“Right this way, then.”
Charlene cast a glance over her shoulder to Elisa as she went.
Thank you, she mouthed.
Charlene smiled back.
Best friend ever.
Elisa glanced around. Julieta was still talking to Bobby, and she could tell that she was already enamored. Her mother was making small talk with his mother and, judging by the look on Darcy’s face, doing a crap job at it. Should I go over there and help her out? Or should I keep avoiding Darcy like a coward?
Then she found Maria, Camila, and Lucia.
Coward, it is.
Her three younger sisters were by the snack table and the string quartet, and each was causing a scene in her own unique way.
Maria was talking to the violinist and was giving him a lecture on what he should be playing in lieu of the covers of popular love songs he had been hired to play. Camila was hitting on a waiter who was about twice her age, and she was failing miserably, judging from the amused pity on his face.
Lucia had found the Jell-O shots. Oh. Hell. No.
“What the hell kind of wedding has Jell-O shots?” Elisa muttered to herself, arriving just in time to stop Lucia from taking a drink. She snatched the shot glass out of her hand and chucked it into the nearest trash can.
“Heyyy,” Lucia protested.
“You’re underage,” she snapped.
“I can handle one little drink.”
“Yeah, that’s what you told Papa at the last work Christmas party he took us to. And we all know how that turned out. And you—” She whirled around, grabbing Camila and dragging her away from the waiter, who very wisely took the opportunity to escape.
“Stop flirting with people who are working. It’s rude.” She then rounded on Maria, who was clearly enjoying watching her two younger sisters get lectured. “And you. You do not make requests at a wedding. The music is chosen by the couple, not some girl they don’t know who just showed up.”
All three of her sisters were glaring at her, though Camila had the decency to look at least a little embarrassed.
“Every time I turn my back on you three…” Elisa massaged her forehead, wishing either Charlene or Julieta were here to give her some backup. Lord knew her mother wouldn’t be much help. “Can we please get through one social gathering where you don’t embarrass the family?”
“You mean, where we don’t embarrass you,” Maria muttered.
“I heard that,” she said sharply.
“You were supposed to.”
“Just—” She sputtered for a moment, trying to think of something that would occupy their time and wouldn’t cause a huge scene, but that they’d also agree to. Which was, in her experience, like trying to find a girl in Steventon who was also into girls, and who she could actually stand the thought of dating. That was the problem with living in such a tight-knit community—there were only so many lesbians to go around. “Just…go eavesdrop on Julieta and Bobby, okay? Mom will want updates. And be discreet.”
Camila, Maria, and Lucia all ran off, then, unable to resist the chance to spy on their elder sister’s love life. They pretended to read the drinks menu, leaning in to try and overhear what Bobby was saying to Julieta.
If this is them trying to be discreet, I might actually cry.
Finally, after a few minutes, Bobby got up from the table, and headed toward the snack table, where she stood. For a second, she thought he was coming to speak to her, but then she realized he was looking to her left.
Darcy.
Um. Nope.
She ducked behind the nearest tree, hoping she could just stand there until Darcy and Bobby left.
Yep. Super-mature, super-smooth. That’s me.
“Darcy, you haven’t spoken to anyone all night,” Bobby was saying.
“And are you really so cruel as to make me break my streak now?” Darcy said.
“Come on, you must be getting lonely.”
“I prefer my own company over that of anyone else. You know that.”
“Even mine? Or your sister’s?”
Darcy didn’t say anything.
“Everyone’s having a good time. I’m not saying you have to make a new friend, but I wouldn’t want you sulking all by yourself.”
“I am not sulking. I am brooding while in the vicinity of others. It’s a completely different thing.”
Elisa clapped a hand over her mouth to keep the laugh in. When she peeked back out, the corner of Bobby’s mouth was quirking up in a repressed grin.
“Well, would it kill you to brood in the vicinity of someone you can talk to?”
“It might,” she insisted.
“Why don’t you go hang out with that Colin guy? He’s your cousin, right?”
“We have never gotten along. If we talk now, there may very well be a brawl at this wedding,” Darcy said. “Is that what you want?”
Elisa disliked them both so much, she wasn’t sure who she’d even root for. She was willing to bet Darcy could pick Colin up and toss him like a ragdoll, though. A light breeze probably could’ve knocked him over.
Bobby let out a sigh. “Okay…what about that Elisa? Julieta’s sister?”
“What about her?” There was now a layer of ice coating her tone.
“You said you have a class with her, right? That’s at least something to talk about.”
“Look, Bobby—I know you mean well, but I also know you want to get back to Julieta. Don’t stay here and fuss over me. You’ve found the only pretty girl in this town, so there’s no point in trying to get me to find one. Elisa is…fine, I suppose, but not nearly enough to sway me. And her other sisters have been causing problems all night. Do you know I saw one of them arguing with the violinist about what to play? And that’s not even getting started on their mother. Basic manners seem to escape them. I can hardly imagine Elisa is much better.”
“Darcy, come on. I’ve been talking to Julieta all night, and she’s great.”
“Well, congratulations. You found the only normal one.”
Her jaw clenched as her hand curled into a fist, nails digging into her palm.
Nice to meet you, too, Darcy. Welcome to Steventon, enjoy your stay. Asshole.
He sighed. “Fine. Suit yourself,” he said.
“I’ll be headed home soon. Don’t feel obligated to leave when I do.”
It’s a good thing she left. Elisa may not have been able to hold her temper much longer. Who was Darcy to criticize her family? Sure, Elisa had given her sisters an earful for being rude, but she was their sister. That was her job. Darcy was just some random girl who didn’t know them.
And I’m fine. Ugh.
Unclenching her fists, Elisa sighed and shook her head. Darcy was not going to ruin this night for her. She was going to have a good time if it killed her.
And, honestly, it probably would.
Chapter Three
In Which Elisa Spends an Entire Party Sulking
An after-wedding party at Colin Burger’s was not Elisa’s idea of fun. But she wasn’t ready to go home. Bobby invited Julieta out for drinks with him, and she’d accepted, which meant their mother wouldn’t talk about anything else until she fell asleep—which, since she was hopped up on cake, wasn’t likely to be any time before midnight.
Even if Elisa went to bed, she’d still have to hear about it. It was a small apartment, and her mother’s voice tended to carry. She was glad Bobby turned out to be nice. Julieta’s blush said it all. Her sister was happy and excited.
But that didn’t mean Elisa wanted to listen to their mom talk about it for hours.
So when Colin invited Charlene and the remaining Benitez sisters to his apartment in Hunsford, the token “rich but not as rich as Netherfield Park” neighborhood, she agreed. Her mother had been skeptical about Elisa and her sisters being out so late but had relented as soon as she found out that some of the handsome, single groomsmen would be in attendance, too. The possibility her daughters might meet a future husband was all
the encouragement her mother needed.
“This is going to be so much freaking fun,” Lucia said, practically bouncing off the walls of the minivan after the girls dropped Mom off at Longbourn Apartments. They’d left with the promise they’d be home by one a.m., which left them with a solid three hours to spend at Colin’s party. Elisa just hoped Mom would be asleep by the time they got home.
“Remember, we’re all underage, so no drinking,” Elisa said, reminding herself just as much as anyone. Only because she had to stay in control if she wanted to watch out for her sisters. “Colin will probably have some liquor there, but if anyone offers, say, no.”
“Jeez, do you ever stop nagging?” Lucia asked.
“She only nags because she cares about you,” Charlene chimed in from the passenger seat. Elisa gave her a smile.
“You don’t have to worry about us, Elisa,” Camila said, leaning forward to talk to her. “We’ll be fine, honest.”
“I’ll always worry about you,” she said, now allowing a hint of fondness into her voice. “Even when you’re married with three kids.”
Elisa had never been to Colin’s place before, but she assumed his parents were paying for it. He was in school full-time, and he never stopped posting about it. If he’d had a job, she definitely would’ve heard by now. He posted about every part of his life, which was almost as boring as hers.
She was surprised by how nice the apartments were. Unlike the McMansions in Netherfield Park, she could see herself living in one of these…in a parallel universe where she had money.
Colin answered the door when they reached his apartment, and he hugged them. Lucia and Camila didn’t seem to mind.
“Thanks for inviting us,” Camila said. “Here I thought the party was over.”
“I’m always happy to have people here,” Colin said, ushering them in. Elisa could see the kitchen and into living room, with about a dozen people scattered throughout. Most of them were wearing bridesmaids’ dresses or groomsmen’s suits, with drinks in hand.
While Colin droned on and on about the virtues of his apartment, he’d taken the girls’ coats and hung them up, and offered them all drinks. Elisa was glad that he at least had the good sense to offer them Coke and juice. Colin was underage, too, for another few months, so the booze must have come with the bridesmaids.
After listening to him for ten minutes straight, though, she wished he’d offered anything that would dull the throbbing in her head.
“Thanks,” Elisa said, taking a can of orange soda from him.
“This place is beautiful,” Charlene said, interrupting Colin. Finally.
Of course, Catherine Burger, Colin’s mother, would put her little boy up in the nicest apartment she could find. His older sister Anna was currently living the dream in a London penthouse, on her parents’ dime. The Burgers were seriously rich, though Elisa had never known how. Maybe his father did something with the stock market, but she wouldn’t swear to it.
He was related to Darcy.
Why am I even thinking about her? Wrong. So wrong. Anger twisted in her gut.
“E, are you okay?” Charlene asked, nudging Elisa. “You look like you’re mad about something.”
“Let’s find a seat, and I’ll tell you,” Elisa said. “I overheard Darcy and Bobby talking back at the wedding.”
They found a seat on the huge windowsill overlooking the street below. Charlene sipped a wine cooler, since she wouldn’t be driving and, allegedly, didn’t have work the next day. Eyebrows raised, she waited for Elisa to tell her what she’d heard.
And she did, relaying the entire conversation. She hadn’t meant to get so worked up over it, but by the time she finished…
“I mean, can you believe her?” she finally snapped, crumpling up her soda can in her hand. “She barely even knows us, and she’s already made up her mind to hate us.”
Charlene looked amused. “You really want to talk about someone making snap judgements, Elisa?”
“Oh, come on,” she said. “I decided I hate Darcy because she’s a snob. She decided she hates me because… because my sisters are idiots. It’s totally different.”
“They were being pretty rude. Not—not that I agree with Darcy,” Charlene hastily added when Elisa glared at her. “I’m just saying. She doesn’t know them as well as we do. She doesn’t know that they’re not always that bad.”
“She doesn’t want to get to know them. That’s the problem.”
“Well, did you want to get to know her after that first day of class?”
“Well—no, but—”
“I’m not saying she isn’t ridiculous. But you’re getting awfully worked up over basically nothing. I mean, you don’t even like Darcy, so who cares what she thinks?”
“I care, because she was badmouthing us to Bobby.”
“Since when do you care what he thinks?”
“Since I realized Julieta actually likes him.”
Charlene sighed. “Fair enough,” she admitted. “Well, if he likes her back, he won’t let Darcy screw it up.”
Elisa shrugged, fingers playing with the fabric of her skirt. “I dunno. I mean, Bobby said they’re best friends. Those opinions matter. I’d ask for your opinion before I got serious with anybody.”
“And I’d always do the same with you,” Charlene said. “But first impressions can be misleading. He seems like a smart guy. He’ll look past it if he really likes her.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I’m always right.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Miss Locke,” Elisa said, smirking.
Before Charlene could reply, Colin forced himself in between the two.
“How are you two enjoying the party?”
How would we know, we’ve only been here five minutes. “It’s great, Colin. Thanks again for inviting us out.”
“I am always delighted to be in your company, Elisa. And yours, too, Charlene, of course. But, Elisa—I feel that even though we essentially grew up together, we don’t spend that much time one-on-one.”
I’m thinking he doesn’t understand the reason for that. “I suppose we don’t,” Elisa said, barely keeping her tone nice.
“I’d like to change that.”
Oh no.
“Elisa, I was wondering if you’d ever be open to the idea of having dinner with me.”
Charlene took this as her cue to leave, saying something about needing another drink.
Thanks, bestie.
“Uh—Colin. That’s, uh…that’s really nice of you to offer,” she said, “but I am just…so busy with school right now. The semester just started, and I’m in all these clubs.” She wasn’t in a single one. “I barely have time for Charlene, let alone…”
“Oh. I—I understand. Maybe some other time, then.” For the first time in years, Colin seemed to be without words, and he looked downcast, though he was clearly trying to hide it.
Feeling a tiny pang of sympathy, Elisa said, “But thanks again for offering. That’s very sweet.”
Colin nodded, attempting a smile, which was more of a smirk. “Well…have a good night, Elisa. I better go check on my other guests… A host never gets to stop and enjoy his own party.”
As he left, Charlene returned, sitting next to Elisa again. “Well, he wasn’t crying, at least not here,” she said. “I take it you let him down easy?”
Elisa nodded. “I mean, it’s nice that he’s interested, I guess. I don’t hate him or anything.”
“Ringing endorsement.”
“Well, you know how he can be.”
“Yeah, I do,” Charlene said. “Honestly, I’m kind of surprised it hadn’t happened sooner. I think he’s been thinking about it for a couple months, at least.”
Elisa groaned, running a hand through her black hair. “Don’t…don’t tell Mom I turned him down, okay?”
“What kind of fool do you take me for?”
Colin had always been persistent in befriending Elisa, but in the past few month
s, he’d become much harder than usual to avoid. He’d popped over to the apartment “just to say hello,” and had messaged her and commented on all her social media posts far more often than he used to. He’d also invited her to almost every event he’d hosted. It had taken Elisa a while (and Charlene interfering) to figure out what the sudden extra attention was about, but once she did, she took every precaution to keep her mother from figuring it out, too. Mom also thought Colin was annoying, but she’d be willing to overlook that if he showed interest in one of her daughters. His bank account could make up for almost anything, as far as she was concerned. Elisa didn’t see it that way. No doubt that whoever Colin wound up with would have a very comfortable life and would probably be able to go on all sorts of fun, exciting vacations and live in a huge, expensive city, with all the fast cars and fancy clothes their heart desired. But the price for all that would be actually putting up with him 24/7. No amount of money was worth that.
The apartment was huge, so even though there were at least thirty people in attendance, it didn’t feel too crowded. The music drowned out almost all conversation from Elisa’s standpoint, and it was easy to lose track of time as she sat there, chatting with Charlene about everything from the wedding to Charlene’s soul-sucking job. Before she knew it, they’d been sitting there talking for almost a full hour.
“Hey, where are your sisters?”
Crap.
“Hell,” she muttered. “I’ll be right back, Char.”
She quickly searched the rest of the apartment. It was like herding cats every time they went out together, and her sisters had a way of leaving chaos behind.
I love them. But sometimes I wish someone else was the prison warden.
Maria and Camila were sitting in the room Colin referred to as the lounge, chatting with a couple of bridesmaids from the wedding. When Elisa asked, “Where’s Lulu?” Camila and Maria only had shrugs, but one of the bridesmaids piped up.
“She’s the tall, skinny one with pink streaks in her hair, right?”
“Right,” Elisa said. “You’ve seen her?”
“I think Jamie was talking to her in the kitchen.”
“Thanks,” she said, hurrying off, not bothering to ask who Jamie was. Whoever he was, Elisa was willing to bet that Lucia was way too young to be talking to him.
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