One Night of Scandal

“If you say love again, I’m going to—”

“Love,” her mother finished, beaming at her.

Darcy pretended to gag. “You’re the cheesiest person on the planet.”

“Yeah, but you still adore me.”

She couldn’t argue with that. She happened to adore her mother to death.

“I just need to finish up this row and then I’ll meet you in the kitchen,” Carol said, her deft fingers working the knitting needles with impressive speed. “Why don’t you make us a salad? I can heat up some lasagna to go with it.”

“Sounds good.”

Darcy wandered into the incredibly out-of-date kitchen and began gathering up ingredients for a salad. As she sliced tomatoes at the counter, her mind drifted to Reed, going over every detail of the out-of-this-world sex they’d had less than an hour ago.

In her living room.

Right on the desk she worked at almost every evening.

God, how would she ever be able to sit behind that desk again without thinking about it? Without thinking about him, and how astonishingly good he’d made her feel?

What was even more astonishing was her suggestion that they have a fling. Darcy had never seen the appeal of casual sex. She loved all the things that came with relationships. The cuddling, the intimacy, sharing her feelings, having someone to talk to.

She and AJ had mastered all of that, but the physical aspect of relationships was just as important to her, and sadly, she and AJ had never really found their groove. Even their kissing had been boring.

Kissing Reed, on the other hand, was not the least bit boring. It was exhilarating, and when she was with him, she experienced the excitement she’d been longing for.

But she wasn’t foolish enough to think he could offer anything more. In the five months she’d been with AJ, she hadn’t seen Reed get serious about anyone. His life was an endless parade of women, and Darcy had no intention of getting her heart broken by the man.

“Okay, tell me what’s on your mind.” Her mother entered the kitchen and spoke in a no-nonsense tone.

Darcy glanced up from her dicing. “What makes you think I have something on my mind?”

Carol snorted. “Ha. You actually expect me to believe you stopped by just to raid my fridge? On a school night? I know you better than that, sweetie.”

Great. Apparently she was equally predictable. “Fine, you caught me.”

Smiling, Carol pulled a large Tupperware container from the fridge and set it on the counter, then grabbed two plates from the aging wood cabinet next to the sink. “So what’s going on?”

Darcy was usually able to talk to her mom about anything, but sex wasn’t one of the topics she brought up freely. Feeling a tad awkward, she chose her words carefully. “I’m thinking of doing something potentially stupid.”

Carol sighed. “Is this another tattoo conversation? Because I already told you, I don’t care if you get one. Just make sure it’s not a butterfly at the small of your back. I was at the supermarket the other day and there was a woman about your age with one of those. I saw it when she bent over to get something from the bottom shelf. Oh, and her thong was peeking out of her jeans. It was horrifying.”

Darcy burst out laughing. “Don’t worry, I’m not planning to get a tramp stamp.”

“Is that what they’re called? That’s not a very nice term.”

“No, it’s not, but most of the slang these days isn’t very nice.” She bit her lip. “I’m considering having a casual…affair, I guess? Yeah, a casual affair.”

Carol’s eyes grew serious. “Well. You’ve gone out on casual dates before, no?”

“Dates, sure. But even if it’s just a first date, I still go into it entertaining the possibility that it could lead to something more. With this, I know for a fact that it won’t.”

“Why do you say that?”

She paused, thinking about Reed’s rough-around-the-edges personality. He’d already admitted to being impulsive, and she knew from AJ that he’d never had a serious relationship in his life.

“He’s not really my type,” Darcy admitted. “He’s sort of a bad boy. Has a wild reputation, doesn’t take things very seriously.”

“Sounds a bit like your father.”

She frowned, realizing her mother wasn’t too far off base. Her dad was definitely impulsive, sweeping into her life a couple of times a year with his magnetic, larger-than-life personality. Darcy didn’t think she’d ever had a meaningful conversation with the man.

“Is that why you and Dad got divorced?” she asked tentatively. “Because he was a bad boy?”

As usual, Carol’s visible hesitation sparked her curiosity. Twenty-five years since the divorce, and Darcy still knew only the bare minimum of details about what led to it. Her mother had always insisted the marriage simply “hadn’t worked out.”

Today, however, Darcy found herself coaxing for more information. “I don’t even know if you left Dad, or vice versa.”

Carol released out a tired breath. “In the end, it was my decision. But your father didn’t exactly challenge it.”

With that, Carol refocused her attention on the lasagna, heaping two generous portions on their plates, then heating the first dish in the microwave. She kept her back to her daughter, but Darcy saw the tension lining her mother’s slender shoulders.

“This wasn’t something I ever wanted you to know,” Carol said suddenly, “but I think it might be time you did.”