Written in the Stars(69)

“Sure.” Darcy nodded. “I get it.”

Except she had learned her lesson, whereas Mom clearly hadn’t. She bounced from relationship to relationship, building her life around whoever she was seeing. She didn’t know how to just be, let alone be alone and so she’d move on to the next guy until the pattern repeated itself and she wound up with a broken heart. Again.

The corners of Mom’s mouth lifted. “I thought you would.” Her veneer of happiness was flimsy at best, her smile not reaching her eyes. “Brendon and I are going house hunting this Saturday, then we’re grabbing drinks and a show at Can Can. You should come with us. You could use a little fun in your life.”

She might not begrudge Mom her attempt at a fresh start, but house hunting with her? Drinks? Darcy could already feel a tension headache forming at the base of her skull. “We’ll see. I might have plans.”

“Plans?” Mom wiggled her brows. “With a friend?”

Darcy reached under her chignon and jabbed her fingers into the space where her head met her neck. “Yes, Mom. A friend.”

“The same friend who leaves cheap wine in your kitchen?”

A strange surge of protectiveness rose up in Darcy’s chest. “Honestly, Mother?”

“You mothered me.” Mom stared, dark eyes wide. She lifted a hand, lightly stroking the front of her throat. “Brendon told me you were seeing someone and that it was serious but I couldn’t believe it. Looks like I owe him twenty bucks.”

She wouldn’t quit. Darcy clenched her teeth until her molars creaked. “Brendon doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“So it isn’t serious?” Mom pressed.

“Why do you care?”

Mom’s eyes widened. “Darcy, I’m your mom.”

“Yeah, well, you could try acting like it.” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. “Mom—”

“No.” She sniffed and smiled tightly, eyes wet with tears unshed. “It’s nice to know what you really think. You’re always so tight-lipped with your feelings around me. Tight-lipped, tight-ass.” Mom scoffed out a laugh. “It’s fine.”

The barb barely stung, the slick feeling of guilt swimming in Darcy’s stomach winning out. She meant what she’d said, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t undo it, press rewind if she could. “Look, me and Elle . . . it’s complicated, okay?”

“Complicated?” Mom’s brows flew to her hairline. “Darcy, baby. That doesn’t sound good. Haven’t you had enough of complicated?”

Her spine stiffened. This wasn’t like that, and she had enough with Brendon meddling. She didn’t need Mom nosing in, too. “That wasn’t an invitation to give your two cents.”

“Not the answer to my question. But I can take a hint.” Mom stood and reached inside her purse, withdrawing her cigarette and lighter. “I’ll get out of your hair, but just let me say this. Your brother . . . he’s like a rubber band. He’s got an immense capacity to love and his highs are high, his lows low, but he always snaps back. His heart is elastic. You and I, we’re more alike than you want to believe. But it’s true.

“When we feel things, we feel them deeply, all the way to our bones. We don’t snap back like your brother, and our hearts aren’t made of elastic. They’re breakable, and once broken, it’s difficult to piece them back together.” She lifted her head and stared at Darcy with wide, shiny eyes. Darcy wasn’t good with tears, not hers, not anyone’s. Definitely not Mom’s. She was all too familiar with those.

Darcy found it hard to swallow. “Mom—”

“I know. You don’t want to talk about Natasha any more than I want to talk about your father, and I understand that. I do. You were ready to spend the rest of your life with her and that’s no small thing. Natasha broke your heart and while I’m sure Elle’s nice—Brendon seems to think she is—do you have any business getting involved in something that’s complicated this soon after you’ve put yourself back together, Darcy?”

Cold settled in Darcy’s chest, her stomach heavy and hard.

“Which isn’t to say you should spend the rest of your life alone.” Mom waved her hand, dismissing the thought. “Life is short and you deserve to have fun. But you’re sensible, far more sensible than me and for that I’m thankful. I’m only suggesting that our hearts can lie. You have a good head on your shoulders, baby. Use it.”

Natasha had checked all her boxes, was all the things Darcy thought she wanted. They’d made sense together. She was a safe, sensible choice and Darcy had been ready to spend the rest of their lives together. It had never, for one second, crossed Darcy’s mind to fear that sort of betrayal before it happened, before she saw it with her own eyes. Even knowing what Mom had gone through, learning that Dad had cheated on her during those long business trips, and how Mom had drunkenly told her love was a lie more times than she could count, Darcy hadn’t believed it could happen to her until the day it did.

Was she right? Were they more alike than Darcy wanted to believe? Here she was, supposed to be dedicating her time to passing this FSA exam and instead she was carving out time, carving out a space in her life, for Elle, free-spirited Elle who couldn’t have been less like Natasha if she tried. Elle was all she could think about half the time and it was more than just fun, it was—