Chapter 28: Old Habits Die Hard

Lizzy did the only thing she could in such a dire situation. She grabbed Charlotte's arm twice as forcefully as necessary and dragged her across the aisle into the nearest ladies' room; a flight response that provided both an escape from the piercing grey eyes and a much needed opportunity for a best friend chat.

Once inside, Lizzy whipped around to face her friend. "What is he doing here?" Lizzy wailed, horrified.

Charlotte looked at her friend like she had suddenly lost her mind and threw her hands out in front of her. "Lizzy, who are you talking about?"

"Who? Will Darcy. He was two baggage claims away from us and staring right at me, Char."

"What?" Charlotte's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Exactly my thoughts on the matter." Lizzy clasped her hands on her forehead and began pacing in front of the sinks. She let out a breathy, disbelieving chuckle. "Of all the places for him to be at this moment…You really had no idea he would be here?" Looking over at her friend's undeniably shocked expression, Lizzy threw her arms up in exasperation and voiced her next question towards the ceiling, "How is this even possible?"

Charlotte looked confused for a moment, searching for any explanation that could account for the unanticipated development. Suddenly, realization struck. "Uh…This is really cra… OH. Errrr… Oh my goodness. I am so sorry Lizzy."

Lizzy could only look at her friend in expectant dismay.

Charlotte put her hands up in defense. "Honestly, Lizzy…I didn't make the connection until just now. Robert is always talking about 'Ms. DeBourgh this' and 'Ms. DeBourgh that'. 'Ms. DeBourgh bought herself a yacht' and 'Ms. DeBourgh is going to an art show to consider a Rembrandt'. Those types of things. He doesn't really go into her family that much."

Elizabeth did not like where this was going.

"What I just remembered was that, back when I first met Robert at Toshi's, I asked him why he was there; I'm pretty sure he mentioned that the owner of the company throwing the event was related to his boss. Anyway, it really wasn't important information at the time, so I didn't dwell on the details." She looked down sheepishly as she continued. "I think what he said was, 'nephew.'"

"Char, are you telling me that Will Darcy isn't just on my vacation, but he's part of the exact same group that I am vacationing with?"

"If you mean like…staying in the same villa, going on the same trips and eating the same meals together? Yeah...that is sort of what I'm saying." Charlotte gave her friend an apologetic, I messed up a little but please don't be mad at me, face.

"I can't believe this."

"Honestly Lizzy, it won't be that bad. I can make sure that your rooms are far apart. I'll talk to Robert."

"I'm going to need more than that, Charlotte. I'm determined to hate him now, remember? It's the only way I can keep my head about me. I don't want to talk to him, go to the same club as him, be on the same beach as him…nothing. I want nothing to do with him. I need you to be on Darcy alert. Between the two of us, we should be able to avoid him."

"Lizzy, come on…don't you think you can just be civil with each other? It's only a week."

"Char, you're not the one who got stood up by the man with no explanation, and you don't have a sister whose heart got ripped out by his best friend. And remember, he's probably guilty for getting Greg kicked out of college, too."

"I thought you had decided that they were both equally guilty and you didn't want to decide who to blame?"

"I did…but that was before Greg really tried to show me he cared, and Will Darcy took a whole month to show me just how much he really didn't."

Charlotte rolled her eyes at her friend and sighed. "Lizzy, Greg isn't on this vacation. Will is."

"Exactly. Trust me Char, the alternative is far worse; if you let me at Will Darcy there won't be much of him left when I'm finished. So, do we have a plan?"

"Yeah." Her friend shook her head exasperatedly. "I guess."

"Good. Now, let's quick grab our bags and run outside. Robert has to be waiting for us by now." Lizzy turned and walked briskly back towards the location of their luggage, scanning the airport in both directions somewhat like how a thief would before approaching the vault during a bank robbery.

Charlotte was not amused by their recent agreement, and this new, stealthy behavior was the final straw. "Oh my god, Lizzy. I feel like we're six years old!"

When they reached the car, Lizzy was instantly reminded of her first impressions of Robert. The heat of the Dominican sun had simply made them all worse.

Robert had a distinct trail of sweat running down the front and back of his tourist t-shirt, with additional pools under the underarms. He had already been in the country for a few days preparing for Ms. DeBourgh's arrival, a fact evidenced by the tomato-red color of his sunburned face. When he took off his sunglasses to greet his fiancé, the white circles around his eyes immediately reminded Lizzy of an awkwardly colored raccoon.

"Charlotte, where were you? Your flight arrived half an hour ago now."

"We were waiting for our baggage dear. I'm happy to see you too." She leaned forward and gave him a gentle kiss on his sweaty cheek. Lizzy hadn't realized how much taller she was than him before. They really were the quintessential odd couple.

For a very brief moment Robert seemed to blush, but other concerns quickly gripped his thoughts. "Please, just get in the car. I am in the middle of a crisis and need to return immediately to the villa so that I can come up with a solution. In general, I cannot begin to tell you how important punctuality will be on this trip. I have everything planned down to the minute."

"Did you hear that Lizzy? I know you have a tendency to run late my love."

Lizzy simply glared at her friend in return.

Tossing their suitcases into the trunk, he gestured for them to hurry inside the rental car. All too happy to oblige, Lizzy dove into the backseat hoping to create as much distance as possible between herself and Will Darcy, even if only for the moment.

The forty-five minute ride to the villa was breathtaking. The first portion of the journey wove through low-lying mountains coated in thick patches of vivid greens and clay oranges. The air was sweet and fresh, and Lizzy breathed it in deeply to replenish and calm herself. She refused to think about Will's looming presence, and the promise she had made to herself to absorb every detail of the vacation was only further motivation not to do so.

By the time the car was following the coastline, Lizzy's jaw was agape in wonder. The water was a lovely clear shade of shimmering turquoise, and the magnificent palm trees that bordered the edges of the beaches waved rhythmically in the tropical breeze. Bright red and purple flowers lined the highway, providing an aura of excitement to the otherwise calming scenery. Lizzy had seen many pictures, but nothing compared to the experience of being fully engulfed in the tropical surroundings.

Lizzy hadn't taken any time to wonder where they would be staying as Charlotte had assured her that everything was taken care of. When they arrived at their destination, Elizabeth had to laugh at the excess of luxury that would serve as her accommodations for the next seven days. The private villa that had been rented for their party was the equivalent of a Caribbean mansion; ten bedrooms of white linens and teak furniture decorated with tropical scenes and fresh flowers. Breezeways lined every corridor, and sunlight poured in from multiple windows and verandas.

Although Robert had informed them that they would be travelling off the premises frequently, Lizzy was fairly certain that she could be happy staying the entire week just at the house. An expansive in-ground pool had an attached Jacuzzi and a decorative waterfall flowing into one side. A private beach lay just beyond, already equipped with tanning chairs and kayaks to enjoy the open water. Tennis and volleyball courts were installed closer to the house. Inside the villa, the butler quickly gave them a tour of the game room, kitchen and dining area before escorting the women to their rooms.

Robert had told them to be on the front lawn at noon dressed in swimming attire. The problem he was working on was that one of the two chartered boats he had hired for a scuba diving excursion had broken down. The remaining boat was small and would only hold 6 people, but there were ten people total on the vacation. He had left them immediately upon arriving in order to continue seeking a suitable replacement option, although he had no idea what could be found on such sort notice to make up the difference.

Lizzy knew that Will would be waiting downstairs, and that their first formal encounter was officially at hand. She gave herself a stare-down in her vanity mirror, going through a quick mental pep-talk. You will not say hello to him. You won't even glance at him. You are here for yourself; he makes no difference. Besides, you have never needed his good opinion and you certainly don't need it now.

Of course, the fact that she had selected her brand-new, white and metallic bronze bikini with the coordinating sarong had nothing to do with anything other than wanting to make a good first impression with the rest of the group.

Glancing at the clock, Lizzy realized it was already 12:05. And...it's after twelve. Guess it's a good thing I'm not Cinderella after all, huh?

Arriving to the front lawn, she was surprised to find everyone already arranged in two groups. Only one man, a broadly grinning blond who seemed to be the same age as her, stood apart from the rest. All ten pairs of eyes settled on her as soon as she approached.

This is awkward. "Hi everyone." She gave a half wave. "I'm Elizabeth."

"You're late." A clipped, authoritative voice chirped from the back of the smaller group. The bodies parted, and an older woman who was remarkably well-kept for her age stepped forward. "You must be Miss Lucic's friend, I presume?"

"Yes. Elizabeth Bennet. You must be Ms. DeBourgh?"

The woman only nodded her assent.

"Thank you for providing the opportunity for me to be here, Ms. DeBourgh. The accommodations are lovely."

"Opportunity or not, the early bird gets the worm, Miss Bennet. You are fortunate that my nephew is such a gentleman."

At the word "nephew", Elizabeth felt her chest tighten with anxiety.

Elizabeth looked up to find the blond stranger looking her way. He gave her a teasing smile as he spoke with the inflection of a game show host. "Miss Bennet, you have two choices before you." He gestured to the larger group with five people, and Lizzy immediately noticed Will's tall shoulders towering in the back before returning her gaze to her mischievous guide. "Behind Door A is a relaxing expedition of scuba diving in a local coral reef. Door B," he gestured to Ms. DeBourgh's group, "is for the more adventurous at heart who want to participate in a shark and sting ray expedition."

He returned to his normal voice and continued, "I wanted to make sure that you had your choice, so I will unfortunately be going on whichever excursion you don't select." His eyes playfully glittered as he took a step backwards and gestured his arm for her to make her decision. Flashing a warm smile, he added, "I'm Richard, by the way."

Lizzy appreciated the light manner he had used in an effort to make her feel comfortable. Unfortunately, it would take a lot more than playfulness to get her settled into what was certainly looking to be a challenging week. Suddenly, a long ago and far away conversation with Jane in the back of a taxi cab flitted clearly through her mind. Fate had definitely decided to be cruel – there was no doubt about that now – but Lizzy also knew that she had the courage necessary for whatever was coming her way. If today was any indication, she was certainly in for a few surprises.

Jane is going to love this one. Turning her chin up boldly in the air, she proclaimed with confidence, "I'll take the sharks."

A/N

Kudos to Kmart92, my first reader ever to review every written chapter of the story so far. Thank you for your continued support and taking your time (which I know is precious) to review!

I also wanted to celebrate the fact that Magnets has reached over 100 favorites! I can't thank you all enough for the love that you are showing my story. I hope I continue to do you proud. This has been an incredible experience so far. :)