“This is Winter Williams.”
“Hey, Winter. It’s Bella Colby.”
“Hey, Bella. How are you?”
“Good, thanks. I think I’m ready.” She shook her head. “I am ready. I want to buy the house. It’s still available?”
“As far as I know.”
“Then I want it.”
“You’re sure?”
She nodded. “Yes. I know this is totally last-minute, but is there any way you could meet me there? I’d like to take one last look around.”
“Of course. I’m probably about twenty minutes away—probably more like half an hour with the traffic.”
“That’s completely fine.”
“All right. Let’s go take a look at your house.”
She beamed, feeling excited—alive—for the first time in nearly two weeks. “Thanks, Winter.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
“Drive safely.” She hung up and looked at Lucy. “I’m going to do it. I’m going to buy us our house.”
The puppy wagged her tail on her bed, still worn out from the girls.
Her phone rang, and she frowned as Jed’s number popped up when she’d half-expected it to be Winter. “Hello?”
“Bella?”
“Hey, Jed.”
“You sound like you’re in good spirits.”
She smiled again. “I am.”
“That’s great.”
“I certainly don’t mind it.”
He chuckled. “So, I’m going to be over your way in a little while. Do you and Reed want to grab a drink?”
She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Reed and I aren’t seeing each other anymore.”
“Oh, I didn’t know. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“How’s your dad doing?”
“He passed away.”
“Jesus, I’m on a roll.”
She smiled. “I didn’t mention it, so you couldn’t possibly have known.”
“I’m sorry, Bella. Really.”
“It’s fine.”
“Do you want to meet up—just for a glass of wine or something?”
She looked at Reed’s stuff and turned away, squelching any embers of guilt. They weren’t together. It was perfectly acceptable for her to make plans with a friend. “Sure. Do you want to come here? I have half a chocolate cake sitting in my fridge.”
“Do you have coffee?”
She looked toward the Keurig and the hazelnut brew Reed usually drank. “I do.”
“Sounds good to me. What time?”
“How about seven?” She glanced at her watch. “I’m actually on my way out to look at a property I’ve had my eye on.”
“Do you want company?”
“Sure. We can come back here afterward.”
“Where are we meeting?”
She gave him the address. “I’m going to head over now. The real estate agent’s still a few minutes out, but I’m eager to get the ball rolling.”
“I’ll see you in about ten minutes.”
“Great.” She hung up and went upstairs, changed into a simple red sundress, and slid on a pair of leather sandals. This was exactly what she needed: a new adventure to look forward to and a relaxing evening with a friend. She walked downstairs and into the kitchen. “I’ll be back in a little while.” She kissed Lucy’s nose and locked up, driving toward the home she had every intention of making her own.
Chapter Fifty-Two
“So, you’re sure about that place?” Jed asked as he forked up more chocolate cake. “This is good, by the way.”
“Thanks.” Bella pushed her half-eaten slice to the side and leaned back in her chair, enjoying the evening breeze while they sat in the dim glow of her porch light. “I’m absolutely sure. I’ve had my eye on that house for months.” She smiled, thinking of it.
“If you’re really going to make an offer, I think you should lowball them.”
She frowned. “I don’t want to lose it.”
His eyebrows winged up on his handsome face. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”
She grinned. “It’s going to be beautiful.”
He huffed out a laugh as he set down his fork. “If you say so.”
She’d tried sharing her visions of what the house could be while they walked from room to room, but he hadn’t been able to see the big picture the way Reed had. “I do.”
“It’s a steep asking price for the renovations you’re going to have to put in. The roof’s a mess.”
Luckily, she had a huge chunk of change to work with—not that she intended to spend all of the money on the property. She was too penny-wise for that. After her new home was under contract, she planned to sit down with a financial planner and make sure Mom’s and Dad’s last gifts set her up for the rest of her life. “Stone and I are putting our heads together. We’ve already been texting back and forth.”
“He’s a good guy for the project. Sounds like you have it all planned out.”
“I always do. Step by step. It’s kinda how I live my life.” She always had. Except for where Reed was concerned. He hadn’t been part of the plan. Loving him was never supposed to have happened. She cleared her throat and grabbed her glass, sipping the dessert wine Jed had brought over.
“I guess the next step is to go for it, then.”
She nodded. “Winter’s submitting my offer first thing tomorrow morning. If they accept, Stone and I are going to draw up some preliminaries before the baby comes—stuff I can start doing on my own right away.”
Jed sat back, lacing his hands behind his head. “Sounds pretty exciting.”
“It is.”
“When’s Sophie due, anyway?”
“Any day now. Abby too.”
“There’s baby fever around here.”
She grinned. “I love watching my friends’ families grow. Family’s everything.”
He nodded. “I’m sorry about your dad, Bella. I wish I could’ve found him sooner.”
She studied Jed as the crickets sang. Kind, intelligent, good-looking. But she sensed there was something more below the surface—or maybe she just counted on it after the last few weeks. She’d always been cautious, but now she wondered if everyone had an ulterior motive. “I’m glad we got the time we did—that I could be there for him in the end.” She touched his hand. “That’s because of you.”
He covered her fingers. “Is there anything I can do? Anything you need?”
“No. Thank you, though. Right now, I’m trying to get through the days. Dad wanted me to be happy, so I’m working hard to fulfill his wish.”
“That’s a good way to look at it.”
“Some days are harder than others.” She eased her hand away from his and reached for her glass.
He looked at his watch. “It’s getting pretty late. I should probably get going.”
She gained her feet as he did. “Thank you for coming.”
“It was fun.” He sniffed the air. “What is that? I keep smelling something…good.”
“It’s probably the lavender.” She pointed to the pot and walked to the thriving purple flowers, picking one and bringing it to his nose. “Is this it?”
He nodded. “Yeah.” He took the stem from her fingers and tucked it in her hair.
She swallowed, holding his gaze, knowing he was going to kiss her as he leaned in and pressed his lips to her cheek.
He slid his fingers along her jaw and moved in again, touching his mouth to hers.
Her hands wandered to his shoulders as she closed her eyes and let him take them both deeper, waiting for the heat to engulf her, eager to be swept away, but she felt nothing more than Jed’s skilled tongue teasing hers. He didn’t taste like Reed; his muscles didn’t feel the same under her palms. Her heart didn’t pound simply from needing him.
He dove in once more and eased back, touching her jaw again.
She exhaled a quiet breath and shook her head, teetering on the edge of despair. Nothing about t
his was fair to Jed. Nothing about this was right for her. Maybe it never would be.
“Too soon,” he said.
She nodded. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He offered her his hand. “Friends?”
She smiled, accepting, giving his fingers a warm squeeze. “Friends.”
“Why don’t I get out of your way?” He turned to the French doors and headed inside.
“I’m glad you came.” She looked up and did a double take, standing frozen in her spot when she stared into Reed’s eyes through his bedroom window. Her heart kicked up to pounding, the way she wished it had moments ago as their gazes held. She took a step toward the deck stairs, ready to sprint across the yard to tell him that the last few minutes weren’t what they seemed, but she turned away instead because it didn’t matter anymore—couldn’t. They weren’t a couple. She owed him no explanations even when she was certain she’d just wounded him. Unable to help herself, she glanced over her shoulder once more, but he was gone. Sending Jed a small smile, she followed him into the kitchen.
“Thanks for dessert.”
She cleared her throat, pressing her hand to her chest, still shaken. “Uh, thanks for looking at the house with me.”
“If you and Stone end up needing help with a hammer, I hope you’ll let me know.”
“I definitely will.” She opened the front door. “Good night, Jed.”
“Good night.”
She watched him get in his car and waved as he drove away, then locked up, sagging against the door, staring at Reed’s stuff still sitting in the corner on the floor. Tears filled her eyes as she headed upstairs, feeling torn in a way she’d never been before.
~~~~
Reed’s chin hit his chest for the third time as he dozed on the couch. He sat up and stretched, realizing he’d missed another twenty minutes of the action flick he’d started watching over an hour ago. Grabbing the remote, he turned off the TV and stood, hitting the lights on his way up the stairs. It was only nine thirty but he was ready for bed. After Bella and the girls left this afternoon, he hadn’t been able to fall back to sleep; that didn’t appear to be a problem now. Maybe he would try the movie again after he had more than a two-hour nap under his belt.
His phone started ringing in his back pocket as he walked down the hall. Smiling, he shook his head, already knowing who was on the line. He answered without bothering to glance at the readout. “Do you have an off switch?”
“I’ll let you know if I ever find it,” Skylar said. “They pulled another body.”
“At twelve thirty in the morning?”
“No, earlier this evening. I’ve been busy.”
He switched on the lamp by his bedside and contemplated whether his teeth would really suffer if he didn’t brush for one night. “You always are.”
“This one has Alfeo’s MO, but there was no bullet present in the bag. License says we found Leone Picano.”
He nodded. “‘Lucky’ Picano. Vinny said he was one of Alfeo’s.”
“So, how are you?”
He frowned at the abrupt change in their conversation. “Why are you asking me that? You never ask me that.”
“I thought I’d give it a try. So, how are you?”
He rubbed at the back of his neck, well aware that she was checking on him. Joey had called earlier while he’d driven over to Malcoms to grab a bite to eat. “Never better.”
“I almost believe you.”
He sighed.
“Why don’t you come out for a few days? Come see Joe and me. Stand on the sidelines at the field and keep me company. I’ll have Evidence Response make you feel important. You can hold a clipboard or something.”
He couldn’t help but grin. And surprisingly, he was tempted to head to New York. “Maybe sometime. I’ve got stuff to do around here.” Like get Bella back.
“Don’t say I didn’t try to help.”
“I’d be happy to pretend the last few minutes never happened. I’d hate to think that you’re getting soft—kinda girly.”
“You’re an ass, McKinley.” She hung up.
Chuckling, he tossed the phone on the bed and took off his shirt as he walked toward the bathroom, deciding to brush his teeth after all. He paused mid-step when he heard voices outside and moved to the window, staring at Jed standing next to Bella on her deck as she picked a piece of lavender from the pot she’d planted weeks ago.
Jed took the flower from Bella’s fingers and slid it into her hair.
“You son of a bitch,” Reed whispered through clenched teeth, knowing exactly where this was going. “You bastard.” He fisted his hands as Ethan’s PI leaned in and kissed Bella’s cheek, then captured her mouth.
He shook his head when Bella settled her hands on Jed’s shoulders—not exactly pushing him away—and stabbed Reed in the heart. He knew he should close the blind—that who Bella kissed was none of his damn business anymore—but he tortured himself instead, watching the woman he loved move on with another man.
Agonizing moments passed before Bella stepped back and took Jed’s hand while the two of them spoke, then Jed started inside. She looked up, her eyes widening as they locked on Reed’s.
He swallowed, feeling the connection radiating between them despite what he’d just seen. Hours ago they’d stood on his stairs, touching each other, drawn to one another as if they had no choice. Just this afternoon she’d been fighting not to give in to him. “Fuck,” he said when she turned away. “Fuck,” he repeated, hearing the anguish in his own voice, barely able to tolerate the idea of Bella taking Jed to her bed. He grabbed his phone and dialed Skylar as he moved to the bathroom.
“I thought we were finished for the night.”
He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the doorframe. “I’m coming out. I’ll be out in a couple of days.”
The line stayed silent. “We’ll take you out for some beers—do one of Joey’s pub crawls and talk shop. The DA’s always on my ass about this case. I’ll deflect it off on you for a while.”
She didn’t try to soothe him with false promises that everything was going to be okay, yet he knew Skylar understood that he needed her. His friends had experienced losing at love because of the professions they’d chosen. “All right.”
“Go to bed, Reed. Get some sleep.”
“I will.” Hanging up, he set the phone on the bathroom counter and walked down the hall, taking refuge in his gym instead of following Skylar’s advice. He slipped on his gloves, pausing when he heard Jed’s engine turn over and the vehicle drive away, but knowing Jed and Bella weren’t sleeping together did little to ease his endless frustrations about where things stood between Bella and him.
He moved to the speed bag, finding his rhythm—his salvation—listening to the monotonous sound of his fist on firm leather, until he was certain that when he closed his eyes, he would finally be able to sleep.
Chapter Fifty-Three
Bella pushed her cart through the produce section at the local grocery store, stopping by the assortment of ripe tomatoes. She grabbed a pretty Roma and gave it a gentle squeeze, finding it to be perfect for her dinner. Tonight she was making a huge blackened chicken salad to celebrate the contract on her new house. For three days, she’d waited on pins and needles for the current owners to decide if her lowball offer was good enough. She’d followed Jed’s advice with Winter’s blessing and cut fifty-five thousand off the asking price—a real estate steal in the Palisades. With no other nibbles on the property, they’d accepted with one condition: they wanted a fast closing.
She smiled as she moved on to the cucumber selections, still trying to believe that this was going to happen. She was not only buying her dream home but also getting it in fifteen days instead of thirty. After dinner, she had every intention of heading over to her new place to get a head start on yanking up the God-awful shrubbery out front now that she had the official okay. Once she had that cleared away, the new windows and doors could be installed. By the end of summ
er, she would be living in her new home, even if it wasn’t entirely finished. Her fresh start. A real fresh start.
A man crashed into her cart as he passed by. “Sorry about that.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” She paused as she reached for an onion, glancing over her shoulder when she realized he’d sounded a lot like Joey—the strong New York accent. She shrugged as he kept moving toward the registers and got back to scrutinizing vegetables.
“What on earth?”
Her gaze whipped up, and she grinned as Linda and Aunt Bonnie headed her way. “Aw. Hey, you two.”
“Honey, look at you out and about, doing your shopping.” Aunt Bonnie enveloped her in a hug. “You’re just as beautiful as always—so pretty in your sundress.”
Bella returned her embrace. “Thank you. I’m grabbing some goodies for a celebratory salad. I’m buying a house.”
Linda’s eyes widened as Aunt Bonnie gasped.
“Congratulations, sweetie.” Linda hugged her and kissed her cheek. “I was sorry to hear about your father.”
“Thank you.” As Bella looked at Linda, she wondered if Linda knew—if Reed had mentioned that the man who gave her life was from the same family who took her husband. “It’s comforting to know he’s not in pain anymore.”
Linda took her hand. “I’m so sorry about you and Reed. We sure are going to miss you, sweetie.”
She exhaled a quiet breath, looking down before she met Linda’s gaze again. “I’ll miss you too.” And she truly would. For a few fleeting weeks, she’d believed she was going to be a McKinley—that she was going to be the woman to give Linda the beautiful grandbabies she so desperately wanted.
“Bella’s going to come by and see us anytime she wants. Anytime. Right, honey?”
She smiled sadly, not so sure she could. She needed to cut Reed and anyone associated with him out of her life—for now. Until her heart stopped hurting every day. “I’ll certainly visit,” she fibbed.
“Lucy will miss us if we can’t get a look at her every now and again.”
“When my new house is ready for friends, I’ll have you over for dinner.” Surely she’d feel steadier by then.
Deceiving Bella: Book Eleven In The Bodyguards Of L.A. County Series Page 57