He shrugged. “Yeah, it’s a weird middle name.”
“Well, Junie is like Jane Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, so of course she’d want her own Charles Bingley.” One of Austen’s eyebrows sketched up, and I held up my hands to defend myself. “I get it; we’re not stuck in a novel anymore, but you want to hear something even stranger? Chuck’s middle name is Frank! That also makes him Junie’s Frank Churchill. Weird, huh?”
“He gets another character?”
“Yeah, from Emma. And she’s his Jane Fairfax—you always did call her ‘Fair.’ It makes sense that she’d elope with him.”
“Wait. She married him?” he sounded irritated now.
“Yeah, it’s awful, but they looked so happy in their photos, and maybe they’ll be fine. And here’s the other thing, Austen. I was selfish before. I’ve made so many mistakes, but I understand that now. I shouldn’t ask you to keep North Abbey. You should sell it. It’s not your dream, it was mine.”
Austen’s forehead crinkled. “No, no, this is all wrong. This isn’t how it goes. We’re not supposed to be this way.” He slid down from his jeep, picking me up by the waist and setting me on the hood where he had been. It left me breathless. His arms stayed around me. “As you were saying.”
I had a harder time concentrating now—I felt like I was in the middle of an iconic love scene. “I wanted you near me,” I said, “but I couldn’t be happy for you when you were following your dreams. That’s not what real love should be. I’m happy for you, Austen. I’ll support whatever you decide to do.”
He laughed. “Great, because I’m going to need your help at North Abbey. DeBurgy came through with his threat.” I waited in dread to hear what DeBurgy had done. “Colin’s not taking the resort,” Austen said. “DeBurgy signed him on.”
“Wait, for real?”
“Yeah, DeBurgy’s making Colin a rock star—he whisked away our buyer. What a low move, right? He thinks he’s ruined everything, but, Jane, I was going to withdraw the offer to Colin anyway. Dancey’s marriage will bring enough publicity to keep us popular for a long time.” Austen loosened his tie in his excitement, then set it on my lap and took my hands. “Let’s stay and fight for the place, Jane. You and me together.”
“But you don’t want to be here,” I argued.
“I know what I want.” He trailed a finger down the side of my face. “I’m just not the romantic guy you’ve been dreaming of—not even close to it.”
“I like reality a lot better.”
His eyes glittered with mischief. “But we had such a lousy beginning,” he said. “Even you said our meet-cute was lame.”
My lips twitched at the memory. “It was a terrible first meeting,” I said.
“I can explain that. One look at you and you tied my tongue—I couldn’t be clever at all.” My heart went all gooey at the admission—how cute! I didn’t care if it wasn’t true. I’d tell my kids that story for decades. “And then we fought during our end-cute the first time we tried it,” he said. “It wasn’t cute, or the end, at all.”
“I’m glad that it wasn’t the end.”
A smile touched his lips. “Is there any hope for us?”
I put his tie back around his neck and played with it. “How about we just accept that things don’t happen like a book?”
He ran his fingers through mine. “Not to say that I don’t like a little romance.”
Now I knew Austen was teasing me. “You like romance?” I asked. “We did get cursed.”
“Of course we did. There were so many signs. How could you miss them all?”
“Signs?”
The way he looked at me captivated me. “Best friends fall for each other, our Jane Austen adventure, the evil villain playing right into our hands. And Jane? It’s just a good thing our friends know how to run their own lives, because we’re lousy matchmakers. I can’t say that won’t stop me from plotting something between us, though.” He caught a curl from my auburn hair and trailed his fingers through it.
I bit down a smile. “Austen?”
“Yeah?”
I didn’t need a rundown of the last week to know how he felt about me. “You can kiss me now.”
His thick lashes dipped down over his hazel eyes, and I felt his hands tighten on my waist as he touched his lips gently to mine. For an unromantic, his kisses were the sweetest I had ever known, and I began to suspect that he knew more about love than he admitted. From his words to his kisses and smiles—I adored what he could do with his mouth.
“Not bad,” I told him, “for someone whose brain hasn’t connected yet.”
I felt the rumble of his laughter against my cheek, and he pulled back to grin at me. “I love you, Jane.”
Even if it was cliché and not very original, I told him that I loved him back, and, after adorning his lips with my own kisses, I wrapped my arms around his neck to feel his heart next to mine. Jane and Austen were finally together.
EPILOGUE
“Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery. I quit such odious subjects as soon as I can, impatient to restore everybody, not greatly in fault themselves, to tolerable comfort, and to have done with all the rest.”
—Jane Austen, Mansfield Park
I sat in the lobby, reading through the client applications coming in through the North Abbey’s website. We had a rush of applicants for our wedding packages. Dancey never lost an opportunity to talk about how he’d rediscovered love at a quaint beach resort meant for romance. Taylor was always beaming. So the world was convinced. North Abbey had become the new hotspot for couples planning on tying the knot. It was impossible to service them all.
Ann-Marie played her piano from the Allenham Lounge. It was a love ballad, something she had written for her very dear Harry Crawley. It made the perfect background music in our lobby. We kept the overcast day at bay with a cozy fire crackling in the fireplace—it had been Austen’s idea to replace the big screen TV with it. It had also been his idea to give Ann-Marie back her movie collection.
He worked on the business ledgers across the checkout counter from me. He was dressed down, in casual jeans and a t-shirt, his hair a little messy just the way I liked it—I could play with it without anyone noticing. Austen’s eyes darted to mine over his laptop. His mouth turned up in a grin that meant he was about to tease me.
“Jane.” He reached over the counter and fiddled with the wedding ring around my finger. “We are going to get this thing resized. It doesn’t fit right.”
“I don’t know,” I matched his playful tone. “I think it fits you much better than it does me. Maybe you should take it back.”
He slid the ring off my finger and kissed the bare skin left behind. The tender way he did it warmed my blood. Still holding onto my hand, he brought me closer to give me a kiss over the counter, one that left me wanting more.
In the meantime, he had stashed my wedding ring on the tip of his pinky. “Oh, look at that,” I said. “It fits much better on you.”
He studied it. “I don’t know. Something’s not right.” He slipped my ring back onto my finger and met my eyes, just like he had the first time he’d asked me to marry him. “That never gets old.” He gave me another kiss, this one more lingering.
We hadn’t eloped like we had planned. Our parents had insisted on an old-fashioned wedding, and we’d shrugged and complied. The honeymoon had been hurried, because we needed to get back in time for work. It involved camping and backpacking, but we’d ended up taking refuge in the tent for days because it had rained the whole time. And still, things couldn’t have been more perfect, because I had shared it all with Austen.
His hands left me to go back to work on his laptop. The basket of “unintended gifts” still held a place of honor next to him. It was packed with even more useless items collected from our North Abbey guests since last summer. It was tradition now to put a memento inside from someone beloved. It held a dried California poppy from Dancey, a broken foosball player from Crawley, and Austen
’s bracelet. It seemed sacrilegious to fish anything out now, almost like stealing dreams from a wishing well.
I searched through the applicants on my laptop and laughed when I pulled up the latest profiles. “We’ve got a Ms. Shaye K. and a Mr. Speare who want to use our services.” I turned my screen so Austen could see. “Look! Put their names together.”
Austen peered at their names and groaned when he read them together. “Shakespeare? Forget it. We are not taking on clients named Shaye K. and Speare. The last thing I want is a reenactment of Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night, and Hamlet. No way.”
I turned the screen from him and crossed their names off the list … but then, after a few minutes of imagining the worst, I scheduled them for May. A little romance was never a bad thing for North Abbey.
THE END
Thank you for reading Jane and Austen! I had a fun time writing this romantic comedy and I hoped you enjoyed reading it. If you got this far, take a deep breath, and be sure to leave a review on Amazon for my book: http://www.amazon.com/StephanieFowers/e/B001K88QZW
We authors depend on good reviews to keep in business. And while you’re at it, hop on over to my site: www.stephaniefowersbooks.com and join my newsletter to hear about my upcoming releases.
There are more books where this one came from. Be sure to watch for them from my new “Hopeless Romantics” Collection (five books from 2014 to 2016). They’re sweet romances for sweet readers—and yes, I know that pun is lame. I’m truly sorry!
Thank you for reading.
Stephanie Fowers
PS: Take a look at the next page to read my glossary of my Jane and Austen characters and how they compare with the very dear characters immortalized by Jane Austen’s pen.
Glossary of Jane and Austen Characters
(and how they correlate with Jane Austen’s characters)
Jane: The heroine of our story. She is lost in her dreams, but she is about to live her life—whether it is realistic or not.
Austen: Logical to a fault, he will soon find out that love can be both a dream and a nightmare.
Taylor Missy Elizabeth Weston (Ms. Taylor-Weston from Emma): Jane’s friend and mentor. This is her wedding … and her biggest mistake.
Chuck Frank Bigley (Charles Bingley from Pride and Prejudice): Mr. Right morphs into Mr. Wrong … for Taylor.
Willard Dancey (Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice): He is a rock star from Britain who cannot play to the tune of best man.
Junie Bennet Fairchild (Jane Fairfax from Emma): Jane’s archrival, full of secrets. Junie has everything Jane wants—Jane also suspects that includes a bit of Austen’s heart.
Ann-Marie Dashner (Marianne Dashwood from Sense and Sensibility): The resort’s pianist. She is all heart and no reason, boy crazy, and prey to players.
Bertie (Maria Bertram-Rushworth from Mansfield Park): Taylor’s best friend, maid of honor, and snob of the year; she has the skinny on what boys want—not that it helps her.
Harry Crawley (Henry Crawford from Mansfield Park): Bigley’s stepbrother and groomsman, has a crush on Jane from the moment he meets her: Jane’s different—not in a good way.
Bella Thorne (Isabella Thorpe from Northanger Abbey): Bridesmaid, natural beauty and a flirt. She is confused and resentful when Jane gets all the attention at the wedding—something’s not right.
Captain Redd Wortham (Captain Frederick Wentworth from Persuasion): A Navy-Intelligence oxymoron. He can’t seem to let Jane go after their relationship went sour. Busy ignoring her and flirting with anyone NOT-Jane.
Freddy Tiney (Frederick Tilney from Northanger Abbey): Pompous valet/ bellhop at the North Abbey resort; he is a womanizer that Jane has to steer away from the female guests.
Mary Musswood (Mary Elliot Musgrove from Persuasion): Sickly because she’s sick of life. This hypo-bridesmaid needs more than medical attention.
Colin Minster (Mister William Collins from Pride and Prejudice): He’s the creepy, stalkerish, obsessed new owner of the resort where Jane works.
Jennings (Mrs. Jennings from Sense and Sensibility): She won’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Eddy and Elly McFarey (Edward and Elinor Ferrars from Sense and Sensibility): In a world full of bad relationships, they are the perfect couple. Eddy’s there to perform the wedding for Elly’s cousin, Taylor.
Mr. Bigley and Mrs. Bigley … and Mrs. Bigley (named after Caroline Bingley, Louisa Bingley-Hurst, and Mr. Hurst in Pride and Prejudice): Bigley’s dad likes the blondes … that’s why he married another after he divorced the first. And since his first wife hasn’t taken back her maiden name, family functions can be confusing.
Mr. and Mrs. Weston (Taylor’s mom and dad): They aren’t the best example of love now that they won’t speak to each other at Taylor’s wedding. They are both too wrapped up in their own unhappy marriage that they can’t see that their daughter is about to get into her own.
DeBurgy (Lady Catherine de Bourgh from Pride and Prejudice): Dancey’s PR manager, snob. Takes his job to extremes, constantly breaking up Dancey’s questionable relationships in the name of good PR. Ruins anyone who spends too much time with his client.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stephanie Fowers loves bringing stories to life, and depending on her latest madcap ideas will do it through written word, song, and/ or film. She absolutely adores Bollywood and bonnet movies; i.e., BBC (which she supposes includes non-bonnet movies Sherlock and Dr. Who). Presently, she lives in Salt Lake where she’s living the life of the starving artist.
Latest projects include, a workshop of her musical, “The Raven” in Canada with the talented composer, Hilary Hornberger. She also expects to film some short films with Triad Film Productions. Stephanie plans to bring more of her novels out to greet the light of day. Be sure to watch for her upcoming books: including books from her Hopeless Romantic Collection, her YA fantasy “Twisted Tales,” romantic suspense, an apocalyptic science fiction series, Greek Romance Regencies, Steampunk adventures, and more—many more—romantic comedies. May the adventures begin!
For more information, see: www.stephaniefowersbooks.com
For more information on Twisted Tales Series (including faery hunter guide and glossary), see: www.stephaniefowers.com
For more information on The Raven, a new musical, see: www.theraven-musical.com
NEXT PAGE (see more recommendations for Jane Austen fans)
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Prejudice Meets Pride is the story of a guy who thinks he has it all figured out and a girl who isn’t afraid to show him that he doesn’t. It’s about learning what it means to trust, figuring out how to give and to take, and realizing that not everyone gets to pick the person they fall in love with. Sometimes, love picks them.
Purchase Links:
AMAZON
BARNES AND NOBLE
KOBO
ITUNES
SEE ALSO: My Own Mr. Darcy
(next page)
After being dragged to the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice by her mother, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth’s life changes when Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy appears on the screen. Lizzie falls hard and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. This ill-advised pledge threatens to ruin any chance of finding true love. During the six intervening years, she has refused to give any interested suitors a chance. They weren’t Mr. Darcy enough.
Coerced by her
roommate, Elizabeth agrees to give the next interested guy ten dates before she dumps him. That guy is Chad, a kind and thoughtful science teacher and swim coach. While she’s dating Chad, her dream comes true in the form of a wealthy bookstore owner named Matt Dawson, who looks and acts like her Mr. Darcy. Of course she has to follow her dream. But as Elizabeth simultaneously dates a regular guy and the dazzling Mr. Dawson, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place.
Purchase link:
AMAZON
BOOKS BY STEPHANIE FOWERS
Hopeless Romantics Collection (Contemporary Romantic Comedies, Sweet Romance)
Jane and Austen (2014)
Romantic comedies (LDS/ New Adult/ Inspirational Christian)
Rules of Engagement (2005)
Meet Your Match (2007)
Prank Wars (2012)
Twisted Tales Series(Young Adult, Fairy Tale Retellings)
With a Kiss (book one) (2013)
At Midnight (book two) (2013)
As the Sun Sets (book three) (2013)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT
DEDICATION
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
BOOKS BY STEPHANIE FOWERS
GLOSSARY OF CHARACTERS (and their correlation with Jane Austen’s)
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY-TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
EPILOGUE
BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
Jane and Austen Page 35