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16
Will and Elizabeth spent Saturday apart, as she’d already made plans with Charlotte. They went for a run, and then went to a little café near the bike path to have a light breakfast.
With all the messiness of the week, she’d forgotten that she’d intended to talk to Charlotte about George and the picture he’d left at her house. She waited for the server to finish pouring their coffee, and when they were alone again, Elizabeth cleared her throat.
“George is still working on the assignment for that travel magazine, right?”
Charlotte nodded and sipped her coffee. “He likes it.”
“Um, he left a picture at my house the other night. I found it after you left.” She paused. “Itdefinitelywasn’t something for the travel magazine.”
“What do you mean?”
Elizabeth described the photo, and when she was done, Charlotte rolled her eyes and sighed.
“He probably didn’t realize he left it behind. He’s been doing photo shoots on the side—portfolios for models, headshots, nudes, whatever people are willing to pay for.”
Elizabeth vaguely remembered George mentioning some freelance work. “And you’re okay with that?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? It’s his job, and he’s good at it. Do you still have the picture?”
Elizabeth grimaced. “I threw it away.”
“Why? Did you think he was some kind of pervert?” Charlotte was grinning, but Elizabeth sensed her question was in earnest.
“I didn’t knowwhatto think, but I was horrified. I didn’t want it in my house!”
“Well, I’m sure he has more pictures of whoever it was. He really does nice work.” Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Oh God, did you tell Will?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “I didn’t see any reason to.”
There wasno wayElizabeth would say a word to Will about that picture—not with everything Georgiana had been through. She still felt like there was something about George that wasn’t quite right, but maybe she was just being overly suspicious. Charlotte liked him a great deal; he must havesomeredeeming qualities.
“Good,” Charlotte said. “George told me when we left your house that he’d like for all of us to get together sometime. He’d be mortified if Will knew he’d left that picture at your house.” She smiled widely. “I’m so glad I went to that party at Bill’s with you. I have a feeling this is going to be a great summer.”
* * *
Will spentmost of Saturday catching up on work, and then later in the afternoon, he’d walked down to Charles’s house and had a very blunt conversation with his friend about Caroline. Charles was embarrassed by his sister’s behavior, and Will gave him fair warning: the next time he saw Caroline, it wouldn’t be pretty.
He arrived at Elizabeth’s house on the morning of the Fourth, looking forward to the day ahead. He loved being there with her; it was cozy and peaceful, and he was relieved there were no lingering issues from his time in California. They’d completely opened up to each other on Friday, and as he had after talking with Georgie last week, he felt lighter. Elizabeth appeared happy, and he wasdefinitelyhappy; so much so, that he found it hard to keep his mind—and his hands—away from her. She seemed to feel the same, as if the small touches and caresses were a way to reinforce that things were really okay between them.
Jane and Charles were due to arrive at around four o'clock, and had offered to bring Georgiana with them, giving Jane the chance to finally meet her. Before they arrived, Elizabeth set to work in the kitchen, determined to make the ultimate pan of brownies from scratch for all of them to enjoy that night.
Will leaned against the doorway and watched her as she puttered around the kitchen. She swayed her hips—encased in tiny denim shorts—to the music coming from her phone, hair pulled up in a ponytail with the ever-present stray curls bouncing against her neck. She was barefoot and wore no makeup—unless you counted the smudge of cocoa on her cheek—and he absolutely couldn’t pull his eyes away from her. He smiled as he listened to her sing along to the music, completely caught up in the task at hand.
I love her. I am in love with her.
The realization struck forcefully, and for an instant, he couldn’t breathe. He’d known this moment was coming, but he didn’t know what it would be like to finallyfeelit. Surprisingly he felt calm, as if everything in his life had just been set to rights.
She turned to him then, eyeing him curiously. “What's going on in that gorgeous head of yours?”
All he could do was smile. He knew his face was flushed, and he was certain he’d swallowed his tongue.I’m a goner.
“You're dying for a taste of the ultimate brownie batter, aren’t you?” she guessed.
She fed herself a spoonful of batter, then proceeded to give him a mind-blowing kiss. Kissing her was an otherworldly experience, and once he got started, it was awfully hard to stop. Now was no exception, and his already scrambled brain turned completely useless.
She pulled away and smiled. “Taste good?”
