Table for Two (10 page)

"I can see that." Isabella smiled at Parker, sending a feeling to his knees that was not welcome. "Well, I better get in there." She told him, feeling mildly disappointed. She was enjoying the moment of solace that they were sharing before the interruption.

Parker just nodded and turned back to the garden as she left, leaning his arms on the balcony railing. He inhaled deeply, then sighed, wishing things could be different for once. It was the first time that he wasn't excited about getting out on the road and touring, but it was his job and something he had to do in order to be successful.

Isabella immediately found Sasha and Bunny when she went back inside, and true to Thomas's word, she was introduced to many of the attendees, all of which enjoyed her appetizers immensely.

By the end of the night, Isabella was tired and tipsy. All she could think about was getting home and crawling between the covers to her bed. When Thomas suggested they go somewhere for coffee, she regretfully declined.

"I'm sorry, I'm wiped out. I really ought to just go home and go to bed. But I do appreciate the offer." She told him, feeling bad since he was so good to her all night.

"I understand." He gave her a half smile. "But we're still on for Bunny's party next week, right?"

"You bet." She smiled as he dropped her off at the door to her apartment. "I had a great time tonight. Thanks for everything." She fished through her evening bag, trying to find her keys to unlock the door. Once she had them in hand, she looked up triumphantly, only to have her lips taken in a soft, chaste kiss.

"Good night sweet Isabella." Thomas whispered and turned to leave before she could even respond.

*****

The next day, the restaurant was flooded with people, and Isabella was glad because that meant she didn't have time to think and re-think all the events of the night before. It seemed that some of the people Sasha and Bunny had introduced her to the night before were true to their word, and came to the restaurant to try it out. The dining room was at capacity, and had been for hours, while people were milling about in the lobby, hoping to get a table sometime before the restaurant closed. It was fabulous for Isabella, though she hated that all those people had to wait for so long. She sent a few rounds of appetizers out to the lobby so that people wouldn't get too upset about the wait.

She barely had time to make her rounds of the restaurant once an hour, before she had to run back in the kitchen and help them with the abundance of orders they had. But she felt it was important to get out of the kitchen every now and then and make it known to her customers that she appreciated them.

The kitchen ended up staying open an hour later than normal to accommodate all of the people who were waiting without reservations and hadn't been able to get a table all night. Isabella hated turning people away, even if it was late at night. Her staff all understood and agreed.

By the time they finally left the restaurant, they were all exhausted. Isabella checked one final thing before she turned out all the lights, and she saw that the restaurant was fully booked for the next three weeks, solid. Proud of everything she had accomplished, and thankful for Sasha and Bunny's introductions, she shut off all the lights and locked the doors.

Over the next few days, Isabella and Dylan sat down to go over a few things from the business. They had decided to open up the banquet room to the nightly diners, and not hold any large parties there for the time being, unless the price was right. That would free up another thirty tables, something they were needing more and more.

They also decided to hire five more people to help out in the kitchen, and three more servers. It was a big step for Isabella to take, but she realized that if she didn't do something like that, then it would only be to her customers' detriment. Another idea in the works was a separate shop just for catering, but that would come sometime down the road. For now, the catering requests she had received since Sasha's party would be handled through the restaurant.

*****

"Dylly, I hate to leave you like this when we've been so busy lately, but I can't disappoint Bunny." Bella was torn. She stood in the kitchen of her restaurant, wearing the luxurious red ball gown, watching her employees packing up the Shrimp Bruschetta rounds that Bunny had asked for, as well as the Lobster stuffed Spring Rolls that Isabella decided to add at the last minute.

"We can handle it. Besides, I'm sure that some of our new customers will be at Bunny's party too, so it might not be too bad tonight." Dylan told her, rushing around her and packing the food up.

"Remind me tomorrow to talk to you about a big, fat raise." She told him with a huge smile as she watched him carry the covered trays of food to the catering van waiting outside the back door. She saw how late it was and realized that she needed to get back to her apartment to wait for Thomas. "I'm not kidding about that raise either!" She yelled so that Dylan heard her. He smiled at her and told her to have fun before she disappeared through the doors.

She arrived home only a few minutes before Thomas knocked on her door. It was just enough time to touch up her makeup and hair, making sure that everything was in the exact right place.

When she opened the door, Thomas stood there, looking just as handsome as she remembered. He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "Are you ready?" He asked.

"Sure am. Let's go." She grabbed her evening bag and locked the door to her apartment. She noticed that Thomas didn't ogle her, even though her dress dropped dangerously low, and for that, she was grateful. He never failed to look her in the eyes, and she was glad that he wasn't all about staring at her chest.

As they pulled up to Bunny's house, Isabella's breath hitched. She had thought Sasha's house was nice, but it was a shack compared to the miracle that stood before her. She tried not to let her awe show too much, as she didn't want to offend Thomas. She knew there was a lot of competition between the families, and she didn't want to cause any friction by gloating about how great Bunny's house was.

She took his arm that he offered as he helped her out of the car, and followed him up the steps to the massive double hung antique wooden doors. The carvings on the door were so intricate, she could have stood there for hours marveling at them. Instead, they were opened by a butler, and she and Thomas were ushered in to the reception area.

Bunny noticed them immediately and went up and gave Isabella an air kiss on each cheek. "Darling, you look gorgeous!" She gushed. "And the appetizers are wonderful. Thank you so much for the extras. I was so surprised!"

Isabella laughed. "You're welcome. It was the least I could do after all the help you've given me."

Bunny waved her thanks off, as if it was no trouble at all. "You kids go on into the ballroom and get something to eat and drink." Before they could walk away, Bunny grabbed Bella's arm and whispered in her ear, "Parker's in there and I know he wants to see you." Seeing her eye brows raise and her cheeks blush slightly, Bunny smiled. 'Take that Thomas. That'll teach you for monopolizing all of her time. She may be with you, but she's interested in my son.' Bunny thought to herself.

The mere mention of Parker's name sent a shiver through Bella, but she knew that it was foolish to feel that way. He was a rock star, after all, and she knew that there could never be anything between them. Besides, now that her restaurant had taken off like a rocket, there was no way she'd have time to date anyway.

If the mention of his name sent a shiver through her, she should have known that seeing him would do something more. The moment she walked into the ballroom, her eyes immediately found him and locked with his eyes. There was some kind of pull there, something that she just couldn't explain. 'Hopefully when he goes on tour, this infatuation I have with him will go away.' She thought to herself. 'Infatuation? Since when? Maybe it's just some sort of curiosity.' She felt the hand on her arm tighten, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked to her left and realized that Thomas had caught her and Parker staring at each other and was now casting Parker a look of his own, and there was no infatuation involved there.

"Thomas, how about we head to the bar for some drinks?" Bella asked with a smile, trying to get rid of the tension that had just appeared.

"Fine." He said tight lipped, then headed towards the bar, guiding her with his hand on the small of her back.

'If this is any indication of the rest of the night, I'm really in for it.' Bella thought glumly, not quite sure where her priorities should lie, with Parker or with Thomas. "Here's to tonight." She toasted, clinking her champagne glass against Thomas', and draining her glass in one swallow. 'Here's to tonight.' She thought again, as her eyes found Parker once more. 'And what an interesting night it'll be.'

Bunny's party was interesting for Isabella, to say the least. She was having a great time meeting people and dancing with Thomas, but one small thing bothered her. Any time that Parker even got close to them, Thomas would pull Isabella in the opposite direction, saying he saw someone she had to meet. And of course, there would always be someone to introduce her to, but Isabella knew the truth behind it all. Thomas would do anything to keep her and Parker apart.

After a few too many glasses of champagne, Isabella went in the direction of the powder room, with a promise to Thomas that she would be okay on her own, and that she would be right back. She rolled her eyes after leaving him, hating the over protectiveness. The line at the rest room was a mile long, and Bella didn't think she could wait that long. Luckily, Bunny and Parker were standing nearby.

Walking over, she gave Parker a shy smile before talking to Bunny. "I really hate to ask this, but do you have another restroom that I could use? I don't think I can wait it out through that line." She asked, almost timidly.

"Of course dear. Just go down that hall right there, and up the stairs. There is a bathroom at the end of the hall…" Bunny counted mentally. "Fourth door on the right."

"Excuse me, please." Parker interrupted. "I see someone that needs my assistance."

Bunny smiled at him, then turned her attention back to Isabella. "Do you need an escort there, or do you think you can find it?"

"I think I'll be all right. Thank you so much." She air-kissed Bunny's cheeks, then set off in search of the other bathroom.

At the top of the stairs, she slowed, looking at all of the paintings adorning the walls. She'd never have the money to have paintings as nice as the ones she saw. One looked like a Van Gogh, and knowing Bunny, it was the real thing. She was so lost in her admiration of the artwork, that she was surprised when a door opened and she was yanked through the opening into a dark room.

Before she could scream, a hand covered her mouth, and a dim light lit the room. Parker stood there smirking, seeing the shock register on Bella's face. When her hand lashed out and smacked him on the arm, hard, he started to laugh. "Calm down, it's just me."

"You ass! You scared the shit out of me. I thought I was going to wet myself." She told him, then cringed for letting out too much information.

Parker just laughed at her. "Sorry, but I figured it would be the only time I'd get to talk to you tonight since Thomas seems to have tightened his leash on you."

Isabella was about to protest, but then realized that Parker was right. "It is getting a little annoying." She agreed. "So what was so important, and please don't ask how I'm feeling." She didn't need him bringing up the subject of the baby they lost.

"Actually, I was just going to tell you that tomorrow will be my last night in town, and I was hoping you'd come to my concert. I've got two front row tickets and two back stage passes for you, but there's a catch." He told her and waited for her reaction. Her eyebrow raised, wondering what the catch was. "The only condition on these tickets is that you don't bring Thomas."

Isabella laughed. "I think I can handle that. I do have other friends you know."

Parker laughed, pulling the tickets out of the inner pocket in his suit jacket, then handed them to her. "I hope you like it. I don't even know what kind of music you like."

"I like a little of everything." She told him, putting the tickets in her small evening bag. "Thanks, I'm sure it'll be great." She had a question for him, and while she was trying to figure out how to ask it, there was a brief silence. She didn't want to seem over eager, but at the same time, she didn't want to look uncaring. "How long does the tour last?"

"I'll be gone for at least two months, maybe more if it goes over well and we have to add more dates. There's also talk of an international tour, but I'd prefer to wait on that, not that my opinion matters much." He told her.

"Wow, two whole months." She gave a quick chuckle. "I've kind of gotten used to you being around. It'll be weird without seeing or hearing from you for so long."

He smiled. "I do have a phone you know."

"Yeah, but you'll be so busy being Mr. Rock Star that us little folk will long be forgotten." She teased.

His eyes grew serious. "I could never forget you." He leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek, but she turned her head to ask what he was doing. Instead of his lips touching her cheek, they landed on her lips. Before either knew what was happening, the kiss deepened, and hands started to roam.