What's Yours is Mine (12 page)

And maybe, just maybe, she had a new friend in Johanna, to boot. She could see her college girlfriends drifting away, each to their own lives, and she hadn’t made any lasting connections in her many secondary schools. When she’d watch TV or read people’s Facebook status updates, she’d always feel a pang. Friends went out for beer or wine and hugs and comfort. Darcy, well, Darcy called her father. And then dove back into work. Alone.
 

Johanna had soaked in everything Darcy said, nodded, and told her how amazing she was, and it felt so good. Until she overheard Johanna using her exact wording to someone else as if she’d just thought of it right then. Then Johanna screwed up the orders for Ziggy Starsoap. Darcy worked hard to help her fix the mess, and that too felt good. But then the whispered rumors started, about how Darcy had screwed up the orders and thank God Johanna was there to fix the damage.
 

Darcy learned not to trust anyone at work. Or try making friends again. Not until Will came along.
 

Now Johanna needed her help again. Not exactly a shock. She made a habit of letting other people do her work for her, and Stan was too nice to notice.
 

“You know I’m here for you, Stan.” Here, and determined to stay. Even if it meant dealing with Johanna. And Will. All her ghosts.
 

“Good, good.” Stan hung up.
 

Seeing Darcy set her phone down, the young girl came trotting over. When she got to Darcy’s stoop, she cocked her head at her. “Are you the one who has to find a new place to live?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because Ms. Gillooly said one of you did, and if you didn’t, all kinds of heck would break loose.”

That must have been the purpose of all those flyers. Janet must have put the word out. Sensible of her, but the idea made Darcy feel painfully exposed.
 

The girl was still talking. “She wouldn’t tell me what that meant. I thought at first it might be something with the actual condo, like it would fall apart, but that’s not exactly logical, is it? It’s pretty strong, I watched them build it.”

Darcy, bemused, agreed that this would indeed not be terribly logical for the condo to break under the strain of two occupants.
 

“So it’s something else, like maybe you don’t like each other. Like when Kelly and Shania were sharing a locker but decided not to be best friends anymore. Kelly had to find another locker, but she was pretty mad about it. So is that it? Did you stop liking each other and now you have to move out?” She stopped, slightly out of breath. “My name is Brianna.”

Brianna’s mother appeared from the alley leading to the parking lot, looked at the lonely key dangling from her front door lock, and glanced around. She looked appalled when she saw where her daughter was. “Brianna!”

“Oh, that’s my mom. I gotta go.”

“Nice to meet you, Brianna.” But the girl had already scampered off. Brianna’s mother sketched a wave and shouted down the row of front doors, “Sorry about that! She does talk!”

“No problem.”
 

Darcy smiled to herself as the two disappeared into their condo. This could be a very nice place to live, if only…

She got up and went inside.

Chapter Nine

Will was in Warrior One when Darcy opened the front door. She brushed past him, nearly toppling his precarious balance. Not even looking at him, she picked up her computer and settled in by the kitchen counter, frowning as she typed furiously.
 

He slid into Down Dog, and then into Plank. Everything felt harder today, maybe because he was all too aware of his unwilling audience. Why couldn’t she go into the bedroom and leave him be?

She heaved a sigh and closed her computer. “Can we talk?”

That was why.

“Do we have to?” He arched into Cat. The yoga wasn’t working anymore. He felt tense, taut. He should go out back, get away from Darcy. But that would mean admitting she was getting to him.
 

As if his bruised knuckles didn’t already give that away.
 

“Look. I’m sorry Stan called and you answered. You shouldn’t have been answering my phone, but anyway. And I know you think I’m scum. But we’re stuck together until you move out.”

He stood up, raised his hands for Sun Salutation. It meant peace and sunlight and centering at the start of a new day. He needed it badly.
 

Darcy was still looking at him. He sensed her presence like a palpable thing. He didn’t have to look at her. His body pulsed in response, underlining the constant awareness at the edges of his consciousness. Even though he knew what she’d done, it didn’t seem to matter, not for this.
 

She slid her hands across the streamlined metal edge of her computer lid. “So can we have a kind of, I don’t know, a truce?”

He pressed his hands together, a prayer. “No more lawyers? No more games?” Down into a lunge, his back leg stretched behind him.
Stay in the moment. Stay focused.
 

“I wouldn’t go that far. I have to get you out of here somehow. But no more fighting, no more recriminations. The past is the past, whatever happened or didn’t happen. We don’t have to be—to be friends.” She stumbled over the words. “But we don’t have to hate each other either. At least while we’re cooped up like this.” She gestured around the room, the movement stretching her shirt across her chest. Her hair fell across her eyes, and she blew it off. His sexual awareness of her flared stronger. He turned ever so slightly away from her, hiding his physical reaction.
 

Focus on the words, Will, not the woman.
What she said made sense. It fit the man he’d become. It was logical.
 

Was it possible?
 

The doorbell rang. For good measure, a rapping echoed on the wood of the door.

Will should answer it. Only problem was, he had a bit of an erection issue now, and he couldn’t exactly face anyone front-on, not wearing the sweatpants he’d donned for his workout.
 

“Could you get it?” He threw the words over his shoulder at Darcy as he headed into the bathroom. Over the splash of running water in the sink, he heard women’s voices, Darcy’s and—
 

Jennifer appeared in the bathroom doorway. Nobody respected privacy around here. “Hey, William.”

He lifted the wet washcloth from his face. Fortunately, things had calmed down belowstairs. “Jennifer. Nice of you to drop by. How are your curtains doing?”

“They’re great, thanks so much for helping with that.” She grinned at him. “I hear you have a bit of a problem yourself.”

He frowned in confusion.
 

She jerked her head to indicate Darcy, who was hovering a step behind, blatantly eavesdropping.

“I have a solution for you.”
 

His brain must not be working right, because it sounded like she was saying…

“I heard you needed an alternate condo. You might do worse than mine.”

She was.
 

Darcy stepped forward. “Are you serious? You’d give up your place for one of us?”

“Not you. William.” Jennifer laid her hand on Will’s arm, tracing a vein with her forefinger. He almost snatched his arm back, but it was proving extremely interesting to watch Darcy’s face turn pink, then red, then an unusual shade of purple. Jealous? Really?
 

He smiled at Jennifer. “That’s extremely generous of you. I imagine Tim will give you a good-sized chunk on top of returning your mortgage.”

“Oh no, I’m not going to move out. Why would I do that? I have enough room for the two of us.”

Now Will did pull his arm away. When he’d been at her place helping out last week, she’d acted completely normal, not even remotely flirtatious. What was going on?

He crossed his arms. “You didn’t come here to ask me to move in with you.”

“Oh, but that’s exactly what she did.” Darcy sounded testy.
 

Will smothered a grin. “I guess she did, at that. So what do you think? Should I take her up on it?”

“Of course. It’s a good idea. It solves everything.” But she looked like she’d just bitten into a piece of fruit and found she’d eaten a worm instead. Interesting. Apparently, he could move out, but only on her terms.
 

Will turned to Jennifer. “How soon can I move in? And do you have room for a king-size bed?”

Jennifer looked nonplussed. Clearly, she’d just come over to tweak the two of them. Probably fishing for gossip. This would give her plenty of fodder, just not the kind she’d bargained for.
 

Darcy interjected, “If you’re moving out, I’ll buy the bed.” She turned to Jennifer. “It’s a great bed. I’ve never gotten such a good night’s sleep in my life.”

Jennifer raised her eyebrows. “You’ve been sharing a bed?”

Will coughed.
 

Darcy fidgeted. “I tried it out, that’s all.” She avoided looking at him. He could see the flush start at the cleft in her V-neck shirt and work its way north, creeping up her neck.
 

Jennifer narrowed her gaze, looking Darcy up and down. Then she turned back to Will. “So. Uh. How soon do you want to move in, William? Or should I call you honey?”

He sighed. “What do you need fixed?”

“You doubt my sincerity? I’m hurt!” She batted her eyelashes at him.
 

He laughed, he couldn’t help it.

Darcy stared. “So it was all playacting?”

Jennifer gave her a wicked look. “Should I reconsider? Is he that good in bed?”

“I wouldn’t know.” Darcy stuttered as she said it and met his gaze. They both looked away. Will swallowed convulsively.
 

Darcy turned back to Jennifer. “But why would you offer if you—”

“Oh, I was serious. If Will wants crash space at my place, it’s all his.”
 

He shook his head at Jennifer. “And yet I’m somehow certain that you’re about to ask me for something.”

“Well, if you wouldn’t mind. My bathroom sink. I dropped, um, something down there, and I can’t get the trap open, and this thing, it’s rather precious to me. I don’t know who else to call at this hour.” Will glanced out the window, surprised to see it was getting dark. The sky had turned a muddy blue-gray, silhouetting the birds of paradise like spiky giant fingers reaching for the sky.
 

“Of course. Let me get my stuff.” Will started toward the closet, then stopped. Glanced at Darcy.
 

She frowned, crossed her arms.
 

He raised his eyebrows.
 

She looked thoughtful, clearly trying to decide if there was some advantage for her. Was she going to say no just to spite him?
 

She gave a tiny nod, just a tightening of the back of her neck and a subtle bob of her chin. Approval. Agreement.
 

Will went for the closet, glancing at Jennifer, who seemed completely oblivious to the unspoken conversation that had just taken place. He felt shaken. Had he and Darcy developed a nonverbal language so quickly?

~*~

Following behind Will and Jennifer in the rapidly encroaching twilight, Darcy felt like a tagalong, the kid sister dragged along on her older brother’s date. Absurd, of course. Will had slept with her, not with Jennifer. Even if the woman was throwing lures like whoa and wow, she wasn’t necessarily getting anywhere with him.
 

Anyway, he certainly didn’t belong to Darcy. The opposite, in fact. She’d be lucky to see the last of him tomorrow, or the next day at the latest.
Lucky
, she told herself firmly. She never wanted to see him again.
 

Honest.
 

He walked with an easy stride through the courtyard, his motions supple and smooth. Jennifer, next to him, teetered on her stilettos—wait, what? High heels for a plumber call?
 

And no, Darcy was not jealous.
 

Just… That woman. Really.

Jennifer had snorted when she saw Darcy shove her laptop into the computer bag and slip on her shoes for the walk across the courtyard. “I only need one handyman. Have you ever even done any plumbing work?”
 

Darcy was stuck. How to explain that if Will went, she had to go too?
 

The smart play here was to refuse to leave the condo. Will would have to say no to Jennifer. Why was she doing this woman any favors?
 

Will shook his head at Jennifer. “She’s coming.” He glanced at Darcy expectantly.
 

His trust felt fragile and tentative.
 

Darcy went.
 

Jennifer’s condo was tidy. Very modern, very cool. Glass and leather. Darcy preferred Will’s decorating style. It felt clean but had more personality. She’d have to copy it if he moved out.
 

If he moved out? Clearly this strange living situation was turning her thought process sideways and upside down. She should call her dad tonight. She needed a reality check.
Eyes on the goal, full steam ahead,
he’d say, or
Don’t assume anyone’s on your side.
Plan, strategize, conquer.
 

The condo was a mirror image of her own but with a longer hallway and an additional bedroom. While Jennifer led Will into the bathroom, Darcy peeked into the second bedroom. It was set up as a luxurious home office, with a huge computer monitor and an ergonomic desk chair Darcy instantly lusted after. She sat down in the chair and gave it a quick spin.
 

“Making yourself at home? I invited William to move in, not you.” Jennifer’s voice had a teasing edge.
 

Darcy spun back around to face her adversary. “The chair didn’t have a ‘No guests allowed’ sign, sorry.” She moved to get up.
 

Jennifer waved her back down. “Just don’t break it.”
 

Darcy settled back in. “Nice chair. Where were you going to put this setup if Will took you up on your offer? I assume this would be his room.”