Page 57 of Between the Lines

Gigi glanced between them, clearly sensing she didn’t quite understand something. “You two sound very serious,” she said with a laugh. “I had no idea this interview was going to be so…intense.”

“Neither did I,” Cece said. “My goal is just to introduce Darcy to the community. Let people get to know her.”

Darcy’s smile widened, just a touch. “And I’m always happy to be known.”

Cece believed that. What she didn’t believe was that Darcy had shown up with Gigi by accident. She picked her phone up and showed them the screen where the recording app was ready to go. “You don’t mind if I record, do you? It’s standard for all the interviews I do.”

“Go right ahead,” Darcy said, still watching Cece with an almost unsettling gaze.

Cece turned the recording app on, opened her notebook, clicked her pen, and let her professional instincts take over. Whatever Darcy Lane thought she was going to accomplish, Cece was going to do her best not to take the bait.

She glanced down at her notebook, then back up at Darcy. “Why don’t we start with something simple,” she said. “What brought you to the Colony?”

Darcy folded her hands loosely on the table. “I was ready for a change,” she said. “Atlanta, where I moved from, had become too loud. Too hectic. It was hard to feel productive there.” She tipped her head slightly. “I wanted somewhere smaller. Somewhere with less chaos. Communities like this tend to be more organized. I like that. Organization is…” She gave an odd smile. “Invigorating.”

Cece nodded, jotting a few words down even though she didn’t really need to. “Community is a common reason people give,” she said. “Was there anything specific about the Colony that appealed to you?”

Darcy’s gaze slid, just briefly, toward the window. The smile softened, turned more inward. “I liked the idea of a place where so many people know each other,” she said. “Where reputations are a kind of currency. It saves time.”

Cece’s pen paused. “That’s an interesting way to put it,” she said coolly. “Saves time in what way?”

Darcy looked back at her then, gaze sharp and assessing. For a second, it felt like she was deciding how honest to be. Or how careful.

“Well,” Darcy began, voice lowering just a touch. “When you come into a community like this, people are already established. You don’t have to guess who holds influence. Or who people listen to. Or who⁠—”

“Oh!” Gigi said suddenly, leaning forward. “That’s so true. I was just saying the same thing to Darcy earlier. You can tell immediately who the movers and shakers are. Like Paige, for instance. Everyone knows her.”

Cece kept her face neutral, but inside, she felt the interview’s momentum come to a crashing halt. She could have sworn Darcy had been about to say something revealing.

Darcy’s expression reset, the thoughtful look replaced by a polite smile. “Exactly,” she said. “It’s easy to acclimate when you know the hierarchy.”

Cece put her pen to the paper again and jotted something she didn’t intend to use, just to keep the rhythm moving. “And how has the adjustment been so far?” she asked. “Have you found it welcoming?”

“Very,” Darcy said. “People here love to engage. They’re very curious. It’s been easy to meet the right ones.”

Gigi laughed. “You make it sound like a networking event.”

“In some ways, it is,” Darcy said, cutting her eyes at Gigi ever so slightly. Maybe wishing she hadn’t allowed her to stay.

Cece smiled, professional and pleasant, even as she made a mental note. That made two of them wishing Gigi had left. They’d been right there. One step from something deeper. And Gigi, whether by instinct or design, had again stepped squarely in the way.

Cece wasn’t sure if Darcy had intended to reveal more or if that had been bait. Either way, the opportunity had passed. For now.

The food arrived, but Cece wasn’t that hungry. She took a bite of her salad anyway, because Darcy and Gigi had their forks in hand.

She swallowed and turned the page in her notebook. “Let’s talk about what you’re hoping to get involved with here,” she said. “Any groups or activities catching your interest yet?”

Darcy’s gaze flicked to Gigi, then back to Cece. “Oh,” she said. “I have a few ideas.”

Cece kept her posture open, her expression curious without being overly eager. “Ideas like what?” she asked. “For social events? Volunteering? Something else?”

Darcy cut a piece of chicken into several small bites with slow, deliberate movements. “What’s important to me is building connections,” she said. “That’s the word everyone uses, isn’t it? But I think most people mean finding comfort or familiarity. I’m more interested in momentum.”

Cece ate a cherry tomato and tilted her head slightly. What was this woman getting at? She talked in word salads, like she was deliberately trying not to reveal anything. “Momentum how?”

Darcy looked at her again, really looked this time. “There’s an assumption here that everyone arrives with the same goals,” she said. “That we’re all here to wind down. Reflect. Sit on the porch and watch the sunset.” A faint smile touched her mouth. “There’s a time and place for that, but some of us aren’t finished living yet.”

Cece made a small note, though her attention was fully on Darcy. “So you see the Colony as…a beginning, not an ending.”