Chapter Forty

Natalie and Darcy clutched their wardrobe-department-provided garment bags and got into the car waiting to take them back to the hotel.

Natalie climbed into the back, leaving the front seat open for Darcy. Darcy waited for a snarky remark, but none came.

She turned. “Thanks for letting me sit up here.”

Natalie shrugged. “No big deal. I know you get car sick.”

There was the Natalie from college. The sweet, thoughtful, kind, pain in the ass Darcy fell in love with. So far, there had been glimmers of the old Natalie, but that version of Natalie had been buried under a deep layer of sarcasm. Her heart melted a little knowing that that big marshmallow center was still in there, even if it was harder to find underneath all the prickly outside.

In the hotel elevator, Natalie pressed the button for their floor and stared at the doors. Darcy tried to read her expression.

“What is this thing going to be like tonight?” Natalie asked, her eyes darting to Darcy and then away.

Darcy shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t usually get invited to anything involving important people. We’ll have to figure it out together, I guess.” She gave Natalie a hopeful smile. Whatever misgivings she had about Natalie joining her on the show were long gone, replaced by relief that she had someone she could count on.

After they got off the elevator, they paused outside the door to Natalie’s room. She should say something about the kiss. She shouldn’t pretend like nothing happened.

Darcy gathered her courage. “Do you want me to come get you here or do you want to meet in the lobby?” Darcy asked, losing her nerve as soon as she started speaking.

You absolute chicken.

Natalie’s hand paused over the door handle. “I...” She swallowed and smiled a fake-ass smile if Darcy had ever seen one. “It would be great if you’d stop by here when you’re ready.”

“Are you okay?” Darcy’s mind immediately assumed she’d done something to upset Natalie. It was probably the kiss. Why did she do that? Ugh.

Natalie pressed down on the handle and opened her door. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? I’ll see you later.” Her voice was cheery but it sounded off, like hitting a wrong note on a piano.

Darcy scanned Natalie’s face but it gave nothing away. “Okay, I’ll be here a few minutes before the car comes. Text me if you need anything.”

Back in her own room, Darcy pulled out the suit they’d given her to wear. She hung it on the outside of the closet door and flopped onto the bed.

The look in Natalie’s eyes played on a loop in her head. It was a combination of shyness and something else. But Natalie wasn’t usually shy. Maybe nervousness? It would be normal for her to be a little nervous about meeting all the corporate bigwigs at the game.

The game.

Darcy had been so focused on what this party might mean for her next career step that she hadn’t considered how much it would suck for Natalie to be stuck in the box watching her team play. Not to mention that Darcy had been too busy looking for the next thing she could say to tease Natalie that she missed the very real thing going on right in front of her eyes.

She rolled over and grabbed her phone, ready to text Natalie. But to say what, exactly? Sorry this sucks? Hey, we never talked about that kiss and now we have to go to this work thing? She flipped her phone over. No need to text something that might make all of this worse.

They should talk about the kiss, though.

If she had to, Darcy could play it off like she got caught up in the moment. They’d been pretending to be together, they’d been flirty for the cameras, and she’d gotten carried away. That wasn’t true. But Natalie didn’t need to know that if she thought the whole thing was a giant mistake. If she still hated Darcy as much as she did at the end of college, Darcy would play it off like it had been an extension of their flirting in front of the camera. Another bit of theater for the lesbian hashtag crew.

You weren’t on camera when you kissed.

Ugh. She’d have to figure out how to explain why kissing Natalie with no one around was part of their social media gig.

In reality, she’d kissed her because she’d been wanting to kiss Natalie for a long time. She was irritating and needled her constantly, but Darcy had never gotten over her. She’d never gotten over the betrayed look on her face when Darcy had made the mistake of pretending Natalie meant nothing to her.

It haunted her. She didn’t regret anything in her life as much as she regretted hurting Natalie. Darcy had proved every one of her fears right. She was nothing but a famous last name, not actually worthy of the attention she received. When it came down to it, she’d blown it.

She wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. If Natalie wanted to act like the kiss was fake and part of their ruse, she’d do it. It was a lie, but if that’s what Natalie wanted, she’d do it. She was never going to hurt Natalie like that again. She couldn’t bear the thought of disappointing her, seeing that look of hurt and betrayal on her face. It would be too much for her.

She’d follow Natalie’s lead. That was the only logical choice.