Improvise Page 15

  Will thought about Elizabeth and tried not to smile. He’d never be bored with Elizabeth in his life. He hoped she felt the same way.

  Elizabeth was lying on the asphalt beneath the front of Charlotte’s car, her head and arms the only part of her visible, when her phone rang. She touched a button on her earpiece and whispered, “Hello?”

  Why am I whispering? she asked herself, rolling her eyes. They’ll never hear me out here.

  “Why are you whispering?” came a deep voice. Will, she thought happily.

  “Because I’m up to no good,” she replied, with an impish grin. “Charlotte totally railroaded me this morning by not returning Jane’s car on time. Now Jane knows why I needed Charlotte to return it, and she’s both worried because I didn’t get an MRI and mad at me for not calling. Something about trusting a stranger over her and Dr. Lucas, and I sure wasn’t going to tell her about the Jacuzzi. Ergo, Charlotte has to pay.”

  “I’m almost afraid to ask,” he responded.

  She reached up with the screwdriver to replace the grill. “Then don’t,” she said, vigorously twisting the screws back in place. “Charlotte told me she was sleeping over at Aunt Maddy’s tonight, so I took an Uber and made the guy drop me off a block away. I’m sure you’ll hear the tale when she starts crying about how her classic 1960s station wagon is falling apart.”

  “Elizabeth,” Will said warningly, “you can’t mess with her car. It’s dangerous.”

  “Settle down, boy scout,” she chuckled. “I’m not messing with the mechanics.”

  “Then what are you doing?”

  Elizabeth finished screwing the grill back in place before she said cheerfully, “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

  “I believe that’s why I asked.” His voice was muffled, and then she heard a dresser drawer open. She thought about him changing and smiled.

  “Never mind,” she replied. “You’ll hear about it later. Can I call you back in about five minutes?”

  Will made an impatient growling sound, and Elizabeth snickered. “Yes,” he said with a sigh, and the call ended.

  When the phone rang four minutes and thirty seconds later, he picked it up immediately. “Elizabeth?”

  “It’s me, Will.” He could hear her sisters in the background. “What’re you up to?”

  “I slept this afternoon, and now I’m wide awake. Do you want to come into the city tonight?”

  “I have no car, genius, and now I’m unlikely to be allowed to borrow Jane’s ever again.” She paused for a minute, “Let me find the train schedule.” Will could hear the rattling of objects being displaced as Elizabeth began to sort through a junk drawer.

  “Stop, Bennet,” Will said decisively. What is she thinking, taking the train into the city after dark?

  “Hey, is that your CEO voice?” she teased.

  Will smirked. “Yes, and it’s worked on tougher cases than you, so listen up. Are you in Montclair?”

  “Yes. Charlotte’s here.” There was the squeak of a refrigerator door opening. “I thought I’d torture her all night with what I’m going to do, but she won’t even look at me. She’s going to spend the night here before driving to Philly in the morning for a gallery opening.” Will could hear the clinking sound of ice cubes being dropped in a glass.

  “You know,” he mused, distracted, “I never asked what Charlotte does for a living. Does she work with artists?”

  “She is an artist. She paints mostly, but does some sculpture, too. She’s pretty good. Even starting to make a living wage at it.”

  Will considered that. Fits her. “Did you have other plans tonight?”

  Elizabeth lowered her voice and replied, “You mean other than wiring my friend’s car to shoot whipped cream in the air when it starts?”

  He snorted. “How about Tierney’s? Or do you want to go somewhere else to eat?”

  “I did miss dinner,” she mused. “Aunt Maddy offered me leftovers.”

  Will chuckled. “Well, as good as I suspect her cooking is, there are plenty of people in that house to make sure they don’t go to waste. I’ll call my driver and he can take us to dinner. You know,” he said, laying emphasis on the word, “a date.”

  Elizabeth set her glass down and looked around. Life was going on around her. Jane had slept through dinner but had been called back to the hospital to cover a shift, so she was eating a quick meal. Mary was lounging on the loveseat with her textbooks and a highlighter. Kit was engaging in a math study group via video chat while Lydia listened in and asked questions about their teacher. Because Aunt Maddy sat only a few feet away conversing with Charlotte, the math conversation remained mostly on topic. The two youngest Gardiners were already getting ready for bed with Uncle Ed while the older two were sitting at the kitchen table, doing homework on their tablets.

  She glared at Charlotte, who appeared entirely unconcerned about any retaliation for her treacherous behavior. Everyone was busy. Her own work, providing evidence of off-shore bank accounts for what was a relatively straightforward divorce case, had been less than challenging and was complete. She smiled as she thought about how her own bank account was steadily growing. Everything is falling into place, she thought.

  After another moment, she realized that Will was formally asking her out on a date, that he had even said the word. First date, she thought, a strange but pleasant warmth suffusing her body.

  “Elizabeth?” Will asked. He sounded a little nervous.

  “Sure,” she said when she realized she’d taken too long to reply. “I’d like that.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  For a moment after she ended the call, Elizabeth stood still, moving only to reach for her glass and drink the remaining water in four long gulps. I have to change my clothes. They’re all dirty from the road.

  She took another surreptitious glance around the crowded great room and realized that nobody had taken any notice of her call. Relieved, she washed her glass, put it in the drying rack, and sauntered upstairs. She entered Jane and Mary’s room and began to go through their closet. Both sisters wore clothing her size, but Mary was several inches shorter and her chest was smaller while Jane was nearly the same height and her chest was larger. Mary’s coloring was darker, but she wore mostly black, whereas Jane’s complexion was fair, so she wore pastels. Mary’s style was conservative, and Jane’s more sophisticated. What to choose? Her arm dropped as she stared blankly at the closet stuffed full of clothing.

  Footsteps in the hall made Elizabeth whirl to face the newcomer. She let out a relieved sigh when it was Jane, coming up to change for work. The eldest Bennet was in the middle of pulling her long, golden hair up into a bun, but she stopped midway into the room to stare at her sister.

  “What are you doing, Lizzy?” Jane asked. Elizabeth was grateful that there was only curiosity in her tone.

  “Will is going to pick me up for dinner,” she said, embarrassed. “But my clothes are at home.”

  “Honestly, Lizzy,” Jane said, “I’ve seen your clothes. I think you’re better off here.”

  Elizabeth frowned at that, waiting pensively as Jane looked her up and down carefully. Her sister then walked directly to the closet, pushed a few things aside, and reached deep into the back to remove a red halter dress from the very back. Elizabeth noted that the tags were still on it.

  “It was a gift,” Jane said with a little eye roll. “I tried to give it back, but he wouldn’t take it.”

  “Yes, I can see that men giving you things is a problem,” Elizabeth said with a grin.

  “It’s what they want in return for the gifts that’s the issue,” Jane replied.

  “Ah.”

  “I’d rather have a guy wash my car,” Jane replied acerbically, and Elizabeth laughed. She scrutinized Elizabeth’s figure. “It’s pretty, but red is definitely not a good color with my complexion. It’ll look great on you, Lizzy.” She turned the hanger and pointed to a clasp at the back, tucked away so it was invisible when the dress was worn. “The
neck here is adjustable.”

  Elizabeth worried her bottom lip a bit and evaluated it. The neckline reminded her a bit of the famous white dress Marilyn Monroe had worn in The Seven Year Itch, though thankfully it wasn’t nearly as daring. She reached out to take the hanger from her sister and walked to their full-length mirror to hold it up to herself. The color of the dress brought out the red highlights in her hair.

  “Perfect!” she exclaimed and ran into the bathroom to quickly shower and change. When she walked back into the room, barefoot, wearing the dress, she watched Jane take a deep breath.

  “Close your mouth, Jane,” Elizabeth joked. “You’ll catch a lightning bug.” She twirled in front of the mirror. “I like it,” she announced. The straps of the dress curved around Elizabeth’s neck, exposing the lean muscle of her shoulders and arms. The cut of the bodice and the built-in brassiere accentuated Elizabeth’s chest, and the skirt flared slightly at the hips, dropping in soft pleats to her knees.

  Jane stepped back to give her sister the once over from head to toe and then walked all the way around her sister as Elizabeth waited nervously for a verdict. Jane gave a short, delighted laugh and shook her head. “You look incredible, Lizzy. Are you sure Will deserves you?”

  Elizabeth grinned, “I’m sure he doesn’t, but I’ll let him buy me a meal anyway.”

  Jane winked at her. “That’s my girl.”

  Elizabeth took Jane by the hand. She didn’t mind when Jane called her a girl; they had, after all, been girls together. “Only you could just pull something like this out of your closet without even looking, Jane,” Elizabeth said with a pleased sigh. “You’re never getting this dress back.”

  “Oh, Kit has me well-trained,” Jane said with a small laugh. “It’s yours. I will need the shoes back, though.” She held out a pair of black, strappy heels, and Elizabeth made a face at the stilettos.

  “Try them on,” Jane said firmly. “You can’t wear Mary’s flats. Her foot is too small, and they’d look awful with this dress. Your man is tall, and you’ve got great legs, Lizzy. Show them off.”

  “Really?” Elizabeth asked, bending over to look at them, scrubbing one finger along the small slick scar near her left knee. “You think I have great legs?”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Jane scoffed. “You run every morning. Any moron can see that you have great legs. It doesn’t hurt that they’re so long, either.”

  “I don’t run every morning,” Elizabeth said slowly, slipping on the shoes and looking herself over in the mirror. I love this dress. The shoes may be hazardous.

  “False modesty,” Jane said, shaking her head.

  “No, I’ll gladly take your word for it, Janie,” Elizabeth said, then laughed. “I just never really thought about it before.” She picked up her phone and opened the camera. “I have to show Will.”

  “No!” Jane cried, grabbing the cell from her sister’s hand. “Lizzy, you don’t spoil a reveal. You wait until he’s here in person and then come down the stairs. Slowly.”

  Elizabeth laughed, abruptly self-conscious. “I do?”

  “Oh, little sister,” Jane pretended to moan. She opened Lizzy’s contact list and found Will’s number.

  “What are you doing?” Elizabeth asked when Will’s name came up on the screen. She reached for the phone. “You just said not to show him!”

  “I’m going to text him,” Jane said, turning away and lifting her index finger in the air to stop her sister. “Back off, Lizard. You owe me for almost giving me a heart attack this morning. Stanley wanted to give me a ride home.”

  Elizabeth winced and asked, apologetically, “Do you like him?”

  “As a colleague, he’s fine, but I don’t want him as a boyfriend and he hasn’t been able to take the hint,” Jane said.

  Elizabeth grimaced. “Sorry.”

  Jane waved her hand dismissively. “I think I have the gist of it. Charlotte wanted to tell me but promised not to, so she resorted to trickery. She just didn’t consider how panicked I’d be when my car wasn’t in the lot.” She found Will’s number and began typing. “You are both lucky she showed up in time to save me from Stanley.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Telling Will to dress up.” She pushed the “send” button and did something else before handing the phone back. “I presume a retaliatory strike against Charlotte is being planned?” Elizabeth only grinned in response. “Never mind,” Jane said, gathering her shower things and her phone before heading for the bathroom. “I don’t want to know.”

  When Elizabeth tried to pull up Jane’s text to read it, it had been deleted. A moment later, Kit came in with a curling iron, saying Jane had sent her.

  Will was standing in front of a mirror in his bedroom. Tie? No tie? He fidgeted uncomfortably. Jacket or sweater? Damn, I should have asked her where she wanted to go before I hung up.

  He was still holding a tie, figuring he could just bring one and put it on if Elizabeth appeared in something other than jeans, when his phone buzzed. I hope she’s not canceling, he thought, as he picked it up and saw her number.

  This is Jane, it said. Dress up. It’s a first date and she’s excited. Sports coat and tie.

  He grinned. “Bless you, Jane,” he said, tossing the tie around his neck, choosing a sports coat and pulling it on. “Tie it is.”

  When he arrived at the Gardiners’ house less than an hour later, he had made reservations at a restaurant in Montclair called Laboratorio and was carrying a bouquet of flowers in his hand. If there was one thing he was good at, he thought wryly, it was first dates. He’d been on too many of those to count. Before his parents were killed, he’d dated lots of painfully thin models, senator’s daughters or nieces, debutantes living off their trust funds, every one of whom forced him to loiter in living rooms or foyers as they made their sometimes very belated grand entrances. They’d been set-ups, mostly. His mother wasn’t a matchmaker, Richard’s mother was—or had been, before she fell ill.

  Will had never thought about it much before. This was just what women did, at least the women his family would consider suitable. He suspected Elizabeth was different. I know she’s different.

  He had never talked through the night with another woman, not even in college, and he felt an almost overpowering need to see Elizabeth again right away. He straightened his tie, took a deep breath, and rang the bell, feeling for all the world like an eighth-grader. He muttered a quiet prayer that Ed Gardiner wouldn’t be the one who opened the door.

  That prayer was answered when Jane appeared and invited him inside. She was dressed for work, her hair up, wearing scrubs and bright blue Nikes. Will had to admit that even without trying, Jane was a beautiful woman. But there was only one woman he was interested in tonight.

  “Hi, Jane. Is Elizabeth ready?” he asked quietly.

  “I’ll get her,” Jane said, looking him over approvingly before disappearing upstairs.

  It was only a moment before he heard movement in the hallway. No pointless delays or cooling my heels with this one, he thought gratefully.

  “Hello, Will,” Elizabeth said cheerfully from the top of the stairs. He grinned at the difference between the phony sultry tones of his former dates and the unabashed cheerfulness of Elizabeth’s.

  He looked up, and his eyes widened at the halter dress and how it drew attention to her breasts, but he managed to smile and reply. What exactly he said was a mystery to him. He did see that her smile grew wider at his words, and she began to pick her way carefully down the stairs.

  Will thought his heart just might leave his chest, hard as it was beating. He had seen Elizabeth in less clothing; after all, the bathing suit she’d worn left little to the imagination. Perhaps that was it. This dress left something to the imagination, and his fantasies were already forming. He recalled the green business suit, how her eyes had shone like emeralds, but in red, she glowed. It picked up the flush in her cheeks and the bit of red in her hair, which had been gently curled. A shimmery bl
ack shawl was draped over the crook of each arm. He swallowed hard and told himself to stand still, to let her come to him, and then he noted that she was careful on the stairs, not because she was trying to keep his attention with a prolonged entrance, but because she wasn’t used to the height of the heels. The thought made him smile.

  Then she was standing before him, the heels making her only slightly shorter than he, and he offered her the flowers. She thanked him, touched them gently with a strange expression on her face, and Will, learning to read her, thought it might be wonder. Has no one ever given her flowers?

  Elizabeth excused herself for a minute to take them to the kitchen and put them in water. He turned to watch her go before he realized he had an audience. Mrs. Gardiner, Charlotte, and Lydia were gathered at the end of the hall, the one that led from the family room, and they were all smiling, though Lydia’s smile was more of a smirk. He glanced at Lydia’s feet and tried not to laugh at the wedges she was wearing. Instead, he just said hello, and Maddy beamed at him. He started to ask Charlotte about her show, but then Elizabeth was back, telling Maddy she’d have Will’s driver return her home to Bloomfield and that she’d call the next day. They said their goodnights.

  Then they were outside, and Will released a deep breath he hadn’t known he was holding. The cold air helped clear his mind, and he gathered his wits enough to say, “You look beautiful, Elizabeth.”

  “Thank you,” she said, tilting her face up to his, “but you’ve said that already.”

  “It bears repeating,” he said, grateful that at least his mangled appreciation had been appropriate.

  “You look great, too,” she said. “I like you in a sports coat. It suits you.”

  “Better than my soccer kit?” he asked teasingly.

  “Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” she shot back, one eyebrow raised in an arch.