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Elizabeth sawWilliam walking toward the deck and knew, somehow, that he was coming to talk to her. She briefly entertained running away, but realized it would be like giving in. She’d noticed him staring—again—and continued to talk to Charlotte until she became aware of his presence next to her.
“Hello again, Elizabeth. Are you enjoying yourself?”
“Hi, William. Yes, thanks. You?” Elizabeth felt Charlotte's elbow discreetly digging into her side. “Oh, sorry. William, this is—”
“Hi, I’m Charlotte,” she said, and held out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, Charlotte,” he responded, and lightly shook her hand.
“Lizzy, would you mind showing me where the bathroom is?” Charlotte grabbed her arm and started to lead her away.
Elizabeth looked back at William and gave him a small smile. “Excuse us.”
Once inside, Charlotte cornered her in the living room. “Spill it. Who’s the hottie, is he single, and can I have him?”
Elizabeth laughed and explained he was friends with Charles, but she didn’t know if he was single. “I’ve only met him a few times. We really didn’t get off to a great start—he was a little rude—so I’m not sure what to think of him.”
“Whocaresif he's rude? Did you see him? Did yousmellhim? I'm going to the ladies’ room, and then I’ll come up with a plan.”
With that, Charlotte wandered down the hall, leaving Elizabeth alone. She could see William outside, standing by himself and sipping a beer. She thought to slip past him, but once she was on the deck he spotted her and quickly caught up to her.
“What is it about me that inspires trips to the bathroom?” He smiled, revealing an impressive pair of dimples.
She wasn’t sure what to say, and when she remained silent, his smile faded.
“I'm just giving you a hard time. I don't really expect you to answer that.” He cleared his throat. “Um, we got off to a really bad start. I acted like a jerk on the beach that day…” He glanced out toward the ocean for a moment and shifted his feet before turning to look at her again. “Without going into detail, I had my reasons. Then when I saw you at Charles's house…I was still upset, and I said some pretty awful things, which I'm fairly certain you overheard. And at that bar in Woods Hole, I was in a lousy mood and I really didn't want to be there. At all. And Whimsy…well, no point rehashingthat. I’m not trying to make excuses, I just…I want to apologize. For all of it.”
Her eyebrows rose, but she wasn't about to let him off the hook too easily.
“I realize I can be, um, judgy,” he went on. “And uptight. And a little arrogant. At least, that’s what Charles tells me.Allthe time. But I think it would be nice if we could get along. Charles and Jane are pretty much joined at the hip, so we’ll probably see a lot of each other this summer. I don't want you to think I'm a jerk, so…I’m sorry. I hope you'll accept my apology.”
She continued to stare, trying to sketch his character, but having no luck.
One corner of his mouth turned up. “Are you going to say something or is this conversation going to be entirely one-sided? I'm really not that bad, I swear.”
“Does this mean you'll stop staring at me like you want to kill me?”
He burst out laughing. “I can't promise I'll stop staring, but I’ll try to do so with a less homicidal expression.”
She had no idea whatthatmeant, so she remained silent—until she removed her sunglasses and asked him to do the same. He did, and looking into his eyes settled it for her; she thought she could see sincerity there.
“Apology accepted.”
He smiled again. “Great. Friends?”
He held out his hand and she grasped it. “Friends.”
“Lizzy! I've been looking all over for you!”
Frances Bennet waved and called out to Elizabeth from the yard below. Elizabeth cringed and quickly pulled her hand from William's. They replaced their sunglasses and peered over the railing as she worked her way up the stairs, all the while complaining about the large crowd.
Elizabeth turned to William and sighed lightly. “Excuse me.”
He nodded once and went down the stairs, passing her mother as he went. Mrs. Bennet made it up to the deck and kissed her daughter on the cheek, then looked her up and down.
“Oh, Lizzy, what are you wearing? Didn’t you have something nicer?”
“It's nice to see you too, Mom,” Elizabeth replied drolly. “Where's Dad?”
