Thanks to everyone who has started following my first story and for the review. I love them! Thank you. This is a light little chapter to continue adding a little background to the story. Two heavy chapters are coming up. Thanks so much for reading! It means so much :)
The rain continued over the next couple of days adding to the dreariness of midterms. Jane and Charlie met up every day for lunch on campus and after two days Jane was studying in the evenings at Charlie's place. Caroline was staying there too during the demolition portion of her kitchen project so they were never truly alone. By Friday, Jane had picked up a major cold.
"Hey Lizzy, it's Jane. I am feeling really lousy. I think I am just going to stay here at Charlie's. Let Charlotte know too ok? And don't worry about me. I am sure he and Caroline will take good care of me. Love you."
Lizzy listened to the voice mail on her phone. Between the sneezes, Jane's voice sounded raspy and she could hear her asthma kicking in. Lizzy called back and after speaking with Jane, and then Charles, decided that neither Charles or Caroline were equipped to take care of a sick Jane. "Jane, can you put Charlie back on the phone?"
"Oh, sure."
"Hey Charlie, it's Lizzy. Can you give me your address? I want to bring some of Jane's things by if she is going to stay there."
Checking the address on her phone she realized it was only about three miles away and pretty close to the Whole Foods in Cambridgeport. Perfect, Lizzy thought. Placing a change of clothes for Jane and various items she thought she might need into her backpack, Lizzy hopped onto her bike. I doubt that Charlie has any healthy food over at his place, she thought to herself. On her way to Charlie's, she stopped by the store to pick up ingredients for chicken soup and a few other dinner items. Fortunately, Charlie's place was close by so she could manage the groceries in her basket and Jane's clothes on her back.
Lizzy rode up to the building and rang Charlie's bell. She was surprised when William Darcy opened the door. He looked just as surprised to see a rain-drenched Lizzy.
"Hi. I heard that Jane was here and I thought I would make her some soup. It is really the only thing that helps her when she is sick." Lizzy stated.
Darcy looked around for Lizzy's car and noticed a bike leaning against the side of the building. "Did you ride over here on your bike in the rain?" He asked startled.
"Yup. Great transportation for a college kid. I am getting a little wet though. Can I come in?" She asked, hoping he would let her pass by before the grocery bags became too waterlogged.
"Oh, of course. Let me help you with your groceries." William said. He couldn't take his eyes off of her. She looked a little flushed, likely from the bike ride over and it made her eyes truly sparkle.
"Thanks. But I think I can get it. I just hope that Charles has a soup pot. I hadn't thought about that bit until I was almost here." Lizzy laughed.
He really liked when she laughed. Where did that thought come from? Why was he thinking this way? This was some poor scholarship kid who had never been outside of Boston. Well, his parents had taught him to be a gentleman and so the least he could do was help her with her groceries.
After carrying everything in, William started to walk away and then, figured he should say something. "Um, I'll go grab you a towel and will let Jane and Charlie know that you are here. I am sure Charlie can come in to help orient you." With this he walked away and didn't look back.
Lizzy looked around at the kitchen William had led her into. It was something straight out of one of those fancy renovation magazines she always saw at the grocery store checkout counters. Sleek and smooth, she admired the marble counter tops and stainless steel workplace in the middle of the room. Opening up the cabinets she was amazed by the variety of appliances and cooking supplies. Nope, she needn't have worried about the pot. Charlie entered the kitchen with a towel in one hand only to find that Lizzy had pulled out all manner of pots, cutting boards and cooking utensils. Things he had never seen used in his kitchen before.
"Charlie, you have a remarkably well supplied kitchen for a grad student." Lizzy stated.
Charlie laughed, "You will have to thank my mother for that because I have never seen most of the things you have out on the counters. You are welcome to anything you can find."
"I intend to use everything at my disposal, so thank you. The soup should be ready in about two hours. The longer it cooks the better however. I also figured I would also make some chicken and rice while I am at it so that there will be food for you all in the coming days. Once that is cooking I will make salad. Hopefully when Jane is feeling better she will feel up to some more food. Can I see her?" Lizzy asked.
"Oh, of course. I am sure she would love to see you. Thank you for coming to help her. I am sure it will speed her recovery – not that I am anxious for her to leave but I hate to see her ill." Charlie quickly added.
Lizzy smiled to herself. Yes, he was smitten and she was happy. She liked Charlie and was glad that Jane had found someone so kind. After using the towel to squeeze the water out of her hair Lizzy let Charlie lead her towards Jane. As she walked into the living room, William looked up. His eyes followed her back towards the bedroom. There was something about her that was intriguing and yet he felt that it was best to stay away. He had been thinking about her fairly constantly since that dinner last week. They couldn't be more different though. That must be it. She was just different.
The rest of the apartment matched the kitchen. Lizzy had never thought that people actually lived in places like this. "Charlie, you have a beautiful place."
"Oh, thanks. My mom and sister would get the credit for that." Charlie responded.
After she checked on Jane, Lizzy headed back towards the kitchen to start her soup. She put some olive oil in the bottom the pan and added in the chicken frames, onions and garlic to brown a little in the pot. Once that was going, she started chopping up some carrots, celery and pulled together some herbs into a bag to simmer in the pot of water.
"Oh, hello Libby." Caroline said as she entered the kitchen. "Why you look positively drenched. Did you get caught in a downpour on your way to the building?"
"Hello Caroline. I did get a little wet on the way here but I figured a little water never hurt anyone. I am sure I will dry off soon enough. And, it's Lizzy, by the way." She reminded her again. She kept on working away on the meal. Nothing would be gained by continuing to talk to Caroline and she really did not have the energy to deal with her. She was here to make some soup for Jane, a little dinner to tide them over, and then she would head back to her dorm.
Caroline walked out of the kitchen and over to Darcy. "Did you see what the storm dragged in? That Libby girl looks positively like a drenched rat. She probably walked here through the muck and rain. Who does she think she is taking over Charlie's kitchen like that and making a mess?"
"Actually she rode her bike here. I think it is rather sweet that she came over here to take care of her best friend." Charlie added as he walked in the room.
"Surely William, you would not allow Georgiana to be traipsing around in the rain, on a bike no less, simply because a friend caught a little cold." Caroline said.
"Um, no." Darcy said quickly and then returned to the case he was reading.
"Well, I think that the smells coming from the kitchen are amazing. I can't wait to taste that soup and the other things Lizzy is concocting. She's certainly talented." Charlie responded.
Caroline snorted. "I guess, if you consider riding a bike in the rain and cooking great talents, then one might be consider talented but if that is the case, than our maid Cecilia is equally talented."
"When your maid gets accepted to Harvard and gets an internship at the New York Times, let me know." Darcy stated effectively ending the conversation.
Darcy wasn't really sure why Caroline had made him so angry. She was always putting people down and he had never really paid attention. It's not like he really knew or cared about what Caroline thought about some random girl in Charlie's kitchen. Today however, Caroline's comments were really getting under his skin.
After she got the chicken and rice in the oven, she checked on the soup, added some salt and pepper and started chopping vegetables for the salad. Once everything was pulled together, Lizzy decided to head into the living room to say hello and see what everyone was up to. She entered the room to see Darcy reading a law school case and Caroline flipping through the latest copy of People of magazine. "Hey there. Do you know where Charlie is? Is he with Jane?"
Looking up from the latest article on the Khardashian's Caroline once again gave Lizzy a once over before answering, "I believe my brother went to check on Jane. You know where to go right?"
"Yes, I do. I'll go up then to give them an update on how the food is coming along." Lizzy said as she exited the room.
As she walked up the stairs she saw the door ajar to Charlie's room. Jane appeared asleep and Charlie was reading in a chair next to the bed. Whispering, Lizzy tried to get Charlie's attention. He looked up and headed towards the bedroom door.
"Hey Charlie. The soup is cooking, the salad is made and the chicken is in the oven. I was just going to head back to my dorm but wanted to leave you a few instructions about the food before I left." She whispered.
Closing the door, Charlie started walking with Lizzy back towards the living room. "You can't come here and cook all this food and then leave. Please stay. I know that it would make Jane feel so much better to have you here and I would really like you to stay too." Entering the living room Charlie added, "Caro, Will, tell Lizzy she has to stay. I know you'd like her to stay for dinner too."
"Well, I think it is her call and yours. I'm merely a guest here." William stated.
Caroline looked up and saw the expectant look in her brother's eyes. Yes, it would probably be very rude not to encourage her to stay. Ever the hostess, Caroline quickly added, "Of course, Libby dear you must stay. We wouldn't hear of you leaving now."
Lizzy tried not to roll her eyes, but decided she might as well stay and check on Jane after she woke up. She wanted to make sure she ate at any rate. "Thank you Charles and Caroline for inviting me to stay. I'll stay through dinner but then should head back to campus right after. I need to work tomorrow and will have to be up early. I guess might as well make sure that dinner is palatable rather than leaving you here to sample my cooking."
With that determined, Lizzy settled on in a chair and grabbed a book from her backpack. William and Charles were reading their cases and Caroline continued to flip through her magazine, periodically sending texts. At least Will was trying to read his case. His eyes kept drifting over to the girl curled up on the leather slingback chair. He couldn't seem to help himself from watching the way her full ruby lips moved as she read to herself. I wonder what it would feel like to have those lips on mine, he thought. The timer went off and Lizzy placed her book on the floor next to the chair. William quickly looked down at his case pretending he was engrossed in the details. As she moved toward the kitchen door William looked up, "Do you need help with anything?"
"Well it would be great if someone set the table and maybe someone could wake up Jane. Dinner should be ready shortly." Lizzy said as she headed into the kitchen.
Darcy followed her into the kitchen while Charlie went to wake up Jane. Caroline, figuring she probably needed to do something, decided she was best served to help William so she was quickly on her feet. "Oh William dear, let me help you. I am sure you can get the wine and drinks and I will help Libby dear with putting the food out."
"Caroline, I think Lizzy has reminded you several times of her name. You might take care to remember it." William chided. "Lizzy, do you think white is the best for this?"
"Sure, although I will have water with my meal so please don't pour a glass for me." Lizzy added.
"Lizzy dear, this is William's wine. You must have a glass. D'Arcy wine is the finest and I never turn down a glass." Caroline informed her.
Lizzy pulled out the chicken and rice, tasted the soup, and uncovered the salad. She directed Caroline to bring out the dishes and silverware while she ladled out the soup. Fairly soon they were seated around the table. Caroline placed William between her and Charles. Jane was seated on Charlie's other side and Lizzy was placed next to Jane. Lizzy was glad to see Jane eating and didn't seem to mind that Caroline dominated all conversation with William talking endlessly about the various decisions she had to make on her kitchen renovation. Once dinner ended, Lizzy made quick work of packing up the leftovers and wrote out the instructions to reheat the leftover food. Charles and Jane showered Lizzy with compliments as she packed up. Even William, who seemed remarkably quiet throughout dinner, managed to mention a few nice words about the food.
After the kitchen was cleaned up, Lizzy found Jane resting on the couch. She went over and gave Jane a hug, "Now don't do anything I wouldn't do." She teased.
Jane laughed a little before starting to cough. " I can guarantee that nothing will happen. Thank you so much for taking care of me. You and your soup are a lifesaver. I feel better already."
"Just call me Dr. Benetez, at your service." She gave her friend another quick hug and headed towards the door. Lizzy was about to place her bike helmet back on her head when she noticed William standing beside her. "Oh, hi. I was just heading out. It was nice to see you again. I hope you have a nice weekend." Lizzy offered.
"I am heading back to my apartment, can I give you a ride?" William asked.
"Well, I have my bike here so I need to ride back but thanks." She responded, quickly turning toward the door. "Bye everyone. Jane I will talk to you on Sunday." Lizzy called out.
"Let me take you home, I insist. I can pop your bike on the back of my car. I have my bike rack on it so it will only take a minute." Darcy urged.
"Alright, if you insist." Lizzy agreed. She really would rather avoid a second ride in the rain, especially now that it was dark. Ten minutes later, she found herself in the passenger seat of Darcy's Lincoln Navigator. He was remarkably quiet and she felt like she needed to make some conversation.
At a loss of what to talk about, Lizzy started to talk about the car they were in. "So, this is a rather large car for Boston. Do you have trouble finding parking?" What an awkward thing to say, she chastised herself.
"Oh, yes it is. I don't normally keep this car here. I was up at my family home in Maine last weekend and needed to bring some things down so I needed the space. I usually leave it up there." William commented and then was once again silent.
Lizzy couldn't figure this guy out. She understood being shy but this was bordering on rude. What is up with this him? Meanwhile, William was trying desperately to concentrate on the road, the swishing of the windshield wipers, really anything except the beautiful young woman sitting next to him, her hair curling around her face, and her sparkling brown eyes looking over to him every few minutes. It was only a few more minutes until she was out of his car and he could return to thinking about the meeting with his uncle tomorrow night.