Page 52 of Second Chances
“Well, you looked like you could use some calories. Have you even eaten at all today?”
Beth had to stop and think about it; she hadn’t eaten before running out to meet Jane and then, after her breakdown at the apartment, she had come right back here. So, no, she hadn’t eaten all day. No wonder she was completely drained.
“No, I didn’t get a chance,” she replied quietly, knowing that her answer wasn’t going to make Darcy happy, especially because he would blame himself.
She peered up at him from underneath her eyelids, watching frustration come over his face.
“So, did Charles say how the wedding plans were going?” Beth asked, trying to distract him, as she helped herself to heaping portions of both the Fettuccini Alfredo and Penne Vodka.
“Not really. Something about still trying to decide on a venue, but I wasn’t paying that much attention to him.”
“Oh interesting, Jane hasn’t mentioned the venue yet. I’m glad she found her dress, though. Regardless of everything else that happened, I’m glad that I was there. Otherwise, she probably would have wound up with something far too gaudy; you should have seen the things my mom picked out,” Beth said with a laugh.
“Your mother does have interesting taste,” Darcy replied, politely, before the two of them broke out laughing.
“Yeah, well, you just wait; before we left she was already insisting that I would need a dress covered in beading and lace to make up for my lack of natural beauty,” Beth said wryly, stopping short as she realized that she had just alluded totheirwedding.Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully.
Darcy caught the significance, too. Neither of them had mentioned marriage or even their potential engagement since the night of Charles and Jane’s engagement party. Not that they both didn’t believe that that was where their relationship was heading, but they were already moving so fast, with so many hurdles to overcome, that that discussion had been quietly tucked to the wayside. Beth caught him watching her intently, waiting to see what else she might say on the subject. Heat suffused in her cheeks as she continued to chew her bite of pasta, frantically trying to think of what to say.
There’s been enough deep conversations for one day, Beth. Keep it light.
“You’re gorgeous, Beth,” Darcy said, looking at her intently, turning her cheeks an even deeper shade of red.
“Thank you,” she murmured shyly, before continuing her story, “Well, Jane, obviously, does not need any of that fluff but, I swear, actually, if Caro hadn’t been there, I’m not sure that my mom would have been convinced,” Beth continued, looking over to catch Darcy’s reaction as she redirected their conversation away from speculation about their future.
She saw his mouth thin as he took another bite of food. He didn’t seem too affected.No.He seemed like he was trying to remain unaffected; she caught just a glimmer of unrest in him before continuing.
“I said that the more embellished dress just wasn’t Jane’s style, but it was Caro who played it off to my mom that it was actually taking away from Jane’s natural beauty, which you know how my mother is so proud of that. So, that, combined with it coming from an outside source,notme, is what saved Jane. Of course, a minute later my mom was totally on board that the simpler, classic dress is what Jane needed,” Beth finished her story, laughing at how her mother could be so easily convinced by someone else, but if it had been Beth to suggest it, well there would have been a completely different outcome today, that is for sure.
“She is very good at manipulating people,” Darcy said.
He tried to make it sound light, but there was an edge, a harshness in his tone that took Beth aback. It was as if he wanted to say more, to explain what his tone implied, but he held back. She thought that it wasn’t uncommon to dislike a friend’s sibling, especially if the two siblings didn’t get along. Beth was pretty sure that at one point, all of Lydia’s friends had hated Jane because Lydia constantly complained that Jane was always getting all the attention. Whether it was that, or something else, she was curious and wanted to respond, to question his cryptic words, wondering if Darcy had a problem with Caroline Bingley. Before she could finish her bite to get those words out, though, he interrupted her thoughts.
“I want to take you somewhere.”
Beth took a moment to register his statement. Her sleep-addled mind struggled to stay focused on any one thing.
“Ahh… right now? Where do you want to go?” Beth responded, slightly confused.
“No, I want to take you somewhere for a long weekend sometime in the next few weeks,” he stated, shaking his head. “If that’s ok with you,” he added quickly at the end, realizing that he hadn’t given her much of a choice.
“Well, Jane’s bridal shower is the next weekend and I have a bunch of stuff to help prepare for that, and then the following weekend I have a work event,” she answered. “I mean, you could always just escort me to another work gig.”
Too soon, Beth. Too soon.
His eyes darted to hers, relief settling in them when he saw the twinkle in her eyes that her last statement was made in jest.
“When you check your work schedule this week, text me the date of your next free weekend, so I can plan something.”
“Ok,” Beth looked at him, eyes wide. “So, where are we going to go?”
“It’s a surprise,” he said with a playful smile on his face. “That is if you are available.”
“I don’t think it will be a problem.”
A weekend away with Darcy, just the two of them.Even though the details hadn’t been nailed down, the thought alone set her stomach aflutter. Even though they were together here, there was work, and family, and friends so close that it seemed every time they tried to do something together, or spend the day together, something or someone got in the way.
“Great.”
