I ran to the bathroom to grab some paper towels. Luckily, the lobby was clearing out, so it didn’t take me very long. I called to the front desk that we needed a cleanup, and they told me they were already on it. I came back to find Jane taking care of Lydia and making sure that no one stepped in anything.
I went to work cleaning up the mess. It was a good thing I was a nurse and knew how to handle this kind of thing. Sometimes, taking care of my sister was exhausting.
“Jane, there you are,” Charles said, coming up to greet her.
“Watch out,” I warned, and he stopped short. Mr. Darcy came up behind him, and they both grimaced at the mess.
“Jane, can I call you tomorrow?” Charles asked. “I know you’re busy now.”
Jane grinned. “I’d like that.”
“Okay.” A smile lit up Charles’ face like the Fourth of July. It was absolutely the most adorable thing I had ever seen. “Tomorrow then.”
Jane just sat there smiling at him, and he just stood there smiling at her. It was so sweet and innocent that it felt almost silly. It reminded me of being on the playground the first time someone admitted they had a crush.
Mr. Darcy cleared his throat and gave his friend a gentle push on the shoulder. Charles waved as the two of them walked off. I looked up just as Mr. Darcy looked back.
His eyes met mine. His expression was unreadable, yet it made my stomach do flip-flops. I couldn’t help it, but I felt stupid. I felt like I didn’t measure up to his standards. I didn’t understand how I could feel like this, since I didn’t care about him or what he thought of me. I didn’t have to measure up to him at all. I didn’t like him, and I certainly didn’t care what he thought.
Yet, somehow, I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he walked away.
Chapter 5
Jane waltzed around the kitchen, humming a happy tune to herself the next morning when I woke up. She was walking on air, and I couldn’t help but smile as I watched her.
She was as twitterpated as Charles had been.
I went to the coffee pot to find it empty. The bag of coffee next to it was empty as well.
“Where’s the coffee?” I asked, opening a cabinet to look for more.
“We’re out,” Jane said, still dancing around the kitchen with a goofy-happy smile on her face.
“And you’re still happy?” I asked. “With no coffee? He must be a heck of a guy.”
Jane grinned. “He texted me this morning. We’re discussing watercolors.”
I shook my head. Only Jane would be over the moon about discussing watercolors at eight in the morning with no coffee in sight.
“Jane, I need coffee. I need caffeine,” I told her. “I’m going to order some from the cafe. Want to come with me to get it?”
Jane spun around the kitchen to pick up my phone. She curtsied as she handed it to me. I wished I could be in that good of a mood without coffee. “Make sure to order one for Lydia,” she reminded me.
I chuckled and opened up the phone app for our local coffee shop. It was just down the block, so if we ordered now, by the time we got there, it would be ready. I put in our traditional to-go orders and put on a pair of jeans. I kept my pajama top on since I’d have my sweatshirt over it anyway. It wasn’t like we were going to run into anyone I needed to impress.
I threw on my sweatshirt and checked outside. It was early November, so the sweatshirt should be enough to keep me warm. Besides, we weren’t going to be outside very long. Jane had a light jacket on as we left the apartment and headed to the elevator. Somehow, she managed to look put-together and elegant without any effort at all. I looked like a comfortable train wreck.
Jane giggled and grinned at her phone as we stepped into the elevator.
“Watercolors?” I asked, smiling at her.
Jane just beamed at me.
“You like him,” I told her, pressing the elevator button for the ground floor. This was the happiest I had seen her in a long time.
“I do,” she agreed with a happy sigh. She bit her lip and looked over at me. “Do you think he likes me?”
I thought back to the conversation I had overheard the night before.