The driveway down to Marv’s Lament was lined with hundreds of small lanterns, each with its own candle inside, while every tree had at least a dozen white paper globes hanging from its branches. The house itself was illuminated by uplights hidden in the hydrangea bushes along the front, making the steel and glass look even more severe against the dark sky.
It was a slow approach thanks to the line of cars ahead of them, and by the time Lizzy pulled their parents’ old minivan up to the front door, Mrs. Bennet was swooning.
“Oh, it’s gorgeous!” she exclaimed from the passenger seat. “Just stunning!”
Lizzy was tempted to remind her mother that this was the same house she called “an abomination” just a couple of years ago, but she bit her tongue.
A valet opened the driver’s-side door, then the back to let Jane, Lydia, and Kitty pile out. Lizzy almost laughed as she handed over her keys, along with herI Got Crabs at Mike’s!key chain, to the valet. To his credit, he didn’t even crack a smile as he climbed into the driver’s seat just as a Bentley Continental pulled up behind them.
The house’s front doors were propped open, the inside ceiling decorated with the same paper lanterns as were on the trees outside. Beyond them, the sliding glass doors along the far wall were open to the pool, where it looked like the entire population of East Hampton had congregated.
“Just breathtaking!” Mrs. Bennet’s voice rang through the foyer. She was wearing her latest creation, the Disco Lux Leggings, which meant both of her rhinestone-covered legs reflected spots of light across the floor as she navigated all of them out to the verandah.
Outside, the party was already in full swing. There was a burst of color at every turn, from the glowing dance floor stretching over the pool to the cascade of fairy lights hanging from the roof of the house. Lizzy was sure she was missing a thousand details, but with so many people suddenly so close, she gave up trying to notice.
“I’m going to go find Donna,” Mrs. Bennet said, barely looking at her daughters as she surveyed the crowd. “You girls mingle. And remember: I have the valet ticket, so nobody eventhinkabout leaving early.”
Then she disappeared toward the bar, leaving them on the threshold to gape at the scene in front of them.
The Pierce Party, as it had begun to be called by locals, had been the most exclusive invite in town a few weeks ago. But after Charlie invited the Bennets, Mrs. Bennet began inviting anyone she ran into. But they weren’t the only guests. Amid the locals, there were tall, elegant women in impossibly white linen dresses, and gorgeous men in various shades of khakis paired with navy blazers. ATown & Countryphotoshoot dropped in the middle of this year’s county fair.
And then there was Will Darcy, standing near the edge of the crowd.
The last time Lizzy had seen him on this verandah, he had been in a T-shirt and sweatpants, but now he wore a linen button-down with the sleeves rolled up, revealing his tanned arms, and a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips.
So that’s resort casual, she thought.
He looked good, and she hated that he looked good. In fact, she hated that she had any reaction to him at all. He silently judged everyone around him, he actively sabotaged his friend’s career with seemingly no remorse… he was an asshole.
She scowled, even as she stole another glance at him. His blue eyes were locked on hers now, and his gaze was so intense that her heart stuttered, sending her pulse tripping through her veins. She hated that, too.
Was he mad at her? Judging her for what he’d seen outside the Lodge the other night? His expression gave nothing away, but she also couldn’t attribute anger to it. There was something else there, something just under the surface that felt like a challenge.
She ignored it as she reached into her small bag and pulled out her phone. Holding it close so her sisters wouldn’t see, she opened Tristan’s contact information and typed out a message.
LIZZY
Your former best friend is giving me a death stare and I need saving
See you soon xo
She smiled and pressed send just as her sisters pulled her attention back to their small group.
“How do I look?” Kitty asked.
“Like you’re about to audit somebody,” Lydia said, eyeing her sister’s pencil skirt and cardigan.
Kitty blanched. “It’s resort casual!”
“It’s lovely,” Jane assured her. “You look beautiful.”
“Professional?” Kitty asked.
“Very professional.”
Lizzy paused. “Why do you want to look professional?”
“Annabelle Pierce is over there, and I’m going to pick her brain about a business idea I’ve been working on.”
