't called and she hadn't made a move to call him either. She still didn't know where she stood with him, and what made it even more complicated, was that she still wasn't sure where she wanted things to stand with him.
 

She walked across her lawn to the flowerbed that had been left mostly untouched for the last few years. It was embarrassing really, how neglected her garden was. There just never seemed to be time. She knelt and plucked at a few weeds. It was Ryan who'd wanted the flowers. Every year Ryan had taken Taylor, even as a toddler, to the nursery where he'd selected a few plants, and seedlings, and then together they'd dig holes and plant them. Darci had loved watching them. It was so sweet to see father and daughter working together that she couldn't get mad when Ryan would finally bring Tay in for a bath, covered head to toe in dirt.
 

Darci pulled at another weed and a surge of guilt flashed through her. She should have tried harder to keep the garden up after Ryan died. For a while, their next-door neighbor, a retired school teacher had made it his mission to tend the plants. Darci never asked him, but at least once a week, she'd see Mr. Muir in her yard, making sure things looked nice. A few years ago, when he moved into a retirement home, Darci hadn't even thought about the garden. She hadn't thought of much.
 

She knelt and pushed aside a pile of dead leaves to expose a plant, struggling to find the sun. There hadn't been time for anything, she thought. Between working and keeping Taylor happy, there wasn't anything else.
You know, it's okay to ask for help every once in awhile. You don't have to do it all alone.
Cam's voice echoed in her head. She never asked for help. Not anymore.
 

When Ryan was alive, they were a team. Darci depended on him. She relied on him and then he was gone. She'd had to do it on her own and she had.

Darci dug her bare hand into the dirt; the cool earth on her skin soothed her. She could still remember those days and weeks after Ryan's funeral, and the parade of people that came through the house. They'd all looked at her the same way. With their eyes cast down, their mouths grimaced into a half smile-half frown, and then there was the quick shrug of the shoulders which was almost always followed by an offer for a hug. It was the pity look. And everyone had the same one. She dug her other hand into the earth and pulled at a dead plant that may have once been a geranium. There were even a few people who'd actually asked her what she was going to do. As if she'd had any choice. The memory brought back the anger, and the fierce determination that she'd felt six years ago. No one thought she could do it. Everyone, her own mother included, thought she'd crumble without Ryan taking care of her. But she knew different. Darci knew then that she wouldn't make the same mistake twice. She wouldn't depend on anyone again. And she hadn't. Darci ripped another plant from the earth, and reached for another. She yanked, and it came loose with a flurry of dirty spray. She tossed it in the growing pile next to her.
 

"Hey." Cam's voice surprised her and she jumped to her feet. She wiped her dirty hands on her thighs, heedless of her clothing. "Hey, are you okay?" Cam crossed the lawn towards her.
 

"I'm fine," she said, trying to cover the quaver in her voice. "I thought I'd do a little gardening. It's long overdue."

Cam reached out and touched her face; gently wiping away a tear that she didn't know was there. "You've been crying."

Darci shook her head; a denial they both knew was ridiculous. "I was just thinking." She looked down at the pile of dead plants at her feet. When she looked up, she said, "I want to do it. I want to run the half marathon."

His face transformed from concern to a smile that lit up his features.
 

"But," Darci hesitated. She looked again at the long neglected garden that she'd just dug up. When she looked up, there were fresh tears in her eyes. "I'll need your help."

###

There was one more thing that Darci had to take care of and it wasn't something that Cam, or anyone else could help her with. She had to talk to Felicity on her own. The problems at the shop weren't going to go away, she'd always known that. It was long past time that she addressed the situation.
 

There was no point putting things off either. Felicity had sent an email over the weekend, asking Darci to meet her at the shop on Monday morning. In the past, Darci would have assumed that the older woman wanted to discuss a new product line they should carry, or some new ideas for a marketing campaign. But with the way things had been going for the last little while, the meeting request filled Darci with a sense of dread. That was, until she decided to come clean.
 

Pulling up to the shop, Felicity's car was already there. Darci took a deep breath and opened her car door. After almost seven years of pretending she could do it on her own, of burning herself her out trying to be super mom, and the best employee she could, Darci was finally ready to admit that she needed help. The scariest part was, she had know idea how her boss would react.
 

Felicity was flipping through catalogs when Darci opened the door. The tinkle of the bells announced her entrance and Felicity looked up with a smile and a wave. "Good morning. How are you?"

Darci tucked her tote bag under the counter and trying her best to relax, she offered a weak smile.
 

"Are you alright, dear? I made some rose hip tea." Felicity, in all her fierce businesswoman ways, also had a soft side. Darci relaxed a little, remembering the way Felicity always warmed to Taylor, offering her little treats every time she saw her.
 

"Tea would be great."

Darci accepted the cup and wrapped her hands around it, absorbing the warmth.
 

"I know I called this meeting," Felicity said after a moment. "But I'd say that it's you that needs to talk about something. Am I right?"

Darci nodded.
 

"Go ahead, I'm listening."

Darci took a sip of tea, swallowing slowly before speaking. "There's something I should-"

"Good morning!"
 

Both women turned to look towards the voice and the chime of the bells as Monica pushed her way into the store.

"What are you doing here?" Darci asked. She hadn't intended to sound quite as rude as she did.
 

Monica ignored her and flounced towards them. Darci half expected her to jump up on the counter the way she usually did, but with Felicity standing there, Monica quickly grabbed a clipboard and a pen. Darci had never seen her look so efficient and even she had to admit that she looked almost business like.
 

Darci tried to hide her disappointment at seeing Monica. It would harder to talk to Felicity with her there. A lot harder. But Darci knew what she had to do and she'd already waited to long

"I didn't think you were on the schedule until this afternoon," Darci said.
 

"Oh, I'm not." Monica spoke casually, but Darci wasn't fooled. "I've been coming in earlier lately, and staying late too." She shot a look to Felicity, who didn't seem to be listening. Monica spoke louder. "I really want to get a grip on how things are run around here. You know, now that I've been made assistant manager."

"Right." Darci spared her a quick glance, and took another sip of the tea in an effort to fortify her.
 

"Maybe you'd know that if you were around more." Monica delivered her parting shot and Darci sucked in a sharp breath. She restrained herself, but just barely, from glaring at Monica. Instead Darci's gaze landed on Felicity, who obviously had heard it too. She was watching Darci with a quizzical look.