steal my momâs house from her, and Griffin told me to contact Mitch so he could explain to me how itâs perfectly legal.â
Gracie, Harmony, and Maddie all glanced at one another.
Maddie picked up a napkin and twisted the paper around her finger. âIâm sure heâd be happy to talk to you.â
âIâm sorry your mom is suffering.â Gracie cleared her throat. âBut it will be good for the town.â
Darcy could tell by the womenâs expressions that they werenât sympathetic to her plight, but she attempted to appeal to their obvious sense of family. âI know itâs not much, but my momâs family has lived there for generations. She doesnât want to sell.â
Maddie frowned. âI heard sheâs the last holdout.â
âShe is.â Darcy straightened her shoulders. âShe asked me for help, and Iâm going to help her. And Griffin Strong is not going to stop me.â
The three women looked at one another again, and then Gracie nibbled her bottom lip. âYou guys were pretty serious back in high school.â
âThat was a long time ago,â Darcy said, waving her hand in dismissal even as her heart sped at the thought of him. âWeâve moved on. And Iâm not letting him steal my motherâs house.â
Gracie went to speak again, but Maddie stopped her with a slight touch on the hand, before beaming at Darcy. âHow about this? Itâs poker night. Why donât you join us? Mitch is with the stateâs attorneyâs office now, but he knows everything about the law, and will be happy to fill you in and tell you if you have any options.â
Gracieâs expression brightened. âThatâs a great idea.â
âTotally.â Harmony glanced back and forth between Maddie and Gracie. âAlthough, itâs going to be a bit crowded for poker.â
âIt will be fine,â Maddie assured her.
The fine hairs on the back of Darcyâs neck rose, and suspicion settled into the pit of her stomach. âWho will be there?â
Maddie beamed. âJust us.â
That revealed nothing. Darcy pressed. âWhoâs us?â
Gracie shrugged, her expression far too innocent. âThe usual, and you can meet my fiancé, James, and see Sam. It will be fun, like old times.â
âThere will be food and lots of liquor.â Maddie pointed at her belly. âYou can drink for me, and I promise Mitch will answer any questions you have.â
They were all a bit too eager, and that could only mean one thing. Darcy narrowed her eyes. âWill Griffin be there?â
Harmony covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.
Gracie waved a hand. âMaybe, who knows, itâs an open invite so we never quite know who will show up.â
Maddie put her hands together in prayer. âOh, please, please, please come.â
âIt will be fun,â Harmony said, her voice light and lyrical. âI promise.â
Darcy chewed on her inner cheek. She could get the information she needed tonight from Mitch Riley, which meant she could start a full-blown investigation as early as tomorrow morning. If she didnât talk to Mitch now, sheâd have to wait to get on his schedule next week. Who knew how long that would take? And the sooner she learned her options, the faster she could get out of this godforsaken town.
The price being a night with Griffin. Because she was positive heâd be there. Which was fine. She could handle him. Her heart gave a hard thump.
Really, she could.
Chapter Nine
The last person Griffin expected to see when he walked into Mitch and Maddieâs farmhouse was Darcy.
His gut tightened, and he experienced a flush of pleasure at the sight of her. Which was wrong. He needed to stop thinking about her; being in close proximity to her would not help matters.
She gave him a dark frown, glaring at him as though heâd orchestrated the whole