Persuaded (Jane Austen Diaries)

by Jenni James

  Once the screen loaded, I clicked on my email. There was a message from Collin Farnsworth.

  Hi Amanda,

  Your sister gave me your email address. I hope you don’t mind me using it but I figured you’d like an update. Around 5 last night Kylie woke up. Her mom and dad were in the room with her. Later they called Gregory and me in from the waiting room, and we said hello. She can’t speak yet, but she did have the use of one of her arms. The doctors are saying partial paralysis. I’ll keep you informed, if that’s okay.

  Take care,

  Collin

  Wow—she woke up! And only partial paralysis is amazing. I hadn’t seen her since the accident, and I’m sure there was bruising everywhere, not too mention bandages all over the poor girl. Knowing Kylie like I did, I hoped her family had removed all mirrors from her hospital room.

  The phone rang. I waited a minute to see if my dad was going to answer it, but when it rang a fourth time, I picked up.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Amanda? Is that you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh, good. This is Suzanne Wentworth—Gregory’s mom.”

  “Oh? Hi.”

  “My husband Charles and I were wondering if you would like to come to dinner tonight.”

  “Tonight?” It was Sunday, so I didn’t have to work. “Sure.”

  “Would 6:00 be okay?”

  “Uh, yes. It should be fine.”

  “Oh, good! Well, we’ll see you then.”

  Wait. “At the house?”

  “Of course, dear. Do you need us to pick you up?”

  “I—I’m not sure. I don’t think so.”

  “Okay, then, just give us a call if you do. If not, we’ll be expecting you at six. Goodbye.”

  “Bye.” I hung up the phone, wondering what that was all about.

  The rest of the day went smoothly. After I got permission to borrow my dad’s car for the evening, I set about to finish the unpacking in my room. I had overanticipated how much space I would actually have. There were two boxes full of things I didn’t want to part with but that wouldn’t fit in my room, so I carried them up the pull-out stairs to the attic. I took me a while to lift and slide the boxes up the stairs, but once I climbed up into the hot, stuffy crawl space, I easily found a place to store them. By the time that was done, I was reasonably proud of myself and ready to take a shower.

  At exactly 6:00, I pulled up to the curb at my family’s old house. For a moment I just sat in the car and looked up at it. It really was pretty. My favorite part was the large wraparound porch. I noticed the Wentworths had already added a few nice touches to the front. I liked the country-style wooden bench and the potted plants Mrs. Wentworth had scattered around. The home looked very welcoming. With a nervous sigh I climbed out of the car, then made my way up to the house. At the door, I noticed there was a large doormat that read, “Forget the dog, BEWARE of the cat!”

  I laughed as I wiped my feet and knocked on the door. Okay, I like the Wentworths. The door swung open and I was greeted by Mrs. Wentworth herself.

  “Oh, hi, Amanda. Come on in.” She was about as fashion conscious as I was, which was a relief. Her jeans and shirt were almost hidden by a bright pink-and-white-checkered apron, and she was holding a spatula in one hand.

  “Hi.” I smiled as I stepped into the house. For a minute I had almost forgotten I had lived there. With all the mirrors gone and the walls covered with shelves, pictures, and country-motif knickknacks, it looked like a completely different home.

  “Wow! You guys have been busy,” I exclaimed as I followed Mrs. Wentworth into the kitchen. On the walls, the fashionable caramel color had been replaced by a cheerful green. I don’t know if I would’ve personally been brave enough to use green in a kitchen, but it worked. It was really cute.

  Gregory’s mom waved her hand dismissively as she went to check the oven. “Charles hates to do anything slowly. We’ve been working on the house all week.” She smiled over at me. “Do you like Italian? I hope so.”

  “I love it. It smells wonderful.” I walked around the counter. “Is there something I can do to help?”

  “Sure, dear.” She handed me a knife and a cutting board and pointed to a whole slew of vegetables in the sink. “Would you mind making a salad?”

  “No problem. How big do you want it?”

  “Just cut it all up and toss it in.” She grabbed a couple of hot pads, turned the oven off, and pulled out a large tray of crispy, sliced garlic bread. The rich aroma caused my mouth to water.

  “All of it? Are you sure, Mrs. Wentworth?”

  “Suzanne, dear.” She used a metal spatula to place the bread in a large basket.

  When she didn’t answer I tried again. “Are you sure, Suzanne?”

  “What?” Mrs. Wentworth placed another piece of bread into the basket. “Oh yes, positive. You can find a bowl under the counter by your leg to put it all in.”

  They must be planning to feed a small army. “How many people are coming for dinner?” I rinsed the lettuce beneath the faucet and shook out the water before placing it onto the cutting board.

  “People? No, just you. Oh, I see what you’re asking.” She laughed. “What we don’t eat tonight, Charles and I will finish off in the next couple of days.”

  Oh. I’m such a dork. “That makes a lot more sense.” Even so, I wasn’t sure if my family would’ve finished the salad in a couple of weeks, let alone a couple of days. I shredded the lettuce and had started to peel and slice the carrots when Gregory’s dad walked in.

  “Hi, Amanda. So Suzie has already put you to work, has she?”

  I smiled up at him. “I offered.”

  Gregory’s mom took a stack of plates and silverware into the dining room.

  “Well, let me grab a knife and I’ll help you,” Mr. Wentworth said to me. “By the looks of things you’ve got the toughest job.”

  “Thanks.”

  He was next to me in a jiffy.

  “Do you prefer cucumbers or tomatoes?” I asked.

  “Cucumbers, of course.” He grinned down and I handed him a couple of cucumbers. I realized Gregory had his father’s smile. “I like to make the lines down the side before I cut them, see?” He carved perfect lines down one of the long, dark green cucumbers and then began to slice it into round discs. “It’s the only way Gregory used to eat them, you know?”

  I smiled. “No, I didn’t know.” My carrots were done and I realized I’d better grab the bowl before I began on the tomatoes, or we wouldn’t have enough room for all the veggies. I found a pretty floral glass bowl and set it on the cupboard. Immediately, Gregory’s dad started putting in the chopped lettuce.

  “So, what do you think of the house?” he asked. “It just dawned on me you might be a little uncomfortable here. Are you?”

  “No–no, it’s fine.”

  “Really? You don’t mind that we’ve painted the kitchen, do you?”

  “No, really. I think it looks nice.”

  “Yeah, we like it too, huh, Suzanne?” He asked as she walked into the kitchen. “We like the new green in here—it brightens the whole place up.”

  She smiled over at me but didn’t answer, probably not wanting to hurt my feelings. She opened a cupboard and brought out some glasses.

  “I was surprised to see how many mirrors your parents left behind,” Mr. Wentworth remarked. “I guess they didn’t want them anymore?”

  “Oh, uh, I don’t know. Maybe there just wasn’t enough room in the new house.”

  “Oh, maybe. Well, you’ll see if you walk around that we’ve taken most of them down,” Gregory’s dad said. “I’ve never seen so many mirrors in all my life. It was very disturbing. You wouldn’t believe how many times I nearly scared myself to death, wandering in an unfamiliar house and thinking there was a stranger after me, only to realize it was my own reflection. Your parents must really like the way they look, don’t they?”

  “Uh, yeah—they do.” I chuckled and reached into th
e sink to pull out a red pepper and a yellow one.

  “So what do you think of this mess Gregory’s got himself into?” Mr. Wentworth asked.

  “Gregory?”

  “Yeah, you know, with that Kylie girl. As far as Suzie and I could tell, he was head over heels for her. Always talking about her and telling us little things she had said. He even decided to take her out in the mini jet for some fancy date. I’ll tell you what, when I was out meeting a girl and trying to get her to fall in love with me, I didn’t go around causing her to break her neck. If that’s the way true love is these days—well, I’m not sure I’m up for that kind of stamina.” He looked up and winked as he tossed the cucumbers in the bowl.

  I shook my head and grinned at his warped sense of humor before I handed him the broccoli. He started chopping it.

  “Of course, we both thought it may be your sister—what’s her name?”

  “Sydney.”

  “Yeah, Sydney, that’s it. Yeah, we sure thought he was going to up and decide to go for her, but nope, he changed his mind just as quickly. Well, I guess that’s a good thing or it may have been your sister in that hospital right now. Have you heard any news?”

  “About Kylie?”

  “Yeah. We haven’t heard anything since this morning.”

  “No, nothing since this morning,” I affirmed.

  “Oh well then. Hopefully, no news is good news. It looks like Suzie’s done. Are you ready to eat?”

  Eighteen: Surprise Visitor

  “Thanks for coming by, Amanda,” Gregory’s dad said. “It was real nice to see you.”

  “You’re welcome. Thanks for having me.” I still had no idea why the Wentworths had invited me over.

  “Oh! Would you like to take a tour of the house really quick and see what we’ve changed?” Charles asked as I was heading out the door.

  “Leave her alone.” His wife swatted him softly on the arm.

  “I’m fine, thank you.” I grinned. “Maybe I’ll come by and see it another day.”

  “Yes, dear.” Suzanne gave me a hug. “You’re welcome to come over anytime you want.”

  “And next time I want a rematch!” Charles laughed.

  “It’s a deal. Thanks again. The food was wonderful and the game was really fun.”

  “Bye!”

  I walked past my old porch and down the steps to my dad’s car. I turned and waved before I climbed in, started the engine, and drove away. I couldn’t believe how much fun I’d had with Gregory’s parents. But I couldn’t figure out why they had invited me in the first place. I was completely baffled. As far as I could tell, it made no sense. However, I did have to admit that it beat staying home alone. One thing was for sure, they were definitely not like any millionaires I knew.

  A few weeks later, I woke up still baffled at the Wentworths’ dinner invitation and wishing they would invite me over again. As far as I was concerned, the house was in better hands with them than it had ever been with us. It was such a beautiful house, and it deserved to have such happy, loving people living in it.

  I was dressed in just my jeans and T-shirt, finishing up a very brief unsatisfactory email from Sydney about what had been happening in Moab, when the doorbell rang. I was the only one home. I ran my fingers quickly through my hair and wished I had worn a better shirt. Oh well. It wasn’t that I was expecting company—far from it. It was just that when you’re alone most of the time, you find you want to make an impression on everyone, even if it’s just the mailman who’s come to deliver a package.

  It wasn’t the mailman. It took a whole five seconds for me to take in the smiling figure standing on my doorstep. “Sean. Sean Benally?”

  “Yeah, it’s me.” His grin deepened. “Are you going to let me in?”

  “Uh, yeah! Sure. Talk about surprise. What are you doing here?” I was more than surprised—I was freaking out! Not to mention I was way underdressed. Sean looked like he had just stepped off the cover of GQ. He wore a black button-up shirt open at the collar, and distressed jeans that really set off his dark coloring. In fact he fit the “sharp casual” image to a T.

  “I was on my lunch break from work and thought I’d stop by and say, hi. So, uh—hi.”

  He grinned and I noticed my heart speeding up when I caught the twinkle in his dark brown eyes. He can’t be checking me out, can he? All at once I realized I was still standing in front of the door. “Oh, sorry. Come in.” I stepped back hastily, and when he brushed past and his cologne permeated the air, I tried not to swoon. Oh my gosh. He smells just like Gregory.

  I had to know what brand it was. “What uh . . .”

  “Yeah?”

  All at once I felt like a total dork. “Oh, nothing.”

  Sean lowered his dark head and glanced down at his clothes before he brought his eyes back to mine. “What? Do I have something on me? You better tell me what you were going to say before I get a complex.” He smiled flirtatiously, and I noticed again how white his teeth were against his dark features.

  “No, really. It’s nothing.” I walked toward the small living room. “Come on in here and we can sit down. Then you can tell me how you found me.”

  He laughed and followed into the room. “It wasn’t easy. You guys have moved recently, haven’t you?”

  I chose the couch under the window and was a tad relieved when I saw Sean take the one across from it. “Yeah, we just moved here a few weeks ago.”

  He nodded. “I was surprised to see my Aunt Suzanne yesterday when I showed up at your old house. You have no idea. No one told me the Wentworths bought it.”

  “Wait. You went there first?”

  “Well, yeah. That’s the address I found online for you guys. But Suzanne set me straight.”

  “Oh.”

  “So do you like your new house?” He didn’t say it but I knew he was thinking it was a whole lot smaller.

  “Um, yeah, actually. It was hard to get used to at first, but yes. I like the coziness of it.”

  “Well, it’s the nicest one on the block by a long shot.”

  “That’s what my dad keeps saying. So how long is your lunch break? Oh!” I jumped up. “Are you hungry?”

  Sean politely got to his feet as well, which disconcerted me a little. He was tall—not as tall as Greg—but tall anyway. And all of a sudden the room shrank to half its size.

  “No, I’m fine. I grabbed a bite to eat before I came over.” He smiled down at me. “But, uh, thank you, anyway. If you don’t mind, I’ve got about twenty minutes to chat.”

  Okay, so I was a nervous wreck. I tried not to show it when I sat back down, but only a fool wouldn’t be able to see I didn’t know what I was doing when it came to entertaining guests—especially a guy, when I had no idea why he was here in the first place. “So what brings you here?” Everyone asks that, don’t they?

  Sean bit his lip and smiled as he sat back down. I had the distinct impression he could read me like a book, but I tossed that thought aside when he replied, “You, of course.”

  “Me?” What was the question again? Subconsciously, I must’ve known it was something significant he had just relayed, because my heart had begun to pound.

  “Yes, you. Why else would I come here? You didn’t think it was for Sydney, did you?”

  “I—uh—” I was blushing.

  “Wow, Amanda. You can’t look like that.”

  “I can’t?”

  I watched cautiously as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “No.” He stopped and stared at me a moment. “I didn’t know girls still blushed at your age.”

  Uh, was that a compliment? What am I supposed to say to that? “I . . . uh, thank you?”

  Sean ran his fingers through his perfectly styled hair and shook his head before he looked me in the eye. “Want to go out?”

  I’m sure my eyes were huge. “Out?”

  “Where? When? Name it—we’re there.” He stood up and walked over to my couch and sat down next to me. “Seriously, Amanda Elli
s, I can’t get you out of my mind and it’s driving me crazy. Let’s go on a date.”

  I blinked. Oh my gosh. He really is cute. For the first time since Greg, I found my vow not to date anyone else wane a little. I hedged, “Um, don’t you have a girlfriend?” I couldn’t believe I actually asked him that.

  Sean grinned, obviously taking it as a compliment. “Not right now. I’m hoping to get one soon, though.”

  I looked down at my hands. I could feel the back of my neck get even redder.

  He chuckled, and I looked back up at him. “So what do you say?” he asked. “Tonight? Tomorrow?”

  “I, uh, okay.”

  He grinned. “Okay? So does that mean you’ll go for both?”

  “I didn’t mean—”

  “Works for me. I’ll see you tonight at seven. Decide what movie you want to see.”

  “Okay.”

  “Then tomorrow you decide what restaurant you want to go to.”

  “Uh, okay.” I watched as he stood up.

  “Well, I better go before you change your mind.” He winked down at me. “See you tonight, Amanda. Bye.”

  “Bye.” Several seconds after the door quietly shut behind him, I realized I was still sitting on the couch and hadn’t even walked him to his car.

  As I was getting ready for my date with Sean, I received a text from an unlisted number.

  Kylie can move both arms now. Much improved. Let u no more when I can.

  And that was it. No signature. Who is this from? Kylie’s mom? I thought. I knew she had my cell number. Maybe the text is from Sydney and she’s changed her number to private. Or maybe it’s from Collin or Gregory. After a couple of wasted minutes, I finally shrugged and continued to put on makeup. Yes, makeup. I don’t usually wear the stuff, but since I was asked out by a really hot guy, I figured I would make an effort.

  My effort was a complete waste of time. Once I was finished I didn’t even recognize the girl blinking back at me. With a groan in the mirror, I leaned over the sink and began to scrub the whole mess off. Afterward, I settled for some lipgloss and a touch of mascara. There. I figured if Sean asked me out like this, he must like it. It only took another forty minutes to settle on the perfect movie outfit. In the end, I chose black leggings, a white oversized blouse with a wide silver belt, and silver flats.