A/ N: I don't own what you recognize. However, I do love my reviewers. You guys are simply the best.

Chapter Ten

In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth states that she knows not when exactly she fell for Mr. Darcy. She says that it came on so slowly that she didn't really know what was happening. And Darcy expresses similar thoughts. I understand that feeling wholeheartedly. When I really and truly fell in love for the first time, I didn't know when I did it. Like Emma and Knightley, we went from friendship to love without every knowing when we crossed the line. One day, she was just my friend and business partner. The next, she was the only woman I could ever marry.

- "In the Middle before I Knew I was there," a February 14, 2013 post on Mark F. Williamson's blog "Literary World Views"

"Betsy, I need to talk to you in the office," Mark announced as soon as he walked into the shop.

"Do you need me right now?" I asked, glancing at Jamie who was still waiting for an answer.

He nodded. "It's kind of an emergency."

"I'll be back," I told Jamie before following Mark into the office.

He took something out of his coat pocket before taking it off and hanging it up. I sat down in the chair behind the desk and looked at him. He ran his hand over his head and sighed. I took a tissue from the box on the desk and blew my nose as Mark began pacing around the small space.

"Mark," I said slowly. "What's wrong? Talk to me."

"Kevin," he replied.

"Kevin Bingham?" I asked.

He nodded.

This was like talking to a five-year-old but I'd do it. I'd never seen Mark this agitated. "What did Kevin do, Mark?"

"He's coming back to Ann Arbor."

"He's doing what?"

"He's coming back to Ann Arbor to win back Jenna or something like that. He's realized that he made a mistake and his family is stupid and he wants her back. And he's coming back the week that you and I are going to Minnesota. And he wants to stay with us. But we won't be here. So I guess he would want to just stay in our apartment but I'm not sure I want to see him. And I'm confused. And I don't like this."

I walked over to him and grabbed his shoulders, a difficult task considering the fact that he is about eight inches taller than me. "Mark, look at me."

"I don't like it, Betsy. He treated Jenna horribly. He threw her away and I don't like that. I don't want him staying in our apartment all alone and trying to woo your poor sister."

"You can say no," I told him, rubbing his shoulders in an attempt to soothe him.

He sighed and I felt him beginning to relax. "Bets, you and I both know that if I say no he'll just get a room in a hotel. And I don't like that either. I don't want him to go all Don Juan on her."

"I know," I said. "Now, please sit down and we'll discuss this rationally. I think we can make this work. You know Kevin and I know Jenna."

"I'm not sure I do know Kevin."

I smiled. "Sit, Mark."

"Woof," he said as he sat on the loveseat opposite the desk and we both laughed. I sat down next to him and squeezed his hands.

"Talk to Kevin and be honest with him. I don't think he's going to go all Don Juan on her. He's much more docile, lamblike than he is fox-like."

He smiled and squeezed my hand. Mark was the reason I couldn't agree to Jamie's idea that we perhaps start dating again. There was something there. We were closer to being Betsy-and-Mark than we were to being Betsy Bennet and Mark Williamson. And I wasn't sure how that had happened. But we'd grown close in the past month or so. I knew how to calm him down and I didn't even know that about Lucas.

"I just don't want him to screw everything up again. And I don't want him around Jenna when I can't supervise him and make sure that he isn't being Casanova."

"What is with you and these literary allusions today?"

"I was talking to Dr. Wright in my office before I came over here. She's the one who teaches the class about cross-cultural literary movements and Don Juan. I think I've told you about her."

"Is she the feminist who always wears skirts?" I asked. "I took a couple of classes from her when I was in college."

He nodded. "She was talking about a class she wants to teach about Casanova and Don Juan next fall."

"And now you're referring to someone who was once your best friend as Don Juan and Casanova."

That elicited a shrug and a smile. "I just don't want him near Jenna. I don't' want him to hurt her again. I like your sister; she's a great person. And you're my roommate and she's your sister. If he screws her over again, I'm screwed over."

"You could tell him that he can't come that week that we're out of town but he can come the next week when we are in town. Then, you can supervise him to your heart's delight."

"But I don't want him to come at all."

"He's an adult, Mark. If he wants to come, he's going to come. If you want to be involved, you have to let him come but stipulate the terms on which he can come."

"You're brilliant."

"You may kiss my ring."

"You're not wearing a ring."

I laughed. "Are you doing better now?"

"Yes but I'll be even better if you watch a movie with me when we get home tonight."

"I get off at six."

He smiled. "I'll make you dinner if you watch X-Men with me."

"Adrenaline junkie," I teased.

"Hey, you'll get to see Hugh Jackman."

"I can live with that."

He kissed my cheek. "You're a rock star, Bets. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Suffer," I replied before giving him a quick hug.

Mark laughed. "Go back to Jamie. I think I interrupted something important."

"I'll tell you about it later."

"What was that about?" Jamie asked when I came back into the bookstore.

"Kevin problems," I replied.

"I thought he dropped off the face of the earth."

"Trust me. We all thought he did."

"No such luck?" he asked.

I shook my head. "No but I think Mark can take care of things. He's a smart one."

"We're not getting back together," Jamie said flatly-a statement, not a question. "You're single but you're not available."

"That's not the reason I was going to give you but I don't want to get back together. Four months ago, I would have willingly have done it but not now. I don't think we're supposed to be together forever. College was good."

"But not anymore," he finished my sentence. "I know what you mean. But let's be good friends."

"And I can be your boss too!"

Jamie laughed. "You will always be power hungry."

I smiled. "I like my job. I get to knit."

That night, Mark picked me up at six and drove me home. Lucas has taken to calling Mark my husband whenever Mark picks me up from work. I would like to note that Lucas has never been so kind as to offer to drive me home from work when it's dark or snowing or raining. Lucas would like to note that he lives above the shop. I know what he's saying but I still really appreciate Mark's rides. Also, the shop is on Mark's way home from work. But still, it was his idea that he pick me up from work and I enjoy his company.

And there he was at six o'clock. "Betsy, your darling husband is here for you," Lucas called.

"Just never call him that in front of my mother," I replied as I got my things together.

Mark laughed. "Even if I married you, I'm not sure I'd admit so much in front of your mother. She's a little too desperate to see her darling daughters married."

I sighed. "Mark, she's not that bad."

"But I'm not even your boyfriend. I'm just your platonic friend, business partner, and roommate."

I smiled. "And you're great at all of those. Now let's go home. I'm making dinner and it's going to be fabulous."

When we got home, I set my purse on the table and hung up my coat. Immediately, my purse fell over and my knitting and a book spilled out. "So you're finally reading The Time Traveler's Wife?" Mark asked, picking up said book.

I laughed. "No, I've read it before. But Luke mentioned it as a possible book club read, so I'm rereading it."

"I've never read it."

"You should join the book club."

He laughed. "In case you've forgotten, I don't knit."

"I'll teach you."

"Maybe over the summer," he replied. "I'm busy with work right now." He picked up the tea kettle from the stove. "I'm going to make myself a cup. You want one too?"

I nodded. "Yeah, some peppermint would be great."

"You're on."

We had this rhythm about evenings. One of us cooked. One made tea. We chatted. It felt very homey. Sometimes, I want to just throw in "honey" or "sweetie" or kiss him on the cheek. It's just all very homelike. But it's not a marriage or a relationship. It's just two people living together for convenience's sake.

Mark put the kettle on to boil before going to change out of his work clothes. He wore dress pants, dress shirts, and ties to work. And then he came home and changed into jeans and sweatshirts. My work clothes easily transitioned to life at home. But I'm my own boss and Lucas and Mark aren't about to criticize the way I dress.

I worked in the evenings on Thursday and Friday, so Mark and I invited Jenna over for dinner on Saturday. He wanted to talk to her about Kevin in person. "I don't like the idea of just calling someone up and saying 'Hey, your asshole ex-boyfriend wants to reconcile with you,'" he told me on Saturday morning while we were both working.

I laughed. "Don't swear in front of Jenna. She teaches first grade and likes her life to be as clean as a little kid thinks a Disney movie is."

He smiled and handed me the mug of tea he'd been making for me. I took a sip and smiled.

"Okay, chickens, stop flirting and start working. I've got boxes of yarn and I have no clue what to do with them," Lucas said, walking out of the storage room.

"You organize them by color," Mark told him. "It's not that hard."

"I'm colorblind."

I snorted. "That's a lie. You're just lazy."

He stuck his tongue out at me and I shook my head.

"I'm always amazed at the maturity of my employers," Jamie said as he came out of the storage room carrying boxes in his arms.

As he walked towards the storage room himself, Mark said, "I think there's only one that you really need to worry about."

"Yeah but he's the one who signs the paychecks," Jamie replied.

"I could take that job over from him," I told him.

"His Majesty would be offended," Jamie said. "You know as well as I do that Lucas likes being in control of things."

I sighed, thinking of just how well I knew that. I'd known Lucas since childhood and it had always been clear to me that he felt a need for power and control. His reaction to Carlye's pregnancy and wedding were an example of this. He likes to get his way. Psychologically speaking, this is a typical marker of an oldest child and Luke isn't the oldest. Luke is different. I think that all of the Ormond kids are different. Carlye needs to be wanted. Luke needs to be in control. Lena needs to escape. The other kids have other problems.

I'm not saying that my family is perfect. Mae has gotten lost in the shuffle since she was a little kid, but unfortunately that's very typical of introverts and middle children. Jenna and I were louder than she was. Lucy needs attention all the time, but she's the youngest child and a spoiled brat. Cam lives in the shadow of others and wants to be accepted. Jenna wants to make people happy and keep things perfect. Me? I want to live my own life and be my own person. Would we be like this if my mom were less interested in being involved in our lives? I don't know. I don't really care. But I know that my mom complicates all of our lives. That's what parents do. They complicate their children's lives. Like my mom, she calls me three times a week to ask me when I'm going to start dating Mark. She's always telling Jenna to get married and give her grandchildren. She tells Mae to get over how become more normal so she can get a husband. She's grooming Cam and Lucy to marry wealthy men. But they're completely obnoxious and nobody rich would ever want to marry them-at least no one who is a man of sense. After all, I've always tried to be woman of sense because Jeremy Northam saying "Men of sense, whatever you may think Emma, do not want silly wives" has kind of stuck with me.

So my sister came over. Mark made a really great pork roast with potatoes. He's a great cook. And my sister is patient, especially with Mark. She knows that he still has some vague contact with Kevin and she wants this information he has. My sister formed a serious connection with Kevin, something of which Mark is not entirely convinced. But he's not thrilled with Kevin lately, so he's willing to be more open to my sister and try to help her. He doesn't want to be Mr. Darcy just because Emily Bingham is acting like Caroline Bingley.

Jenna needed a relaxing night-especially if Mark was going to tell her about Kevin's impending visit. "It's snowing, again," my sister announced when we let her in.

I laughed. "It's Michigan, Jen. What were you expecting?"

"I don't know but I'm sick of this. I think I'll move to Florida."

"You'll be farther away from Mom if you do that."

She rolled her eyes. "Mark, tell my sister that some of us are more willing to be patient with my mother than others are."

"I've given up trying to convince Betsy of anything. We all know she's as stubborn as a mule."

"Someone please remind me why I hang out with you two again."

"Well, you're stuck living with me," Mark said.

"And you're related to me," was Jenna's reply.

I sighed. "Let's just eat, drink, and be merry."

"So how is first grade these days?" Mark asked Jenna after we sat down to dinner.

Jenna grinned. "They're great. They're really started to learn to understand reading and they've been reading out loud to me all week. It's so much fun. Six-years-old is such a fun age."

"What do they like to read?"

"Dr. Seuss," she replied. "And they like the If You Give a Mouse a Cookie books."

"When are you going to read Jane Austen to them?"

Jenna and I both laughed. I had told him about how our mother had started reading Pride and Prejudice to us when we were in kindergarten.

"I believe in waiting until third grade for that one," my sister said after she was done laughing. "I think they should have some concept of reason before introducing them to the classics."

"Have you ever told your mother about this theory?"

Jenna shook her head. "I wouldn't dare. It would break her heart."

Mark smiled. "You are so kind to your mother."

"And Betsy isn't."

"Is today International Pick on Elizabeth Bennet Day?"

Jenna nodded. "Yeah, and since you don't have a Facebook account, you don't know about it."

"Oh, it was a Facebook event?"

They both laughed. Mark and I have created a Facebook page for the Knit 'n' Lit but that's the closest I've come to the damn thing. I hate it and I refuse to venture on to it unless I have to. But lately, I've begun to feel left out because people broadcast their entire lives to Facebook and let the real world know about things later. It was, in fact, via Facebook that my sister had seen that Kevin was planning on coming to Ann Arbor again. He'd made a comment on the wall of a mutual friend or something like that. Jenna wanted to know what was going on. And after fifteen or twenty minutes of polite chatter, she asked, "So what's the deal with Kevin? Is he really coming back over here?"

Mark took a deep breath and ran his hand over his recently shaven head. He'd shaved his head and I'd cut my hair to my shoulders the previous weekend; whatever Lucas might say, the timing was purely coincidental. "Jenna, first of all, let me tell you that Kevin can be an asshole at times. He looks all nice and cute and sweet. That's just because he's a baby-faced boy who can't grow a beard to save his soul."

I laughed and Jenna shook her head. "But that doesn't answer my question. Is he coming or isn't he?"

"He is," Mark said flatly. "He wanted to come the first week of March and stay with us but we won't be here."

"That's when you're going to Minnesota, right?"

I nodded. "We don't want him staying here when we're not here."

"To supervise him," Mark added. "So we told him that he could come the next week and he agreed to that. He's staying in my room and I'm sleeping on the couch."

"Mark is trying to protect you, Jen."

My sister smiled. "But why is he coming? He wrote on Jeff's wall something about unfinished business and tying up loose ends."

Mark pressed his lips together and shrugged. "I'm really not sure what he's up to. He won't tell me. He just emailed me and asked if he could stay with us. I said the week he wanted wouldn't work for us but he could come the next week if he wanted. I figured he'd just say no and find somewhere else to stay while he was here. Instead, he agreed to my plan. That surprised me. It means he's not working right now."

"So what is he doing?" Jenna asked, taking a sip of beer.

He cracked all the fingers on his left hand, starting with the middle finger. I'd learned over the past month that was a sign of nervousness or uneasiness for Mark. "I have a few ideas but nothing really. I know he's not doing anything academic. Friends in England tell they haven't seen him or heard from him much. He's apparently camped out at the family estate in northern England."

"He could still be doing research up there," Jenna suggested.

"He could," Mark replied in a tone that said that was the last thing he suspected Kevin to be doing.

My sister sighed. "You think he's doing something else."

"Or I think he's doing nothing. Or I think his family is manipulating him."

"You're vague," my sister said with a sigh.

"Sorry," Mark said. "I don't like encouraging gossip or suspicion but I also don't want you to get your hopes up. I really don't have much faith in Kevin turning out to be the good guy here."

"He's not Mr. Knightley?" I asked my roommate.

He smiled. "No, but that doesn't mean that he's automatically Casanova either."

"You two confuse me sometimes," my sister said, taking another sip of her beer. "I don't get all your literary allusions."

I smiled. "Sorry, that's what happens when we own a bookstore and between our personal collections have enough books to stock another bookstore."

"We read too much, Jenna," Mark said. "But we don't think Kevin is all bad. We just don't know what he's up to and we think you should be cautious around him if he does try to contact you."

She nodded. "But he is coming?"

"Right after we get back from Minnesota," he told her. "Now you two go pick out a movie and I'll clean up the kitchen."

"But you cooked," I protested.

"And your sister is our guest. Now scram. And don't make me watch another chick flick."

Once Jenna and I were alone in the living room and Mark was loudly singing along to the Beatles, she looked at me. "Okay, when exactly did you two become 'we' and 'us'?"

"About ten minutes after we became roommates, business partners, and conspirators in a trip to Minnesota," I replied. "We-I mean, Mark and I-Mark and I spend a lot of time together. It just happened."

"Are you two together?"

I gasped. "Why does everyone think that?"

Jenna rolled her eyes. "Would he be up for watching The Count of Monte Cristo or does he think it's a chick flick?"

"It's definitely not on his list of chick flicks," I told her. "That's his movie. I'm sure he'd be up for watching it."

She grinned. "Good, I really want to watch this movie."

"Is someone in a Jim Caviezel mood?" I teased.

Jenna bit her lip and grinned. "He's so pretty, Betsy."

A/N: Please review! I know; I take twenty-five years to update. But it's only because I'm in the middle of writing my senior thesis and ninety other final projects for school. Theoretically speaking, my updating should become more frequent in May.