Wedding Dreams: 20 Delicious Nuptial Romances

by Maggie Way

  They had the pools blown up and were laying out the drop cloths when Bill showed up with Chaz, Anne, and Darcy. Each of them dressed to participate.

  “Bill, what’s going on?” She nodded to Darcy.

  “We’re going to play them versus us.” He handed her four bottles of laundry detergent.

  “There are not enough of them.” They needed at least five to a team.

  “Mary is playing with them.” Bill set out the arches for third base. Each year they added an obstacle to make rounding the bases harder. Last year had been the arches that required sliding under to reach third base and this year was a sprinkler set to go off randomly placed at home base. Nothing distracted a kicker more than a shot of water to the kisser.

  “Where do you want these cardboard boxes?” Anne’s arms were laden down.

  “Start putting them under the drop cloths.” Elizabeth handed Darcy flat top stakes. “You can pound these into the cloths to keep them still. Please.”

  He took them without a word. She wondered if she staked him would it have any affect because his soul was already dead.

  Bill used spray paint to mark off the bases, pitcher’s mound, and home base. Kitty and Lydia arrived. Lydia decided to be a backup player should anyone get hurt and need a break or a hospital visit. Elizabeth followed behind Darcy and poured a bottle of laundry soap along the length of the drop cloths.

  Darcy whistled. “Someone could hit their heads.”

  She didn’t bother to stop pouring but said, “Dare I hope it knock some sense into them?” She flashed him a grin. “You don’t have to play. My little sister Lydia can take your place. She broke her pinkie last time.”

  “I’m playing,” he grumbled. He too was dressed in running clothes, and it was funny, really, how she once thought him powerful and intimidating. There was no question that he exuded strength, but she found him so off-putting that he seemed to shrivel in size. Perhaps that was how she coped with the fact that this man could end her career tomorrow—by reducing him.

  Bill ran the hose over the drop cloths one final time then gave a sharp whistle to get everyone’s attention. “We’ll let our guests go first. Typical kickball rules, but five innings, four outs an inning. You must run and slide into third.” Bill gestured to the white lines by the slides. “This is the foul line. Please don’t aim for faces, Kitty.” He tossed her the ball.

  “I did it once. And we won the game. Who’s complaining?” Kitty, a tomboy from the day she started moving upright, challenged the group. “Anyone?”

  “Not me,” Elizabeth said.

  A car pulled up on the far side of the field, and Elizabeth strained to see who it was.

  “That’s Caroline,” Chaz said, waving.

  “I’ll get her a seat in the shade.” Jane jogged off to where Lydia was and set up a chair for Caroline.

  Elizabeth wished she could be a fly on the wall at Rosings tonight and listen to what Caroline had to say about all this. Elizabeth would be willing to wager it wouldn’t be kind.

  “Places, team,” Bill said. “Lotts, you want to pitch?”

  She glared at him. “I always pitch, Bill. Why would that suddenly change?” She snatched the ball from under his arm and stomped off to the pitcher’s box.

  Everyone chose to ignore the awkward vibes they were putting out. Besides, burning some energy and being on the same team was likely to bring them around and resolve any issue. Ideally. Elizabeth hoped.

  The game started out at a turtle’s pace as the newbies were slowly testing the slide potential. Anne was the most adventurous of all, sliding or jumping into each of the pools. She also scored the first point.

  The points added to the scoreboard were slow. One an inning, each team alternating. As the game progressed, Darcy and the others found their comfort zone and were sliding into all the bases.

  For as hot a day as it was, they didn’t mind being in the sun. They were having far too much fun.

  Bottom of the fifth and only Elizabeth and Bill were left.

  She kicked the ball, sending it sailing past second base with Chaz running after it. Sprinting down toward first base, Elizabeth had learned how to shift her weight into the slide and try to control it. She jumped into the first pool and rounded toward unprotected second base. She did the same there and knew Chaz was closing in on her by the way Darcy had his arms up and was weaving around her to get the ball. She dropped, slid under the arches, up the makeshift ramp, and into the pool. She came up sputtering and laughing.

  “I’m safe,” she told him as Darcy stood over her, ball pressed between his palms.

  “It’s not often I’m impressed, but that was amazing.” For the first time since she met him, he smiled at her.

  It was disarming. Unnerving. She was spooked.

  “Why are you frowning? I paid you a compliment.” His smile faded.

  “And you followed it up with a smile. That’s so unlike you.” She blurted it out, had a moment of remorse, and then decided to let it go.

  “You think you know me?”

  “I think you’ve been here nearly two weeks, and that’s the first smile I’ve seen. How would you interpret it?” She lay in the pool, enjoying the banter and refreshing coolness of the water.

  “I’m about to offer you my hand to help you from the pool. Please be forewarned.” He stuck out his big mitt.

  Elizabeth rolled her eyes and laughed. Taking his hand, she let him hoist her up.

  “Thank you.”

  He grunted, and Elizabeth knew the moment—awkward as it was—had passed.

  Bill was up. This was it. The teams were tied. If she could score, they’d win the game. If Bill could come in, too, they’d smoke them. Something Elizabeth fervently wished for.

  Bill kicked it long toward third, and Elizabeth took off, she dropped at the halfway mark and slid the rest of the way in. After all, it was harder to tag someone with a ball when they were low to the ground. When she reached the pool, she flipped over to check out where Bill was.

  “Come on, Billy, run,” Lottie yelled. She’d apparently forgotten she was mad at him somewhere around the bottom of the third.

  Bill was booking along the slides. Going faster than Elizabeth had ever seen him do. She saw him glance at Lottie, and a sick pit of something awful settled in her stomach. Chaz was coming in; Darcy was in prime position to get him out if he tried to push for home. She jumped up and began waving him off. “Stay at third, Bill. Stay.”

  But he didn’t listen. He rounded, lost control briefly, collided with Darcy but miraculously managed to keep his balance, for a few steps at least, and then his arms were wind-milling as he attempted to stay upright. At the last minute, he must have decided to take his chance on a slide when he dropped awkwardly on his left side and came barreling into the pool. Elizabeth had jumped out in the nick of time.

  With a massive splash, Bill brought home the points that gave Elizabeth bragging power.

  “Way to go, Bill,” she said and bent to check him out. He had landed awfully hard.

  Anne ran over, her cheeks flushed from the energy of the game. “That was incredible, Bill. You’ve been holding out on me. I could have been playing this every summer? Amazing. And you’re a natural.”

  “Thank you,” Bill said weakly, still not getting up from the pool. But Anne didn’t hear she continued to prattle on, excitedly, “You know what, you could even start a league and make some money. It could be a good back up for you now that Mother’s accountant has run off with the majority of both your accounts. Well, and mine too. I’d go in on a team.”

  Bill sat up. “Wait. What did you say?”

  Darcy placed a hand on Anne’s shoulder, which seemed to calm her instantly. That or the severity of what she’d just tossed out caught up with her.

  “You want to have this conversation now or after you’re done at the hospital?” Darcy nodded to the arm Bill was cradling.

  Bill looked down and when he removed his hand from his forearm both El
izabeth and Lottie gasped. Already it had swelled to twice its size and was an ugly purplish color.

  Jane came between the gathering crowd. “Here, I have this material. We can use it for a sling.” She handed it to Kitty.

  “Ha! You all made fun of me for taking CPR when we were younger, but you need me now, don't you? Laughed when I made splints for the dogs. Maybe you all should listen to me and take some classes.” She surveyed the group.

  “Kitty,” Jane whispered. “Can’t you see he’s in pain?”

  “Oh, all right. I’ll do what I can. Can you scoot out of the pool, Bill?”

  He moved forward and winced.

  Kitty had him set to go in short time.

  “You better be at the hospital waiting for me, Anne de Bourgh. You got’s some ’splaining to do,” Bill yelled over his shoulder as Lottie tried to rush him away.

  “Knock, knock, Lotts.”

  “Seriously, Billy? A joke?”

  He stopped walking. “I’m the injured party. Humor me.”

  She shook her head. “All right. Who’s there?”

  “Eel.”

  “Eel who?” She wrapped an arm across his uninjured side as a way to move him toward the car faster.

  “Eel is what this bone will do after the doctor puts it in a cast.” His voice faded as they moved away.

  Jane turned to the group. “Let’s clean up and get to the hospital.”

  Working together, they broke down the game and stored everything that was salvageable. Not bothering to change, Elizabeth drove Anne to the small Meryton hospital. Chaz and Caroline had begged off, but Darcy was following in his car. A fancy silver Range Rover, naturally.

  It wasn’t Elizabeth’s place to ask about the money, though she really wanted to. Lady Catherine needing the money cast a new light on the situation, but it was not one that made Elizabeth feel any better. She and Jane were texting their speculations, and though Jane, forever optimistic, thought this was a good sign, Elizabeth did not. It made Lady Catherine desperate. Elizabeth considered Darcy and Anne. What were their situations?

  She wanted to ask. She really did. She also wanted to mention that her team had won. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it, even though she had ample time while they waited.

  She turned when the door separating the action from those waiting swung open. Bill and Lottie walked out, Bill with a bright tie-dye cast on his left arm.

  “Good news. I broke one bone in one place. Healing should be quick and easy.” He held the cast up. “Sure hope I have the money to pay for this little visit.” He zeroed in on Anne.

  “I’m leaving. Lizzy, can you take him home?” Lottie asked.

  Elizabeth nodded, relieved she would get some much wanted information first hand. She hated this for Bill and for Anne, but she was trying to save her company after all.

  “You aren’t staying? I’d like your insights on this.”

  Lottie shook her head. “This is your business, Bill. I have my own to make some decisions about, and before I do so, I need to speak with my parents because it directly affects them.” Following a wave she was gone. Bill stared at the door she’d left from. He turned back to the group.

  “So?” He tried to cross his arms, but the cast made it difficult so he stuck them on his hips instead.

  “Why don’t we sit?” Darcy gestured to a clump of chairs tucked in the corner of the waiting room.

  Elizabeth followed them there but paused before sitting. “Shall I go, Bill? Give you privacy. I can wait outside.” It was the right thing to do.

  “Nah, you might as well hear it now instead of later.” He fell into a chair with a heavy sigh. He waited for Anne to start.

  She studied her nails and mumbled, “It’s easy really. Mother’s trusted accountant was skimming off the top of every account she had with him.”

  Darcy snorted.

  “All right, skimming from the top, middle, and the bottom too. He helped himself. We discovered it when I turned twenty-five. I inherited more of my trust fund. You remember how Dad broke it up in three installments? Anyway, I had decided to buy a house and was going to use some of the money for that. I went into the nearest branch to make the transfer. You know Mother, screaming at me about how I was going to take a hit in taxes, but thankfully I didn’t listen or we still might not be aware. When I showed them the statement and it didn’t match the account balance, well, that’s when we started to put it together. He had a computer-savvy friend set up a program to run false statements. It’s very easy.” She smiled apologetically.

  Bill sat frozen.

  “It took about two weeks to get to the bottom of it all and figure out what the loss was. It’s devastating for Mother. That’s where Darcy comes in. He’s looking into all her holdings to see what he can do.”

  Bill wiped a hand down his face. “Why am I just hearing this now?”

  Anne glanced at Darcy before answering Bill. “She doesn’t want you to know. Not if you don’t have to know. She was hoping to make up the money and stick it in your account, and you would be none the wiser.”

  “I had advised her against this. I thought you needed to know right away.” Darcy said. “Overall, you have a seventy-five percent loss of the total from the account.”

  Bill barely nodded that he heard. “Most of that money was from my mother and what the government sent following her death.”

  Elizabeth grabbed Bill’s hand and gave a squeeze.

  “Thankfully Darcy made sure Mother spread her holdings out, or this guy would have cleaned her out totally,” Anne twisted her finger and glanced at Bill nervously. “I’m sorry, Billy.”

  “What about the accountant?” Elizabeth asked.

  “I have a private investigator tracking him down. He’s covered his tracks well. Hopefully, but I doubt, he’s hiding in a country that believes in extradition,” Darcy answered.

  Elizabeth had to give him points there. At least he wasn’t being passive about the situation. Now that she understood where he was coming from, maybe they could find a common ground from which to approach both of their situations.

  Bill stood. “I suppose that’s that. I think I better go home before the pain medicine really kicks in. Ready, Lizzy?”

  She stood and nodded.

  “Call me if you have any questions,” Darcy said while rising.

  Bill and Elizabeth walked to her car in silence. After they were within the confines, the engine running and blasting cool air, Bill vented his spleen.

  “Can you believe it?” he yelled while pounding his fist on her dashboard. “Can you freaking believe it? Is that why she offered me a church? Guilt?” After each word, he’d pound some more. Elizabeth worried he might break his fist and then have a cast on each side. “I’m so angry, Lizzy. I need to tear something up.”

  “Do you mind me asking how bad is this for you?” If it had been her, she’d have been financially ruined. If she decided to cash everything in to buy out The Bourgh, she’d essentially be in the same position. Financially ruined.

  “Thank God my father was fastidious about tithing. I have a separate account that’s healthy, but this…this was a cushion I liked having. It gave me options. Now, I’m not sure I have that luxury anymore.”

  “I’m sorry, Bill,” she said quietly.

  “And what was with Lotts. Leaving like that?” He faced her. She could see the frustration etched on his face, and she wondered which was more a blow—the money or Lottie leaving? She couldn’t tell.

  “She’s not your wife or your girlfriend, Bill. It was really awkward for me to stay. I imagine it would have been similar for her.”

  “She’s my best friend. I would hope it wouldn’t be awkward for her,” he bit out.

  “Except Lottie doesn’t want to be just your best friend and you know that. When you have a crisis, you call her. When you have a church function, you take her. How many nights a week do the two of you spend together, eating or watching TV? You do charity events together. Where is the
separation?”

  Bill turned to stare out the window.

  “Let me say it like this. When two friends are as close as you two are, when they share as much as you two do, but one of those people wants more, hopes for more, all those things you share start to become painful. They are no longer getting the maximum satisfaction from the relationship.”

  “I’m going to lose her, aren’t I?” he asked quietly.

  “If you don’t feel the same way. If you don’t want the same things. Then, yes.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  After Elizabeth dropped Bill off at his place, he’d choked down another pain pill and lain in bed thinking about…well everything. He’d tossed and turned, and when he did sleep his thoughts created crazy dreams. Riding a roller coaster with no safety belt. Teaching with no class. Lottie not at her café.

  The last one brought him round to what he knew was really bothering him. Lottie not being around. He tried to picture what days would be like without her. He couldn’t do it.

  He tried to picture himself speaking to a congregation every week, and he couldn’t do that either. Not unless the congregation was made up of teens. That seemed less dull, more impactful.

  The one thing he did know he needed to do was pull his application from Meryton Matchmakers. He wasn't husband material. Financially he had very little to offer, and he wasn’t ready anyway. Why pretend simply to make an old lady feel better?

  The anger he felt toward himself and Lady Catherine was nothing compared to the tremendous guilt he carried. Had he not brought her into the Bennet sisters’ lives so they’d be better off? Guilt that he’d been so oblivious to Lottie’s desires. Had he been more astute, he might have been able to salvage this relationship.

  He knew Elizabeth was right. Something had shifted between he and Lotts, and it wasn’t good. And he found himself right back where he started, trying to picture her not coming around. Not sharing news with her. Not laughing with her.