Lizzy blinked, turning to him again. His voice was rough, with an unhewn edge that felt coarse in her ear. Maybe that’s why it sent an odd shiver down her spine.
“I guess I’m just the redhead,” she answered with a shrug. She tried to add levity to her voice, to make the statement sound lesspathetic than it really was. But while Charlie chuckled, his friend just maintained her gaze, as if he saw right through her.
Whatever. She brought her attention back to the rest of the group. “What are you doing in East Hampton, Charlie?”
“My sisters and I rented a house for the summer. We wanted to get away from the city to relax and spend some time together.” It was an excuse Lizzy had heard a hundred times before, but the way Charlie said it—equal parts sincere and self-deprecating—made her realize it was the first time she had ever believed it. “Will’s just coming out on the weekends to make sure we actually do some work while I’m here.”
Lizzy smiled. “And what do you do for work?”
“We run a mergers and acquisitions firm in the city. I mean, we run it together. Mainly deal with finding emerging sustainable technologies and pair them up with larger firms. To be honest, it’s just an excuse for me to spend all my time researching green tech. I know that sounds boring but—”
“Not at all!” Jane said, perking up. “I just mean, it’s not boring. Science, that is.”
Charlie’s eyes lit up. “Are you a scientist?”
“No, I teach first grade at East Hampton Elementary. I love it, but it’s nothing like saving the world or—”
“She’s amazing,” Lizzy interrupted before her sister could say anything else self-deprecating. “You’ve never heard so many six-year-olds bring up mitochondria in casual conversation.”
Charlie laughed. Will’s expression remained flat.
Lizzy continued, “She’s also the one that keeps our mom and the rest of us from burning our house down on a daily basis.”
“You still live at home?” Will asked. It sounded more like an accusation than a question.
Lizzy bristled, but worked to maintain her smile as she replied,“Yup. We would move out, but all these Manhattanites keep summering out here and jacking up the real estate prices.”
She said it jokingly, though there was a bite under her words. She hid it well, though, enough that Jane smiled and Charlie laughed again. But Will’s expression remained unchanged, like he knew it wasn’t the full truth.
And he would be right. Sure, rentals were expensive, but between her and Jane, they could likely afford something nearby, maybe up in Sag Harbor or Springs. God knows they had talked about it enough. With Kitty and Lydia still living at home while they attended community college, and Mary moving down to the basement after she graduated last year, the house had never felt more claustrophobic. But moving out only to stay nearby would mean settling, admitting to herself that her delay in starting grad school was more permanent. That those dreams of getting out into the world were only ever going to be that. Dreams that would slowly fade with every flick of the light switch on the bakery’sOpensign.
Will didn’t deserve to know that much about her, though. He hadn’t earned it. So Lizzy just stared right back at him and took a long sip of her drink.
After a moment, he finally turned away. She did the same.
The band kicked off with a song they called “Fade to Blackbird,” and Lizzy cheered and clapped as the guitar licks alternated between ear-splitting and trippy. When she turned back around a few minutes later to get Jane’s opinion, she found her still in close conversation with Charlie.
Will, on the other hand, had disappeared.
Thank God, Lizzy thought, taking another swig of her beer.
One song led into another, and she soon forgot about Will Darcy. She laughed and cheered and even managed to drag Maryinto the center of the room to dance to a mash-up of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Seek and Destroy.” But when she finally found herself back at the bar, sweaty and tired and demanding ice water from Piper, she saw Charlie’s phone light up with a text from where he had placed it on the polished wood.
WILL
She doesn’t need my pity.
Lizzy stared down at the words. It could have been about anyone, she knew that. Still, she couldn’t help but recall how Will had looked at her and Jane earlier, as if he were cataloging every mannerism, every flaw. What if he was referring to Jane here, trying to somehow convince his friend that she wasn’t good enough, or—
Jane’s laugh interrupted her thought. “You’re right. It’s like I tell my students: always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind.”
“?‘Twice Upon a Time’!” Charlie replied, lighting up, “Peter Capaldi!”
She nodded. “It’s one of my favoriteDoctor Whoquotes.”
“It’s the best!”
The knot in Lizzy’s chest dissolved. Regardless of Will’s text, she had nothing to worry about.
