“Jim, that’s fantastic news. Get in touch if anything critical comes up. Otherwise, I’ll talk to you guys Monday. Round of drinks on me tonight.”
Disconnecting, he looked at the clean lines and open space of his apartment and let the silence settle over him. A half-eaten microwave dinner sat in front of him. The beer he’d cracked, down a single swallow. It was only seven, but for the number of hours he’d been running, it was definitely late enough to go to bed.
Only he kept thinking about Darcy.
He’d talked to her a handful of times while he’d been gone, and texted daily. But after having gotten in the habit of heading over to the house a couple of times a week, going this long without seeing her was making him itch.
He’d checked in with her earlier. Said he’d drive out tomorrow after he’d gotten some sleep and might make company worth having. But now...
Hell. He ought to just go to bed. In fact, forget the bed.
He flopped back on the couch and stretched completely out for the first time in he couldn’t remember. Felt the ache and creak of a body running on fumes.
And didn’t go to sleep.
Because he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
His arm slung out from the couch, fumbling across the coffee table until he found his phone.
He’d just check in. And then he’d be able to sleep.
Punching in a few numbers, he waited for the line to pick up. “I need a car.”
* * *
The house was mostly dark by the time Jeff arrived, the downstairs deserted, no sounds of activity filtering through from the floors above. Maybe he should have called ahead, but he hadn’t wanted to risk Darcy telling him to stay put and get some sleep...because he hadn’t wanted to explain he didn’t think he’d be able to until he saw her. Only, yeah, looked like that’s how it was going to have to go.
At least he’d see her first thing tomorrow.
On leaden legs he took the first flight of stairs, his brain zeroing in on the bed a few yards away. Except then he heard it. A noise from Darcy’s end of the hall.
She was awake. Shaking off his fatigue he strode toward her room, his heart starting to pound at the sliver of light leaking out from beneath her door. Raising a hand to knock, he stopped short at the sound of a muffled sniff from within.
Then another, followed by some kind of low growl.
What the hell?
He rapped twice. “Darcy?”
A thud.
Then a squeaked, “Jeff?”
“Yeah, you okay?”
Some shuffling sounded and he waited for the door to open. Then more shuffling, this time farther from the door. And finally she answered.
“I’m really tired tonight. How about we talk in the morning, okay?”
He stared at the door, his hand already on the knob. Because, no, it wasn’t okay. He could hear in her voice something was wrong.
“I’m coming in,” he said giving her a second’s warning to cover up if she needed to before turning the knob and stepping into the room.