Chapter 14
I dropped onto the bed and covered my face with my hands. What in the hell was Will thinking? After the gala and everything since, what would make him think I liked him? I doubt he truly even liked me for that matter. His expression when he stared was always so severe. Either he was extremely constipated, or he was confused, and I was inclined toward the former.
“Elizabeth Bennet! What was that?”
My hands dropped. I should’ve known Char would check in on me. “Will asked me out. Why would he do that?”
Char tossed her coat on the bed then propped her hands on her hips. “Probably because he likes you. And you ripped him a new one—a gaping wound from what I heard. That wasn’t well done, Lizzy. You’re always so aware and concerned about the feelings of others, then you go and treat him as if he doesn’t have one shred of emotion in his heart. I’m ashamed of you.”
I shot to my feet, and my head throbbed with the sudden change in position. “You’re ashamed of me? We’ve discussed the situation with Gigi and how he could’ve handled it better, especially with her na?veté. How does what he did help?”
She sighed. “His methods did get the man away from her. If Mary was in that situation, how would you have handled it? Maybe you need to consider that.”
“Okay, fine then! Let’s talk about the gala, when he said I wasn’t beautiful.”
“As I’ve said before, others have been critical of your looks and figure, and you’ve always laughed,” said Char. “Maybe you need to consider why his comments get under your skin and fester.”
Fester? No, any woman would’ve been insulted. I held up a finger. “He was supposed to let me know if you needed help this morning. The kitchen phone wasn’t broken last I checked. He could’ve called up, but no, he didn’t even return until a few minutes ago.” I propped my hands on my hips. What excuse could she give for that?
Char’s eyebrows lifted. “Are you fucking kidding me? That was part of this?”
“He was probably walking around the bookstore spying.”
“Oh, my God. Do you hear yourself?” Char gave an incredulous bark and put her hands on her head while she shook it. “I can’t believe this. Do you want to know what that man did all day?”
“There’s nothing—”
“Yes. Yes, there is. You didn’t let him defend himself—you berated him so badly, I’m certain he didn’t see the point in trying. So, I’m going to plead his case for him. I know you don’t want to hear it, but tough shit!”
“Char—” It wasn’t like Char could say one thing that would make this better, that would redeem Will Darcy.
She held out a hand, palm toward me. “You will stop and listen for once. That man who you just stomped all over was at the bakery all day , for at least 8 hours , working his ass off! He didn’t have time to phone!”
I opened my mouth to argue back, but her words hit me—really hit me. I bent forward a little. “I beg your pardon?”
“He showed up in the kitchens this morning, said you were sick, and asked if there was anything he could do to help. I told him where to get a shirt and an apron. Then, that man who you just treated like crap on a stick re-stocked the displays, wiped down tables and counters, and loaded the dishwasher. He busted his ass all day, and what did he get in return? He came upstairs, and you told him what a tosser he is. How he can’t possibly like you, how he buggered the situation with Gigi, how he stares at you like he’s looking to find fault.
“That man was a lifesaver today. Mia was scrambling to fill orders. She’d already come into the kitchens to see if we had items that were depleted in the displays so customers weren’t waiting. Even she sang his praises after he left, and you know she doesn’t give compliments easily. If he were to walk in tomorrow, she’d hook him up with whatever she could give him whether he’s a millionaire or not.”
The balloon of indignation that had filled my chest since Will stood before me collapsed. Char had delivered a series of sharp jabs and released every last bit of air. My legs refused to hold me up, so I sank to the bed. Why hadn’t Will said anything?
“Probably because you were so severe on him, he didn’t have a chance. Would you even have believed him if he had? If he’d stood before you and told you that he’d done the grunt work at the bakery, you’d have laughed at the idea. You wouldn’t have given anything he said any credit. You know that’s exactly how it’d go, too. From the moment you learnt who he was at the gala and he’d said what he did, you were determined to think him the devil. With the exception of trusting him with Gigi’s situation, he possessed no redeeming qualities whatsoever.”
Had I said the last part aloud? It didn’t matter, I deserved everything Char just dished out and more. I squeezed my eyes closed then reopened them. “You’re right.” What else could I say?
Char was about to say whatever, but she paused, her mouth gaping. “I’m sorry, but did you just say that I’m right?”
“Shut your gob, Char.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “No, I’m enjoying this too much. You don’t behave this stubbornly often, but when you do, you’re never willing to admit that you’re wrong. Let me enjoy it for a moment.” She smiled and feigned basking in the sun.
“You’re ridiculous.” I rubbed my forehead.
“No, I’m your best friend, and because I am, I’ll never agree with you when you’re wrong, and I’m going to do my damnedest to make you see it. I’m not saying William Darcy is perfect, but he’s not the villain you’ve painted him to be—that you believe him to be. His actions with Gigi are a brother doing his best to protect his sister. I agree that if Greg Wickham is that bad, Gigi should know what he is. Unfortunately, we don’t have that information. Maybe, after some time, William will tell her. It’s all we can hope. I’m sure you can understand wanting to protect her. You’ve done your best to help Mary over the years, haven’t you?”
“That’s a different situation, but yes. She turns eighteen in two weeks. I think I’m going to have a roommate after that.”
“She can always move into your old flat.”
“When are you moving in with Annie?”
“I’m slowly bringing things over, but I’m already living there. I’ll let you know when I get the place cleared.”
“You know I’m not going to rush you out. That apartment is yours for as long as you need it.”
“And you know I appreciate it. I have to admit that rent free in New York City is a major plus. I’ll never be able to repay you.”
“I don’t need the money, Char. I’d rather you have a good place to live, and I admit that I liked having you close by. We could hang out as often and as long as we liked and not have to worry about one of us getting home. What am I going to do with you moving out?”
She laughed. “Well, Annie’s is not that far. We’ll have you over, and you can invite us here. We’re not just friends, Lizzy, we’re family. I’m sure Mary will fit right in with the inmates of the asylum when she comes. We’re all a bit mental but we’re a friendly bunch.”
I rubbed my head and closed my eyes. My temples were starting to throb again. I’d been drunk on wine before and never gotten sick like I was this morning.
“Do you have a bad head?” She sat beside me.
“I can’t get over that all I drank was wine and I feel like this.” Had I somehow dropped a Jager Bomb without knowing it?
Char gave a snort-laugh. “You also drank about two and a half bottles.”
My head popped up, and I pressed my palm to my forehead. “Two bottles? There’s no way.”
“By my count, you had at least eight very large glasses of wine. Annie didn’t hold back when you arrived, but she also thought you’d sip it. Neither of us took into account that you might start drinking it as if it was water and you’d been stranded in the Sahara for two days. By the time I followed you to the bathroom, you were hiding it well, but you were sloshed. I didn’t want to leave Annie the first time she’d hosted a major holiday, and William readily offered to take you home.”
“And you begged him to stay in case I got sick during the night.”
Her eyebrows drew together a bit. “He responded like it was a forgone conclusion—like he wouldn’t have expected to do otherwise. If I had to guess, he would’ve stayed whether I asked him to or not.”
“God, I feel like a—”
“Beeotch, wanker, daft prick—”
“Okay,” I said with a weak laugh. “Point taken.”
“You need to apologize to him.”
I shook my head. “I’m not sure how.”
“Don’t you have his contact information? I thought you said he gave you his phone number after you went to him about Gigi.”
I blew out a breath. “I’d forgotten about that. I’ll see if I can find it.”
“Did you will it to burst into flames or something?”
My head rested on her shoulder. “I put his card in my pocket. Whether or not it’s there or Mrs. Hill took it out when it was laundered is another story.”
Char sucked air through her teeth. “You never put the number in your phone?”
“No.”
“Maybe we can find a reason to get it from Gigi this week? Like to thank him again for all of his help.”
I straightened and scrubbed my face. “I think I want to snuggle under the covers and watch a rom-com with Atticus—forget today happened for a little while. Will we need to go down and clean up the café and bakery in the morning?”
She shook her head. “No, between William’s help and everyone chipping in when the crowds died down, we’re set to go. When I left, the displays had enough for any late-comers and the evening crew was on for anyone who came for coffees. We were up over last year by about five thousand, which is huge for one day. It’s no wonder we had trouble keeping up.
“I wrote down some notes in your office for the day after Christmas. It’s not so dissimilar after all.”
I nodded. She was right. The day after Christmas was a variation on a similar theme. People shopping to get deals and those who come in looking for a sweet treat, snack, or filler for their leftovers. Selling our pie crusts was the idea of one of our customers three years ago. She’d commented how she wished we’d sell our pie dough. Now, we always kept some available in the refrigerators and it’s on the menu in the front, but it’d become an extremely popular item before and after the holidays. However, the demand for a savory crust was more afterward when everyone was looking for new ways to eat leftover turkey.
“What am I going to do when you move to the new location? I’m going to be lost.”
She nudged me with her shoulder. “No, you won’t. Mia deserves a promotion and a raise. You’ll be able to afford that with my salary coming out of the budget for the new bakery. You’ll promote Lucy as well. She’s been shadowing me for long enough. When she arrives before me, she doesn’t hesitate to get to work and has taken a load off of my back as she’s become more confident in her abilities. I don’t think you’ll notice much of a difference.”
“Except I can’t gossip with her.”
Char laughed. “We don’t gossip. We share stories and talk about stupid things—Instagram reels, whatever I’ve seen on YouTube.
“Now, you’ll get to know Lucy better by listening to her ideas on monthly specials and what she can bring to the bakery. I think she’s going to be amazing. You’ll need to open a location in Queens or Brooklyn or maybe a smaller store on the Upper East Side in a few years for her to run.”
I waved my hands in front of me. “One at a time, please! I don’t know how Will does it. How many stores does he have?”
“He has an entire high-rise building of employees helping him out.”
I sighed. “I’ve already considered that the apartments over the children’s section may have to be converted at some point into more office space. Eventually, we’re going to need more management on a corporate level. Two months ago, I offered Gracie a position as social media/marketing executive, and she needs an office. She’s been rocking the internet for a while now, and she’s one class from graduating with her degree in May. I don’t want to lose her. Will’s cousin was asking me yesterday who did our social media.”
“What’d you tell him?”
With a chuckle, I smiled at her. “That whatever torture and interrogation techniques he was thinking of wouldn’t work. That it was a secret I’d take to my grave. He just grinned and told me he’d say the same thing and complimented her savvy with the campaigns she runs.”
“Wow,” said Char. “Doesn’t he run marketing for Pemberley?”
“Exactly. I’m glad I offered her the position before she decided to go job hunting. At the end of six months, we’ll evaluate her salary and make any adjustments she needs.”
“You’re doing a great job, Lizzy. Zio’s looking down and beaming at how well you’ve done.”
I blinked back the burn of tears. “I hope so. I can’t fail him.”
Char put an arm around my shoulder. “Hey, even if you lost everything in some freak circumstance, Zio would never be disappointed. He loved you too much. He’d also not want you to eat, sleep, and breathe either of the businesses.”
“Okay, Mom,” I said. Char often brought up my lack of a love life. Was it my fault no one appealed to me? Okay, no one but Will had appealed to me. Most of the men I met ingratiated themselves to me when they learned I owned a successful business. I didn’t need an overgrown child making a mancave in Zio’s living room and playing video games all day long.
“Do you realize that everyone calls William Darcy ‘William’ except for you. Even Gigi calls him that, but when you’re relaxed and not in public, you call him ‘Will.’ Haven’t you wondered why?”
I scoffed and shook my head. “That’s only because he introduced himself to me that way at the gala.”
“Is it?” asked Char.
“Of course. What other reason could there be?”
Char gave me one of those TV-mom looks. “I think you need to think about that one some more too.”