If The Shoe Fits

by Fennell, Judi

  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 Me
ade-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.

  And that had been the biggest problem of all.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Hey, Reese.”

  Luke. Great. Just the person he didn’t want to see.

  Then he saw Staci clinging to Luke’s arm like a sucker fish on a shark, the analogy all too real. “Luke. Staci.” He nodded, and thankfully saw an out in Connie and Anthony’s eldest son walking up behind them. “Hey, Jimmy. Great party, as usual.”

  “Yeah, Mom sure knows how to throw them.” He ushered another girl forward and Reese had to stifle a groan. So much for the escape. Stalker Chick. “This is Drew. The third sister.”

  “Stepsister,” said the two women at once.

  “Whoa. Okay, ladies. My bad.” Jimmy held up his hands and backed up.

  Right into Bella.

  Reese grabbed her as she stumbled. It was a becoming a habit. “You okay, Bella?”

  Bella smiled, but it wasn’t one he was used to seeing from her. Unless she’d tried the spinach donuts. “Um, yes. I am. Here, Reese. You forgot your plate.”

  “Bella?” Luke’s eyes, shoulders, and probably a certain part of his anatomy perked up. “This is the Bella I’ve been hearing about?” He took the plate from her, shoved it at Reese, then raised her hand to his lips. “So very nice to meet you, Bella.”

  Reese gritted his teeth and had to restrain himself from punching Luke out. He had no right to feel so protective of her. It was The Husband’s fault for letting her out of the house.

  Let her out? Now he had to restrain himself from punching himself. Since when had he gone caveman? He’d never felt like this before in his life. God, he needed to get a grip—and release the one he had on Bella.

  Hell, he also needed to get laid, too. Just to take the edge off. Maybe then he wouldn’t see Bella every time he closed his eyes. And considering that he blinked probably twenty-five times a minute—and saw her each and every damn time—that’d be a good thing. Except the thought of touching anyone else right now was enough to turn him off. Of everything and everyone except Bella—which took him right back to the dilemma at hand as Luke leered at her chest under the guise of bending over to kiss the hand he held. He’d seen Luke pull that trick too many times to count.

  Staci, thank God, saw through it, too. If Reese wasn’t mistaken, she pinched Luke’s ass. And not in a good way.

  Luke shot up and glared at Staci before turning his charming smile on Bella. “I’m Luke Jamison. I understand we’ll be working together on the hospital auction.”

  “We’re all doing the charity thing. Together.” Staci sidled close enough that her breasts rested on Luke’s arm. For once, Reese and the bimbo were on the same side. “We were just thinking that we should all, you know, go take a look at the place this Friday night.” Staci included him and Bella in the we all. “Go over how the auction is going to be laid out and that sort of thing. You guys busy?”

  Bella’s smile disappeared altogether as she slid her hand from Luc’s. “Stace, I don’t think that’s necessary—”

  “I think it’s a great idea,” Luke chimed in. “It’ll give us the lay of the land, so to speak. Right, Reese? Don’t want to leave anything to chance, you know?”

  It wasn’t land Luke wanted to lay. And The Midnight Maiden would play right to that. The top deck, with its twinkling lights that reflected off the water beneath a starry, moonlit sky, was one of the most romantic dining experiences in the city. That wasn’t something Reese wanted to chance.

  “We don’t need to go together,” he said. He’d been there half a dozen times in the last week alone.

  “Sure we do,” said Staci. “Otherwise, how will Bella and I know what you and Luke want?”

  He had a feeling Staci knew exactly what Luke wanted.

  “Yeah, come on, Reese,” said Luke. “I want to make sure I know exactly where it is and what’s expected of me. Don’t want to blow it again.”

  Which meant if Reese didn’t go and Luke decided not to show up, Luke would blame him.

  “Fine. Let’s say seven. But Bella, if you can’t make it…” Or if her husband wanted to have a romantic dinner or something… He should probably invite the husband. That’d be the polite thing to do. And would show him once and for all that Bella was Off Limits.

  But he wasn’t going to.

  “Great. It’s a date.” Staci wiggled against Luke. “We’ll have so much fun. Right, Bella?”

  Bella blinked and that spinach-donut smile reappeared. “Uh, sure. I’m going to have to get a babysitter for Sophia.”

  “Oh Drew can do that.”

  “Hey!” Stalker Chick spoke up. “What if I have something to do?”

  “Do you?”

  “Well, no, but you don’t know that.”

  “I do now, so you’re on babysitting duty.”

  Jimmy whispered something in Drew’s ear. Her blush was nowhere near as attractive as Bella’s.

  “Okay, then. That’s settled,” said Bella. “But now I have to get back to work.”

  A loud silence followed her departure until Luke’s, “That’s the serving girl I’ve been hearing about? She doesn’t look all that homely to me” broke it.

  Reese wanted to break him.

  Instead, he grabbed him by the other arm and extricated him from Staci’s cleavage, then steered him away from the others. “Knock it off, Luke. What the hell was that all about?”

  “What was what about? You don’t want to go? I thought this shindig was a big deal.”

  “Don’t fuck with me, Luke.”

  “Trust me, Reese. It’s isn’t you I want to fuck.”

  Reese got that. “What happened to staying away from the caterer?”

  Luke arched an eyebrow. “I am. We both know Staci isn’t doing a thing for this auction. You never said anything about steering clear of family members. Besides, I figure the event will run much smoother if I keep her busy.”

  His logic actually made sense. “Fine. But another stunt like that hand-kissing move and we’re done.”

  “Fine. No hand-kissing. I hear you.”

  Problem was, he thought Luke saw right through him, too.

  ***

  Luke massaged his wrist as Reese stalked away. So that’s the way it was, huh? Reese was all hot and bothered by one pretty little caterer.

  Luke almost laughed. He hadn’t ever seen Reese this tied up over anyone. And it had only taken one comment to set him off. That could make things really interesting.

  He tucked that morsel away as he rejoined Staci, Drew, and Jimmy. “So what’s the deal with your stepsister?” he asked the girls. “Is she seeing anyone?”

  Jimmy’s mouth fell open and Drew giggled.

  Staci, however, turned to stone. Ah, good. He liked his women a little jealous and a lot unsure of his intentions. Though, seriously, the way her tits were all over him, she couldn’t be that unsure of what he intended tonight.

  “Bella? Seeing someone?” Drew snorted. “Depends if you count a ten-year-old as someone. Bella never dates. She’s always at the restaurant or taking care of her little sister, Sophia.”

  “Oh, yeah, she’s a whole lot of fun.” Staci straightened which just so happened to make her tits the center of the conversation again.

  God, he loved cheap and tacky. And easy. Easy was good.

  “Any guy Bella ever dated dropped her after about a week. She’s too boring.” Staci leaned back into him, tits and all. “But let’s not talk about her. I’d much rather hear all about that Super Bowl catch you made.”


  And then she got that calculating look in her eye just like Tanya had had when they’d first met. He’d thought it’d been genuine interest. Instead, it was the sign of dollar signs calculating in her head. He’d learned from that mistake big time.

  Still, a man did have needs and the way Staci curled his arm around her and leaned her head against his shoulder might as well be a written invitation. Looked like someone was going to get lucky tonight and it definitely wasn’t poor Reese.

  He grabbed Jimmy’s newly-opened beer and allowed himself to be sidetracked by football. Hell, he’d told this story so often he could do it in his sleep.

  But all the time he was reciting the thirty-yard reception and three tackles he’d avoided for the winning touchdown, Luke was thinking about Reese. And Bella.

  The guy needed to loosen up and live a little. Too much stress wasn’t good for anyone. Luke knew that first hand.

  In the old days, it would have been fun to see if he could win her out from under Reese, but he really didn’t want to trash the repairs he was making to his business relationship with his old friend. Especially over some chick.

  Maybe he could help Reese and Bella along. That could cement things with Reese once again. He’d fucked up big time on the business end, and with Tanya pulling her shit, he couldn’t afford to be out of a job. He needed Reese’s gigs.

  He also needed Reese to keep his mouth shut around Tanya’s lawyer and the best way to do that was keep it busy with something—someone—else.

  Yeah, he could be as calculating as Tanya and Staci, but Luke had to look out for Number One.

  His son.

  ***

  Reese checked his watch and was surprised to find it was so late. He’d stayed. He hadn’t been planning to, but when Metzner had pulled him into a conversation about the playoffs, well, hell. He missed the game. The camaraderie. His injury had stolen it; he wasn’t about to let Coach’s stubbornness and the ill-advised attraction to Bella to take it from him, too.