almost out of the conservatory, where the orchestra had begun a series of melancholy show tunes, when they came upon Cole standing apart from his family. He didn’t see them but looked longingly toward where the Taggerts stood talking with CJ Larson.
“So what do you think of CJ’s new look?” Elizabeth asked from behind him.
Cole pivoted to face her and Jack Alton. “What did you have to do with this? CJ never dresses like that.”
Elizabeth held up her hand, suddenly fighting a smile. Cole was down for the count. “It’s Hope’s dress and shoes. All I did was stop by to make sure CJ didn’t embarrass you tonight.”
“I’d never be embarrassed by CJ,” Cole snapped.
Elizabeth arched her brow and adopted the persona of the idle rich she often taunted Cole with. “Believe me, you would have died rather than walk in here with her dressed in a pair of velvet jeans and a silk shirt.”
Cole gritted his teeth. “I wouldn’t have cared. It might have made tonight easier. Did you ever think of that?” He didn’t wait for a reply but stalked away.
Elizabeth chuckled, sure the look she shot him was all the answer he needed to decipher her twofold mission. The Lexingtons would have torn CJ apart had Elizabeth and Hope not acted, and it was an added bonus that Cole would have a hard time resisting CJ’s obvious charms.
“I don’t get you two. Why was he so mad and why were you so—”
“Difficult? You have a sister, right? Try using the same frame of reference for me and Cole.”
Elizabeth watched Jack’s eyes go from confused to thoughtful, a little smile tipping his lips. Suddenly he made sense to her. He really was jealous of Cole. She hadn’t believed it when he’d confessed earlier. For asecond she felt all the feminine power she’d ever dreamed of possessing. But reality quickly intruded. She had no idea what to do with such power, and the thought of trying to use it terrified her.
Chapter Nine
J ackson stared ahead, trying on Elizabeth’s suggestion for size. His sister, Crystal, was his best friend, and though no one knew it but a few close family members, they weren’t any more related than Elizabeth and Cole. Crystal and Jackson had also developed a weird kind of silent communication, and it often took only a look to know what the other was thinking. And that was what Elizabeth was trying to tell him. It was what she’d already told him last Sunday at church. He let it sink in. Cole had never stood between them. Jackson’s imagination had.
He looked across the dance floor as Cole asked a gorgeous blonde to dance. “Don’t look now but I think your plan just backfired.”
Elizabeth giggled. “No, it didn’t. That is CJ Larson.”
After recovering from the shock of hearing Elizabeth Boyer giggle, Jackson blinked and looked again.Sure enough…“No way. Oh, Cole’s a goner,” he pronounced after identifying the trainer’s features. He turned to Elizabeth and felt as if his heart were being squeezed in a vise. Her eyes were alight with mischief, and her smile gleamed wide and undisguised. He felt love for her swell inside him till he thought he would burst.
Then he caught sight of the forbidding figures of Reginald and Louise Boyer standing in the doorway and his joy evaporated. Her parents were going to be a problem. They were clearly livid that he was with their daughter. She didn’t seem to care, but how could that be? He remembered what Meg had said about the couple as parents and what Elizabeth had said about trying to adjust to being considered a failure by her mother. Would Elizabeth continue to defy them or eventually seek their favor?
Tonight it didn’t seem to matter, Jackson realized. If heartbreak lay ahead, then he might as well steam on toward it because when Elizabeth opened her door earlier tonight, she’d sealed his destiny.
He knew the second her parents spotted them and moved forward. Jackson decided to put off another confrontation. “You know what? I
“So what do you think of CJ’s new look?” Elizabeth asked from behind him.
Cole pivoted to face her and Jack Alton. “What did you have to do with this? CJ never dresses like that.”
Elizabeth held up her hand, suddenly fighting a smile. Cole was down for the count. “It’s Hope’s dress and shoes. All I did was stop by to make sure CJ didn’t embarrass you tonight.”
“I’d never be embarrassed by CJ,” Cole snapped.
Elizabeth arched her brow and adopted the persona of the idle rich she often taunted Cole with. “Believe me, you would have died rather than walk in here with her dressed in a pair of velvet jeans and a silk shirt.”
Cole gritted his teeth. “I wouldn’t have cared. It might have made tonight easier. Did you ever think of that?” He didn’t wait for a reply but stalked away.
Elizabeth chuckled, sure the look she shot him was all the answer he needed to decipher her twofold mission. The Lexingtons would have torn CJ apart had Elizabeth and Hope not acted, and it was an added bonus that Cole would have a hard time resisting CJ’s obvious charms.
“I don’t get you two. Why was he so mad and why were you so—”
“Difficult? You have a sister, right? Try using the same frame of reference for me and Cole.”
Elizabeth watched Jack’s eyes go from confused to thoughtful, a little smile tipping his lips. Suddenly he made sense to her. He really was jealous of Cole. She hadn’t believed it when he’d confessed earlier. For asecond she felt all the feminine power she’d ever dreamed of possessing. But reality quickly intruded. She had no idea what to do with such power, and the thought of trying to use it terrified her.
Chapter Nine
J ackson stared ahead, trying on Elizabeth’s suggestion for size. His sister, Crystal, was his best friend, and though no one knew it but a few close family members, they weren’t any more related than Elizabeth and Cole. Crystal and Jackson had also developed a weird kind of silent communication, and it often took only a look to know what the other was thinking. And that was what Elizabeth was trying to tell him. It was what she’d already told him last Sunday at church. He let it sink in. Cole had never stood between them. Jackson’s imagination had.
He looked across the dance floor as Cole asked a gorgeous blonde to dance. “Don’t look now but I think your plan just backfired.”
Elizabeth giggled. “No, it didn’t. That is CJ Larson.”
After recovering from the shock of hearing Elizabeth Boyer giggle, Jackson blinked and looked again.Sure enough…“No way. Oh, Cole’s a goner,” he pronounced after identifying the trainer’s features. He turned to Elizabeth and felt as if his heart were being squeezed in a vise. Her eyes were alight with mischief, and her smile gleamed wide and undisguised. He felt love for her swell inside him till he thought he would burst.
Then he caught sight of the forbidding figures of Reginald and Louise Boyer standing in the doorway and his joy evaporated. Her parents were going to be a problem. They were clearly livid that he was with their daughter. She didn’t seem to care, but how could that be? He remembered what Meg had said about the couple as parents and what Elizabeth had said about trying to adjust to being considered a failure by her mother. Would Elizabeth continue to defy them or eventually seek their favor?
Tonight it didn’t seem to matter, Jackson realized. If heartbreak lay ahead, then he might as well steam on toward it because when Elizabeth opened her door earlier tonight, she’d sealed his destiny.
He knew the second her parents spotted them and moved forward. Jackson decided to put off another confrontation. “You know what? I
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