practicing with her was exactly what he wanted to do. Not once had he regretted that decision, and for the first time since his grandfather’s death he had roots.
“Oh?” She might have meant the word to be nonchalant, but the slight squeak gave away her anxiety.
A good person might have let the subject go, not put her on the spot, but Blake had never claimed to be good. Not in that sense, at any rate.
He zeroed in on the one name she’d let slip on the day the invitation had arrived. “I want to know more about Mandy Coulson.”
Darby sighed, rolling her eyes toward the hospital cafeteria’s ceiling. “You would want to know more about her, wouldn’t you?”
He shrugged. “She’s the only non-related person from your hometown I’ve ever heard you mention by name.”
Her eyes flashed blue fire and her chin lifted. “Trey Nix.”
Blake paused, fry midway to his mouth, dangling from his fingers. Trey Nix? “Who’s he?”
Why did he instantly dislike him?
Face full-bloom pink, Darby pretended fascination with her chicken salad, raking her fork through the half-eaten entree. “No one.”
Clearly she regretted having mentioned the name.
“No one?” He wasn’t buying that. “Then why bring him up?”
“You insisted upon another name, and I knew you wouldn’t quit until I gave you one.”
“And Trey Nix—” what kind of name was Trey Nix, anyway? “—was the person who popped into your head?”
“It’s just a name.”
Uh-huh.
“Interesting.”
Her gaze lifted to his. “What’s so interesting?”
“That you mention a sworn enemy and then a guy.” Pink blotches spread across her throat and Blake’s suspicions rose. “Were you in a love triangle with Mandy and what’s-his-name?”
“A love triangle?” She laughed. “You’re crazy.”
But the half-strangled way she said the words hinted that he’d hit the nail over the head.
“Besides I never said Mandy was my sworn enemy.”
“No?” Good thing Darby had wanted to go into medicine and not acting. Not even the most gullible bloke would buy the bull she was attempting to feed him. Not liking how his fries weighed heavily in his stomach, he waited until her gaze met his. “Who was she?”
Better still, who was Trey Nix, and what had he meant to Darby?
Setting her fork next to her plate, she arranged the utensil on the tray. “For the first fifteen years of my life Mandy was my best friend.”
Best friend? Now, there was a twist Blake hadn’t seen coming.
The cafeteria wasn’t crowded, or particularly noisy, but he had to strain to hear her next words.
“But that was before.”
“Before what?”
She shook her head. “Let’s change the subject. I’ve had enough of the past for one night, and no amount of poking or prodding from you is going to get me to say more, so let it go.”
She dug into her salad with gusto. She’d been playing with her food all evening. He doubted she was even hungry. But apparently she didn’t want to talk about Mandy and was sending a loud message for him to back off.
Her tone had switched to Darby bossy. The tone she used when he’d pushed as far as she would allow him to push.
Fine—he’d let the topic of Mandy go. For now.
“At least tell me what you expect of me this weekend.”
She paused mid-bite. Startled eyes lifted to his. “What do you mean? I told you what I expected. Just pretend you’re madly in love with me—as if I’m the greatest thing that’s ever happened to you and you can’t live without me.”
“Okay,” he said slowly, taking measure of the panic in her eyes and wondering at his own rising panic at her words. “I can do that.”
In many ways, meeting Darby was the best thing to ever happen to him.
“How long have we been dating?”
She blinked at him, as if he’d spoken in an alien tongue. “Pardon?”
“There are things inquiring minds will want to know. Questions that are usually asked when a person sees someone they haven’t seen in a while.” He gave her a pointed look. “How long have we been dating?”
“The simpler we make this, the better.” Glancing down at her plate, Darby stared at her food. “We’ll say we’ve known each other for years, but only recently became romantically involved. Let’s stick to the truth as much as possible.”
Why was she so nervous? Because she was going to see the man from her past she’d mentioned? What did it matter to Blake? He should be happy if she reconnected with some long-lost love.
Was Nix a long-lost love?
Blake’s fries threatened to stage an uprising. “The truth works for me.”
“Except that you’re in love with me,” she pointed out.
His irrational reaction to the idea of Darby having a long-lost love irritated Blake. “I got that.”
Her gaze dropping to her plate, she nodded. “I just wanted to be clear.”
“As crystal.”
Her cellphone rang. She pulled out the phone and looked at the number. Grimacing, she shoved the phone into her pocket.
“Who was that?”
“Rodney.”
Her ex? Why was he calling? “You didn’t change your mind about getting back with him?”
He hoped not. Really hoped not.
He didn’t like the idea of Darby with Rodney. She was way too good for the guy. Plus, crazy as it was, he wanted to go with her this weekend, wanted to meet Mandy. And maybe even Trey Nix, just so he could figure out what Darby’s relationship had been with the man—although he had a pretty good idea.
An idea he didn’t like any better than the idea of Rodney.
“No,” she sighed, looking tired, as if this trip home weighed heavily upon her mind.
He knew she hadn’t gone home last Christmas, but she had made the trip when her niece was born. During the four years he’d known her
