Most Ardently Page 20

  “Let’s get inside,” Charlene said, bouncing up and down a bit to keep warm. “I’m freezing, and it’ll take a while for the heater to warm up the entire cabin.”

  The inside was wood walls, floors, and furniture, even wood-colored decorations. What little wasn’t varying shades of brown were varying shades of green. There was also a large deer’s head hanging over the fireplace.

  “It’s fake,” Colin said, noticing her look of disgust as he went to start a fire. “My dad’s tried hunting, but it’s always a disaster. He has many talents—aim is not one of them. After he accidentally shot Uncle Todd, Mother made him promise to never hold a gun ever again. After he accidentally shot Uncle Bill, she said arrows weren’t allowed, either. But he insisted that the cabin wouldn’t be complete without the head of a dead animal.”

  “Charming,” she said. “I don’t mind when people hunt for food, but people hunting for sport or decoration just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.”

  “I personally agree with you, but my dad and his brothers consider hunting to be the epitome of manhood.” He rolled his eyes. “My uncles were always disappointed that my dad sucked, but they were even more disappointed when I wouldn’t even try.”

  He stepped back as the fireplace flickered, flames warming Elisa’s chilled fingers from where she stood. As he went to find the thermostat, she looked around the rest of the cabin. Heading up the stairs, she found that there was a master bedroom, and two smaller ones down the hall. Charlene had already parked her and Colin’s bags in the master. Elisa smiled. Apparently having guests wouldn’t stop them from playing honeymooners, after all.

  “Has anyone claimed the other rooms?” she called down the stairs.

  Colin yelled back from the kitchen. “Eddie and Tom are sharing one, and Darcy called dibs on the other. But she’d probably be willing to share with you.”

  “Pass.” She began heading back downstairs. “I’ll just share a couch with Willow.”

  Camila pouted. “You wouldn’t share a couch with me? I’m shocked and insulted.”

  She smirked. “You snore.”

  “So do you.”

  “And you kick.”

  Colin got a huge bag of marshmallows and an even bigger bag of chocolate and placed them on the counter. “It’s too cold to do this outside, and I don’t know how to start a fire out there, anyway, but we can make s’mores in the fireplace, I think. The only correct way to do s’mores is outside over an open fire, but the fireplace will make for decent knockoffs.”

  “I always did ’em in the microwave,” Charlene said.

  He laughed. “Only the finest knockoff s’mores here.”

  Elisa turned away as he leaned in to kiss her. They weren’t so bad together, she admitted, but their kissing could sometimes be…sloppy.

  It would’ve been cute if it wasn’t borderline nauseating.

  Still, she was glad Charlene was so happy. After twenty years’ worth of crappy Valentine’s Days, she deserved it. She just hoped nothing would happen this weekend that could screw things up.

  …

  It was well past dark, and the last of the guests had arrived three hours prior. Eddie, Tom, and Freya, as it turned out, were three of Colin’s classmates from the college he went to. Elisa found them all to be a bit pretentious, but very likable. Willow had arrived with a deck of cards, a karaoke machine, and a cooler full of beer, plus a huge bottle of vodka, while Darcy had arrived with a frown and a book. Elisa had brought a book, too, but was saving it for when everyone else had passed out—she always had difficulty falling asleep in an unfamiliar place.

  By nine, Freya—who, as it turned out, was quite the lightweight—was passed out facedown on the couch. Elisa, Darcy, and Camila, all of whom were sober, kept an eye on her while watching everyone else get anywhere from mildly tipsy to stupidly, falling-down drunk. Darcy sulked in the corner with her book, while Elisa watched, laughing, as Camila and Willow sang duet after duet on the karaoke machine. By song number fifteen, Darcy had gone up to her room.

  “And that was our interpretation of Toxic by Britney Spears,” Willow announced, taking a bow as the rest of the cabin applauded. “Thank you.”

  She dropped the mic she was holding. Camila dove to catch it.

  Willow plunked herself down on the couch next to Elisa, Camila quickly following. She was flushed with nervousness, never having been one to get up on stage, even in a small group. Even so, she was smiling widely. She’d been hesitant to join in at first, but Willow, who was completely unafraid to make a fool of herself, had worn her down.

  “Having fun?” Willow asked, happily drunk.

  “I am,” Elisa said. “I’m glad Colin invited you.”

  “Me too. ’Ssssspecially since I’m getting to know one of your sisters.” She shook Camila’s shoulders. “Best duet partner ever.”

  “Well, I knew if I didn’t go, you’d start harping on Darcy to join you,” Camila said. “And then she probably would’ve cried or something.”

  Elisa rolled her eyes. “Please, I don’t think Darcy’s species is capable of tear production. She’d probably peel her skin off and sprout horns.”

  Camila snickered, but Willow turned to face her again, placing her hands on her face.

  “Lisa. Lisa. Lisa. Look at me. Lisa. Lisa. Look at me, Lisa.”

  “I’m literally staring right at you.”

  “Elisa. Listen to me, Lisa. Darcy’s—Darcy’s not as bad as you think. Scout’s honor.”

  “I thought you told me you got kicked out of Girl Scouts for sabotaging the other girls’ cookie sales,” Camila said.

  “Shhhhh.” Willow waved one of her hands in her face. “My point is… The point is…”

  Elisa smiled. “Look, I know you love Darcy. You two are family. But she’s just so…”

  “Look, look, look. No one knows how annoying she can be better than me. But she’s…she’s got a good heart.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “She totally does,” she insisted. “If you’re her friend, and she thinks you’re in danger of being hurt—wham! She’s there. You don’ even have to ask. Like—like, for example…uh…oh. Oh, Bobby. You kinda knew Bobby, right?”

  “I thought I did,” Elisa said. Now, she was paying attention. Camila, too, had sat up the rest of the way and was watching her intently.

  Willow continued, oblivious to the sudden shift in mood. “I dunno all the details, but apparently, he was dating this girl who was, like, a level-five gold digger—but he, like, really liked her. So he didn’t realize. Love makes you stupid. But, like, Darcy totally realized what kinda person that girl really was, so she pulled Bobby aside and told him the truth. I mean, it seriously hurt the poor guy, but, like, Darcy knows that a harsh truth is better than a lie to spare someone’s feelings.”

  “And then Bobby went to Cape Cod,” Elisa said slowly.

  Willow nodded. “Right. He was kinda reluctant to give up on the gold digger, but Darcy convinced him that—that it was the best thing he could do for himself. Don’t try to fix things, don’t try to ration’lize the problem away. Just go.”

  “So…Darcy…broke them up.”

  “What was the girl’s name?” Camila asked. Maybe Willow had it all wrong, or there was somehow another girl involved. Maybe this had happened years ago. Maybe she was thinking of a different Bobby. Maybe…

  “Uhhh… Julianne, or Juliet. Something like that.”

  “Julieta,” she said quietly.

  Willow nodded, snapping her fingers. “That’s it.”

  Camila looked like she was going to be sick. Elisa’s hands were balled up into fists, nails digging into her palms.

  Willow’s smile was slowly dropping, as if she were being gradually eased into a bath of ice.

  “You two…have a sister named Julieta, don’t you…?” she said, the full truth of the matter slowly dawning on her.

  Elisa nodded.

  “Oh. Oh. Oh…” Then, it hit her. “Oh shit.”

  Wi
llow looked absolutely mortified. Camila had buried her face in her hands, trying to process what she’d just learned.

  Elisa’s breath became shaky, her hands clenched into fists through no will of her own. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. There was nothing to say, nothing that would make this better. She got up from the couch, grabbing her coat off the hook, ignoring Willow’s plea for her to sit back down. The others were in the center of the living room, playing a board game, oblivious to the conversation Elisa, Camila, and Willow were having. Darcy was still up in her room.

  “I’m going for a walk,” she announced, pulling her snow boots on. “I need some fresh air.”

  “Want some company?” Colin asked, beginning to get to his feet. “It’s dark out there, you’ll get lost.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she snapped. Then, a breath in, a breath out, trying to level herself. “I just—I kind of need some alone time.”

  He sat back down, nodding. “Okay. But if you’re not back in an hour, I’m coming after you.”

  “Fine.” Sixty minutes wouldn’t be enough to clear her head, but she wasn’t sure any amount of time would do the job.

  She stepped out of the cabin and into the winter’s night, trying her best not to slam the door behind her. Even with her coat, gloves, scarf, and hat, she began shivering almost immediately. Hopefully it’d get better if she kept moving.

  What little snow remained crunched underneath her feet, the only noise in an otherwise silent forest. Most of the animals were hibernating and would be for another month, and it appeared the group back at the cabin were the only ones who’d decided to come out here this weekend. She walked aimlessly for nearly forty-five minutes, going in circles, going down the same path again and again, not wanting to get too far from the cabin, but not wanting to go back inside. Finally, she reached the edge of the frozen stream, and stood there, staring at the darkened landscape, inwardly fuming over what Willow had told her.

  Even for Darcy, this was low. First what she’d done to Wick, and now this.

  It was official, Elisa decided. Forget the idea that she’d been too harsh or judged too quickly. Darcy Fitzgerald was the most conceited, most vile, most insufferable person on the planet. She was stuck-up, and cruel, and…and…and…

  “Elisa.”

  She let out a yelp, before turning around.

  Darcy was standing there, blue pea coat with matching boots, looking apprehensive. Had someone told her what Elisa had found out? If she was here to try and apologize, she would have to restrain herself from tossing her onto the ice.

  “Colin told me you’d gone for a walk. I followed your footprints,” Darcy said. “I have an important matter to discuss with you.”

  “Did he tell you I want to be alone?” Elisa asked, voice shaking a bit, furious just from the sight of her.

  “Yes. But I need to talk to you when we’re alone, and we may not get another chance this weekend. That was…actually the entire reason I agreed when Colin invited me on this trip. I wanted to see you.”

  “Darcy, I promise you, whatever you have to say, I don’t want to hear it.”

  “I have a present for you.”

  She blinked. “Um. What?”

  Darcy reached into her pocket and produced a small, heart-shaped box of chocolates, handing it to her. Elisa took it, mainly because she was at a loss as to what else she could do. This wasn’t one of the cheap boxes they sold at the drugstore—these were expensive. Fancy. When she took a closer look, she saw that Darcy had scribbled a message in Sharpie on the front.

  For Elisa Benitez. I hope you enjoy these as much as I’ve enjoyed knowing you.—Darcy Fitzgerald.

  Slowly, Elisa raised her head to look at her again. She was shuffling nervously on her feet, clearly waiting for some kind of reaction. When Elisa didn’t speak, she filled the silence for her.

  “I agonized over whether to get those for you,” she admitted. “I knew I wanted to get you something for Valentine’s Day, but I was worried the chocolates might be cliché. But then I thought to myself, they became cliché for a reason, and I know you enjoy chocolate, so I decided to just go for it.”

  “Um…thanks, I guess, but—” She was so confused, she had nearly forgotten she was mad at her. “Why are you… Why are you giving me a Valentine’s Day present at all?”

  Darcy took a shaking breath before stepping closer to her.

  “Elisa, I have struggled in vain for the past few months. Ever since the day you and I met, really. But it cannot go on like this. I have something to say to you, and I ask that you listen to me. I admire you greatly, Elisa, and please believe me when I say that I most ardently love you.”

  Elisa dropped the box of chocolates. She stood frozen, staring at Darcy, searching her face for any sign that she was kidding. She found none. Finally, Elisa managed to force out a response.

  “What?”

  “Hear me out. I… I planned a speech.”

  “You planned a speech for—?”

  “Listen. I wanted to confess to you long before today, but, a combination of my own shyness and how nervous I get around you, and the fact that your family is highly inappropriate in social situations, particularly those involving those of us with a higher social standing—”

  “Excuse me?”

  Darcy kept talking, apparently not noticing that she was about three seconds away from being slapped. “Please let me finish,” she said. “In spite of your lower financial status, and your…frankly embarrassing family, I have been extremely taken by you since the day we met in Professor DeCaro’s class. In spite of everything my brain has been telling me, my heart has been stolen away. By you.”

  Darcy stopped talking, watching Elisa’s face, big brown eyes shining expectantly.

  What am I even supposed to say to all that? Her brain was in “blue screen of death” mode.

  Finally, she found her voice.

  “Well, today your brain gets to say, ‘I told you so,’ because believe me, Darcy, your feelings are not mutual,” she said. “In fact, they’re about as far from mutual as it’s possible to be.”

  She hadn’t actually slapped Darcy, but judging from the look on her face, she might as well have.

  “Wh…what?”

  “You can’t honestly be surprised by this,” Elisa snapped, throwing up her hands. “You’re cold and snotty and condescending. You’re pretentious and talk like you’re in a bad period piece. You’ve never said a nice thing about me—”

  Darcy was staring at the ground, bottom lip trembling. If it had been anyone else, she would’ve felt sorry for her. “That is not true,” she whispered.

  “Oh, right, you said I was fine, you supposed. Were you expecting a prize for that?”

  “Elisa—”

  “You act like a complete bitch all the time. Not just to me—to everyone. Even Bobby, your so-called best friend.”

  Darcy licked her lips. “I… I admit, my social awkwardness can sometimes manifest in ways that makes me come off as…less than friendly,” she said quietly. “Bobby has known me for years. He knows what I am really trying to say, and that I truly do care about him, even when I’m being…standoffish. I suppose I forget that not everyone is used to me, and I don’t always… I don’t always put forth the effort to be more sociable.”

  “Is that your excuse?”

  “It’s not an excuse, it’s the truth.”

  “Also, who in their right mind asks out a girl by insulting her family? And that’s not even getting into what you did to Julieta. How could you break up her and Bobby? How?”

  Darcy glanced up at her, eyes slightly widened, but she didn’t try and deny it.

  “I was trying to protect Bobby.”

  “Protect him from what? Julieta has never hurt a soul in her life.”

  “And now that I’ve pulled Bobby away from her, she gets to keep that flawless track record,” she said, crossing her arms. “Look, Elisa, I understand that your judgment may be somewhat clouded when it
comes to your sister. I know the two of you are close. But believe me when I say that what I did was for the best. It was obvious to me that Julieta was not as invested in the relationship as Bobby was. It’s not that she wasn’t kind or friendly, but she behaved toward him the exact same way she behaved toward everyone else. Every man I ever saw try to advance on her while we were all out together, she gave the same smiles and patience she gave Bobby.”

  “That’s because she’s nice!” Elisa yelled. When had she begun shouting? She honestly wasn’t sure.

  “If Julieta wished to keep her relationship with Bobby casual, that is her right. It is even possible she thought that was clear and was unaware her actions would ever hurt anybody. But I didn’t want his heart to get broken when he inevitably realized he was far more invested in the relationship than she.”

  “Julieta loved him, she—she would’ve eloped if he asked.”

  “Oh, I’m sure she would have,” she said, voice laced with venom.

  “What. The hell. Does that mean?”

  “Oh, don’t be naive, Elisa. It’s obvious to me—to everyone—that marrying Bobby would be incredibly advantageous to Julieta and, by extension, your whole family.”

  “If you’re calling my sister a gold digger, I swear to God—”

  “I’m not saying she was only after Bobby’s money. I don’t think she’s that cold-hearted. But your youngest sister and especially your mother—they have both made it very clear that the financial gain is the biggest reason they encouraged the relationship.”

  Elisa stared at her in silence for a few moments, breathing shallow, tears stinging her eyes, whether from anger or sadness on her sister’s behalf or just sheer frustration.

  Upon seeing her tear up, Darcy’s gaze softened, and she stepped forward, raising a shivering hand and reaching to wipe Elisa’s eyes. She stopped just before she actually touched her, as if waiting for permission. Elisa didn’t give it to her. She just took a step back and shook her head. Fortunately, she accepted that and quickly lowered her hand.

  “I’m sorry,” Darcy said. “I shouldn’t have—I shouldn’t have put it all quite like that. This isn’t how I wanted this to go. I never meant to bring you pain.”