If The Shoe Fits (28 page)

He did take great satisfaction in the shudder
that rippled through her, but it took her less than ten seconds to
shut down. He didn’t want to take the damn call.

“
You should answer that.” She
turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm.

“
Coach can wait. Talk to me,
Bella.”

“
It’s nothing, Reese.” She
wouldn’t look at him.

“
I’m not going to apologize for
kissing you.”

She looked at him then, and man, he wished she
hadn’t. There was such sadness in her eyes.

“
It was a mistake.”

Kelly buzzed him again.

Reese jabbed the button. “Kel, tell Coach I’ll
call him back.” Then he shut the damn thing off. “Like hell it was
a mistake. You can’t tell me you don’t feel what’s between us,
Bella.”

“
It doesn’t matter. It
can’t
matter.” She wrapped her arms around herself and
turned away again. “I should have just called you and told you
instead of coming over here. There can’t be anything between
us.”

His knees hadn’t given way during that kiss,
but her words threatened to take them out from under him, so he
leaned against his desk. “There already is something, Bella. You
were as involved in that kiss as I was.”

“
Okay, so, maybe there’s an
attraction—”

“
There’s no maybe about it.” He
refrained from proving it to her. Barely. “Is there someone
else?”

She started to shake her head, then stopped.
Her blue eyes flickered toward him, then away. “Yes. There’s
someone else.”

“
I don’t believe you.”

She straightened her shoulders and smoothed
her hands over her shorts. “You don’t have to believe me. Not about
this. All you have to believe is that I’ll prepare the best food
for your event to make it a success. But anything else is out of
the question.”

Chapter
Twenty-Eight

Bella shut her bedroom door behind her,
seeking a few moments of peace before Sophia would be home. With
Madeleine around, there was rarely any.

She leaned against her pink fluffy robe,
trying to recapture the serenity she always found in her room. The
decor hadn’t changed much since she and Mom had chosen the sunshine
yellow paint on the walls and the rainbow patchwork quilt that
summer before Sophia had been born. They’d had the most wonderful
few weeks selecting paint and accessories for this room and the
nursery. Everything had been right with her world.

Then.

Bella flopped onto the bed. Everything since?
Definitely not right.

And now there was Reese to complicate
matters.

She put her fingers on her lips, still able to
feel him there. If it hadn’t been for that phone call, God knew how
long they would have continued.

He’d looked surprised when she’d pulled away.
He’d also looked delicious, but she had to forget that and
everything else she found appealing about him.

She’d tried the relationship thing a few
times, once even talking about moving in with her boyfriend. That
had been when boarding school brochures had begun appearing on the
coffee tables.

The woman would have a fit if she actually got
involved with Reese.

Madeleine was going to be unbearable when his
mother got the Board position. Jolie was absolutely right on that
front. The best Bella could do was be as innocent as possible when
the fall-out hit.

But here, in her room, she could allow herself
to imagine that things were different. That she and Reese could
examine their attraction without threats or manipulations hovering
over their heads.

She stared at the ceiling and tossed her hands
back over her head. Something clinked. Mr. Griff’s coins. Sophia
must have left them there.

She sifted through them, letting them fall
onto her chest, each one like a tear falling onto her heart. Other
people worked and raised children as single parents; if only she
could.

She closed her fist over the coins. But other
people weren’t fighting Madeleine.

She softly thumped her fist against her chest.
No. Such. Thing. As. Fairy. Tales.

Or Prince Charming.

***

Jonathan Griff sat on the park bench outside
Reese’s office building and tapped the iTouch screen to close out
the image of Bella in her room. Just a little longer then Bella
could have her happily ever after.

Chapter
Twenty-Nine

“
Oh, let’s see, Gus! Don’t be such
a spoilsport!” Perla teetered on her high-heeled sandals and ran to
Casteleoni’s lunch counter, her bangle bracelets clanging like a
drunken percussion section after he’d made the mistake of telling
her that Gus had made something special for Bella. He should have
known the woman would hound his partner until Gus gave
in.

Unfortunately for Perla, Gus had no intention.
Giac had tried it himself.

“
This gift is for my Bella,
Perla.” Gus tapped her on the nose. “Not you. Only she can open
it.”

“
He won’t even show me,” said
Giac. “Says Bella’s the one who gets to see it first.”

Perla harrumphed and settled on a stool next
to him. Giac covered his laugh with his hand. She acted like she
was six instead of sixty. But she was a good woman and really cared
for their Bella.

As did the rest of their regular customers.
Giac surveyed the restaurant as nostalgia swept over him. They’d
watched Bella grow up here, from a happy-go-lucky cherished little
princess to an overworked, overly responsible serving
girl.

Which was not what Sal and Ana had envisioned
for her. But Giac could think of no way to alter the status
quo.

The door chimes tinkled as Reese walked
in.

Hmmm...perhaps there
was
a way to
change Bella’s situation. Maybe, if they played their cards right,
Bella just might end up with the winning hand.
And
Prince
Charming.

Giac slid off the stool and walked over to the
newest player in the Casteleoni saga.

“
Hello, Reese. Bella’s not in yet
today. Last minute details, I’m sure.” Giac guided Reese further
into the restaurant. He didn’t want the guy to bolt before he had a
chance to work on him, er, talk to him. “Why don’t you have a seat
over here and I’ll get you an early lunch.”

“
Thanks, Giac, but I’m meeting
someone. She should be here any minute.” Reese helped himself to a
table.

Meeting someone
? Well, that threw Giac
for a loop. He shoved his hands to his hips and felt his mouth fall
open. Was the man completely blind to Bella’s feelings?

Meeting someone
? The nerve of that
no-good, two-timing, stuck-on-himself, son-of-a-gun! And to bring
her around
here
! Why, Giac’d show him! When he was through
with Reese, the man would be squeaking like a mouse in a trap. Who
did he think he could get that was better than their Bella?
Probably some high-maintenance, Miss Richie Rich Pants with more
money than sense who—

“
Reese, darling.”

Giac spun around.
Oh
.

“
Hi, Mom,” said Reese.

Giac closed his mouth, dropped his fists, and
plastered the most welcoming smile on his face he could
muster.

The guy took his mother to lunch. Sheesh! He
just flew to the top of Giac’s list as Most Eligible Man for
Bella.

“
Giac, this is my mother,
Carolyn—”

“
Carolyn Charmant, yes I know.”
Giac swept into a bow over the movie star’s hand, placing a
reverent kiss upon the back of it. “Welcome to Casteleoni’s. It is
such a pleasure to have you join us. I’ve seen every one of your
films. I must say, my particular favorite was your first Camelot
film. That dress you wore in the coronation scene was to die for!
It must have weighed a ton! And you looked so regal in it. So
effortless. Truly a wonderful piece of work.”

Carolyn laughed and extricated her hand. “Why,
thank you. It’s always nice to meet a fan.”

“
See, Mom? I told you you wouldn’t
have to worry about being embarrassed.”

Giac shut down the gushing. “Oh, my apologies.
I’m so sorry. I’ll just seat you right over there where you’ll be
out of the—”

“
Oh, no. You misunderstood.”
Carolyn patted his arm and Giac decided he was not going to let Gus
wash his sleeve ever. This shirt would be framed and hung next to
the autographed program from Tony Orlando’s last dinner theater
show. “My son has talked me into donating something for the
hospital event. He seems to think there’s a great demand, but I
wasn’t sure.”

“
I’m sure it will be one of the
most bid-upon items at the auction.” Giac would make sure of it.
And
that he won it.

“
See, Mom?” Reese said as Giac
headed back into the kitchen. “You still have that star quality. I
tell you, your donation is going to be a big hit.”

His mother laughed. “I’m glad you still think
of me as a star, but I’m afraid that shine has dimmed somewhat. I’m
sure there’d be much more interest if you were donating something.
Dinner and dancing? Or maybe just a kiss.” She patted his hand.
“The winner might be able to take your mind off that other man’s
wife.”

Reese stared at his mother’s hand on his,
trying not to stare out the window for a glimpse of Bella. Why had
he thought bringing his mom here would be a good idea? Getting shot
down by Bella yesterday hadn’t done enough damage to his ego? And
his heart? But he wanted to see her again and this lunch was the
perfect excuse. “She’s not his wife.”

“
What?”

Reese glanced up to see his mother’s surprised
expression. “I guess I forgot to mention that. Bella’s his niece,
not his wife.”

“
His niece. Hmm. Interesting
little tidbit to forget to tell me. I’ve been so worried about you,
about how you would be dealing with your feelings and all the
last-minute arrangements, but you forget to tell me this? You do
know I had the Arts Center Board members rearrange their schedule
to accommodate my visit today just for you, don’t you?”

“
Arts Center?”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “Don’t try to
change the subject, Reese. The Arts Center Board is considering
asking me to be a member and we’re going to discuss it this
afternoon. But first, I want to find out about Bella.”

“
Mom.” Reese sighed. “I’m a grown
man. I don’t need you to worry about my love life.”

“
Nonsense. You’re my son. I’ll
worry about you forever. Especially your love life. And somebody
has to worry about it or how will I get grandchildren?”

Worrying did not make babies. Reese knew
exactly
what did and for the first time in his life, he was
actually thinking about it as a reality not an abstract. Which only
added to the pain of Bella pulling away from him. “You already have
six grandkids, Mom.”

“
I mean yours, dear.”

“
They’re going to be a ways off.
Right now, I’ve got this business to run. That’s enough of a child
for me at the moment.”

His mother cocked her head and just looked at
him. Reese started to squirm. Big words coming from him when he’d
gone running to her with his doomed feelings for Bella. He rubbed
the back of his neck.

“
So, if she’s his niece, why
haven’t you called her? Why the long face? I’d think you’d be
jumping for joy that she’s free.”

Reese looked up. “It’s
complicated.”

“
Oh, honey. Now what?”

“
Mom, you’re talking to me like
I’m ten.”

His mother sat back, her lips
pinched.

Reese sighed. “I’m sorry. This is more than
some crush that a soda and a double scoop of ice cream can
cure.”

“
I can see that. And I want to
help in any way I can. I’m your mother; your happiness is important
to me. It’s one of the cardinal rules of parenting. We never
outgrow it.”

“
I’m glad you’re my mom.” He meant
the words. His was a close family, normal sibling spats aside, and
they all knew they could count on each other. Which is why he’d
shared his feelings for Bella with her. “But I have to handle this
myself. There’s nothing you can do.”

“
If you say so.” She tapped the
fork tines on her napkin.

“
Mom, don’t.”

“
Don’t what?”

She could still guilt him into confessing his
secrets even at his age. “Like I said, it’s complicated. I can’t
risk my business by starting a relationship with someone who works
for me. And Bella says the same thing.” And that was the story he
was sticking with. Not the fact that even though he’d kissed her,
even though there was major chemistry between them, he apparently
wasn’t worth the risk.

First his heart, then his ego. Bella had
shredded both of them. Yet still he couldn’t get her out of his
mind.

His phone vibrated in his pocket. Reese
grabbed it, glad of the distraction, and his fingers brushed
against some change he’d forgotten he had.