Darcy in Hollywood

“I deserved everything you said to me. My parents raised me to have good principles, but they didn’t always demand that I act on them. That’s one of the privileges—and hazards—of wealth. That day in the trailer…some of my less honorable impulses guided my actions. You were quite right to call me on my behavior. I was a bore…and I apologize.”

Wow. He stood so close that she could see the pulse pounding in his neck, but he didn’t touch her except for gently cupping her elbows in his hands. She couldn’t look away from his eyes, which nearly glowed with sincerity.

Suddenly her mouth was dry. “It’s okay.” The words came out like a croak.

He frowned. “No, it isn’t. Not yet. But maybe it can be. Maybe I can make it up to you. You deserve better.”

What did he mean by that? “That’s not necessary,” she said hastily. “I didn’t cover myself in glory in the trailer either. I said all kinds of things you didn’t deserve.”

“Didn’t I?” His smile had a bitter edge.

“And it wasn’t all bad. It was also…” He waited while she struggled for words. “Well, flattering. Every woman likes getting a compliment from an attractive movie star, although it could have been more adeptly phrased—”

“I’m sorry—”

She shook her head. “Don’t be. There are times I wish I’d said yes to you.”

His eyes grew round. God. Why had she said that? She wasn’t still drunk, but her brain was clearly not firing on all cylinders.

She didn’t want to give him the wrong impression. Although it was the truth, particularly on a day like today—when he looked at her with his heart in his eyes. She wished she’d said yes to anything he’d ever asked of her.

Whoa. When had it gotten so hot in the room? She really needed to slow things down. Feeling a bit lightheaded, Elizabeth stumbled toward the family room and practically fell into an overstuffed loveseat.

This, all of it, was so unexpected. She had thought he would gloat at her inebriated state—at the fact that she had wound up in his bed. He would press his advantage and attempt to seduce her. She had been prepared for anything…except chagrin.

His phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen and dismissed the call, but it reminded Elizabeth that he had a life to get back to. And she had the semblance of one.

“I should get out of your hair.” She started to rise from the loveseat.

He hurried over and perched on the coffee table opposite her. “You don’t need to leave on my account. I don’t have anything I need to do today. Nothing pressing, anyway. I scheduled it as a day to recover from jet lag.”

“Oh.” She settled back, reluctant to leave. Will’s house was an oasis of calm where nobody would seek her out and nothing reminded her of George or Lydia.

He leaned toward her. “I don’t want you to leave, Elizabeth, unless you want to.”

She stared down at the phone screen as if checking her schedule, but she knew it was blank. Everything in her life had been put on hold after Lydia’s accident. She had spent all her time at her sister’s bedside, until it was clear she was no longer welcome.

It was nice to feel wanted somewhere. “No. I—” I will not cry, she ordered herself. “I don’t have anything I need to do today.”

He grinned. “Then maybe we can just hang.”

She stared down at her rumpled evening gown. “These aren’t exactly my ‘just hanging’ clothes.”

“I probably have some women’s clothes that would fit you.”

Elizabeth didn’t want to ask why.

“They’re my sister’s. She has an apartment in San Francisco now but still comes to visit occasionally. Or I can run you by your apartment, and we can grab a change of clothing.”

She shook her head. “I’ve, um…I’ve been avoiding going home.”

His eyebrows rose. “Why? Surely Jane doesn’t blame you for Lydia.”

“She doesn’t. Not really. But she’s stuck in the middle between me and my family, and she feels bad about the way they’re treating me. She spends all day with them at the hospital….so it’s easier if I’m not there. Then she’s not torn, and I don’t feel guilty.”

“Does Lydia blame you?”

Elizabeth winced. “It’s hard to tell. She drifts in and out of consciousness. And she doesn’t remember anything about the accident—not even where she was or who she was with. She said the entire day is a blank. According to the doctors, that’s not unusual with head injuries.”