If only Darcy knew what Margot was dealing with, she wouldn’t give her grief over her ineloquence. “Shut up.”
“No, no, now I’m curious.” Darcy grinned. “Are these pants feelings or chest feelings?”
Margot was in hell. “Elle is seriously rubbing off on you if you’re using the words pants feelings unironically.” She sighed. “And yes, I realize I just said rubbing off. My life is ripe with innuendo.”
“It is, isn’t it?” Darcy agreed. “Cats and vibrators and rubbing off. It’s a gold mine.”
“I’m dealing with a blast from my past and all the many, varied emotions that have reared their head thanks to it. Cut me some slack if I’m not on top of my game.” She raked her fingers through her hair, tugging at her ends until her scalp stung.
Darcy sobered. “Look, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. Unlike my brother, I won’t push.”
Margot nodded, shoulders lowering from where she’d had them hiked defensively by her ears.
“But if you do decide you want to talk about it, you know where to find me,” Darcy said. “Or Elle. You know she’d listen.”
Elle would probably tell Margot all of this was fate and that everything would fall into place if Margot just followed her heart. Only, following her heart had fucked everything up once; Margot would be damned if she let that happen again.
“Thanks, Darcy,” Margot whispered. “I appreciate the offer. I’m not . . . there yet, but maybe I’ll take you up on it some other time. But only if there’s wine involved.”
Darcy batted at the air and scoffed. “Obviously.”
“Good.” She narrowed her eyes. “Until then—”
“My lips are sealed. I heard nothing.” Darcy mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key.
“Good.” Margot nodded decisively. “Because if you do go and blab—”
“You’ll what? Break into my apartment and move everything three inches to the left and fuck with my flow?” Darcy laughed, reciting a threat Margot had made when Elle and Darcy had first started dating. “Your bark is a whole lot worse than your bite, you know that?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Margot grumbled. “Not that this heart-to-heart hasn’t left me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, but we should probably head back out there.”
Margot shoved away from the wall and made it two steps down the hall.
“Word to the wise, Margot?” Darcy called out quietly. “If you don’t reckon with your feelings, sooner or later your feelings are going to reckon with you. Just something to keep in mind.”
Chapter Nine
Margot tossed her keys on the entry table and made a beeline for the couch, where she threw herself down and stared up at the ceiling.
Married.
Elle was getting married.
On a logical level, Margot knew she wasn’t losing Elle. She wasn’t losing any of her friends. But Elle was going to be someone’s wife. Even if Margot wasn’t technically losing anyone, it was still the end of an era, the beginning of a new chapter.
All her friends were settling down, and Margot? She had yet to find a brand of shampoo she liked well enough to commit to, let alone a whole person.
Olivia wandered into the living room, barefoot and soft-looking in her chunky cashmere cardigan and pink pleated skirt that barely brushed the tops of her knees. She nudged Margot’s feet aside and took a graceful seat, fingers skimming the skin of her thighs as she smoothed her skirt down with a brush of her hands. The pleats splayed open, the hem of her skirt rising several inches.
Margot tore her eyes away before Olivia could catch her staring.
“Are you all right?”
Margot lifted her head. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know.” Olivia frowned. “You’ve been quiet since we left the bakery.”
“Oh.” Margot let her head fall back against the arm of the couch. “No, I’m fine.”
Olivia nibbled on her lip. “If you say so.”
A beat of silence passed, then another, and another.
If you don’t reckon with your feelings, sooner or later your feelings are going to reckon with you.
Margot sighed. “Darcy cornered me coming out of the bathroom. She’s planning to propose to Elle.”
A bright smile graced Olivia’s face. “Really? That’s fantastic. Did she tell you when she . . .” Her words trailed off, smile faltering. “Wait. Is it not fantastic?”