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“Oh, I had no idea. What a surprise! I assume Eliza is one of the hidden treasures on the Cape.” Caroline paused. “How sweet.”
Elizabeth rose from Will's lap and smoothed her dress. “I think so.”
Will stood as well, and she smiled at him when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“Well, I think it's justwonderful,” Caroline gushed.
Will's phone rang, and he frowned when he looked at the caller ID. “I should take this, it's Georgie. Sorry.”
He walked down the hall, leaving Elizabeth in the living room with Caroline. She sat down on the couch, and Caroline sat in one of the plush chairs.
“So, you and William are a couple?” Caroline asked. “How did you meet?”
“Jane and Charles invited me to dinner a few weeks ago while they were on the Cape, and Will happened to be there.”
“Oh. A little matchmaking scheme, perhaps?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “I don’t think so. And Will made a horrible first impression. I thought he was a jerk.”
“No, I can't believe it! Not William. Why, he’s–he’s—”
“He's not,” Elizabeth said quietly. “I know that now.”
Will came back into the room just as Jane walked in with Charles, who carried a tray with gelato, bowls, and spoons.
“Georgie just wanted to let me know that Mrs. R's sister had a heart attack,” Will said quietly.
Charles frowned. “Oh no. Is she okay?”
“She's in the ICU at Mass General. I've called a car service on the Cape to pick up Alice and bring her straight to the hospital. It should be on its way already.”
“That's very generous of you, William,” Caroline said. “Not everyone would be so attentive to the hired help.”
“Alice Reynolds is far more than the hired help,” Will stated, his tone—and his glare—icy.
“Yes, of–ofcourseshe is. It’s just–it’s very nice of you.”
“Anyway,” he went on, “she’s anxious to get to the hospital, of course. I told her to call me when she arrives, regardless of the time.”
“If there's anything I can do, let me know,” Charles said. “I’ll be glad to help.”
“Thanks,” Will responded. “Well, I guess we should dig into the gelato. We don't want it to melt, right?”
They all grabbed bowls and spoons, and everyone tried the different flavors Jane and Charles had bought. When dessert was finished, Caroline abruptly stood and said she needed to leave.
“Thank you, Jane, for inviting me. Call me in the morning, I'm already looking forward to our stroll at the market.”
“You're welcome, Caroline. We may go on the earlier side, if that's okay. Say around nine?”
“Oh, that's fine, I'll be up and about long before then.” Caroline turned to Elizabeth. “It was so very nice to meet you, Elizabeth. What a pleasure to meet a member of Jane's family.”
“Nice to meet you too, Caroline,” Elizabeth said. “See you in the morning.”
“Good night, Charles.” Caroline kissed the air next to his face, then turned to Will to do the same—but made contact with his cheek.
“Drive safely, Sis,” Charles said, ushering her to the door. “Talk to you soon.”
As soon as she was gone, Charles turned to the group and exhaled loudly, then looked at Will and grinned. “Lipstick on your cheek, pal. Not a good look for you.”
