“Chuck is always bending over backwards to please his mom. Sometimes,” Taylor broke into a whisper as if afraid of saying the words that played on her lips, “… I think he cares about the money.”
“No,” I said quickly. “He loves his mom. That’s all.”
“But what if she says something against me? And what if Chuck listens? What if—?”
I tried to ease her worries. “He loves you too much to choose his mom over you.”
Taylor gave a deep sigh and rested her chin on her pillow. “Chuck had better not think I’m anything like his mother, or I’m in trouble, Jane.”
Chapter 15
“Seven years would be insufficient to make some people acquainted with each other, and seven days are more than enough for others.”
—Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
I rummaged through the breakfast choices on the side bar. Everyone was asleep, and it was my chance to get some peace and quiet before Thursday began. I just needed to be alone with my thoughts. Taylor had cried herself to sleep last night. I wanted to talk to Austen about it, but we had just fought. My fingers wrapped around a container of yogurt, and I sat at the one table that made up the center of the dining room.
“May I join you?”
I glanced up and winced, not sure how Dancey would act after last night. I didn’t know if I should play it cool or start where we’d left off—my feelings were all over the place. The harsh rays of daylight put such a cruel spin on reality. After Taylor’s face-off with romance and Austen’s plan to sell us off to Colin, I doubted anything too good to be true.
Dancey sat opposite of me and took my hand, playing with the ring on my finger—the crystal on it was my birthstone. His eyes didn’t leave mine, and a smile tugged on my lips. I guessed that was a sign that he meant last night. “I couldn’t sleep,” he said.
“Me neither—I mean, that’s normal for me though. As soon as the sunlight hits my face, my eyes just pop open …” My voice trailed off when he took the ring off my index finger and put it on my wedding finger. My heart almost fell out of my chest, and I managed to find the rest of my thought, “I can’t really sleep when it’s light outside.”
“I can’t sleep when I’m thinking of Jane.” He met my eyes with his beautiful blue ones. His dark lashes swept luxuriously over them. “You’re having that for breakfast?”
I glanced down at the yogurt forgotten in my hand. “Yeah, it reminds me of baby food. I mean,” that came out wrong, “sometimes you like what you get, sometimes not.”
“You want something more substantial?” he asked.
My hand tightened over the yogurt. “What did you have in mind?”
He gave me a wicked grin. “Anything that will get you into my car, Jane.”
I was completely flattered. Despite my worries from last night, my heart raced at the thought of some fun. I had errands to run today—Lambton Marketplace, first off. Still, it would be great to have some company, especially Dancey’s. “Well, I did want to pick up some mints for the bridal shower tonight.”
He dropped his keys in my hand and then covered them with his own, his thumb caressing the inside of my wrist. “Let’s go. I can’t take another minute cramped up in this place.”
I tried not to take that personally. His eyes on mine told me that he wanted to be with me, not that he hated the work I put into this wedding. “What about your friends?” I asked. “Won’t they miss you?”
Dancey gave a light laugh. “I’d take a bullet for them, but that doesn’t mean I want to hang out with them.”
I laughed. “I should brush my hair first.”
“I like your hair this way.” He reached out and captured an auburn tendril of my hair, rubbing it through his fingers. I knew where this was going. We’d be kissing next, and if anyone walked in on us, I’d never hear the end of it.
I smiled at him and tried not to think about how practiced Dancey was in getting past my defenses. “Okay, but we have to be quick. Taylor is expecting me in a few hours to go over some final details.”
“I’ll deliver you in time, sweet lady.”
I liked that. I nodded, and we left for his car. It wasn’t parked in the same place as we had left it. Dancey had already been out on the town. I wondered if he had taken Bigley out last night to cheer him up.
Dancey was true to his word; he let me get in the driver’s side. The leather seats felt as soft as butter, cushioning me like an overpriced beanbag. I pushed the button to get the car started, proud of my knowledge. The moment the car started, music blared through the stereos, flattening me against the seat. Dancey laughed and turned it down. I rubbed at my ears. “Do you always listen to it so loud? It’s a wonder you’re not deaf.”
“Huh?”
Okay, so that was funny. Smiling, I reversed and enjoyed the smooth feel of his car, especially now that I knew it wasn’t stolen. I went straight for the on-ramp and sped into the highway. Dancey pushed a button and the overhead window slid open, letting in a breeze that whipped my hair around my face.
“I think you’re going to need these.” He picked up some aviators from the side console, and I let him slide them over my nose, enjoying the feel of his fingers against my skin.
I had to admit it—racing down the highway in a Jaguar, wearing aviators, sitting next to Will Dancey, made me feel pretty cool. His arm draped around my shoulders wasn’t that bad either. “Where to?” he asked.
I had an hour. I needed to buy mints, and all I wanted to do was race down I-5 and forget all my troubles—Taylor’s unhappiness, Colin taking over the resort, losing Austen. I drove faster. Dancey’s hand kneaded the back of my neck.
He turned up the music to fight the wind threatening to drown it out, and I laughed, realizing how it had gotten so loud before. “This is great!” I shouted.
“You should try it with the paparazzi chasing after you.”
“One thing at a time!”
I realized that I was taking us to the beach. It would be the perfect setting for a date with Dancey. I could see the silvery waves crashing against the white sands. The sun was low in the sky, the air crisp and perfect on a pleasant San Diego morning. I decided against the heavily populated beach of La Jolla; I wanted Dancey all to myself. I swung a right and headed for the spot Austen had showed me—right off his parents’ place.
Dancey glanced over at me, and I gave him a reassuring smile. “You hungry for something real? There’s a bar and grill near here.”
He nodded and played with my hair.
We reached Brightin Beach in good time. The waves washed over everything—the water sizzled under the sun, the foam glistening. Dancey’s hand trailed down my arm, and he caught my hand before I could slide out of his Jaguar. “Jane?”
“Yeah?”
He kissed me, and for a moment I forgot why I had been in such a hurry to leave his car. I melted into him until he let me go. I sat back to gain my equilibrium.
His smile reached his eyes. “That was the first thing I wanted to do this morning.”
I couldn’t think of anything more romantic. “That must be why I love mornings,” I said.
He laughed and got out of the car, going around the front to let me out of the driver’s side. Once he had my hand, we walked companionably side by side. He guided my fingers around his waist. We traveled over the beach to Wickley’s Pub, the warm sand trickling through my flip-flops. The crowd was thick around the restaurant—it had grown more popular since the last time I had been here. We slowed as we passed a thicket of trees where a sign that said no trespassing was hung prominently.
“What’s in there?” Dancey asked.
“No idea,” I said.
He tugged my hand and we were suddenly in the forbidding trees. My eyes went wide. Dancey was no longer the valet, but his rebellious streak was still there. I began to wonder how well I knew Bigley’s friend. The minute I thought I had him figured out, he surprised me again. “Dancey. We can’t be in here.”
/> “What are they going to do if they catch us?” he asked.
“Fine us.”
He shrugged. Of course he didn’t care. It was just money, but what about a criminal record? He could get deported back to Britain. Jane Austen’s Darcy would never do this, but Dancey wasn’t as responsible as the Pride and Prejudice version of himself. He just needed a cause that made him truly noble; a younger sister like Georgiana to guard. “Dancey,” I said, “tell me about your family.”
“You really haven’t googled me, have you?” he teased. “My parents divorced when I was eight, and my mom moved us back to Britain where she grew up. She died five years ago, and I’m an only child.”
How sad. “But Bigley is like a brother to you?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you take him out last night?”
His eyes found mine. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, Bigley said that he … well, his mom was being kind of overbearing. He told Taylor …”
Dancey nodded. “That he was going to find me?”
“Yeah.”
Dancey looked away. “Chuck’s a big boy. He doesn’t need my supervision, even if I try to play the big brother.” He laughed grimly. “I’ve been known to scare a few women away from him.”
“But you’d never do that to Taylor, right?”
He gave me a strange look. “No, I guess you could say that Taylor is the closest thing I have to a sister.”
That surprised me—he’d said some very non-brotherly things to her last night. “But Dancey, you’ve hardly talked to her since you’ve been here.”
“She doesn’t want to talk to me.”
“Why?”
He shrugged. “We didn’t exactly part on good terms when she left London.”
I squeezed his fingers. He didn’t know Taylor as well as I did. She was a fighter, but she never held a grudge. “But you know she’s still not mad, right? She couldn’t be. She wouldn’t stop talking about you before you came. Taylor thinks you’re great. She’s just really stressed out right now. That’s all.”
“Any idea why?”
I hesitated, remembering our talk last night. I shook my head. “It’s just the usual. She’ll be fine.”
He attempted a smile. “Let’s not talk about Taylor.” His hand trailed up my arm, and I laughed. Dancey was good at making me forget about everything except him. “I want to check out those cliffs,” he said.
It was beautiful in the trees, but the no trespassing signs were making me nervous—of course, they did ensure some privacy … until the coast guard came looking for us. We hiked to some rocks framing an outlook. The view was beautiful. Dancey stood at my back, and we stared out into the frothy ocean. He put his arms around me. I sank into him and he rested his chin on the top of my head. “Are you happy at North Abbey?” he asked.
I stiffened when he echoed Austen’s words from yesterday. “Right now I am.” But I wouldn’t be when Colin Minster took over. I’d have to plaster resumes everywhere just to escape him. With this economy, I wasn’t looking forward to it.
“Would you ever consider leaving San Diego?” Dancey asked. “Maybe you could do some of that traveling you talked about?”
“I might have to,” I said. “Are there any dives in Britain that need event coordinators?”
His fingers pressed into my stomach, sending flutters through it. “I might.”
My heart sped up. Dancey worked fast. No wonder he got his heart broken on a daily basis. “Don’t decide yet,” he said, “but when I leave San Diego, I want to take you with me. A girl like you belongs in England with me.”
That was too fast. I didn’t even have a passport—let alone a visa. I laughed on the off-chance that he was joking. “The government might have something to say about that, Will Dancey.”
“I’ll wait for you. I can get around my people. We won’t say that you worked for North Abbey. We’ll make up some prestigious resume for you.”
“Wait?” I asked. “What?”
He turned me so that he could devour me with his eyes and kissed me again—the fire he ignited through my lips spread through me in a happy glow. I couldn’t think—let alone make any life-altering decisions yet. Besides the fact that he had dissed my dream job, one thought lingered—Dancey didn’t want to leave me behind. Did this relationship mean more to him than I thought it did? The romantic in me screamed, “Yes!” I felt so happy, I could hug the world.
Foliage snapping behind us forced my head away from his. “Dancey?” I asked.
If that was the coast guard, I’d die a thousand deaths when they hauled us off to jail for trespassing. He studied my expression, and an inner gleam lit his eyes. I realized that he enjoyed the danger. He led me to a tree and pushed me down behind it to hide while he leaned against me to watch for anyone who might’ve followed us.
“What is it?” I asked.
“Shh.” His lips were close to my earlobe, and I felt his smile tickle against my skin. He must think this was hilarious. I didn’t. After a moment of awkward waiting, he squeezed my shoulder. “It’s nothing, Jane.”
A pop and a bright light startled me. Dancey groaned. “Or it could be that.”
I straightened back up and he covered me, but not before I saw the photographer past his shoulder. She was a middle-aged woman, squeezed into tight little shorts and a plaid button-up. Her hair flew behind her in the wind, as did her fingers on the camera.
Dancey glared at her, looking the wronged rock star. “Why don’t you go home, Jennings? Give me a private life.”
“Who do you have with you?” Jennings demanded in a prim British accent. Had the lady followed Dancey all the way to America from London? The weathered woman looked insanely jolly about the whole affair.
I tried to hide my face with my hands, but it was too late. How much had this lady caught with her camera? Dancey gave me an apologetic look before turning to the photographer. “Don’t publish those, Jennings. Please.”
“Are you kidding? Do you realize how much this is going to make me—the troubled bad boy from Derbyshire finding redemption in the arms of a sweet little American girl?” She winked at me. “This bit of news will interest more than London, I suspect. All America will be glued to my gossip page. This will go viral.”
My eyes went to her fancy camera, and she waggled a finger at me. “Don’t you get any ideas, little girl. I’ve dealt with feisty Americans like you before. My pictures go straight to the cloud, so I won’t be losing them this time around.”
“This time around?” I asked. “Wait, what other feisty American are you talking about?”
Jenning’s eyes crinkled up at the corners. “Don’t you love how Americans talk, Dancey? They’re so deliciously improper.”
Dancey stepped in front of me, not looking amused. “Just give us a few days, Jennings, before you publish anything.”
“When it’s no longer news?” She tsked. “I don’t think so.”
I stared at Jennings and then the cliff. I supposed it wouldn’t be right to push her off it. “We were just exploring,” I said, adjusting my shaky legs so that I wasn’t standing so close to Dancey. “Nothing else was going on.”
Jennings’ mouth thinned before she threw me a knowing look. “Stop protesting, dear heart, and enjoy your sudden fame. You’ve been thoroughly kissed, you little minx and you liked it!”
Had she caught that on camera? I remembered the breaking branches and winced when I realized it was possible. But maybe I’d be okay. Everyone in the wedding party would be too busy to tune into the news. Austen never did. But then I groaned when I remembered Ann-Marie. She always found time for social media. She’d blab this to everyone before I even got home. Taylor would be livid. She was protective of Dancey. Austen wouldn’t laugh this time—I supposed I’d be labeled as an unprofessional. And then what jobs would I get after Colin threw me out into the street for refusing to date him? My stomach sank. I’d be doing retail before the week was out
“Wait
, wait.” I waved my hand. “I have a better story for you, Jennings.” Dancey’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but I was grasping at straws here. Taylor said that Dancey coming to North Abbey was a publicity dream. If business was so bad for us, then this could actually boost our popularity. Maybe Austen wouldn’t sell us out to Colin. I took a deep breath. “If you agree not to publish any of those pictures just yet, you can have exclusive coverage of Taylor’s wedding on Saturday.”
“Taylor?” Jennings asked.
Dancey’s dark expression turned furious. “No.”
Jenning’s grin widened. My eyes strayed to her camera. There was no telling what she had in there—but if it was too good, this wouldn’t work. “I can see the headlines now,” Jennings said. “Dancey finds a crass American who connives her way out of trouble.” She winked at me. “I like you.”
I glanced over at Dancey. He stood shockingly still. Maybe he didn’t like my crass American ways. Judging by the look on his face, I was sure he wouldn’t be grabbing my hand after this. I tried to cut my losses. “Do we have a deal?” I asked the reporter.
Jennings nodded. “I believe, my girl, that we do.”
Dancey gave a scornful laugh. “Jennings wants to cover some obscure wedding with subpar players that I happen to be attending? She wouldn’t go for it if she had photographs more shocking than the two of us hiding behind a tree. Isn’t that right, Jennings?”
Jennings looked secretive, but she shrugged. “The American girl offered me a deal that I couldn’t refuse.” Her eyes strayed to my hands. “Is that a wedding ring that you have on, dearie?”
I held up my hand defensively, realizing that I had forgotten to put my ring back to its rightful place after Dancey had played with it. “No—”
Dancey pulled me into a bone-crushing kiss. I was so surprised that I could barely react. His hands and mouth moved over me in what I knew would make breaking news. Jennings busily took photographs before Dancey pushed away from me with an angry violence. “Now, you’ve got your exclusive photographs, Jennings.” He walked away from us both. “Forget covering Taylor’s wedding.”
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