"I'm just not ready," Darcy means to assure him. "But I will be." She can't hardly dispense all this advice about how the fuck he should be running his life and not be gracious when he offers his own two cents, can she? Well, she could, but then she'd be a hypocrite asshole, and that's lame.

"He'll appreciate it. I'm sure he'll have more to say about it than I do right now." The inside of her lower lip is drawn between her teeth and worried at for a moment or two. "But, uh... If you wouldn't mind listening when I am ready, I'd like that. You're a good listener."