by Jenni James
Eliza glanced away, not sure how to respond. “Uh, yeah. What else would you call it when the guy says he doesn’t have time for you anymore?”
He winced. “Okay, that hurt. Did it really come off that callous?”
She pulled out her phone and set it on the table. “Why don’t you ask her?”
Charles ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up for the first time that day. “See, that’s what I don’t get. It shouldn’t matter, right? Like, me saying we needed to take a break—that shouldn’t have hurt her.”
Was he insane? “Why would you say that?”
He blinked. “Well, because she didn’t really like me.”’
Eliza was so confused. “Are we still talking about Jane Bennet? My sister?”
“Yes . . .” Now he looked out of it.
She chuckled. “Okay, so we seemed to have some wires crossed here. Let’s start at the easiest place to unravel. Why would you think my sister didn’t like you?”
“Well, it was obvious.”
Eliza’s jaw dropped. “To who? Far as I could tell, she was totally into you. And actually, since she’s my sister and confides in me constantly, I’m going to go with . . . you’re wrong.”
“But I was told that she didn’t…” His voice trailed off, and she zeroed in.
“Who would say something like—” She gasped. Her gaze collided with his. “It was Will, wasn’t it?”
He leaned back in his chair and tossed his uneaten breadstick back in the basket. “See, I knew you’d been talking about us. All that time, I was completely falling for her, and Will was right. She was only after me because I was at Revolutionary Innovations. The little gold digger didn’t even like me.”
Eliza would’ve spit water all over the guy if she’d been drinking “Wait a minute. Let me get this straight—no, hang on. First, let’s get this straight. No matter what you heard from your friend, William Darcy, I know for a fact, he’s wrong.” She raised her hands up in a “don’t shoot” gesture. “I know, I know, as hard as it is to believe the man could be wrong at all, he is. Was. So is. Constantly.” How she wished he was here so she could give him a piece of her mind.
“Second . . .” She held up two fingers. “My sister has never been and never will be a gold digger. Do you understand? Never. That woman has more intelligence in her body than you do in your pinky toe. The little gross one. Actually, the fungus-covered pinky toe.” Ugh. “Wait. Maybe I got that backwards. Maybe she has more intelligence in her toe than you do in your—gah! You know what I mean.” The rage that was building inside her made it too difficult to speak. “She’s never needed your money, or anyone else’s. If she wanted it, she’d make her own!”
“So I was wrong?” He looked a little pale. Served him right.
“And third, yes,” she whispered. “She liked you. A lot. A whole lot more than you liked her, obviously. And you know what else?”
He shook his head as a flash of pain slashed through his eyes.
“Despite whatever your stupid friend thinks, it isn’t that she doesn’t deserve you—No! You don’t deserve her.” She stood up to go. If she didn’t leave right then, she’d burst into furious, horrid tears.
As she headed out of the restaurant, she punched numbers into her cell.
“Mom, unpack your suitcase. We’re not going to Vegas.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I don’t look good in orange!”
“What does that mean?”
“That means the next time I see Mr. Darcy, he’s dead.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
Eliza’s mom had been relentless on the phone the whole drive home, demanding to know what was going on, but she just didn’t feel like telling her. Not yet. “We’ll talk about this later. I need to process first.”
“But I’m afraid you might be overreacting. I mean, putting off our plans for my birthday seems a little rash—don’t you think?”
“Possibly. But I’d rather not contemplate it right now. I’m just not in the mood to discuss. So please, let’s drop it.” Besides, if anyone deserved to know what was going on first, it was Jane. And she just couldn’t bring herself to tell her yet.
“I don’t know what happened, or what Will Darcy did, but if you just talked to him, I’m sure things would work out.”
“I love you, Mom. I can’t do this right now. Please trust me. Good-bye. We’ll talk later.”
“Fine. Goodnight, dear.” Her mom clicked off the phone.
For some reason, Eliza felt even worse than before. She chucked her purse onto the coffee table as she walked through the door and plopped down on the couch. It wasn’t fair for her mom to be thrown in the middle of all this. However, there was no way Eliza could be that close to Will and not go off on him.
She needed to approach him when she was rational. Once she had time to think.
Slipping off her shoes, she curled her feet under her and grabbed the nearest accent pillow. Poor Jane. Who would ever believe that about her? Who could? And what right did Will have, poking his nose into their relationship anyway?
The words she’d like to call him right now would make a sailor blush. She punched the pillow and lay down on it. This was awful. Everything had begun to look up, and now, now she couldn’t even think about him without getting mad.
It’s a good thing she turned him down! She couldn’t believe he’d had the audacity to ask her to marry him—her, the sister of a gold digger. Ha. What a hard dilemma he must have faced, since of course he knew what other members of her family were like.
It was so humiliating that he’d think that of Jane, let alone sharing his idiotic thoughts with the guy Jane liked. Why didn’t he come to Eliza first? She would’ve set him straight in a heartbeat. But to break them up? Seriously? Because he didn’t think they were right together? And he didn’t believe Jane liked Charles. This was such a ridiculous junior high school mentality, she could scream. Why were grown adults allowed to act this way?
She’d fallen asleep. She must have, because the next thing she remembered was hearing the phone ring. In a daze, she frantically turned the living room upside down, only to realize it was in her purse.
It was Will, of course.
She sighed and set the phone on the floor while she curled back on the couch. Was it really only nine? It felt like eleven.
A few seconds later, the phone rang again.
The screen lit with Will Darcy’s name. By the third time, she turned her phone off completely.
Nope. Not tonight. She made her way into bed and crashed. Some things were just better dealt with in the morning.
When Eliza woke the next day, there were two voicemails from Will. She wondered if Charles had called him last night and so he was attempting to make some sort of amends. Good. He should be groveling right now. She pattered into the kitchen and pulled out a leftover salad. Nothing tasted better to her than vegetables first thing in the morning. As weird as it might seem, salad was her favorite meal for breakfast. Eliza had noticed years ago that it’d keep her more energized throughout the day if she actually ate what other people usually ate for lunch and dinner. She typically kept cereal and yogurt on hand for dessert.
Once she was all set up, she called her voicemail, just in case she was mistaken and this was something urgent.
It was.
“Hey, Eliza, I don’t know if anything’s wrong on your end, but I hope you’re okay. I’ve called quite a few times, so now I’m just going to pop this into voicemail. We found my sister. I still haven’t located Joe yet, but Georgia’s pretty shaken up. She’s with me in my suite, and she’d really like to have some of her own clothes to wear and a few other items. Apparently, he sold her suitcase too, and she really doesn’t feel like shopping for new stuff. I’d fly up and get them, but I’m afraid to leave her, honestly. Not that I think she’d run away or something—I’m just…” The phone beeped. Voicemail must’ve ended.
Oh, my gosh! He’d found her! For a minute, Eliz
a forgot all her troubles as the reality of his words sank in and a huge wave of relief washed over her.
The next voicemail came on:
“Sorry, I guess that message was too long. So, like I was saying, I think Georgia is going through some PTSD, or something. So, I have a huge favor to ask—would you mind calling me back as soon as possible so this voicemail doesn’t go off again while I’m asking you? Thanks. You’re the best. Bye.”
Having worked with the man for over a year, she knew what he was going to ask before she called him. He needed her to fly out there with stuff for Georgia. And as much as she was trying to be mad at him right now, there was a very upset girl who needed help, and that tugged upon her heartstrings much more firmly than the irritation she felt for Will.
Glancing at the time and seeing that it was seven a.m., she called him back.
“Hello?” he answered groggily.
“Hey. Late night?” she asked.
He muttered something and then said, “Yeah. I’m glad you called. I was beginning to worry.”
She could hear him yawn as she put her tea kettle on the stove. “Afraid I’d gotten mugged?”
“Something like that.” He cleared his throat. “So, I’ve got a favor to ask you.”
“Yep. I know,” she said as she placed an herbal tea bag into her favorite mug. “You’d like me to bring Georgia’s stuff.”
“Oh, would you?” He sounded relieved.
“I’m thinking about it.”
“I’d need you to stop by the house and collect it for her. I could email you the list. It’s not much.”
“Why don’t you bring her home?”
“I tried.” He sighed. “Apparently, she wants to stay here with me and watch Joe go down. Not that I blame her. So, are you okay with helping?”
She took a deep breath. There was so much she’d like to say to him right now. So, so much. “Yeah.”
“I can have the plane there by one. Will that be enough time for you, or is there stuff at the office you need to do?”
“There’s stuff I need to do.” She had at least four meetings today, and the inspections over every department. She’d moved everything to Thursday when her mom wanted to go to Vegas.
“Oh, so more like this evening?”
“If you’re lucky.” Stop. Being angry right now wouldn’t solve anything. “Yeah, this evening is fine. Maybe around seven.”
“Are—are you all right?”
“Yep.” Just dandy.
“Er, well, I really owe you one. So sorry to throw this on you at the last minute. After we hang up, I’ll give Charles a call so he knows to take over. I’ll make sure you’ve got a room out here—and you’re welcome to bring someone along, if you’d like. That way, you’re not feeling like this is all about work, or whatever. Maybe get a free vacation out of it.”
Why did he have to bring up Charles? He had no idea how lame he sounded. But she also knew her mom would never forgive her if she found out she’d gone to Vegas anyway. “Actually, I was planning on coming down with someone this weekend. Would it be okay to bring them a bit early?”
“Wow.” He attempted a nervous chuckle. “So, that explains why you told me no. You’ve already got plans to elope.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, yes I do.”
CHAPTER TWELVE:
Will started to cough. Hard. Good. Maybe he’d choke to death.
“You okay?” Eliza grinned as she switched the cell to her other ear.
“Yeah.” He hacked a bit more. “Sorry. Just surprised, I guess.”
“Serves you right.”
“So, uh, what’s his name?” His voice sounded a bit more gravelly.
Why is he such a dork? “There is no guy, Will. I was being sarcastic.”
“Oh.” He paused a second. “But you are bringing someone with you?”
“Yes.”
“Someone you’ve planned on traveling to Las Vegas with for a while now?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, okay. So, it’s a friend or something?”
She laughed. “You’re as bad as my mother.”
She could almost imagine his answering grin. “Sorry. Just curious, I guess.”
“Hmm… I know that feeling well. Especially over an email I can’t read.”
He sounded worried. “Did you read it?”
“No. I told you I wouldn’t, so I haven’t.” Good grief.
“Oh, I wondered if that’s why you’re mad at me.”
Oh, no—it was way worse than any letter. “Even when I try to hide it, it still shows, huh?”
“Eliza, I’ve known you long enough to guess if you’re ticked off at me again or not. I mean, how much of our partnership has been upsetting to you?”
Was she always angry? She was, wasn’t she? She couldn’t wait to find fault with him. “Well, when you put it that way . . .”
“So, to answer your question, yes, it shows. I guess I just know you too well.” He hesitated and then asked, “Would you like to talk about it?”
“Now? Oh, heck, no. Your sister is first. And then we’ll discuss my issues.”
“Do you want to know one of my pet peeves?”
The kettle whistled. “Sure,” she said as she poured hot water into the mug.
“It drives me nuts to have unresolved issues.”
“Oh, I know that.” She put the kettle back on the stove and turned off the burner. “I’m the exact same way. You have no idea how badly I’d like to discuss this with you.”
“In other words, you mean, tell me off?” His voice began to sound tired and groggy again.
She almost felt sorry for him. Almost. “Yep. And it’s a doozey.”
“Nice.” He sighed. “Is there any way I can apologize for it now, tell you I’m an idiot, and we chalk it up to growth and change and…?”
Her heart softened, just slightly. “Don’t.” She took a deep breath. “Look, here’s the thing. I promise to be calm and as rational as possible when we can talk about this face-to-face.”
“Thank you.” He groaned, and then his voice changed. “Oh, Eliza, I’m just screwing everything up, aren’t I? I feel like I’ve messed up so much that I’m finally face-to-face with karma.”
“Hey,” she said. “It’s okay. We’re all stupid—we all do dumb things. It’s how we handle them afterward that matters.”
“I don’t know. I see my little sister asleep in the other room, knowing Joe has literally devastated her. I can’t . . . I can’t even function when I think of how much I’d like to repay him for his actions to her, right now. I have no words for the amount of fury…”
“Okay, Will. It’s okay. I’m coming. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Maybe I can swap some of these appointments to next week.”
His voice cracked. “Why? Why would you be so willing to help me?”
“I don’t know—I just know I feel this pull to be there right now.” She looked blindly toward the sink, not willing to address the emotions swirling through her. “I’m so sorry to cause more drama this morning. I . . . seriously, my stuff can wait. Don’t think about it. It’s just a misunderstanding anyway, I’m sure. Right now, let’s help get some of this weight off your shoulders. It’s too much for anyone to bear alone.”
He inhaled a ragged breath.
“Can you talk about what Georgia went through at all?” She bit her lip, not knowing how to ask what she’d like to know without overstepping boundaries.
“Oh, it was bad, Eliza, it was so, so bad. And she’s only shared a portion of it. This is going to be a long healing process for her. She was in love with him. She thought they’d live happily ever after…” Will grumbled a few words and then whispered tersely, “And what she got was beaten, sexually assaulted, and left with nothing except the reality that this world was too cruel—too real—too painful to live in.”
Eliza gasped. The horror of his words chilled her instantly. The poor, poor girl. “Send the plane at one. I’ll be there. And email me your
address and the list as soon as possible. I’m sorry, Will—I’m so sorry.” She couldn’t even begin to imagine what she’d do if such a thing had happened to her sister. She closed her eyes. It was better to remain calm and not hit something. “We’ll figure this out. We’re going to make this better for her. I promise.”
“I’m so lost, I’ll take any help I can get. Thank you.”
As soon as Eliza hung up with Will, she called her mother. It would seem that seven a.m. was early for her too. “Elizabeth?”
“Mom, how soon can you be ready to head to Vegas?”
“What? Are you kidding?” She could hear her mom rustling around with the covers of her bed.
“Yes. I know, sorry. Change of plans.”
“Eliza, I swear you’ll be the death of me. How soon are you planning on leaving? You don’t mean today, do you?”
“Yes, today. This afternoon.”
“Ack! I can’t go this afternoon. I have a lot of stuff to do before we leave!”
“Will Darcy’s private jet will be here at one to pick us up.”
Her mother gasped. “Well, why didn’t you say so? I’ll be ready in ten minutes.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
After a frantic morning of phone calls and moving meetings and dealing with worried team leaders, Eliza was finally able to calm down enough to breathe. She didn’t even go into the office that morning and chose to relay all information from home. While on the phone, she’d been packing, and in between calls, she was making to-do lists to guarantee she wouldn’t forget anything. Then, of course, once that was all done came the tidying up and making sure the house didn’t have smelly trash left in it the whole weekend.
About three hours later, she was finally opening up the email about Georgia’s things. She printed off the list and directions to Will’s house. Eliza was surprised to find out that he lived right there in Bountiful, not too far from her. How was it that she’d never actually seen his house before? There had been plenty of invitations, all mostly business parties and the like, but it’d seem she’d managed to shy away from every single one.
