Pierced Hearts (Southern Charmers 1)

The phone rings on her desk, and she races to grab it as Miller passes her on his way in. “Things good?”

“Yep.”

“How’s Darby this morning?”

“Hungover and facing a shitload of orders.”

He grins widely. “The party was a success.”

“You’re gloating.”

And, in a way, he should be. Darby’s emotional response to his apology shook me to my core until I couldn’t stand the sound of her cries and took her from his arms and back to the shed. We joined the party a while later, and she finally let loose. Miller, Dad, and I stole a few minutes to cover what had happened while we were gone, but I didn’t stay away from her long.

Neither did my family, especially Miller. Apparently, Evin and Miller had words before our arrival and somehow decided to call a truce. Of course, Evin’s side of things relied on Darby’s reaction to Miller’s apology. Since that went well, there was little tension.

By nine, the crowd had died down to my family, the Grahams, Stephanie, Scottie, Lynda, and Ray. This is when Annie kicked into gear. Edward popped bottles of champagne, and Darby went through our last few days in detail. Reliving it through her eyes was a different experience.

“I’m not sure gloating is the right word.” The smug smile playing on his lips says differently.

“I’m almost caught up. Anything specific I should know?”

“We covered it all while you were away. Why did you come in early?”

“Because Darby went to work at daylight.” I don’t add that my morning plans of having Darby for breakfast went to shit with Stephanie sleeping on the sofa. Scottie stayed in the main house.

“Since you’re all caught up, tell me about Aspen from your perspective.”

“Nothing to tell. It was exactly as she described it. Brasher Resorts wanted her on their team and rolled out the red carpet. Her new kitchen is state of the art and larger than anything she’s ever worked in, her business plan to get up and running is coming along, and they’ve given her a small staff to start.”

“When do they want her in Aspen?”

My gut seizes at his question because the management team at Brasher only asked one thing out of Darby, and she couldn’t say no. “They asked her to start on August fifteenth, which is three weeks earlier than their original date. She’s refusing to do auto-transport and fly, deciding to drive herself and Runner across the country.”

“Fuck, how far is that?”

“Somewhere close to two thousand miles. She’s giving herself seven days travel time, since she’ll have the dog, and she wants to be there a few days early to get settled. She’s got it in her mind to ride out on August fourth or fifth.”

His eyes connect with mine, and it’s easy to tell he’s thinking the same thing I am. School starts on August eighth. Since Cole started school, we have an ongoing tradition. The week leading up to the beginning of school is always my week. In the past, I’ve even given into Connie joining us for a few things in order to give the kids some normalcy. Nothing ever gets in the way of this.

Until now.

“How are you going to handle that?”

“Fuck if I know. There’s no way she’s driving across the country by herself, but I can’t be in two places at one time. Somehow, I’ll figure it out.”

“If she knows your obligations with Cole and Maya, she’ll agree to leave a few days later and log more driving hours in the day.”

“Maybe, but it’s also a landmine. This is exactly the kind of excuse she’ll use to remind me that we can’t overcome the obstacles in front of us.”

He blows out a low whistle, and I also know too well what that means. “Go ahead and say it, Miller.”

“No, because saying that I think you’re fighting a losing battle may give you the impression that I’m not on your side. A few days ago, that was how I felt. But seeing you two last night changed my perspective. All I’m going to say is I hope you have a plan.”

“There’s a plan.”

“Want to share?”

“Darby’s going to leave Charleston. I wouldn’t let her give up this opportunity for anything, especially me.”

“That’s doesn’t sound like a plan. It sounds like you’re going to lose her to Colorado and wherever else they send her next.”

The image of Darby standing in my kitchen that night, crying as she relived the horrible events of what happened many years ago fills my head. There’s the rage I felt toward Miller and the hurt she lived with for so long. Then, the image is replaced with her leaping in his arms last night as she let it all go. I was prepared to take on this challenge by myself, but he came through for me last night, proving he’s on my side.