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“But you have to accept that Lauren and I are together,” Richard stated firmly.
“That’s fine, but some changes need to be made. Maybe we can reach a compromise; maybe she can work somewhere else in the company, in another position, instead of as your assistant.”
Richard nodded. “All right. I'll talk to her about it when we get home.” He glanced at his watch. “Speaking of which, I need to get back to the hotel. We're flying out in a few hours.”
Will offered his hand, and Richard clasped it firmly. “I'm truly sorry, Rich. More than you know.”
“I’m not the only one who needs to hear an apology from you. We'll talk this week.”
Will nodded. “Have a safe flight back.”
He took a deep breath as he watched his cousin walk out of the park, relieved things had gone well enough, and headed back to his car.
* * *
Elizabeth woke with a start,and when she realized she was alone, she climbed from bed and went into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later she was showered and dressed and making her way downstairs. She found Georgiana alone in the kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee.
“Good morning, Georgie.”
“Hey, Lizzy. Coffee?”
“Please. Um, do you know where your brother is?”
Georgiana nodded. “He went to meet Richard. What happened last night?”
Elizabeth sighed, not sure how much she should say. “A misunderstanding, I guess, between Will and Richard. And between Will and me too. I think we're okay now, but I'm glad he went to see Richard.”
Georgiana handed Elizabeth a mug of steaming coffee. “What did they argue about?”
“That’s between your brother and Richard. It’s up to Will to tell you what’s going on, not me.”
“You're right, it's none of my business. But they've always been more like brothers than cousins. I'd hate to see something come between them.”
“Me too.” Elizabeth quickly changed the subject. “Tell me about you and Matt! You looked like you were having a very good time last night.” She waggled her eyebrows. “He's very handsome.”
“He is, isn't he? I had a wonderful time. I think he did too.” She smiled wistfully. “He told me he’d intended to ask me out that night. Um, on New Year’s Eve.”
Elizabeth's eyebrows rose. “Really?”
“Yes. Originally he was going to ask me to go to the partywithhim. But then he figured he’d play it cool and ask me out when the clock struck midnight. He had it all planned. But then he couldn't find me…” Georgiana's eyes filled. “He feels like he could have prevented everything if he’d just stuck with his original plan, because maybe I wouldn’t have talked to that guy. Maybe I would have been with him instead.”
“That’s understandable.”
“But I don’t want him to feel responsible. It’s bad enough that Will felt responsible; I don't want Matt to feel that way too.”
“They want to protect you, and for that one night, they couldn't.”
“I know.”
“So what's the next step for the two of you?”
“Well…he told me hestillwants to take me out on a date, but he doesn’t want to pressure me. He said he would wait until I was ready.”
“And what did you say?”
“I’m ready.”
Elizabeth laughed. “Just like that?”
