“Okay then. I’m game if you are. But no foul if this relationship goes sour on us, okay? Agree to walk away knowing we gave it our best shot and it just wasn’t meant to be more than a charming short-term thing.” Not that he would be able to do that. He already knew he’d do anything to be with her. If he could delay his move until Cory was at college, it might work. The best thing all round would be convincing Bella to move here permanently. That was fraught with all kinds of issues.
Nobody had made his blood race like this since Lisa and it wasn’t the thought of getting her into his bed either. Watching her standing at the sink cleaning up the mess she’d made cooking shouldn’t be sexy but it was. Seeing her with soot on her face when he’d dragged her out of the kitchen after the fire had been the moment when he’d first noticed the arrows sticking out of his heart. Figuratively speaking, of course. But the pointed tips buried themselves deep and pulling them out would be horrible. The little barbs were made for pain and, for a tough fireman like himself, it was going to hurt removing them.
“I’d better go back to work. Lunch break is over and my desk is piled with paperwork as usual. You have a great afternoon and I’ll see you tonight if you have time.”
*
Bella gave him a lingering kiss before she let him leave. She kept her gaze on him as he walked out of the kitchen, his heavy uniform doing nothing to hide the shape of the man under it.
Get a grip, girl. You know how much it hurts when you get burned. But she couldn’t help herself. She wanted this man more than she’d ever wanted anything and it shocked her to admit it. Even to herself. Be damned with the whys and hows. She was in too deep to stop now.
Bella pulled her list in front of her. She only had four days before the Valentine’s Day dinner and all the tickets had been sold, much to Mari’s relief. Jake had his ticket as did his friend Ben and his wife, her sister Dakota and her fiancée were back home and had theirs. She’d asked Mari to make sure Jake didn’t sit alone and to leave the chair next to him empty so she could snatch moments with him as the evening progressed. Now all she had to do was organize her ingredients and make sure everything was on hand in time so she could start prepping in two days’ time and sit waiting to see if Russell would come back to her with regard to the idea she pitched to him. Until then, she was keeping her idea to herself. No point in getting anyone’s hopes up before she had the okay. That was if she would ever get it.
And she had the photographer coming to do a shoot as well. Her days couldn’t get any fuller.
When she’d called Russell back to talk to him about filming for the last episode, he’d listened while she rushed out her idea, saying nothing until she’d stopped to take a breath. Why she’d made the offer was beyond her. It wasn’t like she had any choice but to do something. Bringing them all to Cherry Lake wasn’t something she expected him to go for. If he didn’t, she’d be left with no option but to return to Seattle.
“Let me think about it.” Russell hung up and she’d been on tenterhooks ever since. If she managed to pull it off, what would Mari say? Sure it had been her idea and she’d probably like the promotion for the hotel but would she want the intrusion the show would make? She had no idea of how hard it was. The extra people, the lack of privacy, and total loss of control. People didn’t realize how intrusive it really got and how they took over everything. Had Bella made the biggest mistake in her career so far by offering to drag her madness down to Cherry Lake?
She managed to keep herself busy by making a batch of bread dough for tomorrow’s shoot when Cory burst through the door. It was becoming a habit with him, one she looked forward to. “Hey, kiddo. How was your day?”
“Good, I guess.” A frown appeared between his eyes as he eyed the container of cookies on the counter.
“Spit it out, Cory. I can see something’s worrying you.” She kneaded the dough once more and then put it in a bowl with a damp cover over it to rise.
“Are you and Dad, you know?” He seemed embarrassed to be asking her the question.
“You mean, are your dad and I dating?” Talking about it gave her a warm tingle. She nudged the cookies over toward him.
“Yeah. Are you?” He took the lid off the container, helped himself to a chocolate dipped cookie.
“I suppose we are. Are you okay with that?” She wiped her hands on the towel hanging tucked in the band of her apron.
“I guess so. So long as he’s happy, I’m happy.” He gave her a wicked grin. “Would you still cook for us if you guys don’t work out?”
“You and I will always be friends, no matter what happens with your dad and me. We’re tight, okay?”
He looked up from under his bangs, the pleasure visible in his eyes. “Yeah, tight.” Cory crammed another cookie in his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and sighed. “Hey, can I ask you something? You know, from a girl’s point of view.”
“Sure. Fire away.” Bella gave him her full attention.
“There’s this girl in school I really like, see.” He screwed up his mouth. “And there’s a group of us that hang out as friends, girls and guys.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Well, see this girl’s kinda new and she’s pretty shy. Won’t talk to anyone or get too involved.”
“And how can I help?”
“Well, the guys were talking about Valentine’s Day and how they’re getting their girlfriends flowers and jewelry and stuff. I want to give Nelly something but I don’t want to make a big deal out of it in case she gets embarrassed.” He heaved out a big sigh. “What can I do?”
“Hmmm.” Bella crossed her arms, put on her thoughtful face and paced the kitchen, keen to delve into his problem thus giving her something other than her own issues to think about. “So you need to do something for all of the girls in your class then so she doesn’t feel targeted, agreed?”
“Probably.”
“And the thing with Valentine’s Day is that it’s supposed to be a secret, yeah?”
“That’s what Granddad said.” He walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of milk.
“Okay. So maybe you want to be really clever and give the guys something too. That way nobody will have any clue who gave the gifts.” Bella enjoyed this kind of venture.
“But that’s going to cost me. I don’t have much money.” He reached for a glass from under the counter, poured himself a drink from the milk jug.
Bella walked over, put her arm around his shoulders. “How about we bake something?”
Cory looked at her. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. Maybe cookies. We can be really cheesy and make them in the shape of hearts.”
His eyes widened and a grin spread across his face. “That would be cool! Can we really do it?” He wrapped an arm around her as if they were old friends. “Aren’t you busy already? Dad said you have someone coming to do photos tomorrow.”
“Never too busy for my favorite guy. Listen, today isn’t good because it’s already so late. How about tomorrow you come over early in the morning unless you have Saturday training? We can bake and decorate as many cookies as you want.” She had the photographer doing the first of her shoots tomorrow and they could work around that. Jason was easygoing. The bread dough was done, the prep for her main dish already done and in the refrigerator. All she had to do was tackle the cooking and put together a soft cheese she wanted to make to decorate the plate with the antipasto she’d already prepared.
“No training. I can bake all day. Whatever you want, I’m your guy.”
“Fabulous and I’ll arrange some containers. How many in your class?”
Chapter Twelve
“That’s perfect, Bella.” Her photographer, Jason, set the lights and rearranged the backdrop before leaning over his camera again to make a final adjustment.
The crusty bread, still warm from the oven, a soft cheese set in a small, white hand-thrown pottery bowl with a drizzle of green olive oil and a pot of homemade cherry jam sat on one of her work
benches. She’d scattered flour as a base and layered utensils and food on top of that, creating the perfect picture. A sprig of rosemary complete with tiny purple flowers was the only other colorful touch the picture needed.
“Hang on, one more thing.” She carefully laid a wooden platter with strips of roasted peppers, charred artichoke hearts, and olives piled high on one side. “That should do it.” She stood back and looked at it from different angles. “Okay, I’m happy with that.”
The door opened and Cory burst in. “Hey, Bella.”
“Cory, just in time to see what happens during a photo shoot.” She held her arms out to him. “Jason, I want you to meet Cory. Cory, Jason is the magician behind the glorious pictures in my cookbooks.”
“Hey.”
Jason replied while looking through the viewfinder, “Nice to meet you.”
“You sure you have time for this, Bella? You look kinda busy.”
“Don’t mind me. I have plenty to do here.” Jason moved a backdrop and turned down a light.
“We always work around each other and Jason is used to me going flat out.” She hugged Cory, gave a giggle, and pushed him around to the other side of the counter. “I got a head start this morning and the cookie dough is chilling in the refrigerator. Grab it out for me.”
“Sure, and Dad said he’d be over later. He had some stuff to do at the fire station, more paperwork or something.”
Warmth crept up her belly. “Great. He can help us decorate the cookies then.”
“Are these cookies going in your book?” Jason arched his eyebrows as he looked at her.
“Don’t think so but feel free to shoot away as we work. I’ll decide later once I see what you come up with.” She gave Cory an apron and showed him what to do. “I brought in my cookie cutters. You can have a few different sized hearts. That would make for an interesting mix. What do you say?” Bella took the lid off the bucket of cutters.
“Sure. I don’t mind.”
While Cory rolled out a batch of dough, Bella kept an eye on Jason in case she wanted to make changes. She had several sets of photos she wanted dealt with today and it would keep him busy for ages. “Jason, have you spoken to Russell lately? I pitched an idea to him about the Valentine’s Day dinner I’m cooking for. I wondered if he’d asked you to be on hand?”
“Yeah, said something about it but hasn’t finalized anything yet. If I don’t hear anything by tomorrow, I’ll go home.” He checked the photos he’d taken and held the camera out for her to look at. “What do you think?”
Bella moved over, peered over his shoulder at them, and tapped one image. “I think that one is perfect but I’ll wait until you have them all on the big screen to make a decision. Let me know when you want the next meal set up.”
“Sure. Do it anytime you like. But let me take a few more before you move anything.” He watched Cory for a moment and raised his camera, taking a few shots of the teen absorbed in cutting out heart shapes from the dough.
“You okay there, Cory, while I set up the next display?” She handed him another baking tray.
He lifted his head at her question. “Huh? Oh, yeah.”
Bella took an old wooden pedestal plate she’d found yesterday in the attic and set it on the work bench she’d pushed over to the wall, the background stark white, old painted bricks. She arranged an antique silver tray with a pair of fine crystal champagne flutes, stood back and looked at it wondering if it was going to be enough.
“What’re you doing?” Cory lifted his head to watch her.
“I made some cherry cordial the other day. I was going to pour it over ice-cream or I can add champagne to it for a nice refreshing summer drink.” She tipped her head and looked at the display from different angles. “I think I need something more here.” She took the bottle of cordial from the fridge and poured a little into each glass followed by a splash of champagne. The bright red bubbles burst over the rim of the glass. “Still not the look I was going for. Jason, you ready for some speedy shots? I have an idea.”
“Sure.” He came over, checked the lighting, made adjustments and stood ready with his camera. “Fire away.”
Bella pulled the lid from the bottle of cordial, leaned it on its side and placed it beside the glasses, stepped back out of the way. The thick red liquid oozed out of the bottle, spread over the wooden stand and poured down onto the work counter in a thick wave of dark red juice. Jason snapped from different angles, keeping it up until the trickle of liquid turned into a pool of stickiness on the counter below.
“Wow.” Cory watched amazed. “Dad would freak if I did that at home.”
“Did what?” The doors flipped closed with a quiet whish.
Bella’s heart clenched when Jake walked into the kitchen, making the room seem so much smaller than it was.
“Dad, look at this. Bella poured cherry cordial everywhere and Jason took photos while it dribbled over the counter.” He wiped his hands on the apron and peered over Jason’s shoulder.
“You did good, Bella. That thick red syrup against the white background is superb.” Jason gave her a quick hug and stepped away.
*
Jake stood back, tiny shards of jealousy ripping into his gut. She obviously had a good relationship with her photographer. Should he be worried? He looked at the guy’s hand for a wedding ring and came up blank.
Bella came over and threw herself into his arms, planting her lips against his dismissing that thought. “Hi.” Her warm breath fanned over his face. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
“You seem to be busy enough. I don’t want to get in the way.”
“Never. I missed you and you know how I work, flat-out and no time to breathe.” She grabbed his hand and tugged him over to the counter where Jason had plugged his camera into a laptop. “Jason, I want you to meet Jake. Jake, this is Jason, photographer extraordinaire.”
Jason looked up and reached for Jake’s hand. “Hi. What do you think of what our girl’s done today so far?” He swiveled the screen so they could all see it.
“Yeah, they look great. You look like you know your way around a kitchen.” He put a hand around Bella’s waist.
“Should by now. We’ve worked together for the last two books, haven’t we, Bella? And I do work at the studio as well so we get to hang out a fair bit.” He went back to his camera, checked the battery levels before unplugging it again. “Right, how about you go and do whatever it was you wanted to do and we can do the next set of photos after you’re finished with the cookies? I’ll clean up for you, if you like.”
“Sounds good to me, thanks. I have the stew slow cooking on the stove so it will take another couple of hours yet before I can plate that up. Let me make everyone coffee. Put those trays in the oven, Cory. They won’t take long, only ten minutes or so a sheet so keep an eye on the time for me.” She kissed Jake again and grinned. Bella looked like she was in her element. Busy, but happy.
“These look, ah, interesting, Cory.” His son slid the cookie sheets into the oven and started to load another tray.
“Bella said you can help us decorate them when they’re ready.”
Surely she was joking? He didn’t know the first thing about baking and decorating things. “What?”
Bella came back with a mug of coffee, handed it to him. “Oh, don’t look so shocked. It’ll be fun. Cory’s taking these to school for Valentine’s Day for everyone in his class, which I think is very thoughtful. It might be nice if you helped decorate them with us. At least that way we both get to spend quality time with you.” She batted her lashes, a sultry smile curving her very luscious lips. Bella knew exactly how to make him weak at the knees. He didn’t know how he was going to cope when and if she went back to Seattle. “That’s if you’re not too busy with work?”
“I’d love to.” After that display of affection, there wasn’t anywhere else he’d rather be. He received a peck on the cheek for his offer. “I have to go back in later and cover for one of the guys but I have tim
e now. You’re going to have to give me a lesson though. Never decorated a cookie in my life.”
“Let me show you something, Cory.” Bella took the tray he had just filled and grabbed a small heart shaped cutter from the tub on the counter. “This is kinda cool.” She cut the inside out of each larger heart, placed them on a tray already waiting for another batch. “Now you have double the cookies and that big one is different enough from the others to make a statement. Decorate it in a different color than the others and, voila, pretty special. I bet none of your friends will have anything like it.”
The camera clicked as Jason took a few shots from different angles. He stepped back to keep out of the way but Bella reached for him. “Stay here and ignore Jason. It’s how we work.”
How could he ignore the man who seemed so close to her and pointed a camera at him? Wasn’t going to happen. “I’d rather not.”
“Don’t be shy, Dad. If you ignore him for a minute you forget he’s there.”
“Come on, Jake. Be a good sport. I promise not to put any photos of you or Cory in anything I do without prior approval.”
Heat made his cheeks flush as Jason gave Jake a look he couldn’t decipher.
“You may as well give in, man. Bella usually gets what she wants when it gets to this stage of the procedure. She’s the boss and calls the shots. Waste of time arguing.”
Bella raised a hand and Jason reached over, giving her a high five slap. “How right you are.” She turned to Jake, winked at him. “Please, for me?”
“I’m not really dressed for photos. I have to go back to work this afternoon so I didn’t think it was worth going home to change.” He had on an old pair of his fireman’s uniform pants and a faded Cherry Lake Fire Station T-shirt that was getting tighter every time he washed it.
Bella gave him a glance up and down, her eyes slowing somewhere around his chest. “I think you’re perfect the way you are.”
“Oooh, Dad. Bella thinks you’re perfect. How you gonna get out of that one?” Cory bent over double, chortling away with glee. Jake might have heard a snigger from the photographer as well.
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