He returned to his seat and laced his fingers together. “If you violate this condition, I will leave the business, but not before giving a series of interviews detailing how you drove me from the industry. I will paint you as the queen of all desperate, psycho ex-girlfriends—which doesn’t seem that far off base right now. I will destroy your mystique and your brand. Then I will move on with my life. Financially, I don’t need this, so if you make my life difficult, I have no problem taking us both out.”
Carrie inhaled deeply, then stood with all the dignity she could muster. “I’ll take your proposals to my team. You’ll hear from us soon.”
“We’ll hear from you within the hour,” Katerina corrected. “Otherwise, a blind item asking ‘What pop star has started stalking her exes’ will go up on fourteen or so gossip sites. Perez Hilton will be the only one with the photos, though. He does not care for you. Come to think of it, neither does the head writer of SNL, nor your former costar who’s in New York and happens to do a killer impression of you. I think together, they could make a walking joke of you by Monday. It wouldn’t be too much trouble.”
Will raised his eyebrows, unnerved but impressed.
“Insurance, my love,” Katerina reassured her client. “We don’t want to give Carrie’s people time to bribe everyone.”
They looked across to Carrie, but she was already out of her seat, phone in hand, striding angrily out of the conference room.
Will watched her go, shocked that he’d once thought he loved her. “Which one of us changed?”
“Both of you,” Katerina responded. “You for the better and her for the worse.” The older woman stood and squeezed Will’s shoulder, her version of a hug. The actor squeezed her hand in thanks and rose with a slight stagger. He planned to process his feelings later.
“Think she’ll play ball?” Will asked as they exited the hotel.
Before Katerina could respond, her phone buzzed. “It’s a text message from Carrie’s manager,” she reported. “They’re agreeing to our terms. Carrie may be angry, but her people understand where their bread is buttered. Give me a few minutes to call off the dogs.” She walked toward her car with one ear pressed to her phone.
“Sure thing,” he said. “After that, let me take you out to lunch.”
“Okay, darling. I’ll meet you at that gastropub in Northampton you like so much,” Katerina said, then hopped into her rental car and peeled out of the parking lot.
Will got in his car and surprised himself with a loud whoop. Right now, at this moment, he was free of Carrie. She didn’t have his heart, and she couldn’t control his life. “Free!” he shouted out loud, pumping his fist in the air. Then he took a deep breath and called EJ.
EJ
Back at Bennet House EJ was holed up in her room, bingeing Great British Baking Show. She loved calm international reality shows. The stakes were always so blissfully low. All morning she’d been getting texts of congratulations from people who’d somehow heard that she was dating Will. On the one hand she wished people would stop acting like she won the lottery, but on the other, she was happy to have the support. Carrie was mean, but she was right. EJ probably didn’t fit in Will’s world, and for the moment, she didn’t really care. There were lots of mismatched couples on campus: she and Will could just be one more. After all, they weren’t entering the real world for another six weeks. EJ just wanted a chance to see if they worked.
She was texting about the whole Carrie Dean ordeal with Jamie and Tessa when Will called. He was coming to take her to lunch with Katerina.
Great, now I must try and look cute.
She went to her closet and retrieved the vintage embroidered sweater Maya got her for Christmas, her favorite skirt, purple tights, and her favorite silver flats. (They always made her look like she put in effort.) Then she showered and dressed just in time for Will’s arrival. On the ride to lunch, Will told her all about his showdown with Carrie. Later, over matching salads, Katerina seemed to magically determine what EJ was most worried about.
“Part of my job is maintaining Will’s privacy, and I am very good at my job. You won’t be seeing your name in the headlines anytime soon.” She sat back in her chair and explained: “Generally, people get the attention they want in this business. Similarly, the people who don’t need the media don’t get it. People do this all the time, especially the Australians. Chris Hemsworth has a wife and, like, three kids who stay out of the public eye.”
Katerina signaled for the check and kept talking. She seemed to always do two things at once. “What’s important right now is that you know I have your back. You are important to him, and so you’re important to me, too.”
EJ breathed a small sigh. Will squeezed her hand. “Thank you,” she replied quietly. Ever since Carrie appeared at Longbourn, EJ had felt out of her depth. Now she had an anchor, an emergency contact. She’d take any comfort she could get in this crazy situation. They finished their salads, and Will deftly paid the check.
“Okay, I’m off,” Katerina said, rising and collecting her things in one swift motion. “You two, forget Carrie, and just be with each other. I’m sure you have a lot to talk about.”
And then Katerina was gone, like a tough genie in a pantsuit. EJ felt frozen to her seat. Everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours hit her like a ton of bricks. She’d been threatened by an international celebrity. She’d told off said celebrity. Will had threatened to end someone’s career for her. He was willing to walk away from his—for her. Well, maybe not just for her, but . . . It was too much.
“You’re shaking,” Will said, breaking her reverie.
EJ felt unsteady. “I guess I’m a little overwhelmed,” she replied as she put on her spring jacket. Standing up, she let Will guide her out of the restaurant and to his car.
Once the doors were closed, Will offered an idea. “Let’s just take thirty seconds to scream at the count of three.”
On “three,” EJ released all her pent-up anger and anxiety and bewilderment in a prolonged howl. It didn’t feel so weird with Will screaming right alongside her. It lasted only thirty seconds or so, but it was very therapeutic.
“Better?” he asked, resting a hand on her knee.
EJ nodded. “Much.”
Will leaned over from the driver’s seat. “Good,” he said. Then he kissed her. It went on for a bit. She sighed as they broke apart.
“Let’s not go back to campus right now,” she said, dreading the idea of other people. “Let’s go . . . somewhere—” She was thinking of a longish drive, maybe to Amherst.
“Let’s go to New York!” Will suggested excitedly. He reached for his phone, then showed her the screen after a series of clicks. “I can get tickets for an eight thirty p.m. flight.”
Well, this escalated quickly.
EJ tried to protest, but Will had an answer for everything: the tickets would be covered by his airline miles, Monday was a holiday, she didn’t have class until Wednesday, and she wasn’t on duty until Thursday.
“You know way too much about my life!” she exclaimed. He wasn’t wrong, though. There was no reason for her not to do this.
“I told you, I’m very observant,” Will replied with a waggle of his eyebrows. Then he took her hands. “Ella, please.” He flashed those dimples. “Let me whisk you away for a few days. I want to show you where I grew up, where I get my favorite cup of coffee. I want you to meet Lily.”
“Wow.” EJ’s head was spinning again, but in a good way. If Will wanted her to meet Lily, that meant he was taking them very seriously. It really shouldn’t have surprised her, though. He’d just publicly serenaded her in front of all their friends on campus.
I can be a little obtuse sometimes.
“Okay,” she replied. It was worth it just to watch his face light up.
She gasped when their taxi pulled up to Will’s house. He’d described his home as a classic New York brownstone, which would have been impressive enough, but “the Pemberley hous
e,” as he called it, was a gorgeous Gothic revival townhome that would have been slightly too grand for an embassy. Even though it was almost midnight, she insisted on a tour. Will happily obliged, pointing out his favorite features and paintings while EJ exclaimed over all the details.
“I can’t believe you live in a CPH Gilbert house,” she said as they returned to the landing. “If they still built them like this, I would have become an architect.”
“Thank you!” exclaimed a voice from the kitchen. Will’s sister, Lily, emerged from the kitchen with a couple of bottles of Perrier. Handing them to Will and EJ, she said, “I’ve only had one friend over from FIT. She asked if Will and I plan to replace that stained-glass window with Pella for more light.”
“Did you murder her to cleanse the world of her ignorance?” EJ asked almost sincerely.
“No,” Lily laughed. “I just said the house is exactly as we want it.”
“You’re a much better person than I am.” Then she added with a smile, “I’m EJ, by the way,” and extended her hand. Lily waved it away and wrapped her in a hug.
“I feel like I know you already. My brother can’t stop talking about you. It’s always ‘EJ this’ and ‘Ella that.’” She stepped back and adjusted her glasses. EJ noted that they matched her purple hair.
“You make him so happy,” Lily whispered after releasing her. EJ gave her another quick, tight hug, in response.
Will, who’d been violently blushing as his sister spoke, piped up. “How about some takeout? Anybody hungry?”
Before long, the trio was eating delicious Indian food in the house’s cavernous kitchen. Lily led the conversation—she had an openness and an ease that made EJ want to know her. She instantly understood why Will was protective of his sister and why he was so wrecked by everything that happened with Jordan. Over the course of the evening, Lily led them from dinner and conversation in the kitchen to drinks in the library, and then to playing duets on the family piano in the conservatory.
“Y’all live in the house from Clue!” EJ giggled. It was almost two in the morning, and she was a little punchy.
“Ooh! I love Clue!” Lily responded, still full of boundless enthusiasm. “We should watch the movie! I’m pretty sure—”
Will, who’d been quietly half dozing while EJ and Lily sang their way through a book of Broadway show tunes, loudly objected to his sister’s new plan.
“No!” he cried. “It has been a very long day, and we”—he grabbed EJ’s hand—“are going to bed.”
“Okay.” Lily pouted. “Good night, Will. Good night, EJ.”
“Good night,” EJ called as she was led to the stairs. She shook her head and turned to Will. “You get really grumpy when you’re sleep deprived.”
He grunted and waved vaguely in Lily’s direction.
That explains so much, EJ thought, remembering Will and his milkshake at Cousin Nicky’s.
Once in bed, she curled around him and smiled when Will sighed happily.
He purred into her ear, “You know you’ve turned me into a cuddler.”
She laughed softly. “I like this,” she said, beginning her slow drift into sleep. “Fuck, what are we gonna do after graduation?”
Will didn’t respond, but EJ thought she felt his eyes pop open in the dark.
Will
Despite being in his own very comfy bed, it took a good bit of tossing and turning before Will got to sleep. He couldn’t get EJ’s words out of his head. When they started going out, he had no expectations. At best, he thought she would be the perfect rebound after Carrie Dean—an independent, ambitious woman who wasn’t interested in showbiz. He imagined that they would connect, spark, and quietly fizzle before going back to their normal lives.
Instead, here he was introducing EJ to his family. He’d been shocked by how much they liked each other, how much they had in common. It wasn’t just the superficial stuff like enjoying jazz or liking the same podcasts, but the important stuff: the way they saw the world, how they valued friendship, and loyalty, and good therapy. And it was nice to be in a relationship with someone who wouldn’t downplay or ignore the racist stuff he regularly encountered in his career. The closer he got to graduation, the more Will knew that they needed to talk about what they each saw happening next.
We need a plan, he thought. We’ll talk about it tomorrow. Only after making this promise to himself was Will finally able to fall asleep.
It was raining on their first morning in New York, so Will and EJ spent it in his “ginormous bed.” Lily delivered fresh bagels to their room before going to class, and Will had to physically stop EJ from going to the kitchen to toast hers. He stood in front of the bedroom door and held the bagels over his head protectively.
“Poppy seed, with butter, toasted: that is my standard bagel order,” she said.
“You don’t toast fresh bagels!” Will countered. He was holding the bag aloft. “These are perfect! These are a miracle! I will not let you ruin one.”
EJ bounced on her toes, snatching at the bag, but he moved it out of her reach. “Give me my bagel!”
Will relented; he knew her hanger was real and could be dangerous. “Just try one without toasting it. Okay?” He lowered his arms and fished out the poppy-seed bagel.
“Is there butter?” she asked expectantly. Will handed her the takeaway tub of butter and a plastic knife. Glancing between him and her prize, EJ sliced her bagel in half and buttered the bottom. Will dug out his plain bagel with the perfect schmear of cream cheese and watched as she ate. After the first bite EJ paused and seemed to look at her bagel in disbelief. She glanced at Will, who couldn’t help his smirk, and then back at her bagel.
“Okay, fine, don’t look so smug,” she said before devouring the remainder of her bottom slice. She crawled back into bed and patted the space beside her.
“Your sister is a doll, by the way,” she said, leaning against the headboard. “I mean, I love Maya, but I would not be bringing her bagels at God-knows in the morning, if she were home.”
Will laughed, and he settled next to her. EJ was many things, but a morning person was not one of them. “She’s an amazing person. I’m so glad you two get along.”
“Me too,” EJ agreed, chewing another bite of bagel thoughtfully. “Can we talk about this weekend? In the past two days, you had me meet Katerina and Lily. Since I already know Lee, I think I’ve now met the most important people in your life. Is there anyone left? I mean, I know you don’t get along with your dad.”
Will’s shoulders fell like they always did when his dad came up. He felt a sudden need to look out the window at the rain.
“You don’t have to talk about it.” She placed a comforting hand on his knee.
“No, I want to.” He squeezed it and sighed. “It’s just a sadly typical story. My dad dumped my mom for a younger woman. That was bad enough, but what’s worse is that she was the receptionist at my mother’s oncologist. Mom had breast cancer. She needed to have a lump removed. It was early, so there was lots of hope, but she was still terrified. I’d never seen her so scared before.”
EJ moved closer, wrapping an arm around his waist. She didn’t speak, and he couldn’t until she dropped a couple of encouraging kisses on his shoulder. Will found his voice and started again.
“Up to this point in my young life, even I knew that my father was . . . less than attentive. Now, suddenly he’s a new man. Taking her to every appointment, showering her with gifts afterward . . . I thought he’d changed. That the cancer was bringing them together. The worst part was, she did, too.” Will paused and swallowed. His anger stung more than his sorrow. His mother didn’t die from the cancer. She found out about the affair and divorced his dad while going through chemo. She even had a new boyfriend when she died in the car crash. But his father’s heartlessness still infuriated him.
“I never could forgive him. Still can’t. Even though she survived the cancer. Mom was the one who tried to make sure we had a relationship, despite every
thing. After she died in the car crash, he was pretty much dead to me, too. He wasted no time moving on with the receptionist. I went to live with Lee because there was no way I could live with him after that. He agreed to whatever I wanted, as long as I somehow graduated from Hanover. I think I can count on one hand how many times I’ve spoken to him since my high school graduation. Lily is willing to speak with them. I attended one Thanksgiving and spent the whole time trying not to flip the table. I think they’re better without me.”
Will heaved a sigh and leaned back against the headboard. “That’s why it’ll only be me and Lily at graduation.” He turned to EJ wearily. “He tried to take Pemberley from us, twice: during the divorce and then after Mom died.”
EJ looked at him in shock. “From his own kids?”
“Yup. Thankfully, we were protected because of my mom’s ironclad prenup.” Will shook his head. “She let it slip once that she wasn’t even going to bother with one but one of my great-aunts warned her that Robinson men tend to think of infidelity as a hobby. Grandma Robinson put up with it because she was Catholic but—”
EJ suddenly looked confused. “Wait, who?”
“My paternal grandma.”
“Did she keep her maiden name?”
Will gave a little laugh. “There’s something you should know. My dad was adopted by a wealthy middle-aged Connecticut family in the seventies. Legally, he’s Daniel Robinson. My real name is Will Robinson.”
EJ gaped at him. “For real?”
“Scout’s honor. There was no way I was acting with my dad’s name. That was one of the conditions of my release. I would have gone with my mom’s last name, but Katerina said it’s easy to mispronounce, which can start auditions off badly. She chose Pak.”
She mulled over this small revelation. “So Will Robinson?”
“No Lost in Space jokes,” he interjected.
“Me? I would never.” She looked at him thoughtfully and said the name again. “Will Robinson . . . huh. I have to admit: EJ Davis-Robinson doesn’t have the same ring as EJ Davis-Pak.”
The Bennet Women Page 25