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Chapter 14 ~ continued

“Oh, I see what you mean.” There was seriousness behind her teasing question. She knew that. She knew he’d probably not given it any thought. “Um, what do you recommend?”

“She’s your daughter. How do you want to bring her up?”

“I’m not particularly keen on the idea of keeping up the Santa Claus charade for years to come. But it’s also part of the Christmas spirit.”

“There’s no reason for you not to have Santa Claus stories. She just wouldn’t believe he’s a real person landing on her roof in a reindeer-pulled sleigh, coming down the chimney one night a year.”

“What about when she’s in school? Would she feel like she’s missing out on something?”

“She might. But not if you teach her about the story of Santa Claus. Don’t shut him out of her life, but make her realize what he is.”

“What if she … you know… spills the beans to the other kids?”

Elizabeth laughed. “We’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

Will grinned at her choice of words. Yes, we will deal with it.

There was a lull in the conversation.

“When will you be coming down for Christmas?”

“Probably a couple days before, or even Christmas Eve. Depends on how things are going up here.”

“You’ll take the train, won’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Oh… shoot. Georgie!” he shouted down the hall. “Georgie…,” his voice lowering dangerously. She stopped, looking back at him, then ran into the back room defiantly. “Elizabeth, I gotta go. She’s had too much excitement the past few days so she’s turned naughty.”

“Excitement?”

Realizing what he’d let out, Will hurriedly said, “I’ll talk to you later, love, bye!” and hung up.

Tossing the phone on the sofa, Will marched toward the back room, calling out, “Georgiana! Come here right now!”

“Good morning, Mr. Darcy,” said Mrs. Reynolds when he returned to the office Monday morning.

“Morning, Mrs. Reynolds. How was your weekend?”

“It was fine, thank you. How was your trip?”

“Went well, I think.”

“Good. Mr. Bingley called several times on Thursday and Friday.”

“Yes, I know. I’ve gotten back to him.”

It had taken quite a bit of wriggling not to lie to Charles and yet not to reveal too much.

“Northland College has expressed interest, sir.”

Mrs. Reynolds followed him into his office as Will asked, “Northland College? Where is that again?”

“Wisconsin. Rainsby has been working on the case.”

“Oh good. What kind of interest have they shown? Preliminary? Strong?”

“I think preliminary.”

“Ah.” Will sank heavily into his deskchair, leaning it back immediately, putting his hands behind his head. “Rainsby, huh?”

“Yes.”

“Tell you what, we’ll do a little musical chairs.”

“Sir?”

“I’ve a couple new accounts I would like to get. I’ll give those to him and pass Northland on to Stanley.”

“Ms. Stanley could use something more to do,” Mrs. Reynolds replied dryly.

“Up to more of her tricks, is she?”

Mrs. Reynolds sniffed. “To say the least.”

Will laughed.

“You can laugh now, sir, as long as you are not the recipient of these pranks.”

“As long as no one is harmed or too much company time lost.”

“You’re in a particularly good mood this morning. The trip must have done you good.”

“It did, I think.”

“I’m glad to hear it.”

“Send Rainsby in when he’s got a moment, and set Stanley up for later this afternoon when she’s got time.”

“May I ask what are these new accounts you’re looking for?”

“Hollins University in … I think it’s Virginia. Somewhere over there anyway. And Rocky Mountain College in Montana. But we’ve got to move fast.”

Mrs. Reynolds nodded and began to walk out of his office.

“Oh, one more thing. Can you get the chief software engineer in to see me sometime today, too.”

“She’s on vacation until after Christmas. Can it wait or would you like to see her assistant?”

“No, I think it can wait.”

Will had a good day. He was productive, wading through the pile of emails and other miscellaneous business that accumulated during his absence. Things were going well in the business. He’d received replies from Jane on Christmas present ideas for Charles, Elizabeth, and Tobin. And he’d had a particularly enjoyably lunch period with Georgiana in the nursery.

When the nursery closed, he brought Georgie into his office so he could continue catching up on his work. Eventually they left, picking up supper on their way home.

The following day, Will left work a little early in order to go Christmas shopping. He went to the Galleria, parked in the enclosed garage, got the stroller out, and plopped Georgiana inside. Grabbing the bag of necessary baby things, he set out toward the shops with grim determination. He had a mental list of things to find.

First on the agenda was Elizabeth. He had decided that Georgie would give her a teddy bear. He knew Elizabeth didn’t have one, and thought he could maybe encourage her to use it to help her sleep. Eventually Will found his way through the maze of shops to Build-a-Bear. Will stopped and looked dubiously at the storefront. It looked very… peppy and cheerful.

Putting on his most unapproachable face, Will entered the store.

“Hi! How are you doing this wonderful Christmas holiday? We have some wonderful specials-“

“Um, thanks, but I’ve got something specific in mind.”

“Oh, well let me explain to you how it works. You start over hear and pick a skin for your new friend, then-“

“Thanks, but I can figure it out. I’m just going to look around on my own first.”

“That’s fine. Is this something for her?” The irritatingly cheerful man knelt down, a silly grin plastered on his face. “Is someone getting you a new friend?”

“No, it’s not for her. She’s already got a friend.” Will gestured to the bear Elizabeth had given Georgiana half hanging out of his satchel. “Come on Georgie, we’ve got to be done in a few minutes.”

Will quickly retreated from the salesman.

Browsing through the different ‘skins’ of bears, unicorns, bunnies, (… what was this? A chipmunk?) and horses, Will chose a classic-looking bear. He turned to Georgie. “How does this one look? Do you think Elizabeth will like it?”

“Elithbeff.”

“Yes. Do you think she’ll like this one? Or this one? Or this one?” Will held up two more choices. One was more typical light fuzzy in black, the other was almost felt-like and dark brown.

Georgiana reached for the original one.

“This one? Ok. Now let’s get it stuffed.”

Will walked through the maze of clothes and knickknack racks.

Another worker was sitting at the stuffing machine.

“Hi! Is this for her?”

“No, it’s for a… friend.”

“Well, first you need to pick a heart.”

“What?”

“A heart. Push that red button and grab one heart to put inside the bear.”

Bewildered, Will turned to the machine. He pushed the button and an airtank gusted hundreds of silk red hearts around the machine. He picked one up and held it out to the girl on the stool holding the bear skin.

“Now kiss it and give it good thoughts.”

Will raised an eyebrow. “I’m in a bit of a hurry. Do you mind?”

Clamping her mouth shut, her smile lessening slightly, the girl took the heart, put it in the bear’s slit skin, then slid the skin onto the nozzle. Using a foot pedal, she turned the machine on that spewed stuffing into the skin. Slowly, the bear was stuffed until it looked more like a teddy bear, and less like pathetic roadkill.

“How is that? Less stuffing? More?”

He squeezed the bear. “Less please.”

She took some out, let him test it again, then after his nod of approval, sewed the bear up.

“Now you can go and pick out some clothing for the bear.”

Will thanked her and took the bear. He was careful not to give the bear to Georgiana. He didn’t want her becoming attached to it. On second thoughts, Will pulled her own bear out and gave it to her to hold. Now she wouldn’t be wanting every other stuffed animal in the place.

Will wandered around with her stroller, looking at the different outfits. None of them appealed to him. Finally, he went up to a salesperson and asked, “Are there any ribbons? Like, a plain ribbon to go around its neck?”

“They give you one when you check out.”

“Thanks.”

He went to the final step of building the bear. It required sitting at a simplified computer terminal and filling out information about the giver and the receiver. Will sat down on the short stool, placing Georgiana in his lap.

Together, they filled out the information.

‘What is the name of the giver?’

Georgiana Darcy

‘What is the special name of the giver?’

Georgie

‘What is the name of the bear?’

Name? He had to name it? Will looked at the bear. It stared mutely back at him. Will decided it would help to decide on a gender for the bear. He held two hands out to Georgiana.

“Which hand? Pick one.”

She tipped her head all the way back to look up at him.

“Just tap one hand so we can be done with this, please.”

She looked back down at his hands. Will jiggled his hands, wiggling the fingers, trying to get her to show some preference to one. She reached for his left, grabbing his fourth finger and bringing it to her mouth.

Extricating himself he announced, “Aha! So you have decided it should be a boy have you? A boy bear…. Lord I suck at this.”

“Can I help you, sir?” asked the salesperson who’d told him about the ribbons.

“Yeah. Gimme a boy’s name.”

“A boy’s name?”

“Yeah.”

“Michael.”

Will paused. “Ok, give me another boy’s name.”

“James.”

“One last try.”

Shifting her feet, the girl finally said, “How about Chris?”

“Um, okay, thanks.”

The girl walked away, then Will turned back to the terminal, still at square one. He thought of Elizabeth. What would she name her bear? Something different, he was sure. What were some different names he knew? Avni had a unique name, but that was a female name. Then he thought of the piano concert he and Elizabeth had attended. Leif. He could name the bear Leif. That was different, and the bear would be named after a great pianist. It also meant there was some rhyme or reason for the name.

Will shifted Georgiana slightly. L-e-i-f, he typed in.

By the time Will left the store, half an hour later, he was carrying a cardboard house containing one light brown, curly-furred bear named Leif, with a royal blue ribbon around his neck. Tucked inside the box was a “story” about the bear’s birth. Completely personalized with the giver’s name and information, the receiver’s name and information, the “birth date” and the bear’s name.

“If I’d known what a production it was to get a bear, I wouldn’t have gone to that place.”

Although there was something nice about customizing the bear.

Will decided he had better take Georgiana to see Santa Claus before it got too late. Wandering aimlessly around the mall, trying to find where Santa lived, Will kept an eye out for places he could come back to. Ah! Godiva Chocolatier. Must remember that one. Finally, Will found Santa Claus in the south wing.

Will groaned at the long line trailing out. With grim resignation, Will got in line behind all the other young mothers and children. At first, he occupied himself with observing proceedings. The child is placed on Santa’s rather substantial lap. Santa attempts to make conversation with the frightened and nervous child. The photographer tries to get the child’s attention. And somehow, a picture is produced which the parent pays daylight robbery prices for.

Georgiana began to fidget. Then whine, squirming in her stroller. Will bent over to unbuckle her from the stroller. She stood up and put her bear back in his place. Will got the harness from his bag and strapped her into it, wrapping the end of the leash on his hand. This enabled her to walk around, but not stray off. Will had always liked the harness. He considered it a bit cruel to force such a short child to hold hands with adults, their arms stretched above their heads uncomfortably.

Georgiana toddled up to the baby in front of them in line. Using the baby’s stroller for support, she peered down at it.

“Hello!” said the mother, smiling down at Georgiana.

Georgie merely stared up at her mutely.

Will, amused, watched Georgiana watching the baby. The baby didn’t seem disturbed by the toddler’s presence.

Then suddenly, Georgiana had lost interest and unsteadily walked to her left to investigate the plants.

Half an hour later, Will regretted the whole idea. But by this point, he was only three people away, and he didn’t want to give the people behind him the satisfaction of him leaving the line. So he stubbornly remained, keeping an eye on Georgiana, who was becoming increasingly irritable. No wonder the children fussed when told to smile for the camera. Will didn’t feel like smiling after standing in this line for so long.

Finally, they reached the front of the line. Will picked up Georgiana, turning her slightly so she could watch.

“See that? That’s Santa Claus.”

“Sanna,” she repeated.

“That’s right!” Will said, excited that she was beginning to learn more intelligible speech.

She turned away, watching those in line behind her.

When it was their turn, Will moved the stroller to one side, then brought Georgiana toward the white-bearded man in the red suit.

“Well hello!” Santa Claus said, taking her and sitting her carefully on his lap.

Georgiana stared up at him in confusion. Will backed away, but almost immediately saw the first signs of distress on her face as she watched him. The brow furrowed, the eyebrows slanted, the mouth opened slightly, turning into a frown. Next, her face scrunched up and she began to wail.

“Oh, Georgie, please!” Will whined as Santa tried to bounce her and comfort her.

Georgiana held her arms out to Will. Will came forward and took her in his arms. She almost immediately quieted, clutching his neck. A minute later, Will tried to put her down on Santa’s lap. She whimpered. “Daa,” she cried.

“Why don’t you sit beside me?” suggested Santa Claus.

Will looked at him a little startled. He had a surreal moment looking at this man. This person was just a kindly old gentleman behind the costume. He had to be incredibly gentle and patient to do such a job. Will nodded, then sat down on the wide bench, carefully disentangling his daughter to sit on his knee next to Santa Claus. She looked up at Santa Claus, then up at Will, obviously still not happy about the situation. He bounced her up and down on his knee. No improvement. He picked her up and blew a soft raspberry on her cheek. There came the smile!

Will turned her to face the camera and was startled to see a large crowd of young mothers looking at him with soft, gushing looks on their faces. How sweet! they seemed to say. Feeling slightly uneasy, Will looked at the camera with an elf frantically waving a floppy-eared white bunny next to it.

Flash!

Five minutes later, as Will pushed Georgiana away in her stroller, looking at the photograph that was the result of the entire charade, he decided that none of the figures in the snapshot were smiling precisely. Georgiana seemed to stare in bewilderment off to the side of the camera. Will bravely tried to lift the corners of his mouth, but ended up with a wry expression. Santa had let his guard down, and looked rather weary.

Will decided Elizabeth would find the picture amusing at least.

Both Georgie and Will were too tired and grumpy to continue shopping, so Will headed back to the car. He strapped her into the carseat, and began the hour-long drive home. Georgiana was soon fast asleep, so Will called Elizabeth on his cell phone.

“Elizabeth Bennet,” she answered.

“Hi, Elizabeth. It’s Will.”

“Will! How are you?”

“Tired and cranky,” he replied grumpily.

Elizabeth laughed. “Why?”

Will then began a long, drawn-out tale of the episode with Santa Claus. He made her laugh. It was the only consolation he needed.

As Christmas approached, most of Will’s office shut down, with employees going on holiday. All except for the help desk, which was in one of its busiest periods all year. Many universities had application deadlines between 15 December and the end of January. Despite all warnings and advice, most students applied at the very last minute. Will’s customer service director pulled in anyone from the company who wanted extra money to train and staff the help desk.

A week before Christmas and Will had still not found a good present for Elizabeth. Yes, she had asked for photographs of Georgiana, which he had already accomplished. But he wanted to get her something more. Not something too overtly romantic or sappy, but something she would use, appreciate, and enjoy. He wanted to make her life better with a gift.

Saturday morning Will called Elizabeth just to talk. She seemed weary as Will stepped outside the back sliding doors to sit on the steps. It was freezing. Not snowing, though there was snow on the ground.

“You don’t sound too great,” Will said, gently.

Elizabeth sighed. “I know. Sorry I’m not in a chipper mood.”

Will laughed a little. “Chipper isn’t usually an adjective I’d use with you.”

“Well, I’m not my usual self.”

“Is there something particular, or are you just tired?”

“I think it’s more than just tiredness. I’m worn out. Exhausted. Drained.”

Will hated the thought that he couldn’t go to her and comfort her, soothe her, help her. “Are you not sleeping well?”

There was a pause. “Not really, no.”

“But you were doing fine here.”

“I know. But I stopped sleeping when I returned.”

“You have to stop stressing out. You’re harming yourself.”

“I know that, Will, but it’s a hundred times easier said than done.”

Will didn’t say anything for a few moments. He was suddenly struck by the stillness of the woods around the house. In a tree very close by, he heard a distinct knocking sound from inside the hollow trunk. A few seconds later he saw a tiny feathered head poke out of a small opening, then disappear back inside.

“Elizabeth,” he breathed, “It’s so quiet here. I’m listening to this little bird in a tree drill holes looking for bugs.”

“Lord, Will, I wish I were there,” Elizabeth said with a deep sigh.

“I do, too, Elizabeth,” Will replied fervently.

There was a long, peaceful silence.

Then Will said, “Why don’t you lie down now?”

“I won’t sleep, though.”

“You don’t have to. Just rest. Maybe your problem is that when you can’t sleep, you work instead. Don’t do work, just relax and rest, even if it just means counting the flowers on your duvet.”

“I feel silly laying there doing nothing for hours.”

“What do you think the rest of us do all night? Do calculus in our sleep?”

Elizabeth laughed feebly.

“Get into bed now and have a rest. You’ll get up more refreshed and be a more efficient worker.”

“It’s early, Will!”

“It’s eight o’ clock. You can rest for a few hours, then get up.”

“But I want to talk to you, not stare at the ceiling!”

Will chuckled. “You can do both. Come on.”

“Fine. Hold on while I change into my PJs.”

Will heard her put the phone down on the table and waited. He got up to wander down to the bird bath, idly cracking the ice already beginning to form at the edges. He poked his finger through the birdseed, making sure it wasn’t soggy and clumpy.

“You there?”

“Yes, I’m still here.”

“Ok. I’m all tucked in.”

“Good. Now what am I supposed to talk about?”

“Anything. Tell me about Georgie.”

Will smiled. “She’s in bed right now.”

“In your room.”

“Yes, in my room.”

“Doesn’t she ever wake up when you go to bed?”

“Not really. Every now and then she will, but she’s pretty good about going back to sleep. I made a point of not tiptoeing around her in the beginning, so she’s accustomed to the noise.”

“Hmm.”

Will paused. “She’s still learning to walk around. She’s better. Leans on things a lot. It’s the funniest thing to watch her plop back onto her bottom. The shocked look on her face… as if to say ‘How did I get down here?’”

Elizabeth laughed softly. “Wish I could see her.”

“Sometimes she’ll ask about you.”

“She does?” Elizabeth asked, shocked.

“Well… she’ll fuss and stretch her hands out for your picture until I give it to her. Not give it to her, really, but I let her see it closer. She used to try and eat the frame, so I make sure she doesn’t get proper hold of it.”

“You’re not telling the truth,” she accused.

“Yes, I am,” Will replied sincerely. “She likes you. Misses you.”

“She’s not even two years old! How can she?” Will detected a wistfulness in her voice, as if wishing it were true.

“She’s a bright girl.”

Elizabeth sighed.

Softly, Will added, “It’ll be all over soon.”

“How soon is soon? I want soon to be now.”

“Me too.”

“Tell me more about Georgie.”

Will went back inside the house and settled down beside the fire, adding a couple logs to feed the flames. He spoke in a low, gentle voice. He heard Elizabeth getting drowsier until soon the only response he got from her was an occasional, “Mmmm.”

Then he heard nothing but her steady breathing. “Elizabeth?” No reply. He couldn’t believe it. She had fallen asleep. He remained with the phone pressed against his ear for a while, staring contemplatively into the fire, just in case she woke up again. Then he decided what he would get her for Christmas. Or at least the type of thing. He would find ways of making her apartment more relaxing so she could sleep better. After several minutes of silence, he decided to hang up, hoping she would sleep long.

Poking the fire until he was assured it would die down safely, he went upstairs to his study. Once online, he began searching for things to do. An hour later he had bought her a large fern plant, a smaller ivy plant, a small rock fountain, and an assortment of scented candles. Satisfied, Will got ready for bed and crawled under the thick covers. As he waited to fall asleep, he looked at the picture of Elizabeth and thought of her sleeping in her own bed for once. Maybe he had some sort of soothing effect on her. She slept while in his house, and then while on the phone with him. Only one more reason why she should be with him.

Chapter 15

Posted on Saturday, 21 August 2004

Christmas began to show signs of being ruined on Christmas Eve when Elizabeth called Will letting him know a blizzard was about to hit Chicago.

“Well can’t you get out?” exclaimed Will. “Go! Leave now before it’s too late.”

Elizabeth replied in a sad voice, “I’m sorry Will, I can’t. It’s already snowing a little and the trains are all booked and I can’t be caught driving in a blizzard.”

Will knew she was right, but there was nothing he wanted more than to spend Christmas with Elizabeth.

“Elizabeth!” he whined.

“I’m sorry, Will,” she said again, “but I just don’t think I’ll be able to get to St Louis for Christmas.”

“Then when will I get to see you?”

“We’ll arrange something.”

“Let’s set a date now.”

“I’ll try and get down for New Year’s.”

“Try?”

“Fine. I’ll be there for New Year’s. Satisfied?” she said in a teasing voice.

“A little,” Will grumbled.

“You’ll have a good time with Jane, Charles, and Tobin,” she assured him.

“I know. But it’s not the same without you.”

“Don’t complain to me. I’m the one all alone for Christmas!”

“You don’t have anyone in town you could spend it with?” Will dreaded that the answer would be yes – with another guy friend.

“Not really, no.”

“Well we’ll call you on Christmas and talk.”

“I know. I’ve got to go and park my car in the garage before the snow gets too heavy.”

“Be careful.”

“I will. Bye.”

Then that night, Georgiana begun to fuss and complain. She wouldn’t go to sleep and began to cry sometimes. Will, confused and worried, wrapped her in a blanket and took her downstairs to give her some warm milk and sit by the fire with her in his arms. Her small face looked up at him pitifully as she tried not to cry more. She whimpered occasionally.

He put on “Paint the Sky with Stars” by Enya and began walking around rocking her like he hadn’t since she was a baby. Finally, she went to sleep, and he took her upstairs and carefully laid her in her crib. Unwilling to leave her alone for long, Will changed into his PJs and went to bed early.

He woke up around one in the morning to the sound of Georgiana coughing. He got up quickly and checked on her. She was still asleep but didn’t look like she was resting. He put a hand to her forehead. She was hot.

He went across the hall to his office and called Elizabeth.

“Hello?” she answered on the first ring. “Jane?”

“No, it’s Will.”

“Hi. Did you want to be the first to wish me Happy Christmas?” she teased.

“Well, it’s a nice perk, but I called about something else.”

She caught the worried tone of his voice and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Will explained how Georgiana had been acting that evening.

“It sounds like she just has a cold.”

Elizabeth made some suggestions for making her feel better.

“I suppose this means we’re on our own for Christmas, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well I don’t want to take Georgie out, especially to the Bingley’s where Tobin is.”

“True.”

“I’ll call them and apologise in the morning.”

“Poor Jane. All that food she bought.”

“Thanks for making me feel better about it,” Will snorted.

“I’m sorry. I think it’s good you understand not to go.”

“Doesn’t seem like Christmas.”

“No. I don’t even have a tree or decorations or anything. Couldn’t afford it and didn’t have the time.”

“I’m sorry. You should have had something.”

“I know. But priorities, you know?”

They talked for a little bit longer before Will urged her to go to sleep, then crawled back under the covers himself, having given Georgiana some water.

Christmas Day passed slowly. Will spent the morning trying to find a pharmacy that was open, then spent the rest of the day trying to keep Georgiana as comfortable as possible. He tried not to be depressed, but it was difficult. Sometimes she would begin crying just because her throat hurt. He felt helpless and called Jane and Elizabeth at least twice each.

To make things worse, Caroline called to talk to Georgiana for a few minutes. This was during one of Georgie’s bad periods, and Will had to explain to Caroline why their daughter was not fit to talk to her. Will knew Caroline would only make Georgiana feel worse. She lacked the patience to deal with a sick toddler.

Not the worst Christmas he had ever had, but certainly far from the best. His one source of consolation was talking to Elizabeth and singing Christmas carols along with the CD to Georgiana.

Georgiana took three days to get better, at which time Will took her into the office for spells of a few hours to get some work done. The quiet office environment and lack of interruptions was beneficial to his efficiency. He counted down the days until Elizabeth would finally come.

In order to make the wait more bearable on New Year’s Eve, Will watched The Italian Job. Then Elizabeth called.

“Hey Will.”

Just by the tone of her voice, Will knew this would be bad news. “What is it?”

“My car. Someone hit it.”

“What?! Are you okay? Were you hurt?”

“I’m fine. I wasn’t even in the car. My car was parked out on the street. I was going to start loading my things in it an hour later. I think they were drunk. I don’t know. But they hit the front left corner.”

“Totaled?”

“No, no. Thank goodness. But it has damaged the car enough so it can’t be driven.”

“Oh.”

“I need to take it in to the shop on Tuesday when they open. I haven’t even called a tow truck. I’ll just leave it there until then.”

“Did you see who did it?”

“No.” Her voice seemed weary and frustrated. “They took off. Hit and run.”

“Oh, Elizabeth. I’m so sorry.” Will couldn’t be sure, yet, who he felt sorrier for. Himself or Elizabeth.

“This is really something I don’t need right now,” she said with a pathetic-sounding laugh.

“I know.”

“I mean, I can barely afford rent and basics on top of the legal fees. Adding car fix-ups with it…. I’m thinking of just asking them to fix it enough so I can at least drive it.”

“If the frame of the car is damaged, though, it’ll still be really expensive.”

Elizabeth groaned and Will heard a thump, as if she bumped her head against a wall or table.

“Would you let me help you out?” Will asked tentatively.

“No, Will. Thank you for the offer, but I-”

“You’re an independent woman, I know,” Will finished. “Just remember that you helped me out once. For Pete’s sake, you bought this house for me!”

“Back when I was in better times.”

“So if you ever need my help-“

“I know I have it, thank you, Will.”

Opting for changing the subject, Will said, “I’m going to send your Christmas presents on up to you. I think they’ll die if they stay with me much longer.”

“What?!” she exclaimed. “What did you get me? An aquarium of scorpions or hissing cockroaches?”

“No, but that is a neat idea. I’m not telling you what they are. But trust me, I didn’t get anything you can’t handle.”

Elizabeth groaned again.

“Doesn’t sound like you trust me,” Will said.

“No, I do, I do!” she assured him. “But then… I sort of don’t.”

Will laughed.

Three days later, Elizabeth received her Christmas presents. She called up Will at work and said, “Okay, what is this all about?”

“What? Hello to you, too.”

“Hi. Now explain yourself.”

“Uh… about what?”

“The Christmas presents!”

“Oh! You got them!”

“Yes. Now can you tell me what this is all about?”

“It’s to make your room more peaceful and relaxing so you can sleep. The plants will grow in low light – since I know your bedroom doesn’t get much direct sunlight. Put the fountain on a stool or something, but cover it with plastic you can take off and wash. Put the candles where you like. I also will add that you should take all of your work out of the bedroom. Don’t bring your work into it – leave your bedroom as a place to relax and sleep, then work in the living room or somewhere else.”

“And the bear?”

“From Georgiana.”

There was a long silence. Will began to worry if he’d offended her or if she really didn’t like the idea. Finally he came out and asked, “Do you like it?”

“Of course, Will,” she breathed. “It’s- it’s the nicest gift I’ve ever received. How do you come up with such thoughtful gifts?”

“I don’t know. I came up with it after you fell asleep on the phone with me. I hope this works.”

“Me too. But Will,” she paused. “I don’t mean to be greedy or anything, but I didn’t get the one thing I asked for.”

“You didn’t? Well you should have. Check in the bear’s home.”

“It’s what?”

“The little house-box it came in. Check there.”

Will waited while she found the box and looked inside.

“Oh my goodness!” she exclaimed in delight.

“Which one are you looking at?”

“The Santa one.” She laughed. “It’s exactly like you described. Oh, this is too funny!”

“Humph. It wasn’t meant to be funny.”

“Thank you very much, Will. I’ll put it on my refrigerator.”

“Just don’t let anyone else see it.”

“Like who? Like the many friends and ‘gentlemen callers’ who come up to my apartment?” she laughed. Then she gasped. “Oh, Will! I love this one.”

“Which one is it?”

“The one of Georgie in the big arm chair. She’s so cute! Oh, and I like this one too. The one of her thigh deep in snow just sort of staring in bewilderment at you.”

“That’s a funny one.”

Elizabeth flipped through them all. “Thank you, Will. These are wonderful. I particularly like the one of you and Georgie in the nursery. I recognize the place still.”

“Avni took that one.”

“Now I have to go frame shopping. Put them up in my apartment.”

Will was thrilled he would have a place in her home.

“When are you coming down next?”

“My car will still be in the shop this weekend, but I’ve bought a train ticket.”

“Good. Let me know when you’re in and we can arrange to spend some time together.”

“I will. I should let you get back to work now.”

“Yes. I already spent an extra half an hour with Georgiana today.”

“Thank you again, Will.”

“You’re welcome. Keep me updated on how things are going.”

It seemed like the Fates were against them. What other reason could be given for Elizabeth’s detention in Chicago the following weekend?

“Will.”

“Elizabeth, where are you?”

“Stuck in Chicago.”

“Wait, we’ve been through this scenario before. That was last week.”

“Well… this week too.”

“What happened?”

“You’re never going to believe this, but a grain silo has fallen across the train tracks. No trains are coming in or leaving the city until it’s cleared up, which will take days.”

“You’re right. I don’t believe it.”

“Check the news. I don’t have the imagination to make up something like this.”

“There’s no other way you could get out?”

“No. My car’s in the shop, and I can’t afford to fly.”

Week by week, two months passed. A couple weekends Will had college conferences he had to attend. One weekend Elizabeth didn’t have the money and was waiting on payment from one of her clients to pay her rent and car insurance. Another weekend Will had to remain in town for Caroline to spend time with Georgiana.

In the middle of February, the lawsuits against Elizabeth and Nebsco were dropped. As Rick had predicted, it went almost to trial, then Lydia Benson backed out, knowing she could never win the case before judge or jury. While it was a favourable outcome for Elizabeth, she was still saddled with all the legal fees of her defense.

“Oh my goodness, Will,” she told him on the phone as he was driving home from work. “I cannot tell you how much my bedroom has become a refuge.”

“What do you mean?”

“The things you sent at Christmas have made a world of difference. I’ve added a few more plants, and I’ve put in a couple of lamps instead of the overhead light. I try and stick to your rule of never taking my work in there. It’s become this place I go to relax.”

“That’s great! Do you sleep better?”

“Yeah. I get about 6 hours of sleep a night.”

“Six? Only six?”

“It’s much better than it was. This is a big improvement for me!”

“How much of that coincides with the lawsuit ending?”

“Oh, well a little. Improvement had started earlier.”

“Right.” Changing the subject, he asked, “Are you all set for going to St George Island?”

“Yes. I have things I need to do. I may be a little late.”

“As long as you come.”

“I shall move heaven and earth to get there.”

“You may have to given our history so far.”

For a spring vacation, the Bingley’s, Darcy’s, and Elizabeth made plans to rent a house on St George Island off Florida’s coast in the Gulf of Mexico. Jane had had a friend enjoy his stay there and highly recommended it.

The Bingley’s spent a couple of days driving down to Florida, stopping to visit Charles’ mother briefly along the way. They picked up Will and Georgiana from Dothan, Alabama airport. They drove along the rural, Floridian coastline – small, lapping waves to their right, acres of thin pine trees to their left.

St George Island was reachable by a bridge, which took only ten minutes to cross, passing through bird nesting sanctuaries with low speed limits. Then the road reached the thin bar island. The island had one main road running east and west, and two smaller ones. At the centre of the island were a few stores, several real estate offices, and a couple gas stations. To the east, private property stretched a couple miles, then there were the gates to the state park. To the west, private property stretched up to the gates of The Plantation – a wealthier division of privately owned houses.

The Bingley’s had arranged to rent a house called “Catch the Wave” on the beachfront close to the entrance of The Plantation. They checked in at the real estate office and got their key.

Georgiana had never seen the sea before. The first thing Will did when they got out of the car was to pick her up and take her down to the water’s edge. He held her for a while, happy just to have the wind gusting in his face, the wail of the seagulls and the smell of the salty ocean invading his senses. Georgiana stared wide-eyed at the expanse of green-grey water, undulating lazily toward the horizon.

Will put her down and watched as she promptly sat down in the sand and began to dig and swirl her hands around in it. She tossed a few handfuls, getting some in her hair and clothes. When she began to bring a handful to her mouth, however, Will captured her small hands and emptied them of the few grains left. He picked her up and took her back to the house, leisurely looking around at the odd assortment of houses on the beachfront.

Catch the Wave was built of wood and painted a blue-grey. It stood up on pylons, with the van parked underneath. Will walked down the boardwalk over the course brush of ferns, sea oats and sea grass – fragile, protected Florida ecosystems. He climbed the steps to the balcony wrapping around the house, and entered it through one of the glass sliding doors at the front.

Jane was beginning to put groceries and kitchen supplies away in their cupboards while Charles brought the bags in from the car.

“Can you watch Georgie while I help Charles?”

“Sure.”

Will put Georgiana down on the sofa in view of Jane, and, avoiding Tobin who was running around waving his hands in the air and yelling unintelligibly, went down to help Charles unload the van.

He brought their suitcases up to the house, and put his and Georgie’s in a back bedroom.

“Are you sure you want that one?” asked Jane. “You’re welcome to have the front one.”

“No, you and Charles take it. You arranged this vacation.”

“Elizabeth can have the other one with the en-suite bathroom then.”

“When is she coming? I haven’t heard from her in a long while.”

“I can’t remember. I know she’s flying into Tallahassee and renting a car. But I can’t remember what day she gets in. I have it down somewhere.”

“Don’t bother right now. We’ll look for it later.”

Charles captured his mad toddler son and tossed him around a bit.

“Are being silly? Are you being silly you little boy?” asked Charles, hanging Tobin upside down.

Tobin’s giggle was infectious.

Jane, laying a hand on Will’s shoulder, “Shall we eat now or save ourselves till dinner?”

“I’m not hungry just now. I’ll give Georgie a snack, but it may be better to wait.”

Jane nodded, then asked, “Are you going to sit outside and catch the last of the sun?”

“I’m thinking about it, yes. I could start one of the pile of books I’ve brought to read.”

The afternoon passed lazily. Not quite to the level of laziness that they hoped to reach during that vacation, but close. Will unpacked his and Georgie’s things, then he grabbed a beach chair, slathered Georgie with sunscreen lotion, and grabbed the first book on the pile to take down to the beach. He settled down with Madeleine Albright’s autobiography – a rather fat book – but was soon distracted by watching Georgie playing. Under his watchful eye, and with strict orders not to go near the big grey thing (water), Georgie had collected a sizeable collection of shell fragments. She contented herself with walking over and picking one up, then walking to her pile by Will’s chair and putting it down. Watching her walk in the sand was amusing in itself. Her unsteadiness on her two chubby little legs, combined with the unevenness of the sand, caused her to plop down on her bottom sometimes, and trip forward at others.

Will was soon sitting on the sand playing with her. He began hiding the shells in the sand, causing Georgiana some consternation before she caught him and began excavating the sand around him to recover the shells. As the sun hovered over the horizon, Will took her toward the water’s edge, holding her shoulders tightly as they watched the waves rush up the sand toward them, then retreat leaving fizzling foam and tiny Pipis burying themselves into the wet sand.

Will attempted to stress several times to Georgiana that she must never go near the waves without him.

When the last rays of sun had gone, Will gathered their things and they slowly walked back to the house.

Jane was snoozing on a deck chair, so Will quietly entered the house. Charles was busy making supper while Tobin stood on a dining chair, actively colouring his paper with as many colours as he could get his hands on. Charles had laid newspaper across the table in an attempt to protect it from Tobin’s vigour.

Half an hour later, the five sat down to a quiet, leisurely dinner, speaking of plans they had.

“I’d like to see Apalachicola at some point,” said Jane. “And I’ve heard it has some really good restaurants. You know, local seafood.”

“We should go when Elizabeth gets here,” Charles suggested.

“I’d like to explore the island a little,” Will added.

“I’m sure I saw a pizza place. That would be fun one night, then we don’t have to cook.”

Jane deftly caught Tobin’s hand before he hauled a carrot at Will.

“What should we do this evening?” asked Will.

“I brought a few movies for us to watch if we want,” Charles replied.

When they had finished eating, Will went to put Georgiana to sleep in their bedroom. He put on her pajamas, tucked her and kissed her goodnight.

Charles put the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon DVD and Will began cleaning up the supper things.

Will fell asleep before the movie was over. When he woke up half an hour later with his neck in an uncomfortable position, he saw that Charles, too, had fallen asleep while Jane remained awake, having had a nap that afternoon.

Will softly said goodnight then went to bed. He was soon asleep, though not before making himself nervous by thinking about Elizabeth’s impending arrival.

Chapter 16

Posted on Saturday, 2 October 2004

The following morning, Georgie woke Will up, and they went outside on the balcony to have breakfast. Will wrapped Georgiana in some warmer clothing due to the early morning breeze. It would warm up to a comfortable temperature when the sun was closer to its zenith. Part of the morning Will played games with his daughter. Useful, educational games Avni, from the child care centre, had taught him. Then he put her in her playpen to be on her own while he laid out on a deck chair to read.

After a picnic lunch on the beach all together, Jane and Charles went for a walk along the beach while Will watched both Tobin and Georgiana. He set up a large umbrella to protect the toddlers from the harsh Florida sun, making sure to lather them with sunscreen every hour. Georgiana didn’t seem to mind the sunscreen as much, but Tobin squirmed and fussed during the entire process.

Will and Tobin were busy digging a hole with large plastic spades, when Georgiana called out to a passer-by. Will looked up. It was a woman with a cast in a sling, Will noted first. He pitied her since it mustn’t be fun being at the beach with a cast on her arm. She had short curly hair and wore long flowing trousers and blouse that billowed gracefully in the breeze.

Tobin smacked Will with the spade causing Will to revert his attention back to the toddlers. Georgiana continued watching the woman, who approached them slowly. Georgie began walking toward the woman. Will looked up and squinted against the sun, holding his hand up to shade his eyes. There was something familiar about the woman.

“Elizabeth?” he asked in disbelief.

“Don’t you recognize me?” came a laughing reply.

Will scrambled to his feet and moved toward her. He turned her so she was facing the sun and studied her face seriously. She had changed a lot. He knew it was a long time since he’d seen her, but he hadn’t thought about how much she would have changed. She’d cut her hair, her face was thinner and wearier, lines that hadn’t been there before marking her skin. Oh, but she looked so beautiful to him. He reached up and held her face in his hands as he studied her, his mouth lifting with a mere hint of a smile. Softly stroking her cheeks with his thumbs and running his fingers through her short curls.

“It’s so good to see you again,” he finally said.

“Yes. I’ve been looking forward to this vacation for a long time now.”

Will pulled her into an embrace, hugging her for a few long moments before releasing her.

“What happened?”

She squirmed a little.

“You didn’t tell me anything,” Will continued. “Not that you’ve been in communication for a couple weeks.”

“I know. I can explain. But not now. I want to sit down with you for now.”

They sat down on the sand beside the pit the toddlers worked on. Georgiana, once Elizabeth was more to her level, came over.

Elizabeth pulled Georgiana into a tremendous hug, kissing her several times and exclaiming, “Hello, my darling, my love! You’ve grown some more, haven’t you? And you’re walking much better.”

“She recognized you before I did, actually.”

“Have I really changed that much?” asked Elizabeth.

“A little. The hair and the cast threw me off initially, and the sun was in my eyes.”

Elizabeth laughed and said, “Sure.”

Georgiana settled down in Elizabeth’s lap, clutching Elizabeth’s free hand and playing with its fingers.

“How have you been?” Will asked.

“Very busy as usual.”

“Been sleeping?”

“Eh, mostly.”

“Can you not cut down on the workload?”

“I am, I promise.”

Will settled down beside her, facing Tobin who mostly ignored his aunt and kept digging.

“Where are Jane and Charles? The house was empty when I came up.”

“They went on a walk. I didn’t know when to expect you. How was your trip?”

Elizabeth laughed. “A bit awkward given my current handicap. But I managed. People take pity on you more when you struggle like I did. Then driving from Tallahassee to the island was a bit of an adventure. And I couldn’t really call for more help since cell phones apparently don’t work in the boonies.”

“Which is a good thing,” Will replied emphatically, reminding them both of the last time they had seen each other.

“Not when you’re lost somewhere between Panacea and … Sop-something-or-other.”

“Sopchoppy?”

“Yeah.”

Will laughed. Elizabeth merely grinned back at him.

There was a long pause. Elizabeth looked around at the beach. Few people were out on this section of the beach. A couple was fishing with their young daughter; a couple of teenagers lay out in bikinis; a young family swam in the waves.

“How cold is the water?” asked Elizabeth.

“I can carry you in to test it if you like?”

“Nooo, thank you,” she laughed, though her voice was low with warning.

“Are you sure? Or I could bring you a bucket to feel it.”

“Uh uh. I’ll be fine with just your word.”

“It’s chilly, but nothing to your Lake Michigan.”

“My Lake Michigan? What makes it mine?”

“You live beside it.”

“That’s the only criteria for possession?”

“In this casual conversation, yes.”

“I see.”

“Are you going to go in?”

“No. I can’t get my cast wet.”

“Too bad you have a good excuse.”

Georgiana wriggled out of Elizabeth’s lap and began to bring Elizabeth some “pitty” shells. Elizabeth fussed over Georgiana, thanking her profusely and kissing the tousled head frequently.

Will watched in warm contentment. Being back in Elizabeth’s company again was everything he had expected. It hardly seemed like they’d been separated for so long. Still, things weren’t quite where he wanted them. But he decided to wait a little while, try and gauge where she stood first.

Elizabeth spied Will’s book and leaned over him to pick it up.

“Madeleine Albright, huh?”

“You could have asked me to give it to you, you know.”

“Pretty heavy reading for a guy like you,” she teased.

“Excuse me?” he blurted.

She smiled wryly.

“She’s not too feminist for you?” taunted Elizabeth.

“I refuse to answer you. Have you really forgotten me this much?”

“Fine. I’ll stop.” She tossed the heavy book on the beach towel beside him. She leaned back on one elbow and tossed her head back, luxuriating in the sun’s warmth.

Will watched her in silence, observing the smallest of her movements.

“I cannot tell you how good it feels to be in the Florida sunshine. Chicago’s winter seemed interminable.”

“Was it really that long or did it just seem that way because of everything you were going through?”

“Probably the latter. I don’t think it was that long by Chicago’s standards. But it damn well felt that long. Miserable city,” she grumbled.

Will got up to guide Tobin back to the safe-play area, giving him a stern reprimand. Georgiana was content swishing her fingers through the sand and singing to herself, though not that loudly.

Elizabeth propped herself on one elbow to watch the toddlers.

“Do they ever play together?”

“Occasionally. They’re a bit far apart in age at this point. When they get older, six months or so will seem nothing, but right now, it’s a big difference.”

“Tobin seems so self-absorbed.”

Will nodded. “He is. But then so is Georgiana in a quieter way.”

“True.”

Will settled down beside her again. Pulling a bottle of sunscreen from his tote bag, he handed it to her.

She raised her eyebrow at him.

“You’ll regret it later if you don’t.”

“You’re mothering me,” stated Elizabeth.

“No. I’m fathering you.”

“Is there a difference?”

“In this case, no.”

She held out her hand for him to squirt a little into her palm. She sat up to apply it to her face and the tops of her feet. The rest of her was pretty much covered with the pale green linen pants and shirt she wore.

Will leaned over and wiped a bit of it into her skin. Then he fingered a few of her curls and said, “Why did you cut it?”

“I needed a change, and it makes things so much easier. Only two minutes of blow drying instead of ten. I don’t have to worry about it the rest of the day, it always looks messy like it’s supposed to. Don’t you like it?”

“I’ll have to get used to it,” Will admitted. “It’s a not a bad look for you, just different. Takes some adjustment.”

Elizabeth laughed at him.

“Now will you tell me what happened to your arm?”

“You’re not going to believe me.”

“Try.”

“It was sort of self-inflicted.” She laughed a little self-deprecatingly. “I punched a wall. It was a rather stubborn, unforgiving wall and in a way, it hit back. I broke some major bones in my hand and wrist.”

“Why were you punching a wall?”

“Put it down to my temper.”

“When was this?”

“About four days ago.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I have. Just now.”

“But I would’ve liked to know four days ago when you had to go to the hospital.”

“I was fine,” she protested. “Well, I mean, yeah it hurt like the devil, but what would you have done?”

“I don’t know. Maybe come up to help you.”

“You would’ve been too late with a five hour drive. Really, Will. I just went to the hospital, they set the bones and put it in the cast and gave me a scolding.”

“But it’s the principle of the thing,” objected Will. “I’d like to know these sorts of things.” Perhaps they weren’t as close as he thought. Perhaps she didn’t think he was someone in her life who needed to know big changes like this; he was just a friend. “I just thought-“ Will broke off, unable to complete the thought out loud.

Elizabeth somehow perceived his complaint, for she leaned over and put her hand on his and said in a serious voice, “I’m sorry. I should have told you. But you would see it soon anyway, and I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Will you tell me if something like this happens again?”

“I will if you don’t make too big a deal about it.”

“Fine.” There was a pause before Will asked, “Do Jane and Charles know?”

“No. They were leaving on their trip the following day, so I decided not to let them worry.”

“Elizabeth, you don’t seem to understand that people care about you and want you to be doing well and want to know when you’re not.”

“People make things like this into bigger deals than they are. Like you’re doing right now.”

“It’s a matter of opinion. In our opinion, this is something we’d like to know about.”

“But what would you do? Shake your head at my stupidity for punching a wall in a temper tantrum? Pity me? I can do without that.”

“It’s called sympathy. There’s a difference. Pity is patronizing. Sympathy is from someone who cares about you and will do anything you ask to help you.”

“Ok. I’ll tell you next time, I promise.”

Lightening the mood, Will said, “Well, hopefully there won’t be a next time you break your hand and go to the hospital.”

“I think I can safely say I’ve learned my lesson.”

“Did your insurance cover it?”

She hesitated a bit. “I sort of didn’t have any coverage.”

“What?!”

“I stopped paying my insurance since I couldn’t afford it. I’d hardly ever used it anyway. But of course as soon as you don’t have insurance, you need it. It’s the cruel irony insurance companies live off of.”

“So you had, what, a few thousand dollars’ worth of medical bills?”

“Yeah. Something like that. I have this repayment plan with the hospital.”

“Elizabeth!”

“Don’t start, Will. Please.”

“But-“

“Stop! We are not having this conversation. If it didn’t take so much effort, I’d walk away right now. What are you going to tell me? That I shouldn’t have stopped paying my coverage when I could barely get the money to pay my rent? That I should have come to you for money? No. You know me better than that. I am independent. I took out a loan and will pay it back as soon as I can. There’s nothing wrong with what I did, and I won’t have you making me feel guilty about it.”

Will kept his mouth shut for a few moments, gazing out at the Gulf. Squinting against the glare on the water, he could spy a few fishing boats on the horizon. He considered fighting her on this one, too. But she was too stubborn. It would turn into a heated argument. He wouldn’t change her mind, and she couldn’t change his. Instead he shrugged, showing his disapproval, but accepting her request not to talk about it nonetheless.

A couple minutes later, he asked, “When do you leave?”

“Sunday afternoon.”

“I’m surprised you could take so much time off. Usually you find it difficult to take off a weekend.” There was barely concealed bitterness in his voice.

“Things are in flux right now.”

“What does that mean?”

She shrugged. “Not sure yet. I’m waiting until the dust settles down.”

“Will you tell me when it does?”

Rather than take offence as it his annoyed brusqueness, Elizabeth smiled and said, “I guess so. If you want.”

Will paused before asking, “Have you seen the house yet?”

“I dumped my stuff and tried to find any sign of people. I thought I had the wrong house for a while, until I recognized Georgiana’s teddy bear.”

“I don’t allow her to take it on the beach.”

“Wise decision. I brought mine along by the way,” she had a mischievous smile on her face, squinting up at Will.

“Really?”

“Yep.”

“Who’s taking care of your plants while you’re gone?”

“I’ve arranged for my neighbour to water them every other day. She’s a sweet soul.”

“The temperature’s just about warm enough to have your windows open at night, and you can hear the waves very faintly. If this were the Pacific or something, you’d hear it a lot more. That should be relaxing for you to sleep to.”

“Are we going to have this kind of weather the rest of the week?”

“I don’t know. I don’t have internet access to look up the weather.”

“Don’t they have a weather channel or something here?”

“Maybe. Haven’t really looked at the TV. We watched Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon last night. Or some of it.”

“There’s a DVD player?”

Will laughed at her. “It is a modern house. Not everything here is uncivilized and backward. You seem such the cosmopolitan snob. I’m sorry this isn’t Martha’s Vineyard,” he teased.

“I’m not! Look at yourself! ‘I don’t have internet so I can’t find out basic information,’” she caricatured.

“It’s a good thing your hand is in a cast. Otherwise I’d throw you in the water.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“You won’t find out if I’d dare or not.”

“Elizabeth!” someone called out.

Will saw Jane and Charles making their way over to them.

Elizabeth stood up and walked toward her sister.

“What happened?” cried Jane.

“Hi guys.”

Charles kissed his sister-in-law while Jane embraced Elizabeth. “What happened?”

“I’m fine.”

“If you’re fine, then why is your hand in a cast?”

“I punched a wall, that’s all. Broke a couple bones, but it’ll heal in a few weeks,” she dismissed the issue offhandedly.

“Punched a wall?”

“You know me, Jane. Lose my temper… punch a wall…” she shrugged.

Jane shook her head at her sister.

Charles squatted beside Tobin, investigating his son’s handiwork: a hole about a hand’s depth, and a small pile of damp sand.

“Shall we all go inside and maybe have drinks out on the balcony?” asked Jane.

Will began collecting the beach things, refusing Elizabeth’s pathetic attempt to help and shooing her back to the house with Jane. Charles carried Tobin and Georgiana, wrapping an arm around each of their stomachs and toting them along like luggage. Their squeals of laughter carried back to Will on the wind. He paused in taking down the umbrella, watching Elizabeth striding along the boardwalk chatting with her sister.

By the time Will had stowed the beach things, Jane had brought out a tray of pink lemonade and a bowl of grapes.

Will pulled a deck chair up for Elizabeth. She batted his hands away, saying, “I’m not sick, you know. I’m perfectly fine.”

Jane rolled her eyes at Will, an amused smirk gracing her elegant face.

Charles came back from putting the toddlers down for a nap in their separate rooms. Will pulled a chair up to the table beside Elizabeth and offered to get her a glass of lemonade. She nodded, and Will poured the drinks for everyone.

Jane settled down and tipped her head back with a deep sigh. “This is a wonderful holiday, everyone, thank you.”

“It hasn’t even started yet,” protested Elizabeth.

“Maybe not for you,” retorted Jane.

Taking a sip of the pink lemonade, Will said, “This is excellent Jane, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Jane’s always been particularly good at making drinks,” Elizabeth said. “Mom would always have her prepare them for parties we would have.”

“Did you ever work as a barmaid or something?” asked Will.

Jane laughed and shook her head. “I’ve never tried my hand at alcoholic drinks. I don’t drink alcohol, so it would be difficult to test them.”

“Did you have a nice walk?” asked Will.

“Yes. It’s a lovely beach,” replied Charles.

“How far did you walk?” asked Elizabeth.

Charles looked at Jane who shrugged. “A couple miles I guess. We sort of strolled along, not thinking about how far we were going.”

“Did you get to the end of the island?” asked Elizabeth.

“Oh no, that’s about five miles away.”

“Maybe tomorrow you should try and go all the way.”

“Maybe. But then you have to walk back.”

There was a lull, broken only by the call of the seagulls and the soft sound of the waves rushing up onto the sand.

“It’s a rather mild sea,” Elizabeth remarked.

“Well, it is the Gulf of Mexico, so it’s going to be calmer. And the shelf is a couple miles long I think,” replied Charles. “Whereas the Pacific has a very short shelf which means the waves are much bigger.”

“I’ve never been to the Pacific,” replied Will. “Only the Atlantic.”

“You should go. It’ll give you a much better respect for the ocean.”

“I have enough respect, thank you,” Will laughed.

“Did something happen to you?” asked Elizabeth, shifting to settle her arm better.

“I got caught in a strong rip tide when I was a teenager. Barely survived. The lifeguard had to come after me. I didn’t know at the time, since I didn’t live near the ocean, that you can’t swim against it toward the shore, you have to swim parallel to the shore.”

“Wow.”

“I will admit it was partly the fault of my pride and arrogance. I thought I was a strong enough swimmer to be fine in the ocean. But with rip tides, it doesn’t matter how strong a swimmer you are, nature is always stronger.”

“Are there any here?” asked Elizabeth.

Charles shook his head. “Not really. It’s possible if water breaks through a sandbar or something, but it wouldn’t too strong. It’s still good to know how to get out of one, though.”

Will tore a small bunch of grapes off the stem and sat back popping them in his mouth.

Jane said after a few moments, “Tomorrow, I think the plan is to go to Apalachicola for the afternoon. We can wander around, then go to dinner in the evening.”

“Sounds good,” replied Elizabeth.

Charles said to his sister-in-law, “We haven’t heard from you in a while. How are things going up in Chicago?”

“Um, they’re ok,” she replied evasively.

“How is your consultancy?”

“Doing ok.”

“How many clients do you have right now?” Charles kept trying.

“Five.”

“That’s good, isn’t it?”

“I’m hoping to get a couple more this year.”

Will asked, “Do you mostly advertise through word of mouth?”

“Pretty much. Contacts, etc.”

“When did you decide to cut your hair?” queried her sister.

“A couple weeks ago. It’s a lot easier to manage, and I needed to do something drastic or else end up bald from pulling my hair out.”

“Why don’t you try something to get your stress and anger out?”

“What, like kick boxing or something?”

“Yes, or yoga. I’m sure tons of people in a place like Chicago do that sort of thing.”

Elizabeth shrugged. “I dunno. I’m fine, I don’t know why you guys think I’m not.”

Jane half-laughed. “Uh… because you say things like you’re pulling your hair out and you come here with your hand in a cast from punching a wall.”

“Well if you put it that way, anything sounds stupid.”

“Not just stupid,” retorted Jane, “Disturbing.”

Will saw Elizabeth beginning to clench her hand on the armrest, her knuckles turning white.

“You know, you’re probably right Jane. I’m just a sick woman who needs psychiatric help.”

“That’s not what I meant,” protested Jane.

“Isn’t it?”

Will looked at Charles with raised eyebrows, who just shrugged and nodded toward the house. Charles stood up and collected the glasses. Will quickly got up to help him, unable to help listening to the argument that had begun between the sisters.

“I know I don’t have the perfect life like you-“

“What makes you think I have a ‘perfect’ life?”

“Come on! What can possibly be wrong for you, huh? It’s not like I’m not trying to get it together, Jane.”

“What are you doing to fix it? How much are you sleeping a night? Two, three hours?”

“Six!” Elizabeth snapped.

“Ooh, six, that’s much better. Why not eight? Have you ever actually slept the whole night through?”

“Yes, I have.”

“When? In high school?”

“No. Much sooner than that,” retorted Elizabeth.

“When?”

“A few months ago.”

“What did you do differently?”

Elizabeth suddenly became evasive, saying, “I don’t know.”

Will, trying his best to hear the conversation and yet not appear to be eavesdropping, moved out of range.

He placed the glasses on the kitchen counter.

“How often does that happen?” asked Will.

“Jane and Elizabeth? Every now and then. Not often. Jane loves her sister and worries about her a lot.”

“But I think Elizabeth doesn’t like the pressure she feels from Jane,” Will replied.

Charles shrugged. “I try and stay out of it. I know she’s got problems, but she’s aware of them, and I don’t think bugging her is going to help. But again, I stay out of it.”

Will perched on one of the stools at the counter. “I don’t like it.”

“What?”

“Their fighting.”

“Neither do I, but then they are siblings, and it’s expected that they’ll fight sometimes. You should see Elizabeth and her younger siblings. Katie is alright, but Lydia just drives Elizabeth up the wall.”

“I don’t hear her speak of them at all.”

“Elizabeth doesn’t see much of them. They live in Virginia.”

“How old are they?”

“I think Lydia is supposed to be in college still, but Katie’s got a job working in DC.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

“Yeah. I have one younger sister, Carrie. Or rather Carol.”

“Why Carol not Carrie?”

“She was known as Carrie until she was about ten years old and she saw that horror movie, Carrie, about the girl. She was so freaked by it she insisted on being called Carol after that. Me, being the teasing older brother that I am, refused to do so for so many years, it’s just stuck.”

“I never saw that film I don’t think.”

“Don’t,” was all Charles replied before going outside to get the rest of the things.

Will saw Elizabeth jump out of her chair and move to the sliding door. Her carelessness caused her to bang her arm against the door as she stepped in. Swearing savagely under her breath, she swiftly went into the bedroom and shut the door.

Will saw Charles talking to his wife outside. Figuring that no one wanted him around, Will cleaned the dishes away and went into his room quietly to read his Albright biography.

At some point, he dozed off. He was woken later by Georgiana, who was awake and wanting out. Will put his book away and got up, picking her up and taking her out to the living room.

Elizabeth sat on the couch with her arm propped on a pillow, and her laptop on her lap. Looking up at the two walking in, she smirked. “Have a good nap, Sleeping Beauty?”

“You’d better be asking her that,” mumbled Will, still somewhat disoriented from his nap.

Elizabeth grinned as Will sat down on the settee opposite her, putting Georgiana down on the floor.

“What are you doing?”

“I thought it was a good opportunity to work. Everybody was napping.”

“The whole point of this vacation is for you not to work! Why didn’t you go outside and get some sun?”

“I tried. It took considerable effort going out there with everything, but then the glare was too bright on the screen and I had to come back in.”

“No. Elizabeth-” Will broke off with some exasperation. “Again, the point is for you not to be doing work. You go outside and just lie out in the sun and relax.”

“But I can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

Elizabeth squirmed. “I don’t know. It’s just… doing nothing?”

Will leaned forward, putting his hand on her thigh and saying in a patronizingly soothing voice, “It’s okay Elizabeth. It’s okay to do nothing sometimes.”

She scowled at his teasing, batting his hand away.

“Come on. Put up your computer. Let’s go out on the beach before the sun goes down.”

“Let me just finish this thing.”

Will eyed her dubiously, but let her go back to work. “You have two minutes before I’m pulling the plug.”

“Meanie.”

Will took Georgiana by the hand, leading her to the kitchen to get a snack. He opened a small pot of applesauce, grabbed a small spoon with a thick handle, and sat down with her at the table. He put her bib on, then helped her eat her applesauce, wiping her mouth when the applesauce dribbled out of her mouth.

She was nearly done when she began to refuse eating any more; turning her head away from the spoon Will prompted her to take. He finished the last three spoonfuls himself, wiped her face and took off her bib.

“Time’s up, Elizabeth,” he announced. “Put on your fleece.”

Will went into the bedroom to put on a sweater and wrap Georgiana in warmer clothes. The March offshore breeze was chilly, and clouds had begun to obscure the sun.

By the time he went back into the living room, Elizabeth was shutting her computer down.

“Do you want me to get your fleece?”

“Yes, please.”

Will found it draped over the dresser in her small back bedroom.

Elizabeth stood up, and Will helped her put it on so one arm went through the sleeve while her cast remained underneath the fleece.

Will took Georgiana and followed Elizabeth outside. Georgiana and Elizabeth walked at the same rate down the stairs, one at a time. Georgie essentially slid down on her belly, her legs dangling until she reached the step.

Eventually, they made it to the end of the boardwalk. Will picked Georgiana up, settling her in her preferred position on his shoulders.

“Do you want to walk along the beach or just settle down?”

“Let’s try walking a little ways. Maybe ten minutes. Then we’ll need to turn back since this sling gets sore.”

Will laughed.

As they walked Elizabeth added, “Oh, I have a favour to ask.”

“What?”

“I was wondering if I could share your bathroom.”

Will looked at her, bewildered. “But you have your own en suite, don’t you?”

She explained, “It’s a shower. You have a bathtub. I need a tub to bathe in because of my cast.”

“Oh, I see. Um, sure.”

“I promise not to be too messy.”

“Thou shalt not make promises you can’t keep,” stated Will.

“Since when was I messy?” Elizabeth protested.

“Your living space generally tends to be messy,” he reasoned.

“No, just a little chaotic is all.”

“As you say,” Will replied with a smirk. Elizabeth merely scowled at him.

They walked along in silence for several minutes. Though there were several topics Will wished he could speak to Elizabeth about, he avoided them. Not only did Elizabeth seem a tad bit touchy at the moment, but he also didn’t want to push her too much. While she seemed in a good mood now, he was wary of sparking another foul mood. He had made his preferences clear twice. He couldn’t bring himself to make the first move yet again. He had to have some indication that she wanted this relationship to continue other than answering his vague question in December. His biggest fear, however, was that they would go on forever in this horrible state of limbo. He wondered if there would come a time when he would be unable to wait any longer. He would either break down and ask her again for the last time, or he would stop seeing her. Would he? Could he?

“I haven’t heard anything about you yet,” Elizabeth said, squinting up at him briefly before turning her concentration to avoiding obstacles in the sand.

“Huh?”

“How are things going with you? How’s work? How’s the day care center?”

“Oh. They’re all fine.”

Elizabeth waited a minute before saying, “And…? (This is the part where you continue the conversation.)”

“Well,” Will shrugged. “There’s nothing more to say.”

“You mean there’s nothing you can think of that might interest me and I don’t know.”

“Well, the day care’s the same. But the kids are getting older, I’ll give you that. Avni is still wonderful – my favourite of the two. Laura’s all right, I just prefer Avni.”

“What about Georgie?”

“What do you mean what about her?”

“Who does she prefer? Do you know?”

“Oh! Um, I’m not sure. I could make a case for either of them.”

“What else?”

“You’re really putting me on the spot, aren’t you?”

“Not intentionally. Think of it from my point of view. I don’t know what’s going on in yours and Georgiana’s lives and I’m interested. How else do I obtain the information but from you?”

“Well, there’s not much to say, like I said.”

“What I consider interesting and what you deem interesting may be completely different.”

“Fine. Lemme think a minute.”

Elizabeth laughed at him, shaking her short curls in dismay. They walked slowly forward in silence for several moments. Will looked out at the sea, squinting slightly despite his sunglasses. The water reflected the bright Florida sunshine painfully. Small birds scuttled after the receding waves, pecking at the remains before scurrying away as the next wave slid up the sand. A light breeze brushed at his face and clothing, tugging and teasing his hair into tangles.

Elizabeth stopped and looked at him.

“What?” he asked, stopping and staring at her.

“You’re not thinking,” she accused.

“Yes I was,” he protested.

“No, you were lost in thought.”

“So how can you say I wasn’t thinking?”

“You know what I mean.”

Will couldn’t deny this. He continued walking. Elizabeth hop skipped a few steps to catch up with him.

“Do we really have that little to say to each other?” she asked. The lightness in her voice had gone.

Will realized how bad it seemed that they couldn’t carry on a normal casual conversation.

He returned, “Do we always have to fill silences with talk? Come on, enjoy this beautiful scenery.”

Elizabeth didn’t say anything after that. She just kept her eyes on the sand, carefully watching where she stepped. Will knew she was right. But there was something about the awkwardness of the situation that left him tongue-tied.

“Let’s sit down a while and rest,” he suggested then.

Elizabeth stopped suddenly and went inland a few feet before dropping to the hot, dry sand. Will lifted Georgiana down, then sat beside Elizabeth as she stretched out her legs carefully and leaned back on her elbow, soaking in the afternoon sun’s rays.

Will glanced at her sideways. She wasn’t going to talk, Will knew that. He stared at the waves rolling onto the gradual slope of the beach, sliding up it and receding as the next one followed. He became hypnotized by it. Georgie was content to begin digging in the sand and looking for buried shells. Even the smallest broken chunks of shell intrigued her.

“You remember Maggie?” Will said. Elizabeth looked at him and nodded. “She sent this young grad student from the University of Illinois in Edwardsville to look at the forests around my house and pick the trees to harvest this year. The young woman came by the house and introduced herself, which was nice. While I know Maggie has every right to do whatever she wants on the land, I’m glad it’s being used to grow sustainable wood. The student consultant didn’t have to see me at all. Could have knocked the whole forest down. But she came by and asked if there were any trees that I had my heart set on keeping.”

“Did you?” asked Elizabeth.

“A couple I mentioned would be nice to keep. You know the old white oak about five minutes walk from the house?”

“Vaguely.”

“And there’s a beautiful dogwood I can see from the office that I wanted. Dogwood wouldn’t be ideal to cut anyway.”

“How long was the student there picking the trees to be harvested?”

“Three days she spent wandering the woods. Some job. She picked about twenty to be cut down carefully so as not to destroy the trees around them. Then they’ll be cut up and sold. You know how organic food is more expensive because you know it’s been grown in sustainable and proper conditions? Well this wood has a similar label on it which declares it to have been grown in sustainable conditions. It’s worth more to the right buyers.”

“Good. How much do you think Maggie makes from that forest every year?”

“I’ve no idea. Never thought to ask. Not that I’d feel too comfortable asking.”

Elizabeth nodded.

Will paused several moments. “Oh, I’ve decided to do a bit of remodeling to the house.”

“Really?” Elizabeth looked at him surprise.

“Yes. Maggie and her husband hadn’t changed it much in many years, and there’s a few things I’d like to do to it with Georgiana’s approaching youth in mind.”

“Who are you getting to do it? Have you gotten as far as getting contractors yet?”

Will looked at her quizzically. “No. No, I’m doing it myself.”

Elizabeth burst out laughing. “You’re joking! You doing it yourself?”

Will looked offended. “I’ll have you know that I’m quite the handyman!”

“Is that so?” Elizabeth viewed him with amusement brimming in her eyes.

“Yes!” he replied indignantly.

“Excuse me if I’m skeptical. But you couldn’t even cook a meal or change a diaper when I first knew you.”

“That’s different.” Will knew himself to be entering dangerous waters. Better to steer the subject in another direction. “Don’t you want to hear what I’m planning to do?”

“Do tell,” Elizabeth batted her eyelashes at him in mockery.

“I’m changing the downstairs bathroom, and I’m making the office into a bedroom.”

“What happens to the office stuff?”

“Some of it will be moved into the long back room, other stuff will be moved in my bedroom.”

“So you’re preparing to kick Georgiana out of your bedroom, is that it?”

Will watched Georgie stumbling through the soft sand to a small pile of dried seaweed. “Well, I assume there will come a time when it will be better for us to part ways, yes.”

Elizabeth grinned at him, still highly amused at his expense.

Neither said anything for a few moments. Then she said, “See? You did have things to tell me.”

“But it’s always a question of remembering it. You pressure me too much. I don’t perform well under pressure.”

“Oh, I’m sooo sorry,” Elizabeth quipped in a highly snobbish British accent. Then in her normal voice said, “Can we go back? I’ve gotta go to the bathroom soon.”

“You could always go in the sea,” Will suggested offhandedly.

Elizabeth glared at him as she held up her hand to him for help up from the sand. He hoisted her to her feet, then scooped up Georgiana, swinging her around a bit to make her excited about being picked up instead of annoyed, then deposited her on his shoulders and began their walk back.

When they reached the house, Will said, “I’m going to get my kite and fly it. The wind’s picking up a little bit. Do you want to come?”

“Sure. Though I won’t be much help.”

Will dismissed this with a wave of his hand and let Elizabeth go on up to the house while he patiently walked with Georgiana.

Ten minutes later he was walking back down to the beach with Georgiana, kite in hand. The wind was gusty – really strong for a few moments, then dying down. So Will wasn’t sure how successful he would be at getting the kite up in the air and keeping it there. But he wanted to try nonetheless. It had been ages since he’d flown one.

Elizabeth already waited on the beach, having gotten a drink and gone to the bathroom. She presented a funny picture, one arm of the fleece hanging like a rag doll.

Will whistled at her and she turned. Upon reaching the sand at the end of the boardwalk, Georgiana plopped down onto it. With a sigh Will scooped her up and lugged her with him under one arm. She let out a high-pitched squeal. In protest or delight, Will didn’t know. He set her down beside Elizabeth, then handed her the kite while holding onto the strings.

“Just hang onto this, turn it against the wind and hold it up, then I’ll try and jerk it up.”

Elizabeth looked skeptical.

Will gave her a chastising look. “Have a little faith in me!”

He backed up, unraveling the strings until he was a good distance away. He paused to wait for a couple of strollers to pass him, then had to wait a little longer until a strong gust of wind came through, then he jerked the strings, pulling the kite out of her hands. It rose about 12 feet into the air, then dove down to the sand. Elizabeth hobbled over and bent down on one leg to pick it up, turning once again into the wind. They waited until another sufficiently strong gust of wind came through before Will jerked it up. It rose a little higher this time before diving into the sea.

Elizabeth looked at him drolly. Will buried the string spindles into the sand, took off his shoes and socks, then trudged into the bitterly cold waves to retrieve the kite from the shallow waves. He handed it back to Elizabeth.

“How many tries before you give up?” she asked him.

“About five.”

“Very good.”

Will glared at her. “Must you be so pessimistic?”

She merely grinned at him, shooing him while she clutched the kite in her hand. Will returned to the spindles and held them ready, waiting for that perfect gust of wind.

The farce continued for about half an hour before Will gave up. The wind wasn’t strong enough to keep the kite aloft. The most success they had was keeping it up in the air for a minute. Elizabeth worked patiently for him, though she spent most of the time laughing hysterically at him.

“I’m going inside to take a bath, if that’s all right with you,” said Elizabeth, as Will was winding up the strings.

“No, no. Go right ahead. I don’t think it’s in too much of a mess.”

“Thanks.”

“I’m going to spend a little time with Georgie out here before going in for supper. Tell Jane or Charles I’ll be in in a little while to help with it.”

Elizabeth nodded, then she bent down and kissed Georgiana’s soft, windblown head, then went up the boardwalk.

Will watched her go with not a little despair. Nothing. Absolutely nothing had been conveyed or suggested or anything. He squatted down beside Georgiana and continued watching Elizabeth go up to the house. She looked beautiful. The wind, though insufficient to keep a kite aloft, blew her short curls and her loose, flowing pants. There was something absurdly picturesque in the scene she presented, slowly walking along the boardwalk, one empty arm flopping in the breeze.

When she’d disappeared into the house, Will turned his attention to the sea and the beach. The sun had already dipped behind the horizon, setting off a beautiful rainbow of colours around it while the opposite horizon spread an ever darkening indigo across the sky. Will’s hand absentmindedly rested on Georgiana’s head, stroking it and her back while his mind wandered. When his attention returned to the present moment, he sat down on the sand beside Georgiana. Then, feeling tired all of a sudden, he lay down all the way, his head beside her chubby legs.

She seemed rather self-absorbed herself, singing away and pushing the sand in different formations about her.

“Shall we go inside?” he asked her.

She stared down at him, then returned to preoccupation. “Inside? House?” he tried again.

He stood up and began walking toward the boardwalk. “Georgie! Come on.”

She still didn’t seem to budge, so Will went down on all fours and began to do his tiger/lion imitation. “*Growl* *snarl*!”

This got a response from Georgie. She squealed with laughter and got up to run away. Will prowled after her, easily keeping up with her as she stumbled along the soft sand, her infectious laughter pealing.

After a thrilling hunt, the predator caught his innocent prey and hauled it up to the house, carrying her upside down and swinging her.

Their entrance made quite a racket. Charles looked up, startled from his cooking dinner. Jane poked her head round the bedroom door.

“Hello all,” Will said, then went into his bedroom to change her clothes.

Putting her down on the floor, he went to the drawer full of her clothes and chose a pair of pants and a sweater. Turning around, he just caught her laughingly scurrying into the bathroom. Will realized Elizabeth would be in the bathroom and called out to her.

“Woah, there!” Will heard Elizabeth.

Will stopped at the partially open door. “Uh… sorry. She got away from me.” In a sterner voice, he said, “Georgiana Darcy, come here!”

He only heard giggles in reply.

“Georgie,” his voice lowering in caution.

“Will, why don’t you leave her with me? I’ll give her a bath, wash off the salt and sand.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. Bring me a plastic bag to tie around my arm. And close the door! You’re letting in a draft.”

Thus chastened, Will closed the bathroom door and quickly left the room, anxious to have some distraction of mind.

Half an hour later, Elizabeth called Will. He put down the knife he’d been using to cut up apples for dessert, and went into his bedroom. Elizabeth sat on the corner of his bed, her curls still wet but fully dressed in comfortable clothes. Georgiana sat on her lap, thoroughly wrapped in a large fluffy towel. The toddler grinned up at her father.

“Did you behave yourself?” he asked, bending down and giving her cherubic face a kiss.

“Of course she didn’t. I’d be careful walking in there if I were you. There’s lots of water on the floor.” Hugging Georgiana, Elizabeth added, “But we had fun, didn’t we?”

“Do you want to leave her to me to dress her?”

“Yeah. I couldn’t manage it too well.”

Will scooped up the bundled girl from Elizabeth and deposited her on the bed. Elizabeth grabbed her bundle of clothes and towel with one arm and attempted walked out. Will silently took the bundle from her and led the way, putting her things on her bed before walking out of her room, giving her a chastising look that said, ‘You could have asked for help, you know.’

Will dressed Georgiana, then went out and joined the others at the dinner table.

Continued In Next Section