Chapter Sixty-Seven

Darcy had one meeting left before she could fly home. She walked into Raquel’s office, feeling no more confident she knew what Raquel wanted than she did the day Raquel offered this job. Raquel waved to the chair in front of her desk.

“How are you doing?”

Darcy shrugged. “Fine. A little tired but fine. Grateful.”

Raquel leaned forward, her elbows resting on her desk. “Don’t give me that ‘grateful’ bullshit. How are you actually doing?”

“Terrible.” Darcy froze. Raquel didn’t need to hear about her emotional state. She was her boss, not her friend. She should not be having this meeting when she was this exhausted. “Forget I said that. I’m fine, just tired.”

“Can you forget that I’m your boss for two minutes?” Raquel looked over her glasses at Darcy. “You’re not fine. Ever since Natalie left you’ve been walking around like someone stole your puppy.”

“I’m not sure Natalie would like being compared to a puppy,” Darcy said. She sighed. “The truth? Off the boss-employee record?”

Raquel nodded.

Darcy hoped she wouldn’t regret sharing this with Raquel. “The short version is I screwed up.”

Raquel made a “go on” gesture with her hands.

“We had a thing in college, it ended badly. That was also my fault.” Darcy rubbed her face with both hands. “This time, Natalie flew off the handle, which is what Natalie does. But I screwed up by choosing work over her. She left and I haven’t heard from her since.”

“Not even after you basically wrote her a love note on live TV?” Raquel asked, the corner of her mouth twitching.

Darcy shook her head. “My last serious relationship ended because I chose work over time with her.”

“And you think Natalie bailed because you got the shot at doing commentary?” Raquel shook her head. “I have to say, if she couldn’t be happy for you, maybe she isn’t worth your time.”

Darcy shook her head slowly. “I don’t think it’s that simple. We had plans and I jumped at the chance to work the game without talking to her about it. And then it got worse from there.” Darcy leaned forward to rest her elbows on her thighs. “I don’t regret taking the job I earned, but I handled all of it so badly. She had every right to be hurt and angry with me and I minimized her feelings so I wouldn’t have to feel so bad.”

Raquel’s face softened. “And how’s that working out for you?”

Darcy laughed. “Super. I’m spilling my guts in my boss’s office so really nothing could be more perfect.”

“Do you want my advice?”

Darcy looked at her boss and weighed how to answer.

“You don’t have to take it just because I’m your boss. Obviously, I don’t know everything that happened, but from what I could see in your segments, at that party, and around the office, there’s something real and worth trying to save between you and Natalie. I think you should fly home, fix whatever you broke, and convince Natalie to take a vacation with you. A long vacation. You worked really hard here, and you need to take some time to rest and recharge.” She leaned back in her chair and returned to her full-boss mode. “I need you ready to work when you come back.” She smiled like she had a secret. “Go, get away from work for a while. You’re long overdue for some time off. I hope you’ll use it wisely.”

Darcy walked wearily to the door.

“Jamal can help you make any changes you want to your travel arrangements,” Raquel said without taking her eyes off her computer screen.

“Thanks,” Darcy said, leaving the office and calling for a car to take her back to the hotel. That was the weirdest meeting she’d ever had with Raquel. She had been cryptic about her next job and weird about her changing her flights. She’d already had to change her flight when she found out she was staying a few more days to do commentary. That was all taken care of.

“Oh,” she said to herself when it all came into focus. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Jamal.

“I need to change my flight and I need a favor.”

“I don’t think asking me to do my job counts as a favor. Tell me what you need.”

Darcy explained the changes she needed him to make.

“You want me to make the layover in Boston longer? You know my job is to make everyone’s life easier, not saddle you with a bunch of time to kill in an airport. Do you want me to book you a hotel?”

“No, thank you. That’s okay.” She waited for the confirmation email before hanging up. The car waited at the curb to take her back to the hotel. She opened the back door before realizing, without Natalie, she had no reason not to sit in the front.

She got in, said hello to the driver, and forwarded the flight itinerary to her sister. She closed her eyes, trying to ward off the queasy feeling she got from staring at her phone in the car. Her phone buzzed several times, the vibrations traveling through her fingers up her arm. She ignored the incoming messages until she reached the hotel. Being this tired made her more susceptible to motion sickness.

Once she hopped out of the car at the hotel, she checked the texts from her sister. As she read the first two, three more came in. Darcy sighed and scrolled.

You better not miss mom and dad’s party

Seriously, do not leave me there alone

Darcy?

Darcy sent back a series of texts reassuring her sister that she would make it in plenty of time to get to the party.

Don’t forget to pick me up

Kit sent the eye roll emoji along with a shot of her giving Darcy the middle finger.

Darcy laughed while she waited for the elevator.

The typing bubbles appeared and disappeared twice before the next message came through.

I’m proud of you. Tell me how it goes. Xo

Darcy wasn’t sure if it was creepy or reassuring that Kit understood what she was planning without Darcy actually telling her. Probably a mixture of both. When she passed Natalie’s old room, her heart gave a lurch and she knew she was doing the right thing.

She had no idea if it would work, but she wasn’t giving up without a fight.

Everything in her room reminded her of Natalie. She remembered the time she and Natalie spent lounging in the bed, having breakfast, having sex. Laughing. She swallowed her emotions. She wanted to hear that laugh again. She wanted that light, bubbly feeling of being so happy that everything made you laugh. She wanted the feeling of Natalie looking at her over her cup of coffee, of her weight pressed against her side, her hair tickling Darcy’s nose. She wanted that adorable scowl on Natalie’s face when Darcy beat her at any of the stupid sports they had to try. She wanted Natalie to leap off a box and trust Darcy to catch her, even if it didn’t go as either of them planned. She wanted every single silly thing that went awry to end with them laughing and kissing. She wanted it all.

She wanted Natalie.