5. Chapter Five
Chapter Five
Lizzie
Ipull out my phone as I leave my office, passing through the kitchen absentmindedly. I look for Will, but I don’t see him here. I want to check in with him about when he expects to have the new menu ready.
I need to know so that I can give him the company card and he can go shopping for ingredients. When he’s gone shopping, I’m even more short-staffed than I already am, which means I’ll have to be ready to cover more front desk shifts…on top of everything else I have to do.
I text Lydia, Kitty, and Mary as I walk because I can’t help thinking about one more thing on my to-do list.
Me: I need three helpers for Nic’s wedding. Who’s in?
Mary: Will we get paid??? If so, YES.
Me: Of course. I need helpers for the drinks and baked goods.
Kitty: I’m in since we are getting paid and because you’re my sister and I love you.
Lydia: I’m in too… but not because you’re my sister and not because I love you. I’m doing it for the cash.
Me: LOL. Thanks, I think. I’ll talk you all later when I get home so we can go over details. Love ya’ll.
I close that group chat, realizing I have way to many group chats. But that doesn’t matter right now because I need to text someone else. Someone not in a group chat. George Wickham.
I am mid-text and trying to come up with something flirty but not thirsty to send to Wickham. I need him to come to dinner with me tonight to shock my family and get rid of Billie, but I don’t know what to say…or if I’m trying too hard.
But what else can I do when I’m out of options? Will doesn’t want to be my fake boyfriend, so I might as well shoot my shot with Wickham…who might actually be the man I need, despite what Will thinks of him.
Thumbs hovering over my phone, I lean my back against the kitchen door. I hear Will laughing. It catches my attention. I’m about to push through the door and see what is so funny when I hear Will ask, “Me and Lizzie?” Will laughs again.
I don’t move. I don’t breathe. Why is he laughing? And what is so funny about him and me? I press my ear against the door to hear a bit better.
“You two have some kind of chemistry, or am I imagining things? You could be the right guy for her. She’s tough, but she’s a sweetheart.” That’s Wolfsheim. Why is he trying to play matchmaker?
“She’s great, but she’s not my type. And we work together.” That’s Will. He just politely dissed me.
First, he pretends to be my fake boyfriend to help me save face in front of Billie. Then, he doesn’t want to continue pretending with me. Now, he says I’m not his type.
My stomach lurches. Am I self-conscious about this? I don’t know why I feel this way.
I don’t even like him like that. But to hear him say that I’m not his type feels like he is saying he can never like me, like I’m not good enough for him. And how can I not be good enough for him?
That feeling in my stomach turns to irritation. Will works for me. In my cafe. In my town. I am his boss.
I am literally a boss lady. I am such a catch. I roll my eyes.
But if I’m being fair, Will isn’t my type either. Besides the fact that we work together, we are friends, and I don’t want to make it weird. I know it was a mistake to bring him into this.
“Make better choices, Lizzie,” I say to myself. I type something to send to Wickham, feeling more determined to show Will that I am the right girl for someone.
I shove that thought away and push through the door, giving Will and Wolfsheim death glares when they turn to look at me.
“By the way, I am a fantastic catch. The right type for the right one. And I don’t need help to find a man. Thank you very much.”
I hit send on my text to Wickham and strut away from them. I walk around my cafe, greeting guests with a smile and a boost of self-confidence.
***
The three of us Bennett girls, who are unmarried, live next door to our parents in a cozy three-bedroom house. Our house is modest and a little shabby. Our parents’ house is bigger and looks more like a house you’d see in a magazine.
Our house is more like a cottage. But they bought it for us so we don’t have to worry about paying rent or a mortgage, which allows us more time to focus on other things.
For me, I saved up during college for my cafe. With a mix of savings, a business degree, and a small business grant, I’m able to live my dream.
I watch the sunset from my seat by the window of my parents’ house and think about the cafe. My sisters and I walked over after I got off work today. My thoughts always drift to the cafe, even when I’m not there.
Here, Mama is still in the kitchen, cooking.
Papa is on the couch in the living room watching TV with a book in his hand.
He pretends to read, but really is sneaking peeks at the screen to watch whatever reality show he’s into at the moment.
Janet and her husband, Charlie, are in the living room with Papa.
Janet, who is in her early thirties, is currently the only married Bennet sister.
Mary and Kitty are with their boyfriends and Lydia’s boyfriend in the backyard. They sit around the firepit with pre-dinner snacks, which drives Mama crazy.
Mary, Kitty, and Lydia are each a year apart in age, ranging from their late teens to their early twenties, and attend Selah Falls University as commuter students.
Each of them has a new boyfriend every so often. This time, they each brought someone home from the university’s football team. I can’t remember either of their names. I won’t even try to learn them because they probably won’t last that long.
Lydia isn’t outside with the others, so naturally that means she is bothering me. She’d call it keeping me company. I, on the other hand, do not call it that.
I’m lounging on my favorite window seat. The fluffy pillows on the nook had pillow covers that Mama changed to match the season. Now, they had summer quotes and flowers on them.
My phone buzzes. I block out Lydia’s voice. She’s ranting about how hungry she is and how Mama needs to hurry up and let us make our plates so we can eat. I discreetly pick my phone up from beside me on the nook seat and check the screen.
George: You’re on Longbourn Street, right?
Me: Yeah, at my parents’ house. Sitting by the window so I’ll see you when you pull up.
George: I’ll be leaving the station soon. Can’t wait to see you :)
I smile down at my phone. I give his message a heart when Lydia asks, “Are you even listening to me, Liz?”
“Nope,” I say gleefully, smiling up at her as she smacks my leg.
She has boxer’s hands for someone who weighs less than me. I swing to hit her back, but she is too quick and jumps out of the way, laughing. I make a mental note to get her back later. For now, I put my phone away and glare at her.
I ask her, “What do you want?”
“Don’t give me attitude! Who were you texting just now?”
“No one,” I say, making the zipped-lip motion.
“Lies,” she says.
Lydia practically spits the word at me. She pushes my feet back so she can sit on the nook seat with me. I sit up and scoot over to make room for her. I already know what’s coming: an interrogation. She looks at me with her eyes wide open.
“Spill,” she says. “Tell me everything.”
“There is literally nothing to tell you.”
Lydia asks, “Who was it?”
I cross my arms over my chest defiantly. “None of your business.”
“You’ll tell Nic and Jane, but you won’t even tell your own sister when you have a new boo.”
“Boo?” I ask, coughing. “Girl, bye. I don’t have a boo. I have a potential boo. There’s a difference.”
“Who is it?” Lydia asks, squealing like a child. I glare at her again, unable to forget that she’s younger than me.
“Will you leave me alone if I tell you?” I ask.
“No, I won’t, and you know that. Now, tell me, or I’ll start guessing.”
I laugh, shaking my head. “I’d rather hear your guesses.”
“What’s that baker’s name? The one who works at your cafe? Will Derby or something?”
I blink at her, processing her first guess. “You mean Will Darcy?”
“Ooh, yes.” She rubs her hands together. “He’s actually really cute. And he’s new in town. You both like similar things, right?”
“Are you saying that since we work together that we have to have something in common? Really, Lydia?”
“But you two are friends too, right?”
“Define the word friend.”
She shrugs, unbothered by my sarcasm.
“I’m just saying. You could be the new it couple. Nic and Jay are sort of in that spot, but they will be the newly married it couple. Then, the new dating it couple spot will open for you and Will Darcy.”
“I don’t want to date Darcy. Ever.”
“How would you know unless you tried?”
Annoyed, I ask her, “Have you ever been hit in the face?”
“What kind of question is that? Of course not.”
“How do you know that you don’t like it unless you let me try to take a swing at you?”
Lydia stands up, throwing her hands in the air defensively. “You know what? I was just trying to help you out.”
I sit up straighter and glance out the window. I see a cop car parked out front in the driveway, behind my sister Janet’s car. I move to answer the door, already knowing who it is. I need to open the door before he knocks or rings the doorbell.
But Lydia moves faster than I do, running to the door. We race through the house, around a corner and to the hall that leads to the door, as if we were kids again.
Pushing and shoving, we both reach for the doorknob at the same time. I play dirty and tickle the sides of her stomach. As a big sister, I know this has always been her weakness and a pet peeve.
She topples over to cover her stomach with her hands and stumbles backward, leaving room for me to open the door myself.
“Hey, come in,” I say, a little breathless while opening the door. I smile at him. He’s carrying a small bouquet and still wears his uniform, but I don’t care because he looks so good. And how sweet of him to bring flowers.
“These are for you,” he says, stepping inside the house, smiling down at me.