Page 9 of A Searing Acquaintance
She stared at him. She hated to admit that he was right. Again. And that he looked so damn handsome and smug about it. The fire was appealing, though, so she lay back against the sofa’s armrest and stretched out her legs. He began arranging pillows around her, and as she watched him, Elizabeth suddenly wondered why the house was so quiet.
“Where are Jane and Charles?”
“They were driving off when I left. I’ll be right back with the ice.”
Elizabeth leaned over and rolled up her pant leg. The ankle was swelling.Lovely, the bruise will match my scar.She pulled her phone from her pocket and tapped on the screen. It showed two voicemails and three texts from Jane.
She listened to the voicemails first. “Lizzy, don’t hate me! Charles surprised me with tickets for James Taylor! You don’t mind, do you? I had no idea. Where are you, anyway?”
Thrown over for another boyfriend. Elizabeth gritted her teeth listening to her sister’s bubbly, joyful voice. “Please try to get along with Darcy! Watch a movie. Charles has all the Bond and Bourne movies and tons of comedies! Just pretend you never saw his Adam Sandler collection.”
And the texts: “Where are you?” “Text me!” “Tons of food in the fridge!”
“Well?” Darcy looked at her impatiently, a bottle of ibuprofen in one hand and a lumpy tea towel in the other.
“I believe we’ve been thrown over for a night with Sweet Baby James.”
“Excuse me?
“Charles surprised Jane with tickets to James Taylor. We’re on our own.”
“Oh.” He stared at her blankly. “Ohhh.”
Elizabeth sent Jane a quick, vaguely threatening text. “You owe me, big time.”
Darcy gently laid the towel-covered ice bag on her ankle. His eyeslingered on the long scar that decorated her leg from shin to anklebone.
“Old injury?”
She nodded. “Broke it playing soccer in college. Two pins and one surgery later, it was all good. Except for any chance to play professionally.”
He stared at her.
“I’m kidding. I wasn’t good enough to go pro.”
“I’m sorry. That’s awful.” He appeared about to say something else but then shook his head. “You’re still a good player. Certainly had me.”
Elizabeth smiled and rolled her eyes. After canvassing her about her appetite, Darcy headed to the kitchen, soon returning with tea and a plate of crackers, cheese, and fruit. “There’s a lasagna in the oven.”
“Did you preheat?
He appeared confused.
“Never mind. How about some wine?”
He looked at her doubtfully. “Will it help your foot?”
“A sip o’ the grape helps everything,” she replied, grinning. Elizabeth drank some tea and watched him open a bottle of merlot. “So where did you get all these Nurse Darcy skills?”
He stopped twisting the corkscrew. “Excuse me?”
“I mean, you’re good at this; you’re very nurturing. Like you’ve done this a lot.” She smiled up at him. “And you’re shockingly domestic. I’d never have guessed it.”
“Slicing cheese and sticking a casserole in the oven is the extent of my culinary talents, I’m afraid.”
He handed her a glass of wine and placed his own on the table near the tray before sitting down in an overstuffed chair across from her.
“How about you? Do you cook?” he asked.
