“Yeah.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I guess some people don’t mind a mess.”
Lizzy didn’t wait for him to reply, just gave him a sharp smilebefore turning on her heel and starting down the wooden steps to the parking lot.
The same bright stars shined down from the night sky as she walked home, passing the same storefronts, the same line of luxury cars parked along the street. It was true, nothing really changed in East Hampton. But at least Lizzy could take comfort in the fact that she would never have to see that asshole again.
CHAPTER 7
The bar was a wall of sound when Will reentered. Laughter and shouting and off-key singing all melded together over deafening guitar chords that sounded suspiciously like “Yellow Submarine.”
He ignored them as he navigated his way through the packed room. Or, at least, he tried to ignore them. What usually came so easy—that ability to shore up his defenses, put a mental barricade between himself and the outside world—suddenly felt flimsy and weak, making him only too aware of just how uncomfortable he really was.
It was that woman’s fault. He didn’t like crowded spaces and forced social interactions, but he usually had it under control. Then Elizabeth Bennet appeared. He had recognized that red hair immediately and said something before he could stop himself. Maybe that was what annoyed her—that or the flour comment—but regardless, she bit back.
Some people don’t mind a mess.
The words echoed through his head as his gaze slid to Vivienne and Annabelle. They were still at the same table in the back,although Vivienne’s head was now resting in her arms next to an empty martini glass. Beside her, Annabelle appeared to be in physical pain listening to the band.
It was time to find Charlie and call it a night.
Will continued his survey of the bar until he found him. Charlie was still standing beside Jane, leaning down to hear something she was saying. Impossible, considering how loud the fucking music was, but that didn’t seem to deter him.
Here we go again. Will thought he would at least have a week or two before Charlie fell headfirst into another relationship. What was the percentage he read in theWall Street Journalthe other day, 70 percent of couples break up before they make it to a year? For someone who was obsessed with facts and statistics, it was mind-boggling that Charlie chose to ignore that one. The man loved falling in love, and while that fact had been endearing in college, it was now like catnip to women who were more concerned with his net worth than his emotions. Of course, each relationship ended in the same predictable way, with Charlie giving too much only to have his heart broken, while Will ran interference, taking care of the mess left behind and picking his friend back up again.
And while this woman seemed perfectly lovely, Will didn’t have the bandwidth to fix another one of Charlie’s heartbreaks. They both needed to stay focused this summer.
Charlie caught sight of Will and motioned him over, his smile broadening across his face.
“You finally decided to join us!” Charlie exclaimed, raising his glass like this deserved a toast.
Will offered him a tight nod. Then he turned to Jane. “Your sister left.”
She blinked, as if the comment caught her off guard. Then he realized it probably had. “Lydia or Kit—”
“Elizabeth.”
Her expression relaxed and she nodded. “Piper told me. She has to work in the morning, so she headed home.”
Then she took a sip of her wine, like that answer was sufficient. Like it was fine that her sister just disappeared into the darkness all by herself.
“She walked.” Will’s voice was loud enough to be heard over the music, so the words came out almost like a shout.
Jane offered him a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. We live nearby; you don’t have to worry about her.”
“I wasn’t,” he murmured. He didn’t bother to consider whether that was true until the words had already left his mouth.
“Sorry?” she asked, leaning forward to hear him over the music. She laughed sweetly. “I can barely hear a thing. It’s not usually this crazy here.”
Charlie shrugged one shoulder as he practically yelled, “I don’t mind!”
Elizabeth’s words echoed through Will’s head again.
Some people don’t mind a mess.
There’s no way she could have seen the text message. No chance in hell that Charlie would have shown it to her. It was just a coincidence.
Then Will’s gaze slid over the bar, to where Charlie’s phone lay face up. The screen illuminated with a notification—one that could be read by anyone standing there. Like a redhead who’d been sitting at the stool in front of it just a few moments ago.
Well, shit.
