Page 8

Chapter Eight

JACKSON

W hen I sought refuge in the Bennets’ stables, I didn’t expect to find Izzie Bennet there. The sight of her grooming a horse was a surprise that left me filled with conflicting emotions. Her warm brown eyes had beguiled me from the very first time, but there was all that animosity muddling things over. Today, I saw past my ill disposition toward her and was struck by how stunning she is. No wonder Wickham was all over her at the party.

I’ve never let a pretty face distract me from any goal I set, but the short conversation we exchanged weakened my resolution. Horses are my second passion in life, and to know I share that with Izzie disarmed me. But I’m still determined to investigate her family. I’ll never forgive myself if I let Chad commit to someone unworthy of him.

The short trek back to the main house is enough for me to sort out my thoughts and priorities. By the time I walk into the Bennets’ house, the conversation with Izzie and my reaction to her are tucked into a dark corner of my mind.

Chad turns to me, relief shining in his eyes. “Jackson, there you are.”

“Sorry. I had to make a phone call,” I lie, feeling guilty for ditching him earlier.

“Oh, don’t worry, dear,” Mrs. Bennet pipes up. “It was so nice of you to come with Chad to meet us all. He told us you’re like a brother to him.”

“That’s right.”

I look past Mrs. Bennet’s shoulder and notice movement in the hallway behind her. My pulse accelerates when I realize it’s Izzie. She must have used a door in the back of the house. She stops in front of a mirror in the hallway and fusses with her hair. I shouldn’t stare, but I can’t take my eyes off her.

I’m saved from myself when a tall man with gray hair and short beard joins us in the living room. This must be Mr. Bennet.

“Good afternoon,” he says in a British accent. He gives the room a cursory glance before he focuses on Chad, standing next to his fiancée. “You must be Chad Bingley.”

“Y-yes, that’s me.”

Izzie joins the party while Mr. Bennet stares at Chad without saying a word. With each second that passes, tension grows in the air.

I open my mouth to introduce myself and hopefully give Chad a moment to breathe, but Mr. Bennet beats me to the punch.

“It’s a bit unusual to meet the man who’s going to marry my daughter for the first time after the proposal.”

Chad’s face turns beet red. “I… uh, yes, it’s unusual. Everything happened so fast… and I…”

“And you didn’t even have the decency to ask for her hand in marriage!” Mr. Bennet adds.

Oh shit .

“Dad!” Jane interjects. “Stop giving Chad a hard time.”

I’m about to come to Chad’s defense, but then I notice the upturn of Mr. Bennet’s lips. He glances at Izzie and winks. She’s also sporting a hint of a smile. But poor Chad is panicking, and he doesn’t seem to notice the exchange.

Mr. Bennet laughs and then pats Chad’s shoulder. “Relax, son. I’m yanking your chain.”

“Oh my God,” Jane blurts out. “You’re the worst, Dad.”

Izzie covers her mouth to hide a chuckle, but then she catches me staring and the amusement vanishes from her face. I suppose our interaction at the stables did little to change her opinion of me.

“And who’s this young man? A spare?” Mr. Bennet asks, and it takes me a moment to realize he’s talking about me.

I peel my gaze off Izzie and stare at the man. “Hello, sir. I’m Jackson Darcy, Chad’s best friend.”

Mr. Bennet offers me his hand. “Nice to meet you, Jackson. I’m John Bennet, but you can call me John.”

“Nice to meet you, John. I didn’t realize you were English.”

“Born in London, then my family moved to Seville when I was eleven or so. There’s where I met Mrs. Bennet.” He beams at his wife.

“Izzie told me you used to play polo.”

He turns to his daughter, and smiles. “Ah yes. That was a long time ago. Do you like horses, Jackson?”

“I love them.”

“Excellent. I shall introduce you to Cicero, Ophelia, and Toledo.”

I could tell him I’ve already met Cicero, but I don’t want to rob the man of the pleasure. “I’d like that very much. Chad loves horses too,” I add, knowing Chad wants John’s approval.

His eyes bug out. “I do?”

I give him a meaningful glance. He’s the worst at getting hints.

“Y-yes. I love them,” he amends.

“Brilliant. I shall give you both a tour of the stables.”

“Not right now, honey.” Mrs. Bennet chimes in. “Let’s eat lunch first.”

“Right. I hope you lads like Spanish cuisine. It’s the best food in the world in my opinion.”

“I love it,” Chad replies.

I glance at Izzie. “Yeah, me too.”

Her eyes lock with mine, then she frowns. Even though I shouldn’t care what she thinks about me, her grimace bothers me.

Mrs. Bennet hurries ahead and when everyone else catches up with her in the dining room, she’s busy switching plates on the long table. She seems flustered, but I can’t fathom why. There are enough chairs for everyone, and she did say earlier she had made enough food to feed an entire hockey team.

Chad and I wait to be told where to sit. Mr. Bennet pulls up the chair at the head of the table and then tells us, “What are you waiting for, lads? Sit, sit.”

“Where…” Chad starts.

Mrs. Bennet points at the second chair away from Mr. Bennet’s. “You sit next to Jane, dear.”

Izzie makes her way to other side of the table, and directly across from Jane. Lydia, the younger sister follows her and starts to pull up the chair next to Izzie’s, but Mrs. Bennet blurts out. “Lydia, you can sit next to Chad.”

“But I always sit next to Izzie.”

“It’s okay, I can sit next to Chad,” I chime in.

“Nonsense. You must sit next to Izzie,” Mrs. Bennet replies.

I glance at Izzie and notice she’s blushing, and her gaze is down. I’m not sure what to make of her reaction. Does she not want to sit next to me, or she’s simply embarrassed to be put on the spot?

I take my seat next to her, and to change the mood, I joke, “Hi, we meet again.”

She looks at me, and I can’t help the pull from her beautiful eyes. This up close, I can see there are specks of amber in them, and they’re framed by the longest eyelashes. My pulse accelerates. Damn it. She’s too pretty.

“Yeah.” She gives me a small smile that makes my face hot.

“Don’t be shy. Dig in.” Mr. Bennet says, breaking the spell between Izzie and me. He reaches for the plate of food nearest to him. It looks like some type of potato dish.

“Everything looks amazing, Mrs. Bennet,” Chad pipes up.

“You have to try to the jamon. It’s a delicacy,” she replies.

“Especially with the aioli and bread. Yummy.” Lydia reaches for the bread basket, and fills her plate. I notice then there’s chip on it the porcelain. Maybe that’s why Mrs. Bennet was switching the plates.

“Lydia, manners. Let our guests help themselves to the food first.”

She gives her mother a typical teenager drool look. “It’s just bread. There’s more in the kitchen.”

I reach for the tray in front of me. It’s some type of stew. Izzie reaches for it at the same time and our hands touch.

“Sorry. You go first,” she says.

“No way. Ladies first.” I smile.

“All right.” She only gets a small serving, and then she takes the plate with the jamon slices and puts a few on her plate. “Do you want some?”

“Sure.”

We proceed to pass the dishes around until everyone has food in their plates. I’ve filled mine more than I intended and only because every time that Izzie offered me something, I said yes.

“?Buen provecho!” Mr. Bennet says.

I glance at my plate and don’t know where to start.

“Is there something wrong, Jackson?” Mrs. Bennet asks.

Shit. I can’t believe I’m that obvious. My ears are burning now. “No, ma’am. Just trying to decide what to eat first.”

“Try the bread with aioli and jamon,” Izzie suggests.

“All right.”

I take a bite, and damn, it’s good. I forgot for a minute that Izzie is sitting next to me as I stuff my face. It’s like I haven’t eaten in days.

“Do you like the food, Jackson?” Jane asks, and when I look up, she and Chad are smirking.

My mouth is full, so I can only answer with a nod.

Izzie chuckles. I turn and ask after a swallow the food, “What?”

She shakes her head. “Nothing.”

“You have a big game coming up, right?” Mr. Bennet chimes in.

“Yes, sir. The first game of the finals,” Chad answers.

“I confess I don’t much about hockey. How many games do you have to win?”

“Four out of seven,” I say.

“And they’ll be all played in Miami?”

I open my mouth to reply, but decide to let Chad do it. He’s the one marrying into the family, not me.

“The first two games we play in Miami, then we have to fly to Vancouver for the next two. After that, we alternate per game.”

“I see… so if it goes to game seven, it will be on home ice.”

“That’s right. Jane is coming to all my games, but you should all come to the home games. I can get tickets.”

“Yes!” Lydia shouts. “That will be awesome.”

If wasn’t already certain Jane has Chad wrapped around her fingers, this would have made it clear.

“I’m sure you boys will win the whole thing before game seven,” Mrs. Bennet pipes up.

“We hope so,” I say, then take a bite of the potato dish.

“So Jackson… do you have a girlfriend?” Mrs. Bennet asks, and for some reason, it makes me choke on my food.

Chad laughs, and I want to kick him under the table. I refrain from the impulse.

“No, ma’am. I’m not currently dating anyone.”

“Oh… you know what Izzie is single too, right?”

My spine becomes rigid in an instant. Did the woman notice my attraction to her daughter?

“Mom!” Izzie complains.

“What? I’m stating a fact. You haven’t dated anyone since I don’t know when.”

“That’s by choice,” she grits out.

“Anyone want more wine?” Mrs. Bennet butts in.

“I’ll have some.” I lift my almost empty glass.

“Izzie, would you be a dear and pass me his glass?”

“Sure.” She doesn’t make eye contact with me, but now she’s sitting on her chair as stiff as a board.

Either she hates that her mother was playing matchmaker, or she hates that the woman was trying to match her with me. Mercifully, Mrs. Bennet stops her schemes, and focuses her attention on Chad.

But I’m not as relaxed as I was before. I’m too aware of Izzie, and start to analyze every single movement she makes. It’s insane.

Eventually, the meal ends. The Bennet family has many faults. They’re loud and lack manners and common sense, especially Jane’s mother. She seems to live in la-la land. But I can’t find anything to complain about in her food. I’ve had Spanish cuisine before, but nothing quite like this. I enjoyed it so much I did something I usually don’t do—I overindulged. Now the excess of carbs combined with red wine is making me sleepy.

I ask to use the restroom, which gives me a valid reason to see more of the house without Izzie watching my every move. I already know she’s the smartest member of the Bennet family, so I have to be careful not to show my hand.

On the way to the bathroom, I notice cracks in the walls and that all the wood fixtures are in dire need of a fresh coat of paint. And there was the cracked plate. This to me screams financial troubles. The bathroom is the same story. It’s spotless, but it needs an update ASAP. When I flush, the toilet makes a god-awful noise, and the water takes forever to drain. The water coming out of the faucet is weak, and the mirror has started to darken at the edges.

I shake my head, wondering if Chad’s fiancée told him she lives in a house in shambles. I doubt he noticed everything that I did. Chad is as sharp as knife on the ice, but in the real world, he’s absent-minded to a fault. And now, he only has eyes for Jane.

Don’t say anything to him yet, Jackson , I think as I reach for the doorknob. It turns, but the door won’t open.

What the hell!

I try again, putting more muscle into it. Nothing. I lean forward and check the space between the door and the frame. Fuck. The lock didn’t release. I lean against the door and try the latch again. It doesn’t budge. Great. I’m stuck in the bathroom. I stick my hand in my pocket to get my phone but come up empty. Hell. My phone is still in the car.

I bet I could take the door off its hinges, but I’ll save that as a last resort. I pound on the door instead and call for help. Is this humiliating? Sure. But waiting until someone notices I’ve been gone too long is worse. The problem is that the bathroom is pretty far down the hallway, and the Bennet family doesn’t know the meaning of inside voice. They’re a loud bunch.

I bang and yell for a minute or so before I give up. I guess it’s time for plan B.

* * *

IZZIE

Besides Lydia and me, everyone at the table is buzzed. However, Lydia doesn’t need alcohol to act foolish. I chose to remain sober to keep in an eye on my parents. I don’t want their drunk antics to mess things up for Jane. Chad wouldn’t care or notice anything amiss—I don’t think—but Jackson most definitely would. I know he’s paying close attention to us all, and no doubt compiling a mile-long list of reasons his best friend shouldn’t marry into our crazy family.

Thinking of the devil, he’s been gone a while. It’s possible Mom’s food didn’t agree with his stomach or he decided to snoop around. I get up from the table, and no one notices. My parents, Lydia, and Jane are too engrossed in a story Chad’s telling.

It’s only when I’m in the hallway that leads to the bathroom that I hear Jackson calling for help. Shit. He’s trapped in the bathroom. I told Dad that lock needed to be replaced.

Before I can say I’ll get him out, the door explodes forward, almost hitting me.

I jump back, pressing a hand against my chest. “Son of a bitch!”

Jackson falls out, sees me standing there, and widens his eyes. “Oh God, did I get you?”

My pulse is racing, and it takes me a moment to answer, “No, but it was close. Did you kick the door open?”

“I had no choice. I’ve been calling for help for a while.”

Chad, Jane, Mom, Dad, and Lydia join us, crowding the hallway.

“What did you do?” Chad asks Jackson.

“I got stuck in the bathroom.” He looks at my father. “I’m really sorry, Mr. Bennet. I’ll pay for the repairs. In fact, I’ll call my contractor right now and have someone come today.”

“It’s okay, son.” Dad looks at the dent Jackson left in the door—his foot almost came through the wood. “You were right, Izzie. I really should have fixed that lock.”

“I think we should head out,” Chad announces. “We’ve clearly overstayed our welcome.” He looks pointedly at Jackson, and the man seems remorseful.

“Right,” Jackson replies.

“But we didn’t give you a tour of the stables!” Jane pouts.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. Another time.”

Jackson approaches Dad and hands him a business card. “Call me if you have any issues with my contractor. There shouldn’t be any, but here’s my contact information just the same.”

“Thank you, Jackson.”

He turns to my mother. “Thank you for a lovely lunch, Mrs. Bennet.”

Mom smiles proudly. “You’re more than welcome, Jackson. Don’t be a stranger. You’re welcome to visit any time. Maybe Izzie can you give you a tour of the stables then.”

Hell and damn. She won’t quit. Did she not notice when Jackson became all tense when she mentioned I was single? He obviously has zero interest in dating me, not that I care. I don’t want to date him either.

He looks at me but reveals nothing. The man sure can be an enigma when he wants to. He doesn’t say anything to me or Mom.

“I’ll walk you out,” Jane butts in, saving me from the awkward moment.

She hooks an arm with Chad’s and leads the way. Jackson follows them. Lydia takes a step to follow, but I stop her.

“What?” she snaps.

“I think Jane wants a private moment with her fiancée.”

She crosses her arms. “How can it be private if Jackson is with them?”

“I’m sure he’s going to wait in the car.”

And marble statues don’t really count.