He wasn’t embarrassed. After all, he hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true. Still, something hot and uncomfortable flared in his chest as he turned to Charlie.
“We should get going.”
“Are you kidding? The band hasn’t even finished their set!” he exclaimed.
Will leaned closer. “And Vivienne is barely conscious.”
Charlie’s smile flattened as he craned his neck to look toward the other side of the room. “Fuck.”
Goodbyes were quick, and to Jane’s credit, she didn’t seem to mind. Will couldn’t make out their words, but while Charlie was verbose, the eldest Bennet sister seemed happy to just smile and nod. She didn’t even look up from her drink as they walked to the door.
Will thought that was it. But the ten-minute drive home was one long soliloquy from Charlie about the beautiful Jane Bennet.
“Did I tell you that Tom Baker is her favorite Doctor?” Charlie asked, his voice echoing through the sharp angles of the house as their foursome entered the dark foyer.
“Yes,” Will replied flatly, continuing forward into the living room.
Charlie followed him, undaunted. “She even has all the ‘Pyramids of Mars’ episodes on DVD. Those are impossible to find! She said she would let me borrow them, but I think I might invite her over for a wholeDoctor Whomarathon, you know? She hasn’t seen ‘Planet of Giants,’ and I think—”
“Sounds great, Charlie,” Annabelle interrupted as she walked past him on her way to the kitchen. “Just don’t get attached.”
Charlie paused by the towering windows on the far side of the room, completely dark now except for the faint outline of the clouds against the black sky. “What does that mean?”
“Oh please,” Annabelle said with a roll of her eyes. “You can’t be that naive.” She didn’t even look at him as she said it, just opened the refrigerator and took out some water.
Charlie’s hands went to his hips. “I guess I am, because I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Annabelle already had the bottle of water to her lips, so Vivienne piped up from where she had landed on the sofa, arm flung over her face. “She’s probably just after your money, Charlie.”
Charlie’s brow furrowed as he looked from his sisters to Will, then back to his sisters. “Oh, come on. She doesn’t know I have money.”
Annabelle put her bottle of water on the counter. “Does she know you work in mergers and acquisitions?”
“Yes.”
“And that we rented this house for the whole summer?”
“So?”
Across the room, Vivienne laughed so hard it turned into a snort.
Annabelle tossed him an incredulous eye roll before taking another sip of water. “She knows you have money, Charlie.”
Neither of his sisters was privy to the way that Charlie’s expression dimmed, how his brow creased in an unfamiliar way and his gaze dropped to the floor. Will was tempted to soften the blow, but he also recognized the hard truth there. The one Charlie needed to hear.
After a moment, Charlie lifted his head, his attention now on Will. “What do you think?”
Will considered. Yes, he could tell Charlie what he really thought. And with anyone else, he wouldn’t hesitate. But Charlie wasn’t just anyone. Since they’d met freshman year at Columbia, he had been like a brother, and, considering Will was an only child, that meant a lot. When Will’s parents had died a few years ago, it started to mean even more. He wouldn’t sacrifice Charlie’s excitement on the altar of honesty. Instead, he simply said, “She smiles too much.”
Charlie’s pensive expression melted away as he shook his head and chuckled. “You’re a dick.”
The corner of Will’s mouth teased a grin before falling flat again.
“On that note,” Annabelle said, rolling her eyes, “I’m going to bed. Come on, Viv.”
She abandoned her water on the counter and walked over to the sofa. Vivienne was sprawled across it, her long dress wrapped around her legs and one sandal hanging off her foot.
“I’m not tired,” she whined, her eyes closed.
