A / N

Right, so, gonna apologise for a (possible) upcoming delay in updates. I've had a busy month, what with post house renovations and going overseas and all. There are easily seven Miles Away chapters in stock somewhere in my notebooks, but none of them are typed out. And I can only foresee myself getting busier as Nanowrimo draws near (and noevember!). So if I drag out updates, I really apologise for that. Please know that I don't mean it, and I will try my best to get back to a regular schedule when I can.

That being said, here's the biggest difference between Miles x Darcy and Kaden x Isla. A misunderstanding that takes Kaden and Isla twenty-five chapters to solve takes Miles and Darcy one. That is all.

x Noelle

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(the one where they make up (...out?))

"DON'T SULK, DARCE, you did the right thing."

Flo patted my head like I was a Chihuahua. Having had a day off from work, she'd taken Coco out for a coffee-run, then dropped by Sereinn to ogle our newest intern. Whereupon I'd found her, poured my heart out about Miles, and downed the rest of her coffee.

"If this is the right thing, how can it feel so wrong?" I moaned and thumped my head onto the table. The truth was that I never would've backed out of the deal if Miles hadn't reneged on his end. At that moment, I felt stuck at a crossroads—Miles Callaghan or Caverly.

This time, I'd picked the latter.

"Funny you should say that," Flo said, sounding a little distracted, "because I've been thinking the same thing about riding that boy on this very table."

I snapped my head up so quickly that my joints cracked. Wincing, I rubbed the back of my neck and glared at her. "That boy is seventeen and it would be considered a felon to ride him anywhere. And could you control your libido for underaged boys for just one second?"

"Could you control your libido for Miles for just one second?" she tossed back, unfazed by my words. "So you had a falling out with him—the world does not end. Just show up to his office, sit on his lap and show him how sorry you are!"

I rolled my eyes. At times like these, I wished desperately for advice from Brielle. At least hers did not always involve sex as the solution to everything.

A shuffle of footsteps made us look up. Heather headed to the pantry for a coffee refill, but her eyes gleamed with interest, no doubt having caught the tail-end of our conversation. "If you asked my opinion—"

Flo snorted. "No one did, honey."

"—I say you did the right thing," she finished, ignoring Flo completely. "You should've sided with Caverly and, more importantly, Sereinn from the very beginning. Maybe we wouldn't be in so much trouble if you had."

"Or, maybe Sereinn's only in half as much trouble because of Darce," interjected Flo. "Take Darcy out of the picture and what do you have? A vengeful Miles Callaghan hell-bent on destroying this town without anyone to stop him. I'd like to see you sit on his lap and try to convince him otherwise," she added to Heather.

The very idea of Heather sitting on Miles's lap to convince him of anything left me nauseous. "I'm going back to work," I muttered, and left the two girls bickering behind.

Jessa looked up as I entered Brielle's office. She was cleaning up the mess I made, as always, and shot me a sympathetic look. "Bad day?"

"Bad week." I threw myself into the chair with a sigh. If I'd known that sitting in this chair held that much responsibility, I never would've taken it.

"Maybe we can raise enough funds to buy Blue Haven over from Hale & Co."

I considered her suggestion before shaking my head. "No, Blue Haven's a bust. If we purchased it from them, they'd want a profit, and we'd have to raise even higher than the sale price. Our funds would be much better placed elsewhere instead. There're still the houses by the beach to consider—many of the residents have moved out and put their houses up for sale."

"And Caverly Heights," added Jessa. "I hear the owner may be looking for a buyer now that he's ready to retire."

I mulled over her words. Caverly Heights was no Blue Haven, that was for sure. That place was notorious for its crimes, some organized and some petty, with its run-down buildings, cheap rent and old streets. If Sereinn could clean it up though...

"Put it on the list," I said. "We'll keep a lookout on that."

"I'm on it," she assured me, and resumed stacking the files. "You know, now that I think about it, I'm not so sure we could've acquired Blue Haven, anyway."

"Why not?"

"Well, apparently, only two firms were ready to make an immediate purchase when Blue Haven went on sale. Hale & Co. just barely managed to outbid EV."

I stared at her. "What did you say?"

"Hale & Co. was up against this buyer called EV." Jessa frowned at my flummoxed expression. "I thought you knew. Brielle always went on about how we had to watch out for La Cour and EV—until Hale & Co. came along, of course. Even with the funds we raised, I don't think we were in the running at all."

My mouth went dry. Suddenly, Miles's words flashed in my mind with painful clarity. What else would you have us do? he'd asked. Wait around for Sereinn to raise funds that may or may not be sufficient to purchase Blue Haven? I'd thought his words antagonistic then, but...

What if he'd only been telling the truth? Sereinn was never in the picture all along. If Hale & Co. hadn't bought Blue Haven, then EV would have. Between the devil and the deep blue sea, I'd pick Hale & Co. any day because that was where Miles was.

I shook my head and let out a slow breath. "I didn't...I didn't realize." My voice was small. "I thought Sereinn would've had a chance if Hale & Co. hadn't jumped the gun, but now that I know we never did..."

Jessa shot me a sympathetic smile. "You owe Miles Callaghan an apology, don't you?"

I did.

*

It hadn't occured to me what a bad idea this was until I arrived at the retirement party.

As I stood in the foyer, I watched the other guests enter the grand hall in a flurry of cocktail dresses and fashionable suits. I'd arrived a good half an hour early, because I'd wanted to catch Miles before he went in. But with five minutes left to the start, he was still nowhere to be found.

What had originally seemed like pleasant surprise was now shaping up to be one of my worst ideas ever.

I bit my lip and shifted on my heels. I had told Miles to go to his dad's retirement party alone, after all. What if he was a no-show tonight? Or, worse, what if he showed up with someone else?

The unexpected thought knocked the wind out of my lungs. I could almost picture it perfectly: Miles with a new girl on his arm—maybe a brunette or redhead to my blond; far more intelligent, prettier and successful than I would ever be.

Of course, I knew that Miles could date whoever he wanted (and maybe already did), but the reality of it didn't hit me until then. If and when he did fall in love with someone else, I would become the ex. The one he used to know. The one who existed only in his past.

The one he no longer loved.

Shit. This was a mistake. I dragged in a sharp, painful breath and spun on my heels, ready to leave.

"Darcy?"

I stopped at the familiar, and welcomed, voice. Miles. Slowly, I turned back around and there he was. He stood by the doorway of the side entrance, an expression of genuine surprise on his face. He stared at me, then glanced over his shoulder, as though believing that I were waiting for someone else instead.

But there was no one else. Only him.

"Hi," I breathed, and blinked hard to keep the tears at bay. He hadn't brought anyone. That thought filled me with overwhelming relief, and I beamed up at him. Dressed in a dark blue suit, he looked a fraction less formal than he had at the previous dinner, but just as lovely. "You look great."

A flush rose to his cheeks, but he continued to stare at me in clear bewilderment. "W-what're you doing here?"

I bit my lip. No time like the present for an apology. "My colleague Jessa told me some news about Hale & Co. and EV. I didn't realize it then, but I do now—that if it wasn't you, it'd be them. I should've known that you wouldn't... Anyway, I was wrong. I'm sorry I judged you so quickly, and said you didn't have a heart—because if there's one thing you've never lacked, it's that."

I searched his features but I couldn't, for the life of me, tell what he was thinking. His expression remained impassive, and I shifted uneasily on my feet.

"To be honest, I'm still not thrilled that Hale & Co. has acquired Blue Haven," I admitted. "But between Hale & Co. and EV, I'd pick you over them any day. And if you're not too mad...if you want, that is...we could..." I trailed off and gestured towards the open door.

He remained silent and my face fell. So much for second chances. I tried not to let my disappointment show as I turned to leave. But I'd barely taken a step when long fingers wrapped around my arm, pulling me to a halt.

When I looked up at Miles, his expression betrayed nothing, saved for a single arched eyebrow. "You always give up on apologies that easily, Evers?"

A smile broke across my face and I shook my head. At that moment, nothing else mattered. Not the work rivalry, or the retirement party. His warm fingers seemed to envelope me and I fought not to shiver under the intensity of his gaze.

"Never," I breathed, and stepped closer to him.