Mitch wasn’t sure how to respond. He had a feeling that she wasn’t talking about liking him in the way he wanted her to. “I kind of assumed that, since we have hung out a few times.”
“Yeah.” Belle propped her bottle of water on her knees. “I enjoyed that.”
Not certain how else to respond, Mitch remained quiet, waiting for her to continue to lead the conversation. He wasn’t going to put words in her mouth or force her to address any part of their time together. It was like approaching a skittish animal. One wrong word and she’d bolt.
“We just can’t be more than friends, though.”
Mitch figured that this was going to be his one and only chance for answers, so he asked, “Why not?”
“I can’t be who you want me to be,” Belle said.
“How do you know who I want you to be?” Mitch asked. “How do you know that I don’t want you to just be you?”
“I’ve seen you with your nieces. You clearly adore them.” Belle turned toward him, even though Mitch doubted she could see much. “Can you tell me you don’t want children?”
“I do, but are you saying you don’t?”
“I don’t. My business demands too much of me. It wouldn’t be fair to have children when I’m so busy with work.”
“I’ve heard your family all tell you to hire someone to help out.” Mitch paused, knowing his next words might upset her. “You choose to be busy.”
“Maybe I do. In which case, I also choose not to have children. And to be honest, I’m not ready for a relationship. Not now, and maybe not ever.”
“Is that how you’ve always felt?”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you ever dream of having a family? Of getting married and having kids?”
When she hesitated before answering, Mitch wondered if he’d get the truth or some version of it.
“I suppose, like most girls, I did imagine having those things, but life experience changes perspectives.”
“You mean that Andre changed your perspective,” Mitch said, no longer worried that she might bolt. It sounded like he’d already lost her, so why not try and get some answers while he could.
“Experiences are what shape us,” Belle murmured. “Yes. Andre has helped shape some of my perspectives.”
“But if you wanted those things at one time, why are you letting him take them away from you now?”
“He isn’t.” Mitch wondered if Belle heard the tremble in her voice and that was why she paused. “I’m…choosing not to have those things in my life.”
“No, I think you’re letting Andre take them from you.” Mitch swallowed, knowing he was pushing harder than he probably should have. Definitely harder than he’d planned to. “You may have removed Andre physically from your life, but he’s still taking up space in your head. As long as you’re not allowing yourself to have the things you once wanted to have, he’s winning.”
“Our experiences change us,” Belle repeated as the plastic of her water bottle crinkled loudly. “I had a relationship already. One that convinced me that I don’t need to experience that again.”
“But you weren’t in a healthy relationship, Belle. In fact, it was a highly unhealthy one.”
“I know that better than anyone, and I am not going to allow myself to ever be in that position again.”
Heart sinking, Mitch said, “Not every relationship is like that, Belle. Not every relationship involves someone trying to suck the life out of their partner. Not every man wants to treat a woman the way Andre treated you. In fact, most don’t.”
“I understand that. I’m just not interested in taking a chance to prove it.”
“So you say that you like me, but do you think I could be like Andre?” When she remained quiet, Mitch pushed one last time. “Do you feel anything for me, Belle? Anything like what I feel for you?”
Belle didn’t answer his question. Instead, she said, “It doesn’t really matter. I’m not prepared to get involved in any way. Even with you.” She hesitated. “You deserve better than what I can offer you, Mitch.”
“Don’t you think that I should be the judge of what’s good for me?”
“Of course,” Belle said, her tone agreeable. “Just like I should be the judge of what is good for me.”
With that, Belle got to her feet and walked away from him.
Mitch stared at her shadowy form as she moved through the kitchen, leaving her water bottle on the counter before climbing the stairs. Left alone with his thoughts and his heartache, Mitch tipped his head back against the chair and closed his eyes.
He’d been praying for this opportunity, but now that he’d had it, Mitch wished he hadn’t. Though he’d always known the road to love might not be easy, he hadn’t envisioned that it would come to an end at the edge of a precipice. Across the chasm, Belle was moving away, leaving him with no way of reaching her.
So maybe this was the sign he’d been waiting for. Though he’d hoped that any serious conversation between them would be a sign of things moving forward, he’d ended up with the opposite. She’d told him no. She hadn’t denied that she had feelings for him, but she had said no.
And Belle was right. He could say that she was perfect for him, but only she could determine if he was perfect for her. And she’d clearly decided that whatever else he was, he wasn’t good enough to take a risk on.
Though he knew he wasn’t likely to sleep, Mitch pushed to his feet and wearily made his way up the stairs after tossing both water bottles into the recycling bin. Back in his bed, he prayed for sleep to come. He didn’t want to lay there thinking, or rather, overthinking, the conversation he’d just had with Belle.
When he woke the next morning, it would be with the knowledge that hope was no longer his when it came to a relationship with Belle. Truth be told, he wasn’t surprised—even though he’d hoped to the contrary—to discover that he wasn’t worth taking a risk on.
Belle breathed a sigh of relief when Rory’s car pulled out of the parking lot of her apartment building. Finally, she was home. Though her instinct had been to demand that they leave first thing that morning, she managed to stick it out through the casual church service they’d had and then the lunch that followed.
Thankfully, Mitch had kept his distance, and honestly, it seemed like he hadn’t been upset at all by their conversation from the previous night. Belle was relieved, or at least that’s what she told herself. If nothing else, the conversation had proven her suspicions about Mitch to be true. He had wanted something more than just a friendship.
But that door had now been firmly shut between them. She didn’t think friendship was a possibility anymore either. That upset her, but it was the price she had to pay. Plus, now Mitch would be free to find a woman who could be what he needed in his life. Someone like Denise.
Mitch had been right that Andre was still directing her life, but for Belle, it was only because she had learned her lesson from him.
Since Belle had the rest of the day off as well as the next, she had to find things to keep her busy, which really, wasn’t that difficult. But still, parts of her conversation with Mitch kept popping into her mind, often causing her to space-out, abandoning whatever task she’d been trying to focus on. Though it was aggravating, she knew it was better if their conversation was distracting her that day. Hopefully, the next day, when she was at work, her focus would be better.
Only it wasn’t.
Part of that was because she received an email from Mitch stating that he’d gone to the reno site that morning and had discovered that several walls had been graffitied. He’d attached pictures and had assured her that they were reviewing the camera footage from the site and would let her know what they found.
While Belle appreciated him letting her know what was happening—and using email versus phone to do so—she would have appreciated another day or two without contact from him. Instead, she emailed him back to thank him for keeping her up-to-date. He could have had Mark call her to let her know, but something told her that his professionalism demanded that he be the one to contact her. She was grateful that he’d at least chosen to do it via email rather than phoning her.
Throughout the rest of the week, she dealt with thoughts of him popping into her head at random times. Thankfully, she had plenty to keep her busy because if she was having that many thoughts of him even with everything she had going on, Belle could only imagine how much she’d be thinking of him if she didn’t have anything to do.
On Friday afternoon, she had been so distracted by thoughts of Mitch and their conversation at the cabin that she had forgotten that she needed to avoid being anywhere near the foyer of the bridal shop. So she’d escorted a new client to the front after their consultation and then lingered to talk to the woman at the reception desk since Jasmine had been busy with a client.
When the front door opened, Belle turned then froze as she spotted Andre entering the building, a large bouquet of red roses in his hand. He hesitated when he saw her, then a broad smile spread across his face. The smile sent unease through her. This was the reason she’d always avoided the front of the shop on Fridays. And as luck would have it, on the Friday she slipped up, it would be him bringing the flowers and not a delivery driver.
“Belle!” Andre exclaimed as he came to stand next to her, setting the vase with the flowers on the reception desk. “How nice to see you.”
“I’m afraid I can’t say the same,” Belle responded, her hands tightening their grip on her phone.
“Now, honey, is that any way to respond when I’ve brought you such a beautiful bouquet of flowers?” Andre asked. “They were not cheap.”
Belle was aware of the receptionist’s attention to their conversation even though the woman had moved away and was focusing on the screen of her computer. Everyone that worked at the shop was aware that regardless of how charming Andre was, they were always to say Belle was unavailable to him.
“And I’m sure the women at the women’s shelter will enjoy them. That’s where all the flowers that you send, go.”
Andre’s features tightened for a moment, creating an expression Belle was well-familiar with. It usually meant that he was going to say something demeaning or insulting. However, he usually didn’t do that when he had an audience, so she didn’t expect him to say anything right then.
“You are so ungrateful. After all I’ve done for you, this is the way you treat my gifts.” Andre shook his head, projecting as much disappointment as he was capable of faking into his words and actions. “Do your employees know how ungrateful and selfish you are?”
Belle wondered if the woman sitting at the desk thought she was crazy for resisting Andre’s advances. From outward appearances, Andre was a good catch. Tall and handsome, he wore his age well. His graying hair was perfectly styled, and his skin was tanned. Belle also knew what it took for him to maintain his athletic frame. So yeah, if someone went strictly on appearance, Andre would be quite a catch.
Unfortunately, the man’s beauty was truly only skin deep. It was too bad that it had taken her four years to realize that. To realize that his desire to give her a place in his business was more about his desire to control her life.
“What my employees know about me is none of your business. My life is none of your business. You need to leave.”
“You need me, Belle. You know you do. You always have. Whether you like it or not, I will always be a part of your life.”
As Belle stared at him, Mitch’s words rang in her head. He’d basically said the same thing. “No, you won’t. I’ve discovered there are men in the world who don’t need to manipulate and belittle the woman they’re with in order to feel better about themselves.”
“I didn’t manipulate or belittle you. I strove to help you become a better person. To help you realize your potential.”
“No. That’s not what you did.” Belle knew this was not the time or the place to be having this discussion—one they had held many times before. “But it doesn’t matter, because that’s in the past, and as of today, you have officially been evicted from my life and my head. Any flowers you bring are going to be given away, and if you keep harassing me, I’ll ask Rory for legal options to keep you away from me.”
Andre scoffed. “Like any court would see me bringing flowers as harassing you. Give it a try, but as usual, on your own, you’re going to fail.”
“It’s been five years, Andre, and I—and my business—are doing better than ever. Failure is nowhere in sight. For me, anyway. I think the fact that you’re so desperate to get me back speaks louder to the state of your own business than mine.” Belle crossed her arms to show him that she was not cowed by his attempt to belittle her.
“You keep telling yourself that, darling.” The smile Andre gave her was condescending, and far too familiar. “Well, I must get back to work. My business doesn’t run itself.”
“Like you haven’t found someone else to run it for you while you take all the credit,” Belle murmured as he walked out the door.
“That guy is seriously creepy,” the receptionist said. “I can see now why you don’t want to have anything to do with him.”
Belle was glad she’d seen through Andre’s words, but she didn’t want to continue the discussion about the man. “When Jasmine gets back, she’ll know what to do with the flowers.”
After giving the woman a smile to take the edge off the fact that she wasn’t going to talk to her about Andre, Belle escaped to her office. Once she was behind her desk, Belle let out a long breath. Had she truly told Andre she was evicting him from her mind? And if so, how exactly was she going to do that?