“Yes. Very much,” Belle assured him. Quite possibly too much. Though she didn’t share that with him.
“This houseboat thing is amazing,” Denise added.
Mitch glanced around. “Yeah. After renting a houseboat for one of the bachelor parties, Dad decided we should have one for ourselves. So, he and Bennett found someone selling it down in the States and imported it. They stripped the boat down, and then rebuilt it.
“They didn’t intend to use it as a place to live, but rather they wanted to have it available for times like these. To accommodate a crowd and our family’s needs. They set up a special nursery room, so moms could bring babies on board, knowing there was a suitable place for them to nap. There’s also a small kitchen so we can bring food or drinks on board. And, of course, a bathroom and changing room. Dad just wanted it to be used like this. A place for people to hang out on the water but away from the glaring sun. Unless someone does want the sun. Then they can go up on the second floor.”
Belle was impressed with what they’d done to make it suitable for their needs. She could even see how the boat could be used for a small wedding and informal reception. It wouldn’t work for Gabe and Maya, but she could see it being a lovely place for a couple who didn’t want to spend too much money on a wedding.
A sunset wedding. That’s what it would be perfect for.
“This would be a lovely place to have an intimate sunset wedding,” Belle said.
Jasmine laughed. “Ever the wedding planner, eh, sis?”
Belle shrugged, giving her a sheepish look. “You know it’s a hazard of the job. I do tend to assess places for their suitability for ceremonies and receptions. And this would be a great place. Not that I’m suggesting using this one for anyone in particular. Just that it would be a lovely location for a sunset wedding.”
“You’re not wrong,” Denise agreed. “I’d love to have a wedding like that. The only problem is that my mom’s already written out her side of the guest list. That number alone would sink this boat.”
“Do you need a dress?” Jasmine asked. “If so, come see us. We can give you a good deal.”
“I see I’m not the only one thinking about the business,” Belle said, giving her a nudge.
“I’ve learned from the best,” Jasmine replied.
“Well, I don’t need a dress just yet,” Denise said with a laugh. “Have to find a boyfriend first. But I’ll be sure to keep your offer in mind if that time ever comes.”
“Just make sure you find us at our new location on Waterfront Drive,” Belle said, causing the others around them to laugh.
Maya had come over to join them as the laughter died down, and Denise said, “Hey Maya, once you and Gabe tie the knot, who’s next?”
“Given that the only one of the family currently in a relationship, but not married, is Kenton, I’d say it will probably be him and Avery.” Maya paused then added. “But who knows. Love can happen fast for some people.”
Denise nodded her head then glanced around. “I know they’re not family, but I would venture a guess that maybe Tami and Keenan will be ready to take that plunge soon.”
“I wonder where they’d get married,” Maya said. “After all, Keenan’s family is all in Chicago.”
While discussion turned to destination weddings or weddings where the families were in two different locations, people continued to come and go off the houseboat. It wasn’t long before Mitch’s brothers had gotten him back out on the water, this time on skis behind one of the boats.
“Do you have a boyfriend, Belle?” Denise asked when there was a lull in the conversation.
Belle shook her head. “I don’t really have time for one. There’s a lot going on at the moment. It’s our busiest time of year, plus we’re getting ready for the big move. There’s no time for a social life right now.”
“Well, there would be if you’d hire someone to help you out,” Jasmine said. “You’d think you were the eldest child with that Type A personality you’re showing once again. The need to control everything is definitely strong with you.”
“Do you think no one will be able to do the job as well as you?” Denise asked, her brow furrowed.
“It’s not that,” Belle said. “It’s just…well, it’s our family business. No one is going to work as hard for the business or work to uphold the reputation of the business as much as a family member.”
“That could be true,” Denise said. “But there are also plenty of people who take pride in their work and would do a great job because of their own personal work ethic.”
Belle knew her words had merit, but she still struggled to believe whoever she brought in would feel the same commitment that she did. Hiring people to help brides find the right dress was one thing. Hiring someone to plan their weddings was another. Belle had strong relationships with the vendors they used. Some of those relationships even went back to when her mother had been in charge of the planning. It wasn’t just the weddings that were at risk, but also those relationships. All they needed was for one misunderstanding, and they could possibly lose a valuable connection.
“Even my mom says Belle should hire someone, but Belle is a stubborn one,” Jasmine said, her smile taking the sting out of the words.
“I have heard great things about your business,” Denise said. “I’ve had several friends get married recently. Not all have used your wedding planning services, but the ones that have were impressed. They say you’re not cheap, but that you’re worth every penny.”
“And that’s why I prefer to handle the planning myself since we charge what we do for our services.”
Belle felt a bit of irritation at the fact that even out there on the water, she couldn’t escape the opinions of people—some who barely knew her—who felt she was working too hard. Well, she was the only one who could be the true judge of that. And she wasn’t delusional enough to say she wasn’t, but at the same time, she knew it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.
If she made the decision to hire someone, it would be because she had deemed it necessary, not because everyone else thought she should.
Thankfully, the subject was dropped as Bennett pulled up beside the houseboat to let them know it was time to head back to shore. Belle was glad for the reprieve even though those around her weren’t happy at the news that their time on the water was done for the day.
Once they were off the boats, they headed to a nearby pavilion where there were a couple of barbecues going. In addition to the barbecue, there seemed to be enough food to feed an army set out on tables. After grace was said, everyone loaded their plates and found seats. The conversation stayed on light topics as they ate, for which Belle was grateful.
Mitch sat at their table, but he was on the other side, a few people down, so Belle didn’t have to talk more with him. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to him, but she knew it was better if she didn’t.
Once their meal was over, they all pitched in to clean up and get the food back to the cabin. Belle was glad to be able to help and to keep busy. Given that it was still a few hours until the fireworks, people began to find ways to entertain themselves. Some decided to play games. Others settled out on the deck to chat. A teen boy had brought out a guitar and was seated in the living room area playing.
Belle decided to head upstairs to change, taking a quick shower in the process. After making sure her hair and makeup still measured up to her standards, she returned to the main floor and joined Jasmine where she was seated in the living room, singing along with the teen and a few others. The music was a nice background to the conversations going on in the room, but gradually more people joined in with the singing, and the conversations died down.
After spending a little while admiring the teen’s ability to play, Belle started to sing along. Though she didn’t know all the songs, she knew enough of them that she could join in since they were familiar from the worship in her church each Sunday. She enjoyed singing and found that it relaxed her. The anxiety of earlier in the day seemed to be well in the past.
Now if only it would stay there.
The true test would come when she was in bed later. It was always the nighttime hours that brought about her frantic thoughts and the anxiety that often plagued her, especially if other things had kept her occupied all day. Lying in the dark with nothing to occupy her, everything she hadn’t spent time thinking about during the day would rush to the forefront. It was bad enough when it happened in her home, but it would be even worse if it happened while she was sharing a room with four other people.
That thought brought the slightest flutter to life in her stomach, which she knew was just a precursor to more. It was the start of something that would build, a feeling of butterflies storming in her stomach. Which would be followed by a tightening in her gut and nausea that just lingered. The worst part was the feeling of chills or pinpricks up and down her back which made it impossible for her to relax or get comfortable. It felt like she was crawling out of her skin.
As she started to feel the anxiety intensifying, Belle let out a quick breath, trying to focus on the music and the words of the song the teen was playing. Was she actually going to talk herself into an anxiety attack?
No. Absolutely not. Breathe in. Breathe out.
Belle brought to mind the Bible verses that had helped her in the past. Not always. Sometimes she was too far gone and then had to employ a bunch of different techniques to calm herself. Right then, she couldn’t allow her thoughts and emotions to go that far…if that was at all possible.
Be anxious for nothing.
Let not your heart be troubled.
Do not worry about tomorrow.
Cast your cares on the Lord.
Between the snippets of verses and the song the people around her were singing, the feeling of her skin crawling began to ease, and the butterfly storm in her stomach settled to mere flutterings. Belle could handle that. It hadn’t gotten so out of control that she hadn’t been able to come back from it without having to retreat and take a bath or go to bed with a book that allowed her to escape from the thoughts that were causing her the anxiety in the first place.
“He’s incredibly talented, isn’t he?”
Belle looked over to see that the dark-haired man that Mitch had introduced earlier as Ryan, had taken a seat beside her. “He is. How old is he?”
“Uhhh…I think he’s sixteen or maybe he’s seventeen now. I’m a horrible brother. The only ones whose ages I know for sure are the twins—because they’re the same age as me—and Sammi, because she’s one year younger.”
“Is he the only talented one?” Belle asked.
“We can all carry a tune, for the most part, but Dalton is definitely talented beyond that. He can play several instruments, though the guitar is his favorite. He and Danica and their friend, Devon, have a YouTube channel where they post covers and some original music.”
“Original?” Belle looked at the young man, his thin frame bent over the guitar he held.
“Yep. Dalton writes music too. Like I said, he’s super talented. Puts the rest of us to shame in the music department.”
“He should go on one of those talent shows,” Belle said, appreciating the soothing sounds of the guitar as he began to play a song that apparently only he knew.
Ryan laughed. “The last time someone suggested that, he said he didn’t need some guy with a bad attitude telling him whether or not they thought he had talent.”
Belle could understand why he’d feel that way. She watched those shows on occasion and sometimes thought the judges were a bit too harsh on the performers. Of course, she often suffered from second-hand embarrassment when listening to some of the people who went on the show. Clearly, their mother had told them one too many times that they had talent, and they’d actually believed it.
“Does he hope to do something with music in the future?”
“Yeah, I think he does. Frankly, it would be a shame if he didn’t.”
They sat quietly for a few minutes before Belle said, “So what do you do?”
Ryan glanced at her, his dark eyes serious. “I work for BlackThorpe Security in Minneapolis.”
“So you’re a security guard, or you do private security?”
“The company as a whole does do some private security, but I work on special projects. I do evaluations.”
“Like for HR?”
“No. Well, yes, I handle some of that, but mainly I evaluate people and situations for accuracy. To tell if they’re lying. That sort of thing.”
Belle turned to face him more fully. “You can tell if people are lying?”
Ryan shrugged. “Usually. It’s part observation. Part intuition.”
“That must be an interesting skill to have,” Belle said. “I’ve managed to be a pretty poor judge of character in my life. Having a skill like yours would have been invaluable.”
“It can be helpful, for sure, but sometimes—often—we see what we want to, even if the signs are there to the contrary.” Ryan paused. “We ignore signs because we don’t want to see them. If you want to see the truth, you have to set aside your own desires for a specific outcome.”
Belle was amazed at how much sense that made. And how true it had been with her and Andre. She should have known he wasn’t right for her, but she hadn’t seen that truth because back then she’d still wanted her dream. He’d dangled the chance for that dream—love and appreciation—in front of her, and it had drawn her in, blinding her to the truth about him that she hadn’t wanted to see for far too long.
“You’re doing the wedding for Gabe and Maya?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m helping them plan it. Jasmine helped Maya pick out her dress.”
“Are us groomsmen going to have to wear penguin suits?”
Belle smiled. “Not to spill the beans or anything, but yes, I’m afraid you do.”
Ryan sighed as he flopped back against the couch. “How much would it cost me for you to help plan a different direction for the wedding attire? I can get it to you in small bills. Anything to not have to wear a tux.”
“Sorry, but this was Maya’s concession to her mother, and the last time I checked, Maya’s mom—and most likely Maya—have more money than you and I put together.”
“That is so true. I love Maya, but her mom can be intimidating. Almost more so than her dad, and that’s saying something.”
“Maybe you should ask her if someone’s life would be in danger if they refused to wear a tux,” Belle suggested. “Then see if she’s lying when she tells you no.”
Ryan stared at her for a moment before he burst out laughing. When he’d finally stopped laughing, he said, “I can see why Mitch likes you.”
Belle looked away as she searched for a suitable response. “Uh…he likes me?”
Ryan gave a snort of disbelief. “I would say that if you’re uncertain of that, you need to revisit our conversation about seeing the truth beyond our own desires. Which is curious. There have been women who have thought Mitch liked them and pursued him. Those situations were clearly cases of the women not seeing the truth because of their own desires.” He paused. “I think this is probably the first time it’s been the reverse. Which honestly, confuses me.”
Belle couldn’t keep from looking at him. “What do you mean?”
“I would just say that you’re either extremely naïve or your desire is different from the truth.” Ryan hesitated. “And that would mean you don’t want Mitch to like you.”
“Should I expect a bill?” Belle asked, trying to ignore the sudden increase in the fluttering in her stomach.
“Nah. I don’t bill for consultations with family and friends.” Ryan touched her hand briefly, and Belle noticed that her skin didn’t warm the way it did when Mitch touched her. “But just know that Mitch is a good guy. A great guy.”
Belle hesitated before she nodded. “I had noticed that.”
“He said that you were able to tell he wasn’t Gabe without even talking to him. That’s almost a superpower where those two are concerned. I mean, yeah, anyone who has spent any amount of time around them can tell them apart, but after just one meeting and without even knowing that Gabe had a twin? Seriously impressive.”
“Not so much, considering my sisters are identical twins,” Belle said, trying to brush aside the significance of what she’d done. “That made it easier for me to pick up on the subtle differences and see them for who they were.”
“Regardless, Mitch is a decent guy. One of the best, really. He deserves someone who sees him that way and appreciates that about him.”
“Did he ask you to talk to me?” Belle asked, unwilling to respond to Ryan’s statements about Mitch.
Ryan laughed. “No. In fact, I can feel the daggers he’s sending my way even as we speak. If he knew what we were talking about, he’d probably kick my butt right back to Minneapolis.”
Belle turned her gaze back to Dalton without responding. Though the storm hadn’t escalated into anything more, the butterflies were still agitated. And they likely would be until that conversation was over.