I took a breath and let it out before opening the door and facing the man I was hoping to avoid altogether. His hair was wet from the shower and he had on a lavender oxford and a silver tie. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his slacks and his brows were furrowed. He looked so handsome, but also a little defeated. My heart clenched as I shut my door behind me.
“Morning,” I said.
He shot me a weak smile and nodded to the counter behind him. “I poured you some coffee, and I already took Charlotte for a quick walk. Are you ready to leave or did you need some more time?”
I could feel my whole face scrunch up into a frown as I tried to make sense of all the words he’d just said. Finally, I had to admit defeat. “Huh?”
He smiled again, this time a little wider. “I’m ready to leave as soon as you are. I know you were late yesterday, so I figured you’d want an earlier start today.”
Things still weren’t totally adding up for me, but I thought I got the gist of it now. I held up my phone. “I already called an Uber.”
He frowned for a moment, his dark brows pulling low over his chocolate-colored eyes before they returned to normal again. “You can cancel, right?”
“Uh.”
He took a deep breath and covered the distance between us in a few short strides. He didn’t get as close as he had last night, thankfully, but he was near enough that the scent of his cologne started a small riot in my stomach.
“Listen, Belle. I feel really bad about last night. I shouldn’t have said what I did and I’m so sorry. I was hoping we could go back to normal today. That just means I pour you a cup of coffee and drive you to work. Can we do that?” When I was silent for too long, he added, “Please?”
My heart raced harder as I read the sincerity in his eyes. I quickly ran through the repercussions of giving in to his request and found them minimal.
He wanted to be my friend. Isn’t that what I’d wanted too? He wanted to drive me to work. Was that a bad thing? He poured me a mug of coffee. Was that such a big deal?
It all seemed pretty innocuous, and I was having trouble coming up with reasons to say no. Except there was still the matter of my pride to deal with.
What he’d said last night had been pretty shitty. I wasn’t a slut, and he’d all but called me one to my face. Could I forgive him? Should I forgive him?
He seemed sorry, and he’d apologized twice. Was I going to hold on to my anger and let it fester into an uncomfortable living situation, or let it go?
I took a deep breath and gave him a small nod. “Okay, yeah. A ride to work would be great, Remy. Thanks.”
His smile was wider than ever as he moved another foot closer.
“I really am sorry about last night. Can we forget it happened?”
His voice was so deep and sincere, it tugged at my heart. I’d already forgiven him, but he probably deserved at least a little shit for what he’d pulled last night.
I shook my head and cast my eyes downward. “I don’t think I can forget, Remy.”
He took a faltering step forward. “What can I do to make it up to you? I’ll do anything.”
The pleading tone in his voice almost did me in, but I pushed through. I looked up and met his eyes. “Can you take away everything that happened last night? Everything I went through? Can you go back in time and erase it all?”
He opened his mouth and closed it before pursing his lips. His shoulders sagged with a deep exhale and he parted his lips to speak again when I cut in.
“Because that was the most boring date I’ve ever been on and if you could take those memories from me, I’d be forever grateful.”
His eyes snapped up to mine, widened in confusion for a moment before a smile spread across his face and he chuckled. “You’re an ass.”
I tipped my back and laughed. “I think you deserved that a little.”
“Maybe a little,” he said with a shrug and a crooked smile. “So. Most boring date ever? Wanna tell me about it?”
I grabbed my travel mug of hot coffee and pointed toward the door. “I’ll tell you on the way. Let’s go.”
Remy
“He really thought you were going to pick up the whole check? What a tool.”
Despite my promise of just being friends, I couldn’t deny it felt good to know her date sucked. Maybe her night had been as awful as mine, even if it was for entirely different reasons.
“Seriously! First, he dragged me to that shitty place and then he thought I’d pay for his escargot and duck a l’orange. It was bad enough I had to pay for half.”
“You didn’t have to.”
She sighed heavily and leaned against the door as I navigated my way through rush hour traffic. “No. I really did. I don’t like to feel indebted. Especially on a first date. Even if I’ll be eating ramen for the next week.”
I frowned as I pulled up to a red light. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t know if I was allowed to ask them. If our tentative new friendship would permit something like that. Seeing as how Belle seemed to be pretty open about most things, I figured I’d give it a shot. “Did this date really set you back that far?”
She sighed again and shot me a small smile, making my heart thump in my chest. I know it wasn’t supposed to, but I figured it would take time for that particular organ to get the message that we were just friends now.
That meant I’d also need to remind my hands not to sweat when she was close and my eyes not to catalogue every one of her features each time I saw her. It might be a long process, but I was working on it.
“Nah, I’ll be okay. I just won’t be eating at another fancy French restaurant anytime soon.”
Hopefully, that meant no more dates either.
Like I said, I was a work in progress.
Belle gasped and slapped me on the bicep. “Did I tell you he drives a Rolls Royce too?”
I rolled my eyes. “What, did he show you pictures?”
She snorted. “He probably would have eventually if I’d let it get that far.”
“Where do you find guys like this?”
“Mostly dating apps.”
“If that’s the scene, I guess I’m better off not using them.”
She turned to face me again and I could feel her stare burning a hole into the side of my face. “What about you Remy? No dates in your future?”
It was my turn to snort. “With what time, Belle?”
“Yeah, I guess.”
I ignored it most of the time, but my life was pretty empty. Sure, I had Ryder and Gramps and I guess Bailey was about to become family too, but they all had their own things going on. Even Gramps didn’t need me most of the time. I pretty much went over there for my own peace of mind.
It would be nice to have someone in my life that was just for me, though. Someone to come home to, someone to share the burden I felt constantly weighing on my shoulders. It just wasn’t in the cards for me right now.
I shook my head to rid myself of those thoughts. “It’s not like I never go out on dates. They’re just rare.”
Like Halley’s comet rare.
“When was your last date?”
I pursed my lips as I thought that through. It shouldn’t have, but it took me a few minutes to remember when that had actually been. “Oh, yeah. I don’t know if you could call it a date, but I escorted a woman I work with to a company function a few months ago.”
Belle was silent for a moment and when I shot her a look, she had her bottom lip trapped between her teeth. “Are you talking about the receptionist in the lobby?”
My brows bunched together as I looked at her again. “No. Why?”
Belle shrugged and turned to look out her window. “She just seemed interested.”
I turned my eyes back to the road as I thought about what she just said. Had Brianna said something to her the other day when she stopped by? If that was the case, it seemed like I might need to have a talk with her. I didn’t date women I worked with and I wouldn’t go out with Brianna e
ven if I did.
Despite my head screaming not likely, buddy, my heart wondered if there was something more to Belle’s words. Thankfully my head won out, and I shook it to get rid of those thoughts.
I pulled up in front of Belle’s gallery and she gathered her things before turning to me. “Thanks for the ride, Remy. You know you don’t have to do this every morning.”
I shook my head. “It’s the least I can do for you giving me a place to stay for the next couple months.”
She shrugged and climbed out of the car. “See you later, Rem.”
My nickname from her mouth sent a shot of electricity through my veins. I didn’t know what it was, but hearing her be so familiar did something to me. Something I really needed to get a handle on as soon as possible.
I made it to work a little while later and did my best to be as curt with Brianna as possible. Hopefully, that would eventually dissuade her.
The morning was eventful, and I had a feeling I wouldn’t be stopping for lunch anytime soon. Thankfully I had a fridge in my office that my secretary kept stocked with things like protein packs for days like this.
“Mr. MacAlister, you have a visitor.”
I frowned at the phone before taking a quick look at my schedule that was pulled up on my computer. Seeing that I had nothing on there, I hit the button to respond. “Who is it, Helen?”
“Ms. Garcia again, sir.”
My stomach instantly fell to the bottom of my feet before jolting back into place.
What the hell is Belle doing here?
I took a calming breath and hit the speaker button again. “You can send her in.”
My mind raced with all the possibilities. I couldn’t help it, and it was natural for me to assume the worst. I’d gotten some of the most awful news of my life second-hand and a little part of me always expected more.
Not able to sit still any longer, I stood from my chair and crossed the office just as the large door opened. Belle walked in with a plastic bag in one hand and a hesitant smile on her face.
“Hey, is everything okay?” I asked as I approached her.
She frowned. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?”
I let out a deep breath and ran a hand through my hair.
Everything was fine. Everyone was fine. There was no reason to panic. Everything was okay.
Belle took a step closer and put a hand on my arm. “Hey, are you okay?”
I shot her a smile, but I could tell it was brittle. “Yeah. I’m good. I just wasn’t expecting you.”
She retracted her hand and the shy smile was back on her face. “I guess I could have called, huh?” She shrugged and held up the bag in her hand. “I just figured since I missed out on Chinese with you last night that I’d make up for it now.”
My mind went completely blank as I tried to process what she’d just said. Had Belle really traveled across town just to have lunch with me? How the hell was I supposed to get over this woman when she did sweet things like that?
She’s just trying to be your friend, Remy. She’d do this for Bailey too.
I repeated those two sentences over and over as I tried to get my heart to slow the hell down.
Apparently, I’d taken too long to answer because Belle’s expression fell, and she took a step back. “I’m sorry. I should have texted you first. You’re probably busy and I don’t even know if this is your lunch time or not. I’ll just go, and I’ll see you at home later.”
She turned around to leave, but I grabbed her arm before she could get far. “No. Stay. I’m sorry, you just caught me off guard.”
She spun back around with a tentative smile that made her look so pretty it was hard to stare directly at her. “Really? You’re not too busy?”
I was busy as fuck, but that wasn’t going to stop me.
I shook my head and gestured for her to have a seat on the couch along the far wall. “No, not at all. It’s my lunch hour anyway,” I lied.
Her smile widened and my heart thundered even harder at the sight.
Honestly, how was any straight guy supposed to resist a woman like Belle with a smile like that on her face? It was impossible. I wasn’t nearly strong enough.
In that moment, I knew just being her friend wasn’t going to work. I could try, but getting closer to her only made me want her more. Knowing that I couldn’t have her wasn’t much of a deterrent either, unfortunately. In fact, it only really made me want to try harder. But I’d made her a promise, and I intended to keep it. I’d told her I’d back off, and that was what I’d do, even if it seemed impossible from where I was standing.
Chapter 15
Belle
“Give me just a sec,” Remy said before turning around and rushing toward his office doors.
I watched him for a moment before I shrugged and focused on unloading all the food I’d brought. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what I was doing there. That morning, I’d had no intention of having lunch with Remy, but as the hours passed by, my mind slowly made itself up. I could have blamed it on a craving for Chinese food, but I had a feeling it was more than that.
Which was why I wasn’t examining my reasonings any further than this.
“Sorry about that,” Remy called as he crossed his large office again to sit opposite me. He rubbed his hands together. “So, what’d you get?”
I looked around the table full of take-out containers and started listing off the goods. “Pork fried rice, egg drop soup, crab rangoons, boneless spare ribs, chicken wings, sesame chicken, eggrolls, broccoli and beef, sweet and sour pork, and scallion pancakes.”
He was quiet for a moment, so I looked up at him.
“Is that all?” he deadpanned.
I threw a set of chopsticks at him that he caught midair. “Hey, I didn’t know what you’d like.”
“Did the restaurant have to shut down for the afternoon after this order?”
“Shut up.” I giggled.
He shook his head, his expression growing serious. “I’m not gonna lie, Belle. You really surprised me today. I thought I was the one who had some making up to do to you.”
I looked down at the table and adjusted myself on the leather couch. Tucking a lock of hair behind my ear, I glanced up at him before averting my eyes again. “It’s no big deal.”
“It’s a huge deal. This is really thoughtful of you. I probably wouldn’t have stopped for lunch today if you hadn’t come by.”
My stomach twisted at that news and I grew even more thankful I’d come here. I really really didn’t like the idea of anyone going hungry. Especially Remy.
But I shoved that thought aside too.
I shrugged and met his eyes again, my brain running at top speed to come up with an explanation for showing up here. Something I probably should have thought of before. “I, um, really needed to get out of the gallery today.”
Remy frowned as he reached for a paper plate. “Why’s that?”
He seemed to buy my excuse, and I breathed a quiet sigh of relief. “Things are really hectic right now. I’ve been putting in a lot of extra hours and I just needed to get out from between those walls for a little while.”
He scooped some rice onto his plate before passing the carton my way. “Is this because of the show you’ve got coming up?”
I snapped my eyes to his with a frown. “Yeah. You remembered that?”
The corner of his lips curled into a grin. “Of course I remembered. I’m not likely to forget being invited to my first not stuffy art gallery.”
My lips twitched into a smile without my permission. “So, you still want to come to that?”
I wasn’t sure if I even wanted him to come. Or if I would be disappointed if he said he wasn’t. To be honest, it didn’t seem like I was sure of much today.
Remy smiled at me again, his brown eyes bright. “Of course I do.”
My stomach somersaulted at that news and I did my best to ignore it. I didn’t know if that was nerves or excitement and I had no intention of finding o
ut.
“It’s coming up, right?” he asked.
I nodded. “It’s on the fifteenth. About a week and a half away.”
“Are the weeks leading up to an opening usually this crazy?”
I sighed as I stabbed my sweet and sour pork with a chopstick. “No. Not usually. But the director is still out because of complications with an emergency surgery he had and so that only leaves me and a girl we just hired.”
“So, you’re kind of in charge of this show?”
“Yep.” My stomach twisted at that thought. There was so much riding on whether I could pull this off or not. With a shake of my head I reminded myself that I was Belle friggen Garcia, and I’d make sure the show was the best the gallery ever hosted.
“Sounds like a lot of work.”
I laughed humorlessly. “It’s a shit ton of work, but it’s okay. I’ll figure it out.”
Remy smiled, his eyes softening. “I have no doubt you will.”
I wanted to squirm in my seat at the look on his face, but just barely suppressed the desire. Why did he affect me like this?
Remy looked down at his plate and then shot me a sideways grin. “These boneless spare ribs are pretty good, but they don’t compare to bone-in.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “So, you like to work for your food.”
“I guess,” he laughed. “The meat’s always more tender.”
I shrugged. “Then when you buy us Chinese, you can order whatever kind of spare ribs you want.”
His eyes burned brighter for a moment before he nodded. “Deal.”
I looked away quickly before I got caught up in his gaze. That was far too easy to do around Remy MacAlister. I busied myself with heaping a portion of sesame chicken on my plate when his phone went off. Looking up, I saw him glance down at his cell before tensing his jaw and looking away.
“You gonna get that?”
He shook his head. “I’m having lunch with you.”
“Remy. You’re an important guy. I won’t be offended if you check a text message.”
He shot me an apologetic look as he grabbed his phone and tapped a few times on its screen. His lips pressed into a thin line before he exhaled deeply and stuffed his phone in his pocket.
Beyond Beautiful (Love in Providence Book 2) Page 12
