Caroline took a sip of coffee, turned to Lizzy and Jane, and said in a quiet voice, “I’m serious what I said, girls, about taking it easy today. Starting Monday we are going to be sleeping on the buses and performing for eight days straight. I want you to do whatever you have to do to get your heads on straight today, because it’s going to be rough.”
“Thanks, Caro, we will,” Jane answered, touched by her concern.
“Would you like to see the city today, Jane?” Charles asked warmly. “Just you and me?”
Jane smiled delightedly at his suggestion.
Elizabeth had been idly looking in Darcy’s direction, and she noticed his brows come together at Charles’s offer. She knew Darcy didn’t like Charles spending time with Jane; after all, Jane was clearly just using him to get what she could from him. The taste in her mouth turned bitter, and she took a gulp of coffee to wash it away.
The next two days quickly passed into routine for Elizabeth: breakfast meetings, quiet afternoons, shows at night, followed by late-night swims, and bed. She ignored Darcy as much as possible, being formal and polite to him when she could not.
Monday morning found her getting up even earlier than usual (not a pretty sight) and dragging herself down to breakfast and the buses.
A trio of buses waited for them. The first was the domain of Slurry, the second was for Darcy’s top staff, and the third would be the on-the-road home of Long Borne Suffering. Richard casually informed her that three more buses carrying the crew had left the night before, with all the sets and equipment on trucks.
Elizabeth couldn’t repress her smile as she climbed up into the bus, her guitars in each hand. The bus was like a huge, elegantly appointed motor home: two sets of bunks on the right side, a dinette and kitchen area on the left, and couches in the back. Spontaneous laughter bubbled up out of the three women over the novelty of the experience.
“I’m glad you like it,” Alex observed as he climbed up the steps, “because you are going to be here for a while.”
“It’s great, Alex,” Elizabeth grinned as Charlotte loudly announced the discovery of a deluxe entertainment center in the back.
Tour life settled into a routine as well. The novelty of the bus wore off quickly, but the girls’ spirits were kept up by their nightly performances.
Each morning the tour had breakfast together, at a restaurant either on the road or in the city where they would perform that night. After breakfast, the two bands would often mingle. Charles was a frequent visitor to the LBS bus, and he and Jane would talk and entertain each other for hours. Charlotte and Elizabeth would sometimes visit the Slurry bus, usually to hang with Richard, or he would visit them. An easy camaraderie developed between the groups as they learned more about each other. They learned that Elizabeth was a complete bitch in the morning until she had her coffee; that Jane was as sweet as she appeared; that Charlotte was the least romantic woman on the planet; that Richard was easygoing and had a self-effacing joke about everything; and that Charles would do anything for a friend. Only Darcy remained apart.
When she wasn’t talking to her friends or rehearsing, Elizabeth spent her time balanced between writing songs, playing her guitar, and working on her computer. She noticed that the amount of hits to the LBS website had increased greatly during their first week on tour, and she was answering more fan email than ever before.
Tuesday was the first night they were not performing, and the girls relished not only the time off but also the idea of sleeping in a bed that was not traveling down the highway. As they settled into the luxurious suite, Caroline invited the girls to go out that night with her, Charles, and Richard. They agreed happily.
“Why isn’t Darcy coming?” Elizabeth wondered out loud after Caroline left.
“He probably doesn’t want to get snarled at by you,” Charlotte said bluntly as she carried her bag to her room.
“I do not snarl,” Elizabeth objected.
“Oh no. Never,” Charlotte called out sarcastically. “Just like you never stare at him either.”
“Lizzy,” Jane said gently to Elizabeth’s surprised and questioning look, “I know you don’t snarl, but the fact of the matter is that someone who doesn’t know you as well as we do might think you are being a little short with Will.”
“I have been perfectly polite.”
“Yes, you have, but we all know that you are only ‘polite’ with people you dislike.” Jane turned to her bed and opened her suitcase. “It’s possible that Will has noticed this, too.”
“Since when have you called him Will?” Elizabeth asked, amazed.
“Lizzy,” Charlotte began as she reemerged from her bedroom, “I don’t know what you have against him, but maybe you should try being a little nicer to him.”
“You don’t know?” Lizzy repeated incredibly, her exasperation rising. “Charlotte, I told you what he said to me; you heard what he called us when he met us!”
Charlotte rolled her eyes.
“And have you seen the way he looks at Jane and Charles? It’s clear that he hates the fact that they are getting close.”
Jane looked away, embarrassed.
“Are you telling me you know what he’s thinking, Lizzy?” Charlotte asked quietly.
Elizabeth stopped short, her mouth hanging open.
“Look,” Charlotte continued, “I’ll be the first to admit, he’s not Mr. Congeniality, but you are not even giving the man a chance, and that’s not like you.”
Elizabeth looked puzzled at her friend, then to her sister. “Jane? Have I been rude to Darcy?” she asked in a doubtful voice.
“No,” Jane assured her, “you are never rude. But you haven’t made him feel accepted either, and I think it’s possible that this is why he isn’t joining us tonight.”
Elizabeth stood still for a moment, thinking. Had she been the one being standoffish? She had always blamed it on Darcy, but perhaps she hadn’t given him a chance. She remembered the night of the first show, when he gave her advice about performing. Their interaction had been odd, but still it was good advice, and she hadn’t thanked him for it. She realized if Charles or Richard had done the same, she would have made a point of thanking either one of them afterward.
As soon as she realized her friends were correct, she was resolved to try to amend her behavior. She didn’t like it, but she was determined to try to mend fences with Darcy. Setting her jaw, she walked out of her suite and knocked on the door to Darcy’s rooms. It was only afterward, when it was too late, that she questioned her impulsive behavior. What if they were wrong and Darcy was staying in for other reasons? She wondered if perhaps he wasn’t alone in his room, when the door opened.
His eyes flared for just a moment in surprise when he saw her. Elizabeth screwed up her nerve and pushed forward. “Hi,” she smiled. “Do you have a moment? I’d like to talk to you.”
Without a word, Darcy opened the door wide and stood aside. Darcy’s rooms were similar to her own. The living room was empty, except for his guitar resting on the couch. Elizabeth walked to the sitting area and asked uncomfortably, “Were you doing something?”
Darcy shook his head as he sat down on the couch, drawing the guitar back into his lap. “I was just playing,” he answered softly, looking down at his instrument and then fixing her eyes with his gaze. He indicated the love seat next to the couch where he sat and once she was seated, asked, “What’s on your mind?”
Elizabeth stared at his fingers, which were instinctively curling around the neck of the guitar. “I, um,” she stopped and looked down. Then started again. “I’m sorry; this is a little difficult for me. I realized today that I have been pretty rude to you, and I apologize. You have been trying to be friendly and I’ve been blowing you off and that’s not like me, really.” She shrugged uncomfortably. “So, I came to say I’m sorry.”