If The Shoe Fits (11 page)

“
You’re welcome, Sophia. Take care
of the little guy, okay?” Reese brushed a hand over Sophia’s hair
and Bella’s heart clutched at the sweet gesture.

Her heart clutched even more when he looked at
her and smiled. “I’ll talk to you. Have a nice day,
ladies.”

She watched him walk away until he disappeared
down the path, her conscience battling with her heart. Why’d he
have to be such a prince of a guy?

***

Jonathan curled in Sophia’s arms to enjoy
head-scratching with a contented purr. His “rescue” was just a
baby-step in getting them together, but finally something had gone
right.

Chapter Ten

The party was in full swing as Reese mounted
the brick steps to the DeLeo’s Georgian estate in the Mirror Lake
Development Saturday night. Two softly lit topiaries flanked the
double mahogany front doors that opened when Reese raised his hand
to the bell.

“
Good evening, sir,” said the
uniformed doorman. “Mr. and Mrs. DeLeo are with guests on the back
terrace.”

Reese crossed the travertine marble foyer with
its curving staircase. A balcony above it overlooked both the
entranceway and the great room. He turned sideways through the
group of people congregated in the archway to the dining area,
snagged a beer from a guy heading to restock the bar, and grabbed a
few hor d’oeuvres from a pretty brunette. Some of his old teammates
nodded as he passed them, but he didn’t stop. He wanted to see
Coach and put the past to rest.

He caught a glimpse of blonde hair as he
passed the kitchen. Did everyone have
her
color hair these
days?

Drink in hand, he walked through the open
French doors to the flagstone terrace beyond. Twinkling white
lights shimmered in the trees flanking the patio, and the low drum
of crickets provided a subtle musical backdrop. If he didn’t know
of Connie’s incessant penchant for gardening, he’d swear the heavy
scent of hyacinths was from some industrial-grade candles instead
of the flower beds beyond the lights, in front of which a small
crowd gathered around Coach. Devin was beside him.

Reese took a deep breath. At least he’d get
the whole awkward thing over with in one shot.

Connie extricated herself from the group. “I’m
so glad you came.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. “We’ve
been wondering where you were.”

He wasn’t sure who the
we
referred to,
but it didn’t matter; he was here and it was time to deal with the
situation. Reese slid his arm around Connie’s waist and led her
back toward the group. “Sorry, I’m late. Some loose ends to tie up
took longer than I expected. You know how it is when it’s your name
on the line.”

She patted his arm. “Always working. Don’t
forget to have some fun tonight. And be sure you don’t miss out on
the food. It’s fabulous. The poor caterer, she had to throw it
together at the last minute since the woman I had originally booked
had a family emergency come up. Thankfully, my son’s girlfriend
knew someone, and, well, you know I wouldn’t have been able to pull
it off.”

They shared a laugh. Anthony DeLeo hadn’t
married Connie for her cooking, which was a good thing because she
would have put their concession business under within the first
year of marriage.

“
I’ll get some later,” he assured
her, then met Coach Randy Meade’s gaze. “Coach.” He held out his
hand as the conversation around them trickled off to an
uncomfortable silence. Luckily, the rest of the group drifted away
quickly.

He took a quick breath. “It’s good to see
you.” He held out a hand. “Congratulations on your new
granddaughter. You, too, Devin, on the baby. You’re looking
well.”

“
Thanks, Reese. You, too,” said
Devin, nudging her father.

Coach glanced at Reese’s hand. Considered it
for a few seconds that stretched into what seemed like hours. Then
he took a healthy gulp of his drink.

And turned his back.

“
Oh, but Randy—” Connie reached
for Coach’s shoulder, but Reese stopped her.

“
It’s all right, Connie.” He
nodded at Devin who looked as stricken as he felt. “Devin. All the
best.” Nothing like getting shot down in public.

Reese took another deep breath and left them
standing there. He’d made the first move; the ball was now in
Coach’s court. Unfortunately, they’d stopped playing ball
altogether.

He took another swig of his beer, the taste
souring on him. He set it down and decided he might as well get
something to eat since good manners and his ego prevented him
leaving so soon after arriving.

And then he saw her. Only in profile, but
there was no mistake. Even in the typical caterer’s uniform of
black pants, white shirt, and bowtie, with her hair pulled back in
a ponytail, he should have recognized her earlier. No one else had
that shade of blonde, that curve of a smile, that grace as she
arranged the dishes on the table.

Bella, simply put, was stunning.

She looked up. “Hello, Reese.”

And she was married.

“
Hi, Bella. I didn’t know you were
catering Connie’s party.”

Bella stirred the pasta dish, giving him the
perfect view of that hollow beneath her ear. The one he hadn’t had
the opportunity to taste—

Hell. He should have stayed home
tonight.

“
I picked up this party at the
last minute,” she said without a clue of what was going on in his
mind, thank God. “But I’m working on updating the proposal. Your
assistant sent the VIP list yesterday, so I’m looking into any
possible allergies, likes and dislikes, that sort of thing. I
should be able to have it to you by Tuesday.”

Tuesday was too far away.

Jesus, he really needed to get his head in the
game here; Bella was
married
. The mess with Devin would be
nothing compared to the issue Bella’s husband could have with
him.

“
So, are you having a good time?”
she asked.

Only because you’re here
would be an
inappropriate answer, and
No
would be wrong, at least at
this minute. “It’s nice to see my old teammates.”

“
But you still see them through
your company, right?”

“
Yeah, but it’s not the same.
Nothing can take the place of the game. Best time of my life.” And
Coach had just flung all of it back in his face. What did that say
about him? Given that he was now lusting after someone else’s wife,
not a whole hell of a lot. Some prince he was. “So, er, how’s the
cat? Settled in?”

Bella laughed. “He’s going to weigh twenty
pounds in no time.”

“
Sophia a little too generous with
the table scraps?”

“
No. Gus. Seems he has a new
audience for his creations. I’m hoping the little ‘present’ Willow
left on his apron will deter him.” She picked up a plate. “Here.
Would you like to try this? It’s one of Casteleoni’s signature
dishes. I was thinking of serving it at the auction, but if some of
tonight’s attendees will be there, maybe I shouldn’t. What do you
think?”

He was thinking that her husband was one lucky
SOB. She was gorgeous, personable, sexy as hell, could kiss like
nobody’s business—especially not his—and she could cook. Every
man’s fantasy.

“
Reese?”

Head in the game, Charmant. Not
your pants.

He would’ve shoved his
hands
into his
pants… pockets, but he couldn’t refuse the food, though he doubted
he’d taste it. The whole episode with Coach had left a bad taste in
his mouth. Still, that wasn’t Bella’s fault, and she was looking at
him as if her world were hanging on his opinion.

Or that could be wishful thinking.

“
I’m sure whatever you serve will
be fine. Connie has been singing your praises, and the hor
d’oeuvres are fantastic.”

“
Oh. Good.” She waited for him to
take a taste of the shrimp and asparagus pasta dish.

He’d never been more self-conscious in his
life of someone staring at his mouth. Which, of course, made him
stare at hers.

Was she remembering the kiss? He really should
apologize.

“
Bella, about the
other—”

“
Reese.” Devin strode up to him
and put her hand on his arm. “Do you have a minute?”

Not for this. Not now. “Actually—”

“
That’s okay, Reese. I should get
back to work.” Bella took a step back and smiled at
Devin.

Smiled
at his ex-lover. Because she
wasn’t thinking about him the same way he was thinking about her.
Because She Was Married.

Right. “This is good, by the way.” He held up
the plate.

“
I’m glad you like it.” She took
another step back, her smile unchanging, and she even nodded at
Devin.

He cleared his throat. “What do you need,
Dev?”

“
I wanted to apologize for my
father. I told him to let it go. That it wasn’t your fault. It was
mine.”

“
Not rea—”

“
It doesn’t matter anymore, Reese.
You’ll always hold a special place in my heart, but you never
promised me anything. That was all me. I’ve tried to explain it to
Dad, but he’s just so stubborn about this. He can’t see past the
fact that I’m—”

“
His little girl. I get it, Devin.
And I understand his point of view. I do. If I ever have a
daughter—” No he wouldn’t think about Bella’s daughter. “Well, I’m
sure I’ll be just as overprotective, too.”

“
He’ll come around. Eventually.”
Devin smiled. It was a nice smile, but it didn’t do to his insides
what Bella’s did.

God, he was screwed. He needed to get out of
here. He’d put in an appearance; Connie had gotten what she’d
wanted.

At least someone had.

“
Dev, it’s been great seeing you.
If your dad comes around, hey, my door’s always open. If not…” He
brushed a kiss on her cheek. “I wish you well. Truly.”

“
You, too, Reese. I’m sorry things
worked out the way they did.”

He held up her left hand where her wedding
ring sparkled. “No, you’re not.”

“
True.” Devin laughed. “I wouldn’t
have Troy or Maggie, and I couldn’t imagine my life without
them.”

Is that how Bella felt about her
husband?

Reese gritted his teeth. He was keenly aware
of her standing behind them. Keenly aware that he was thinking of
her in a way he had no business thinking. And that he couldn’t stop
himself.

He set the plate down. “I’m really happy for
you, Dev. If you’ll excuse me…” He looked at Bella. “Bella, we’ll
talk.”

And that’s
all
they’d do.

***

Jonathan almost fell off the lintel over the
door to Connie’s dining room when he clapped his hands. He quickly
steadied himself, praying that his lack of focus hadn’t removed the
Ethereal charm. It and Animal Transformation were some of the few
he could do without help, though he did have to concentrate more
than most. Story of his Afterlife.

But how could he concentrate when sparks were
practically flying between those two? Celestial ones actually were;
it was how members of the Realm knew when soul mates had found each
other. Sometimes the sparks were so vibrant and explosive that they
managed to manifest themselves in reality, the proverbial fireworks
or lightning strike some mortals have claimed to have experienced.
Bella and Reese were so perfect for each other that Jonathan
wouldn’t be surprised if they were among those who did.

Actually, they could be…
if
he could
get them to look beyond the obstacles they mistakenly thought were
bigger than the path of True Love and see each other for who they
were inside.

Jonathan sighed. Easier said than done, but if
anyone could do it, there wouldn’t be such beings as
Guardians.

He looked at the plate of food Reese had left
behind, limbered up his fingers, and materialized another lucky
charm in Reese’s pocket. For added insurance, he sent another one
into Bella’s purse because, obviously neither one of them had read
The Manual. Food truly was the way to a man’s heart and Bella had
just handed it to him, literally, on a platter.

Now to get her to do it again.

***

Bella returned the smile Reese’s ex-girlfriend
gave her before she headed back to the patio, but it wasn’t easy.
Petite, blonde, and pretty, with a body that did
not
look
like it had carried a child… but those weren’t the reasons Bella
was jealous of Devin Meade-Taylor.

The relationship she’d had with Reese on the
other hand… Bella would bet he’d never apologized to
Devin
for kissing her. She still couldn’t get over that. One minute he’d
been all caught up in the moment and the next…
Apologizing.

She picked up the plate he’d left behind and
told her ego to chill out. They were going to be working together;
anything else would be a bad idea. It was
good
that he’d
apologized.
Good
that he’d stopped. Lord knew,
she
hadn’t wanted to.