by Beth Ciotta
“What do you mean?” Bella asked.
“What? Oh.” Georgie traded a quick look with Angel. “Nothing. Just grumbling. Don’t mind me.” She turned her attention to dressing her burger.
Everyone else concentrated on their food as well.
“You guys don’t have to avoid talk of Savage and Funland,” Bella said. “I know all the rides are gone. The park is gone. He hired Dad to landscape the grounds and Dad’s psyched so it’s not like he doesn’t talk about it. I also know Savage hired a crew to renovate the exterior of his house. He’s turned his studio into a satellite shop of sorts taking on referrals from Tank for custom auto and motorcycle art. He’s creating a new life in Nowhere and I think that’s, well, it’s great.”
“Did you know he’s seeing a shrink in Whitney?” Emma asked.
Chrissy elbowed her.
“What?” Emma complained. “Bella sounds like she starting to give up on her and Savage as a couple. Throw her a bone for God’s sake. Georgie saw him coming out of Dr. Brown’s office.”
“I had no idea,” Bella said, trying not to look hurt. What else were the Inseparables keeping from her?
Georgie gave Emma the evil eye. “I didn’t say anything because, well, that’s kind of private. I was respecting Savage’s privacy. No shame in needing someone to help you sort through your problems.”
Bella didn’t know whether to feel encouraged or discouraged. Was she one of his problems?
“But as long as we’re telling tales,” Georgie said, “I’ve been seeing Savage on the side.”
Bella blinked.
“Me, too,” Angel said.
Chrissy and Emma raised their hands.
“Totally platonic,” Georgie added when Bella palmed her forehead. “Relax. As if we’d horn in on your guy.”
“As if we could,” Emma said. “Savage has it bad for you, Bella. I have to tell you, it borders on disgusting.”
Her heart pounded with mix of misery and affection. “Then why aren’t we together? I understood taking a step back, but it feels like we’re worlds away.”
“We kept it low profile because we didn’t want you to feel left out,” Chrissy said, “but now that Georgie opened a can of worms—”
“Emma started it,” Georgie said.
“Savage reached out to each of us one at a time over the last few weeks,” Chrissy continued. “He knows how important we are to you and he thought he should connect with us like he has with your dad.”
“He’s not a world away,” Angel said. “He’s circling your universe.”
“The man’s freaking complicated,” Emma said, “but he’s a good guy.”
“Totally worth hanging in for,” Chrissy said. “And, yes, you heard that from me.”
Savage seeing a shrink. Savage getting to know her friends. Savage creating a life in Nowhere. All well and wonderful, except when was he going to include her?
Something stirred within Bella.
Impatience.
She’d been waiting for Savage to come to her. She’d given him time and space. She’d backed off so he could get his crap together. What was he waiting for? Perfect? One thing Bella had learned since she’d taken off her rose-tinted glasses is that no one had a perfect life. A perfect tale.
“You okay, Bella?” Chrissy asked.
“You looked distracted,” Angel said.
“And fierce,” Georgie said with a grin.
“Just contemplating a plot deviation,” Bella said.
“A fairy tale where the woman takes the lead?” Emma teased. “Kick some ass, girlfriend.”
Chapter Thirty
Once upon a Friday…
Bella woke with a start. She’d been dreaming about her soul mate. The hero who would whisk her off her feet and carry her away. No. Wait. She’d been the one doing the saving. And they weren’t escaping. They were living life to the fullest. Right here in Nowhere. With a few interspersed adventures to other lands.
Wide awake now, she nearly fell out of her bed in her haste to get to her teeny-tiny bathroom.
Last night she’d texted her boss, asking for a personal day. She rarely missed work, so it wasn’t a problem and, bonus, it meant a long weekend. Bella had the entire day free, but she wanted to wage an early attack. The sooner she slayed any remaining demons, the sooner her heart would sing.
Even though her friends had faith in Savage’s best intentions, Bella worried that he’d never feel good enough. He’d asked her not to put him on a pedestal, yet that’s exactly what he’d done with her.
“I’m not perfect and I don’t want perfect. I want us.” Whatever that entailed.
She took a quick shower, dried her hair but skipped cosmetics. On second thought, she added a swipe of tinted lip balm. She wanted to look pretty, irresistible even. So she left her curls loose and slipped into a purple sundress and a pair of glittery blue flats. Yes, it was late September, but it was still fairly warm. Definitely sunny.
Bella moved to the small desk wedged beneath the window. The window that looked out on the fields and beyond to Savage’s property. She’d kept her distance, but she’d imagined plenty. She didn’t even have to close her eyes to envision Savage and Killer going about their day. It had to mean something that she still got the warm fuzzies when she thought about Savage. It had to mean something that she was still driven to write him a happy ending even though it felt as though he were painting her out of his life.
She’d stayed up until four in the morning, typing the last chapters of Pendragonites. Instead of printing out three-hundred manuscript pages, she saved her novel to a thumb drive. She tucked the story of her heart into her messenger bag, slinging it crisscross over her shoulder. Pulse racing, Bella trotted down the outdoor steps—a woman on a mission.
The sight of a basket stopped her dead in her tracks. The handle was hooked over the post of the landing. It reminded her of the covered basket she’d left hanging on Savage’s fence three months before. Her fingers trembled as she shifted the basket to the ground. Sitting on the bottom step, Bella opened the lid and looked inside. A bottle of pop, a tin of caramel corn, a rolled sheet of paper, and an envelope.
She opened the envelope first.
Dearest Bella,
It’s not Funland, but something better. I’m hoping we can make this dream come true together. As friends or lovers. I’m hoping both.
Ass officially out of the gutter and in the sunshine.
Joe
If she weren’t already sitting, her knees would have buckled. Giddy with a flood of emotions, she unrolled what looked like blueprints. Her eyes skimmed the page, the penciled sketch and words.
WONDERLAND.
Some sort of recreation center. Western themed. A combination of high tech and old-fashioned elements. She wasn’t one-hundred-percent clear on the details, but she knew it was intended for kids and that it was meant to be fun and educational.
“Holy wow.”
She tucked the card and plans in her bag and ran for the Jeep. She turned the key and, just her luck, it wouldn’t start. Talk about a clichéd twist. Instead of cursing, she laughed. “As if that’s going to stop me!”
Bella peered across the lavender field.
If she only had a horse. Yeah, boy, wouldn’t that be the ultimate cliché and something right out of a romantic movie? Since she was sans stallion, she opted for Schwinn. Riding across the field wouldn’t be easy, but it was the shortest route and Bella had waited long enough for her happily-ever-after.
Straddling the banana seat of her bright yellow bike, she took off and peddled with a vengeance.
* * *
Joe settled on the swing in his jeans and bare feet, coffee mug in hand. Killer jumped up and curled beside him.
He gazed at his expansive lawn, as beautiful as Grant Park, thanks to Archie Mooney, and beyond to the rural and rugged landscape.
Nowhere, Nebraska.
Population: 1,000
On the outskirts of Tornado Alley and
bordering the Twilight Zone.
Or, as Joe had begun to think of his secluded home, heaven.
This morning had unfolded similar to the last several mornings sans the sounds of various power tools. As of yesterday, renovations on the house were complete. The crew was gone. Dead quiet surrounded the grounds and something akin to serenity had seeped into Joe’s blood. Only one thing would make him happier.
Bella.
When he’d handed her over to Ryan McClure two months back, he’d had her best interest at heart. Rather than staying with him and weathering his moodiness, she’d be better off at home, in Nowhere, surrounded by friends and family. Yes, he loved her. Yes, he wanted to be with her. But he wasn’t comfortable with his issues and limitations. She deserved the man she believed him to be—her dream partner.
Sense of humor, generous heart, optimist, hard worker, kid friendly, magical kisser.
That last one he’d have to take her word for, but those other qualities needed work. Especially the optimist and kid friendly part. But even more, Joe was desperate to confront and conquer his anger issues. He’d run from them once. He wouldn’t run again. And he damn well refused to subject Bella to his explosive temper.
Sucking it up and seeking professional help had been easier than he’d anticipated. Probably because he knew his future with Bella was at stake. Maybe because he was scared straight of turning into his father. Whatever the case, Joe had committed to weekly visits with Dr. Hershel Brown.
It had been almost two months now. He wouldn’t be ending those visits any time soon but he could now move forward with confidence. His last visit with Brown coupled with positive feedback from a building inspector had prompted Joe to finally share his brainchild with Bella. A more direct approach would have saved him from this pins-and-needles anticipation, but in the middle of the night he’d been struck by a romantic notion. Gifting her with a good will basket just as she’d once gifted him. He only hoped her response would be more gracious than his. Once upon a time he would’ve have taken her polite and optimistic nature for granted. But now…
Although he’d suggested they take a breather, in reality he’d pretty much severed their relationship for two long and, at least for Joe, incredibly lonely months. He wouldn’t blame her if she’d given up on him. He only had the assurance of the Inseparables that he still owned Bella’s heart.
In forging friendships with the women, he’d also engaged Angel as an investor and Georgie as a possible co-manager for Wonderland. They’d helped to bolster his confidence regarding the pie-in-the-sky project. Wrestling with the uncertainty of the future was hell on his nerves, but Bella was worth every ounce of unrest.
“Will she or won’t she want me?” he asked Killer. Not that Joe would give up if Bella returned that basket unopened.
Instead of yowling in answer, the cat leapt from the swing and trotted to the corner of the newly repaired and painted porch. Joe looked in his direction and caught sight of Bella bursting free of a field of purple. The wheels of her bicycle bumped and shimmied over uneven ground as she pedaled furiously toward his eastern fence.
Heart pounding, Joe shoved out of the swing and strode across his lawn barefoot and bare-chested. Hell, he would have closed the expanse buck naked, anything to hasten this meeting.
She was already off the bike and scaling the fence when Joe neared.
Her ankle caught on the top rail and damn, if she didn’t fall into his arms. She looked up into his eyes and Joe’s freaking heart tap danced in his chest.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi,” he said. They stared into each other’s eyes and Joe had the insane urge to whoop. He’d never whooped in his entire freaking life. He swallowed hard. “You could have walked through the front gate. It’s wide open. I haven’t locked it in weeks. The signs are gone. Did you notice? Anyone’s welcome. You’re welcome. Anytime.”
“You’re rambling,” Bella said. “Cute.” Then she smiled. “I love your plans for Wonderland.”
“Marry me,” he said then cringed. “Ah, hell.” He set her to her feet, grappled for a sane thought. “Sorry—”
“Don’t you dare take it back.”
Joe met her sparking, passionate gaze. The hot sauce inside the crème puff. He grinned. “I’m not taking it back. I just wish I would’ve posed it differently. Poetically. Or at least on one knee. Some Prince Charming.”
“My Prince Charming.” Blue eyes glittering, Bella shifted back and forth on her sparkly shoes as if revving for action. “I love you, Joe, but I’m through waiting. If you’re still sorting through some stuff, you’ll have to sort it out with me by your side, in your bed. I want my happily-ever-after and I want it now. You and me. Bella and the Biker.”
“Beauty and a lucky SOB.”
“Modern day fairy tale,” she said with a grin. “So? Deal?”
Just like the first time they’d struck a bargain, Joe offered his hand. Only this time he was smiling. “Deal.”
Bella ignored his hand and launched herself into his arms, knocking him off balance and sending them both tumbling into the grass.
Joe absorbed the brunt of the fall although he couldn’t say what stole his breath—the impact or Bella’s kisses. She was all over him and he couldn’t get enough. He reversed their position, rolling her underneath him and claiming her mouth, sealing their love.
When he came up for air, she looked at him all dreamy-eyed, her golden curls splayed in the brilliant green grass. Freaking Princess Rainbow. “I wrote a story for you,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“I gifted you with super powers, a flying horse, and the ability to kick evil butt. I’ll let you read it later.”
“Skip ahead,” Joe said as he caressed the face of the woman he loved. “Did I get the girl?”
“Of course, you did.” She smiled and treated him to one of her priceless hugs. “Forever and always. Dream Partners.”
Excerpt from
Enchanting Christmas
An Impossible Dream Novella
~Book Two ~
by Beth Ciotta
Chapter One
Once upon a November…
Here’s the thing about small towns. Especially small towns that are almost ghost towns. The people who bothered to stick around go whole hog when it comes to making merry. Festivals, fairs, bi-centennials, holidays. They adorn the storefronts—even the abandoned ones—drape banners from the traffic lights—singular in this case—and hang decorations from the lampposts.
Even with Thanksgiving a full week away, Nowhere, Nebraska—population 1000 and dropping—was already decked out for Christmas. Chrissy didn’t mind the visual aspect. But she did mind the assault on her ears and heart. Ringing from every speaker in every store, seasonal classics celebrating all things St. Nick and baby Jesus. Lyrics and melodies geared to inspire wonder, faith, and hope.
Chrissy had a beef with music in general, but songs of yuletide joy made her particularly twitchy. Just now a symphonic rendering of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas scraped over her soul like a rusty blade. Even though the sound of her friend’s voice and the background clatter of food being served overshadowed the wistful melody, Chrissy turned downright cranky. So much so that when Georgie finished sharing her exciting news, Chrissy responded with a churlish, “No can do.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
“Do I look like I’m kidding?”
Georgie slicked long, dark hair behind her ears then angled her head and studied Chrissy with an arched brow. “You look like you sucked on a whole bag of lemons. Not for anything, but for someone whose name is Christmas, you sure are a Scrooge.”
Chrissy, who’d been born Christmas Joy Mooney twenty-eight years ago this coming December twenty-fifth, smirked at one of her oldest and dearest friends. “Bite me.”
Undaunted, Georgie pressed on. “Come on. A weekend getaway! Holiday wonder in the Mile High City! A magical adventure for the Inseparables plus One! Even Sinjun is flying in!
”
The “plus One” being Chrissy’s four-year-old daughter, Melody. The “Inseparables” meaning Chrissy, her cousin, Bella Mooney, and their longtime friends Georgina Poppins, Emma Sloan, Angel Drake, and Sinjun Ashe.
Sinjun was the only long-distance member of their BFF club and Chrissy, the youngest of the lot, was the only one who had a kid. None of them were married, although Bella was engaged and Angel was twice widowed. The six of them had been a close knit group ever since they were knee high to a grasshopper—as Georgie’s Grandpoppy Ike would say. They’d made a pact, swearing friendship forever and a lifetime in Nowhere. Sinjun had fudged the second part but that wasn’t her fault. She’d only been thirteen when her Mom announced they were moving to the east coast. It’s not like Sinjun could refuse.
“Listen,” Georgie said. “The first weekend of December is the only weekend that works for everyone. Including you. I asked about your availability two weeks ago.”
“But you didn’t say anything about a trip to Denver.” The mere mention of that city knotted her stomach.
“I was in the planning stages and now I’m not. It’s all set and it wasn’t easy! You have to go. It wouldn’t be the same without you!”
“All right, all right. Calm down.” An intensely private person, Chrissy glanced over her shoulder. “People are listening.”
People being a handful of citizens who’d braved a bitter cold night in order to enjoy the cozy ambiance and good food of Nowhere’s historical Café Caboose. Historical because the main part of the eatery was a late nineteenth-century rail car, renovated and augmented with a long luncheon counter, spinning stools, and several plush booths. The Inseparables had been meeting here every week for close to fifteen years. They were as much a fixture as the “Travel by Train” clock with the buzzing neon lights hanging above the front door. Or at least they used to be. Tonight it was just Chrissy and Georgie.
“Sorry,” Georgie grumbled under her breath. “It’s just we see less and less of each other these days. This,” she said indicating their table for two, “is a prime example. When’s the last time three out of five of us bailed on our weekly dinner? I know, I know. Everyone’s busy. Hell, you’re busy, but you made it. And I thought, great! Okay! At least I can celebrate with you. I worked my butt off coordinating a fabulous, affordable, magical getaway. I’m sorry I snapped, but a little enthusiasm would’ve been nice. Just saying.”