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3
The next morning, while drinking a cup of coffee on her deck, Elizabeth replayed the previous evening. Maybe William Darcy isn’t so bad after all. He was kind to her when he could have walked right past her and not acknowledged her at all—especially after Lydia’s behavior—and she was willing to concede that a decent personmightbe lurking under his haughty façade.
Her phone rang and she sighed when she saw Lydia’s face on her screen. Lydia and Elizabeth shared the same dark, wavy hair, but that was where their similarities—physical and otherwise—ended. Lydia was petite with generous curves and eyes as blue as Jane's, and when she was in the room, everyone knew it. Unfortunately, Charles and William—especially William—got the full Lydia experience last night.
“What do you want, Lydia?”
“Hi, Lizzy,” Lydia said, her voice subdued. “Um, I just wanted to apologize for last night. I don’t remember much, but Jane filled me in. Did I really grab that guy’s—?”
“Yes.”
Lydia giggled. “Holy shit.”
“Goodbye, Lydia.”
“Wait, don't hang up! For crying out loud, why are you so uptight?”
“Why do you think anyone who isn't drunk and obnoxious is uptight? You embarrassed him, you embarrassed Jane and me, and you made a fool of yourself. Don’t you care about that?”
“How did I embarrass you? You didn't grab the guy’s crotch,Idid.” Lydia giggled again. “And what a handful it was.”
Elizabeth’s exasperation peaked. Unfortunately, this wasn’t the first conversation of its kind, and she wondered when—and how—her sister had turned into such a shameless, selfish person. They didn't go out together very often anymore, because when they did, the nights always seemed to end the same: Lydia drunk and being taken care of by one of her sisters or a friend. It was getting old, and Elizabeth was fed up.
“God, you just don't get it. Goodbye, Lydia.”
* * *
The followingweek was a busy one for Elizabeth. The reserve's softball team had practiced twice, and was starting to look like a real team again. Playing softball with her coworkers was fun, the games competitive but friendly. They were involved in a town-wide league, and played against teams comprised of employees from other businesses or municipal departments.
Before she knew it, Thursday morning had arrived. She was giving the lead presentation at a conference at the Geological Survey Center in Woods Hole, and even though she was prepared, she still felt a bit nervous. She convinced herself that giving the first presentation of the day was agoodthing; everyone would still be waking up and having their coffee.
The Marine Research Reserve had recently been awarded a large grant by the National Research Reserve Science Collaborative. The reserve, in conjunction with several other government groups and two universities, would study the quantity of carbon that was given off and absorbed by coastal wetland areas.
It was a fairly straightforward topic, one she felt confident discussing. Since starting at the reserve, first as an intern while still in college and now as a permanent employee, she’d moved up the ranks to reserve manager. Being named project manager for this grant was a huge accomplishment, and the timeline was set to span three years. She’d have her work cut out for her but knew it was a great opportunity.
Her presentation started at nine a.m. sharp, and by nine thirty, she was finished. She received an enthusiastic round of applause and answered questions for an additional fifteen minutes. Once she was done, she sat back, took a deep breath, and settled in to watch the other presentations. She’d taken Friday off and was looking forward to the upcoming holiday weekend.
Bill Collins approached her a little while later, during a break between presentations. He was the research coordinator at the reserve, and as such they were coworkers, but he’d worked there longer and had more seniority. He was a short, stocky man, with thinning hair, but he was intelligent and generally a decent guy, and she’d learned a great deal from him. He’d apparently taken a personal interest in her, but his advances never went beyond occasionally asking her out, though she always declined.
“Excellent job, Elizabeth,” he said.
“Thanks, Bill. Even though I've done these things before, I still get a little nervous.”
“Well, you'd never know it from the view in the cheap seats. If I was to describe how you looked up there, nervous wouldnotbe the first word that came to mind.”
He winked, and she looked at him blankly, giving no response or encouragement, but he pressed on.
“Do you have any plans for the holiday weekend? I'm having a small gathering at my place on Sunday. I would love it if you stopped by.”
“My sister will be here, and we've already made some plans.”
“Oh, well, she’s welcome to join you, of course. The more the merrier.”
“Um, I'll have to let you know.”
“Very well. I'll call you Sunday morning. Enjoy your days off.”
With that, he gave her another wink and sauntered away, and she ventured back into the auditorium to watch the rest of the presentations.
