Perfect Night (Mason Creek #4) - Terri E. Laine Page 0,20

do a blue backsplash in this tile and white quartz countertops which are easier to maintain than granite.”

Then she pointed out how she would rearrange the kitchen footprint. It actually sounded good, though I wasn’t that fussy. I was confused about one thing.

“Why blue?” I asked her.

“Personally, I’d go with grey, but I figured you’re doing this for Emma, and I hear her favorite color is blue.” My eyes widened. “Don’t look shocked. I’m not dumb. You sure as hell aren’t renovating this house for me.” She placed her hand above where my arms were folded and leaned in. “Just because you might end up with little miss goody goody, doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun.” She came closer. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”

I caught her hand and moved my head before she could kiss me. “Why do you hate Emma so much?”

She eyed her hands where I’d captured them. I let them go. She stepped back. “Why do you think?” When I didn’t answer fast enough, she continued, “I loved you, Aiden. I would have done anything for you. You had to know that. Yet, you left me, broken hearted.”

I reached for her, hating that I’d hurt her. I did care about her. “Darcy, we’ve talked about this.”

She held up her hands to stop me. “Just answer this. If you had stayed, would you have married me?”

I closed my eyes, trying to think of a way to say no without making her feel as though she hadn’t been worth it. “Darcy,” I said again, feeling like it was the only safe thing to say while navigating the minefield she put in front of me.

“That’s a no,” she finished for me.

“It’s not because of what you think. We talked a lot about leaving. If I stayed, then that meant I didn’t want to leave and I thought you did.”

“Yet, you left, and I stayed.”

“Why?”

“Where does a girl like me go. I wasn’t great in school. Then, I really didn’t have ambitions outside of marrying you.”

“Really?” I asked. “The girl I knew wanted to see the world and you should.”

“Who would want me?”

“Oh Darce, any man would want you. Malcolm doesn’t deserve you.”

“How would you know?”

“I met him, or rather I met him as the mayor today. I hate to judge a man on one meeting, but he’s quite arrogant.”

“He’s my last option. God knows there’s no one else in this godforsaken town who deserves me.”

“You have a gift. Your ideas for the kitchen far surpass anything I would have thought of on my own. I would have left the kitchen layout as is. You should go to school or get an interior designing job outside of Mason Creek and find a man who will make you believe in love.”

“Maybe I need to get over you first.” Before I could think of a response, she went for the pizza. “It’s getting cold.”

After Darcy left, I took the samples and headed to the bar. I hadn’t consciously thought of redesigning a home for Emma, but faced with the truth, I had to confront it. I didn’t know if Darcy was right about Emma’s favorite color. Though I’d avoided her this past week, Darcy had inadvertently given me a reason to see her now.

What I didn’t understand was the frosty stare Emma gave me when she opened the bar’s office door.

“Can I help you with something?” She stood in the open crack not letting me in.

What rumors were circling now? I tested the waters. “I could use your help,” I said.

Though she looked reluctant, she opened the door. “Sure, come in.” But I could tell I wasn’t exactly welcome.

She waved at the chair and I took a seat after her.

“So what can I help you with?”

I opened the bag Darcy had left me. “I wanted your opinion about color for my kitchen.” I laid each item out one by one.

She barely gave them a cursory glance. “It’s your kitchen.”

“I know. I hoped to get some advice from a friend. I guess I was wrong.” I stood and began to pick the tiles up to put back in the bag. This Emma wasn’t the one I helped a few days ago. Maybe she’d changed more than I thought.

“Wait.” She stood. “I might be biased. Blue is my favorite color. I assume you plan to do white upper cabinets and these blue as lower cabinets.”

“Or an island in blue and the other lower cabinets in white.”

She smiled then. “I like all blue