Chapter Four
“How’d you know I like my burger this way?” Miles asked after unwrapping one. “Or that I like Dr. Pepper with cherry syrup?” He pointed to the Styrofoam cup with his name written on it.
“I told Mr. Duggans at the diner that I was bringing lunch over here but wasn’t sure what the two of you liked.”
“And he told you?”
“It’s not a national secret, Miles. It’s a damn hamburger.”
“I know, but what else is anyone going spill around her because she’s a pretty face? Did he tell you that he had to mortgage that place after what your brother did?”
Bella nodded. “He made a point of reminding me about Artie and what happened. I apologized. It was all I could do. And he didn’t tell me what you like to eat. He made it without telling me.”
Travis spoke up. “Glad he didn’t give you any more trouble than that.”
Bella blushed and glanced away for a second, then back again, composed once more. “It helped that Mrs. Cleary was with me. One look at her and he turned into a pussycat.”
To both Bella’s and Travis’ surprise, Miles laughed at that. “I bet that was a sight to see.”
“Does he have a crush on her?”
Miles choked on his drink. “Oh God, I hope not. I don’t need that visual.”
Travis shivered in disgust. Mr. Duggan was well over six feet tall and three hundred pounds if he was an ounce. That wasn’t what freaked most people out, though. It was the size of his hands. He had small, dainty hands that didn’t belong on a man of his shape and stature. To imagine those hands and that man and a formidable, albeit beautiful older woman such as Mrs. Cleary? “No one needs that visual.”
Bella laughed. “It’s sweet.”
Miles coughed. “Not if she has a crush on him too.”
“She doesn’t. She’s still in love with her husband. She’ll never marry again.”
“He’s been dead for what?” Travis tried to remember. “Twenty years?”
“Love like that is rare,” Bella said. Her voice was soft and Travis turned his head. She was picking a French fry apart and looking down at her lap. Something about her in that moment tugged at him, deep down inside. He’d never thought about love, falling in it, being a victim of it.
He’d seen too many people hurt by and in the name of love. He wasn’t a cynic. His parents had loved each other. He loved his family, but romantic love for himself? It never interested him.
But with Bella sitting next to him, a ray of sunshine in the dingy, gray surroundings of the garage office? He could see how love like that might be a good thing.
For the next little while, the three of them ate in silence. Miles had perched himself on the edge of the rickety metal desk. Travis caught his brother staring at Bella every so often, a curious look on his face. There wasn’t a trace of anger, but Miles’ posture was stiff. He didn’t look ready to bolt, so that was an improvement. But it seemed more as if he were trying to figure her out.
Good luck with that. Travis gave himself a mental shake. No matter how many days he spent with her, enjoying the decadence of her body, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to figure her out, either.
She looked different to him today, too. She looked less drawn, less stressed. The blue of her eyes seemed brighter and she’d worn her hair down.
“So, umm … How’ve you been, Miles?”
Travis’ gaze flicked from Bella to Miles. His brother looked like a deer in headlights and Travis wondered if he should jump in to change the subject. He decided against it. He had a feeling Bella could handle herself with Miles.
“I suppose all right. Considering.” His voice was hard, but all Bella did was nod.
“I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? You’re sorry?”
“Yes.”
“And you think that makes it okay? That you’re sorry? Do you know what I’d like to do to your brother?”
Bella nodded again. “Beat the shit out of him?”
Miles deflated somewhat. “Well, uh …”
“You’re not the only one who feels that way,” she assured him. “Even I wish I could. He’d grind me into dust because he’s so much bigger and I fight like a girl, but I’d like to take a swing at him too. I’ll be living with what he did forever.”
“It’s not your place to apologize for him, Bells.”
“I know. But someone has to. Artie won’t. I can’t give you or Miles your money back. I can’t give anyone their money back. All I have is an apology to offer. You were able to keep your business though, right?” She was addressing Miles again. “Didn’t you take over your father’s business? Thought I’d heard that several years ago.”
“Yes. I was able to keep hold of the business. I’ve had to spread it out, travel farther sometimes for the work, but yeah, the business is still in the family.”
“You ever do any painting?” she asked.
“Yeah,” Miles replied, confusion evident in his tone.
Travis nudged her. “You thinkin’ to get rid of that God-awful purple?”
Bella groaned. “It’s a dream. I doubt I can talk the owners into it, but I was thinking of trying in the fall. Of course, there’s the issue of my car that has much higher priority, but it’s a dream. I could organize a painting party. If I found a couple guys to provide the labor, I’d provide the paint, beer and food.”
“Miles would do it for the beer alone.”
Miles tossed a wadded up napkin at Travis. “I’m not that easy. Throw in pizza and I might be, but not for beer alone.”
Bella laughed, Travis smiled, and Miles was still uneasy, but with a little time he’d come around. Or Travis would have to deck some sense into his brother.
Bella broke the silence that had once more fallen around them in the small room. “I need to get back to work. Mrs. Cleary kinda gave me the evil eye when I headed out this way. Thanks for letting me hang around.”
“Thank you for bringing lunch over. I’d have worked right through and so would Miles. It was nice of you.” Travis slanted a look at Miles, who watched the exchange between him and Bella.
“Y’all aren’t foolin’ me. Go on, Trav. Kiss her. You know you wanna.”
Bella blushed, ducked her head and stood. She wouldn’t look at him. Instead, she gathered her half-eaten lunch and her purse. “See ya.” It was all she said but it was enough.
“Asshole,” Travis muttered in the direction of his brother, to which Miles shrugged. But to Bella, he said, “He’s right though.”
Travis wrapped his hand around Bella’s upper arm and tugged her toward him. He slanted his head, gave it half a shake when she started to speak, and took her mouth with his.
She tasted of salt and ketchup and cherry. It wasn’t the sexiest taste, but he didn’t care. She was the sexiest woman, and when she melted into his kiss, slid her tongue along his … He nearly forgot himself and his surroundings.
“I’ll pick you up from work in a few hours,” he said after. She licked her lips and looked up at him with lust-filled eyes. Damn, she was hell on his self-control.
“Okay.”
“Damn. I need a cold shower,” Miles commented after Bella had left the office.
“Shut up.”
“I’m serious. You might as well have gotten naked and fucked for as hot as that was.”
“Drop it, Miles. It was only a kiss.”
“Right. If that was only a kiss then I’m only the Pope.”
Travis flipped him off and walked out of the office after tossing his trash in the can. He resumed his position under the hood of the Wagoneer and did his best to concentrate on the job.
It was only a kiss. Miles was blowing it out of proportion. Travis knew the kisses between him and Bella in private were singe-the-paint-off-the-walls hot, but in his office? Not in the same league.
He grabbed the earbuds and turned his music back on. The wrench was within reach and soon he was back in the zone of his work. He wouldn’t concern himself with the fact that every few minutes he glanced up at the clock to find the time.
Shit.
* * * * *
Bella locked the cash register and hung her smock on its designated hook. The hours after lunch dragged on. At one point, she’d been pretty convinced that closing time would never come.
Mrs. Cleary was gone by the time Bella returned from Travis’ garage but that hadn’t been surprising. She always left after lunch, leaving the afternoon work for Bella. Together they handled the most pressing orders in the mornings, and Bella did a lot of prep after lunch.
It was summertime and the majority of their work came from the endless weddings in and around town. There was a great deal of work that came from Knoxville society, too. Bella had no idea how Mrs. Cleary made those contacts, but she was impressed.
One last glance around the flower shop to ensure everything was in its place and that the lights were out. Mrs. Cleary liked things a certain way and Bella liked her job. She wanted to keep it, too. So, she did all she could to build trust.
Bella stepped outside into the blazing late afternoon sun. She was more than ready to see Travis again.
Hell, she was beyond ready to strip naked and fuck him. She was pretty sure naked wasn’t even necessary.
Seeing him in the middle of the day hadn’t been the plan. And she was well aware that it had been a bold move. In hindsight, maybe not the best one. Miles’ reception had been less than friendly, but she hadn’t expected any different. Not really.
She hadn’t wanted to make trouble for Travis. Still didn’t. But then, she’d walked into his garage, in front of his brother, pretty as she pleased with lunch for them all. Travis seemed both happy and uncertain about her showing up. Miles alternated between curiosity and looking as though he wanted to chew nails.
She’d never had much interaction with Miles before Artie’s mess and she hadn’t had any at all since. Until today.
Her apology had been sincere, same as it had been with everyone else she’d offered one too. She didn’t blame Miles for looking at her with derision, but she hoped that in time it would fade some. Making friends had proved difficult and when her little affair with Travis was over, she’d like to count him as a friend.
“I need some roses.”
Bella turned to find Mr. Martin lumbering toward her. He’d never liked her much. Less so after finding her with his nephew in the screwdriver section of his family’s hardware store.
She kept her gaze steady and hoped her voice matched. Mrs. Cleary wouldn’t approve of rudeness. “I’m sorry. We’re closed.”
“You’ll have to open up again. I need roses.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Martin. Mrs. Cleary’s orders. We close at five. If there are customers after that, they have to come back.” She pulled the key from the lock and turned around, looking for an escape or, at the very least, Travis’ truck.
“She’ll make an exception for me,” Mr. Martin countered.
Bella shifted. She didn’t like the look on his face, the bright-red coloring, the cold gray eyes. He wasn’t an attractive man and his bullying only made him less so. She didn’t know if Mrs. Cleary would’ve made an exception for Mr. Martin or not and she wasn’t quite sure what to do.
“Young woman, if you don’t open that door, I won’t be giving my business to this flower shop any longer. Loyalty may mean nothing to you and your brother, but Mrs. Cleary understands it. Now, I need roses for my wife’s birthday.”
She hated how he intimidated her. She glanced from him, then back at the door. She unlocked it even though she didn’t want to. She would’ve rather stuck her tongue out at the man and walked away. She hoped Mrs. Cleary would understand.
She gave Mr. Martin a timid smile. “Come on in.” His stunned look made her smile bigger and boosted her confidence. “What color roses would your wife like? We have some beautiful red ones, but those are so commonplace. Mrs. Martin deserves something a little more special, don’t you think?”
Bella kept up the one-sided conversation, her tone as light and bubbly as she could make it. She didn’t even check to see if Mr. Martin had, in fact, followed her. She set her purse on the counter and stood in front of the cases, gazing in at the variety of bright blooms.
“She doesn’t like red roses.”
“Smart woman. I don’t like red roses either.” She sent a wink in the now-uncomfortable man’s direction. He’d followed her in all right, but only just. “My favorites are coral ones. Between pink and orange. Gorgeous. Are roses her favorite?”
“I don’t know. I always get her roses for her birthday.”
“Let’s see if we can come up with something else. Tulips? Daisies?” At his shrug, Bella nodded. “Hmm. Well, I’ll work on it for a few minutes. Why don’t you pick out a card from the rack over there, while I see to the flowers.”
Bella considered the options in front of her. Various blooms in a rainbow of brilliant colors. Sometimes the fragrances and different hues of purples and pinks and yellows were enough to make her smile. Especially when dealing with surly customers.
“What’s your wife’s favorite color, Mr. Martin?” Bella asked, reaching for sprigs of baby’s breath.
“Purple. That woman loves purple.”
Bella looked over, stunned to find such a soft, tender smile on the always gruff man’s face. “Purple it is then.” She set the baby’s breath back in its place and took out a handful of purple limonium stems. She used the tiny lavender blooms for filler as much as baby’s breath, but liked the added pop of color better.
She also gathered purple daisies, pink and white carnations, and three white roses. “Would you like the flowers in a vase or for me to wrap them?”
“I, ah … I don’t know.”
“I’ll—”
“Bella? Why are you still here, dear?”
Bella’s heart plummeted. She swallowed and turned to look over her shoulder. “Hi, Mrs. Cleary. Mr. Martin came in as I was closing up,” she lied. “It’s his wife’s birthday and he needed flowers.”
“Gilbert?” Mrs. Cleary chastised. “You know what time my shop closes, Gladys’ birthday or not. You know my rules, too. If you don’t remember to come in earlier, you have to wait until tomorrow.”
Bella glanced up from the flower stems she was trimming for the vase arrangement. Mr. Martin fidgeted under the older woman’s unyielding stare. Bella sort of felt bad for the man.
“It’s my fault,” she interjected. “I told him I’d come up with something different and special for his wife this year.”
“Different than roses?” Mrs. Cleary repeated, skeptical. “I wasn’t aware Gladys had an opinion on flowers except that she receive them.”
Mr. Martin did nothing more than give a curt nod. He seemed unsure if he should stick around or flee the scene. Bella would’ve opted for fleeing herself, but then, Mrs. Cleary and Mr. Martin caught their collective breaths as she put the finishing touches on the arrangement.
Bella gave an imaginary fist pump.
“That’s exquisite, Bella. You have an incredible gift,” Mrs. Cleary praised.
“My wife will expect something like this every year now,” Mr. Martin grumped.
“Then you’d best get your standing order in early, Gilbert. We won’t be staying open for you next time. And this is going to cost you.”
“Actually,” Bella spoke up, wondering what in the hell was wrong with her when the next words left her mouth. “I wanted to take care of the cost.” Both people focused on her and she fought that fleeing urge again. “Please.”
“Whatever you said to this girl, Gilbert, you’d better apologize. That arrangement is worth at least a quarter of her paycheck.”
“I’m sorry I was rude, Arabella.”
Bella smiled. Mr. Martin’s eyes were full of chagrin and defiance. It was interesting to watch his face shift from one emotion to the other and back again. She knew how hard it was for some people to see her, and how much harder it was for them to be nice. She didn’t expect it to happen overnight, but maybe one day …
“Please wish Mrs. Martin a very happy birthday,” Bella said, handing over the vase of flowers.
“Thank you.” Mr. Martin nodded once in her direction and once in Mrs. Cleary’s, then departed the flower shop as though hell were hot on his heels.
“Now, young lady …” Mrs. Cleary started.
Bella turned and faced her boss. She’d broken the rules. It was the first time, her first infraction, but Mrs. Cleary wasn’t anyone to mess with. “You didn’t have to be as kind to Gilbert as you were, and you can’t let people know how easy it is to get to you.”
“I know, but he scares me,” Bella admitted, to which Mrs. Cleary laughed.
“He’s nothing more than bluster and that was a very sweet thing you did. He won’t soon forget it, but he’ll be confused by your motives for a long while. It’ll do him good though. He’s used to getting his way, but he’s not used to getting out of having to pay for it.”
“I was happy to do it. It was the least I could do. I know Artie pretty well drained the Martins’ savings.”
“Your brother is a scoundrel. Always was. It’s not your job to make up for his mistakes.”
“Someone has to do it.”
“Your parents would’ve been proud of you for trying, but it isn’t your responsibility. But … It has helped me come to a decision about something I should’ve told you back when you came to me looking for a job.”
“Told me? About what? Did Artie do something else?” Bella couldn’t imagine what more her brother could’ve done, but her stomach churned the way it always did when he came up in conversation.
“No, dear girl. It’s not something Artie did. It’s something I did.”
Mrs. Cleary looked uncomfortable, nervous even. It was weird seeing her like that. She was formidable on a good day and a damn hurricane on a bad one.
“I don’t understand.”
“Right after Mr. Cleary died all those years ago and I wanted to open up this flower shop, I had a partner. A silent partner. Your mother. She invested the capital for it. I tried to pay her back, but she wouldn’t take it.”
“My mother owned part of your shop? I never knew that.”
“No one did. I don’t know why she wouldn’t let me tell people. She had this idea that no one should know. Your father knew, of course, and several top financial people, but no one else. I was able to make a very good living for myself. She sent customers to me all the time, sometimes very important and powerful people. She was a good woman, your mother.”
Bella smiled. Pride filled her heart. Yes, her mother had been a good woman, as much as her father had been a good man. She missed them more some days than others and right at that moment, talking with Mrs. Cleary, made it one of the hard days. “I’m afraid I still don’t understand though. What does this have to do with me?”
“The initial investment money is still sitting in an account, untouched. It’s under the name of the flower shop at First National down in Knoxville. That money belongs to you, Bella. Half of this flower shop belongs to you,” Mrs. Cleary said, waving her arm to encompass the store.
“What?” Bella’s knees buckled and she grabbed the edge of the counter.
“Your mother was more than a financial investor. I said she was a silent partner, and she was. Under her maiden name, she owned one half of the shop. Those accounts and her half of the business reverted to me when your parents passed away. When you came back home, it didn’t seem right not to offer you her half. Only … Only I needed to make sure you were here to stay, to live, to work. I didn’t want to see any further harm come to the people of this town. You understand, don’t you, dear? I had to make sure Artie couldn’t get his hands on anything more. I had to make sure you were as innocent as I believed you to be.”
“Oh.”
“See, I had already planned to talk to you, which is why I came back today. And after seeing you with Gilbert and what did for him? Well, I’m glad I did come back.”
“I …” Bella was at a loss for words. She did understand. How could she not? And yet, Mrs. Cleary was offering half of her business? She grabbed for the stool at the far end of the counter and dragged it forward. She set her hip on the edge and tried to take in all that Mrs. Cleary had said.
“I had the papers drawn up and all they need is your signature.” Mrs. Cleary patted Bella’s hand, then gripped it tight. “I won’t be around forever, but I would love for my little flower shop to live on after I’m gone.”
“You’ll be around for many more years,” Bella added.
“For at least thirty. Forty if the good Lord will listen to me.”
Bella laughed and placed her other hand on top of Mrs. Cleary’s. “I don’t know what to say.”
“You say yes, of course. The money is yours. It’s not a substantial amount by today’s standards, but it’s enough for you to get out of the ugly house you’re leasing.”
“I actually like that ugly house.”
“Then you can now afford to get it a decent paint job. You could buy it if you wanted. I know what they want for it. Gossip, you know. The price was outrageous to begin with. Add in the extra forty thousand and it’s beyond outrageous. Lakefront or not.”
“I know. They did that for my benefit.”
“Vultures. Well, if you do decide to buy it, you let me know and we’ll get them off their high horses. Thinking they can take advantage of people and no one will call them on it.”
“I … Thank you for trusting me with this.”
“You are a strong woman, Arabella Drake. You get that from your mother. You never deserved anything less than my trust and my support. I am so sorry it took me a little while to come around. Your brother, though? That boy needs a good swift kick for what he’s put you and your family name through. But don’t you worry. We’ll go to Mr. Landers’ office tomorrow morning to sign the papers. He’ll file everything and get all the bank documents together for you as well so you’ll have access to your money.”
“Okay.”
“For now, why don’t you let me get you home? I know your car is in that boy Travis’ garage. You watch out for him. He’s a naughty one.”
Bella bit back a grin. Mrs. Cleary had no idea how naughty Travis was. “It needs a new transmission. And thank you for the offer, but I have a ride home.”
“Well, you should be able to afford the repair bill soon. Travis … He’s a little too smooth with his manners and a whole lot rough around the edges bit. You should steer clear of him.” Mrs. Cleary’s tone was sharp. Bella understood why Mrs. Cleary gave her the warning.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Mrs. Cleary turned her head and gave Bella a pointed look. “Unless you like that sort of man.”