The sliding door closed behind them, leaving Will and Lizzy alone on the verandah. Silence descended, broken only by the steady roar of the waves on the beach.
Lizzy turned to watch them, and it allowed Will a moment to study her face. She was striking, really. Her eyes were impossibly large, separated by the dramatic slope of her nose, an elegant curve from her forehead down to her full lips. It would have made foran intimidating profile if not for the way her nose scrunched up when she squinted.
She turned back to face him. “So.Point Break?”
His gaze darted away from her as he cleared his throat. “That’s Charlie’s favorite movie, not mine.”
“Ah,” she said, nodding. “Does Charlie surf?”
“No,” he replied. He should have left it at that, but found himself adding, “But when we were in college and he found out I did, he made us watch it. I hadn’t seen it before, and I think he assumes I loved it as much as he did.”
Lizzy blinked. “Are you telling me you’ve surfed your whole life but didn’t seePoint Breakuntil college?”
“Yes.”
He expected some of the confusion to dissipate from her expression, but it held steady as Lizzy tilted her head. “Will, I’m going to be honest, that’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard. And I regularly listened to my mother pitch a Velcro pockets business.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Porto-Pockets.” She motioned vaguely in front of her, as if it helped illustrate her point. “They were these detachable pockets. With Velcro. It was a whole thing.”
“I thought she did leggings.”
“She does.” Lizzy sighed. “When it comes to business ideas, Joanne Bennet doesn’t discriminate.”
“So that’s where the bakery came from.”
“No. That’s my grandparents’ business. They retired and left it to my dad. If it was up to my mom, they would have sold it ages ago, but there’s not that big a market for family-run businesses running on dial-up and a dream.”
“You still use dial-up?”
She laughed to herself. “No, not really. But I’m the only onewith the Wi-Fi password, so if I ever leave, they’ll be completely cut off from the outside world. Especially because no one except me knows how to use the phone or the answering machine.”
Will frowned. He had totally lost the thread of the conversation, but he slowly realized he didn’t care. He wanted to keep her talking, find out what else might come out with the right prompt.
Unfortunately, he was thwarted by the sliding doors opening again. Charlie reappeared, followed by Jane. She was holding her phone in front of her, and had a look on her face that Will could only interpret as pained.
“Okay, Mom, I’ll tell them,” Jane said to her video call, then turned to Charlie. “My mom says thank—”
“Thank you so much!” Mrs. Bennet crooned, her voice echoing out from the phone. “We weresoworried, what with the storm and the roads! You should see the bakery; it’s a mess!”
“Of course!” Charlie said, popping up behind Jane and giving a big wave. “I’m just happy I got to steal a few more hours with her.”
“You’re so sweet,” she replied. “But don’t worry, I can come pick her up! The roads aren’t totally clear yet, but I’m sure my minivan can make it through.”
“Or she can stay!” Charlie said. “I don’t mind.”
“Oh, you should stay, Jane!” Mrs. Bennet concurred. “That house is justsogorgeous. Not that I’ve ever been invited inside, but I’ve heard stories! Maybe someday…”
Lizzy’s head fell forward, her wet red hair hiding her face.
“Why not next weekend?” Charlie offered. “We’re throwing a big party for the Fourth of July. You should all come! I have your number in my phone now, so I’ll send you the invite.”
Shit. Will watched the scene unfold with abject horror. He knew Charlie was falling hard, but he hadn’t expected him to embrace the entire family. This would only make the inevitable fallout worse.
“Oh, how wonderful!” Mrs. Bennet cried. “We would love that. I can’t tell you—”
“Why don’t I just drive Jane home?” Lizzy piped in.
