Christmas Behind Bars #simplychristmascontest

Chapter 14- The Arrest

     As the family sat around the dinner table that evening, the light-hearted conversation faded from her notice. Darcy stole a nervous glance across the table at Preston. He offered her a reassuring smile, but uncertainty and concern sharpened his blue with a hint of brown eyes. What did we get ourselves involved in? What if this all ends in a shootout? Oh God, please let this all work out. Keep us safe.

Turning her eyes toward Jake and Lexi at the far end of the table, she didn't realize how hard she was biting her lip until a sharp sting forced her teeth to loosen their hold. Surprisingly enough, Jacob looked as uncomfortable as she felt. He kept casting sideways glances at his fiancé and slowly distancing himself from her. Does he know? Oh, this is killing me! As badly as I want all this to be over, I don't want to see Jacob hurt.

"Darcy, honey, are you not feeling well?" Gammy's voice cut through her mental fog. "You haven't eaten a bite of your supper."

"I'm fine, Gammy," she turned her eyes downward as her assurance fell flat.

"You can go lay down if you need to," Grandma Trudy continued. "I'm sure Lexi would be happy to help clean up."

Darcy quickly hazarded a glance at Lexi...or Liza. A weight settled on her chest as the Black Widow narrowed her dark eyes and cast her a suspicious glare.

She shook her head, "I don't need to lie down. I'm just not very hungry tonight."

Preston slid his arm across the table and held out his hand to her. Without hesitation, she took advantage of the support he offered.

"What were you two up to in town today?" LuAnn asked as she raised a fork full of mashed potatoes to her mouth. "We saw you leaving the library as we were finishing up with our booth at City Hall."

"We weren't up to much," thankfully Preston answered for both of them because, at this point, Darcy was getting nauseous. "We had a little argument last night, and I just needed to prove to her that I was right...had to use the internet."

LuAnn nodded and a smile parted her lips, "What was the argument?"

"I told her that Cheetos were we not considered chips, and she thought they were...didn't you, Chickadee?"

Darcy bit back a smile and nodded slightly.

"So the internet backed you up, Preston?" Vaughn chuckled.

"Not exactly," Preston flashed a mischievous smile at her, and her apprehension melted away. "I couldn't find concrete proof online, so we went to the bus station to use a pay phone. I called Frito-Lay. They confirmed that Cheetos are not chips, so it's settled."

The whole group erupted into laughter. "What a ridiculous thing to fight about!" Jacob covered his mouth with a napkin.

"Let's just hope you two don't fight about anything more serious over the years," Gammy winked at Darcy, and her cheeks burned at the insinuation.

For a moment, she didn't dare look up at Preston, but he squeezed her hand, and she risked a quick glance. He looked at her compassionately, unruffled by her family's assumption they would be together longer than just the next couple of days. Inwardly, she wished to spend the rest of her life like this...with her hand in his and his eyes gazing on her with the same loving expression they held now.

When she stole another glance at Jake, she found his chair even farther from his future wife's than before. What is going on between them?

After supper, when the plates and glasses were being cleared away, Preston grabbed Darcy's arm and led her to the doorway. He leaned in close, so her family would not overhear their conversation.