by Sarah Hegger
Liz growled again. “I know what the smart thing to do is. Yet there’s this other side of me that’s still pining away for the dickhead.” She wiped her eyes on her sleeve. “And I so don’t want to be that girl. The one who’s always whining about her shitty man but goes right back to him time and time again.”
“I’m pretty sure you’re not that girl.”
“But I’m doing a damn fine impersonation.” Liz snorted. “Sometimes I want to bitch-slap everyone with ovaries. Myself included.”
“Let’s blame it on the ovaries.” Bella propped her feet on the coffee table. “Want me to do something about the sweatpants aesthetic?”
Liz straightened and scowled around the store. “What are you offering?”
“Sackcloth and ashes?”
The bell over the door jangled and Phi swept in, looking like Big Bird reloaded, as she trailed scarlet feathers behind her. “Darling girl!” She paused in the doorway, then swept Bella into a patchouli-scented hug. “What a terrible, terrible time you’ve been having. I rushed straight over the moment Pippa told me.”
Bella stood still as Phi scrutinized her. No choice really; Phi would only let her go when she was good and ready.
A tall black man stood behind Phi, shoulders so wide they blocked out Bella’s view of the street. Hands crossed in front of him, he wore a white button-down and a precisely pressed pair of khakis. He made it look like a three-piece suit.
Never slow to notice any hovering hotness, Liz unfolded from the divan. “Well, hello there.”
The man looked at Liz’s outstretched hand for a beat before giving it a shake.
Phi gave a gusty sigh. “Isn’t he lovely?” She nudged Bella. “All tall, dark, and deadly.”
“Hi.” Bella waved from Phi’s clutch around her shoulders.
The man nodded. His gaze swept the store, and she got the feeling it took him no more than that to assess every item in it.
“Pippa is worried sick about you.” Phi let go of Bella long enough to flap her hands. “Poor thing. She is quite overwrought.”
“Is she okay?” Bella hated the idea of pregnant Pippa doing anything but concentrating on that new baby.
“You know Pippa.” Phi swept over to the rack of dresses. “She soldiers on, and dear Lord, is this not the most heavenly color?” She held up a cobalt-blue wrap dress about six sizes short of the diva’s impressive bosom. “This color would be heavenly with my sapphires, don’t you think?”
Bella searched her mind for a good answer and came up short.
Tall, dark, and deadly almost smiled.
“You know it.” Liz grinned at Phi.
“Anyway,” Phi racked the dress, “I’ve been tossing and turning about you, Bella, ma fée. And of course about my poor, dear enceinte Pippa.” One hand to her bosom, the other on the rack, she trilled. “And then it came to me.”
Liz gaped at Phi.
Bella didn’t blame her. Those pipes had brought royalty to its knees in Phi’s time. She knew the diva well enough, however, for her skin to itch. “What came to you, Phi?”
“My darling Simeon,” Phi said, as if she’d pulled an SUV out of a hat. “Simeon, meet the beleaguered Bella.”
“Simon,” he said. “It’s nice to meet you. Phi’s told me a lot about you.” Bella just bet Phi had, and was that a Bronx accent?
Phi floated over to a jewelry display and snatched up a sparkly choker. “Is this not too divine?”
“Yeah.” Ready to enjoy the show, Liz settled back on the divan with a grin.
“Of course I didn’t think of Simeon first.” Phi preened in front of the mirror with the choker held to her neck. “First I thought of his most delicious father.” She paused, eyes cast up. “I still have dreams about that man.”
Simon flinched. So tiny a movement, Bella almost missed it.
“Tell us about the dreams.” Liz tucked her legs beneath her.
“The dreams.” Phi shivered. “Such vivid details. There is the one that begins on a beach with a magnificent white stallion pounding through the surf.”
“Phi knew my dad,” Simon said.
“On his back is my darling Timothy. Naked.”
“Naked is good.” Liz propped her chin on her fists.
Simon took a deep breath.
Bella took pity on him. “So, you’re new in town?”
He nodded.
“By all the saints!” Phi wheeled about. “I almost forgot the point of my being here.”
That happened a lot. Bella shared a look with Simon that told her he knew that too.
“Simeon and I have long been acquainted. Almost from the moment of his birth. Not his actual birth.” Phi gesticulated. “But his rebirth as a modern-day warrior.”
“Phi helped me get into a college and then Quantico,” Simon said.
Liz bounced liked a three-year-old on sugar. “A Fed.”
“Not anymore.” Shutters slammed down around Simon.
“Do you see, Bella?” Phi wafted over and put her arm about Bella and Simon. She looked at Bella eagerly.
Bella didn’t see.
“I have hired you a champion, a paladin.”
Simon almost smiled again. “I’m your protection detail.”
“Protection detail?” Bella felt all kinds of stupid as she stared up at Simon.
Liz exploded from the couch. “A bodyguard! Bella, you’ve got a bodyguard.”
“No, I don’t.”
“It’s the perfect solution.” Phi whipped her head around before bustling away. “Lord preserve us! Are those the gowns over there?”
Bella stared at Simon.
He stared at her. “I understand you’re having some trouble with a stalker.”
Bella knew what roadkill felt like. Phi had flattened her. “Yes. No. I mean, I do have a stalker, but the sheriff is handling it.”
“That’s not all the sheriff is handling.” Liz spread her arms over the divan back.
Bella’s face went radioactive.
Nothing from Simon.
A throaty chuckle from Phi. “You bad girl.” She waggled a finger at Liz. “Simeon! I simply must introduce you to darling Elizabeth. Does she not have the most divine breasts?”
“Pleased to meet you.” Simon nodded at Liz.
“Hi.” Liz gave him an evil grin. “They’re not real, you know. Want to get a closer look?”
Phi snickered.
“Pippa briefed me.” Simon glanced at Phi. “He broke into your house?”
“Yesterday.”
Simon frowned. “Phi called me at about 5 a.m. Asked me to get here ASAP.”
“Phi shouldn’t have.” Phi really, really shouldn’t have. Bella tried to find the words to tell her so, but the diva meant so well. Everything she did came from that huge heart of hers. “I really don’t need a bodyguard. I don’t think I can afford one.”
“I come prepaid.” Simon nodded. “Phi asked and here I am.”
“This is silly.” Bella wanted to squirm.
“Maybe. But while I’m here, why don’t I have a look around?” He smiled. “I may as well; have you ever known anyone to successfully say no to the diva?”
ChapterTwenty-Six
Nate’s shitty start to his day spiraled straight into the toilet.
Bella collected men like lint. Adam, Daniel, and now some hotshot glory boy with his flashy credentials and his permit to carry concealed. Guy had checked in about five minutes after Nate arrived at the office.
It didn’t help that Gabby had actually taken the stick out of her ass long enough to offer hotshot a cup of coffee. She’d never offered him coffee, not once.
He pulled into the circular driveway outside his brother’s place and hopped out. He needed to go right to the source of the problem: Pippa.
Damn it! He knew they meant well, but taking care of Bella was his job. The last thing he needed was some vigilante-type shit in his town.
Actually, the source of the problem was Diva Philomene, but he didn’t
have the balls for that. The diva didn’t hold back on the trips down handcuff memory lane.
With a brief knock, he opened the kitchen door and stepped inside.
“Nate.” Pippa greeted him with her million-dollar smile.
Matt looked up from his laptop. “Hey.”
“Coffee?” Pippa opened the cupboard where they kept the mugs.
“Who the hell is Simon Walker?”
Matt’s chair scraped on the floor. “You got a bug up your ass?”
“Yeah, I do.” The same bug he’d had up his ass for what seemed like months. “Did you know Philomene hired a bodyguard for Bella?”
Matt grinned. “Sounds like something she would do.”
“That’s all you’ve got to say about this?” Nate wanted to punch the smile off Matt’s face.
Pippa put a full mug on the table, with the sugar and cream beside it. “You seem upset.”
“I’m not upset, I’m fucking mad!”
“Watch yourself.” Matt squared off.
Nate forced a deep breath and then another. Matt always played big brother. It was part of who he was, and getting into a pissing contest with him wasn’t going to get Nate anywhere. “This situation is bad enough without adding another complication.”
“Sit, Nate.” Pippa pressed him into a chair. “You know Phi. Once she got the idea into her head, there was no stopping her.” She pushed his coffee closer to him. “Simon’s very good at what he does. He’s not going to complicate your life.”
“I had this under control.” Needing it, Nate added an extra spoon of sugar to his normal three.
Pippa took the seat beside him. “I didn’t think this would make you angry.”
“It did.” He sipped his coffee and found a moment of calm. Pippa made great coffee. Not like the sludge Gabby made. She should know better than to go offering that shit around.
“What’s up?” Matt resumed his seat and closed his laptop.
His normal nothing came up, but he shoved it away. First off, Matt wouldn’t buy it for half a second, or Pippa either. Secondly, maybe he could get some perspective here. “I’m so screwed.”
“We’re talking figuratively, right?” Pippa grinned at him.
He smiled back. You couldn’t help it when Pippa gave you that smile. It started in her grass-green eyes, crinkled around her cheeks, and then curled her mouth up. No wonder she was one of TV’s most-loved celebs.
Matt tugged his wife and her chair close enough to kiss. “Is this about Bella?”
His big brother knew him better than most. “Yeah.”
“More than her situation?”
“Yeah.”
Matt stiffened. “What the hell did you do?”
* * *
What did a girl do with a bodyguard? Bella tried not to watch Simon, but she couldn’t help it. Other than the serious hot factor, the man slid around her store like a ghost, nowhere and everywhere all at once.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?” Bella needed some caffeine. Phi had blown out like a storm, taking Liz in her wake.
The idea of Simon made Bella want to squirm. Who the hell needed a bodyguard? Like she was some kind of celebrity or something.
He flashed her his quick smile. “I’m good, thanks.”
“Tea?” Like her mouth got stuck in a rut, it kept going. “Water? Juice? Beer?” Dear Lord, not beer. “Sorry. I bet you don’t drink while you’re on duty. Not that you’re on duty or anything, just taking a look around.”
“Bella.” He materialized right in front of her. “Breathe.”
She breathed, and breathed again, taking in a spiced citrus fragrance that ought to be illegal. Maybe he had secret squirrel aftershave designed to render women weak and susceptible. Okay, time to take another breath.
Simon’s dark gaze twinkled. “You got it under control yet?”
Did she? Nope. Bella held up her hand. “Give me a little bit.”
“Take your time.”
Strangely enough, embarrassment aside, she did feel better having him there. “I’ve never had a bodyguard before.”
“I would never have known.” Simon winked.
Bella’s giggle shot out of her nose on a snort. Which only made her laugh harder and blush even more.
The door jangled.
Gaze locked on the door, Simon tensed. “Someone you know?”
Daniel stopped with the door in his hand and stared at Simon.
“It’s Daniel,” Bella cut in quickly, before Simon did any guarding of her body. “He’s a friend of mine. He’s fine.”
“Bella?” Daniel gave Simon the top-to-toe. “I came to check on you.”
There seemed to be a lot of that going around this morning. “Daniel, this is Simon.”
“Daniel Carver.” Daniel approached, hand out.
Simon shook. “Simon Walker.”
Daniel threw her a quizzical glance, but Bella couldn’t bring herself to introduce Simon as her bodyguard, so she smiled back. “I’m fine. A little shaken up but fine.”
“What the hell happened?” Daniel shoved his hands in his pockets. “I heard Adam broke into your place.”
Of course he’d heard. Ghost Falls hadn’t had gossip this juicy since Pippa’s fall from grace on national television. Bella went through the story as quickly as she could.
Simon drifted over to the far side of the store.
“Who is he?” Daniel whispered.
Bella opened her mouth, then changed her mind. “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you. Can we call him sort of a gift from the diva and leave it at that?”
With a grin, Daniel nodded. “That’s probably for the best.”
Daniel didn’t stay long. His exit opened the floodgates, and person after person found their way into her store. Not to buy something but to hear the story from her mouth. Toward closing time, Pippa and Matt paid her a visit.
Pippa glowed with her pregnancy and Matt walked beside her as if he was the first man on earth to sire a child. Their happiness beamed from them. It made Bella a little jealous.
“Shit, Bella.” Pippa swept her into a huge hug. “This is getting crazy.”
“Yeah, it sucks.” With Pippa, Bella didn’t have to pretend to be brave and she relaxed into the hug.
“You must be Simon.” Matt held out his hand. “My brother met you earlier.”
“The sheriff ?” Simon nodded. “I make it a point to check in with the local law. Makes things go easier down the road.”
Pippa laughed. “Not with our sheriff getting all territorial it won’t.”
“Thought that might be the case.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, Simon nodded.
“What does that mean?” Bella glared at Pippa, willing her to give a straight answer. “What’s wrong with Nate?”
Matt lifted a brow at her. “Really?”
“It’s not like that.” A flush climbed her cheeks.
Pippa cocked her head. “Oh no? How is it, then?”
If they’d been alone, she might have said more. In fact, talking to Pippa would have been a great idea, but not with Matt and Simon looking as if they were collecting each word in a bucket.
“Uh-oh.” Pippa leaned closer. “Do I sense the need for girl talk?”
“Maybe.” As in definitely and soon.
Right.” Pippa clapped. “Matt, why don’t you buy Simon a cup of coffee?”
“I don’t—”
“It wasn’t a suggestion.” Matt clapped Simon on the shoulder. “Coffee shop is two doors down and we can stand outside. You can keep an eye on Bella from there.”
Not wasting any time, Pippa patted the divan next to her. “Let’s hear what’s going on with Nate.”
Bella waited until they’d shut the door behind them before she turned to Pippa. “A bodyguard. Phi gave me a bodyguard.”
Pippa winced. “I warned you. I thought I had her headed off, but you know what she’s like.”
“Yeah.” Bella nodded. You’d have more luck holding back an av
alanche with a bucket and a spade. “What do I do with him?”
“Nothing.” Pippa shrugged. “You let him do his job and you go about your life.”
Simon and Matt hugged the wall outside Mugged.
“He must be costing a fortune,” Bella said. She didn’t want to spend Phi’s money.
“Probably.” Pippa peered at the two men. “But why don’t you let Phi worry about that and tell me what’s going on with Nate?”
“It might have been easier when I only crushed on him from a distance.” Too restless to sit, Bella paced over to the window and stared out. “It certainly hurt a lot less than this does.”
“Ah, Bella.” Pippa came up behind her. “You so don’t need this on top of everything else you’re going through.”
“It’s weird.” Bella took her time putting this into words. “I started this whole self-improvement thing because my life had drifted into a rut. I was thirty-three and stuck in a rut. Isn’t that pathetic?”
“Pathetic? No.” Pippa put an arm around her shoulders. “Sad, yes. You have too much to offer to get caught in a rut.”
“I keep thinking if I hadn’t started self-improving, none of this would have happened.”
“Whoa!” Pippa turned her face to her. “Please tell me you’re not taking the blame for any of this.”
Bella couldn’t maintain eye contact. Because yes, there was this little voice in her head—one that sounded exactly like Nana—that kept insisting if she had left things alone . . . “I wanted something different. More.”
“You’re entitled to more.” Pippa gave her a little shake. “We’re all entitled to have life in abundance. All of us, including you. We just need to be brave sometimes and reach for it.”
“That doesn’t seem to be working so well for me.” Bella glared at her pink store. The eighties’ decor closed around her like a trap. “Nothing has really changed. Except I have some psycho asshat trying to break into my bedroom and I think my heart may be well and truly broken. And I still have this fucking pink store.”
“Bella!” Pippa stood back. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you swear.”
Heat climbed her cheeks. “Well, I often think bad words.”
“Say it again.” Pippa’s smile was pure evil. “I dare you.”
“Fuck,” she whispered it, because now Bella had started to feel a bit silly. Silly but strangely liberated. Hadn’t that giddy sense of liberation gotten her into enough trouble?
