"Oh, no. Lizzie.. Please. I-I can't go over there. Please!"
Jane was freaking out. She raked her hands through her hair and stared at Elizabeth expectantly, her eyes already glassy and bloodshot. They both worked at the Hunsford Diner waiting tables and baking pies. Never had they been so distressed over a pair of customers. Bingley, the man who left, sat right across from his best friend Darcy, the man who ruined it all. Out of everywhere in town, they had to come and sit down here. It seemed they also brought a few men in suits, presumably business partners. Blech. Oh, joy.
Lizzie was positively fuming. She was already convinced Darcy was the worst of the worst but she wouldn't have thought Charlie capable of this. Sure he left, sure he crushed her sister's heart, sure he was best friends with the most despicable human being ever known to man… come to think of it, maybe he was capable of this. It had taken Jane so long before she could even function after he left. Now he was back, bringing Darcy and all of the unpleasant memories with him?
Lizzie put a hand up in an 'I got this' motion. Operation Guilt Trip was now in action. She checked a mirror. Brown curls fell past her shoulders and her uniform was immaculate. Lizzie's blue grey eyes held a determination that intimidated even herself. After grabbing a note pad, she plastered on a fake smile and walked over.
Darcy's eyes visibly widened at the sight of the Bennet girl. Charlie pulled at the collar of his suit nervously. Lizzie's smile almost faltered. Almost.
"Hey- I haven't seen you around for a while-" she looked pointedly at Charlie, " What can I do for you guys?"
She watched as Bingley stammered and stuttered for a few moments. Why should she care? He hurt Jane, he deserved this. You don't mess with peoples siblings. Sadly, after a few very satisfying moments of watching him squirm, she heard Darcy speak up.
"Coffees all around would be quite nice, Elizabeth. Decaf, also."
She bristled at is condescending tone. With a sharp nod, she wrote down the order.
"Do you know Charlie and Will?" spoke up one of the nameless men in suits. This, right here, was the perfect opportunity to set the guilt trip in motion.
"Oh yeah we do, don't we boys? Charlie here dated my sister for while, didn't you Charlie?" She spoke in an encouraging charismatic voice. He blushed bright red while mumbling in the affirmative. Now that reaction, that caught the interest of the other suits. Lizzie had a feeling Charlie would be in the spotlight for story time today. Fan-freaking-tastic! She was going to make him rue the day he messed with her family.
With a new, real, and very satisfied smile, she turned on a heel back to Jane. The same Jane who was currently hidden behind the cash register. She gave her a very discreet thumb up as she went to grab the coffee for the men. Grabbing two decaf coffees and two regular she walked over. After giving Will and Charlie their fountain of unwanted caffeine she asked what they would like to eat.
The same boisterous man from earlier laughed and said,"We came here for one of those famous cherry pies!"
Elizabeth raised her eyebrow. "Famous, you say?" she questioned.
"Yeah, Charlie here wouldn't shut up about em' for the longest time. Said the lady who made them must'a been heaven sent. I gotta tell ya', my expectations are pretty high at this point."
With a slight smile at the man's enthusiasm she said, "Coming right up."
Once again she walked back to where Jane was slumped against the register. Going over to the bakery shelves she grabbed a pie and all the corresponding tableware. With a little bit a balance, and a lot of luck, she thought, I might be able to make it over there without this pie splattering everywhere. She gave a slight giggle at the thought of cherry juice staining Darcy presumably expensive suit.
Once all the men had their slices and had taken the first tastes the unexpected happened. Or at least it should have been unexpected. The IT in question came from Darcy.
"Hey, do you think we could introduce the cook to everyone, Elizabeth?"
Cheese-balls. She should have thought he would pull something like this. She did not have a graceful way out of this. Repeat, Elizabeth Bennet did NOT have a way out. Her boss was neurotic about stuff like this. She could almost hear him. 'If they want to meet the cook, you give them the cook. They want me, go get me. For Heavens sake, if they want the busboy go grab Wickham.' She nodded mutely and went to get Jane.
"Janie, I'm so sorry. They want the pastry chef and they know and- Oh. I'm sorry but you have to try. Just smile, nod, and leave okay, honey? Okay?"
With the face of someone going to their death Jane rose and walked to the table. Charlie stood up and spoke.
"You're looking very nice Jane."
Elizabeth could see a visible pain in Charlie's eyes as Jane silently turned away. She couldn't do it. Who would blame her? She just got a compliment from the man who took her self esteem, ground it up into a paste, put it on a cracker, and fed it to parrot with abandonment issues. Think about that feeling Bingley, she thought darkly, let it fester.
Why couldn't he say something to make her happy he ever said goodbye?
A/N: YEAH! That made zero sense! Grammar and spelling… I wrote this in a splurge after a run soooo don't judge too harshly. Well, if you liked it review please. :)
If you didn't… sad. :(