“Don’t be,” Wickham replied. “This wasn’t my dream job, but I’m finding myself very good at. I’m discovering that I’m where I’m supposed to be. William will get his karma someday. I know it.”
“I certainly hope so,” I said. I was impressed by how well Wickham was handling this. If anything, it made me glad that he’d found Lydia. He would be good for her. If he could keep his temper around Mr. Darcy, he was already doing better than me.
“Here’s your coffee,” Lydia announced, holding out the cups. “Lou says it’s on the house in celebration of me getting an agent.”
“Remind me to thank Lou,” Wickham replied, gratefully taking his coffee.
I took a nice big sip of mine. Sweet vanilla with just a dash of cinnamon. Despite her flaws, Lydia knew my coffee preferences. She could be a good sister when she wanted to be.
“Now, tell Lizzie more about how you’re going to make me famous,” Lydia said, taking Wickham’s arm as we began walking away from Mr. Darcy’s building.
“I have big plans for you, Lydia,” Wickham replied. “Big plans.”
Chapter 9
“I can’t believe that we get to go to the grand opening of the new hotel!” Lydia exclaimed, dancing around the kitchen in her little black dress.
“Considering that Jane is dating the owner, it’s not that crazy. It’s really sweet of Charles to invite us, though,” I replied. I looked around, trying to find my shoes. “Lydia, did you borrow my black heels?”
“No. They’re in the front closet,” Lydia replied.
“Instead of in my closet where they belong?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips. She flashed me a big grin that told me she had totally borrowed them. I sighed.
“It’s just too bad that Wickham couldn’t get the night off,” Lydia said with a sigh. “It would have been so nice to have an agent with me at the party. I can feel it in my bones that I’m going to meet a producer tonight.”
“Remember, tonight is about Charles’ new hotel, not finding a producer. Or an agent, or being discovered,” Jane warned. “I don’t want this night to end up all about you.”
“Fine. You two act like I have no social skills at all,” Lydia said, rolling her eyes dramatically. “Is the curling iron still on?”
I nodded, and she went to the bathroom to fix her already perfect hair. I went to the front closet to look for my black heels.
“I still can’t believe what you told me about Wickham and Mr. Darcy,” Jane whispered as I dug through a pile of shoes to find my heels. “It’s probably a good thing that Wickham isn’t coming tonight. It would just be awkward.”
“I agree,” I replied. I held up one shoe in triumph. I just needed to find the second.
“I have a hard time believing all of it, though,” Jane continued. She reached in and pulled out my missing shoe. “There must be some sort of misunderstanding. Mr. Darcy doesn’t seem that bad. And he’s been so good to Charles.”
“Oh, Jane,” I said, taking the shoe from her. “You always believe the best in everyone. I don’t think you’re capable of thinking something bad about someone.”
“And that’s not a bad thing,” Jane reminded me. She chewed on her cheek for a moment. “Did you tell Lydia about it?”
“She saw the whole meeting between the two of them,” I told her. “I think she thinks the same thing about Mr. Darcy that I do.”
Jane frowned. “I don’t know. I’ll ask Charles about it. Every story has two sides, and I want to make sure we know them both. It’s only fair.”
“It doesn’t really matter,” I told her, slipping on my shoes. They matched my sexy little black dress perfectly. “We already know he’s an entitled, elitist ass.”
“Be nice.” Jane gave my shoulder a gentle push. “You’re going to have to see him tonight.”
I sighed. I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Mr. Darcy. Now that I knew the truth about him, I felt dirty even thinking about our dance.
“How are you and Charles doing, by the way?” I asked, changing the subject. I didn’t want to think about Mr. Darcy unless I had to.
Jane’s face melted into a happy smile. Her eyes went distant and wistful, and she let out a contented sigh.
“That good, huh?” I teased, giving her a grin.
She giggled. “I really like him,” she said, looking down at her hands. She bit her lower lip and smiled. “I think he likes me, too.”