Heat and cold warred within her body making Belle shake. She may have brushed aside Mitch’s concern about Andre, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t worried. She was, in fact, very worried. Why had she antagonized Andre the way she had? No doubt that was what had propelled him to deface the new building. He would have known about it since Belles & Beaus had started advertising their move to the new building.
She’s mine.
As she sat alone in her office, Belle realized that if it were Mitch saying those words, claiming her as his own, she wouldn’t have felt anything other than security and contentment. But the thought that Andre was feeling that way, claiming her as his own, filled her with fear. She’d honestly thought he’d moved on and found another girlfriend to dominate.
She gripped the edge of the desk, uncertain whether to stay put or to run. But run to where? Andre knew where she lived. He knew where to find her if he wanted to.
Belle spent the rest of the day trying to focus on anything but her meeting with Mitch. It was apparent that hadn’t worked when her door swung open later that afternoon, causing Belle to jump, her heart thundering in alarm. It only mildly settled when she saw Rory walking toward her. The expression on her sister’s face told her that Mitch had filled her in on the latest developments. Belle wanted to be angry with him, but right then, she was more concerned with finding out if there was a way to protect herself from Andre.
She tried to take a steadying breath without being too obvious about it. “Hey, Rore. What are you doing here?”
Rory gave an impatient shake of her head as she dropped down into the seat vacated not that long ago by Mitch. “Don’t even try. I know all your faces and all your acts. Don’t even try to tell me you don’t know why I’m here. Or that you’re not concerned by what Mitch came to tell you.”
Belle shrugged. “What are we supposed to do about it? It’s not like we even know for sure that it’s Andre. For all we know, it’s some emo teen sending a message to his competition.”
“Or maybe it’s some teen that Andre paid to write the message. I think we can all agree that Andre didn’t write the graffiti himself.”
Knowing her sister wasn’t going to give up, Belle said, “Okay. Let’s play it your way. So if it is Andre behind this, what do we do about it? I doubt a bit of graffiti is enough for the cops to lay a charge.”
“You’re right. It’s not, but I have a friend who is willing to pay Andre a visit…off the books. Plus, Mitch said that they’re going to have someone at the site 24/7 for added protection. If someone shows up to graffiti again, C&M are hoping they can catch them. I’m pretty sure that whoever Andre might be using won’t feel any real sense of loyalty to him when faced with the prospect of an arrest.”
“So what do they get? A slap on the wrist for property damage?”
“Possibly. Depends if they have priors. We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Andre said that no cop would view his weekly flower delivery as harassment. Is he right?”
“It would probably be considered a gray area. If all he’s doing is bringing you flowers and there are no messages or subtle threats, then yeah, he’s probably right. But if there has been any sort of veiled threat with the flowers, we might have something to go on.”
Belle wasn’t surprised when she felt no disappointment at Rory’s words. After all, it was what she’d suspected all along. It would be just one more way that Andre would hold control over her life. She’d told him she was evicting him from her mind and yet, he was still finding a way to thwart her efforts.
“He’s a really nice guy,” Rory said.
“What?” Belle tried to bring their conversation back into focus.
“Mitch. He’s a great guy, and he’s concerned about you.”
If Belle heard that word one more time, she was going to scream. “I know he’s a nice guy. I’ve worked with him.”
“Don’t you think it’s time you opened your heart to him, Belle? Give the guy a chance.”
“A chance? A chance to do what? Break my heart? Because sooner or later, he’ll decide I’m too much work. That my anxiety or my need to control things doesn’t fit in with his version of how a relationship should work. Or he’ll be upset that the business demands so much of me and that I don’t have time for a family.”
“I’m pretty sure that the issues of the business and family can be addressed. You always wanted a family, and Mom has given the green light for you to hire additional staff to help you out. As for your anxiety and the need to control things, talk about that with him. Communicate about them. Mitch strikes me as someone who is able to take things in stride.”
There was a part of Belle that wanted to take Rory’s advice and just throw all caution to the wind and give Mitch a chance. To embrace all the things she’d wanted as a teen. A husband. A family. The business. Well, now she had the business at the expense of the other two.
“I already told him no,” Belle said, ignoring the vice that tightened around her chest at the memory of that conversation. “That there couldn’t be anything between us.”
“Reconsider, sweetie,” Rory said gently. “Don’t let Andre and your fears rob you of the possibility of love. At least pray about it. See what God gives you peace about. Just don’t outright dismiss something without considering that Mitch might be the man God has prepared for you.”
Her initial thought was that she knew better than anyone—even God—what was right for her. That was foolish, of course, but thinking that way allowed her to embrace her decision more fully. It was also why she hadn’t prayed at all about the situation with Mitch. Her mind had been made up from the moment she’d sensed his interest in her and her heart had reacted for the first time in a long while.
“This whole thing with Andre makes it even more imperative that I stay away from Mitch. Who do you think that message was directed at?”
Rory frowned. “Had you said something to him about Mitch?”
“No, but back when C&M started work on the building, Mitch and I were eating lunch at the food carts on Portage when we ran into Andre. Mitch’s shirt had the company logo on it, so I’m sure it didn’t take Andre long to put two and two together. He probably figured that we were a couple because Mitch came to my defense.”
“So you think Mitch is the target of the message?”
“I don’t know who else it could be,” Belle said. “So I don’t want to do anything that would antagonize Andre further. I made my decision, and now more than ever, it seems important that I stick to it.”
Rory gave her a frustrated look as she shook her head. “I think that Mitch should be the one to decide if he wants to take that chance.”
Belle just stared at Rory. However, unlike Jasmine, who found the look intimidating, Rory just returned it with one of her own. Her lawyer look, as Belle, Jasmine, and Ariel called it. Belle was prepared to wait it out, but then it appeared that Rory was too.
“Oh my word, you two,” Jasmine said when she walked into the room a minute or so into the staring contest. “You both win, now move on to something else.” Jasmine moved to stand between them, physically breaking the line of sight between Belle and Rory. “Enough.”
Rory got to her feet. “Fine. But seriously, Belle, think it over.”
Belle didn’t say anything as Rory gave Jasmine a quick hug before leaving the office.
“What was that all about?”
“I’ll tell you later,” Belle said, not wanting yet another lecture. “Was there a reason you came in here?”
“Yeah. Another bouquet of flowers was delivered.”
Belle shot to her feet. “What? From Andre?”
“I’m not sure. This one seems…different. But I didn’t open the card since it’s addressed to you.”
She rounded the desk and headed for the office door, Jasmine on her heels. When they got to the receptionist desk, Belle paused. The flowers Andre sent were always either roses or orchids. He’d often said that he wasn’t so cheap as to buy common flowers like carnations or daisies. The expensive gesture was always more about him than her. At first, she’d viewed his actions as romantic, but by the time she’d found the courage and strength to walk away, she knew the gestures—always made in public—were about making him look good in front of others.
This bouquet was different though. It was made up of a riot of color. Yellow. Purple. Pink. Red. Orange. And all different kinds of flowers. As she approached, she could see carnations, daisies, and tulips along with some flowers whose names she didn’t know. It was a truly beautiful bouquet—so different from the ones that Andre usually brought or had delivered.
Surely this one wasn’t from Andre. She didn’t want to believe that he was capable of such a lovely gesture. Reaching out, she plucked the card from amongst the blooms and studied the writing of her name. After being with Andre for so long, she knew his handwriting, and this wasn’t it. The sprawling letters were bold and not the perfect penmanship that Andre had.
Belle slid a finger underneath the flap and opened the envelope. After a brief hesitation, she slid the card out and read it.
Princess ~ I know you’re not one for romantic gestures, so please just view this as a gift from a friend. Someone who wants you to see the beauty of flowers. To know that they don’t have to come bearing ugly messages. I hope you can enjoy them, but if not, feel free to share their beauty with others.
Mitch
She felt a mixture of relief and delight as she realized that the flowers weren’t from Andre and that they were from Mitch. He was right, she just didn’t see the sense in gestures like that when such offerings could be made without the sentiment to back them up. Romantic gestures like flowers or candy were the easy parts. The simplistic ways of showing love and affection. Far more important were the actions that needed to be in a relationship in the long term.
Andre’s actions had spoken to the true nature of his heart, but she had been too caught up in the words and the gifts to see that for herself until it was too late. She appreciated what Mitch was trying to do, to reclaim the gesture from a manipulative man who was trying to control her long after she’d left him.
It might actually be working because even though flower bouquets weren’t really her thing, she wouldn’t send Mitch’s off to the women’s shelter the way she did Andre’s. Before she could stop herself, Belle leaned forward, taking a whiff of the flowers closest to her.
“Who’re they from?” Jasmine asked.
“Mitch,” Belle said, handing her the card. As Jasmine read it, Belle touched the sprigs of tiny white flowers poking up between the blossoms.
“Well, that was sweet of him.” Jasmine gave her back the card. “I assume I’m not sending this bouquet away?”
“No. You can keep it right here for everyone to enjoy.”
“You don’t want the flowers on your desk?” Jasmine asked.
“They’ll be appreciated more out here, especially given how little time I’ll be spending in my office this week.”
“True.” Jasmine leaned close to the bouquet. “What a beautiful arrangement. Are they from one of the florists we use?”
“I’m not sure. I didn’t see anything indicating where they were from. I’ll have to ask Mitch.”
“Are you going to thank him?”
Frowning, Belle turned to look at Jasmine. “Of course I will. Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because you would probably be happier avoiding him.”
Jasmine wasn’t completely wrong in that assessment, but Belle wasn’t going to be rude and ungrateful after the effort Mitch had made. Especially after the tension of their last meeting. Tapping the card against her palm, Belle headed for her office. Once there, she picked up her cell phone and brought up her text screen.
She composed several different texts in her mind before just tapping out a simple, straightforward message.
Thank you for the bouquet, Mitch. The flowers are very beautiful.
Though she wanted to reiterate that the flowers changed nothing between them, Belle couldn’t find it within herself to do that. Knowing what she did about Mitch, she knew the flowers were an extension of who he was.
Mitch: You’re welcome. : )
Belle sat staring at the phone, waiting for another text from him, but soon it became apparent that he wasn’t going to add anything. She’d braced herself to have to fend off another attempt by Mitch to get her to reconsider. Instead…nothing.
She was almost disappointed.
For the next few days, things were quiet at the site. Well, as quiet as it could be with construction still going on inside. The last of the inspections would be completed that week to verify that all the plumbing and electrical work had been done correctly. Then they’d have their final building inspection the following week before they began work on the finishing touches.
As long as everything went according to plan for these last few steps, they would finish on schedule. Maybe even ahead of time. Then Jasmine would be able to supervise the installation of the new furnishings in time for them to move the end of August. He could only imagine the hassle it was going to be to move all the dresses from the old shop to the new one.
During a tour of the shop at the beginning of the reno design process, he’d been shocked at the huge number of dresses that were available for brides to try on. In his mind, there were really only so many different styles of dresses, but apparently, he’d been wrong about that. So very wrong. No wonder salespeople got over-the-top excited when a bride finally made up her mind about a dress.
He had no idea how a bride narrowed down that choice. But apparently, they did, because as far as he knew, Maya had already chosen her dress. Out of the hundreds in Belle’s shop, she’d managed to find the one.
“Hey, boss,” Mark called down the stairs. “Belle’s here.”
Mitch took a final glance around the room that would be the employee lounge then took the stairs two at a time back to the main floor. As he came around the corner, he spotted Belle standing near the entrance, her purple hard hat on her head.
“Hey, Princess,” he said as he reached her, figuring that if she didn’t tell him to not call her that, he would. Despite everything, he found himself still wanting to have the closeness of a friendship with her. Whether that would be where they found themselves after the fallout of what was going on now was debatable. “What brings you by?”