Authors: Misty Dawn Pulsipher
INVITATION
"(She) will never
be easy till she has exposed herself in some public place or other….."
~Mr. Bennet, Pride
& Prejudice
On
Wednesday afternoon, Beth was sitting at the kitchen table doing homework when
Lindy bustled into the dorm, followed by Denny and Jaxon. Her heart
skipped a beat and then picked up double time when Jaxon bestowed a generous
smile on her. She was glad that she had taken a little extra time with
her hair and makeup today.
"Bethy,
we get to go shopping!" Lindy plopped down on the kitchen table,
crumpling Beth's homework.
"Shopping?"
Beth repeated as she rescued her homework from Lindy's hind quarters.
Normally she would be annoyed with her sister's insensitivity and general
clueless state, but it was difficult to be in a bad mood with Jaxon sitting on
the couch looking at her with his stunning blue eyes, smiling as if he had a
secret.
"Come
on, Beth. How can you be so boring? The Winter Ball is next
week!"
"Has
someone asked you?" Beth was pretty sure she already knew the
answer, the way Denny watched Lindy. "Never mind." Beth
smiled up at Denny, and he winked.
Jaxon
made his way over to Beth when Lindy's incessant chatter gave him the chance to
slip away unnoticed.
"So,
how is training going?"
"I'm
sore from the workout, but I hate sitting around anyway. It keeps me busy
and hopefully I can get into shape in the meantime."
Beth
tried not to look him up and down and failed. It was obvious he took care
of himself, even though his muscles weren't jumping out of his shirt the way
William's did. His smile and the way he made her feel made up for any
deficiency there. And she would trade perfect pectorals for better
company any day.
~:~
Beth
fastened her eyes to the carpet while she walked, trying to conceal her
disappointment. She and Lindy were walking Jaxon and Denny to the double
doors of Longbourn Hall. Curfew was in just a few minutes, and even
though the conversation had been largely dominated by the upcoming ball, Jaxon
had not given any indication that he was going to ask her.
Outside,
people clustered here and there across the lawn, and a few stragglers hung out
on the vinyl couch on the deck. It seemed that everyone was trying to
stretch the time. Lindy and Denny were saying goodbye in their nonverbal
way. After a casual "see ya" and a dashing smile, Jaxon began
to make his way down the steps. Beth felt a resonating
clunk
in
her midsection as her heart sank. Then Jaxon turned from the bottom step
and called out. "Oh, and Beth?"
"Yes?"
she answered a little too quickly.
"I
almost forgot. I guess there's some big dance coming up?"
Beth
swallowed, feeling her veins inflate with rushing blood, constricting her
airway. She tried to sound casual. "The Winter Ball?"
Jaxon
looked down, smiling at the stairs. Then he looked back up to Beth with
his piercing blue eyes. "That's the one. So, are you busy that
night?"
"Not
really, no."
Jaxon
climbed back up the steps toward her. "Good. Don't make any
plans, okay?" He took Beth's hand and brought it slowly to his
lips. Then he pulled her down to his step so that they were
eye-level. He looked at her earnestly for a moment, and Beth saw his gaze
shift over her shoulder. His eyes lost all their emotion and then his
face lit with a broad smile, as if someone had flipped a light switch.
"Good
luck on your homework." He winked. "I'll see you
tomorrow?"
"Sure."
Then
he jogged back down the stairs and started off across the grass.
Beth
felt a faint buzzing in the back of her head. That was weird. She
was positive Jaxon had just been about to kiss her. Something had made
him change his mind. Maybe she read too much into it. Or, maybe
Lindy and Denny were still making out on the steps. She pivoted around to
discover them, meeting William's stony form.
He sat
on the couch alone. While Jaxon had commanded her attention, the others
had gone. Perched on the edge of the couch with elbows resting on his
knees and hands folded together, he looked livid.
Beth
sighed. This had to be about Jaxon. She shoved her hands into the
pockets of her overalls and approached him.
"Hey."
He
continued to look at her without speaking. Was she supposed to be reading
his mind? "Are you looking for Les?"
William
stood, the signature smirk taking over his face. "I'm not looking
for Les, Beth. I think I know better than you where to find him.
The happy couple practically lives at our place, remember?"
"Then
what do you want?" she demanded, losing her patience entirely. She
had tried to be nice. It seemed like every time she started out that way,
she regretted it in the end.
He
ignored her venom. "I need to talk to you."
Beth
glanced at her wrist and her missing watch. She still hadn't replaced the
battery. "It's past curfew."
"You
have ten minutes," he contradicted.
"Fine.
Talk."
William's
lips parted and then he glanced around uncomfortably. "Could we walk
for a minute?"
Beth
sighed, put out. "It's freezing out here, William."
William
took off his ski jacket and offered it to Beth, who, of course, adamantly
refused. He draped it around her anyway, pulling her toward him by the
lapels. He wore a long-sleeved knit sweater. Why did Beth have to
notice the shape of his arms under that sweater at the moment?
"Don't
be difficult, Beth. It's not like I'm proposing." As he spoke
he pulled her along by the coat. "Besides, you'll be warmer if
you're moving."
"What?
You're not going to give me your shirt this time?"
Beth
realized too late that her sarcasm could only wound her in this instance.
William almost smiled.
She
shoved her arms roughly into the sleeves, picking up the pace without giving
him a chance to respond.
"Okay,
I'm warm. We're walking. Now what is it?"
William
took a deep breath, effortlessly matching her brisk strides. "You need
to be careful with Jaxon Donovan."
Beth
had known it was coming. She stopped abruptly and faced him, almost
causing a pile-up. "Why?"
William
searched her face for a moment, deliberating.
Beth
remembered feeling that way earlier with Jenna, and the thought of empathizing
with William on any level bugged her.
"Can
you just trust me, please?" he asked slowly.
Beth's
anger flared. "Why should I trust you?"
"Have
I given you a reason not to?" William's face hardened, and Beth knew
she had finally gotten to him on some level. It didn't bring her the
pleasure she had anticipated.
She
backpedaled. "A little clarification would be nice. Why should
I be careful?"
William
seemed to be struggling with himself. "You can't trust him," he
finally said. "I know he comes across as a nice guy - but it's an
act."
"How
very brotherly of you," she remarked dryly.
His
jaw tightened. "He is
NOT
a member of my family, no matter
what he told you!" He took a calming breath, meeting Beth's eyes
while she watched him.
"Maybe
you have the facts wrong," Beth began carefully, as though she were
approaching a wild animal. After all, if Gianna had spun the tale to her
advantage, William had been justified in his behavior.
William
eyed her shrewdly. "
I
was there, Beth. You don't know
what you're talking about."
"Well,
if I've been misinformed then maybe you should set me straight. Show a
little trust on your end."
He
considered her in silence, then said quietly, "I do trust you."
After another deliberation he said, "He…..took something from me."
"Like,
your wallet?"
"No.
Something irreplaceable."
"Like
a girlfriend, maybe?"
The
inferno in his eyes cooled and hardened. "No. Something
infinitely more precious." His words were shrouded with
melancholy. Suddenly he looked tired, running a hand through his already
mussed hair. Sighing deeply, he stepped to Beth and took her face in his
hands, dipping his head to look into her eyes.
"Just
promise me you'll be careful, Beth."
She
blinked. His face and tone were all earnestness, and she couldn't refuse
him anything when his eyes captivated her like that. Not to mention, he
had her head in a vice grip.
She
could only nod.
"Okay?"
he clarified. "Promise me." He paused, then gripped her
face harder for just an instant. "
Please,
Beth."
"I'll
be careful," Beth repeated, a little freaked out by his unexpected
intensity. That must be why she suddenly felt flushed.
His
hands fell away from her face and he stepped back. "And watch your
sister around him. She doesn't seem very street smart."
Beth
still reeled from the last few minutes, and she didn't register the
insult. She understood for the first time that William wasn't actually
trying to offend her. He just said what he thought without much concern
for the consequences. And, as much as she loathed the admittance, he was
right. Lindy was downright naive, definitely careless, even stupid on
occasion. But how could William know that?
"You've
never met Lindy."
"I'm
observant." One side of his mouth turned up, just a bit.
Their
eyes locked and the contrast between Jaxon and William was forced on Beth
again. William's dark eyes were full of mystery and made Beth feel
confused and unsure. The transparency of Jaxon's gaze made her feel just
that - clear, like there were no secrets and nothing to hide. She blinked
out of her thoughts.
William
nodded to himself, as if mentally checking things off a list.
Tell
Beth Jaxon is a jerk, check
.
Ask Beth to trust me without telling
her why, check. Freak her out by caring so much, check. Make sure
she knows her sister is clueless, check.
As he stretched out his last
look at her, Beth thought he looked like someone who had just lost his life
savings at a poker game.
Beth
didn't realize she still wore his jacket until she was back inside her
apartment. She'd have to get Les to return it for her. For now she
hung it over the back of her desk chair at the foot of her bed. Later,
the fresh, sharp tang of pine scented her dreams.
~:~
Beth
woke, startled by the ring of her cell phone. Peering at the clock on her
desk, she ascertained that it was just after midnight. She retrieved her
phone from the floor next to her bed, confused when she saw Lindy's
number. After pushing her way through her bedroom door she flipped the
kitchen light on. The couch hadn't been made into a bed, and Lindy was
not to be found.
With
anger surging inside, Beth answered the call. "Where are you?"
"Hello
to you too, Bethy," Lindy pouted. "I'm out front. Can you
come let me in?"
"What?
Where did you go?"
"Look,
can you just come unlock the door? I'm freezing my butt off."
Beth
muttered something unintelligible before padding down to the entry and
unlocking the double glass doors. Once inside, Beth unleashed a verbal
torrent on Lindy.
"You
can't stay out past curfew, Lind. What if my phone was off? If
you're going to stay here with me you have to follow the rules!"
Lindy
yawned hugely. "Give it a rest, Beth. It's like having mom
here."
"Mom
has
never
lectured you in your life! Maybe she should have.
It would do you some good."
Beth
preached at Lindy for the next twenty minutes, careful to keep her voice low to
avoid waking Jenna. Lindy made the couch into a bed in resentful silence.
"I'm
tired, Bethy. Can't we finish this in the morning?" She slid
into the sheets and folded a pillow around the back of her head.
Beth
ripped it away without sympathy. "NO, WE CAN NOT. I want to
know where you were, and I want to know
now
."
"I
just went down to that convenience store on the corner to get a Coke.
RE-LAX. Geez."
"And
were they out of Coke? Did they have to wait for Coke to come in from the
Coke factory, by any chance? Lindy, it's almost one o'clock. Curfew
was at ten. It doesn't take three hours to get a Coke." Beth
tried to suppress the guilty voice in her own thoughts that told her she should
have noticed Lindy was gone. But the Jaxon/William dichotomy had
flushed it out of her mind, and she'd climbed into her sheets without even
noticing her sister's absence.