Page 7 of First Impressions (Passion and Perseverance #1)
Chapter Five
When Beth and Jane finally got home where it was quiet and they were able to talk, she found out just how well the night had gone.
“Charles is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. I’ll admit that I had my hopes up, but he is wonderful, Beth.
You would think he would be a stuck up or entitled with his degree and job title, but he’s not; he’s so open.
You can just tell from talking to him how much he loves what he does, how much he loves helping people.
” Jane effused compliments about him, her attraction to him written all over her face.
“Plus, he’s pretty hot too, which doesn’t hurt,” Beth interjected, half-jokingly.
“Well yeah, but he’s so much more than that.
I mean, I work with lawyers all day, and most of them are people that I admire, but they don’t hold a candle to Charles.
I’m so happy and nervous at the same time.
I really like him but what if he doesn’t like me back?
I sound like I’m in high school right now.
I just don't want to be let down again,” Jane confided with a blush.
Well, Beth certainly knew how that felt right now.
Putting aside her evening drama, she tried to allay Jane’s concerns by relating what she tried to portray as a comic event - the overheard conversation between Charles and Mr. Darcy.
Of course, with Jane being Jane, she was instantly focused on if Beth was ok and why she hadn’t told her earlier.
Knowing that it must have hurt Beth to hear that, Jane tried to come up with plausible reasons for why he said what he said, what he could have meant, or that perhaps Beth simply misheard him because it ‘was quite noisy in there with the band in full swing.’ While she appreciated her sister’s kind soul, Beth finished her story by relaying their subsequent interaction.
After a few minutes of back and forth, Beth managed to redirect Jane’s attempt to exonerate Darcy back to what Charles said about her .
“He really likes you, Jane, and you seemed so comfortable with him. Plus, I’m sure mom was all over you about how he only danced with you. Anyway, don’t get so nervous that you close yourself off from him; trust me, he really likes you, too,” Beth cautioned.
“I know. He’s just so easy to feel comfortable around, so I hope you are right.
We will be spending a lot of time together over the next few weeks because of work.
Dad wants me to introduce Charles to the firm while the three of them prepare the paperwork and discuss the details of the buyout contract. ”
“I wonder if that means Mr. Darcy will be with you the whole time. They seem like they are really close, but for your sake I hope his involvement in this whole deal is limited.”
How someone as congenial as Charles could be such good friends with someone like Darcy was beyond Beth.
She attributed it to the fact that it must be a longstanding friendship from back in their college days that grew so strong, in spite of how Darcy’s character must have changed from that point, that Charles just had to excuse it now for his old friend’s sake.
They ended the conversation on a hopeful note, Jane looking forward to Monday when she would see Charles again, Beth looking forward to throwing herself into working with her new client and forgetting all about the intolerable Mr. Darcy.