Awakening Beauty

by Bonnie Dee

  “You’re still very young. You’ll learn that relationships between men and women are never so easy and you won’t find the kind of happily ever after one reads about in fairytales.”

  She had no reply for that so Aurora took the clothes Vee had helped her pick out and went to the dressing room to try them on. As she changed one outfit for another, examining the fit of each in a mirror, Aurora thought maybe Vee was less comfortable about her presence than she admitted to. Perhaps she was using this shopping excursion as a chance to learn about the interloper in her life, reconnoitering the enemy, as it were.

  Well, two could play at that. Aurora would use this time with Vee to find out all she could about her and about Joel from another person’s point of view. Maybe then she could understand why he was pushing her away when every fiber of her being told her they belonged together. Her heart had felt shredded yesterday when he’d told her their relationship must end, but she wouldn’t believe it. She was almost certain Joel was fighting against the same irresistible bond. He was afraid to commit to anything other than his work and gaining power. She refused to believe those were the only things that mattered to him. He’d already admitted they weren’t.

  Aurora emerged from the dressing room and smiled at Vee. “You were right. The green sweater is perfect for me. I also like the rest of these.”

  Vee returned her smile. “I have Joel’s magic card that will make them all yours. After this I’ll take you to Aprille’s so you can choose a dress for my party.”

  “Wonderful.” Aurora smiled even wider. “And you can tell me all about yourself. I want to know how a woman becomes as talented and successful as you are. I could use the lesson. It’s as if I’ve spent years sleeping and now I’m ready to wake up and truly start my life.”

  The girl was as transparent as water. It was all Vee could do not to laugh at her pointed questioning as she tried to understand what made someone like Joel tick and how someone like Vee could capture him.

  But she hid her laughter, along with her animosity. For the rest, she kept her answers candid, and offered honest advice about the evening dresses Aurora tried on in Aprille’s. And if she was conscious of a spasm dangerously close to jealousy as the younger woman emerged from the changing room looking heart-stoppingly gorgeous in a diaphanous green silk gown, well, that was easy to deal with too.

  Joel might be falling in love with the chit. Aurora might be beautiful and sweet and charming. But it was still Vee he would marry, Vee whom he needed. And so she said without hesitation, “That’s the one. Buy it.” And sent the staff to find just the right shoes to go with it.

  As Aurora happily handed over her purchases, a price tag dangled in front of her face and her eyes widened. Drawing Vee a little way back, she whispered, “Isn’t that an awful lot of money?”

  “Not for Joel,” Vee said, both surprised and amused. “If he wants to buy things for you, let him. He can afford it.”

  Aurora frowned, apparently wrestling with some unexpected scruple. “I don’t think…I don’t think I want to be beholden to him.”

  “You already are,” Vee pointed out.

  “Yes, but that was necessity. This is different.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Vee advised, smothering a yawn. “It’s good for him, and I’m sure it will allay the guilt later on.”

  Aurora’s frown deepened, then her eyes widened. She bit her lip and turned hastily away. It wasn’t until they got outside the shop that she said in a small, hard voice, “You mean the guilt he’ll feel for severing our relationship in order to marry you?”

  Vee sighed. The child was becoming tiresome. “I’ve already explained that it doesn’t have to be like that. In fact, whatever happens between you and Joel, I hope we will still be friends after the wedding.”

  Aurora’s gaze was bleak as she climbed into Vee’s sporty car. “I’m sorry. I don’t think that will be possible for me.”

  Aurora stared at the telephone in Joel’s apartment. She knew how to operate it and she had the numbers both for Joel’s office and his mobile phone. She wanted to call him, just to hear his voice. She could ask him what he’d like to eat for dinner and try to cook it.

  She had a very visual idea of what she wanted for this evening. The little round table in the living room set for two, with candles instead of the harsh electric light and she and Joel talking over a tasty meal that she surprised him by preparing herself. He’d see that she could be practical too. And later… Well, she refused to give up without a fight. Sulking wouldn’t win Joel away from Vee. She needed to get over her hurt and simply seduce him.

  If she had the courage to risk a rejection from him.

  Determined, she rose to her feet and picked up the phone. She dialed his office number first and heard the sound of ringing. Her heart beat faster, anticipating the surprise in his voice when she spoke.

  “Good afternoon. Joel Thorne’s office. How may I help you?”

  Aurora cleared her throat. “Could I speak to Joel, please? This is…”

  “I’m sorry, Joel isn’t available right now. He left early for home. May I take a message?”

  “No thank you,” said Aurora happily and hung up. He was on his way. He must have missed her, must be as anxious as she to clear the air and make up. More relaxed this time, she pressed the numbers for Joel’s mobile and waited for him to answer.

  “Hello?”

  Aurora dropped the phone as if it had stung her. It fell onto the sofa beside her and lay there emitting the sounds of distant music and many-voiced talk and laughter in the background. Cutting through the noise like a knife came another “Hello?” still in the crisp, impatient, unmistakable tones of Vee Gabor.

  Slowly, Aurora reached out to break the connection, but before she did, the line went dead.

  He left early to be with her, not me. What in the world do I do now?

  “Was that my phone?” Joel asked, returning to the table in time to see Vee patting the pocket of his jacket that hung casually over the back of his chair.

  “Yes, but it rang off.”

  Joel sat and rummaged in his pocket for the phone. He couldn’t rid himself of the thought that it might have been Aurora, prepared to speak to him at last. His day at work had been pretty pointless thanks to his anxiety over her, his own behavior and what the hell he should do about both of those things. And even when he did come to a decision on those issues, he still couldn’t concentrate because Aurora’s beautiful face kept swimming in front of his eyes—Aurora laughing, Aurora excited or mesmerized by something he merely took for granted, Aurora courageously dealing with her new world and her new grief, Aurora in the throes of passion…

  “So, what did you want to talk to me about?” Vee asked, distracting him from the phone.

  Straightening, he left the phone in his pocket and gave Vee all his attention as she deserved. “I’ve come to a few decisions,” he said, and she nodded. As usual, her eyes were open and frank, eager, but never cloyingly eager, to hear what he had to say.

  Joel took a deep breath. “I’ve decided I would like to go into politics. And that I would like you to manage that for me.”

  Vee smiled. “Excellent. It’s the right decision, Joel and I knew you’d make it.”

  He lifted one calming hand. “Hold on, I haven’t finished yet. I know you’re not going to agree with this part so whole-heartedly, but I hope that won’t stop us working together.”

  For the first time since he’d known her, a hint of uncertainty passed across her face, lending her a surprising air of vulnerability. It only lasted a second, but it didn’t make what he had to say any easier. The awful suspicion began to form in his head that he’d been wrong, that perhaps Vee did care for him in a more personal way.

  “I don’t think we should get married,” he said quickly, very quickly, because whether or not he’d hurt her, he wanted the matter cleared up now. “I appreciate all the advantages that would come from it, but the truth is, Vee, I don’t want to m
arry for such reasons. And not wanting it, I’d make a lousy husband. Truth be told, I’d make a lousy husband whatever the reasons.”

  Vee picked up her glass, twisting the stem thoughtfully between her steady fingers. “I see. And does this decision have anything to do with the delightful Aurora?”

  Joel’s smile was twisted. “I can’t pretend it doesn’t. The whole vacation has had quite a profound effect on me, made me see things more clearly. On the other hand, I’m not marrying Aurora either. She and I both need space to adjust and grow. It’s just that life around her tends to be maddeningly—intense.” He broke off, afraid of saying too much, of thinking too much.

  “Poor old Joel.” Surprisingly, she sounded more sympathetic than angry. “Struggling to escape the claws of a beautiful, charming child.”

  “It isn’t like that,” he snapped.

  “Isn’t it?” Vee leaned forward, her face perfectly serious, displaying only concern in her steady eyes and urgent lips. “Joel, how much do you really know about her? She appeared out of nowhere, spinning you some cock-and-bull fairytale to get you to look after her. Since then, she’s been sponging off you, spending your money faster than you’re making it, just in case she doesn’t get the star prize after all!”

  “What star prize?”

  “You, you oaf! Marriage! She has nothing, you have everything she wants.”

  “She isn’t like that, Vee,” Joel said with all the certainty in his heart.

  “Isn’t she? You weren’t shopping with her this afternoon. She bought a gown costing nearly as much as your apartment, to say nothing of the shoes and the diamond necklace.”

  Joel blinked. “Diamonds?” Stupidly, what hurt was that she wanted diamonds after the necklace he’d already given her. As if she liked it more than his.

  “And the rest. Joel, she’s a kid, a gold-digging kid, and if I thought she’d make you happy, I’d keep my mouth shut. But we had a little talk and she’s made it plain she wants me out of your life completely. Now that could be jealousy, true love or whatever, but I don’t know that and neither do you.”

  Joel gulped down his beer. Anger vied with the lowering knowledge that she was right about one thing. He barely knew Aurora. Vee’s description of her was not one he recognized. With Aurora, everything was instinct, and although he didn’t believe what Vee was saying, looking at her through Vee’s cool, sharp eyes was daunting.

  “Don’t do anything hasty,” Vee said, drawing back to sip her own wine.

  “I won’t. To be honest,” he added ruefully, “I doubt she’s even talking to me.”

  Vee sighed. “Such a chaotic life isn’t for you, Joel.”

  “Probably not.” Nor a staid, dull one like mine for her.

  He took another mouthful of beer and glanced again at Vee. She was gazing at him, thoughtfully.

  “All right,” she said at last. “I get that while you’re so churned up with this Aurora business you don’t want to commit to marriage with me.”

  That wasn’t quite what he’d said or meant, but Joel let it pass.

  “And I get that you want the space for you and Aurora to get to know each other properly. I’m all in favor of that. As we discussed, any relationship you and I embark upon need not be exclusive. So, let’s start the ball rolling on the political front. We’ll make your intentions known at my birthday party and take it from there. The marriage thing, we’ll put on hold. We’re friends. We can do whatever seems right for us, whenever we choose. All I ask in return is that you don’t rush into marriage, exclusive or otherwise, with someone else.”

  “That was never on the agenda,” he protested.

  Wasn’t it? Hadn’t Aurora seen it that way? Hadn’t he himself been so carried away on more than one occasion that he’d begun to imagine a fairytale ending? The trouble was, around Aurora it was so hard to remember that life wasn’t a fairytale, that there was no such thing as magic and happy ever after…

  But there is magic. There are branches that spring to block your way, and fires that start for no reason, and princesses who sleep for a thousand years and wake up as young and beautiful as on the day they first dropped off.

  Suddenly struck, Joel blurted, “How do you know about the ‘cock and bull fairytale’?”

  “Pardon me?”

  “You said she’d spun me a cock and bull fairytale.”

  “Well, she did, didn’t she? She spun the same one to me.”

  “She isn’t mad,” Joel insisted.

  “No, I don’t think she is. So you have to consider the alternatives.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Aurora was following her original plan. Though she gave up on the idea of baking her own bread, she followed her nose to a nearby bakery and bought a delicious-smelling fresh loaf with the “loose change” Joel had given her this morning. Then, keeping her spirits up, she gazed around the flat, looking for ways to create the atmosphere she sought.

  And as she looked, she began to understand Joel’s words last night. She realized that his apartment was spacious by the day’s standards, that everything, from the soft pile carpet to the tasteful wallpaper, was of the highest quality. But although there was enough furniture to be comfortable, she was sure much of it was never used—like the charming, round table in the living room that was just the right size for two to dine together intimately.

  In fact, none of the apartment looked terribly lived in—apart from his bedroom that was now cluttered with her few possessions: the necklace he’d given her yesterday in pride of place on his dresser, beside her brush and comb and a pretty, sparkly box she’d bought at the pier. Besides that, his neatly-placed comb, clothes brush and one bottle of aftershave looked stark and impersonal.

  Looking with fresh, understanding eyes, she realized there was no personal clutter in Joel’s apartment, any more than there was in his life. Apart from a few bright pictures—which she was fairly sure he hadn’t even chosen himself—there was no ornamentation. He’d spoken the truth last night. He really had devoted himself to work, left no room for anything else. But was it really that he had no time, or that he was afraid?

  A smile began to play around Aurora’s lips. She would have to show him the way, reveal the pleasure of home and roots and love, persuade him that magic took many forms.

  More happily now, she set the little table in the living room, covering it with a white linen cloth that looked as if it had never been used before, and placed the cutlery as she’d observed was correct for this age. She found napkins and wine glasses and a tiny vase in which she put one rose from the bunch of flowers she’d bought while out with Vee. After setting the little vase in the middle of the table, she arranged the rest of the flowers in a large jug and laid it on the windowsill. Then she rummaged in the cupboards and drawers for candles and holders. She put one in the middle of the table and scattered the others about the room. It was still too bright to light them yet, but she’d do that before they ate.

  Satisfied with the prettiness of the table, and the improvement to the room that one vase of flowers had made, she piled all of today’s clothes purchases, still in their boxes and bags, against the wall farthest away from the table, ready to be returned. With a quick, appraising glance, she left the room and went in search of the steaks she’d seen earlier in Joel’s freezer. Taking them out, she laid them on plate ready to be cooked when he came in, and washed salad leaves, tomatoes and cucumbers. It looked quite good mixed up in a bowl with some lemon juice.

  Since she was splattered with water and some blood that had dripped off the steaks, she headed for Joel’s bedroom to change. But before she got there, she heard the scratching of his key in the door. Her heart seemed to lurch into her stomach. Gladness that he’d left Vee so early warred with panic as to how he would greet her, how she should greet him, and annoyance that she couldn’t be groomed and beautiful but flustered and dirty when he came in the door.

  Before she could lift her frozen limbs and flee into the bedroom, the front door o
pened and Joel strode in, looking large and solid and so handsome that butterflies plunged and dived in her stomach.

  “Hello,” she said lamely. “I was just going to change.”

  Although he smiled, with a slightly sardonic twist that she was at a loss to account for, he didn’t seem to notice anything wrong with her appearance, merely brushed past her to the living room while she bolted for the fastest shower and change of clothes she had yet experienced.

  Emerging with her damp hair brushed but still glistening, wearing jeans and a top that he’d bought for her in Schlaushagen, she found him in the living room, idly poking with his toe at the boxes and bags from her shopping expedition with Vee. He didn’t seem to have noticed her lovingly set table.

  He had a glass of wine in one hand, barely touched. “I poured you one,” he said, glancing up as she came in. Neither his tone nor his cool expression was encouraging but at least he looked at her. In fact, she had the comforting notion that he couldn’t look away.

  “What’s all this?” he asked, giving an extra toe-poke to the nearest bag.

  “Oh. Vee took me shopping. She said you asked her to.”

  “I did. Aren’t you going to open it all? Try it on?”

  “No.” She took a deep breath. “I’m not going to keep it. You’ve been very generous, Joel, but I’ve seen the prices now in other shops and these items are too expensive. Far more than is right.”

  His steady eyes didn’t leave her face. “That’s probably true. Vee only goes to the best shops. Over-priced, but tasteful.”

  Relieved that she was right in this, she tried a smile. But he didn’t smile back. His mood was very odd; she couldn’t place it or reach him, and her brief upsurge of confidence seeped away.

  “Aren’t you going to show me the goodies?” he asked.

  “What’s the point when it’s all going back?”

  He shrugged and set his glass on the table to crouch down and begin tearing open the bags and boxes. “Quite a haul,” he said, tossing a small, rectangular box at her so quickly that she only just caught it. “What’s in there?”