Darcy could barely wait until Peggy came back to tell her what happened with Jeremy. Darcy and Jeremy definitely did not get along, but the girl knew it was mostly Jeremy's fault. He was the one being rude and stand-offish towards her. She didn't purposely he mean towards him or anything to make him act that way.
Darcy had invited Peggy the very next day after Peggy got back. She wanted to give the woman and her husband time to rest before bothering her with the Jeremy drama. The moment Darcy told Peggy that she had drama with Jeremy, the older woman gave the young girl her complete attention.
"So, he asked you to watch Ava--" Peggy began, but Darcy cut her off.
"More like demanded, I don't think he would've taken 'no' for an answer. He already had her out of his truck and at my door, so I think he knew I wouldn't have a choice." Darcy said, making the woman nod.
"Was he rude about it?" She asked, and Darcy nodded.
"Yes, he said he didn't really trust me or something like that, and claimed I was still waiting for my opportunity to get something in return out of him. He swears I could never do anything out of the kindness of my heart, yet he still left his daughter with me," Darcy explained,"matter of fact, he snapped at me when I asked him if he had a swimsuit for her in his truck, so she could swim. I ended up going out to buy a few, and I was going to offer it too, but he got all rude and snippy with me before I could even try." She added, causing the older woman to sigh.
"Honestly, Darcy, I don't know what's wrong when it comes to you in that man's mind. Maybe if I lock ya both in a room together, he'd come to his senses." She commented, but Darcy quickly shook her head.
"No, that's a bad idea! Absolutely not!" Darcy exclaimed, and Peggy laughed.
"Fine, but we're gonna find somethin' to do about this," Peggy replied, causing Darcy to nod,"Oh! Before I forget, I got ya a date with a cute farm hand from a county over. We stopped for gas, and I met him, and I knew he'd be good for ya. You two have a date tomorrow at the Meg's Diner. I'll be here to help ya get ready." She said, making Darcy's eyes go wide.
"I don't know..." Darcy trailed off, causing Peggy to smile.
"Don't ya worry about a thing, Darcy. Chris and I are gonna be there, too, jus' at a different table. Chris will be facin' ya the whole time, so if he thinks anythin' is fishy about this guy, he'll cut in and save ya." Peggy stated, and Darcy nodded stiffly.
Darcy had been on dates before, so she wasn't nervous about going on a date. She was actually nervous because she didn't even know the guy's name, but Peggy was going to have her go out with him. Darcy really didn't want the man knowing her address, since she lived alone, and she or her pups could potentially be hurt if he was a bad guy.
"I, uh, I don't want him knowing where I live, Peggy." Darcy commented, causing the woman to laugh.
"Oh, don't worry, Darce. He'll be swingin' by my place to get ya. Chris and I thought it'd be best if ya came to ours for pickup. We'd also be able to know when to leave to be there with ya." She replied, making a relieved sigh leave Darcy's lips.
"Does Chris know you set this up?" Darcy asked, and Peggy nodded.
"He thinks it'll be somethin' nice for ya, but he doesn't know if you'll like the guy or not." She answered, shrugging slightly.
Later, Peggy went home to talk to Chris. She told him everything Darcy told her about Jeremy. Chris began to wonder if Jeremy was possibly holding back some sort of feelings for Darcy. He couldn't be sure, since the man was so closed off towards women, but he had a hunch.
When they were at the farmer's market, Chris spotted the slight guilty look that encased Jeremy's face for barely a second when he upset Darcy. He also felt like all of the hateful words about Darcy's good intentions was just a way for Jeremy to close off his heart. Chris knew his friend was a caring guy, so he felt that the man simply needed a woman who would treat him and his little girl right.
Ava meant everything to Jeremy, and everyone with eyes could see that. Jeremy often times didn't take Ava out, since he didn't want her in the public eye. He wasn't embarrassed of her, far from it, he actually just didn't want the girl to be stuck dealing with all of the glances and whispers from the people in town. Chris and Peggy didn't bring her out much either, since they wanted to respect Jeremy's privacy.
Sebastian and Anthony did the same, obviously, but they were a little more busy than Chris and Peggy, so they couldn't often watch over Ava. Chris worked hard, yes, but he didn't work as much as Sebastian and Anthony—not that it was his choice. He just didn't have as many opportunities as they did. He often just helped Peggy sell things from their garden and such.
Anyhow, that night, Chris had an idea he wasn't too sure about. He had the idea of telling Jeremy that Darcy was on a date. Obviously, he knew the idea wasn't good, and if there was any problems, it would be his fault, but he also wanted to see if Jeremy would do something. If Jeremy showed up or voiced any opinions, then he would have to believe that Jeremy had some type of feelings for Darcy. He just couldn't be sure, and the only way to know—without angering his friend by blatantly asking—would be to put the man in a situation where he'd have to do something in order to change what he didn't want happening...