Elizabeth of East Hampton (For the Love of Austen #2)

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Will couldn’t remember a storm that bad in years.

He tugged a gray T-shirt over his head as he descended the glass-and-steel staircase. Charlie’s house was still quiet, with the watery morning light only just beginning to bleed through the wall of glass on the far side of the room. The storm had passed, but the lingering clouds left a sobering reminder behind.

Normally, Will would have canceled his weekend trip out east and ridden out the storm alone at his apartment in the city. But thanks to a series of construction delays, the Montauk house was still without a roof, so he knew he had to take matters into his own hands. He flew out yesterday morning, landing just before they began to cancel flights. By the time he had finished ensuring his house could withstand the beating, he drove down the coast to East Hampton, arriving just before Montauk Highway flooded and made the journey impossible.

When he got there, Will had been surprised to find Jane Bennet in the living room, sitting alongside the Pierces as they all watched a meteorologist motioning to a radar covered almost entirely in red. Soon every road that led to the house was closed, which meant Jane was stuck there for the night. But while Charlie couldn’t have been happier about the situation, Jane seemed hesitant. Not that Will thought she would have been overjoyed, but there was a reluctance there that nagged at him.

Then the power went out.

Will found some candles in a kitchen drawer, while Vivienne and Annabelle found two bottles of wine. They downed them over the course of an hour, singing every top forty song they’d downloaded on Spotify between swigs. Thankfully, by ten o’clock both their phones had died.

“Oh, my phone is almost out of battery, too,” Jane had said, staring at her glowing screen.

Vivienne’s head popped up from the sofa. “What if all our phones die?” she asked, her words slurred. “What if we’re stuck here… forever?”

Will took that as his cue. He stood up, ready to excuse himself to the blessed solitude of his room upstairs, when Charlie piped in from where he sat with Jane by the fireplace.

“We should get Lizzy’s number before Jane’s phone dies, don’t you think, Will?” he asked.

Will paused. “Why do we need Jane’s sister’s number?”

“In case of an emergency.”

“An emergency,” Will repeated flatly. Charlie may have been one of the most brilliant minds in green tech, but when it came to scheming, he was about as subtle as a jackhammer.

“Yeah,” his friend said nonchalantly. “We could start a group text or something. For safety. Or… for going out and doing other things. Maybe.”

“She’s free most nights,” Jane offered brightly.

Great . Charlie’d gotten the sister involved in this, too.

“Like… Friday or Saturday nights,” Charlie added.

Will narrowed his eyes at both of them, then turned without answering. He headed to the fridge, suddenly parched, and grabbed the pitcher of Annabelle’s cucumber water to pour himself a glass. He headed upstairs shortly after, with Annabelle and Vivienne passed out on the sofa, and Charlie and Jane still sitting close by the fireplace.

Now the gray morning light revealed that the living room was empty.

Coffee. Will needed coffee. His bare feet padded along the marble floor to the kitchen where the coffeemaker blinked 12:00. Apparently the power had come on at some point. Will pressed the on button and listened to the coffeemaker spurt and start slowly brewing.

When it was done, he took his cup and made his way to the wall of windows facing the beach. Usually the sun was so bright in this house that it practically blinded him, but today, gray clouds blanketed the sky, silhouetting seagulls making lazy loops across it.

He unlocked the sliding door and walked out onto the verandah, where the teak furniture was surprisingly intact. There was a slight chill in the summer air, mixed with the usual smell of seaweed and salt. The Hamptons had endured their share of hurricanes and forced evacuations over the years, but Will still marveled at the way it always fell back into its own rhythm afterward.

There was shuffling behind him then. He glanced over his shoulder to see Vivienne on her way to the kitchen, Annabelle in tow.

“I’m never drinking again,” Vivienne moaned. “Please tell me the power is back on. If I can’t have a latte, I’m going to cry.”

“I think you’ll survive, Viv,” Annabelle murmured.

A pit of dread formed in Will’s chest. As much as he loved Charlie’s sisters, he had learned years ago they were better in small doses. And definitely not first thing in the morning.

There was a commotion in the kitchen as the sisters raided the refrigerator, but Will continued forward across the verandah and down the narrow path to the beach. The cool sand was still wet, and he could feel the bottoms of his sweatpants getting damp as his feet sank into it, but he didn’t care. He just took a sip of his coffee. The bitterness bit at his tongue as he watched the massive swells crash on the beach over and over again.

I should have brought my board , he mused, hypnotized by the long line of the beach break. Yes, surfing right after a storm wasn’t the smartest idea—urban runoff made for more risks than he was used to taking—but even he couldn’t deny that today was the perfect day for it. Just the waves and the wind. No distractions.

Then something in the periphery caught his eye.

One lone surfer had decided to tempt fate and battle the ocean. They were winning, too. For several minutes, he watched from the beach, clocking them as they sliced through the water, caught a wave and rode toward shore.

Then they turned around and paddled back out to do it all again.

After a few minutes, the surfer was almost directly in front of Charlie’s house. They swerved, riding another monster wave onto the beach just a few yards from where Will stood watching.

Once in shallow waters, they picked up their board and dragged it up onto the sand. While Will couldn’t see their face thanks to their wetsuit’s hood, he could see now that it was a woman. Her dark purple wetsuit clung to her body like a second skin.

Then she turned, pulling the hood down and shaking out her hair just as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. Her wet, red hair.

His coffee hovered at his lips as his pulse stumbled. It was Elizabeth Bennet. Dripping wet and walking straight toward him, like he should be expecting her.

“Hi,” she said, stopping just a few feet away.

“What are you doing?” he asked before he could stop himself.

Her head tipped to the side as she stared up at him, her chest rising and falling with each fast breath. “Quantum physics. Obviously.”

He frowned. “You shouldn’t be surfing in this.”

Her eyebrows bobbed up. “Excuse me?”

“You shouldn’t surf after a storm. The water pollution levels—”

“I know about urban runoff, Will,” she said, then motioned down her body. “Hence the full suit.”

He glanced down at the purple neoprene and immediately noticed a tear in it along her left thigh.

“There’s a hole in it.”

She looked down, as if noticing it for the first time, and shrugged. “I have glue at home.”

“Doesn’t do you much good in this situation.”

“Neither does unsolicited criticism.” Her tone was clipped as she narrowed her eyes on him. “Anything else you care to comment on?”

He took a sip of his coffee. “Give me ten minutes. I just woke up.”

Her dark eyes flared like she might smile. He’d thought he would see it at the farmers market a few weeks ago, when he grabbed that muffin despite her lie, and he had been disappointed when she hadn’t. Now he waited, surprised by the knot of anticipation tightening in his chest.

Then Vivienne’s voice wailed from back up on the verandah.

“Charlie! The cushions are soaking wet!”

Lizzy craned to look up toward the house. “Did everyone survive the storm?”

“Yes.”

“My sister, too?”

He nodded.

“Can I see her?” she asked, as if the follow-up should have been obvious. To be fair, it probably was.

“If she’s up.”

“Not being held against her will, then?”

“If you were worried, you should have called.”

“I did. Her phone went straight to voicemail.”

“So you went surfing instead.”

“And now, here I am,” she said with a sharp smile he knew was artificial. “Waiting to see her.”

She was staring up at him, her dark eyes expectant, as if challenging him to keep this volley going. And he was surprised to find he wanted to. But then Annabelle’s voice cut through the air.

“Just flip them over, Viv! It’s fine!”

Will frowned, then nodded toward the house. “Come on.”

Lizzy followed him, leaving her board in the sand at the foot of the path that led up to the verandah.

Annabelle and Vivienne had apparently found a solution to the wet cushions, each now lounging on a separate chaise. Despite the overcast skies, Vivienne was wearing sunglasses along with a black kaftan. Next to her, Annabelle was in a matching gray pajama set. The sisters were in conversation, but that halted the minute they saw Will appear with Lizzy at his side.

“Did you just come from the ocean?” Annabelle asked, looking back and forth from the beach to Lizzy.

Vivienne snorted out a laugh.

To her credit, Lizzy just smiled. “Just Main Beach. The roads down here are still closed, but I wanted to check on Jane.”

“Right,” Annabelle replied, though she didn’t sound totally convinced.

With that, the sliding doors opened again.

“Lizzy?” Jane appeared on the verandah, a smile quickly overwhelming the confusion on her face. “What are you doing here?”

“She emerged from the ocean, apparently,” Vivienne murmured.

Jane laughed softly, as if she had somehow missed the hidden jab in Vivienne’s tone. “Lizzy has never been able to pass up a storm surge.”

“Not true,” Lizzy said. “I promised to come save you, remember? The surf was just an added bonus.”

Jane laughed again, but something about Lizzy’s comment still sat heavy in Will’s chest. Had he missed something? Did Jane need saving? The night before had seemed benign enough, but then again, Jane was hard to read. If it was awful, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to tell.

Charlie himself appeared then, yawning and smiling as he ran a hand through his well-tousled hair. It took him a moment to notice Lizzy, but when he did, his eyes lit up. “Lizzy! Hey! Will, Lizzy’s here!”

Will didn’t reply, just braced himself for the inevitable.

“This is great! Wow. We were just talking about you last night! Weren’t we, Will?” Then Charlie noticed Lizzy’s wetsuit. “Are the roads open? Did you drive or… swim?”

“Ah, no, not exactly,” she replied, still smiling, though it was beginning to look weary. “The storm kicked up the waves, so I surfed down from Main Beach.”

“You surf?” Charlie’s eyebrows shot skyward. “What a coincidence! Will surfs, too! Don’t you, Will?”

Will only stared at him.

“He’s got a whole stack of boards at his place. Wetsuits, too,” Charlie continued undaunted. “And his favorite movie is Point Break !”

Jesus . That was not Will’s favorite movie by any means, but he didn’t have the energy to correct Charlie.

“Wow,” Lizzy said, completely failing to dampen her sarcasm as she turned to Will. “ Point Break , huh?”

He met her gaze. He was expecting that same patronizing look she had given him before, an invitation to continue their volley. But now, there was a hint of amusement, too.

“So, you’re like, a real surfer,” she continued.

“Something like that,” he replied, his tone noncommittal.

“Lizzy, you should take Will out one of these mornings,” Jane offered, even as the words came out like they had been thoroughly rehearsed. “Show him the best spots. Or waves. Maybe.”

Lizzy laughed. “I’m sure Will has better things to do on the weekend that don’t require waking up before dawn.”

“You go out that early?” Will asked before he could stop himself.

She shrugged. “Yeah, most mornings.”

“Alone?”

Her expression turned sardonic. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“It’s dangerous.”

“Only if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“And do you?”

Her eyes flared again. He was becoming familiar with that look. The way her lips turned up ahead of the retort, how her back straightened ever so slightly, like her impending words had sharpened it. He was learning that it was inevitable. And surprisingly beautiful.

He quashed the thought as quickly as it had appeared.

“Lizzy’s been surfing since she found our dad’s old board in the garage when she was six,” Jane said. She turned to her sister. “He taught you for a while, didn’t he?”

Lizzy nodded, her smile now authentic. It left an odd pit in Will’s stomach. He filled it with the last dregs from his mug.

“That’s crazy!” Charlie said. “Will’s dad taught him, too. Didn’t he, Will? Starting when you were about that age, right? You even said that when you were younger, you both—”

“Does anyone want coffee?” Will interrupted. It was abrupt enough that all eyes turned to him, but he didn’t care. He barely shared personal details about his parents with his friends, let alone strangers. The fact that the Bennet sisters didn’t fit neatly into either category left him feeling even more off-balance.

“Oh, sorry, I should have offered that! I’m the worst host,” Charlie said, already moving toward the door. “Who wants coffee? Water?”

“Can you get me some of that water in the fridge?” Annabelle asked, barely moving her body. “The one with the mint, not the cucumber.”

“I want the one with the cucumber,” Vivienne added.

“Right. Got it,” he said with a decisive nod. “Lizzy?”

“No, that’s okay,” she replied. “I can’t stay long. I just wanted to check on Jane before my mom freaked out and called the Coast Guard.”

“Oh God, I forgot to call her last night,” Jane said with a groan. “My phone died and I don’t even think I tried to charge it.”

“That’s okay! You can use my phone. It’s inside. And then Will and Lizzy can catch up!” Charlie said, nodding his head toward the sliding door. Then his gaze darted between Lizzy and Will before returning to Jane, waiting for her to pick up on his not-so-subtle hint.

Jane’s eyes widened in recognition. “Yes. Good idea. I’ll call her. Inside. Lizzy, while I’m gone, you can tell Will about your… surfboard. And… things.”

Then they both disappeared into the kitchen.

A moment passed before Vivienne’s head turned lethargically toward her sister. “Have I seen Point Break ?”

Annabelle hummed as if already bored. “I don’t know, Viv.”

“Who’s in it?”

“Keanu, I think.”

Vivienne seemed to consider. “Is it that one that’s on TV all the time?”

Annabelle stared at her sister blankly.

“The one where he’s the cop…” Vivienne continued.

Nothing.

“On the bus…”

Jesus . This was painful.

“And the guy blows up…”

“That’s Speed ,” Will and Lizzy answered in unison.

Will turned to Lizzy just as she turned to him, eyebrows pinched together.

“Right.” Vivienne nodded, too deep in thought to notice. “Richard loved that movie.”

Annabelle groaned as if she already knew where this was going. “Oh God.”

The words were barely out of her mouth before Vivienne was on her feet, heading back inside. “I’ll be right back.”

“Can we hold off on cyberstalking your ex-husband until after breakfast, please?” Annabelle said, following close behind.

The sliding door closed behind them, leaving Will and Lizzy alone on the verandah. Silence descended, broken only by the steady roar of the waves on the beach.

Lizzy turned to watch them, and it allowed Will a moment to study her face. She was striking, really. Her eyes were impossibly large, separated by the dramatic slope of her nose, an elegant curve from her forehead down to her full lips. It would have made for an intimidating profile if not for the way her nose scrunched up when she squinted.

She turned back to face him. “So. Point Break ?”

His gaze darted away from her as he cleared his throat. “That’s Charlie’s favorite movie, not mine.”

“Ah,” she said, nodding. “Does Charlie surf?”

“No,” he replied. He should have left it at that, but found himself adding, “But when we were in college and he found out I did, he made us watch it. I hadn’t seen it before, and I think he assumes I loved it as much as he did.”

Lizzy blinked. “Are you telling me you’ve surfed your whole life but didn’t see Point Break until college?”

“Yes.”

He expected some of the confusion to dissipate from her expression, but it held steady as Lizzy tilted her head. “Will, I’m going to be honest, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. And I regularly listened to my mother pitch a Velcro pockets business.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Porto-Pockets.” She motioned vaguely in front of her, as if it helped illustrate her point. “They were these detachable pockets. With Velcro. It was a whole thing.”

“I thought she did leggings.”

“She does.” Lizzy sighed. “When it comes to business ideas, Joanne Bennet doesn’t discriminate.”

“So that’s where the bakery came from.”

“No. That’s my grandparents’ business. They retired and left it to my dad. If it was up to my mom, they would have sold it ages ago, but there’s not that big a market for family-run businesses running on dial-up and a dream.”

“You still use dial-up?”

She laughed to herself. “No, not really. But I’m the only one with the Wi-Fi password, so if I ever leave, they’ll be completely cut off from the outside world. Especially because no one except me knows how to use the phone or the answering machine.”

Will frowned. He had totally lost the thread of the conversation, but he slowly realized he didn’t care. He wanted to keep her talking, find out what else might come out with the right prompt.

Unfortunately, he was thwarted by the sliding doors opening again. Charlie reappeared, followed by Jane. She was holding her phone in front of her, and had a look on her face that Will could only interpret as pained.

“Okay, Mom, I’ll tell them,” Jane said to her video call, then turned to Charlie. “My mom says thank—”

“Thank you so much!” Mrs. Bennet crooned, her voice echoing out from the phone. “We were so worried, what with the storm and the roads! You should see the bakery; it’s a mess!”

“Of course!” Charlie said, popping up behind Jane and giving a big wave. “I’m just happy I got to steal a few more hours with her.”

“You’re so sweet,” she replied. “But don’t worry, I can come pick her up! The roads aren’t totally clear yet, but I’m sure my minivan can make it through.”

“Or she can stay!” Charlie said. “I don’t mind.”

“Oh, you should stay, Jane!” Mrs. Bennet concurred. “That house is just so gorgeous. Not that I’ve ever been invited inside, but I’ve heard stories! Maybe someday…”

Lizzy’s head fell forward, her wet red hair hiding her face.

“Why not next weekend?” Charlie offered. “We’re throwing a big party for the Fourth of July. You should all come! I have your number in my phone now, so I’ll send you the invite.”

Shit . Will watched the scene unfold with abject horror. He knew Charlie was falling hard, but he hadn’t expected him to embrace the entire family. This would only make the inevitable fallout worse.

“Oh, how wonderful!” Mrs. Bennet cried. “We would love that. I can’t tell you—”

“Why don’t I just drive Jane home?” Lizzy piped in.

Charlie’s expression dimmed a bit, even as Jane’s brightened.

“Lizzy?” Mrs. Bennet said, her voice louder, as if she had gotten closer to her phone. “I thought you were surfing?”

“I was,” she called out. “But I’m just parked up at Main Beach. It’s a walk, but I’m sure Jane won’t mind.”

“What about your board?” Will asked.

She shrugged. “I can carry it.”

“Okay, Mom. We got it figured out.” Jane gave the screen a tight smile. “See you soon!” She quickly hung up and handed the phone back to Charlie as the smile fell. “I’m so sorry.”

“Why? This is great!” he replied, threading an arm around her waist. “I can’t wait to meet your mom. We’ll have so much fun.”

“Right.” Jane nodded, though she didn’t look convinced. “Okay, well, I guess we should get going.”

“You don’t have to,” Charlie said hopefully. “Stay. Lizzy, too! We could all hang out. Maybe play charades? Or a card game? Or—”

Will was about to tell Charlie to leave it alone, but then he caught the look shared between Jane and Lizzy. It was too quick to decipher, but it was enough that Lizzy stepped forward with an apologetic smile. “Unfortunately, I’ve got to steal her away. The bakery’s basement took some water damage last night, so it’s all-hands-on-deck.”

“Oh, okay,” Charlie said. “Well, I can walk down with you, if you want?”

Jane nodded and quickly grabbed her bag from inside before saying a gracious thank-you to Will. Then she and Charlie began walking down the path to the beach.

It looked like Lizzy would follow them, but then she stopped in front of Will. “Thanks for taking such good care of Jane.”

“Of course,” he replied. Suddenly, muscle memory kicked in, and he stuck out his hand like he was saying goodbye to one of his investors.

She stared down at it for a long moment.

Damn it . He thought she would laugh, even walk away, but instead a smirk teased her lips as she finally reached out and shook it, her skin warm against his.

“Always a pleasure, Will.”

Before he could reply, she released his hand and started down the path to the beach to catch up with Charlie and Jane. Will watched her go, then turned around and went back inside. Annabelle and Vivienne were bickering, but he ignored them, the same way he ignored the memory of wild red hair and torn purple neoprene. Instead, he focused on brewing another cup of coffee, then picked up his book and headed upstairs, determined to relax.

Ten minutes later, he was sitting on the balcony off his bedroom just as he intended. But his coffee was cold. His book hadn’t been opened. And all he could think about was the fact that he could still feel the warmth of Lizzy’s hand against his palm.