A/N: Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter, your words give me encouragement when you point out particular parts of a chapter that you may like (or dislike). I hope to update again before the month is out but it's the summer holidays (And keeping two school-age kids and a toddler amused on top of a fourth-month-old is hard) so my apologies in advance if chapter seven comes in early September.
Enjoy!
Chapter Six
At thirty-two years of age, Charles Bingley was starting to feel that his life was finally falling into place. He had just bought himself a big house with three bedrooms, a large garden, two reception rooms, separate utility, two bathrooms and a two-car driveway in the little town of Meryton, where it just so happened his best friend and his goddaughter resided. Granted, he wasn't as well off as William Darcy was nor would he ever be, but after receiving his share of his mother's life insurance policy pay-out five years ago, he decided to use the money in property. During the week he worked as a financial advisor for a bank and on the weekends he would go to auctions to look at potential properties that were up for auction. These houses were usually way below average market value due to age or damage but he knew potential when he saw it. When he would successfully bid on a property, he would buy it, fix it up, add value to the property and then sell it on for a profit. Renovating properties had become a hobby and a passion for Charles, but now he wanted to settle down in a place of his own. He was at an age where he finally wanted to meet someone, fall in love and start a family.
Of course, Charles had his share of relationships, the longest one had lasted just a little over three years. But now it was different. He wanted permanence. If there was one thing that he truly craved in life, it was wanting a bond with someone like he witnessed his best friend have with Mia. Charles had been best friends with William Darcy since they were boys, having met at preschool at the age of three. They had attended the same school, even attended the same university, he had been the best man at William and Natalie's wedding. He had been chosen to be the godfather to their little girl and he doted on Mia as if she were his own daughter. When Natalie had died, he had been there to support his best friend and goddaughter. But it also reminded him that he didn't have what William had. And whilst he didn't envy his best friend for having an unbreakable bond with his child, Charles couldn't lie that he wanted the same.
A week ago he experienced what he could only describe as an electrical exchange. An attraction. A little connection if you will. He had been walking through the local high street trying to get to know the new community that he would be living in permanently when he had stopped by a bakery to get something to eat. It had been quite crowded but the girl who had served him had been quite friendly when he had placed his order and when he had spotted an empty table he could sit at, he had taken the chance, only to find that the previous occupant had left it rather sticky. He had made the decision to go back to the counter to ask the girl who had served him for a cloth, only to find someone else in her place. A woman with the blondest hair he had ever seen and the brightest blue eyes which reminded him of sapphires. Jane. He had gone back to the bakery in hopes of seeing her again only to find that she didn't work in the bakery on a regular basis.
Other than hoping to have another chance encounter with the beautiful blonde he had only met briefly, living in the same town as his best friend was another positive note. In the week that he had been permanently living in Meryton he had yet to stop by the Darcy's to spend time with Will and Mia. Charles had called Will to make arrangements to meet up for a few pints and his best friend had made the suggestion that he come over on Saturday to see Mia for a little while before they headed out together.
It was a balmy June evening when Charles knocked eagerly on the front door. He was greeted with the big toothy grin that he hadn't seen for a while. A mass of curly brown hair and excitable eyes, he knelt down as his goddaughter flung her arms around his neck.
"Uncle Charlie!" Mia greeted happily.
"I've missed you Mia." Charles laughed, ruffling a hand through her hair.
Letting go of the little girl, he kicked the door to a close behind him and shook his best friends hand and greeted Will with a smile. William led him and Mia through to the living room and they sat down, catching up on Mia's achievements at school and her new relationship forming with the new childminder that William had hired. Then they moved on to catching up on William's life, which was pretty much the same as usual. After colouring a picture with Mia, he waited patiently for William to put his daughter to bed and then came downstairs to have a quick drink before they headed out for the evening.
"She's still a good kid," Charles mused happily, "I'm debating in my mind if she'll have a rebellious streak."
William laughed and handed him a glass of cider which Alice had brought in moments ago.
"I'm sure she will. She has to take after Natalie in something." His best friend stated.
"Didn't Natalie dance when she was Mia's age?"
William nodded.
"That's why I encourage Mia to do ballet. My girl is talented, much like her mother was."
"At least she inherited the dancing talent from her mother. Did you ever get to the bottom of Natalie's rebellious streak?" Charles asked curiously.
William shrugged but smiled.
"She was an only child and her parents worked full-time. They sent her off to boarding school. It was most likely a typical teenager wanting some attention from her parents."
"True. I suppose it's a comfort that Mia is your entire focus so you may not need to worry about a rebellious streak when she hits her teens."
"I sometimes wonder if she needs a mother figure." William admitted.
This surprised Charles. In the last six years, his best friend had not once mentioned the thought of dating or looking to have a relationship. Maybe Darcy was now starting to feel it was the right time to pursue something.
"Will, you shouldn't think about it like that. You should think about if it's something that you both want." Charles advised.
The two took a mouthful of their ciders and placed the glasses on the coffee table.
"Mia wants me to be happy. When we were holding interviews for a childminder she expressed that she wanted the childminder to make the both of us happy." Will replied.
"Your kid is the best. I wouldn't mind a child of my own like Mia." Charles said affectionately.
Will raised an eyebrow.
"Do you have someone in mind?" his best friend asked.
Charles felt the temperature rise in his face so much that he tugged at his collar and looked briefly away before seeing the smirk on his best friend's face.
"Not really…but there's this woman I met at this lovely little bakery in town…I only met her once but it seemed like there was…I don't know…a connection or something…that makes me sound mad." Charles stammered.
Will shook his head with an amused chuckle.
"You don't sound mad mate. Well…I suppose a little…so what's her name?"
"Jane. She was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen-"
"Don't let your sister hear you say that. You might have to start hiding apples in fear of them being poisoned." Will joked.
Charles rolled his eyes. The subject of Caroline was one they preferred not to talk much about.
"My sister isn't that bad Darcy-"
"I disagree."
"She's still my sister, despite her…um…"
"Shortcomings?" Will suggested amusingly.
Charles rolled his eyes.
"Anyway…she doesn't work at the bakery often from what I'm told. Which means she's either an agency worker or she has one of those zero hours contacts and only does cover shifts. So the chances of me seeing her again at the bakery are slim." He said glumly.
"Maybe you could leave her a note with your number, expressing that you'd be interested in taking her out sometime?"
Charles shook his head.
"I'd look like some kind of stalker! I only met the woman once!" he protested.
"But if she left such an impression on you, isn't it worth taking a risk?" Will questioned.
Knowing his best friend had a point, but didn't want to debate the pros and cons of asking out a stranger, he stood from his seat.
"Come on, we need to get to the bar if we're having this night out." Charles encouraged.
With nothing more to say on the subject, Alice shooed them out of the house whilst stating that she would take care of Mia and the two best friends left the house; ready for their night out.
ooOoo
The air was filled with a gentle breeze with the sky turning a mid-blue as the three sisters scrambled out of the taxi. The car pulled away and the three sisters entered the bar. Inside it wasn't overly crowded yet not a bad start to a Saturday night.
"Jane, put the phone away, Dad isn't going to call or text every two seconds." Lydia said quietly.
Elizabeth watched as her older sister rolled her eyes but Jane put the phone back into her bag, despite still looking a little on edge. She knew that her older sister was struggling with her guilt at having a few hours to herself. But it was just what the three of them needed. Lydia was merely weeks away from officially graduating from university and was in the middle of moving out of student housing, juggling shifts at the restaurant and applying for graduate jobs, Jane had a stressful life with the twins and her responsibilities with the bakery. And she needed to celebrate her start as a childminder and put all thoughts of her pending divorce out of her mind temporarily.
"There's a table over in the corner Lizzy." Lydia observed, pointing behind Elizabeth.
As she turned to make her way over in the direction that Lydia had pointed to, she collided with a tall man.
"Ow." Elizabeth groaned, massaging her forehead.
"I'm sorry, are you okay?" the man asked.
She knew that voice. Not well, but she recognised it. Looking up she smiled weakly at her employer.
"I'm fine, sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." Elizabeth apologised.
"No, it's my fault. Being tall I sometimes forget to look down." William joked.
She laughed a little, without really finding it funny but felt at ease.
"Night out?" Elizabeth asked.
"Celebrating having my best friend move to town," William said brightly, gesturing to the redheaded man on his left, "Charles this is Elizabeth, my childminder."
Elizabeth shook hands with the other man and introduced her two sisters. She smirked when she noticed Jane blush a tinted red as Charles declared that he and Jane had already met. It was something she hadn't seen her sister do in a very long time, she had suddenly gone quite shy.
"Come on, let's grab that table before someone else takes it," Lydia interrupted, "William, Charles, would you like to join us?"
"Call me Will, and we'd love to." William replied softly.
The five walked through the bar and got to the table with Elizabeth offering to get the first round and Will offering to help her bring the drinks over.
"Your friend seems nice." Elizabeth commented, looking over to the table where Jane, Lydia and Charles were talking.
"He's been my best friend since the age of three. There isn't another man on this earth who I would trust more than Charles Bingley." Will stated fondly.
"How long has he been living in Meryton?" she asked.
"Charles moved here last week, he wants to put down some roots." Will replied.
"I assume he also goes by 'Uncle Charlie' too?"
Will chuckled but nodded his confirmation.
"Yes, he's Mia' s godfather. She's always called him that. I take it she mentioned him?"
"A few times, she's lucky to have so many people who care for her."
"She is," Will agreed brightly, "I hope that you'll be included in that category."
Elizabeth smiled warmly, feeling touched that he would want her to be close to his daughter and care for her just like others did. Turning her attention to the bartender, she and Will placed the group's order and then carried the drinks back to their table. They each chatted a little about themselves but Jane was mostly quiet and deflected when asked about herself. Elizabeth couldn't help but smirk whenever she looked in Jane or Charles' direction and noticed that they always seemed to be looking at one another.
"So…Charles…you've already met my sister?" Elizabeth asked.
Charles took a mouthful of his pint and nodded.
"Yes, I met her whilst she was working at this lovely little bakery but I've found she doesn't work there often." He replied, blushing slightly.
"Oh I agree, it is a lovely little bakery." Elizabeth said quietly, returning her attention to her finished glass of wine.
Just as Will starting asking questions about the bakery, Lydia rushed off after excitedly shouting a friend's name. Elizabeth turned and saw her younger sister hugging their childhood friend and neighbour, Martin Denny, before rushing off into the now busy crowd and disappeared out of sight. Standing up, Elizabeth headed to the bar to order herself another drink, only to be joined by Will once more.
"I thought I'd give Charles and your sister some privacy. I think he wants to have a conversation with her since all he's been talking about was hoping to meet her again." Will said quietly.
She didn't fail to notice the smirk on his face.
"I think Jane wanted the same. I haven't seen her this shy in a long time!" Elizabeth laughed.
The pair looked over to the table where Jane and Charles were now sat together and conversing quite comfortably together. Elizabeth noted how at ease her sister seemed to be, her shyness from earlier had vanished. She had to give her sister some credit. She knew that Jane had been anxious about having a few hours to herself and not worrying about the twins and she guessed it had been hard for her sister not to look at the phone constantly to see if their dad needed Jane at home in case Lucy had a seizure and required hospital treatment. But watching Jane have a conversation with someone she had just met and look like she was enjoying herself, it was an amazing achievement when Jane had been a single parent for the last two years and faced daily challenges.
"Shall we sit here for a little while? Give them a little longer?" Will suggested quietly.
Elizabeth nodded and the two pulled out the two empty bar stools they stood in front of and sat down. The bar was beginning to fill up and the DJ had started playing some music on the other side of the bar. She looked through the crowd, catching a glimpse of Lydia dancing with Denny and a group of his friends.
"Your younger sister's boyfriend?" Will inquired.
"A childhood friend. She hasn't seen him for a while but she used to talk about him non-stop before he moved away for university." Elizabeth replied with a smile.
"I remember being that age." He mused.
"I do too." Elizabeth sighed sadly.
She watched as Denny and Lydia danced to the music, their eyes glued to each other's filled with that warm flirty look that Elizabeth hadn't felt in five years. Seeing her sister like that made her remember herself being younger and falling in love with David. So much for temporarily putting her pending divorce out of her mind.
Unfortunately, her sad expression and being momentarily lost in thought didn't go unnoticed by her boss.
"Elizabeth? Are you okay?" Will asked, his voice full of concern.
"Yeah…just remembering…I'm fine…" Elizabeth replied.
"Are you sure? You seem upset." Will noted.
"I'll be fine." Elizabeth said encouragingly.
Will placed their order with the bartender, gesturing to Elizabeth to put her money away as he handed over a handful of coins to the bartender. In a few moments of silence and more observing of Lydia dancing with Denny, he smiled sadly.
"You told Alice that you were starting over and wanted something that gave you purpose. I assume you're fresh start is because of a relationship breakdown?" he asked quietly.
Elizabeth, surprised at his quick understanding of her line of thought, didn't see the need to lie. She thanked the bartender for handing her a drink and nodded stiffly.
"I'm sorry. Was it a long relationship?"
"A marriage of five years. We met when I was in my second year of university and married quickly. Now I'm a twenty-five-year-old woman living back with her parents with nothing to my name and nothing of the last five years to show of my life."
"Oh…I'm sorry…" Will mumbled.
"Thank you. I'll be fine. I'm ready to start anew and I can't thank you enough for giving me the job of looking after Mia. My first week has been…amazing…I can't ever remember having a better week…" Elizabeth gushed.
Will smiled at squeezed her hand gently and supportively.
"Elizabeth, I'm really pleased you feel that way. But I hope you don't just come to think of me as your employer. In time, I hope you come to think of us as…friends…I know it's only been a week but my daughter has already started to bond with you and that means the world to me…"
"I'm sure we both will…in time…"
With that, they ended talk on relationship breakdowns and employer and employee dynamic and talked more about their families.
ooOoo
"So, tell me something about yourself." Charles requested.
He watched as the beautiful blonde sat next to him blush slightly. He got the impression that, by the way she averted her eyes from his to look around the bar and the way she slowly picked up her drink and anxiously bit at her straw as she took a sip, she didn't usually get asked about herself very often. Charles waited patiently, giving her an assuring smile as she placed her drink back on the table in front of them and turned her attention back to him.
"What would you like to know?" Jane asked quietly.
"I don't know…what do you do in your spare time?"
A sad smile. At least, it resembled a sad smile as one formed on her delicate face.
"I don't really get much spare time. Tonight is but a rare occasion."
"Does working at a bakery take up all your time?" Charles asked curiously.
"No…I actually co-own the bakery, I do all the paperwork side." Jane replied.
"Wow…so you own your own business…how long?"
"My father owned it before I did. But when I was twenty-two he signed half of it over to me and my business partner bought thirty percent from my father whilst he kept the other twenty percent for his own income. So…I've owned it for seven years and it's flexible for me…"
"It's a lovely bakery, I'm particularly fond of the pasties." Charles complimented.
"Baked fresh daily, Charlotte loves working in the kitchen." Jane said fondly.
"Do you work in there often?"
Jane shook her head.
"No, I work from home mostly. I touch base with Charlotte in person once a week but mostly I email in, call or text about matters I've dealt with. I sort out payroll, tax returns, VAT, ordering, work schedules. It's quite boring when you think about it." she said nervously.
"No it isn't," Charles assured her, "It's impressive and as a customer, I thoroughly enjoy the products that you produce there. Owning a business is an achievement and I'm sure that you're amazing at running the bakery, no matter whether it's the baking side or the paperwork side of running a business."
Jane smiled at him gratefully, she seemed touched by his words. It was his own desire to make renovating properties a business venture one day, to be his own boss rather than continue his work as a financial advisor.
"So what is it that you do?" she asked curiously.
"I work full-time as a financial advisor but on the side I buy properties at auction, renovate and sell them on for a profit." Charles replied.
"Wow. How long have you been renovating properties?"
"Only in the last few years, it takes a big commitment and I do most of the work myself and occasionally I ask my father to pitch in with some building work, he used to be a handyman and worked part-time on building sites when he was getting a teaching degree."
"So what work can you do yourself?" Jane asked, her eyes full of intrigue as she shifted her arm on to the table and rested her head on her closed fist, giving him her full attention.
"My dad taught me to plaster, how to fit a bathroom and kitchen, to fit in walls and extend properties if needed. But other things like plumbing, heating, electrics. I haven't ever tried a loft conversion before but I have an old childhood friend whose business specialises in loft conversions so he did the job for me once." Charles replied, smiling at her.
"How many properties have you renovated?"
"I've only done three in the last five years, I'm currently on my fourth but it's in the early days of the project. One day, I hope to make it a business venture, property renovation is a hobby I've found I quite enjoy and would love to pursue it as a passion and a job. But you still haven't answered my question."
Jane raised an eyebrow.
"I believe I already answered it with I don't really have much spare time." She smiled.
"Not even for a coffee or dinner?" Charles asked boldly, his heart beating faster in his chest.
He had hoped that he wasn't making assumptions. But for the past hour he had been sat at this little table in the corner with her, just the two of them alone. Her youngest sister had left them after seeing a friend in the crowd and had gone off with him and the other was chatting with Will at the bar where they had been sat for the majority of the hour. The connection he had felt the first time remained, in fact he was sure that after speaking some more to her, the connection had strengthened a little. Whatever it was, his gut was telling him that he wanted to see her again.
But the smile on her face faded and she looked away. He frowned in confusion.
"I'm sorry…I thought we were…" Charles stuttered, trying to apologise quickly.
"No…it's not you…" Jane sighed, turning back to face him with a look of regret etched on her face, "You seem lovely and I would like more than anything to get to know you better…but I can't commit to anything when my life is just too hectic and probably will always be."
Charles felt even more confused.
"Surely running a business isn't a twenty-four hour job? Surely you must get time for yourself?" he asked quietly.
Jane sighed heavily, it was evident that she was disappointed.
"It's not the business that keeps me from having time to be myself. I have two very good reasons why I can't date." She muttered.
"Which are?"
Jane pulled out her phone and showed him her lock screen. As he stared down at the image, he noted just how the children in the picture were her very image.
"I'm a single mother to twins and my life isn't a typical single parent life. It is so much more complicated. So much more stressful." She explained softly.
He noted the pitch of pride in her voice. The tone of love as she spoke.
But he also noted the tone of sadness.
"Oh…they're beautiful kids…they look just like you…how old are they?" Charles asked.
"They're four," Jane replied with a smile, "And I really should get back to them. I said I'd only be away for a few hours so I need to get back."
He watched as she gathered her belongings and rose from the table but before she left, he took hold of her hand; trying to ignore the soft and silky skin as he held it gently.
"Will you at least think about meeting me again?" Charles asked, "I'm great with kids, ask Darcy."
Jane laughed slightly but didn't look away.
"I'll think about it." she promised.
Nodding and bidding her goodnight, Charles let go of her hand and watched as Jane Bennet waved goodbye to her sisters and disappeared into the night.