Peyton hoisted her briefcase from the passenger seat of her candy white Volkswagen GTI with her gloved left hand. She pushed back the hood of her winter coat with her right as she scanned the lot. Virginia Carp stood beside a nearby lamppost.
Peyton closed her GTI’s passenger side door, then activated the car alarm. She dropped her keys into her coat pocket, pulled up her hood, and adjusted her purse strap. “Hi, Ginny. Are you waiting for someone?”
“Yeah. You.” Ginny straightened as Peyton approached her.
The ominous words were at odds with Ginny’s friendly demeanor. Peyton ignored a shiver of unease. A cherry knit cap protected Ginny’s hair from the elements. Peyton eyed her neighbor’s scarlet, quilted calf-length coat and matching boots with envy.
“What can I do for you?” Peyton huddled into her burgundy coat. Chubby snowflakes fell on her in slow motion, then melted away. Hopefully, Ginny wouldn’t take long.
“Stop chasing after Darius.” The words puffed from Ginny’s lips in small clouds of frigid air.
The cold and snow were forgotten. Usually other women just took her boyfriends from her, just as Leila had taken Bruce. They’d never bothered to warn her away. Was this an example of Midwestern manners?
“I’m not chasing him.” Peyton tugged her purse farther onto her shoulder and adjusted the weight of her briefcase. “We’re dating.”
She, Dr. Peyton Lynn Harris, was dating one of the most eligible bachelors in town, a man other women felt a need to warn her away from. Very cool.
“You’re just like all the other women in town.” Ginny looked her over dismissively. “Chasing after Darius Knight like he’s the last little piece of meat and you’re a starving bitch.”
Well, that got real ugly, real fast.
“Apparently, the cold has gotten to you. I suggest you get inside and warm up.” Peyton stepped around the other woman and started past her. “Good night, Ginny.”
“You should listen to me.” Ginny fell into step beside Peyton. “I’m trying to do you a favor.”
“I appreciate your concern, but I’ll be fine.” Peyton continued toward the apartment building.
Residents’ assigned parking was in the back of the lot, which freed the front spaces for guests. The accumulated snow made the asphalt lot slippery. Peyton moved as quickly as possible under these conditions. She wanted to get inside before she turned into a Popsicle.
“Darius’ll break your heart. That’s what he does.” Ginny matched her stride for stride. She spoke louder as though her increased volume would convince Peyton she was telling the truth.
“Is that what he did to you?” Peyton kept walking. The air even smelled cold. She was more interested in getting out of the snow than in Ginny’s prime-time soap opera antics.
“He told you that we’ve slept together?” Ginny sounded pleased.
“He said you’d dated for a while.”
“We’ve slept together. A lot. That’s how I know him so well. Yeah, he’s great in bed—really great in bed—but he’s cold and emotionally distant.”
No, he isn’t. Temper, alien and unwilling, stirred. Peyton looked at the other woman. “Darius is far from cold or distant. He’s kind and caring.”
“That’s what I thought at first, too.” Ginny crossed her arms over her chest. “Then, after he got what he wanted from me, the real Darius showed himself.”
“And who’s the real Darius?” Peyton eyed the other woman dubiously. Anger was burning away the cold.
“Oh, right, you haven’t met him yet. The real Darius is the uncaring one, the one who refuses to commit. The one who chases after and sleeps with every woman he sees.”
“I thought you said women chase after Darius.” Peyton adjusted the weight of her briefcase as she stopped to face her aggressor. “Now you’re saying he’s the one who does the chasing. Which one is he?”
Ginny hesitated. “Both.”
In her mind’s eye, Peyton envisioned all of Darius’s friends, the people he helped like Stan Crockett, his loving manner with Ms. Helen, his chivalrous behavior toward her.
“You’re delusional.” Peyton turned away. Keep walking; ignore her.
“You’re the one who’s crazy.” Ginny chased after her. “Do you really think you can have a relationship with someone like Darius Knight?”
Peyton paused on the sidewalk. She held on to her temper with both hands. “Ginny, if Christian charity is the reason you approached me with your warning about Darius, then I’ll thank you again for your concern. But I don’t have time to argue with you over something that is none of your business.”