But there’d be no crying over the spilled milk. He’d made his feelings clear. He wanted her. But only in the moment. Period.
It was true that disappointment had been sitting like a slug in her gut ever since, but she had to move past that right now. Even if when she’d gotten home last night from work they’d talked about Carver and she knew Parker was far more worried about her than he’d let on. She’d promised not to fly the guy again and to let Parker know if she saw him or any of his men at the airport.
But for now, Kel would be here in five minutes and she had other problems. She’d tried on everything she owned. Not because she was worried about pleasing him. Kel was a great guy: smart, kind, funny, good looking . . . But it wasn’t the sheriff she was thinking of while staring into her closet.
Nope. She wanted to pick something to wear so that when she paraded down the stairs and out the front door past Parker, his jaw dropped to the floor.
And not in a she’s off to bingo way.
She pulled on her little black dress. She’d bought it on a whim last year after she’d had the flu and lost five pounds in one weekend. She had some really great high-heeled strappy booties to go with it, too. By the time she’d shoved herself into everything, it took her a moment to recognize the woman in the mirror.
“What do you think?” she asked her audience.
The kitties just kept attacking each other. Oreo, square in the middle of the bed, lifted his head and smiled sleepily at her, his tail thumping on the blankets.
“Nice, but you like everything,” she said, and snapped a selfie, texting it to Darcy with: too much?
Darcy immediately responded with a phone call. When Zoe answered, all she heard was a wolf whistle.
Zoe let out a low laugh. “Yeah?”
“Oh yeah. So did you finally decide to jump Parker’s bones?”
Butterflies erupted in Zoe’s stomach. “No,” she said, hopefully more firmly than she felt. “Tonight’s my date with Kel.”
There was a beat of silence.
“What the hell does that mean?” Zoe asked.
“I didn’t say anything,” Darcy said.
“Your silence spoke volumes. You’re the one who suggested this date with Kel.”
“Yes, and don’t get me wrong, Kel’s a hottie, but . . .”
“But what?” Zoe asked.
“Well, my money was on Parker,” Darcy said. “What happened?”
“My closet light is fixed,” Zoe said.
“Huh?”
Zoe shook her head. “Never mind.”
“You two have all that very serious chemistry.”
They did. They had so much chemistry that he melted Zoe’s bones whenever they were in the same room and sometimes even when they weren’t. “He’s not an option for a viable relationship,” she said.
Darcy was silent again. “We’re talking about a date, Zoe, and if you’re very lucky, also some great sex—not a marriage proposal.”
“You don’t understand,” Zoe said.
“What is it I don’t understand? That women have needs? The fact that you’re trying to get yourself a life? That you finally realized you need stuff for your own outside of me and Wyatt? I love that, Zoe. For so long, for too long, you let Wyatt’s and my life come ahead of yours. It’s your time, babe, and you’re looking the part tonight. Just . . .”
“What?”
“Pick the right man, is all.”
Zoe’s butterflies took flight again. “Like you just said, Darce, it’s just a date.”
“Well, that’s how I’d look at it, but you’re not wired like I am. Follow your heart, Zoe.”
The doorbell rang. Zoe stilled. “My heart’s confused,” she whispered.
“No, your heart is never confused. It’s just rusty from lack of use.”
“Dammit,” Zoe said. “When did you become the smarter sister?”
“Always have been,” Darcy said smugly. “But it’s good to finally be recognized.”