My Funny Valentine

by Rhonda Nelson

Chapter Seven

  Bella shot to her feet and tugged nervously at the end of her braid. She felt her face flood with heat. “W-what, Ethan?”

  “Somebody’s here!”

  “Hellooo,” a feminine voice trilled. “Bella?”

  A wave of dread washed over Bella as her misfiring brain recognized the whiny voice.

  Wanda.

  “Bella— Ah, there you are.” Wanda’s step faltered as she navigated the backyard in her fuchsia hot pants and matching stiletto heels. Her heavily painted lids drooped seductively as she spotted Gray. “Well, hello there,” she murmured silkily. “Just the man I came to see. I brought you a little something.”

  “Oh,” Gray replied. To Bella’s unreasonable delight, his smile turned a little sickly.

  Bella opened the screen door for her unwanted guest and attempted to get her frazzled nerves under control. She supposed that she secretly owed Wanda a thank you—if the slutty waitress hadn’t made her untimely arrival, Bella knew she would have wound up in Gray Cameron’s arms. A delicious notion, for sure. But one that she shouldn’t entertain. Why start a relationship that could only have a ruinous outcome?

  “That’s right,” Wanda cooed. She sashayed over to where Gray stood and presented him with a takeout container. “Chicken fried steak,” she chirped. “Since you haven’t been back to the diner to sample it on your own. I thought I might as well bring you some as a housewarming gift.”

  Was it her imagination, Bella wondered, or did Gray look queasy?

  “Oh, well…” Gray swallowed. “That was very thoughtful of you, but I’ve already eaten.”

  Wanda’s lips drooped. “Oh. Well, just put it in the fridge. It’s always better after it’s soaked up a little grease, anyway.”

  Bella decided to take this opportunity to make a dignified escape. “I’ll leave you two to talk. I’ve got to get Ethan in and give him a bath. Nice to see you again, Wanda. Ethan!” Bella called quickly. She gave them both an apologetic smile and backed toward the door.

  Though it was undoubtedly only wishful thinking on her part, for some reason Bella got the distinct impression that Gray didn’t want to be left alone with Wanda. His normally easy smile had been replaced with a tight-lipped facsimile and something about his gaze had sharpened. Certainly nothing Wanda would notice, but then, she hadn’t been the one who had just spent the last hour with the laid-back relaxed man Bella liked so much.

  Ethan took one more enthusiastic leap into the puddle, then scrambled to freedom and skipped across the yard. “Aw, Momma,” he whined petulantly. “I wanna dig some more.”

  Bella’s own smile grew tight as she aimed the hose at him. “Not tonight, honey. It’s getting late. By the time I get you cleaned up, it’ll almost be your bedtime. Come along, now.”

  “But—“

  “Not tonight,” she repeated firmly. She could feel a pair of clear green eyes on her back, which only intensified her need to flee.

  As soon as she’d rinsed most of the mud from her child, Bella had excused herself and a reluctant Ethan and gone into the house.

  The look Gray shot her as she hurried inside wasn’t readily interpretable, but for whatever reason, it made her feel almost, well…traitorous.

  Only after she’d bathed Ethan, read to him and settled herself into bed for the night did Bella get to stop and think about the changes this evening had brought in her life.

  She’d admitted to herself that she’d been physically attracted to Gray Cameron. She’d even admitted what a mystery that was, considering she hadn’t been remotely attracted to any man since her husband’s death.

  But it had never occurred to her that she would actually act on those rekindled needs. She’d never dreamed that a random attraction would be stronger than her common sense and self-preservation.

  But it had been.

  When Gray had turned to her with that I-want-to-devour-you look, Bella’s only thought had been to ask him where he wanted to start. She’d been pulled, drawn to him as though they were connected by a delicate but unbreakable chain. Her blood had quickened, her lips warmed.

  And if Wanda hadn’t arrived when she did, Bella knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would have most definitely kissed Gray Cameron. The thought left her feeling both relieved and saddened.

  A part of her railed at the injustice of her situation. After all, she was a grown woman with adult needs and desires. And Fayrene had been right. Having a man at her table again had been more than a little pleasant. Simply having a male presence in her rambling old house was more reassuring than Bella would like to admit. For all of five seconds Bella wondered if perhaps she had been too hasty in deciding that she and Ethan would be better off on their own.

  Then she stopped herself. Just because she’d discovered that she could find a man physically attractive again was no reason to abandon her original plan to remain alone. There were too many what-if’s. Too many variables to consider, the most obvious of which was her young son.

  Ethan was her number on priority. In all honesty, what were the chances of finding a man whom she loved, who loved her in return and would love her child as his own? What were the chances of striking that delicate balance? Next to nil, Bella decided.

  And even in the impossible were to happen, it certainly wouldn’t be with Gray Cameron. Bella didn’t know exactly how long Gray planned to stay in Magnolia Grove, but it certainly wasn’t forever.

  Which left her with a dilemma. Did she address the issue with Gray and apologize for her rash behavior? Or did she simply act as though nothing untoward had happened?

  Bella decided on the latter. She’d take the coward’s way out and follow the path of least resistance.

  ***

  The blinking cursor on his computer screen finally got the better of Gray and he reluctantly closed the file and exited his word processing program. He tossed his glasses aside, then leaned back in his chair and massaged the bridge of his nose in disgust.

  Since coming up some two hours ago, he hadn’t been able to get more than four solid pages to come together. Usually he could lose himself in his work, could use it as an escape the same way an alcoholic used hard liquor to withdraw from the world.

  None of the usual methods had worked.

  His one-track mind had derailed from its normal route and taken a new one.

  The Bella Express.

  Gray couldn’t remember ever enjoying the pleasure of someone’s company the way he had hers tonight. It was the most unlikely, unromantic non-date. She’d set the kitchen on fire, doused him with iced tea. He’d done his laundry and her kid had kept the conversation going, even it if had been mostly disjointed chattering. It definitely shouldn’t have made his list of memorable evenings…and yet, oddly, it had.

  Gray had felt like he’d been a part of something tonight. He didn’t know exactly what yet, but the singular sense of belonging couldn’t be denied. It could, however, be avoided, so he shoved the thought to the back of his mind to consider at a later time.

  Instead he thought about how he’d almost kissed Bella. How his hand had fit perfectly at the back of her slender nape and how her lips had parted in anticipation of his kiss.

  That little unconscious concession had shown Gray how much she had wanted him as well. She’d opened to him without thought, without reservation. She’d wanted to taste him as much as he’d wanted to taste her.

  And, he thought darkly, had it not been for Wanda’s intrusion with that damned gift of chicken fried steak, he would have gotten to sample Bella’s particular flavor. A delicacy, he was sure.

  Instead, he had to sit on the back porch with the cloying Wanda, while Bella had beaten a hasty retreat into the house. She’d abandoned him with that man-hungry female, Gray thought, more than mildly perturbed.

  By the time he’d been able to make his escape, Bella had already retired to her part of the house. The kitchen had been dark save for a light over the stove and it had smelled faintly of some sort of pine cleaner
. The coziness of the scene had made him feel momentarily uneasy.

  Bella had left his newly laundered clothes neatly stack in his basket by the door. And it had suddenly occurred to Gray that no one except for his mother—and later, a maid—had ever done his laundry. That Bella’s hands had been the ones to fold his various clothes left him both disconcerted and unreasonably pleased.

  Still, regardless of how much he was attracted to Bella, Gray knew Wanda’s vexing interruption had been for the best. An affair with his lovely landlady was a complication he couldn’t afford. Work simply had to come first. It always had.

  Besides, Bella obviously wasn’t the type to enjoy an affair. She was about all the things that Gray had decided didn’t have a future in his life. Home, hearth and family.

  No, Gray thought with a pang of regret, he definitely didn’t have any business getting involved with her. He’d just have to resolve to politely avoid her.

  Given the work that he needed to do, it wouldn’t be a problem. He had an appointment tomorrow with the town historian and planned to make a trip to the county seat to look at the public records regarding this particular story he was working on. He needed to get the old creative juices flowing. From there he was certain Case McCain would take over the job. He always had.

  Confident that he had a workable plan, Gray stretched lazily and ignored the disappointment that echoed through him at the thought of avoiding Bella. After all, it was for the best.

  Chapter Eight

  “Can you make me look like this?”

  Bella looked first at the cover model with mountains of voluminous hair on the glossy page her client held, then to young Norma’s ultra-fine, limp hair. Yeah, Bella thought, if I had a magic wand.

  “Uh,” Belled hedged, summoning a tremulous smile. “I’ll see what I can do.”

  Norma’s anxious face relaxed in relief and she settled into the chair. “Oh, thanks, Bella,” the girl breathed gratefully. “The Chess Club is having their annual Checkmate party and—”Norma’s thrilled gaze met Bella’s in the mirror.“—guess who asked me to go?”

  Bella grinned, stilled, and felt her eyes widen. “Bertie Snodgrass!”

  Norma nodded. “Yes!” She squealed, her face alight with joy. “Can you believe it?”

  “Oh, Norma, that’s wonderful news!” Bella enthused. “It’s about time that pawn-head stood up and took notice.”

  Bella knew Norma’d had a crush on Bertie Snodgrass for the past two years. The painfully shy teenager had patiently worshipped Magnolia High School’s Chess club president from afar and prayed that he would return her feelings. Bertie had been the topic of many conversation between Bella and Norma, and Bella was utterly thrilled for Norma’s happiness.

  “Well, well, well,” Bella remarked, still smiling. “So Bertie finally stood up and took notice, huh?”

  Norma blushed to the roots of her thin brown hair and he lids lowered sheepishly behind her bottle-bottomed glasses. “Yeah. I did exactly what you told me to do.” Norma folded her spindly arms over her non-existent chest and nodded primly. “I ignored him.”

  Bella chuckled, pleased that her advice had benefited her client. If only she had some answers for her own life. One that had grown increasingly complicated since Gray Cameron had moved in.

  Still, sharing this little milestone with Norma was part of the reason that Bella enjoyed her job. True, there were drawbacks. The phone rang incessantly. The hours were long and she’d developed an iron bladder because if she ever needed to go to the bathroom, invariably someone would show up for their appointment early. Her fingers cramped and her legs ached at the end of the day.

  But on the whole, Bella was happy with her profession. She really got to know her clients. She shared in their pain, their joy, their triumphs. Oftentimes she felt more like a therapist than a hairdresser, but she was glad that her clients thought enough of her to solicit her opinion. It meant that she got to play a small part in someone’s life, and if one truly stopped and thought about it, that was a rare and special gift in itself.

  Bella smiled softly, struck by how much she had to be thankful for.

  “Bella,” Dana called. “Phone.”

  “See if you can take a message,” Bella told her. “I’m in the middle of something.”

  Bella heard Dana’s murmuring, then, “Maggie says it can’t wait.”

  Bella sighed and gave Norma an apologetic look. “I’ll only be a minute. Prop that photo up where I’ll be able to see it and we’ll talk about what you’re going to wear when I get back.”

  Mildly irritate by the interruption, Bella hurried to the phone. “Hello?”

  “Bella, this is Maggie,” the bothersome senior citizen said unnecessarily. “I know you’re busy, so I’ll only keep you a minute, but I thought you’d like to hear the news.”

  Bella frowned. This sounded serious. “What news?”

  “That no-account tramp Wanda is tellin’ everyone that she and your Mr. Cameron are an item,” Maggie said peevishly.

  A spurt of anger darted through Bella so swiftly that it took a few seconds to recognize the emotion for it was—jealousy.

  “Now, Bella, I don’t mean to be mindin’ your business, you know I don’t,” Maggie told her.

  Bella rolled her eyes and smother a snort.

  “—but I think that you need to nip it in the bud.”

  Bella’s lips twitched and she covered her laugh with a convincing cough. “Maggie, I have no intention of nipping anything in the bud. Mr. Cameron’s bud is none of my concern. If he’s interested in Wanda, then there is certainly nothing I can do about it, and I don’t want to.”

  Bella was amazed at how well the lie rolled off her tongue. Truth be told, she was filled with the almost overwhelming adolescent urge to march down to Dora’s Diner and proclaim Gray as hers, then tell Wanda in no uncertain terms to back off. Or else. Which was ridiculous, of course, because Gray certainly wasn’t hers and even if he was, she wouldn’t have to the courage to do something that brazen.

  “B-but I don’t understand, Bella. Don’t you like him?” Maggie sounded truly perplexed.

  A sigh slipped past her lips as Bella sagged against the desk. She felt the need to confide in someone and Maggie was the closest thing to a mother Bella had. It wouldn’t hurt to admit to a smidgen of what she felt. She checked to make sure Dana was occupied with Norma. Satisfied that she wouldn’t be overheard, Bella returned to the conversation.

  “Oh, I don’t know Maggie. I suppose if I was in the market for a man, I might find Gray moderately attractive. And he seems nice enough. Interesting, even. But—“

  “But nothing,” Maggie interrupted. “Bella, we all know why you don’t want to date and we understand. But it’s time to move on. Dan wouldn’t have wanted you to do this. You can’t tell me that you aren’t attracted to Gray.”

  Bella only half listened to Maggie’s spiel—she’d heard it all before—and concentrated instead on convincing Maggie hat her matchmaking was pointless. She and Gray had no future together. Still, if she didn’t admit to some attraction, then Maggie would know she was lying. But if she admitted to too much, then Maggie would simply redouble her efforts. The thought made Bella tense with dread.

  “I suppose that he does have a certain appeal,” Bella conceded at last in a bland voice. She absently twirled the phone cord around her finger. “But I really prefer a man who isn’t so, well, manly. He’s just so…so…virile,” Bella said distastefully, wondering when she became such a consummate liar. “And did you notice his feet, Maggie? Humph. Looks like he’s a descendant of the Jolly Green Giant. He’s got huge feet.” She tsked regretfully. “A real turn-off for me, I’m afraid.”

  “Funny,” Gray said from directly behind her. “I’d always heard that was supposed to be a turn-on.”

  Bella whirled around and almost dropped the phone. Mortification glued her tongue to the roof of her mouth. Heat poured into her cheeks and her stomach twisted with nausea.

 
“I—I…I have to go, Maggie,” Bella stammered awkwardly.

  “Who is that?” Maggie demanded. “Oooohhh. Is that Gray?”

  Bella chewed her lip nervously. “Uh, yeah.”

  “Uh-oh.”

  Uh-oh was an understatement, Bella thought as she nervously hung up the phone. Uh-oh was a drop of ketchup on white jeans, a mishap with the mascara wand, a broken high heel. This debacle was more than a mere uh-oh. More like a double damn with a couple of aw hells thrown in for good measure.

  How on earth was she going to get out of this mess?

  ***

  Lips tilted into a wry grin, Gray watched Bella struggled for composure. He probably should have quietly excused himself when he’d realized she was talking about him, but her crack about big feet had been too good to ignore. Besides, his ego had smarted a little when she told Maggie that she only found him moderately attractive.

  Okay, so he wasn’t a celebrity or any of those other gorgeous guys women fawned over these day. But he’d never had a problem attracting the opposite sex. In fact, Gray thought with a little spurt of righteous indignation, he’d gotten more than a few compliments on his looks over the years. The scar on his cheek lessened the perfection of his skin, but he’d been told that it gave him character. He certainly thought he merited a better rating than “moderate,” for Pete’s sake. It was damned insulting.

  “I…uh, was just talking to Maggie about you,” Bella managed to say when her mouth had quit working up and down.

  Gray grinned. “So I heard.”

  Bella blushed guiltily. “D-did you need to see more about something?”

  “Actually, I wanted to see you about several things. I wanted to thank you for dinner and for finishing my laundry last night. Thought I should get those pleasantries out of the way before I strangle you.”

  Bella’s eyes bugged. “What?”

  Smiling, Gray rocked back on his heels. “Anyway, thank you for dinner last night and thank you for taking care of my laundry. The fabric softener was a nice touch, by the way.” Gray stepped closer. “Now, if you’ll stand still, I promise to make this as painless as possible.”