William put a hand on Charles's arm to quell his speech and leaned over to say, "that's Lizabeth."
"Who?" Often, Charles was in a world of his own.
"We met her up in Merton, over a month ago. At the baby shower party." That got Charles' attention. William knew how frequently his friend had driven north to see Jane Sweet. He had received an earful about their rehearsal and shooting schedule preventing Charles from seeing her. Both Jane and Charles were unhappy with William that they would have to forego their usual hookup.
Charles' scrutiny fell on Lizabeth's, and he smiled. "Cinderella," he quipped.
"Yes." William walked over without breaking their gaze. "Lizabeth, good to see you!" It sounded a little too cheery, that sort of false greeting so many used in his business. He shook his head as though to clear it. "I'm pleased to see you. You've come to LA?"
Her hair was pulled back. She wore jeans and a printed cotton top. The day had been warm, though it would be cooling off as the sun set. His question sparked something inside that made her face light up even more in that setting, there on the Observatory's terrace with such a magnificent view before them. Her dark eyes sparkled; something more was there.
"Yes," she answered, enthusiastic and happy. "I've come with friends for a visit. I've never been!"
"I recall you said you'd never been down," he said. "You remember Charles?"
"Lizabeth." Lee reached out a hand to take Lizabeth's in his, but he also leaned over to place quick kisses on both of her cheeks. William noticed that she pulled her hand back quickly, looking at him in surprise at the gesture.
"Don't mind, Charles. He always has to charm the ladies," said William.
"My friends," Lizabeth turned to indicate a couple. He hadn't noticed them as he was so fixated on her, but the pair was transfixed, staring more at Charles because of his celebrity status than at him. "Did you ever meet Charlene Lucas when you were in Merton? This is her boyfriend, Lyle Collins."
"Hello," said William as he shook hands with her friends.
"Charles Lee." His friend introduced himself.
"So, so pleased to meet you!" exclaimed the boyfriend. "I can't tell you how excited I am to meet a celebrity! Wait until my students hear tell of my visit to Los Angeles this weekend. We came, you know, to visit all the cultural sites that this great metropolitan area has to offer, but who knew I would be meeting a celebrity! My girlfriend was so kind as to come along with me, and asked, most kindly, if her friend could come. So, of course, I couldn't say no. This has proved to be worth the investment, if I do say so!"
Charles didn't look fazed by this long speech. He was used to people fawning over him, but William could see that Lizabeth was unnerved by her friend's out-pouring. "When did you get here? How long will you be here?" Willaim asked while Lyle continued to gush at Charles.
"We arrived this morning and go back on Sunday," she said.
He turned his head away for a second before looking at her. "Would you like to meet for drinks or maybe have dinner with me while you're here?"
"What an excellent idea!" Lyle said, turning from Charles to William. "I think a group dinner is a great idea." The friend, Charlene, put her hand on his arm and pulled him a few steps away. Charles discreetly pulled out his phone. The others created a small radius of space around William and Lizabeth.
She smiled, one side of her mouth moving up more than the other. William often noticed small nuances about the way people moved or behaved, but his eyes never left hers.
"Yes," she answered.
He reached out a hand to her. "How about both? We're slated to be here until ten tonight. But want to meet for drinks afterward? And dinner tomorrow?" If he appeared eager, William didn't care. He was. The past two months had been tortuous. But he had been distracted in a way he'd never been before.
Typically, William had a lot of balls in the air because of his work and dealt with multiple priorities without it affecting him. He had people to talk to, scripts to review, a lot of reading, a multitude of emails to read, or compose and send. He was used to waking with work getting him out of bed, and chasing him to sleep. It was the reason he sometimes drove to the beach to stare at crashing waves.
But he had lost an edge to his focus in the past weeks and in keeping his concentration on work and his priorities. He was also a one-man show right now, as Caroline had gone back East to visit her family for the first time in years. Seeing Lizabeth sparked something as he realized that his recent distraction had been because of her. It was as if his vision had been either clouded or clarified by meeting her.
"Yes to both," she nodded. The other side of her mouth came up. "We haven't had dinner yet. We'll go and eat. By then, maybe you'll be done?"
"Yes. I can get my assistant to pack up for me," he answered.
"I don't have your phone number." Her smile vanished; she was biting her lower lip.
"I can't believe that during that whole week together we never exchanged phone numbers," he quipped, pulling out his cell. They texted their contact information to each other. "I'll call you when we're done."
"Okay," she agreed. Her friends stepped up, having listened to their exchange. The male friend rambled on with his goodbyes. William didn't hear a word as he parted from Lizabeth, shaking her hand. Charles out-did him by kissing her again on both cheeks. The trio finally walked away.
"A date!" said his friend, turning to stare at him. "I don't remember the last time you had a date, like a real date. Not these fake ones, all for show in front of the paparazzi to generate some publicity."
"Stuff it, Charles." William stared at his friend. Charles never quailed under his gaze; it wasn't like William was a mobster.
Charles laughed. "You are smitten! This is so novel; I don't know if I should tease you or suggest we finish early so you can take her out for drinks and get her home to warm your bed. I really don't!"
"Leave it," William growled. "And we'll finish rehearsing tonight as planned. I didn't pull in a favor with Matt and get him to look the other way if we did tentative rehearsals tonight, before filming when the Observatory is closed on Monday, not to work as planned."
Something in his tone of voice made Charles's face slacken as if he didn't quite recognize his friend. "Mandy is still gone. Just how long of a break does she need?" he asked rather than return to teasing his friend.
William left Alexis to deal with the equipment; he was confident that Charles would offer to help. His friend managed one last dig about William's up-coming date, but another quelling look put him off the subject. He wasn't sure why he didn't want to talk about having drinks with Lizabeth—why it was different from all the drinks or dates he had had before, but he didn't want to pursue it.
He called her from the Observatory parking lot, which was far emptier now than when they had arrived. "Hi," he said when she answered.
"Hi," Lizabeth said back. "We are heading to our hotel. Dinner took forever."
William swallowed. "Do you think you still have time to meet up tonight?" He had managed to get his crew to finish over a half-hour early. His timing seemed to be off; maybe he should have tried her fifteen minutes earlier before she was in the car.
"Yes, though I fear it will be a late night. Can you come out here?" That statement didn't bode well.
"Where is your hotel?" he asked.
"We're staying in Pasadena." She named the hotel. Given the time of day, there shouldn't be much traffic.
"I can be there in about fifteen minutes. I am still up for drinks," he insisted.
"Great. See you soon," Lizabeth said, and they hung up.
Pasadena wasn't a city he was as familiar with as other areas of the metropolitan area that was Los Angeles. He didn't know any particular place to suggest to meet up. But once he was in front of the hotel, he did a quick search and found two possibilities and then texted Lizabeth that he was waiting. Then he thought again, turned off the motor, left the car in the check-in area for the hotel, and walked into the lobby. William's timing was perfect as the elevator doors opened, and Lizabeth stepped out.
"Hi." Her half-smile was there, but there was something in her eyes that made his gut tighten.
"Hi." William couldn't help the glance up and down her figure. She was still dressed in jeans but had a different top on with a jacket over it. She had let her hair down, which made his heart race. He wore his usual dark suit, one of a dozen in his closet. "I parked outside in the loading zone. Let's go."
"Okay." She walked up to him, paused as though waiting for him to shake her hand or kiss her. William had turned to walk in step next to her and wondered if he missed a chance. He should have taken a page from Charles' book and done the two-cheek kiss, at least. Her lips looked very inviting, and he thought he would have skipped the cheeks and gone for the lips.
They were quiet in the car for a few minutes before he mentioned his two bar choices. "The British pub sounds good," she answered. It was only two blocks away, but parking turned out to be something else.
He circled once around the block, grumbling under his breath as he drove. "I think we should have just parked at your hotel and walked."
"Maybe we should have," she agreed. He groaned again as he turned a different direction at a crossroad to see if there was more parking along another street and stumbled across a paid lot. William turned in. "You're not too cold?" he asked, once they were out of the car.
"No," she answered, though she drew her jacket tighter together in front of her. The night air, or shyness? Maybe he missed an opportunity to put an arm around her, but were they there yet?
More people filled the place than he expected when they stepped through the front door. William had to squeeze in beside her in the small entry which was filled with racks of local newspapers and pamphlets about local sights. All the tables looked full. The bar was equally packed; people had their heads together just to hear each other. At least three bartenders were half-hidden behind tall pull tabs of the beers on tap that evening.
"I hope you like beer," he remarked. William put an arm around her to speak into her ear over the noise. Lizabeth didn't stiffen at his touch but leaned into him. He tightened his hold.
"I'm learning to like beer," she answered. "I just thought the pub idea sounded interesting. Are all pubs, like in London, like this? Have you ever been?"
"Yes," he answered. A couple was standing up, gathering items, and putting on coats. "Let's snag that table." He pulled Lizabeth towards it without letting go of her. The couple eyed the two of them but didn't say anything, vacating it willingly. William moved their empties to the edge of the table, leaving the tip they left under an empty glass. A waiter came by quickly to take both items.
"So you're still working on Bella Montaña, and it's going well?" she asked when the table was clear.
"Yes. Slowly—as we sort out the storyline." William spoke about his project; Lizabeth inserted questions. Eventually, someone came to take an order. They stuck to drinks and not food, which made the waiter walk away with a frown.
When the beers came, Lizabeth eyed it doubtfully. "It's brown."
"Try it," he encouraged and took a long gulp of his own. She took a small sip, wrinkled her nose, then took another.
"Heavy," she remarked and sipped again. "But I think it's growing on me."
"We've been talking about my work. But how is yours going?"
She wrinkled her nose again but set her glass down. "The same. It's the nature of the job. Just the same day-in, day-out. I process forms, placate people, you know." Lizabeth carefully dismissed talking about her world.
William wasn't going to let it go. "But you had that little problem that was plaguing you. Remember? We talked about it at that lunch. I haven't seen you since what, February 3, almost two months. Has anyone else come in to register a business with one of those funky mining names?"
The hands which were holding her beer glass tightened as she listened to his question. He wondered if she didn't want to talk about her work, or if something had happened that made it a difficult topic. "You remember the exact day we last talked?" she asked.
"Yes. It was the last day I was up in Merton. Well, the last weekend I was there," William explained. "But have you found out anything else about why those men are creating businesses with mining in the titles?"
"No," she shook her head. "The number of registrations dropped off after you left." Lizabeth blushed then looked down at her drink. A strand of hair fell down, escaping from behind her ear, catching on her cheek before it covered her eye. William reached over with two fingers and pulled her hair back from her face. He didn't get it tucked back behind her ear on the first try, so he had to swipe his hands through her hair a second time to secure it.
"I still haven't figured out any reason why a man would want a business with the name 'mine' and 'ventures' in it," he quipped as his breath came a little faster. In reality, William hadn't given it a second thought. Lizabeth and her work issues had been banished as Caroline's words had spooked him. But seeing her again brought his interest back entirely—was it desire? Just as Lizabeth Bennet was in front of him, cradling a beer she wasn't enjoying.
"I haven't been thinking much about it either." She raised the glass to her lips, sipped, then put it back down, though this time, her eyes didn't follow the glass. "The one day I finally decided that I would go talk to Judge Metcalfe about it was the day that Mimi had her baby. He ran off to the hospital, and I was stuck holding down the fort. The office has been busier than usual. I don't know if there is more activity in the spring, but I find myself looking forward to lunch far more than I've ever done." The topic animated her; her eyes, which had intrigued him since the Metcalfe's party, expressed her feelings as she related all the activities that kept her busy.
"I'm glad you decided to take a mini-vacation and that our paths crossed," he said. "I hadn't realized that you didn't have my contact information, but I guess I assumed you'd never come my way."
"I did say I hadn't traveled much. My mother was always vocal about the evils of Los Angeles. You should hear the fit she threw when I told her that I was going to come for two days." She smiled again but it broke into a yawn. A hand came up to cover her mouth.
"What time did you leave Merton?" William asked.
"Six a.m." Lizabeth answered when she finished yawning. "It's been quite a day."
"I should get you back to your hotel. I'm glad we found close parking." He looked around at the pub. It was still crowded. Midnight was early to be leaving a pub on a Friday night.
"I am tired." She didn't look at him, nor did she attempt any more sips of her dark ale. William parked money under his glass and stood, holding out his hand. Lizabeth let him snake his arm around her back to lead her out the door.
It was colder outside, and he tightened his grip. He sensed she was so tired that she didn't have anything else to say on the walk back to the car or during the drive to the hotel. He parked in the same loading zone in front of the hotel and got out. Lizabeth had opened her door, but he was there to pull it wider and close it.
"Dinner tomorrow still on?" he asked. She seemed ready to bolt inside the automatic doors. He put a hand on an arm, an innocent enough gesture, and Lizabeth looked up. Those eyes were wary now; nerves had taken hold. William wondered if she was worried he would invite himself in. The hand ran down her arm to a hand, and he squeezed it before bringing it up to his lips to kiss the fingers. "I'll see you tomorrow," he prompted when she nodded.
"I'm looking forward to it," she answered and gave a quick return squeeze.
"Good night." He dropped both his hand and hers reluctantly. When was the last time he had ever had a date that didn't end in a kiss, and usually more? Never, he thought.
"Good night," she replied. That just-released hand gave a little wave before her arm flopped back to her side. "See you tomorrow. Thanks for the drink."
Lizabeth didn't march towards the hotel, making those automatic doors fly open. Her hesitancy gave him the clue he needed. Like an awkward teenage boy, he put both hands on her shoulders, leaned over and kissed her lips. William noticed that she closed her eyes as soon as his hands touched her body. It was a gentle kiss, closed lips, a few heartbeats in duration, but he felt her relax under his touch.
He stepped away, pulling his hands free, and she opened her eyes, and there it was, that something shining out of those dark luminous eyes back at him. He thought he might have smiled, but he waved in the same awkward half-hearted manner. "Night."
She brought a hand up, but not to wave again. Lizabeth pulled her jacket closed at the top, near her neck. "Night," she repeated back before turning to go inside.
William went home to bed.
A/N: I fear life will get a little darker before it gets better. Seems the past few days have been the hard ones, hearing of layoffs and closures and changes to our patterns of life that are likely to be permanent. Cope as best you can. We don't all need to be brave and stoic. Hide under the covers and eat ice cream straight from the tub if need be.
