Jane and Austen (28 page)

Pudgy? That’s what Bertie named her? If the poor thing even tried a diet, there would be nothing left of the puppy. I brought Bertie’s pet to my chest. “Yeah, Pudgy and I are pretty close now.”

“No, her name’s Puggy. I said ‘Puggy,’ as in Pug—not that there’s an ounce of Pug blood in her. Come here, little girl.” His hands went to me. I froze, and he took the puppy from my hands. He laughed when she went crazy with excitement.

It left my hands with nothing to do. I crossed them across my stomach. “At least her name isn’t ‘little rat-bear.’”

He gave me a complimentary smile. Apparently the joke wasn’t funny to everyone. He kissed the puppy’s head. “You are so adorable.” His eyes were on me.

“That’s what I think, too!” Ann-Marie stuck her face into the puppy’s belly, her red hair in Crawley’s face.

Time was running out. Taylor had to be at Longburn Lagoon by now. I didn’t know if Dancey was there, too, but we needed to lead Jennings over there to take her pictures. I desperately tried to think of a way to distract Crawley. “I lost Bertie,” I told him. “If you could find her and give her back her puppy, I’d be grateful forever.”

Crawley looked disgusted by the idea, which meant they were probably on the outs. Ann-Marie did too, and she came to his rescue. “I put Taylor’s cat in a room off the foyer,” she said. “You can just put Puggy in there and they can play together.”

Crawley looked to me for permission, and I hurriedly gave it. He left to fulfill my last request. Ann-Marie watched him go and turned back to me. “He’s yummy. You’re letting him get away?”

“No,” I nudged her to go after him. “You’ve got to catch him.”

“Jane!” She gave me a furious look that took me aback. “What am I? Do you just think I’m some idiot that you can send off to bug the people that you want off your back? You made me think I had a chance with Austen. I thought you and I were friends. Do you even see me as a real person?”

I felt terrible. The accusation compounded the shame that I was already feeling and I began to realize that I did some pretty stupid things. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

A big smile engulfed her face at my admission. “No, you don’t, but I’m still going to do it.” She rushed off after Crawley, leaving my heart racing at the emotional rollercoaster. I tried to stuff my guilty feelings away so I could worry about them another time. I had a party to flee.

Leaving the laughter and chatter far behind me, I rushed through Maple Grove and dialed Austen’s number. He answered after one ring. “I was just about to call you,” he said. “The target has taken the bait.”

“Really?” I had never felt more relieved. More than before I needed to be justified for what I was about to do. “Who is Bigley flirting with?”

“I can’t see. Just a sec. Let me get closer.”

“Jennings is there, right?” I asked. “She’ll have to take the pictures quick because we have to lead her to where Taylor and Dancey are meeting. But not right away. I want Dancey and Taylor to have a moment first. You know, one of those deep connecting moments where the girl knows the guy loves her and will do anything for her. When their eyes meet and—”

“Uh oh.”

My heart jumped at the alarm in his voice. “What?”

“It’s Junie. She’s with Chuck.”

Austen would never let Junie get involved in this. “Why Junie? Wait, they don’t have something going on, do they?”

“Jane. We don’t want compromising photographs of her with Chuck. She’ll get fired.”

He really cared about her, and despite my misgivings about Austen’s relationship with her, I knew he was right. “Okay, we can’t let that happen.” I tried to figure out a way around this. “Where’s Jennings?”

“No idea.”

“Just throw some sleazy girl at Bigley until I get there.”

“Easier said than . . .” his voice trailed off. “I just saw Jennings. She has her camera.”

My heart lurched. Junie would really have a reason to hate me now. I hadn’t meant to put her job in jeopardy. “I’m coming, Austen. I’m coming! Figure out a way to stop Jennings!”

I shut off my phone and took off at a run to stop the biggest disaster of my lifetime. The sand attacked my flip-flops and I kicked them off so that I could make record speeds to Churchell’s Shack.

Cigarette smoke filtered through my nostrils as soon as I ran up the rickety wooden steps to the bachelor party. DeBurgy stood near the top stair, puffing away. The guy wore another fitted suit, though he had loosened his tie.

The deep laughter made a huge contrast to Taylor’s party. I looked past the game tables full of cards, empty bottles and bowls of chips. Bigley’s dad was already passed out. Redd watched his heaving chest with pursed lips. Most of the men I didn’t recognize, but I saw Eddy wandering through the tables, snacking on peanuts and mints. Taylor’s dad was noticeably absent.

DeBurgy blew more smoke into my face and glared at Jennings. Dancey’s publicity manager had sniffed out the paparazzi easily. “A girl at a bachelor party?” He waved his cigarette the reporter’s direction.

Austen was trying to distract her with a big steak. Jennings wore a glorious maroon jumpsuit with a belt at the waist. I had to give it to her; she gave the party some class. This camera was even bigger than her last one.

I tried to search out Bigley in all this mess, and found him standing by the pool. Sure enough, Junie was there and the two talked in low voices. My blood boiled as my suspicions took form. Sure, Bigley had gotten to know Junie when Taylor had taken her to London, but to a blueblood like him, Junie would always be the help. Bigley was taking advantage of her. Jennings peered at them over Austen’s shoulder.

I felt DeBurgy’s hand at my back. “Go work your magic, event coordinator. Avert disaster.”

Bigley reached for Junie’s hand. I ran at him full speed. Jennings lifted her camera and I screamed out, making Bigley jump in alarm. Junie turned towards me, but their hands were still touching. Before Jennings could get any shots off with her camera, I shoved Bigley into the pool and fell in with him. We splashed hard. The water ran past my ears, and I sank to the bottom, holding on to the struggling Bigley the whole time.

I broke out of the water, hearing the pictures go off around me. Bigley splashed beside me. “What was that, Jane?”

My fingers loosed over his soaked shirt and I swam over to the side of the pool. “Just part of the bachelor party fun,” I shouted over my shoulder.

Austen reached for my hand to help me out. “Not quite what I pictured,” he said.

“Me neither,” Jennings said, coming our way. The material of her jumpsuit flapped around her legs like a tent. She cocked a brow at me and gave me a sour look.

I half-expected to see Junie join in with the glares, but she had disappeared. DeBurgy, too. I came out of the water, my hair dripping with the rest of my body. “These aren’t the photographs you want, Jennings.”

She laughed, which meant my mind tricks weren’t working on her. “Oh, they’ll do for now, unless I can find better ones?”

“You’ll get those at the Longburn Lagoon,” Austen told her in an undertone. I knew working with her was killing him. He watched her like she would grow fangs and devour us both.

“I was already there,” Jennings said in a smug voice. “I found nothing but a foosball table covered in poppies and some violinists playing a song by our favorite mutual acquaintance. Is this some sort of joke?”

Bigley wiped the water out of his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

He wasn’t drunk like I thought he’d be. I turned to him. “What were
you and Junie
talking about?”

He gave me a long stare in reply. It was all I needed to know. I bent my knees and pushed off the floor of the deck, racing down the flight of stairs to get back to Pemburkley Hall. I had to find Taylor and bring her to Dancey. A noise beside me alerted me that Austen had caught up. He raced beside me.

“Let’s drop this, Jane,” he said. “You tried everything that you could, but this isn’t working. Let’s just go back to the lobby before everyone finds out what we did and we lose all our self-respect.”

I only ran faster. Bigley had been flirting with Junie and he had been completely sober when he’d done it. I wasn’t going to let Taylor marry that guy.

The music got louder through Maple Grove. The singer wasn’t Dancey, but I had known it wouldn’t be. I turned the corner into Pemburkley Hall and found Dancey staring at the singer across from him. Dancey held a few forgotten poppies in his hand while Colin sang his heart out.

“Dancey,” I called. His eyes drew to mine. Austen stiffened beside me. I’d forgotten how much Austen hated the guy. This was going to be awkward.

Dancey motioned at the overly passionate singer. “What is that?” His British accent emphasized his disdain.

“Colin,” I answered. “Dancey, you were supposed to meet Taylor at Longburn Lagoon.”

“She wasn’t there, just a foosball table and . . .” He held up some of the poppies we left there.

“Yeah, yeah.” I nodded and picked up my phone to text Taylor.

ME: WHERE ARE YOU!

A few seconds later, I got a text back from her.

TAYLOR: MY CAT! MISTER IS STUCK IN A TREE!

But that plan had been shelved. It went under the potentially harmful category. Austen’s eyes were on me, and I hesitated before grabbing Dancey’s shoulder to shake it. The singer turned from Colin’s appalling performance. “Taylor’s cat is in trouble,” I said.

“Her cat?”

Austen’s expression went dark. I held up my hand before he could blow our cover. “Let me figure out where she is.” I hoped that this was fate working for us instead of against us. I dialed Taylor and put the phone to my ear. “Taylor,” I said as soon as she answered. “Where are you?”

“Outside. Just past Pemburkley.” She sounded frustrated.

I took off to where I thought she might be, picking my way through the grove of trees. Dancey and Austen followed close behind while Taylor recounted her troubles: “I never got to the lagoon to talk to Dancey. Colin passed me on my way and told me that he was taking Dancey’s place tonight. There was no way I was going to let him ruin my party, Jane! I went back, but Bertie stopped me and said . . . well, never mind what she said. And Crawley was singing that awful song in the background. Dancey must’ve put him up to it. I’m so mad! I finally got Bertie to stop complaining and left to give Dancey a piece of my mind, but then I found Mister crying from the top of a tree. Poor Mister! I’ve been trying to get him down, but Bertie’s dog is making so much noise that I can’t think.”

We took a bend in the pathway to see Taylor on the phone, holding a hand out to her cat who dangled from the lowest branch. Taylor was a few feet too short and couldn’t reach Mister. Bertie’s puppy circled the tree, yapping happily. Thinking back on Ann-Marie’s idea to lock the two animals together, I realized too late that that hadn’t been a good idea.

Dancey rushed to her side. She saw him coming and clung to his arm. “Help me, Dancey! Help me!”

“I . . .” he looked down at his leather flip-flops. “What do you want me to do? Throw my shoes at your cat?” She gave him one of her exasperated looks, and he amended his words. “We’ll climb the tree. Anyone wearing decent footwear?”

I was barefoot. Looking over at Austen, I saw his feet were bare too. They weren’t before. I smiled slowly. “Dancey, you’ll have to rescue Taylor’s cat.”

Dancey sighed and approached the tree. Taylor watched him breathlessly. Just as Dancey placed his hands on the tree, Bigley came from the shadows, his wet hair plastered back from his head, his shirt clinging to him after falling into the pool. He looked just as good as that six-hour
Pride and Prejudice
version of Darcy after his dip in the pond. My worried eyes went to Taylor.

“Dancey?” Bigley laughed at his best friend. “You’re not going to try to climb after that cat, are you? Grab the pokey little puppy; I’ve got this.” The moment Dancey gathered the puppy in his big hands, Bigley pulled the grilled Calamari from his plate of snacks that he had clearly snuck from the bachelorette party and now he dangled it under the cat. With no yapping puppy in the way, Mister trailed down the tree and claimed his prize.

“Naughty cat!” Taylor lectured. “Poor cat!” She went to Bigley to claim Mister. “I was so worried. Come here, baby.”

Flashing light followed by a popping in the darkness told me that Jennings was getting her pictures. Bigley smiled to himself and wrapped his muscular arms around Taylor, kissing her for the camera with their cat between them. I glared. The scene looked far too precious.

Austen nudged me, making my hands fall from my hips. “He’s not all bad,” he said.

My mouth hung open. “But . . .”

“He saved the cat. He’s a hero.”

Clearly he was being sarcastic, but Taylor was impressed with him, and that meant our plan was ruined. She covered Bigley with kisses. “Oh, thank you! Thank you!”

Clapping and laughter followed the romantic scene. A small crowd had gathered near the tree. Many of Chuck and Taylor’s friends and family had escaped the Colin show to watch the drama unfold in Maple Grove.

The original Mrs. Bigley drew her brows together, annoyed. “Why is my son all wet?”

A deep, masculine voice answered her with a snort. “Jane pushed him into the pool.” The observation came from Redd. He glared at me from the shadows.

Taylor looked shocked. She pulled from Bigley. “What? Why?”

Because her fiancé was flirting with Junie.

“Where’s my baby? Oh there’s my baby!” Bertie ran into the circle to reach Dancey, using every excuse to touch him while she pet down her little dog’s ears. “Come here, honey. Jane!” She turned to me once she had her puppy in hand. “I gave you little Puggy to watch. How did she get out here?”

I wasn’t about to punish Ann-Marie for helping me. I lifted my shoulders. “I’m sorry. She got away.”

Taylor’s hand grew still over Bigley as she watched me get accused of everything. Unfortunately, DeBurgy chose that moment to make his un-timely appearance. He pulled his cigarette from his lips, looking bored as he took in the scene. “It’s just a cat anyway,” he said. “Can we go in now and eat?” He gave me an appraising look, and then his eyes slid over me to Dancey. “I think we should leave these two lovebirds alone.”