Lizzie and Jane stepped off of the plane and looked around the airport with Charlotte close on their heels. Lydia, Kitty, and Mary had all decided that they wanted to go home and see their parents while they had the time off. Lizzie however, had no desire to go home and Jane didn't want to explain the situation with Charlie to their mother. So, the older Bennett sisters had opted to go back to Nashville. Lizzie was anxious to get back in the studio. Her experiences had given her a lot of inspiration over the last few weeks and she was ready to start writing again. "Lizzie," Jane began with a puzzled frown. "Who is that short man waving at us?"
"I have no clue," Lizzie replied as she inspected the man who had started walking towards them. He was short with thick greasy black hair and thick glasses. Jane was never one to judge people based on appearances, but Lizzie was and Lizzie immediately decided that she was going to dislike the man who was rapidly approaching.
"Cousin Jane!" the man cried excitedly as Lizzie and Jane came to a stop in front of them. Jane's high heeled foot started to tap against the cold white tile, a sure sign of her impatience. Lizzie adjusted the way her guitar was resting on her back and they both crossed their arms over their chests. "Cousin Elizabeth! How wonderful it is to see both of you!"
"Have we met?" Lizzie asked immediately as she pulled her baseball cap lower to help hide her face, not that the guitar on her back wouldn't give her away immediately anyway. People in the airport were already trying to get a glimpse of her face and she could hear people speculate about who she was and why she was carrying a guitar. "Because I certainly don't remember you."
"I am your aunt's cousin," the strange man replied. "My name is Edward Collins. I talked with your mother on the phone and she said that you two would appreciate having someone to pick you up from the airport."
"So we aren't actually related?" Lizzie inquired as they started walking towards the baggage claim. Lizzie was disliking Mr. Collins more and more with every word he spoke. He was short and his clothes were messy. His hair and skin were greasy. Lizzie couldn't imagine being more repulsed by anyone.
"No, thankfully we are not," Edward replied with a smile that let Lizzie know that he was thankful for very different reasons than she was. Lizzie was very thankful for the lapse into silence as Lizzie, Jane, and Charlotte waited to claim their bags. Lizzie grabbed her suitcase as it passed her and then stared down at it until Jane and Charlotte had their bags as well. Although there were whispers as Lizzie passed, no one actually asked her for her autograph or anything so Lizzie was thankful for that at least. They made it all the way out to the town car Lizzie had waiting for them.
"I can't believe that man had the nerve to meet us at the airport!" Lizzie fumed after the door to her apartment had been firmly shut in Edward Collins's face. "I mean honestly, in what world was that a good idea?"
"I think maybe his heart was in the right place," Jane sighed as she wheeled her suitcase to her room. "You always say how you hate having to watch other people greet their loved ones and we almost never have anyone there to greet us. It does get a little depressing sometimes Lizzie."
Lizzie sighed and then went to her own room, hefting her bag up onto her bed. Her room was a pale blue with cheery yellow curtains in the window. Jane had gone through a 'home maker' period and had hand sewn curtains for every room of the apartment they shared in Nashville. Charlotte had an apartment a few blocks away and Kitty, Lydia, and Mary generally lived at home and checked into a hotel for a few days whenever they had to come to Nashville. Her queen size bed was covered with a white down comforter and a blue and yellow quilt was folded at the foot of the bed. Lizzie had called the cleaning woman before they'd gotten on their plane and requested that she come and air out the apartment and turn the lights on for Lizzie and Jane. Of course, Lizzie had to pay a little extra for the service, but she didn't really mind.
Lizzie opened up her suitcase and looked at the envelope that was resting on top of her clothes. The photographer who had taken pictures of Will and her on Christmas Eve had knocked on their door while she was packing and handed her an envelope. Lizzie had just tossed it into her bag and not even bothered to look at what was inside. Lizzie sank down onto the bed next to her suitcase and took off her shoes. She tucked her feet up under her and slid a fingernail under the flap of the envelope. Slowly she flipped through the prints, studying each one carefully. She looked happy. That was surprising. Then she came to the pictures of their kiss and suddenly she could feel the pressure of Will's hand against her cheek.
Lizzie shook her head and then slipped the prints back into the envelope and tossed it on the floor. She wasn't in the mood to think about Will or Charlie of Caroline or any of those people who had somehow managed to squeeze their way into her life in a little over a week. She didn't want to think about the man that she had kissed twice in about a week and she definitely didn't want to think about those kisses. Lizzie stood back up and then opened the mirrored closet doors and started to put her clothes away.
Lizzie was interrupted from her task by the ringing of her cell phone. Lizzie managed to turn to fast to grab her purse off her bed and came crashing down to the floor. She went to reach for the bed to steady herself, but instead managed to grab her purse strap and pulled it down on top of her, her cell phone falling out and hitting her on the head. Lizzie groaned and then flipped her phone open and pressed it to her ear. "Hello?" she asked warily and she pulled herself up into a sitting position.
"Lizzie why didn't you come home for Christmas?" her mother screeched into the phone.
"Mom, hi," Lizzie replied with false sweetness. "How are you?"
"Elizabeth I am not amused," her mother responded.
"Really Mom?" Lizzie asked with her voice dripping with false sweetness as she stood up and then flopped down on her bed. "Because I wasn't all that amused either when some strange man followed me through the airport claiming to be my cousin."
"So Edward found you!" her mother exclaimed happily.
"That would be the understatement of the year," Lizzie grumbled as she stared up at the white canopy that hung over her bed.
"Listen Lizzie," Mrs. Bennett said seriously. "I want you to be very nice to Edward Collins. He is your father's nephew and is going to inherit your father's business one day. It would mean a lot to both of us if you were to be kind to him and show him around Nashville."
"Fine," Lizzie sighed and rolled over onto her stomach.
"I'm serious Elizabeth," her mother cautioned.
"I got that Mom," Lizzie replied as she stifled a yawn. "Listen, I've got a lot to do and I'm pretty tired. I'll talk to you later Okay?" Lizzie said goodbye to her mother and continued to stare at the canopy. He couldn't be staying too long. Lizzie had a recording session the next day, so she should be free from him then…
"But maybe they could fall in love…" Lizzie sang into the microphone of the studio. Then suddenly her producer's voice cut in.
"It just doesn't sound right Lizzie," her producer and uncle, Jake Gardner, sighed and tiredly rubbed his eyes. "I think that we are going to have to get Will Darcy here and have you two sing the song together. It was written to be a duet and you can't sing it alone."
"I don't need Will Darcy," Lizzie grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest as she impatiently tapped her bare foot on the floor. She was standing in the recording studio wearing holey jeans and an old t-shirt. Her grubby sneakers had been cast aside as soon as she'd gotten into the studio and her mood had been rapidly deteriorating. She'd been singing the same song for almost three hours. She was tired, hungry, and her throat was starting to get hoarse. "I can sing the song on my own," Lizzie replied into the microphone. "Don't bother even asking Darcy. It just about killed him to sing with me the first time."
"Well we have to get someone," Jake replied as Lizzie opened the door and stepped into the booth. "I don't care who. Just pick another male artist and we'll see what we can do. That song was meant to be a duet and you singing it alone just isn't doing it justice."
"I'm glad you have so much faith in me and my abilities Uncle Jake," Lizzie smirked as she took a seat in one of the desk chairs pulled up close to the soundboard.
"That's not what I meant Lizzie and you know it," Jake groaned.
"Well what do you suggest Mr. Producer?"
"I suggest that we call Will Darcy, arrange for him to fly in for a day or two to record the song, and just call is quits for today," Jake replied with a grin.
"Is there another option?" Lizzie questioned hopefully as she curled up in the chair and rested her chin on her knees.
"You are usually happy to get out of the studio," her uncle commented wryly. "Your reluctance to leave couldn't have something to do with one Mr. Edward Collins? Would it?"
"He's waiting to take me to lunch," Lizzie groaned and leaned back in the chair so that she could stare up at the ceiling. "I tried to tell him that I would probably be in the studio all day, but he assured me that he would keep his schedule clear just in case and now it's not even eleven o'clock."
"My poor niece," Jake laughed as Lizzie started to spin the chair around in circles. "Well I suppose you ought to call him now and let him know that you are able to go to lunch with him after all."
"Have I told you lately that I hate you?"
"I'm your favorite uncle Lizzie," Jake reminded her as he walked to the door of the studio. "You'll never hate me." Lizzie's only reply was to throw the sneaker she was attempting to put on her foot at her uncle, but she missed. The only satisfaction she achieved was the loud thump the shoe created when it struck the door.
Two days later Will Darcy stepped off a plane into the Nashville airport. He wasn't crazy about seeing Lizzie again, that was certain. But his agent wasn't giving him any chance to back out of it. They had to record the song and release it before they lost all possible capital due to the amount of videos that were recorded at their concert and on several websites. So, there Will was, in a place he didn't want to be, looking for someone he probably didn't know, and in a very foul disposition.
Lizzie sat there on the back of a couch in the terminal waiting for Will to step off the plane. Her dark hair was pulled back into a pony tail with a ball cap pulled low on her face hoping to be recognized as few times as possible. She sat there with her chin resting in her palm and her jacket folded in her lap. Her t-shirt was one she'd gotten from Wal-Mart when she'd gotten paint on the one she had been wearing. There was nothing about her the screamed "CELEBRITY!" but Will on the other hand, Lizzie had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing aloud when she caught sight of him.
Will was completely opposite from Lizzie. Although his clothing was casual, every inch of him screamed designer brands. His jeans were obviously custom made and his white button down shirt just screamed 5th Avenue. The dark sunglasses in the airport did nothing for him, especially with the little logos on the sides and the custom made guitar case on his back definitely gave away the fact that he was a musician.
"You know something Mr. Darcy?" Lizzie called as Will was about to walk past her. "You should be a spy because you are completely inconspicuous."
"Your sarcasm is not appreciated Miss Bennett," Will replied with a tired glare as Lizzie stood up and started to walk with him towards the baggage claim. "At least I do not look like some back woods hick from the middle of nowhere."
"Do you want a ride to the studio or not?" Lizzie asked with a glare. "Because there are several high profile weddings today and you are not going to be able to call a car unless you want to wait at least two hours for it. Or you could always take a cab…"
"Don't threaten me Lizzie," Will sighed as he took off his sunglasses and tucked them into the breast pocket of his shirt. "I just had a very long plane ride and am not in the mood for your jokes."
"Fine, Mr. Darcy," Lizzie replied a little childishly and crossed her arms over her chest.
"I'll be just as dull as you are."
Will simply grunted in reply and grabbed his bag from the baggage claim and followed Lizzie out of the airport. Lizzie was expertly leading the way towards the parking garage when her black four-door BMW pulled to a stop in front of them. "I thought that you might like a ride…" Edward Collin's said as he lowered the driver's window.
"How did you get a set of keys to my car?" Lizzie asked angrily as she stood there tapping her foot to an erratic beat to help her keep her anger in check.
"Jane," Edward replied simply and popped the trunk. "Mr. Darcy I'm sure you would like to put your suitcase and guitar away. Then we can head to the studio."
Will silently did as Edward had suggested, but Lizzie could tell that he was barely keeping his anger in check as well. Will's teeth were obviously clenched as he all but slammed the lid of the trunk and then walked around the car to open the passenger door. "Don't take it out on my car," Lizzie mumbled under her breath as she walked around the car as well. "Why are you just standing there?"
"Just get in the car," Will replied and as Lizzie started to open the back door he sighed in exasperation. "Not there," he hissed.
"I don't particularly want to sit next to him," Lizzie replied in a whisper.
"Elizabeth, don't be difficult," Will responded. "I don't even know that man."
Lizzie rolled her eyes and then slipped into the car and Will shut the door behind her. He slipped into the back seat and he and Lizzie simultaneously buckled their seatbelts. Lizzie sat there silently fuming that Edward had some how managed to get keys to her car and follow her to the airport. Will however, had not been joking when he had said that he'd had a long flight. Lizzie had thought he was flying in from New York. But the truth was that he'd had to leave New York to go and take care of something for his younger sister in California. Will leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. Lizzie never told him that he snored…
Lizzie once again sat spinning in her favorite desk chair as Edward sat there droning on and on about his employer, Catherine de Bourgh, and her wonderful concert hall, Rosings Park. Will. She was actually starting to feel sorry for Edward Collins for some odd reason. Will was cold and distant to say the least and Edward just was not getting the hint that Will did not wish to talk to him. "And did you know that there is a recording studio at Rosings Park that costs well over two million dollars?" Edward asked Will. "Your aunt is a very wealthy woman and I do believe that Rosings Park is the grandest concert hall I have ever been to."
"Lizzie, Will, you two get into the studio so we can start recording," Jake instructed as he walked into the booth. "Collins, go away."
"I think that it would be beneficial to both Lizzie and Will if I stayed here," Edward replied with a sickening smile. "I do, after all, work for Will's aunt and Lizzie could always use moral support."
"Recording sessions are closed to anyone who is not an employee or artist," Jake replied with a stern look. "Now you get out of my studio before I make you get out."
"Go Uncle Jake!" Lizzie cheered as a very flustered Collins stormed out of the studio. "I always said that you were my favorite uncle."
"What happened to you hating me?"
"You made the worm go away," Lizzie replied with an impish smile as she all but skipped into the studio.
Unfortunately Lizzie's relief was short lived. Her uncle immediately proposed that they all go out to dinner and it would be his treat. It would have been extremely rude not to invite Edward, or so Jane had insister, so Lizzie reluctantly called him and told him of their plans. Lizzie had just barely had time to run home, get a shower, and dress before he was pounding on the door. He'd insisted on driving her and Jane to the restaurant and Lizzie had been unable to think of a way to get out of it.
So, there Lizzie sat in one of the most expensive restaurants in Nashville with Edward Collins to her left and Will Darcy to her right. She was once again wearing one of Jane's dresses. She'd intended on throwing on a clean pair of jeans and one of those tops that designers were always sending her, but Jane had snuck into her bathroom while she was showering and replaced the clothes that she had haphazardly thrown on the counter with a white dress with a red satin sash and a neckline that was a little lower than Lizzie would consider decent.
The restaurant was large and spacious. The tables and booths were scattered through out the room, but they were all far apart. The lighting was dim with lamps hanging from the ceiling. The deep burgundy leather of the booth they were sitting in glowed in the soft light, but Lizzie could feel the skin of her bare back sticking to the leather and didn't want to think about how painful it would be to stand up again.
Edward had been going on and on about Rosings Park, the concert venue where he worked with its 4.3 million dollar sound system and its prestigious owner, Catherine de Bourgh. Lizzie had heard all about Rosings Park and its owner several times already and had quickly tuned him out, instead concentrating on stabbing the salad in front of her. She sat there viciously spearing the lettuce, imagining that it was Edward she was stabbing rather than a helpless green plant.
"Wouldn't you love to play there Lizzie?" Edward asked her just as Lizzie had taken a bite. Lizzie inwardly groaned and sank back a little more against the cushion of the circular booth they were sitting in. Why as it that people always managed to ask her a question at the most inopportune moment?
"Well, I've heard a lot about it…" Lizzie began only to be cut off.
"And you Mr. Darcy?" Edward asked, his voice dripping with flattery.
"I have had the pleasure of playing there before," Will replied simply before taking a sip of his water.
"Oh yes!" Edward exclaimed unexpectedly. "How could I have forgotten? You are Mrs. de Bourgh's nephew!"
Will pressed his lips together and frowned. He hated when people brought up his aunt. In truth, she was his least favorite person on the planet, maybe excluding the man who was sitting across the table from him. But Will was having a hard time focusing on whatever it was the Edward was babbling about. All he could focus on was the fact that Lizzie was very close to him and every now and then her leg would brush his as she shifted in the booth to keep her skin from sticking to the seat. Lizzie managed to free her skin from the booth, but immediately Goosebumps covered her skin. Will unthinkingly shrugged off his suit jacket and draped it over her shoulders. Lizzie stiffened at first, but then sank back against the booth, settling into the warmth of his jacket.
Jane sat across the table watching her sister and Will Darcy. She couldn't understand why Lizzie said that she disliked Will so much when she was sitting so close to him, but maybe that was because Edward was on her other side and Jane could completely understand why Lizzie wanted to be as far away from his as possible. After he'd gone through her purse and taken her set of keys to Lizzie's car, Jane was not the least bit fond of Edward. But Will seemed very considerate and he was very attentive to all of Lizzie's needs throughout the meal. Jane wasn't quite sure what to make of the situation, but she was sure that Lizzie and Will liked each other a lot more than they let on.
The two weeks of Edward Collins's visit were the longest of Lizzie's life. He was so unbelievably dull! Lizzie found herself imagining all of the creative ways she could kill him and never get caught. But she hardly imagined that anyone would miss him and report him missing to the police if she did kill him. He was the most odious man she had ever had to stand. He'd accompanied her when she'd gone shopping. He'd forced her to go out to dinner with him. He'd arrived at the apartment every morning with breakfast for them, which would have been acceptable, if he hadn't made the comment that he'd gotten everything low fat because he figured the Jane and Lizzie were both watching their weight.
Finally, one morning Lizzie was about ready to snap. She had just about had it with Edward and as they sat there at the cherry wood table with Lizzie poking a doughnut with her finger rather than eating it. "Lizzie…" Edward began as he started to drum his fingers on the table top, which was one of his many annoying habits. "Can I speak with you for a moment?"
"I was just going to the kitchen to make another pot of coffee anyway," Jane smiled as she picked up her coffee cup and slipped into the kitchen. "Take your time."
"Jane!" Lizzie called after his sister pleadingly. But Jane just winked and pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen. "So, Edward, what do you want to talk about?"
"I know that we have only officially known each other for a few weeks Elizabeth," Edward began as he rose from his chair and walked over to Lizzie's. "But I feel that we have known each other much longer."
"Maybe we've known each other too long," Lizzie mumbled under her breath as she wrapped her slender slightly callused fingers around her coffee mug. She stared down at the darkly colored coffee and was suddenly reminded of a pair of very handsome dark eyes that belonged to the one man who she couldn't stand. She got so caught up trying to wipe the image from her mind that she missed most of Edward's next few sentences. "My reasons for…." Those dark eyes could just make her weak in the knees if she let them. "And my happiness…" And that strong chin that accompanied those eyes was almost perfect. "So that is why I think that we should…" Why was she thinking about him again? Will Darcy seemed to be invading her thoughts and it was driving her crazy. "So what do you say?"
"Excuse me," Lizzie replied startled. "What did you say, I wasn't paying attention."
"Elizabeth, I just asked you to marry me," Edward frowned deeply from where he was kneeling at her feet. "I just stated that…"
"NO!" Lizzie all but screamed. "No, she managed to state more calmly.
"Elizabeth, if you would like more time to consider my offer I completely understand…"
"I have already made myself perfectly clear," Lizzie replied as she rose to her feet. "I said no."
"Lizzie if you could just see the circumstances…"
"What part of no do you not understand?" Lizzie asked impatiently as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It's only a two letter word."
"I understand that women sometimes like to toy with men's affections and…"
"I don't play mind games," Lizzie replied angrily. "Now get out of my apartment before I call the cops for harassment."
Edward Collins' mouth opened and closed a few times, making him look very much like a fish, before turning on his heel and storming out of the apartment. Lizzie smiled and let out a little chuckle before sinking down into the closest chair so that she could finish her coffee in peace.
A/N: Sorry ya'll that this has taken so long for me to update. School has been sucking the life out of me and I haven't had a lot of time to do much else. But I am on Spring Break now and I'm hoping to get a bunch of chapters written. Now, based on the number of hits I'm getting for this story, I know people are reading this story, so I want at least ten reviews for this chapter or no new chapter.