Table for Two (9 page)

"Wow." Isabella was overwhelmed. "I'm not really sure that I can afford this." She told them honestly, thinking of the monetary donations she's have to make, as well as the cost of two different formal dresses.

"That's simple. All I ask is that your restaurant donates some of those wonderful Lobster Dainties appetizers, enough to feed 150 people." Sasha told her.

"And I would like some of those Shrimp Bruschetta Rounds, for the same number of people." Bunny added. "We've both hired caterers, but we've told all of our friends how wonderful your restaurant is, and this would be an excellent way for you to network, as well as have a little fun that night. And, my seamstress will be waiting for you tomorrow morning. She promised to give you a great deal on your dresses." Bunny handed her a business card, again from her purse.

"Well, you've made it virtually impossible to say no." Isabella raised her eyebrows and took a deep breath. "I guess the answer's yes then." She smiled.

Both Bunny and Sasha clapped their hands. After Isabella excused herself from the ladies, they high-fived each other. "Bet is on." Sasha told her.

"You know, you should just give it up. She's going to end up with my Parker." Bunny told her with all the confidence in the world.

"Not a chance. The minute she sees my Thomas, she's going to go weak in the knees and melt at his feet." Sasha bragged.

"We'll see…" Bunny promised, not telling Sasha that Isabella and Parker already knew each other. She wasn't sure if they were friends or not, but she could tell that there was something between them.

*****

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Isabella told Jason as she got ready for her first ball ever. "I mean, look at this dress. I could never have afforded it if it wasn't for Bunny. Her seamstress was amazing. She knew exactly what to do to make me look good, and she knew what I wanted before I even said anything."

"Girl, you look hot. That's enough to turn a gay man straight." He wagged his eyebrows as he took in her dress while she turned in a circle for him. The dress was long and flowing, but hugged every curve of Isabella's body. The color was such a deep shade of purple that it looked almost black in some lights, and it sparkled in just the right placed. He didn't even want to start on her cleavage…Even a gay man could appreciate the valley between the mountains.

Bella laughed. "This is so unreal. I feel like such a princess."

"You look like one too." He told her. "I'm going to go down and hail you a cab so that you don't have to stand on the street like that. I don't want someone snatching you up as their prize."

She laughed again as Jason kissed her cheek before leaving. She took a final look in the mirror, running her hands over the dress, making sure that it was all real. She heard a knock at her door and nearly jumped out of her skin.

"Who is it?" She called out.

"Thomas Winters. My mother, Sasha Winters, sent me over to pick you up." The voice at the other side of the door called.

Isabella looked confused and rushed to the door to open it. "Hi. I wasn't expecting her to do that."

"She said that she wanted to make sure you got to the house ok." He told her. Then, with a million watt smile, he confided, "But I think she has an ulterior motive."

Isabella smirked and nodded. "That I can believe." She laughed and held out her hand. "I'm Isabella Violi. Nice to meet you."

Thomas took her hand and kissed it. "Nice to meet you too. I'm glad to finally put a face to the name I've heard so much."

"Likewise." She told him, looking into his crystal blue eyes. She had to admit, Sasha was right, he sure was handsome.

"Well," Thomas snapped her out of her stupor of looking into his eyes, "We should probably get going. Don't want to upset Mother by being too late."

"Right." Isabella mentally shook herself. She grabbed her small handbag off the coffee table. "Let's go."

All was quiet as they made their way outside, until Isabella saw Jason standing in the middle of the street with his hand in the air. Then the air filled with her laughter.

"TAXI!" He shouted at one that passed by him, never slowing. "Stupid son of a bitch." He muttered, flipping the driver off. Another one came by. "EXCUSE ME! TAAAAXI!" He yelled. That, too, passed him by. His hands flew to his hips. "Do I have fucking queen written on my forehead? Is that why you won't stop?"

Isabella had enough. She didn't want Jason tortured any more than he already was…funny as it may be. "Hey Jase, it's alright. I got a ride."

Jason looked over to where Isabella stood with a man he didn't know…a fine specimen of a man he didn't know. He walked back to the curb, wanting an introduction. "And who is this hunk of a man?"

Isabella looked mortified. But before she could introduce them, Thomas held out his hand. "Thomas Winters. Pleased to meet you." He smiled and showed his perfectly straight, bright white teeth.

"Well hello Tommy Boy. I'm Jason, the man of your dreams." He shook his hand, holding on to it a little longer than necessary.

"Jason!" Isabella yelled. She grabbed Jason by the ear and dragged him away from Thomas so she could yell at him. "I can't believe you are embarrassing me like that."

"Sweetie, he's a closet flamer. I hate to tell you." Jason told her, matter-of-factly.

"What? You're delusional!" She protested. She looked over at Thomas, who gave a little wave in their direction. "I've got to go, we can't be late."

"Ok, at least I know you're safe tonight with him as your date." He smirked and kissed her cheek before turning and leaving.

"Sorry about that." Isabella said, rejoining Thomas. "I'm ready whenever you are."

The ride to the house was filled with them comparing notes on all they had in common. They seemed to like the same music, books, movies, and shows on television. By the time they got there, Isabella thought Jason was way out in left field by saying that Thomas was gay. They had some real chemistry, and she didn't think that would happen with someone who had no interest in women.

Thomas got out of the car first, then turned to offer his hand to Isabella. "Here we go."

"Yup, here we go." She held on tighter to his arm as he led her to the front doors and into the foyer, where Sasha was waiting to greet her guests.

"Ah, Isabella. I see that Thomas got you here ok?" She asked, so pleased to see her with her son.

"Yes, he was the perfect gentleman. And thank you for sending him, but it was completely unnecessary." Bella told her. "Did the appetizers arrive?"

"They did. They were delivered about half an hour ago. Right on time. So now you can relax and enjoy yourself." Sasha winked. "Thomas will be your personal escort this evening, so if you need anything, you just let him know."

Isabella thanked her and moved with Thomas to get a drink from the bar. As they were waiting, Bella heard a woman behind her raving about the Lobster Dainties. It sent such a warm feeling through her, with a smile gracing her face. Thomas handed her a glass of champagne, and led her through the room to mingle with the guests.

About an hour into the party, Isabella and Thomas were leaving the dance floor when she looked up and locked eyes with the last person she would have expected to see there. "Excuse me for a minute." She said to Thomas and walked in the direction she had just seen him.

Seeing her walking towards him, he met her half way. Once they met in the middle, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "How're you feeling?" Parker asked.

"Much better, thanks. How've you been?" She asked him, feeling like it had been weeks since they last saw each other, rather than just a few days.

"I'm good." He took her hand over her head and twirled her around. "You look phenomenal."

The look he was giving her made her go weak. "Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself." She winked at him.

"You can thank Mother for that. As if I'm still 5, she picked out my outfit for me." He told her with a shake of his head.

"Well, she did great." Bella told him, running out of things to say to him, but just happy to be in his presence.

"Darling, I turned to talk to someone and you left me." A blonde woman pouted as she came up to Parker.

Parker jumped and turned around to see his date. He looked back and forth between Isabella and Lynda. "Uh, Isabella, this is my date, Lynda. Lynda, Isabella." Parker introduced awkwardly.

"Nice to meet you." Lynda told Isabella, showing no emotion on her face, letting her know that it wasn't quite as nice to meet her as she said.

"I'm sure." Bella quipped back. "Well, I have to run, I'm sure Thomas is looking for me. Nice seeing you." She turned to leave, but was stopped by a hand on her arm.

"Thomas?" Parker questioned.

"Yes, Thomas Winters. My date for the night." She smirked at him, then shrugged out of his grip and walked away.

Parker stood there and watched Isabella disappear into the crowd, only to appear a few minutes later with Thomas on the dance floor. He shook his head and realized that there was nothing that he could do about it as he returned to his own date. They were friends, and he had no claim on her, just as she had no claim on him. That was how it had to be.

Isabella excused herself from Thomas after getting directions to the powder room. With the door in sight, she thought she heard her name and turned to see who could have called to her. A genuine smile graced her face. "Well hello, Bunny. I haven't seen you all night."

"Hello dear. You look absolutely gorgeous! I bet you've been beating the suitors off with a bat tonight." Bunny teased.

"Not quite." Isabella laughed. "But I've had a lot of fun."

"Just wait until next week. Nothing compares to a Bunny Davidson party." She laughed.

"I'm really looking forward to it." She told her honestly. "But if you'll excuse me…" She motioned to the bathroom that was just ahead of her.

"Of course, darling." Bunny told her and patted her arm as she took her leave.

After leaving the restroom, Isabella took a right when she should have taken a left, but luckily found an empty balcony. The view was amazing; it overlooked an impressive garden that was well lit in all the right places, drawing focus to some amazing rose bushes. There was also a pretty little gazebo with flowered vines growing up the sides. A little further down the path bordered by flowers, sat an intricately carved bench with an arched trellis over it. Even at night, she could appreciate the beauty of what was in front of her. It was exactly what she needed, the champagne and dancing were really starting to get to her.

"I thought I'd find you out here." Bella turned to the voice she had become so accustomed to.

"Hi Parker. Having fun?" She asked. "I'm surprised Lynda isn't chasing after you."

"You're not the only one." He rolled his eyes. "If I'd known that you were going to be here, I'd have asked you come with me. I'm sure we'd both be having a lot more fun."

"I'm having a great time myself." She smirked, then after a moment got serious. "So I take it that you didn't tell your mom anything about us."

Parker was quiet. "Remember what I told you the other night? Getting a girl pregnant after a one night stand isn't exactly my mother's idea of proper…especially a girl she holds in such high esteem. I don't know. Maybe I've just disappointed her so much that I felt like this one would've put her over the edge."

Isabella empathized with him. "But what would you have done had I not lost the baby?" She put her hand on his shoulder as they both looked out over the garden.

"I'd have told her, but I think that maybe we could have dated for a while first. That's what she really wants, you know." He told her, bumping into her in a flirty way.

She smiled. "I'm aware of that. I think her and Sasha have a bet going."

He nodded. "I wouldn't put it past her." He looked over at her. "Are you sure you're doing alright?"

"The wound's still fresh, but day by day I'm getting better. Everything happens for a reason, right?"

"So they say." He nodded. "So they say." Parker put his arm around her, and together they stood in silence, each with their own thoughts, looking out into the night.

"There you are!" A masculine voice invaded their solace. "I was wondering where you went to."

Isabella and Parker both jumped and turned to see the intruder. "Hi Thomas. We were just catching up. I needed a breather, so I came out here." For some reason, she felt like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar, even though she and Thomas weren't together, and nothing was happening between her and Parker.

"Mother was looking for you. She and Bunny wanted to introduce you to some of their friends." He said, casting a questioning glare at Parker, as he talked to Isabella.

"I'll be right in." She told him, and after hesitating for a moment, he turned and went back in the house.

"Why do I feel like I'm in high school and we just got caught making out by my dad?" Bella asked Parker.

"Thomas can be pretty condescending sometimes, especially when it comes to me. Let's just say that thanks to our mothers, we've always competed for everything. But I've always been the 'wild one', and he was always the 'straight arrow'." Parker explained with a bit of irritation.