When a text alert sounded, Mitch pulled his phone out as he walked from the building where he’d been doing an inspection. This job hadn’t gone nearly as smoothly as the last one, and his temper was frayed from listening to all the excuses for the mess he’d found. There was wall paint smudged on trim in several places. Caulking peeling away from surfaces. Outlets crooked. A faucet leaking in the master bathroom. They had even painted one room the wrong color.
When things went wrong, they really went wrong. Just one of those things wrong, he could have accepted. It wasn’t that he expected his guys to be perfect—they, like him, were human after all. One mistake spoke to a momentary distraction. But that many mistakes were just plain sloppiness. He was going to have to speak to the site supervisor once they fixed the errors and Mitch had signed off on his inspection. The guy was just lucky that they had a couple of extra days before the deadline, so at least they weren’t upsetting the client by being late because of sloppy work.
Belle: I’ve spoken with Jazz. Are you available on Thursday night? Around 6:30?
Mitch let out a sigh as he thought through his week ahead. There was no reason, other than his own reluctance, to not meet with the two of them that night.
6:30 on Thursday will be fine.
Belle: See you then.
Mitch stared at the screen for a moment before responding. He wanted to say so many things, but after what had happened between them on Monday, he knew that wasn’t what she wanted.
Yep. See you then.
He shoved his phone into his pocket before climbing behind the wheel of his truck. Then, remembering that Ethan was waiting for a report on the inspection, Mitch pulled his phone out again and called his number.
After a quick conversation with Ethan, where he briefed him on the issues with the inspection, he reassured him that everything would be fixed and ready for the customer inspection in two days time. That would mean he’d be back there again the next afternoon, wasting time when he should have been done with the site after the inspection.
He questioned whether he’d made a mistake with the team he’d put on that site. Had he not put enough experienced guys there to make sure they didn’t have issues like that crop up? Up until he had seen the issues at the house, he’d planned to move the whole crew over to a new job site, but now he was rethinking that plan.
Frustrated, Mitch decided that he’d discuss it with Mark and see what he thought of the situation. He headed over to the bridal reno to have a conversation with the man and to see how things were going. Now that he knew Belle and Jasmine would be visiting the following night, he wanted to make sure the site would be cleaned up as much as possible. Just to give them a clear view of the place.
He had been looking forward to the men’s Bible study that night, but with this latest turn of events, Mitch had half a mind to stop for fast food on his way home and spend the evening playing video games. But he wouldn’t. Well, he might do the fast food but not the video games. If he didn’t show up after he’d told Bennet he would be there, all it would take was for his brother to walk down a flight of stairs to pound on his door until Mitch answered. Then he’d drag him back upstairs.
At the bridal reno, Mitch was relieved that there were no issues. Speaking with Mark helped him clarify his thoughts on what to do with the crew at the problematic site. When he left a short time later, he felt more settled. About work anyway.
“It’s great he agreed to meet us after hours,” Jasmine said as they drove from the shop to the renovation site.
“Yeah, it is.” Belle agreed. “The site can be noisy during the day. It will be easier to talk about things without all that racket.”
“I can’t wait to see it.” Jasmine looked over at her. “How about you?”
Belle hesitated then said, “I’ve been to see it every week or so.”
“Seriously? That often? Why didn’t you say anything? When did you last go?”
“Monday. And yes, I’ve gone a few times. It’s good to keep an eye on things.”
Jasmine laughed. “Ever the control freak, eh, sis?”
She wasn’t completely wrong. And if anyone questioned her frequent visits to the reno site, that was the story Belle would go with.
The only vehicle in front of the building was Mitch’s truck. Belle pulled to a stop behind it and turned off the engine. Jasmine was already out of the car before Belle had even undone her seatbelt. She’d talked of nothing but the visit since Belle had mentioned it to her.
There were lights on inside, and Belle could see Mitch’s figure as they approached the front door. Belle moved more slowly than Jasmine, so Mitch held the door open as he waited. He greeted her with a smile and a nod, then followed her in to join Jasmine.
“Do we need to wear hard hats?” Belle asked, preparing to go back to her car and grab hers.
“Not at the moment,” Mitch said. “Most the ceiling work is done, and there shouldn’t be any danger right now. If we had work going on while you were here, you’d have to.”
“So I can retire the lavender one?” Belle asked.
“Not if you still plan to visit during work hours,” Mitch said with a smile before he turned to Jasmine. “Ready for your tour?”
Belle hung back as Mitch gave Jasmine her tour of the site. She looked around, trying to identify what had been done in the past couple of days, but she couldn’t see anything specific.
“This is just amazing, Mitch,” Jasmine said, taking a moment to look around one of the changing areas. She rested her hand on his arm for a moment before turning in a circle. “There’s going to be mirrors on these walls, and a pedestal stand here.”
“A pedestal?” Mitch asked as he watched Jasmine.
Belle tried to ignore the burn of jealousy she felt as she watched Jasmine and Mitch interact. Though she was sure Jasmine had no interest in Mitch, she wasn’t sure if the same could be said in reverse. She had no right to be jealous, regardless. The decision had been made years ago to not get involved with another man, so if she really did feel jealous over something, it was up to her to change that decision.
But she wouldn’t. She couldn’t.
Jasmine kept up a running commentary on all the plans she had for the furniture and décor. Mitch interjected comments or questions periodically, but basically, he was quiet. Just like Belle. Thankfully, Jasmine’s chatter helped distract her from the jealousy she didn’t want to think about.
“So you do have a better idea now?” Mitch asked when they once again stood at the front door. He looked at Belle then at Jasmine. “For the paint?”
Jasmine nodded. “Belle showed me that huge book of colors. I think I may have to throw darts to make some decisions. The shades are so close that it’s hard to settle on just one.”
“If you’re tossing darts around, maybe I should send some safety gear home with you.”
“That might be a good idea.” Jasmine giggled. “I might need some extras for anyone else in the room since I’ve never actually thrown a dart before.”
Belle felt old and emotionally dried up as she watched the two of them share a laugh together. Sometimes it felt like more than her ability to love had left when she’d escaped Andre. During her times with him, there had been precious little laughter. And ever since escaping him, she hadn’t been able to laugh as easily even when those around her did.
For five years, she’d had stability. Nothing and no one had been able to upset her emotionally. Oh sure, she’d been frustrated with her mom on several occasions, but at the end of the day, she knew that she had stability with her job and with her family. Pretty much every weekend, she witnessed men and women pledging their love to each other in the most romantic of ways, and yet it had never made her long for that for herself. But then she’d met Gabe and Maya, and she’d been drawn into their lives in a way she hadn’t expected. Maybe it had been the personal connection through Maya’s parents and her mom and Patrick. They’d been more than just a client, right from the start.
That still would have been okay, except then she’d met Mitch. He’d watched her with those piercing blue eyes of his. Not in a creepy way, but as if he wanted to figure her out. No one had ever wanted that before. Even Andre had been more interested in using her experience in a bridal boutique than in getting to know her and understanding what made her tick.
Without even trying to, Mitch had begun to slowly weaken the stability of the walls around her heart. He’d made her feel vulnerable, but not in a bad way. At least not at first. Now, however, the vulnerability scared her because she wasn’t sure that Mitch wanted anything to do with her. And she had no one to blame but herself for that.
“Thanks so much for showing us around,” Jasmine said. “You guys are doing a great job. I’m really excited about the move now.”
“I’m glad you’re happy with it. We aim to please our clients. If you need to come back, just let me know, and we can make arrangements.” Mitch’s gaze met Belle’s as he smiled. “Of course, you’re both welcome to stop by at any time as long as you don’t mind the noise.”
“It is much quieter at night,” Belle agreed.
Mitch pushed open the door then held it for them. “Take care of yourselves.”
“You too, Mitch,” Jasmine said with a big smile. “Thanks again for taking time with us tonight.”
“You’re welcome. It was my pleasure.”
It wasn’t until they were in the car that Jasmine swung around to face Belle, her eyes wide. “What on earth happened between the two of you?”
Belle started up the car then glanced over at her sister. “Nothing. Why?”
“Nothing?” Jasmine said with a scoff. “The tension between the two of you was thicker than Mama’s gravy.”
“Ugh, really?” Belle said as she pulled away from the curb. “None of us like to be reminded of that.”
“True, but it’s also true that the tension between you and Mitch was thick, thick, thick.” Jasmine paused then said, “Seriously though, Belle, what happened?”
“Nothing like what you’d think,” Belle told her. “I might have gotten a bit demonstrative in my thanks for the work he is doing on the building. It kind of made things awkward between us.”
“Well, no kidding. You don’t normally do demonstrative with anyone who’s not family, and even then it’s iffy. Why did you start with Mitch?”
“I don’t know. He’s just made me feel comfortable. Being around him was easy, almost like he was family.”
“Except he’s definitely not,” Jasmine reminded her.
“Yeah,” Belle murmured. “He’s definitely not.”
And that was the problem. If he were family, this wouldn’t be an issue at all.
So was he avoiding her or were their schedules just not lining up?
In the two weeks since the evening visit with Jasmine, Belle had gone to the site a few times, but on none of those occasions had Mitch been there. Of course, it wasn’t as if she’d let him know she was going to be stopping by. It was just that, given what she knew of the other times he’d been at the site, she’d kind of thought he’d be there.
She was of a mixed mind as to whether or not it was a good thing that they hadn’t run into each other. On the one hand, there was the awkwardness of that moment between them in her unfinished office and then the evening when she and Jasmine had gone to the reno to look around. That awkwardness made her want to not see him again.
But then she remembered how she’d enjoyed the conversations they’d had, how easy he’d been to talk to. She’d enjoyed the friendship they’d been building, and she wanted that to continue. Seeing him again was the only way to get things back on track.
As she left the reno site, Belle tried to put it all out of her mind for the time being. It was Friday, which meant she had plenty of other stuff that needed her attention. Taking the time to stop by the reno site had been an impulse, but now she needed to stop thinking about Mitch and that situation and to start focusing on the wedding the next day. It was a big one that she’d been helping plan for almost a year. She’d be relieved to have it behind her.
She’d agreed to stop by the church in the afternoon to check and make sure that all the decorations had been set up the way the bride wanted. In some ways, this couple reminded her of Gabe and Maya. Not their wedding itself, since this couple was having a large event. They were getting married in a church like Gabe and Maya, but their reception afterward was being held in a huge hotel ballroom.
It was more the sweetness of the bride that reminded her of Maya, and the groom—from the handful of times she’d met him—had a gregarious personality that was reminiscent of Gabe. The two of them together were sweetly affectionate, and Belle had found it endearing—if not a little nauseating at times. But even as much as she had enjoyed working with them, Belle would be glad to have this wedding in the books.
The stop at the church didn’t take long. Everything was as it should be, which freed Belle up to make a couple more stops at vendors for other wedding errands before heading back to the office. She thought about stopping at the reno site but decided that might be a bit of overkill in her efforts to get hold of Mitch. Maybe she’d text him over the weekend to see how he was doing. Friend reaching out to a friend. The fact that he hadn’t contacted her over the past couple of weeks didn’t fill her full of confidence regarding the future of their friendship.
Maybe Mitch had decided that he wasn’t interested in a friendship if he couldn’t have a relationship. Maybe it was a relationship or nothing. Maybe he’d decided that she was selfish, just as she’d wondered herself, in pressing for a friendship after rejecting his attempt to ask her out on a date. And maybe she was…
The next day, Belle was at the church by late morning, overseeing the final preparations. The fresh flowers had been delivered, and she helped attach them to the candle displays along the aisle. She made sure that the table where the bride and groom had wanted a guestbook was set up as they’d requested. There were so many little details that she and Stace, her assistant for the day, hadn’t been able to take care of until the last minute.
When the second floral delivery arrived with the bridal party’s arrangements, Belle checked them all over to make sure that they were what had been ordered, in particular, the bride’s bouquet. Stace took the boutonnieres to the room where the groom and his men were all gathered. When she reappeared a few minutes later, she held a small gift and an envelope in her hands.
“He wants us to give this to the bride,” she said as she handed them to Belle. A smile curved the corners of her lips. “So romantic.”
Belle found herself agreeing as she tucked the small gift and the envelope into the box with the bridal bouquets and walked down the long hallway to the room where the bride and her bridesmaids were getting ready. She found the young woman with her six bridesmaids surrounded by makeup and other beauty and styling paraphernalia.
She set the box with the bouquets on a nearby table and took out the gift and envelope. The bride smiled as Belle approached her where she stood with her mom. The older woman dabbed at her eyes.
“Neil wanted me to give this to you,” Belle said, holding out the gift.
The bride’s smile widened further as she took it. “He’s such a romantic.”
She opened the card first, emotion playing across her face. When she glanced up, Belle could see tears glistening in her eyes, and she hoped that they didn’t spill over, forcing her to redo her makeup. As she opened the gift, her mom leaned over and sighed.
“That’s beautiful, darling,” she said. “Let me put it on you.”
Belle watched as the bride’s mom lifted a dainty bracelet from the box and fastened it around her daughter’s wrist. The bride held it up, and Belle could see a small heart dangling from the chain. Belle stepped back as the bridesmaids gathered around their friend.
The loving couple surrounded by friends and family. Emotions bubbling to the surface. Everything was as it should be for their special day.
Satisfied that the bride was taken care of, Belle slipped out of the room and headed down the hallway, wondering why she was feeling so moved by everything that day. It wasn’t as if she didn’t deal with weddings like this every weekend. It was like whatever had happened between her and Mitch had made cracks appear in the walls around her heart. The emotions she could usually keep out when she attended weddings day in and day out were now slipping through the cracks, settling into her heart. Making her feel in a way she hadn’t in a very long time.
When she’d been a teen working at the bridal shop—in the time before Andre—Belle had been all about the feelings. She loved seeing the brides find their perfect dresses. She loved being the one to assist her mom at the weddings she’d helped plan. The highlight of her week had been to stand at the back of the church and listen as the bride and groom pledged their love to one another. Her heart had longed to one day experience that same love.
But then, everything had changed. And she’d been okay with that.
So why was it changing back now? Why were her emotions once again being pulled to the surface by the weddings? She didn’t want it because she didn’t want that to be her path in life. Her emotions might be telling her differently, but she knew what was best for herself.
However, maybe she could just let herself enjoy the emotions for a bit longer. She’d watch Emily and Neil say their vows, enjoying the love they would pledge to each other. Then tomorrow, she’d tuck it all away like she had five years earlier and go back to how things were. The status quo. Her status quo.
Her earpiece beeped, and she touched the button on it to connect her to Stace. Belle paused just shy of the foyer, so she didn’t disrupt the conversations of the people who were beginning to gather there.
“What’s up?” Belle asked, her gaze on the growing crowd.
“The minister just told me that the pianist called him to say he’s running about ten minutes late.”
“Okay. Have the person in the sound booth play the CD I gave him earlier.” Belle had always known to prepare for things like that. If there was a possibility that anyone vital to the ceremony could be late, she had a backup plan. This wasn’t the first time the pianist who was supposed to play the prelude ended up being late. Which was why she made sure she had a CD of appropriate music, as approved by the bride and groom, to give to the sound booth person in the event of a late pianist. “Also tell him…”
“Tell him what?” Stace’s voice faded into the distance as Belle stared at the couple standing not that far from her.
For a moment, she wondered if it was Gabe—she wanted it to be Gabe—but she knew better. The woman standing at his side most definitely wasn’t Maya. Though her hair was dark, it wasn’t as dark as Maya’s, and her features didn’t have the exotic Asian look to them that Maya’s did. And she was clearly with a man who wasn’t Gabe. Her arm was linked through his, her hand resting on the gray suit covering his arm as they conversed with another couple standing with them. Something she said made Mitch look down at her, a smile of affection on his face.
He’d told her he had no significant other, but that had been two months ago. Clearly, that had changed. Suddenly, the distance between them seemed to be explained more by this than by the awkwardness from their moment in her office.
Numbness began to spread through her body, smothering the pleasant emotions that had existed just moments earlier. Belle was grateful for the lack of feeling because she didn’t want to experience the pain that would confirm what she’d known, even if she’d been denying it.