Chapter Nineteen
“Girl, I’m so proud of you! This place looks fabulous!” Simone walked around the shop, checking out every nook and cranny, and all the knickknacks that were placed strategically around the shop. “This place is so cute! And whenever I’m in the mood for something sweet, I can walk from my boutique to your bakery. I don’t expect the family discount but if you want to…” Simone batted her eyelashes and gave her a huge grin.
Noelle giggled. “Of course you’ll get the discount. I’ll take off five cents from every item you purchase.”
Simone’s face fell.
“You know I’m just teasing. As much as you’ve done for me, anything you want at all is yours. And I’m sure Paul wouldn’t mind either,” Noelle teased.
“So, are you excited about the grand opening next week?”
Noelle raised a brow at the abrupt change of subject. The few times she noticed Simone and Paul interact it was clear to Noelle her friend had it bad. Whenever Simone walked into the room, Paul would literally stop what he was doing and his eyes would follow Simone wherever she went. Simone on the other hand was friendly with Paul but distant, not her usual gregarious self.
A blind man could see there was an attraction between the two of them. Paul seemed more than willing to act on it but Simone maintained that unspoken distance. Paul would constantly pump Noelle for information about her cousin, and when Noelle would bring the subject of Paul up, her cousin would conveniently change the subject. Like now.
Noelle decided not to press the issue for now. “I’m so nervous about the opening. Paul has been working like crazy on the marketing end. I hope a lot of people come in.”
“I thought it was a great idea for you guys to hand out samples to the local businesses. You’ll at least get a lot of customers on that front. Imagine all the office parties you’ll bake cakes for. And I’ve already put out the word to my friends to come by. Word of warning, Tanisha is going to expect a hookup when she comes by so be prepared.”
Noelle snorted. “I don’t even like her. The only free thing she can expect from me is advice.”
Simone raised her brows. “Wow, look at you cuz. I like this new backbone you’ve suddenly developed. It’s about time.”
“I like it too. It’s always been hard asserting myself, but I’m tired of being a door mat. It’s like Aunt—” she broke off. Even if Simone had her own issues with Aunt Frieda she was still Simone’s mother.
“It’s okay. We both know my mom is a piece of work. Go ahead, finish what you were about to say.”
“It’s just that, for so long I’ve bought into the things she used to tell me, like how I was stupid and no good. And Derrick and Damon didn’t help matters with their constant harassment. I guess that kind of wears on you after awhile. Living in that place felt like a slow death every day. And life with Walter would have been equally miserable.” Noelle shuddered when she thought of her narrow escape from that fate.
Simone scrunched her nose. “Eww. I still can’t believe how my mother tried to push you off on that old-ass man. That was low even for her. I’m glad you’re starting to realize they were full of shit.”
“Yeah, but this confidence thing is new to me. I’ll still have slip-ups and insecurities but I don’t want to go back to the way I was. Thanks for letting me talk about it with you.”
“Anytime.”
Noelle reached out and pulled her cousin into an embrace. “Likewise, Simone. I’ll be there when you need me.” Though Noelle wasn’t ready to discuss her year with James, talking about her experiences with her ultra- religious and hypocritical aunt made her openly aware of where her insecurities had originated. Slowly she was disabusing those beliefs that had been drilled in her head since she was a child.
She’d loved herself so little, and she’d looked for that love in a man who was way more damaged then she was. There were times when Noelle couldn’t help but think about James, but then she’d immerse herself in her work. Thank goodness she had something to distract her with or else she’d go crazy.
“So what are you ladies gossiping about?” Paul walked into the shop with a large box in his arms followed by Donna, one of the assistants they’d recently hired.
Simone pulled away from Noelle. “I think I need to get back to the boutique. I told Melissa I’d only be gone for a half hour. I’ll see you later Noelle. Bye Paul.”
Noelle had never seen her cousin move so fast. She was running, and from the determined gleam in Paul’s eyes as he watched her leave, he’d be in pursuit soon enough.
Noelle focused on the box to ease the awkwardness. “Are those the fliers you’re carrying?”
“Huh?” he broke out of his trance.
“The box? Are the fliers inside?”
“Oh yeah,” Paul said, still a bit distracted.
“Donna, could you take the box in the back and I’ll join you shortly to start working on the fondant.”
“Sure boss,” Donna complied cheerfully, taking the box of fliers from Paul.
When Noelle and Paul were alone, she grabbed his hand and directed him toward one of the tables by the window at the front of the bakery. “Okay, when are you going to ask Simone out on a date?”
“Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to ask her out when she runs away whenever I get close? You saw how fast she hightailed it out of here like I had cooties or something. I haven’t felt this rejected since I pissed my pants in the first grade.” He threaded his fingers through his blond hair.
“I’ll just think of a way to get the two of you alone. Simone’s a little gun shy when it comes to dating.” That wasn’t exactly true. Simone had a lot of guy friends, none of them who she viewed as serious but Noelle didn’t have the heart to tell Paul.
“She doesn’t seem so shy to me. Maybe I’m the problem. Is it because I’m white?”
“She doesn’t care about that.”
“Do you think she may be interested in someone else?”
“She hasn’t mentioned it. To my recollection, Simone hasn’t dated since she started the boutique.”
“I can’t see why. Simone is gorgeous.”
“I think she just wants to focus on her boutique right now. And seeing as how we just opened our own bakery, you can hardly blame her for that. Give her some time okay? I’m sure she’ll come around eventually.”
“I wish I was as sure about this as you.”
“Paul, I wouldn’t encourage you to pursue her if I didn’t believe she likes you too. I’m not the most perceptive person in the world, but I saw that look she gave you when I first introduced the two of you. Be patient, Simone is worth waiting for.”
“And how about you?”
“What about me?”
“When do you think you’ll dip your toes in the dating pool again?”
“Right now my number one priority is the bakery. I have so many orders lined up I’ll be lucky to fit in a nap.”
“Don’t use the business as an excuse.”
“I’m not, it just that Ja—”
“Go ahead and say his name. You can’t heal until you’re willing to talk about it.”
Noelle sighed. “You’re right, but I just don’t trust myself to choose someone who won’t totally walk all over me. I feel like such an idiot for putting up with him for so long.”
“You thought you were in love with him. It’s understandable.”
“I was in love and probably still am. When I allow myself to think about him it kills me a little to know he’s probably moved someone else into the penthouse and hasn’t given me another thought.”
“I’m not so sure about that, Noelle. When I worked out my two months’ notice, he didn’t mention the penthouse once, so I’m pretty sure he didn’t replace you right away if he did at all. And I’m not so certain he didn’t feel something for you.”
“You don’t have to say that to make me feel better.”
“I’m not. I believe you’ve known me long enough to realize I’m honest, brutally sometimes. James may not be my favorite person right now but I can say the man works like a demon. Those times when he couldn’t come around to see you, he wanted me to check in on you. On several occasions he asked me how you were doing. He never did that with any of the other women. If I didn’t know better I would say he actually cared.”
She snorted bitterly. “He had a funny way of showing it. He’s engaged to another woman. I was stupid for thinking I actually had a connection with him. It was just sex.”
“Unfortunately, most people in his income bracket don’t marry for love.”
“That really doesn’t make me feel any better. I’m just surprised he considered me worthy enough to share his bed in the first place.”
“Stop selling yourself short. Remember we agreed you wouldn’t do that anymore. You’re beautiful, smart and talented. You have a lot going for you. Without you there’d be no shop.”
“You’re giving me way too much credit. If you weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have known where to begin.”
“You can’t have a business if there’s nothing to sell and you make a damn fine product.”
Noelle was truly humbled by Paul’s praise. He had come to mean so much to her over the past several months. She cherished the friendship they’d formed. “Thank you, Paul. I just want you to know, your friendship means the world to me. But I have to ask, why me? What made you give up your job for me?”
“You reminded me of Alyssa. I’ve been more of a father to her than a big brother since we were kids, and I guess my protective streak came out. But don’t look at my resignation from my former job as me making a sacrifice. I see it more as me moving on to the next chapter of my life. I wouldn’t have stayed in that position indefinitely. My goal was always to start a business for myself and be my own boss. And now with your help I have that opportunity, so I’m just as grateful for you as you are for me. We’re going to make both our dreams come true. Noelle, you’re one of the sweetest, kindest women I’ve ever met and once you recognize how great you are, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with.”
Tears welled in her eyes. Her cousin had basically told her the same thing over and over again. Noelle didn’t want to just believe it this time; she wanted to act on it. She vowed to herself then and there, even if she had to go through years of therapy, she’d always walk with her head held high.
James wished he was somewhere else, but he promised Eleanor he’d escort her to this event thrown by one of her friends. Besides, he would have been a total cad to deny her anything with all she’d dealt with in the past month. Her father having suffered a massive heart attack followed by a stroke had miraculously survived, but not without severe trauma to his body. The stroke had left George Harrington paralyzed.
According to the doctors it could still take weeks before they knew for sure what the complete damage was, and what needed to be done to get him to some semblance of a normal life. Best case scenario, George would regain some of his motor skills and get some of his independence back. At worst, he’d need around-the-clock care for the remainder of his life.
Eleanor had been devastated by that news. Maryanne, on the other hand, seemed more interested in moving the wedding plans forward. Eleanor and James decided to postpone the wedding until they knew for sure what was going on with George’s condition much, to Maryanne’s annoyance. It seemed heartless how Maryanne couldn’t bring herself to worry over her husband’s condition beyond playing up the drama among her country club friends. Eleanor had confided in James her disgust of Maryanne’s behavior.
James did his best to help Eleanor out in any way he could but things were changing between them. Eleanor spent most of her time at the hospital. She didn’t call as often and barely spoke of the wedding. Her obvious withdrawal might have bothered him if he weren’t changing too.
Lately he’d wondered if marriage to Eleanor was what he really wanted. He’d fought hard to make it to where he was today, but James wondered if he’d been chasing the wrong dream all along.
It was painful to realize he’d become the very person he used to despise. He had plenty of material wealth and possessions but each night when he finally turned off his laptop, he’d go to bed alone, whether it was in his mansion or one of the several hotels he owned. And most of those nights he’d think of Noelle. He missed her. But he was too ashamed to track her down and give her the apology she deserved. He’d been callous and mean to her for reasons he couldn’t explain at the time. And now that he did, it was too late.
“James, we don’t have to stay long if you don’t want to. I still have to go by the hospital to see Daddy before I go home tonight anyway.” Eleanor placed her hand on his arm as she brought him out of his deep thoughts.
It took James a moment to remember where he was before he could respond. “I’m sorry, Eleanor. No. We can stay as long as you’d like. No rush.”
“Are you sure? You seem a bit…distracted tonight. But then again, you’ve been that way a lot lately. Is everything alright?”
“Yes. I was just thinking I’ll have the most beautiful date on my arm tonight.”
She smiled. “You’re a charmer, James Rothschild, but I know a lie when I hear it. I’ll forgive you though since you’ve stroked my ego.”
He relaxed a little under her teasing. James appreciated her sense of humor among the other good qualities she possessed. For a second he was tempted to tell her what he’d been thinking, but Eleanor was already going through so much. He couldn’t pile on by voicing his doubts about their impending nuptials.
Eleanor had told him this event was in honor of her friend Susan Fontaine’s art gallery re-opening. James wasn’t a huge art connoisseur but he appreciated good work when he spotted it. He owned several valuable pieces and figured he’d add to his collection if something caught his eye if nothing else came of the night.
When they walked inside the gallery, the party was in full swing. There were silver and black decorations everywhere. Waiters in tuxedoes walked around with hors d’oeuvres on silver platters, and patrons chattered with gaiety while discussing the artwork surrounding them as they moved from piece to piece.
James was already bored.
“I wonder why everyone is circling that statue. Isn’t that Rodin’s The Thinker?”
James followed the direction of where she pointed. “Yes, that’s what it looks like but I’m surprised to see it here. Maybe the artist did one of those modern modifications, otherwise I don’t see why it’s drawing such a big crowd.”
"You could be right, but I wouldn’t mind checking it out to see what the fuss is about. Let’s take a look.”
“Sure.” He escorted her over and as he got closer, James could see why people marveled at the statue that looked damn close to the original. It wasn’t a statue at all, but a cake. He could smell the cloying sweetness of the artistic concoction. Surrounding the life-sized cake were five more cakes. They were round layered cakes with a smaller layer stacked on top on the next. Each one was painted with a famous work. James immediately recognized Munch’s The Scream, Van Gogh’s Starry Night, and Grant’s American Gothic. Whoever created these marvels had managed to overshadow the rest of the art.
“This is amazing,” Eleanor gasped. "I’ve seen fancy cakes before but this is top notch. Susan went all out with this opening.”
“They’re almost too fancy to cut into,” one of the patrons murmured.
“But they smell so good,” someone else mentioned.
James too was fascinated by the culinary art, but something drew his attention away from his observations. He had the feeling he was being watched. James looked around and then froze. Standing several feet away and looking in his direction with a wide-eyed stare was Noelle. She’d haunted his dreams for the last several months. Surely this was all in his imagination.
Just to make sure this wasn’t an illusion, he shook his head to clear it of any daydreams, but there she stood. The long hair she used to sport was now replaced with short, soft-looking curls that hugged her scalp. Her face bore only a minimal amount of makeup and she wore a modest little black dress that still managed to lovingly hug her curves, showing them off to her advantage. She looked more beautiful than he remembered. Noelle reminded him of the day he’d first met her, innocence and sensuality mixed in one ball of temptation. His body immediately reacted to her. As if on their own volition, his feet moved toward her.
It was then Noelle backed away with a shake of her head. James halted in an instant when Paul appeared by her side, shooting him a glare that could melt ice. The blond man casually slung his arm around Noelle’s shoulder and James wanted to rip that arm off for daring to touch Noelle. She was still his, dammit!
But then James remembered. He’d fucked things up with her so badly he didn’t have the right to be angry. Besides, with Eleanor next to him, it would have made him an even bigger ass to act on his emotions.
Their gazes remained locked however. Noelle was frozen like a deer caught in headlights and he couldn’t look away even if his life depended on it. Finally what seemed like an eternity, Paul steered Noelle away until she was out of sight.
“She looks familiar,” Eleanor casually noted.
“Excuse me?” he asked, still looking in the direction Noelle had been. He wondered what Noelle was doing here with Paul. The sight of those two together tormented him far worse than anything he’d experienced before.
“The woman you were staring at. She looks familiar. I think I’ve seen her before but I can’t figure out where.”
James felt guilty he couldn’t give Eleanor the attention she deserved. “I’m sorry, Eleanor.”
“It’s okay, James. We never pretended this was a love match did we? Anyway, I’m trying to place where I’ve seen her before. I’m almost sure I’ve had a conversation with her.”
Where could those two have interacted? James had always been careful to keep his worlds separate. Before he could reply they were joined by Eleanor’s friend.
“Eleanor, sweetie! It’s so good to see you.” The tall brunette greeted.
Eleanor turned to her friend and the two women hugged and air kissed each other’s cheeks. “James, I’d like you to meet my friend, Susan. This is her gallery.”
James took Susan’s hand in a friendly handshake. “Pleased to meet you.”
"Likewise.” Susan grinned at Eleanor. “He’s even more handsome in person than in the paper.” She winked at James before releasing the firm grip she had on his hand.
“Everything looks great, Susan,” Eleanor complimented.
“Thank you! Tonight has been a hit. I was surprised when you RSVP’d. I would have completely understood if you couldn’t make it so I’m thrilled you did. How’s your father, by the way?”
“His condition is stable. Thanks for asking.”
“Please let me know if there’s anything I can do for you. And send my love to your mother. This can’t be easy for her, I’m sure.”
“It’s not easy for any of us.”
“How is your father’s health affecting your wedding plans?”
It was obvious to James that Susan wasn’t the most sensitive of people but he remained silent during the exchange.
“Actually, we’ve postponed the wedding until Daddy makes a full recovery.”
“Oh, well, of course. That seems like the sensible thing to do but don’t make this handsome devil wait too long.” The brunette batted her eyes flirtatiously at James.
James smiled politely, trying to pay attention to the conversation but he couldn’t stop thinking about Noelle.
Eleanor tactfully changed the conversation. “I see quite a few art critics here. That must be exciting.”
“Yes, and sales have been fabulous. I fought tooth and nail to keep the gallery in the divorce and I’m sure Timothy is eating his heart out. He didn’t want it anyway. He just didn’t want me to have it, the bastard. I hope that little slut he’s with now takes him for every cent he has. I hear he didn’t make her sign a prenup. What an idiot. The girl is trash and will bleed him dry. You know what they say, you can take the girl out of the trailer park but you can’t take the trailer park out of the girl.”
The more she talked the less James liked Susan Fontaine. Eleanor thankfully switched topics again. “So where did you get these cakes? I’ve never seen anything like them before.”
Susan gushed. “Aren’t they the bee’s knees, darling? I think the cakes are getting more attention than the art,” she laughed. “I took a chance on someone new and it paid off. The baker was just here a few seconds before I walked over. I was actually going to thank her for the display. I guess I’ll have to catch her partner Paul later.”
This latter part of the conversation caught James attention. “Paul Winters?”
“Yes? Are you familiar with him?” Susan asked.
“Yes.” James answered without offering any explanation. So Noelle had made the cakes. He knew she liked to bake and was aware of her artistic talents, but he never could have imagined she was capable of something so extraordinary. And it shamed him that he’d wasted the chance to learn more about her beyond his own selfish needs.
He was thankful when Susan finally excused herself.
“James, I can see you’re not really into this and honestly I’m anxious to see how my father is doing. Can we leave?”
“Yes.”
“I just need to run to the powder room, okay?”
“No problem.”
As he waited for Eleanor to return, Noelle came into his line of vision again. She was headed toward the exit and Paul was nowhere in sight. James couldn’t let this opportunity get away from him. He didn’t know what he would say to her but he had to be close to her again, even for a few seconds.