Final Showdown Read online

  It was the moment Liz had been dreading. She could no sooner do her job without Rose than without her limbs. Letting Rose quit was not an option. “No. Rose. Please.”

  Darcy looked at Liz and back at Rose for a few seconds, like he was calculating how much Rose’s resignation would hurt Liz. Liz saw him take a deep breath and then exhale, like a balloon that was deflating.

  Then he smiled, which sent a shiver up Liz’s arms. What was he about to say? Instead of talking, he stood slowly and scooted in his chair. He drained his water glass and set it down on the table top as everyone held their breaths, waiting for what would come next.

  He spoke slowly, “Actually, Rose, thank you for the offer, but,” he paused, “since I’m the only one who seems to have a problem with this situation, I’ll quit.”

  James, Rose, and Liz froze. No one even breathed as they watched Darcy walk out of Alba.

  20.

  Darcy stood against the gray building and looked up at the stainless-steel sign for the restaurant swinging over his head.

  He watched the wind whip through the valet’s coat. “Need anything?” the young boy asked.

  “A cigarette,” Darcy said, the words coming out of his mouth before he had a chance to think twice.

  The valet handed him a cigarette and a lighter. He held the items in his hands. Did he just do that? Did he just quit the company his dad built? Something felt so right about his decision. It solved everything: his apathy at working with the board members and his desire to build something for himself.

  He looked at the cigarette and lighter in his hands and gave them back to the valet. He’d promised himself he wouldn’t smoke after his parents died, and he was going to keep that promise

  A woman leaned against the side of the building next to him. He could tell from the dark curls that swirled into his sightline that it was Liz. He wanted to turn his whole body towards her, but he didn’t know if he could stop himself from taking her into his arms, like he had the night they’d stood outside the same restaurant kissed.

  “Darcy, you can’t quit.” Her hand grazed his as she turned to face him. “There’s got to be another solution.”

  Darcy’s fingers ached from where Liz touched him. “There are a million other solutions, but there is only one problem that is important to me right now.”

  “Rose and James?”

  He shook his head and swallowed before he faced her. “This isn’t about them. This is about me,” he said. “I’m ready to start something on my own.”

  He turned and looked into her deep brown eyes. She was so beautiful, he could barely speak. Did he dare to hope that if he wasn’t her boss anymore that she might want to be with him as much as Rose wanted to be with James?

  Liz tugged gently on his jacket sleeve. “Come back inside. Let’s talk some more. We owe them that.”

  “Did you hear James? He went to the board, and they completely disrespected my decision. I’ll always be ‘little man’ to them. I’ve made my decision. I’m out,” he said.

  “That’s what you want?” she asked.

  He nodded and looked at her. All of her hair was swept over her shoulders, all except one curl. Darcy wanted to push into place, so he lifted his hand and held it for a split second. He dreamed of the moment he could ask her out. Soon, he thought. Soon. He just needed to tie up the current issue. He tucked the piece of hair behind Liz’s ear. Then he walked back into the restaurant.

  He sat back down at the table. When Darcy looked at James and Rose, even though he didn’t want to admit it, he saw a couple deeply in love. And he ached, wanting the same thing with Liz.

  “I don’t want to be the relationship . . . police,” he said, looking at James and Rose once more. “I really don’t.”

  “And this isn’t really about you.” Darcy motioned between Rose and James. “I promise. I’ve been thinking about quitting for a few months.” Darcy couldn’t believe what he was saying. He put both of his palms on the table to steady himself.

  Darcy repeated the words he’d spoken before. “I want to quit.”

  “Darc.” James sat down beside his friend. “You don’t know what you’re saying. You can’t leave all this, all of what your parents built.”

  Darcy looked up slowly at James. “That’s just it. My parents built it. I didn’t. My father was thirty-seven when he built this company. I’m thirty-six, and I’m ready to start something too.”

  “You have built something. You’ve built this company,” James said. “It looks nothing like your father’s company.”

  “No,” Darcy said. “I haven’t built it. I’ve kept it going. I haven’t taken risks because I’m too scared of ruining my father’s legacy.”

  Rose, James, and Liz all sat across from Darcy, looking at him like he’d just announced he was going to the circus, but it didn’t matter to him. For the first time since his parents died, he felt free. “I hope you understand,” Darcy said, breaking the silence. “I’m resigning. Immediately.”

  21.

  The group headed back outside, and Rose and James got in their car. Liz waited with Darcy, barely containing the questions she had for her former boss. Do you have feelings for me? Does this change anything between us?

  Liz took a deep breath, but she knew there was time for all that after Darcy came to terms with the life-changing decision he just made.

  “How’s Georgia?” Liz asked instead, trying to keep the conversation light. A few minutes before, Rose and James left, giving each of them hug before they got into a taxi together.

  Darcy cocked his head to the side. “How is she? You tell me.”

  Dread covered Liz’s body like a weighted blanket. “You haven’t talked to her?” Liz leaned up against the building.

  His eyes narrowed at her. “About what?”

  Liz looked down, a burst of wind headed down the sidewalk and whipped her hair around her face like a tornado. “Georgia’s not in Savannah.” She fought back the tendrils.

  He looked at her the same way he’d looked at her when he asked her if she was dating Sam. “Where is she?” he asked.

  This was bad. Very bad. Liz lifted her shoulders and rotated her palms toward the sky. “I don’t know. At first, she said she had a surprise and needed some time. The last time I talked to her she said she would call and tell you what she was working on. Did she?”

  He shook his head. “No, Georgia told me she was working on a secret project for you. We’ve talked a few times, but I didn’t push because I thought she was with you.”

  Georgia had told them both the same thing. Liz braced herself for anger, rage, something unpleasant. Instead, he pulled out his phone and ordered a car.

  Darcy ordered a car as the worst possibilities raced through Liz’s mind. She’d assumed this entire time Georgia had been at least checking in with Darcy, even if she wasn’t telling him her exact location. Otherwise, she definitely wouldn’t have covered for her . . . especially since Hamilton’s whereabouts were unknown and Georgia asked her for a loan.

  Liz forced herself to tell Darcy the whole truth. “Georgia asked me for a loan. And Hamilton is missing, too.”

  Darcy’s eyes narrowed. “When was the last time you talked to her?” he demanded.

  Liz thought back to her last conversation with Georgia. “About two weeks ago,” she said.

  The car pulled up, and they slid inside. A worst-case scenario flew through Liz’s mind. Georgia could be anywhere by now. She could be blackmailed by or married to Hamilton. Liz didn’t put anything past him. “Any idea where would she have gone?”

  Darcy whipped out his phone, “I’m going to try and call her.” When she didn’t answer, he left her a curt voicemail saying only three words, “Call me. Now.”

  “Where to?” the driver asked.

  Darcy closed his eyes and ran his hands over the leather seats, like he was trying to decide what to do. “Do you still have Hamilton’s number? Will you call him?” Darcy whispered like it was the last thing
on earth he wanted to ask.

  Liz dialed Hamilton’s number and was sent to voicemail. She quickly sent Georgia a text. “Are you okay? Call your brother.”

  “Where does Stella live?” Darcy asked.

  Liz looked at him. She really didn’t want to involve Stella, especially when she was caring for a newborn by herself and her baby’s father was potentially shacked up with Darcy’s sister.

  “Where, Liz?” he asked again. Liz knew she didn’t have a choice; she was going to have to involve Stella, whether it hurt her or not.

  Liz leaned toward the driver and said, “Turn right.”

  When they got to Stella’s house, Darcy rang the doorbell, and Liz prayed he wouldn’t wake up Odette.

  After a few minutes, Stella opened the door. “Liz? Darcy?” she asked. “Everything okay?”

  As the door opened wider, Liz was shocked. She hadn’t seen Stella since Odette was born, and her once flawless friend had been replaced by someone completely foreign.

  Usually, Stella managed to seem effortlessly put together in a boho-hippie, long-skirt, glam kind of way. Now standing before Liz was the sad ghost of her fun friend. She had greasy hair, a stained nightgown, and dark circles under her eyes that looked like bruises.

  “My mom went home last week.” Stella watched Liz’s reaction. “Excuse me.” Stella pulled her once beautiful hair back in a low ponytail.

  Liz reached out, stepped through the door frame, and hugged her friend tight. “I should have checked in earlier,” Liz whispered. As she looked through the door at Stella’s apartment, there were diapers, baby clothes, and spit-up rags covering almost every surface.

  “Thanks,” Stella said. “It will get better when she starts sleeping.” Stella sighed, and the sad sound made Liz’s heart break. “If she starts sleeping.”

  “Do you need something?” Stella asked, looking at Liz then Darcy.

  “We can’t find my sister,” Darcy said softly. “Have you seen Hamilton?”

  Stella nodded her head. She exhaled deeply. “I’ve seen him. A couple weeks ago. He came by here asking if we needed anything. We ran out of diapers, so I gave him some money to go to the store and buy them, but he didn’t come back.”

  “We’re trying to find Georgia,” Liz explained. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but we think she might be with Hamilton. Just trying anyone who know where they could be.”

  Stella shrugged. “I’m so sorry. I haven’t seen him, and I hope he’s not with your sister, but I don’t want him coming back. I just want him to leave us alone.”

  Stella continued to look down at the floor. “I should have listened to you, Liz.”

  Liz wrapped her arms around her friend. “It’s okay. We will figure it out.”

  Stella looked up. “I’m sorry I can’t help more. Would you mind, if you see him, Darcy, asking him to stay away from us? I don’t want him stopping by asking for money anymore.”

  Darcy looked at Stella, his mouth turning into a hard line. “I will take care of it. You won’t hear from him again.”

  Deep in the middle of the apartment, a baby cried. Stella turned toward the infant. “The boss is calling.”

  Liz vowed, as soon as they figured out what was going on with Georgia, to check in with Stella and be the help that she deserved.

  Darcy grabbed Liz’s hand and pulled her toward the car. “If Hamilton is with Georgia, I swear, I’ll kill him. I should have already done it.”

  Darcy’s phone rang, and he answered it within seconds. “I need you to find Georgia. Yes, my sister,” Darcy said into his phone. “Do you still have her information from last time?”

  Darcy hung up the phone without another word.

  “Who was that?” Liz asked.

  A guilty look crossed Darcy’s face. “My detective.”

  “You have a detective?” Liz asked.

  “I had a detective, right after Georgia ran off with Hamilton. I had someone follow her everywhere. At first, I told her it was temporary, so she didn’t complain. But, after a year, she made me promise not to stop. I haven’t broken that promise yet. But . . . ”

  “I think you made the right decision,” Liz interrupted. “How long will it take?”

  “Thirty minutes.” Darcy put his phone in his pocket.

  “Where to, boss?” Darcy’s driver asked.

  Liz’s stomach churned as she thought about what Georgia could have gotten herself in the middle of. “Just drive,” Darcy said. “I can’t sit still right now.”

  Darcy reached out and placed his hand over Liz’s. The heat from his skin comforted her a little, but not for long. Neither of them said a word for the next half hour, both filled with worry. Liz prayed Georgia wasn’t involved with Hamilton again. Or worse, she thought, married to him.

  22.

  There was no way. Georgia was hiding in the very last place Liz expected: Liz’s hometown, Sugar Hill, Georgia. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Liz said, looking at Darcy.

  “Take us to Sugar Hill. Pemberley House,” Darcy said to the driver.

  The driver nodded and took the first turn out of Savannah as Liz stared out of the window in disbelief. The drive to Sugar Hill would have been a scenic break of rural towns and long stretches of highways if she weren’t terrified of what they would find there.

  Liz imagined the worst, and she knew Darcy was thinking the same. She envisioned sweet Georgia being brainwashed by charming Hamilton.

  The drive ticked by at a painfully slow pace, and after an hour, they started passing pastures and pot holes that announced that Liz was home.

  Nothing ever changed in Sugar Hill. Nothing. No one ever fixed the stop light that was dangling in the center of town, and the water fountain at the city park hadn’t worked in twenty years.

  But as they pulled up to Pemberley House, Liz couldn’t believe how it had transformed in just a few months. It was hardly recognizable.

  While Darcy had spent money getting the mansion cleaned and painted just in time for Dee’s wedding, he didn’t have the time for massive repairs. At the reception, it sat, as it always had, quaintly off the road, surrounded by a few pecan trees and a gravel driveway.

  They drove up the street to what used to be the gravel driveway. The couple could barely see the giant house. Instead of a scattering of old trees, the property was surrounded a large hedge, at least eight feet tall, filled with bright pink azaleas. Across the old gravel driveway was a pair of huge gates, looking like they weighed a thousand pounds each.

  Darcy barely let the car stop before he jumped out, and he rang the intercom outside the new gate. Liz followed him out of the car and stood beside him. As she looked through the gates, up to the large white estate, it hit her. This was the perfect getaway for two lovers who didn’t want to be found.

  Liz’s stomach twisted as Darcy buzzed the intercom once more.

  Still no answer.

  Liz couldn’t wait any longer. She walked toward the gates. “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “No one locks their doors in Sugar Hill.” Liz pushed on the middle of the gates with all her strength. She wasn’t going to let Georgia get seduced by Hamilton for a second longer.

  Just like Liz suspected, the gates opened when she pushed. Liz squeezed through, and Darcy was only a few steps behind her.

  They ran down the quarter-mile path leading up to the house that Georgia had transformed from a gravel driveway into a brick road, laid in a beautiful herringbone pattern.

  And along the sides of the path were lush, vibrant pink flowers that matched the azalea hedges.

  Darcy and Liz slowed down as they got close to the front porch. Liz was out of breath as she looked up at the two-story house. Everything about the mansion was different. The entire exterior had been expanded. The circular columns out front had been widened and repainted a crisp shade of white, and the front porch had doubled in size. Rich, dark planters with large topiaries stood on either side of the large black double door.

  L
iz felt like they weren’t just walking into the nicest house in Sugar Hill anymore, but possibly the grandest mansion house in the South.

  Liz stopped at the pitch-black double doors, ready to knock, but Darcy walked past her. He grabbed the handles and pushed.

  “No one locks their door in Sugar Hill,” he repeated Liz’s words as he entered the house.

  The doors opened into the grand foyer, and Liz gasped. The striped 1990s wallpaper had been replaced by a crisp cream paint, and billowing white curtains framed the windows.

  Liz followed Darcy into the kitchen, where at a small table with an antique silver tea set, Georgia was sitting decked out in a long, white dress with ruffles at the bottom, the picture of a southern debutante.

  Sitting across the table from Georgia was a sandy-brown-haired man.

  Georgia’s eyes lit up when she saw them. “Darcy, Liz! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Georgia got up and hugged them both.

  Liz and Darcy stared at her companion who was slowly turning around to face them. “Georgia, what are you doing with—with—”

  As Georgia’s companion turned to face them, before the name, “Hamilton” could fly out Darcy’s mouth, Liz grabbed Darcy’s hand. It wasn’t Hamilton. He had the same color hair and tan skin, but except for that, he couldn’t have looked more different. He had a big belly and teeth pointed in different directions like street signs.

  “Who are you?” Darcy asked the man. He was wearing a dirty blue, button-down shirt and khaki cargo shorts. He slowly stood up to face them.

  While Darcy didn’t know who the man was, Liz needed no introduction. Her jaw dropped as she stared into his eyes. It was Shoney—who along with another boy, Coney—was the other half of Liz’s childhood torment team.

  “Well if it isn’t Lizzy the Piggy.” Shoney looked Liz up and down. “You grew up nice,” he said.

  Shoney extended his hand to shake Darcy’s. “And you must be Georgia’s brother. I heard you were,” he tossed out a thinly veiled insult, “a city type.”