and waited, but my tan improved,” she added lightly. “We just got to the hotel for the night.”
“Long day,” he murmured sympathetically.
“Yeah, we had to do a night shoot,” Jane yawned.
“Sounds interesting.”
“It wasn’t,” then she giggled, “except for Lizzy.” She sighed then. “I love the sound of your voice.”
Charles grinned widely. It was still rare for Jane to talk about her feelings and even rarer for her to say the “love” word. “I love all of you, baby. I’m missing you.”
Jane nodded. “I’m missing you, too. Silly, isn’t it?”
“I know, sweetheart. It’s just for one more night, then I promise I’ll make it all up to you, okay?”
“Okay, don’t go yet,” she said quickly, unwilling to end the call. “Tell me what you did today; let me listen to you.”
Charles smiled and told her in great detail about spending the day with Darcy, Jet Skiing then having dinner.
“That sounds nice. I’m glad you had a good day off. Richard didn’t join you?”
“No,” he said, his voice expressing his unspoken concerns. “He spent all day with an old flame. I don’t think they even left his room.” He frowned. “Don’t tell Charlotte that.”
“Oh, I won’t.”
“How is she doing?”
“She’s okay, not great. I think it’s helping her to be away from… you know. It’s been kinda nice, with Lizzy doing all the work and spending so much time with George, I’ve had a chance to spend some time with her.”
“George?” he asked. “Does Will have some competition?”
Jane laughed, a melodic twinkle. “No, I very much doubt that. Lizzy is hooked; she just doesn’t know it yet. George is our director, and while he’s very interested in Lizzy, I don’t think she shares it.”
“Poor guy,” Charles said teasingly. “As long as he’s not looking at you, pretty Jane.”
“You mean Joan, or Jan, or any other variants on my name he called me today,” Jane laughed. “I don’t think he even saw me, Charles.”
“That’s strange.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m taken,” she said, her voice warming slightly, “and it’s nice for Lizzy to get the attention for once. I know she feels like an ugly duckling sometimes.”
“Oh, that’s crazy. She’s not as beautiful as you, but she is a very attractive woman.”
“Yeah, but you must know how she feels. You’re always playing second fiddle to Will in the sex appeal department.”
“Baby, the only woman whose opinion matters thinks I’m the sexiest man alive, so I don’t really care,” he said in a low growl.
“Oh, you are,” she replied with a low and sexy purr, her sister and any other topic of conversation forgotten.
Elizabeth walked down the hotel hallway back to her room, her dry towel over her shoulder. “Hey,” a familiar voice called out to her, “what are you doing?”
“Oh,” she turned and smiled at George, “I usually swim when we stay at hotels, but I forgot the pool wouldn’t be open at this hour.”
George checked his watch. It was 12:30 a.m. “This must be about the time you get in from your shows. How are the hotel pools open for you then?”
“Will has them stay open for us.” She found herself blushing but didn’t know why.
“Oh?” George said, lifting an eyebrow. “So you two are pool buddies?”
“Yeah,” she said uneasily. “What are you doing up at this hour? I thought you would be bushed.”
“I was just getting some ice.” He held up the bucket. “Want to come to my room for a drink, since you didn’t get your swim?”
“Sure,” she answered easily. She followed him into his room and sat down. A moment later he presented her with a glass of white wine and joined her on the couch.
“I’m getting the feeling that you and my old friend are more than just tour mates,” he said lightly.
Elizabeth took a sip and smiled. “Well, this is my first tour, so I can’t say for sure if we are behaving in a manner that would be unusual for tour mates,” she answered, smiling at her cleverness.
“Okay, good point.” He grinned and took a sip from his own glass. “How would you describe your relationship?” he asked.
“I told you before, we’re friendly. Why are you so curious?” she evaded answering the question.
“Oh, Darcy was an old, old friend of mine. Our fathers used to work together and we grew up together. It’s just idle curiosity,” he said, dismissing the question.
“You said
“Ah, well, yeah,” he said slowly. “Darcy and I had a falling-out a few years back.”
“Oh,” Elizabeth said, wanting to know more but unwilling to be rude. George didn’t say anything more, so she felt the burden of the conversation fall back on her. “I really don’t know too much about him.” She put her elbow on the back of the couch and rested her head in her hand. “I thought we were getting closer, but then something happened to his sister last week, and he’s been kind of cold ever since.”
George’s eyes darkened. “Is Georgiana okay?” he asked with evident concern.
“Oh, of course you would know her,” Elizabeth realized out loud. “Yes, she’s fine. She just went missing for a couple of hours and Darcy panicked a bit, I guess you could say. But she was just out with some girlfriends.”
George downed his glass, and then he silently got up and refilled it. Elizabeth watched him stare down at his drink for a long minute, until he looked up at her and grinned apologetically. “Sorry. Georgie was always very dear to me. Do you know anything more about her?”
“Not at all,” she replied, sorry she couldn’t tell him more. “Why don’t you just call her?”
George smiled bitterly. “I don’t think that would be a good idea,” he replied as he sat back down beside Elizabeth. “Georgie was the reason Darcy and I had the falling-out.”
“Oh!” Elizabeth said, her eyes wide. “What happened?” she asked before she could stop herself. She bit her lip and looked away. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”
“No, it’s okay.” George said warmly, placing a hand over hers, which was sitting on her lap. “If you want, I’ll tell you my sad story.”
“Is it very sad?”
“Yeah, it is.” He grinned bitterly. “But, Lizzy dear, if you are getting involved with Will Darcy, you ought to hear it.”
“I’m not involved with him,” she objected.
“Yet,” he firmly added. “I know Darcy. He gets what he wants, and if he wants you, he will get you.”
Elizabeth looked at him, an expression of unease over her face. “Just listen to the story; that’s all I ask.” He pulled her closer so he could place his arm around her shoulder. Elizabeth shrugged and settled beside him, letting his words wash over her. “Georgiana Darcy and I grew up together. She was always a pretty little girl, and I looked on her as a little sister, nothing more.”
“Then I went away to college, and when I came back, the awkward teen I knew was gone, and in her place was a beautiful woman. I can still remember her at my graduation. It was like I was seeing her for the first time.” His voice became distant and wistful. “She was gorgeous, and yet she was calling my name and laughing, and rushing into my arms, like the childhood friend she was. She didn’t feel it at first, the change, but I did.
“I pined for her for six months before I let her know my feelings for her. It was right around Christmas and we had all gathered together as a family. I remember how surprised she was at first. I think she was flattered. She hadn’t realized that she had become a beautiful woman, that she was capable of being loved by a man.”
Elizabeth felt his hand playing with her hair, lightly, absently, as he told his story. He seemed very far away, lost in his memories. “It was New Year’s Eve when we first kissed, at the stroke of midnight. It was supposed to just be a kiss for luck, but it turned into more.” He grinned. “I admit it, I was completely in her thrall. We spent the rest of her vacation together, stealing moments together whenever we could. We were both so happy, discovering
