Improvise

by Melanie Rachel

  Richard shook his head. This was so disappointing. “You had plenty of time to insult her,” Richard said with a sigh. “Have you read her résumé now?”

  Will grunted. He sounded embarrassed. “She took it with her.”

  Richard grinned. That sounds like Bennet. “Good for her.”

  Will sighed. “Not that I appreciate you strong-arming me, but I am sorry, Richard.”

  Richard shook his head. “The interview was meant to be a formality, Will. When someone like Bennet comes along, you hire the person and create the position afterward. I may not have a Harvard MBA, but I know how to build a team.” He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I thought that was one of the reasons you wanted me to come work with you, and you need to understand that it would absolutely be with you, not for you. If the only reason you want me there is to get me out of the Marines, I have to pass.”

  “Listen,” Will replied. “Just give me some time to make it right.”

  “You think you can fix this?” Richard was skeptical.

  “I don’t know . . . I could reschedule the interview,” his cousin said hurriedly.

  “Don’t you dare.” Richard was again close to yelling, but he checked himself. “You want to offer her an interview only after I call to ream you out? Because you want me to join the company and she’s the one standing in the way? Exactly how humiliating do you intend to make this for her?” He grunted. “That ship has sailed, Will. You’ll never get her to consider us now.”

  There was a contrite sigh on the other end of the line. “I was in a shit mood and I said some things, but they were aimed at you, not her.”

  Richard rubbed his neck. “This was incredibly stupid, Will. Monumentally stupid. I’m so pissed at you right now . . .”

  There was a pause, and then Will said, “I suppose I deserve it.”

  “You suppose? You absolutely do. But she doesn’t.” Richard sighed. “I’ll try to talk to her later, after she’s cooled down. Don’t contact her until I do. And when you get the go-ahead, grovel. But don’t offer her another interview.”

  “Are you sure . . . ?” Halfway through Will’s words, Richard once again disconnected the call.

  Will let his cell slip from his fingers to the desk. He blew out a giant breath and leaned back in his chair. At least he’d been alone with the office door closed when Richard had called. He hadn’t been hauled out on the carpet like that since he was an undergrad and his father found out he’d cut economics class to drive out to the beach with some of his frat brothers.

  He tried to get back to work after that, but he couldn’t concentrate. He kept thinking about how Elizabeth Bennet had made him feel two inches tall without even breaking a sweat. She was in the right—he hadn’t checked in with Wanda this morning, and he’d been negligent not to check his calendar himself. Richard had been the first to invest in FORGE when he’d been working to get it off the ground and had never asked him to hire anyone or offered advice unless asked for it. God, he was a shitty cousin. Will rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes. He was so tired.

  He’d had another nightmare last night, a twisted mess of car metal, bombs, Richard, Georgiana . . . it was similar to how he’d felt after the accident. He hated having things like this hanging over him. He needed to make this right or he wouldn’t sleep tonight, either.

  Richard had promised him a decision one way or the other by the end of the month. It had him on edge. Now he’d likely blown that relationship, at least temporarily, but that wasn’t Elizabeth Bennet’s fault. She thought she was doing Richard a favor.

  Regardless of the situation, he thought an apology like the one he intended to offer ought to be done in person, and soon. If someone had treated Georgiana the way he’d treated Elizabeth Bennet, he’d have been livid. So he left work a little early, took a quick trip home to change out of his suit, got in his car, and headed for the Holland Tunnel.

  A little less than forty minutes later, he was in Montclair, looking for Gracechurch Street. It wasn’t a bad drive at all, he thought. The one time I wouldn’t have minded a bit more gridlock . . .

  Stop stalling, he told himself. You know you have to do it. It’s the right thing.

  He located the address and parked across the tree-lined street not far from Watchung Plaza. The house was nice, a modern home painted in a slate-gray and styled to look like a Craftsman to fit in with the neighborhood. Will noted the wide covered front porch, belt lines, paneled door with stained-glass inserts, and white elephant columns, noting that the construction was certainly more custom than most typical modern replicas. The house was deceptively small from the front, but Will could detect that the lot was deep and there were two wings in the back, though so artfully done you might not notice if you weren’t looking carefully. Taste without excess, he thought admiringly. He took a breath, then let it out. Okay, Will. Time to go pay what you owe.

  He took the three steps up to the front door and rang the bell. He shifted anxiously from one foot to the other until the heavy wooden door opened, and he was greeted by a middle-aged man perhaps twenty years his senior. The man was wiry but muscled under his red USMC t-shirt, and he gave Will the once-over much as Elizabeth Bennet had before she put him in his place. Kind, he thought with chagrin, remembering how she’d remained professional in the face of his insults. Given the circumstances, she really was remarkably kind.

  “May I help you?”

  “I certainly hope so. My name is Will Darcy, and I’m looking for Elizabeth Bennet. She had an interview scheduled at my company this morning.”

  The man stepped out onto the porch and closed the front door behind him.

  Well, that’s not a good sign. Will stood his ground.

  “She wouldn’t say what happened,” the man replied, looking Will in the eye, “but the hours of angry mumbling leads me to believe it wasn’t pleasant.”

  Will looked the man straight in the eye. “It wasn’t, and it was my fault. I’d like a chance to apologize to her, if she’s willing.”

  The man stared at him for a long moment. “Let me make this clear,” he said in a voice that was dangerously low. “If you are here to offer a genuine apology, I will allow that to happen so long as Elizabeth wants it to happen. If she does not, you will leave immediately and not try to contact her again. I don’t care who your cousin is. Got that?”

  Will nodded. “Got it. Full disclosure, Richard’s on her side.”

  The man grunted a little. “I’m Ed Gardiner. My wife is Madeline. We’re barbecuing in the backyard. Come on through, we’re just waiting for Elizabeth and Charlotte to get back from an early game. Should be any time.”

  “Game?” Will asked, but Ed had already opened the front door and walked through. Will followed. The interior of the house was open and airy, the ceilings higher than a true craftsman but with the wide wooden beams that spoke of solidity. The colors were true to the style of the home, as were the built-in bookcases with pane-glass doors and the wood floors, though these had been stained darker than was traditional. It was messy, with sports equipment, clothing, toys, books, and other things tossed about and pegs in the wall near the front door covered in layers of clothing, but it was clean and there was an underlying order to things. He wondered how many kids they had. His heart ached just a little at that. He hated going home to an empty house.

  As he stepped through the back door onto the deck and then down into the backyard, he saw a small crowd of people milling about. There were kids playing, teens listening to music, and a few adults speaking to one another. Two large dogs were playing in the back corner of the yard, near a large oak tree. The grill was hot, loaded with burgers. As Ed stepped over to it, a beautiful woman with long blonde hair handed him a spatula and moved away.

  “Nothing burned, Uncle Ed,” she said with raised eyebrows.

  “Good thing it was you and not Lizzy,” he said with a grin. As he turned to contemplate Will, the grin faded. “Everyone, this is Will Darcy.”
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br />   The blonde held out her hand and gave him an amused look. She knows what happened.

  “I’m Jane,” she said. “Lizzy’s older sister. Do you like hamburgers?”

  He shook her hand. Firm grip. “Thanks, but I’ll wait for your sister.”

  “Okay,” she said, sincerely, waving one hand gently to indicate her family, “but don’t say I didn’t offer when there’s nothing left. These people descend on food like locusts.”

  Will smiled tightly and rubbed his damp palms on his trousers. “I’ll remember,” he said.

  He heard someone calling out from the side yard and steeled himself. A short African-American woman about his age came through the gate first. Her highlighted hair was arranged in raised curls and she held a soccer ball. She danced into the yard, whooping.

  “You should have come!” she said gleefully, leaning in to hug the woman he suspected was Mrs. Gardiner and two girls about four and six. “She played angry, and it was spectacular!”

  Will could almost feel the glare of Elizabeth’s uncle on the back of his neck.

  The older girl held up her hands, two blonde pigtails bobbing merrily. “May I please have that ball, Charlotte?” she asked sweetly.

  “Of course, Moira,” Charlotte replied, and handed it over. She turned to Mrs. Gardiner. “Moira is so polite!”

  Moira skipped over to a boy of about ten he presumed was her brother and executed a perfect throw-in—right into the back of his head.

  “Hey!” he yelled, outraged. Moira skittered away, and he ran after her. Mrs. Gardiner sighed and followed. Will was left standing by himself as Charlotte laughed and moved towards Jane.

  He raised his eyes just as Elizabeth Bennet herself came around the side of the house and entered the yard. Her dark brown hair was pulled back from her face with a wide blue hairband. She was wearing the same uniform as Charlotte—a red soccer jersey and black shorts. She also carried a sports bag on her shoulder and held a pair of turf shoes by their laces in one hand. On her feet were black rubber sandals. Without the heels, he judged her to be about 5’10 with much of that height in her legs. Will tried not to notice how sexy she looked in soccer shorts. Don’t gawk, he thought. Her uncle will have you murdered and your body dumped at sea.

  At that moment, Elizabeth spied who was in the backyard with her family and stopped in her tracks to glare at him.

  “Mr. Darcy,” she said coldly.

  Will cleared his throat. “Ms. Bennet.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “I assume Richard gave you the address. Any specific reason for your visit?”

  Richard? Not a chance. Will nodded. “My assistant, actually. I’m here to offer you an apology.”

  Everyone within earshot stopped, waiting for Elizabeth’s reaction before reacting themselves. She gave him a calm once-over.

  “Did Richard send you?”

  Will shook his head. “No, he wanted me to let him contact you first, but I owe you an apology. If you’re willing to hear it, I’d hate to wait. He’s not always . . . prompt.”

  She cocked her head to one side and studied him for a moment, then nodded.

  “Okay,” she said, “but you will actually have to wait, at least a bit. I’m going to grab a shower and change first.” She gestured to the ice chest. “Help yourself.” Without another word, she disappeared into the house.

  Will felt a little of the tension leave his shoulders, and everyone went back to talking with one another.

  “Jason and Todd,” Mr. Gardiner hollered suddenly, making Will jump, “get off the slide now!”

  “We’re playing king of the hill, Dad!” the younger boy declared from the top of the slide.

  “No,” his father said decisively, “you are not.” The boys groaned and complained but slid down one at a time.

  Charlotte stepped up to Will. “You’re the guy who made her so mad today?”

  He shrugged. “I believe so, yes.”

  Charlotte smiled widely. “You have to come make her angry every week before our game. I will pay you, buy you beer, whatever. Seriously,” she gloated, “it was an annihilation!”

  Mrs. Gardiner returned with Moira in tow and put her hand on Charlotte’s arm. “Charlotte,” she chuckled, “you’re channeling Elizabeth.” Charlotte protested that Elizabeth had been eerily quiet and methodical as she dismantled the other team’s defense, and Mrs. Gardiner held out a hand to Will. “I’m Elizabeth’s aunt, Madeline Gardiner.”

  Will took her hand, noted her firm grip, and nodded. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Gardiner.”

  “Maddy.”

  “Will.”

  From his station at the grill, Ed called, “There’s no need for first names yet, Maddy.”

  Maddy chuckled. “My husband is a little protective of his brood, even the ones who can clearly protect themselves.”

  Will thought that was an odd statement. Georgiana could be a black belt and he’d still feel compelled to protect her. He thought he understood Ed Gardiner perfectly in that sense. His curiosity got the better of him. “Why do you say that? Because she was,” he stopped himself, remembering her parting comments, “is a Marine?”

  Maddy and Charlotte both perked up at this inquiry, their eyes sparkling.

  “I thought,” Maddy said, “that you were Richard Fitzwilliam’s cousin.”

  “I am.” Will had no idea where this was going.

  They were joined by a dark-haired young woman wearing a green Montclair State t-shirt and blue jeans. “What are we talking about?” she asked.

  “Will, this is Mary, Elizabeth’s next youngest sister.” Will smiled and nodded at her.

  “I believe we were discussing their explosive military adventures,” said Charlotte with a small grin.

  “Do you mean their fiery connection?” replied Mrs. Gardiner with a lift of her eyebrow.

  Jane chimed in from directly behind Will, making him twist to see her. “Don’t you think they are somewhat volatile?” She smiled.

  Mary caught on to the game. “I don’t know, Jane. They seem to have a blast when they’re together.”

  There was some giggling before their meaning hit Will, and his face grew hot. That’s why her last name was familiar. She was the Marine who’d been in De Roos with Richard. He tried to reconcile the Elizabeth Bennet who’d shown up in his office with the bloodied woman he’d seen in the newspaper photo but had a difficult time until he recalled her eyes. There was no mistaking the eyes.

  It sounded like her family thought Richard and Elizabeth were together, but Richard had denied it. The whole fraternization issue, Will supposed, but Richard had also said he thought of Bennet as a sister. He didn’t have enough time to consider it any further, as the back door swung open and Elizabeth appeared on the deck.

  “Aunt Maddy,” she said, “Sarah’s giving that chocolate cake the eye—she hasn’t done anything yet, but I can grab her if you want.”

  “Just one more,” Maddy grumbled at her husband. “‘We already have three. How much more trouble would one more cause,’ he asked?” She took the stairs, crossed the deck, and disappeared into the kitchen.

  Elizabeth grinned as her aunt brushed past her and nodded to Charlotte. “Shower’s free if you want it.”

  “In a minute,” Charlotte nodded. “We’re busy harassing Will.”

  “Will, is it?” Elizabeth said flatly.

  “Lizzy!” yelled a blonde teen from across the yard, “Jake Long wants to know how many goals you scored!”

  “I don’t know,” she said, glancing at Charlotte.

  “Seven, Kit!” Charlotte yelled.

  “It wasn’t that many, Char,” Lizzy’s face pinched a bit, as though she was trying to remember.

  “It was, too, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer team,” Charlotte sang. “They’ve been blowing us out by ten goals or more for two years and are always gloating. Too bad for them!”

  Maddy pointed at the phone and made a circle with her finger. The blonde named Kit nodded and said her
goodbyes. Will noticed she went inside and came back out empty-handed. It was impressive. Georgiana had been glued to her phone throughout high school.

  Elizabeth looked a little uncomfortable as she joined the group. “I wouldn’t have kept going had I realized.”

  “Where’s your killer instinct, Lizzy?” called another blonde Bennet from near the grill.

  How many of them are there? Will wondered. This one had a fully-developed figure that made her seem older, but her face revealed her as quite young.

  A flash of something crossed Elizabeth’s face. “Shut up, Lydia,” she said brusquely before turning her attention to Will. “I think we have unfinished business, Mr. Darcy?”

  “Will, Lizzy,” said Maddy gently. “He’s already been the victim of a level-one round-robin, Gardiner style. I think you can use his first name.”

  “Mr. Darcy,” said Elizabeth, motioning with her arm to the house. Will imagined a satisfied gleam in Ed Gardiner’s eyes.

  “If you survive, you are more than welcome to join us for a burger after, Will,” said Maddy with a smile.

  “Thanks, Maddy,” he said, watching as Elizabeth bounced lightly up the stairs and through the screen door. “We’ll see how it goes.”

  Elizabeth awaited him in the large family room. Two American flags graced either end of the mantle in triangular cases. In between were crowded at least twenty framed photos of all the members of the family. In the center was a wedding photo. Ed and Maddy, he guessed, from his position ten feet away. Elizabeth was looking expectantly at him. Her eyes are so green. I can’t believe I missed that before. He shook himself and began to speak.

  “Ms. Bennet, I came tonight to apologize for my words this morning. It was completely unprofessional and obviously worse than just impolite. I should never have said any of the things I said even were you not in the office, and I’m honestly ashamed of the way I behaved.” He paused, drew in a breath. “I was upset with Richard for another reason entirely, and I took it out on you.”

  “Why is that, Mr. Darcy?” she asked, her arms crossed across her chest, damp hair tumbling down her back.