Improvise Read online

  Lizzy! I can’t wait to see you!

  Are you actually on the plane?? Lizzy??

  You aren’t writing back. You must be on the plane!!! YESSSSS!!!!!

  You’re in your seat, you’re on your way, you’re coming home TODAY!!!!!!!

  Took the day off because there’s a MARINE COMING HOME. Are you on the

  plane????

  Aunt Maddy and Uncle Ed are coming to the airport with me. Can’t wait! Rosa’s for lunch? Wait, what time zone are you on?

  We are going out tonight, girl! Charlotte is coming.

  We’re here. Waiting in baggage. Where ARE you????????????????

  Elizabeth laughed quietly. Jane was constitutionally incapable of using any kind of text language. She used medical acronyms fluently, but she could not bring herself to “dummy down” the writing, as she always said, her lovely nose crinkling just a bit between her eyes.

  Every girl in Meryton who met Jane wanted desperately to hate her. In addition to being incredibly bright and physically beautiful, she had never suffered the routine adolescent phase of acne and awkwardness. Everything seemed so easy for her. She had been a cheerleader all four years of high school, captain in her senior year, while maintaining a straight-A average even though she took all the toughest courses, particularly in math and science. She even volunteered at the hospital over the summers and on weekends after games, often in the NICU where she held the premature babies when their parents could not.

  Nobody else saw all the hard work Jane had put in to earn her grades, the gymnastic practice for the routines cheer required, her graduation awards. Their father thought cheerleading absurd, and their mother didn’t place any importance on academics.

  Only Elizabeth saw, understanding that her sister felt an incredible amount of pressure to be the perfect student, the perfect daughter, and that she did not always succeed. Because Jane was always perceived as a threat to someone’s grade or someone’s boyfriend, she made lots of acquaintances but not a lot of close friends, which mattered less because she and Elizabeth were entirely devoted to each other. They spent a good deal of their childhoods taking care of their sisters and keeping their mother from falling apart—it had forged a deep and lasting bond between them. None of the girls who wanted to disparage Jane dared say anything aloud, because they were all a little afraid of how Elizabeth might respond. Jane, for her part, made it clear—where she went, Elizabeth was welcome.

  Despite her driven, type-A personality and appearance of cool beauty, Jane Bennet was the warmest, kindest, most thoughtful person Elizabeth had ever met. She was also a thrill-seeker—her free time, when she had any, was filled with adventures like diving out of airplanes, bungee jumping from bridges, para-gliding from the edge of cliffs. Elizabeth thought it might be Jane’s way of exorcising the demons of Longbourn and didn’t say a word against it—she had joined the Marines, after all. At least Jane didn’t have people shooting at her.

  Elizabeth’s pace quickened as she stepped onto the escalator. She shifted her duffel to the other shoulder and began the trip down into baggage claim. She glanced up, hoping to see Jane waiting, but what she saw made her jaw drop in surprise and, to be truthful, a little bit of horror. Her first thought was that the major had orchestrated this to punish her for some forgotten prank, but then realized even he could not have done this. It had to be her sister. She blinked twice, hoping that her vision would clear and this would all be some terrible nightmare.

  There were at least a hundred balloons in five different colors tied to form a rainbow and a ten-foot banner that screamed “Welcome Home Staff Sgt. Elizabeth Bennet,” being held up by what looked like the entire Montclair High School cheer squad. The high school band struck up the Marine Hymn from the back of the hall, making her flinch at the sudden sound, and a huge television camera was shining a bright light in her face, causing the dull ache in her head to develop into a throb. She felt the now familiar panic rising but blew it out in a nervous burst of air.

  Thankfully nobody was asking her any stupid questions. Then she saw Jane, hopping up and down gleefully, blonde hair swept up, clapping her hands together at her sister’s dumbstruck expression. She was wearing a neon blue t-shirt that read “Bennet Sister” and when she turned to say something to the cheerleaders, Elizabeth saw that the back read “#1.” It was another moment before the extent of her mortification became clear. Her other sisters were here too, all smiling. Mary hung back a bit, but she was so grown up and sophisticated, her dark straight hair cut in a short, angular, edgy sort of style that suited her. Kit and Lydia, light-haired and blue-eyed like Jane, were still the giggling girls she remembered. They were all dressed in t-shirts that matched Jane’s with, Elizabeth guessed, their corresponding numbers.

  Beyond them, it looked like the rest of Montclair had shown up to wish her well. Her uncle and aunt were perched just beyond her sisters, anxious to greet her, but—like their returning niece—a little overwhelmed by the level of activity. It was wonderful, Elizabeth thought, scolding herself, that so many people would want to welcome her back like this. Jane began to lose some of her bounce as she watched her sister’s expression, and Elizabeth noticed. She would never disappoint Jane after she’d clearly gone to great lengths to put this together. Game face, Bennet. She shook her head as though she was coming out of her shock, plastered on a huge smile, dropped her duffel, and opened her arms. Immediately, she was engulfed by Bennet girls.

  “You realize, of course,” were Elizabeth’s first words to Jane, whispered in her ear in the middle of the crush, “that the t-shirt you want me to wear literally labels me #2.”

  Jane squealed with laughter. “God, how I’ve missed you,” she said. “Welcome home, sis.”

  Elizabeth hugged her tightly. “I’ve missed you too, Janie,” she whispered in her sister’s ear.

  Chapter Six

  “Local girl?” fumed Elizabeth. “Local?” She looked at Jane incredulously and waved the newspaper in the air. “Girl?!”

  Elizabeth held Jane’s copy of the paper in her hand and continued to shake it with indignation. “I lived here for, what, thirty seconds before I left for boot?” She stared at the headline for a moment like it was in a foreign language. “What’s wrong with woman? Or, you know, just Marine?” She tossed the paper on the desk in disgust. “Non-local Marine . . . ” She laid down on Mary’s bed with her arms crossed behind her head and glared at the ceiling. “They didn’t exactly rush to get in touch with Uncle Ed, did they?”

  Jane shook her head dolefully. “No, I think he found out on the news, too.”

  Elizabeth sighed. “I’m sorry, Jane. I wasn’t in any shape to call, and I guess since we were off-duty, the wheels turned a little slower.”

  “It doesn’t matter now,” Jane said comfortingly. “You’re home, and everything’s great.” She sat at the end of Mary’s bed to gaze at her sister. “If you want an upgrade from the basement,” she said, “Mary and I have talked about adding a bed here.”

  Elizabeth laughed, looking around the room. “Where could you possibly fit one?”

  “You and I could use a bunk bed. They go on sale all the time online.” She smiled hopefully. “It will be just like the residents’ quarters at the hospital.”

  Elizabeth coughed. Bad idea. “Jane, I love that you thought of me, but I won’t be living here very long. I’m going to get my own place.”

  “Oh,” came Jane’s quiet voice. “I just thought…”

  Elizabeth sat up and grabbed Jane’s hand. “Jane, honey, I love you. I love all of you. But it’s better for everyone if I don’t try to cram in here.”

  Jane nodded, her lips tugging down at the corners. “Okay.”

  “You’re welcome to join me,” Elizabeth added. She knew Jane wouldn’t agree, and it probably wasn’t a good idea anyway. She wasn’t planning on much traveling, but with Abby in the picture, one never knew. Her regular hours were odd and her work, which would be largely conducted from home—well, it wasn’t
family-friendly.

  Very few institutions needed a full-time professional to monitor their servers and networks for vulnerabilities and ward off hackers, so she planned to consult on a project basis. This way, she’d have full control of her schedule. She took great pleasure in identifying clues and tracking down both vulnerabilities and infiltrations and finding the bad guys by tracking them online. It was like a big puzzle, and Elizabeth loved solving puzzles. She knew with her background, certifications, and degrees, she could make a lot of money, and she was already anticipating what she would do with it. I will never depend on anyone for money again, she thought. I’m in charge of my own life from here on out.

  “I don’t know, Lizzy,” Jane said slowly. “I still have the one student loan to pay back for grad school, and you know I contribute here . . . “

  Elizabeth offered Jane a little smile and nodded. Despite her wild hobbies, Jane thrived on habit and routine. With so many children in the house, having a nurse on-call was a definite benefit. She also assigned and evaluated chores for the Gardiner children. Mary and Kit both drove, so they took turns getting the younger kids to their after-school activities while Aunt Maddy cooked and cleaned and worked from the house part-time. Lydia babysat and was about to get her driver’s permit.

  The rest of the family had been working together as a team for so long, Elizabeth couldn’t help but feel a little outside of everything, even if there was nothing she would change.

  The wind rushed through the open windows of Jane’s little car, drowning out everything but raised voices as they zipped in and out of traffic. Elizabeth closed her eyes as they changed lanes inches from a Jeep’s front bumper. She heard a horn in the distance as they sprinted ahead.

  “You know, Janie,” Elizabeth said with volume, beginning to feel a little nauseous, “I’ve not been to Rosa’s in years. A few more minutes won’t matter.”

  “Not you, too,” Jane groaned, rolling her eyes. “My driving is fine. Never had an accident.” She jammed her foot down on the accelerator.

  “But how many have you caused?” Elizabeth asked, grabbing the hand rest.

  “Funny,” Jane said with a twisted grin. “Are you ready to see Charlotte?”

  I’m ready to be out of this car, Elizabeth thought, closing her eyes.

  They arrived at the restaurant miraculously intact to find Charlotte Lucas already waiting for them. She hugged them both before bumping Elizabeth with her hip. “This is so much better than all those video calls!” she exclaimed. The last time Elizabeth had been in the same room as Charlotte was three years ago at the last Gardiner-Bennet-Lucas Christmas when she’d been given unexpected leave. In the interim, the older woman had discovered indoor soccer.

  “It’s in a rink, so we play all year long. Totally recreational,” Charlotte said, sipping from a gigantic margarita glass, running her tongue along the salted rim. “We don’t slide tackle or anything like that.”

  “Then what’s the point?” Elizabeth asked, deadpan. Jane handed their menus back to the waitress.

  “The point is it’s fun!” Char gave Elizabeth a crafty glance. “Speaking of which . . . we’re allowed two players between 18 and 29, and now that I’m 30, we don’t have any. You like soccer, right?”

  Jane laughed and waved her finger at her sister. “Lizzy used to play center midfielder for the high school varsity,” she told Charlotte. “She’s a very good player.”

  “I haven’t played on a team in eight years, Char,” Elizabeth warned. “And I’ve never played indoor.”

  “Notice she said she hasn’t played on a team, not that she hasn’t played,” Jane said, eyes sparkling as she reached for her iced tea. Elizabeth frowned at her sister.

  “I can guarantee you will still be the best player on the team,” Char said, beaming. “No throw-ins, and you can use the wall to bank the ball, that’s all. Oh, and the field is smaller, like half the size. It’s a high-scoring kind of game.”

  Elizabeth pursed her lips. Might be fun. “Can I let you know?”

  “The first game of the session is in a few days. C’mon, you know you want to. A good player can never resist a high scoring game.” Charlotte clasped her hands together and wheedled, “Please, please, please?”

  Elizabeth grinned. She picked up a chip and loaded it with salsa. “Maybe.”

  Charlotte narrowed her eyes. “You’re a tough negotiator, Bennet. I’ll pay the guest fee for the first game so you can try it out, and I have an extra team shirt you can use. You’d be doing me a huge favor. Please?”

  Elizabeth gave in. “What the heck,” she said with a shrug. “I’m a sucker for a recruiter.”

  Jane shook her head as Charlotte hooted, raising her arm to summon the waitress. “Another margarita!”

  When they finally stumbled into the house, Elizabeth was nearly asleep on her feet. She’d rested some on the plane, but the time difference was finally getting to her. Jane was their designated driver, and between the two margaritas and her jet lag, Elizabeth barely noticed the race-car driving.

  As she passed her uncle’s den on the way to the basement and her pull-out sofa, she heard him clear his throat. She paused and poked her head into the room.

  “Uncle Ed? You okay?”

  “Waiting for you girls to get home,” he said gruffly, leaning back in the plush leather chair behind his desk. He had a bottle of scotch out and had poured himself a small glass. He held it up. “Would you like a drink?”

  “No sir, thanks. I’ve had enough,” replied Elizabeth wryly.

  Her Uncle Ed smiled. He was a handsome man even at forty-seven. His hair was still light brown with only a hint of gray, and he remained in good physical shape. He was just under six feet tall, lean and wiry, with bright blue eyes that he shared with his sister and several of her daughters. “How many times have I told you not to call me sir?”

  She yawned. Old joke. “Right, I know. You work for a living.”

  He chuckled. “Can I speak with you before you head downstairs?”

  Uh oh. “Of course,” she said and stepped inside.

  He waved her into a chair and cleared his throat again.

  “What is it, Uncle Ed?” she asked, knowing he usually made the sound only when he wasn’t certain what to say.

  “I just wanted to have a moment with my badass niece without your crowd of admirers,” he replied, tipping his glass in her direction. “You’re rather popular these days.”

  Elizabeth shifted uncomfortably.

  He sipped his scotch and was silent for a moment. Then he said quietly, “I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you.”

  “Thanks,” Elizabeth said, brushing away the compliment.

  Uncle Ed set down his glass and moved to stand before Elizabeth, placing a hand under her chin and gently tipping it up. “No, Elizabeth,” he said, waiting until she met his eyes. “I’m proud of you as a niece, always have been. You and your sisters have been a godsend to us.” He dropped his hand and offered it to her. “But I’m also proud of you as a Marine.”

  Elizabeth felt a rush of blood to her face and a surge of pride as she stood to meet him. She looked him in the eye and took his hand. “I’m honored, Gunny,” she said, her throat constricting. “Thank you. This means . . .” She couldn’t continue.

  Uncle Ed drew her in for a hug. “I love you, Lizbet.”

  “It means a lot,” she said, speaking into his shoulder.

  Uncle Ed released her, placing a hand on her cheek momentarily before stepping back. He toyed with something on his desk for a moment before handing her a slip of paper.

  “What’s this?” Elizabeth asked, holding out her hand to take it.

  “It’s the money you’ve been sending us each month.” He sank back into his chair and put his hands behind his head, gazing past her right shoulder to a photo on the wall. “I know you love us, but trust me, I’m aware that we’re a lot to handle. You’re welcome to stay as long as you like of course, but this is your money. If you want
to use it to find an apartment, you should feel free. Maddy and I can help you look around.” He cleared his throat. “Your aunt will kill me if she knows I mentioned this, but I know you rode a motorcycle in the service. If you wanted to buy one here to get around, well, now you can.”

  Elizabeth saw the numbers on the cashier’s check and suddenly felt completely sober.

  “Uncle Ed, this has to be everything I ever sent you.” She glared at him. “Six years of monthly payments.”

  He nodded. “That’s right.”

  “You never used any of it?” Elizabeth wasn’t sure how she felt about that. It had given her a sense of purpose, thinking she was helping back home. “I mean, I know it wasn’t much, especially at first, but I thought you could use it for the girls—you know, help defray some expenses for clothes or food or something.” They took Jane’s money—why not mine?

  Uncle Ed chuckled. “Don’t look at me like that. Jane hasn’t paid rent since the girls came to stay, even though it makes her crazy.”

  “I didn’t know that,” Elizabeth said honestly.

  “You may not have thought it was much money, but it was more than generous given what you earned, Lizbet.” He met her conflicted gaze. “It’s something my mother did for me when I was away, and I remember how much it meant to have a little nest egg when I got home. Your aunt and I intended to do this from the start.”

  Elizabeth stared at the check in her hand. “I don’t know what to say.”

  Uncle Ed grinned. “I didn’t either. Just say you’ll take it.”

  “Are you really sure?” Elizabeth asked, “I mean, I’ll be making money before long, and you still have the girls.”

  “They’re my girls now,” Uncle Ed said firmly. “Mine and Maddy’s. Have been for six years. Just like you.”