Infatuation and Independence
Page 6
“What does he mean by that wink, Kitty?” her mother demanded. “What are you doing that involves a king-sized bed, a truck, and a winking man?”
Kitty burst out laughing. “Mother, trust me. It’s not what you think.”
Dinner continued in much the same manner. Kitty’s mother asked all manner of inappropriate questions, and her father intervened as much as he could. Josh seemed amused by it all, and Kitty felt her anxiety ease with each peculiar exchange.
Josh made her mother seem like harmless background noise.
And that’s really what she was.
The opinion of her father, on the other hand, counted for something. He took her arm as they exited the restaurant, leaving Josh to her mother.
“I like your young man, Kitty,” her father said. “He shows excellent judgment. He took nothing your mother said seriously.”
Laughing, Kitty shook her head. “No, he didn’t.”
And the Queen Mum had launched her most cutting, thinly veiled insults his way. She’d even extolled the virtues of the car salesman in his presence.
“I wish Will had a little more of Josh’s relaxed attitude toward her,” her father confessed. “She cannot be held back from saying every thought that crosses her mind. It would be better if Will didn’t take her so seriously.”
“Will always takes everything seriously,” Kitty reminded him. “That’s part of what Liz loves about him.”
“True,” he agreed. “He was certainly very serious about his praise of you when I played golf with him yesterday.”
“He praised me?” Kitty asked, surprised. Liz had said he was impressed, but she’d believed her sister to be exaggerating to boost her ego. But if Will had spoken to her father about her, maybe she was being honest.
“He confessed that Georgie had overspent, which he did not enjoy doing, might I add. But he also said that you created a budget to help her pay off her debts.”
“I did,” Kitty admitted.
“If I’m not mistaken, you did the same for Lydia.”
“Multiple times,” Kitty admitted.
“Lydia is most hardheaded,” her father said.
“But to be honest, I loved doing it, even if Lydia never got it right. I’ve actually thought…,” she trailed off, embarrassed to confess her fledgling ideas.
“That you might want to start your own personal financial planning business,” he finished for her. “Will said as much. Is that true?”
Hoping her mother wasn’t eavesdropping, Kitty looked over her shoulder to see her engaged in conversation with Josh.
She nodded to her father. “It’s an option I’m considering.”
“Will also said that you had refused Liz’s offer of startup capital.”
Again, Kitty nodded. “I just….”
“Wanted to do it for yourself,” he finished for her.
“Yes, if I decide to try, I want to ask for help, not have it thrust at me.”
Her father nodded, his expression turning serious. “You know your mother will never speak to you again if you do not accept that job with your Uncle Edward.”
Swallowing hard, Kitty nodded.
“And I will never speak to you again if you allow your mother’s opinion to overtake yours.” He stopped beside Josh’s truck and gave her a quick hug. “I want you to be happy, Kitty.”
Josh and the Queen Mum came alongside them.
“I want all my daughters to be equally as strong willed as their mother,” her father said. Then, in a quieter voice meant for Kitty’s ears alone, he added, “But twice as wise.”
“Oh, George,” her Queen Mum cooed. “What a sweet thing to say!”
After a quiet drive back to Rosings, Josh pulled his truck into the driveway of Kitty’s temporary abode. Feeling nervous now that they were back at her place, Kitty fidgeted as Josh came around to open her door.
Kitty knew she had a decision to make.
Was this evening with Josh a date or a sham?
Would it end with a kiss or a handshake?
“I think that went well,” Josh joked as he escorted Kitty up the sidewalk.
Thinking of her mother’s final whispered offer to take her home that very night to escape the hillbilly, Kitty descended into giggles. “Do you?”
“I think your father liked me,” he said with relentless positivity.
Kitty laughed again. “You’re right. He did. He approves of anyone who supports his daughters.”
“I do support you, you know,” Josh said. “Whether you decide to take the job with your uncle or go into business for yourself, I’ll be on your side, still hoping you’ll agree to a date.”
Kitty felt her throat clog with emotion. No matter what, Josh would be with her.
If that’s what she wanted.
“And if you decide to start your own business and want some input on building your app and website, all you have to do is ask.”
All you have to do is ask.
Upon hearing those words, Kitty gave in to her impulse and hugged him.
“Thank you,” she murmured, turning her face into his neck as she spoke.
Josh wrapped his arms around her tighter but remained silent.
“You do understand me,” Kitty said as another realization hit her.
Kitty Bennet was a strong woman. She didn’t need other people to plan her life for her.
For the first time ever, Kitty Bennet knew exactly what she wanted.
She wanted to start her business and create her own ad-supported app.
She wanted Josh’s input on the project.
And most of all, she wanted to date Josh Parrish.
She wanted to date the hillbilly, the contractor, the entrepreneur. She didn’t care what he was.
Finally, Kitty pulled back enough to look at Josh’s face. His blue eyes met hers.
“It’s almost real,” she said, knowing she was being vague.
He raised a brow. “Almost real?” he repeated with confusion.
“This,” Kitty said, using one hand to gesture between them. “It’s almost a real date.”
She let her hand fall to his chest, and Josh’s expression turned hopeful.
“What would make it a real date?”
“This,” Kitty said, leaning in with a gentle kiss.
With a single touch of her lips to his, sparks of attraction exploded behind her eyes.
She pulled back and looked at him in surprise.
Josh slid a hand along her jaw and gently pulled her forward again. This kiss was deeper, setting off fireworks in her heart, a celebration of her own personal independence day.
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Stay in Jane Austen’s world with more modern short stories. Read A Year with Jane Austen.
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Caroline Bingley
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The Personages of Pride & Prejudice Collection
A Year with Jane Austen: Modern Austen Short Stories
About the Author
Jennifer Becton worked for more than twelve years in the traditional publishing industry as a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader. Upon discovering the possibilities of the expanding ebook market, she created Whiteley Press, LLC, an independent publishing house, and she has since published in two genres: historical fiction and thrillers.
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Acknowledgements
This story fulfills a long-standing dream of mine. I finally got to make a joke about Colonel Fitzwilliam’s first name. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen does not give him a first name, but somehow, it became tradition in Austenesque literature that his name was Richard. If anyone knows how that happened, I’d love to know.
Thank you to my editors and proofreaders: Jakki Leatherberry, Marilyn Whiteley, and Octavia Becton. I appreciate your help and hard work on Kitty’s story. None of those people are responsible for my Colonel Fitzwilliam joke or any errors remaining in the text. That’s all me.