The Harder They Fall (26 page)

Michael hung up the phone,
a vague sense of unease teasing through him. He returned to the kitchen table and sat down across from Annie. “Crank call.”

Annie nodded absently, then picked up the conversation where they’d left off when the phone rang. “If you get offered the job, you’re going to take it?”

“I think so.”

“It’s less money.”

“Yeah, but it costs a lot less to live in Spokane than it does here. Besides, the base pay may be less, but if I can turn profits around, the profit-sharing deal they outlined will more than make up for it.”

Annie shook her head. “Why, Michael? I thought you were happy with D.I.”

“I was. Or, I thought I was. But this last deal really opened my eyes, Annie. Darcy really opened my eyes. Somewhere along the line, I lost my scruples. You wouldn’t believe what I was willing to do to win the deal.”

He stood up and started pacing. “Then Darcy just handed it to me.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “And I took it. I feel like the biggest bastard.”

“You wanted it for the right reasons, big bro.”

He spun back to face her. “Did I? Did I really?”

“Of course you did. You wanted it for Mom. For me.”

He laughed harshly. “Yeah, what a great guy I am, huh? Sorry, Annie, that doesn’t wash. I wanted this promotion for me. So I could come home and show everyone what a hotshot I was. I wanted it so I could send the write-up in
Business Week
to our grandfather. I wanted it to prove to him he was wrong about me.”

Annie didn’t have to ask what he was talking about. He’d told her about the confrontation with their grandfather several years earlier. “So what are you going to do now?”

“God, I don’t know. I’ve felt so damn unclean the last couple of days, I haven’t even been able to call her. If I get there and she’s already regretting her decision, I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to look at myself in the mirror.”

“This isn’t just about tricking some heiress, is it? You really care about Darcy, don’t you?”

Michael looked his little sister in the eye. “More than I thought it was possible to care.” He grabbed his beer and took a healthy slug. “All I can do is promise to make her so happy, she’ll never miss the restaurants. Problem is, I don’t even know if I’m capable of that.”

Annie put her hand on his arm. “From what I could tell, the woman is head over heels in love with you. My bet is, she’d take you over any old restaurant any old day.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I am. You should have seen the darling note she sent me after she finished my manuscript. She’s got a romantic heart, Mike. Go for her.”

He nodded. “I hear from Jake Hanley tomorrow morning. If I get offered the job, I’m taking the next flight to D.C.”

“What if you don’t get offered the job?”

Michael heaved a breath. “I don’t know. I know Darcy hates New York. I don’t think I could ask her to live here.”

Annie grinned. “Wow, that sounds pretty permanent.”

Michael glared at her. “Of course it’s permanent. What do you think I’ve been talking about here?”

She pushed him back to the table, sat him down and handed him paper and a pencil. “Okay, bottom line is, you now hate this job.”

“Yes.”

“So if you don’t get the other job, why not put yourself out on the market? Someone, somewhere, is bound to snap you up. Just make the stipulation that you don’t want to stay in New York.”

Michael started scribbling. For a daffy woman, Annie sure knew how to put things in perspective. He looked up. “If Mom and I move, you
are
coming with us, aren’t you?”

Annie shrugged. “Have laptop, will travel.”

Michael grinned for the first time in what felt like centuries. “I knew that laptop was a good investment.”

“Now go invest in something for yourself. Like a diamond ring.”

If Darcy didn’t stop crying soon,
she was going to flood her apartment. It made her mad that she was crying anyway. She wasn’t a crier, and she hated Michael for turning her into a blubbering idiot.

“Well, Darcy girl, what else did you expect?” she muttered, after blowing her nose. “You weren’t actually foolish enough to believe a man like Michael could fall in love with you, were you?”

She snorted. “Of course you were. You never learn, do you?”

She looked down at the page she’d torn from Michael’s pad last night. Why she’d kept it, she couldn’t begin to fathom. Why she kept reading down the list, she didn’t know either. It was torture. And yet, she had to keep reminding herself that Michael Davidson was a low-life snake. Otherwise she’d do something really stupid. Like miss him. Like march on up to New York and demand that he love her. Like forgive him.

No, she’d never forgive him. Not in a million years. He’d
used
her. He’d seduced her, certain she’d fall right into his arms and into his bed. And then she’d stupidly hand him her restaurants on a silver platter. And what really galled Darcy was, she’d done
exactly
that. He’d made an utter fool of her. And the moment he’d gotten what he wanted, he’d disappeared.

The no-good, low-life, bug-eating frog.

Only, for a while there, her frog had turned into a prince. Or so she’d been fool enough to believe.

She tossed down the page and took a sip of iced tea. The doorbell rang. Listlessly, Darcy crossed the living room and looked through the peephole. Her iced tea fell from her suddenly boneless hand and crashed at her feet.

Heedless of the mess, she took a step back, lost her balance and fell on her rump. She sat sprawled, unable to breathe, unable to control her racing heart.

What
was he doing here? Why had he come? She couldn’t face him now, not after discovering his dirty, lowdown plan. Her dignity had been shattered enough. She couldn’t stand the thought of him smirking at her, or worse, taking pity on her.

She sat perfectly still for she didn’t know how long. He resorted to knocking. When she didn’t respond, his voice drifted to her through the door.

“Darcy, I know you’re in there. I heard the crash. Please open up.”

She didn’t even dare take a breath.

“Darcy, I’m sorry I haven’t called. There were things I needed to take care of. But it’s all done now.” He paused. “I have some good news,” he tossed out like bait to a fish.

“Go away!” she shouted.

There was another pause. “Why?”

“As if you didn’t know!”

“Darcy, why is your voice coming from the floor? Did you fall?”

She scrambled to her feet, unfortunately cutting her hand on a shard of glass in the process. “Ouch!”

“What? What happened?”

Sucking on her palm, she said, “Just go away!”

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

Darcy yanked open the door. “What’s wrong, you double-crossing schmuck, is that I know all about your little scheme.”

He cocked his head, but a strange look flew over his features. She’d almost call it dread. “What scheme?”

God, he was beautiful. Why did he have to be such a snake? Maybe Darcy had a personality flaw. Maybe she was really superficial. Because, knowing what she knew about him, she still wanted him. God, what a fool!

She stepped back. “Well, by all means, come on in and I’ll show you what scheme.”

He hesitated. “I really missed you, Darcy.”

She snorted and spun on her heel. Marching to her coffee table, she turned to glare at him over her shoulder. “Can it, Davidson. You can cut the act now.”

She ran headlong into her brass apothecary lamp. It crashed to the floor, but Darcy ignored it, stepping over it on her mission.

She picked up the paper and turned, rustling it.

Michael bent over to pick up the lamp.

“Leave it!” she ordered. “I don’t want your help, Michael. With anything.”

He straightened slowly. “What in hell is going on?”

Thrusting the paper at him, she snarled, “This, you slithering—”

“I get the idea,” he said, cutting her off. He took the paper from her, then glared down at it. His glare disappeared in a flash, and dismay took its place. He whispered an obscenity.

Looking up, his blue eyes appeared genuinely contrite. Well, add acting to his many talents.

“I can explain.”

“The list seems pretty self-explanatory, so don’t waste your breath. Or my time.”

“Darcy, please—”

Something burst inside of her. All of her hurt, her raw, aching emotion came tumbling out. “No! Don’t make things worse!” She snatched the list from him and shredded it. “You used me!”

“No, I—”

“I was a means to an end for you. You wanted that acquisition, and you’d stop at nothing to get it. Lucky for you the only obstacle in your path was poor, pathetic, gullible Darcy.”

“That’s not—”

“God, how you must have laughed all the way to Spokane.”

He took her shoulders. “Listen to me. That’s not true!”

Darcy shrugged off his hands. “Don’t touch me! You’re just like Brad Fontaine.”

Almost laughably, he looked insulted by that remark. He opened his mouth, but she beat him to the punch again. “Was that little scenario up in New York planned, Michael? How brilliant. How sneaky. How low, to bring your family in on your little schemes.”

Blood drained from his face. “My family had nothing to do with it.”

“No, I’m sure they didn’t. They seemed too nice for that. You’re the snake in that crowd. You probably just hinted what you wanted them to say to me.”

“No!” he shouted. The guilt had left his face, and now he only looked angry.

Well, that was good. She was angry too. That self-righteous anger and humiliation were the only things keeping her from throwing herself into his arms and pleading with him to tell her it was a joke. That they were on
Candid Camera
and their prize was a honeymoon trip to the Bahamas.

“Get out, Michael,” she said, her voice low. She was seriously close to having a nervous breakdown, and she didn’t want him to witness it.

“Dammit, Darcy! Yes, it may have started out that way. But what we had turned into something much more.”

“
Had
seems to be the operative word here.”

He jerked her into his arms. Right where she did and didn’t want to be. “We could still have it,” he said, his eyes smoky and pleading. “Please, Darcy.”

His lips lowered dangerously. Darcy shoved him away. “Guess what, Michael. This time kissing her isn’t going to work.”

The fight seemed to drain from him. His shoulders, if possible, deflated. “I’m sorry, Darcy. I never meant to hurt you.”

Hysterical laughter threatened to burst forth from her. “No, I’m sure you didn’t. It wasn’t on the list. You also didn’t mean to humiliate me. Make a fool out of me. Not . . . on . . . the . . . list.” She threw the shredded paper against his chest. “You just meant to use me.”

He flinched as if she’d slapped him. After taking several deep breaths, he gazed at her so sadly that she almost started crying. Then he turned, silently, and walked to the door, crunching through the glass without caring.