Didn’t Will tell him about their breakup? She took a deep breath. If Will had a chance of still winning his bet, she’d better not let on to his cousin about what’d happened until she knew what Bingley knew. “No, not this time,” she said cautiously. “When did you last speak with him?”
Bingley shrugged. “Few days back. He showed me a nice photo of you two at his mom’s place.” He grinned. “What’d you think of Aunt Angie? She’s a piece of work, eh?”
Heavens. It was true. Bingley wasn’t aware her relationship with Will had ended. Well, maybe in her small way, she could help Will out. Try to make up for lying to him by figuring out a way to secure the funding for his clinic. She pasted on her most winning smile.
“Angie was great,” she said in an overenthusiastic voice. “As warm and welcoming as if I were a member of the family.”
Bingley’s teeth flashed and his eyes sparkled. “If my aunt has her way, you will be. The woman’s afraid to say it aloud, but she’s itching to be a grandmother.”
She raised a brow. “And so she’s encouraging Will to look for a wife of childbearing age and inclination?”
“Hell, no. That dude’s such a workaholic, it’s a virtual miracle he even went out on a date. You’re the first woman he’s been serious about since—I can’t even remember how long.” Bingley gave her another of his scrutinizing glances. “He’s so, so…careful with his heart. Keeps too much of himself closed up so the world can’t splatter him with its dust and grime.”
“How do you mean?”
“It’s like he squirted himself all over with butter-flavored cooking spray. He comes across as genuine and enticing, but nobody can stick to him. Part of it is his medical persona. He needs to keep a certain distance from tragedy and illness to be effective. Or so he says. A lot of it is just Will and his self-protection system.”
“Because of not having a father around?” she said, thinking about Charlie and whatever unexpressed feelings of loss he must have because of Pete’s absence.
Bingley shrugged. “Yeah, that. But mostly because of the kinds of guys Aunt Angie hooked up with years ago. Will’s two stepfathers were real nutcases. Cruel to him in subtle ways. He was just a kid then and couldn’t see them for the jerks they were. He allowed himself to get attached, but their acceptance of him was always conditional. They interacted with him only when his mother insisted upon it and, even then, not very warmly.”
“Hmm, yes. He told me that.” As always, whenever Beth thought about it, her heart went out to the little boy Will once was. “But Will never struck me as someone cold or aloof. Is that how you see him?”
“Not at all. Not with the people he loves and trusts, but that’s a pretty tiny circle. He always acts responsibly toward everyone, but he doesn’t allow himself to get emotionally involved anymore. People rarely get under his skin because he doesn’t give them the opportunity to penetrate. He’s got a defense shield NATO couldn’t breech.”
And yet, Beth realized, she’d breeched it. If he hadn’t been affected by her, he wouldn’t have stormed her apartment. He wouldn’t have been so angry. She felt her first sliver of hope.
“He’s so driven by his work to get the clinic up and running, though,” she said. “Maybe, once he’s gotten it established, he’ll feel content with his accomplishments. Maybe he’ll naturally drop his guard then.”
Bingley snorted. “Not likely. I keep forgetting you don’t know him as well as I do. At least not yet. You two have been on, what? Four dates, right?”
“Right,” she admitted, then instantly regretted it. She remembered Will saying he needed to get to five dates, plus a one-on-one meeting with Bingley, before winning the bet. Maybe she should’ve said five or even six dates. She opened her mouth to contradict herself, but thought better of it. She’d lied enough and, besides, Will wouldn’t be able to pretend an affection for her now.
Bingley didn’t seem to notice her hesitation.
“My cousin’s been on a mission to right the injustices heaped on him and his mom back in the days when money was scarce and compassion for single mothers even scarcer,” he said. “The guy can’t go back in time and fix all the wrongs. The medical services they couldn’t afford. The fine dining or tasty extras like gourmet coffee they couldn’t splurge on. So, instead, he wages his wars in every moment of every day.”
Bingley slurped the last of his coffee and lobbed the cup into the nearby trash bin. “This clinic, however awesome, won’t allay Will’s demons. Not ‘til he gets a ton of perspective on his past and at least an ounce of balance in his present.”
“And you hoped to help him get it, didn’t you?” she said, suddenly understanding.
He lifted his lips in a very convincing smirk. “Yep.”
“What did you do?”
He shook his head. “You’ll hate me if I tell you. And Will would turn his fury on me so fast I’d be lucky to keep my head intact. I’d never feel safe being alone with him again, what with the way he can wield a scalpel and all.” He twisted a napkin on the table. “Nope. I’ll just have to leave you guessing.”
Talking with Will’s cousin wasn’t remotely the experience she’d expected, not that she’d anticipated ever running into the wealthy and mysterious Bingley. But with this opportunity came a newfound responsibility.
She tossed caution to the wind and met his eye. “Bingley, as of this week, Will and I are no longer together. I wish we were, but we’re not.” Without using names, she briefly told him what had transpired between her and his cousin. “What I need to know is this—what can I do to help Will get the money you promised him for the clinic?”
She saw his face turn pale and his mouth drop open. She held up her hand to stop his comments. “I know I’m not supposed to know about your bet, but I do. Will fully believes the clinic’s funding is riding on five dates with a woman plus attendance at some pre-birthday get-together of yours. I’m guessing it’s more than that. What are you really after?”
He buried his head in his hands. “Oh, man, I can’t believe he told you about the matchmaking bet.” He looked her in the eye. “I’m surprised, and I’m also sorry if you feel caught in the middle of this. It’s not entirely what you think.”
What the heck could she think? She raised her palms at him. “So, enlighten me.”
He leaned over the table toward her then slunk back against his chair again. “Can’t do it. I’ll tell you this much, though—Aunt Angie and I have been trying to get Will to open up for years. All above board. Not a single bribe or underhanded scheme involved. But nothing worked. This time, though, we thought we had a sure shot. He wanted the clinic. We wanted him to date. He needed the money. We had it. Easy as pie.”
“We? You mean you and Angie were in on this together?”
“In a manner of speaking, yes. Aunt Angie is my mom’s younger sister. Mom didn’t have much money when she married my dad, but after a decade or so he started to do well in banking. Then he got into investing and things really took off. I got a trust fund out of it when I was eighteen, and I learned a lot about making money from the comfort of my La-Z-Boy.” He played with a red stirring stick, tapping it against the table.
“My aunt and Will got by okay financially,” he said. “But she’d never hear of accepting any cash gifts from my family. Before Mom and Dad moved to Tuscany, Mom told me to keep an eye out for her sister and for Will. And not just in a financial sense.”
“Wait, your folks live in Italy?” Jeez, and she thought her parents were far away because they’d moved to Phoenix.
“Yeah. Nice place to visit. Great climate. And they come back for holidays and important social occasions like weddings…or Macy’s super sales.” He grinned at her. “I’m telling you, my parents are really rich.”
She only nodded. These were people who ate spaghetti by choice, not because it was cheap. Must make all the difference in the world having it served by a five-star chef in a Florentine villa.
She glanced at Bingley more c
losely. The immaculate grooming, the high-quality clothing, the air of privilege—maybe this was what contributed to his appearance of arrogance. When she was talking to him, though, he seemed much less snobbish. More compassionate somehow.
“We know how to grow money,” he said, “which was my point. Aunt Angie and I had a chat. We wanted him to open up, date a bit, try to give love a chance. Aunt Angie knows I can throw a lot of cash Will’s way if he’s willing to take a risk but, we agreed, only then.” He shrugged. “If he’s not, the dude’s out of luck. I, for one, have got no patience for wimps.”
“But this clinic would help so many people, Bingley, and—”
“My game, my rules. No argument.”
She clenched her fingers until her nails bit into her palms. “So, I can’t convince you? Nothing I say has any weight in ‘your game’?” She felt the flush of anger rise on her cheeks and immediately took back her thoughts about his compassionate nature. Only, there were vibes from him she couldn’t account for. She wasn’t able to figure whose side he was on.
“‘Fraid not, darling. My interest is in studying Will. In his behavior. His actions and reactions. He’s the one who needs to do the convincing. I’ll keep your comments in mind, though.” He squinted at her. “You still like my cousin then, huh?”
“Yes,” she whispered, realizing now that there was no way Will would ever need her, not even to win a stupid bet. She couldn’t help him even by doing him the smallest of favors.
Bingley confirmed this. “What happens next is Will’s show, sunshine. The money I promised him for the clinic is his only if he lives up to his end of the bargain. Unless he lets down his guard and gets serious about someone, all bets are off. No pun intended.” He chuckled. “Man, and I even offered to double the stakes if he proposed to you—”
“YOU WHAT?”
He raised a brow at her and sighed. “Yeah, well, so much for that strategy. I thought, once he plunged into the dating world again, he might find a reason to stay. A reason that had nothing to do with his all-consuming clinic. Don’t feel bad, sweet pea. You were the closest he ever came.” He shrugged. “Win some, lose some, I guess.”
She appraised the facial expression of the man before her. Despite his nonchalant appearance, Bingley seemed anything but indifferent to the outcome. It was clear he’d wanted her relationship with Will to succeed, even if he’d be out several million as a result. Odd fellow.
And, if she’d read him right, he seemed to crave a happily-ever-after Love Match for himself, too. She should probably introduce him to Jane… Heck, her best friend might actually like this loony bird.
Beth’s romance with Will was a ridiculous fantasy, though, at least on her part. As if Will would have actually proposed to her! She hugged her arms to her chest.
He wouldn’t have, would he?
No.
And, if he did, it would have been for the sake of the clinic, not for her. People just didn’t get in life what they fantasized about, Perfect Match or no. And, in her case, she knew she’d never get that yearned-for man who would love her forever, just as she was. And who would love Charlie, too.
“Thank you for explaining, Bingley. I appreciate your candor.” She gave him a weak smile. “I wish I’d been as irresistible to Will as you’d hoped. But I guess some of that is my own fault. I hope your upcoming birthday will be a happy one.” She stood up and prepared to leave.
“Thanks. Nice meeting you,” he said.
She dumped her trash in the bin then played with the sleeves of her blouse. “You, too,” she said, surprised that, in spite of everything, this was true.
“Hey.” He cleared his throat and gave her a sheepish grin. “I feel like a clod for bringing this up now but, um, what’s your name? You probably don’t want me calling you doll face or sugarplum or something like that anymore.”
She grimaced.
“I thought not,” he said. “Will never told me who you were, though. He just let me call you the Love-Match Lady. And here I stupidly talked to you for over a half hour and didn’t think to ask your real name.”
Her real name. The irony of this question struck her hard. “Beth,” she said on her way out to hunt down that stubborn cousin of his. “It’s Beth Ann Bennet.”
***
Beth saw the familiar tuft of dark hair that belonged to Will’s head as she peered across the hospital cafeteria at him. His back was to her and he was conversing with another doctor. She forced herself to take four, then five, then six steps in his direction.
The other doctor strode away. Beth froze.
She watched Will stab at some mystery casserole on his plate, his gaze fixed on the smudged tabletop. She gulped as much oxygen as her lungs could hold and pushed on toward him.
“Will,” she whispered to his shoulders.
He spun around in the chair so fast that the wind he created propelled her backward. Or maybe it was fear that did it.
Their eyes met. He clutched his fork—which held a chunk of chicken or something on it—like a motionless sword against her. The yellowish sauce from the meat dripped on the tile between them, but he didn’t move. Beth was incapable of anything resembling speech.
“I—um—” she tried.
His eyes narrowed.
“Could we—”
His lips tightened.
“Hmm, well, are you—”
His fingers fisted until the knuckles turned an unhealthy shade of alabaster.
This is going well. She gave up on coherence and just watched him glare at her.
Finally, he rose slowly from the chair. His legs unfolded beneath him, displaying limbs of lean muscle. All that power supporting him, the lucky man. Her knees were so weak she felt she might topple over at any moment.
His mouth opened.
“Calling Dr. Emrick and Dr. Darcy to the ER,” a disembodied voice over the loudspeaker requested.
Will closed his mouth, dropped his fork to the plate with an extra-heavy clink and stalked off.
And that, as they’d say in baseball, was one big strikeout.
***
A day later, Beth stood outside Social Services, a few minutes early for her meeting with Dan Noelen. It was a beautiful spring day. She’d taken Charlie on his first stroller ride on a day like today. He’d been six weeks old then, a little peanut of a baby, and his eyes fluttered shut every time the wind blew on his face. She smiled, remembering.
Now he was six years old. Growing up and wanting the truth about his life and his past. She’d done the best she could with the resources she had. She would never have given him up, and she’d worked like crazy to keep their lives together and on track. It’d been hard, but she had nothing to regret. She wouldn’t start regretting now.
She took a deep breath of fresh May air and marched into the building.
Dan opened his office door and got right to the point. “So, let’s chat, Beth. Where are you with this?”
Beth exhaled slowly. “On the phone a few days back, you asked some very good questions. This has been a time of self-discovery for me, I guess, even though I hadn’t planned it that way. I need to tell you the truth.”
He looked concerned and brushed the thick hair away from his brow. “You’ve reconsidered taking the position, then?”
“I’ve considered and reconsidered every aspect of my life, Dan.” She paused. “I did as you’d asked me to, but the conclusion I came to was the same.” She steadied herself in her chair and looked him in the eye. “I want the position—if you’ll have me and if I’m approved for it—and I very much want to be a social worker.”
“Would you still want to be a social worker even if you’re not on my team here?”
She panicked at his words. Darn it. So maybe he didn’t want her back after all. Maybe he thought she was unstable or unreliable after everything that had happened. But she thought through his question despite the hurt. Even if she weren’t working here, this was the job she loved to do. The career where she felt she
made the most difference and where she felt her work was most rewarding. “Yes,” she said. “Even then.”
He nodded. “Why?”
“Because it’s who I am. It’s the path that’s right for me. True, it’s a lot of work for a modest wage, but every day I’d be doing something I believed in. Something I’m sure will be of help to people because it was such a great help to me.” She smiled at him then added, “But the greater truth is that I love being with the elderly. They’re wise and bright and have wonderful stories to share. I have so much to learn from them, and there are so many lessons in life that need learning. Like being honest about yourself. Like taking risks with your heart. Like being proud of the challenges you’ve overcome.”
Dan rubbed his hand on his chest in the vicinity of his heart. “They’ve got a lot to share, but so do you, Beth.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll be recommending you to the board at their June first meeting.”
Her stomach flipped and her soul bounded up and did a jig. “You’re keeping me on here after all?”
“Of course, kiddo. Didn’t want to lose you if I didn’t have to. Now,” he pointed his finger at her, “is there anything you want to tell me about your Dr. Will Darcy? Any reason I shouldn’t trust him or want to remain the social services consultant for his project?”
“No, Dan. He and I may have had a falling out, but his clinic is a great idea. I wish it’d been there for me when Charlie was born. Please, support him any way you can but, if you would, keep me off that case. I haven’t yet learned enough life lessons to deal with the Good Doctor face to face anytime soon.”
***
Will stuck his head under the stainless-steel hospital faucet and flipped on the tap. Ice-cold water gushed over his hair, matting it in a manner no one but his mother would consider attractive.
Nah, even Mom would think he looked awful.
He fluffed it dry with a paper towel and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes for the third consecutive day this week. He had to stop taking on these extra shifts, but it was the only way to keep Beth’s wounded eyes from haunting him.
Pride, Prejudice and the Perfect Match Page 12
