Later that day, Mitch stopped by the family home to eat dinner with whoever was there. His dad had sent out a text letting them all know he was barbecuing, and everyone was invited. It wasn’t a usual event to have something like that mid-week, but his dad had started doing more of the cooking since his mom had her aneurysm which meant he would be barbecuing more now that the weather was nicer.
From the look of the vehicles in the parking area in front of the house, all of his siblings were there. At his dad’s request, Mitch had stopped at Costco to pick up a large tub of potato salad to add to the meal. Rather than go into the house, he headed to the back via the verandah that ran around a good portion of the house.
Whenever they all got together, if the weather was good, they ended up in the backyard. Hopefully, his dad had put out the mosquito killers, so that they didn’t spend the whole evening smacking the blood-suckers.
“Hiya, Mitch.”
Mitch smiled at Kenton, his oldest brother who played in the NHL when he wasn’t injured. “How’s it going?”
“Better every day,” Kenton said as he looked over to where his girlfriend, Avery, and her son and her brother stood. “And the knee’s doing well too.”
Mitch gave a shake of his head then laughed before heading over to the table where all the food was. At least no one else had gotten sick or hurt in the last few months. It seemed that for a few months there, several members of their family were dealing with injuries or illness. Now that Gabe and Kenton were recovering from their injuries, and their mom was improving, Mitch hoped they’d all remain healthy for a good long while.
Spying Gabe sitting at a table with Maya and Sammi, Mitch made his way over to them and settled onto the bench next to his sister. Immediately, he reached out to take the baby girl she held. Feeling the squishy weight of the baby in his arms made him smile. He cradled her, bending to press his nose against the softness of her cheek, inhaling the baby scents that surrounded her.
Baby Ella lifted her hand and bopped it against Mitch’s face as if to say hello. She was a beautiful baby…but then, all three of his nieces were. He supposed that soon he’d be watching Maya and Gabe have a baby since they were next to get married. The ache that intensified every time he was around his siblings and their families was present as usual.
“Levi not here?” Mitch asked as he glanced at Sammi.
“No. This is such a busy time for him and his guys. Lots of people are wanting landscaping and yard work done, so there’s no shortage of work for him.” She sighed as she reached out to rub the backs of her fingers along Ella’s cheek. “We miss him though, don’t we, little one? I’m just glad I’m not working at the moment, or we’d never see each other.”
“Are you planning to go back to work when your maternity leave is up?” Mitch asked.
“Not sure yet. I think Levi would like me to just stay home, and as long as we can afford it, I’ll probably do that. Even in the winter, Levi can have some really long days if we get hit with lots of snow. I like the idea of not having to work around his schedule for childcare or even just seeing him, so we’ll see how things are as time gets closer to the end of my leave. I’m just glad we have almost a year to figure it out.”
Ella scrunched up her face, and even though Mitch bounced her gently in his arms, the crying soon started.
“I think she’s hungry. Perfect timing since hopefully I can finish feeding her by the time we’re ready to eat out here.” Sammi stood and leaned forward to take the baby from Mitch. “We’ll be back.”
Once it was just him and Gabe and Maya, Mitch asked them about the baseball game.
“So is this like a double date?” Gabe asked.
Mitch pinned him with a frustrated look. “First, we’re not dating. Second, Jasmine and Rory—her sisters—will be there as well. So no, not a double date. Just a group of people hanging out together—two of whom happen to be engaged.”
Gabe nudged Maya with his shoulder. “That would be us.”
She gave him an indulgent smile. “Yes, babe, I know.”
“You’re not a big sports fan, sweetie, so do you want to go?”
Maya nodded right away. “It would be fun to hang out with them.”
“Even though we’ve never been to a baseball game, I figured a sport was a sport,” Mitch said. “Might as well go and cheer on the hometown team. Oh, and they want to have an early dinner beforehand.”
“That sounds good,” Maya said with a smile. “Which restaurant?”
“I’m not sure yet. I guess Belle will let me know when they decide.” Mitch hesitated then said, “Just one thing. I want a promise, or you’re uninvited, and I’ll ask Tristan and Dalton if they want to go.”
Gabe rolled his eyes. “I think I know what it is, but go ahead.”
“Do not try to force things with Belle. Don’t make things awkward by joking and insinuating things. Yes, she’s a nice woman, and under different circumstances, maybe things might have worked out, but that’s not the case.” Mitch sighed. “Just let us all enjoy the evening. Please.”
Maya leaned forward and rested her hand on his arm, her brown gaze serious. “I’ll make sure he behaves.”
Mitch wished he could count on his brother to behave on his own, but no doubt it would take Maya’s insistence to really make sure of it. “Thank you.”
They didn’t discuss it again as they loaded up plates with food, then sat talking with their siblings. Though Mitch usually enjoyed time with his family, he was distracted by thoughts about the upcoming evening out. A couple of his siblings noticed his distraction and commented on it, but surprisingly they didn’t push when he brushed them off.
Thankfully, with so many siblings, one being unwilling to talk just meant that they turned their attention to someone else. It wasn’t as if Mitch was the most outgoing and talkative one of the bunch anyway, so if he was quiet, no one seemed too bothered by it. Of course, Gabe knew the reasons behind his reserve, but he left well enough alone.
Now if he would only continue that through the evening at the ballpark.
Belle was glad that she’d done her hair and makeup before the wedding earlier that day. Not that she ever went to a job without either being done, but she’d ended up having to put out a few fires, and then when there were issues with the reception site, she’d had to deal with those as well. Her job should have ended once the reception was underway, but in this particular situation, the venue had messed up more than one thing.
So now she had to rush to get ready for the evening. They’d settled on Earl’s on Main for dinner, not far from the ballpark. Rory had offered to pick her up, but since she was running late, she’d called on her way home to tell her sisters to go ahead, and she’d meet them there.
As soon as she reached her apartment, Belle took off the suit she’d been wearing for the wedding and quickly flipped through her clothes, trying to figure out what to wear. It would have saved her time if she’d made the decision before leaving that morning, but as usual, she hadn’t been able to decide.
She hated feeling frazzled, which is how she’d felt ever since things had begun to go wrong at the reception. It was only getting worse as she glanced at the clock and saw that she only had thirty minutes to get to the restaurant. Normally a day like this would have ended with her in the bath with her tablet, reading. Escaping into someone else’s world for a while.
Instead, she had to get ready to go out and socialize.
Belle dropped down on the edge of the bed and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if she were a few minutes late to the restaurant. This was a social evening with friends, not a wedding where everything had to be done according to a schedule.
After a couple of minutes, she got up and went back into her closet. She pulled on a pair of light blue jeans then went through her T-shirts before settling on a dark green one with a rounded neckline. Given how little time she had, Belle just left on the simple chain and earrings she’d worn earlier. She’d planned to wear her hair down, but at this point, it would take too long to make sure it looked halfway decent after being in a twist all day.
She slid her feet into a pair of sandals and grabbed her purse and phone before leaving her apartment. It wasn’t a far drive from Osborne Village where her apartment was located to the restaurant on Main Street, but she still ended up being a few minutes late.
Once she’d parked, Belle hurried inside, coming to a quick halt when she saw the line of people. She’d known Earls was a popular place, but this was beyond what she’d imagined. It was a good thing that Jasmine had decided to make reservations. She made her way through the line of people to the hostess stand and gave Jasmine’s name.
“Come right this way,” the woman said with a smile.
Belle followed her to where the others waited. They were seated at a table for six, with one chair across from Maya left open. Gabe sat between his fiancée and Mitch while Jasmine sat across from him beside Rory. She tried to ignore the disappointment she felt that Mitch was at the other end of the table. Truth be told, after the day she’d had, she’d been looking forward to chatting with him.
Had the seating arrangement just been how it worked out or had someone specifically had them sit that way? She hadn’t thought Rory was interested in Mitch, given what she’d said following the dinner they’d had with him, but maybe she’d changed her mind.
Giving them all a quick smile as she settled into her seat, Belle immediately picked up her menu. “Sorry I’m late. Have you already ordered?”
“Just drinks,” Jasmine said. “I got you iced water with lemon.”
“Thanks, sweetie.” Jasmine was always the one who tried to take care of her, if she’d let her. “What are you thinking of having?”
As they discussed the menu options, Belle willed herself to relax. She needed to let the stresses of the day go so that she could enjoy the evening. It might not be exactly as she’d planned, but that was fine. It was probably better that way, actually.
Relax. Eat. Relax. Enjoy myself. Relax.
“Issues with the wedding today?” Jasmine asked once the waitress took their orders.
“Yeah. Venue problems.”
“Does that happen often?” Maya asked, leaning forward to pick up her drink.
“Well, this venue wasn’t one I’d recommend. They’re not on our list of approved venues, but the bridal couple insisted on having the wedding there. Something about the owners being family friends or acquaintances.” Belle winced as she remembered all the things that had gone awry from the wrong food being served to them not even having enough seats for all the guests. The open bar they’d planned to have ended up being a cash bar with limited options. Even now, she wasn’t sure if there had been anything right about the venue. “They will never be on our list of recommended venues, that’s for sure. And if any future couple wants to use them, I’ll be sure to share the details of this experience.”
“Our venue is okay, though, right?” Maya asked, concern on her face.
Belle smiled. “Your venue is perfect. We’ve never had trouble with any of the events we’ve held there, so don’t worry. They always expect me to check in with them the week prior to the wedding to confirm details. This place…when I called, they couldn’t find someone with enough information to talk to me. When someone finally did call me back, all they would say was that they had everything under control. Clearly, that was not the case.”
“The poor bride and groom,” Maya said with a frown. “I can’t even imagine.”
“It wasn’t a good situation, that’s for sure, but at the end of the day, they’re married, and despite all the focus on the trappings of the wedding, that is the most important part.”
“True,” Maya agreed. “It would be a lot less stressful if we could just focus on the ceremony without worrying about flowers, wedding invitations, bulletins, decorations…”
“But then we’d be out of business,” Belle said with a grin.
Maya blushed. “Sorry. You’re making it all very easy, considering. My mom is the one making things a bit more challenging. If it’s not the wording on the invitations, it’s the font for the monogrammed napkins.”
“Still haven’t decided on that yet?” Belle asked, remembering their last meeting.
“We’ve narrowed it down. Hopefully, we’ll have the final decision to you by the end of this week.”
Being at the other end of the table, Belle couldn’t hear clearly what Mitch was talking about with Gabe and Rory, but it sounded like it was business talk. After the day she’d had with her business, it was probably just as well she wasn’t involved in that discussion.
“We have decided on a honeymoon destination though,” Maya said.
“Really? Are you sharing the info?” Jasmine asked.
“It’s not as fancy as most people would likely think we’d choose, but if we go to any of my family’s usual haunts, I’m afraid Mom’s going to show up in the same hotel.”
Jasmine snickered. “I guess that isn’t quite what you’d want on your honeymoon.”
“Nope,” Maya agreed. “So we’re heading over to Australia and New Zealand. I want to see where the Lord of the Rings was filmed, among other things.”
“Oooh, that sounds lovely,” Jasmine said. “I’d love to travel there someday. Take lots of pictures to show me when you get back.”
“I will. At this point, the idea of the honeymoon is about all that’s getting me through the stress of the wedding.”
Once their food came, Gabe said grace for the meal. Knowing they had to be at the ballpark by six-thirty, none of them lingered over their food, and they didn’t stay for dessert. Given that the line was still quite long when they left, Belle figured the hostess was glad to see them go since it freed up a table.
Because she’d had to bring her own car, Belle made her way alone over to the ballpark and, after several minutes, finally found a parking spot. They all gathered at the entrance where Jasmine handed out their tickets. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one who had never been there before. None of them seemed to know where to go, but after a bit of wandering around, eventually, they found their seats.
Rory led the way in with Jasmine behind her. Gabe stood to the side and gestured for her to follow them in and then Maya went next. Of course, Gabe was beside her which put Mitch at the end. Again, Belle was a bit disappointed at the seating arrangement. It didn’t appear to be deliberate, but it was still disappointing.
A friendship needed time together, and Belle had thought hanging out with other people too would help make it seem less date-like. But that didn’t really work when they couldn’t actually talk at all. She wouldn’t make a fuss about it, of course, because that would be sure to raise eyebrows, especially with her sisters. She’d just have to figure out a different way to hang out with Mitch.
He was the first guy she’d tried to form a friendship with since high school. Back then she’d had some guy friends along with girlfriends, but they too had fallen by the wayside. Was it actually possible to forge a friendship with someone of the opposite sex? Especially with a guy who had initially asked her out on a date?
The thought came to her out of the blue, making her realize that perhaps she was being selfish pushing for friendship when Mitch had—at least at the start—wanted something more.