by Noelle Adams
“A dress shop?”
“Yeah. A wedding shop that also does other formal dresses. I’ve done some research and there’s nothing like that in the whole county. There are plenty of weddings here. Plus proms and school formals and girls’ pageants and things like that. I think there’s enough business to get it off the ground.”
“Yeah. There’s definitely nothing like that here.” Belinda did her best to sound encouraging, since the last thing she wanted to do was scare off a potential business from Azalea’s downtown. “It might still be kind of slow to build up customers for a shop like that.”
“Oh, I know.” Ariana was pretty with wavy brown hair, blue eyes, and a dimpled smile. “I know it sounds obnoxious to say so, but I don’t actually need to make money on this store. My family would fund it, even if it made no profit at all. But I think there might be room for something like that here, and I really want to do something. Something that’s real work. Something that means something.”
Belinda’s heart was touched by the sincere poignancy in the other woman’s voice. “You don’t think you’ve done something before now?”
“No. Not really. I feel like I’ve just been a spoiled rich girl. I spent half my twenties waiting to get married to an asshole who kept dragging his feet. All that wasted time. I finally broke up with him, and it was the best thing I ever did. But now I want to start over and be someone different. Someone better. So I need something to do. I was thinking about this.”
“I think it’s a great idea then,” Belinda told her. “We could definitely use a store like that, and it will help that you don’t need a lot of profit to survive. It wasn’t that long ago that our little downtown only had Anna’s, the laundromat, the flower shop, and my CPA business. All the other storefronts were empty. But now we’ve got the two primitives shops and the chiropractor, and a coffee shop is opening up over there soon. Your dress shop would be a perfect addition.”
Ariana grinned, scanning the cute downtown blocks, which looked a lot more alive than they had even two years ago. “I’m excited. I’m going to do it. I’ll call Jacob right away to sign the lease.”
“I’m excited about it too. I’m glad you’ve come to town.”
“Me too. I wasn’t sure about it at first. I really just wanted to get away, and since Charles was coming here to write his book, I figured I’d come with him. But I like it here. And I’m glad I met you. To tell you the truth, I was kind of hoping you and Charles...”
Belinda laughed. “Yeah, I think a lot of people were thinking that.”
“So there wasn’t any potential there? I thought he kind of liked you.”
For no good reason, Belinda pictured the hot need in Fitz’s eyes right before he kissed her. Every time. “I liked him too, but I think I’m at the point in my life where I’m looking for more than ‘kind of.’”
“Yeah. Of course you are.” Ariana turned around and nodded down the block. “Speaking of guys, what’s his story?”
Belinda looked and saw Fitz standing on the corner down the street, chatting with Ken Harley. “Whose story? Ken’s?”
“No. I know him. He’s the sheriff and married to the quiet blonde. I mean the other guy. Fitz or something like that? What’s his story?”
Belinda tried not to frown. “I... I don’t know. What do you want to know about him?”
“Nothing in particular. He’s just interesting. He always seems to be hanging around doing nothing. But he’s kind of cute, you know. And seems pretty smart.”
Managing to suppress a surge of jealousy and possessiveness, Belinda said, “He is smart. He just appeared one day out of nowhere. We don’t know much about him, but he’s a good guy.”
There. That hadn’t sounded too bad. And she hadn’t sounded too much like a jealous girlfriend who resented any other woman eyeing her man.
Ariana laughed. “Well, now you’ve got me more interested. What if he’s some kind of European prince in hiding? Or maybe he’s in witness protection. The possibilities are endless!”
It was clear that Ariana was teasing. Having fun. Maybe she did think Fitz was cute—who wouldn’t—but she didn’t appear to be actively pursuing him.
“Hasn’t anyone considered just asking him what his story is?” Ariana continued.
The question took Belinda aback. She wasn’t exactly sure why, but she blinked and froze for several seconds. “I... I don’t know. I think people have asked him. He just won’t say.”
“Oh. That’s too bad. I bet there’s a story there.”
There was a story there, and Belinda only knew a small part of it. Fitz still hadn’t told her more than the bare bones of his background. And it struck her then that something was wrong with that. How could they be in a real relationship—even trying one out like they were—if he wouldn’t tell her who he really was? They were together now, but they weren’t together all the way.
But maybe Ariana had a point. Maybe she should just ask. If he wouldn’t tell her... well, then that would say something she needed to know.
FITZ SHOWED UP AT BELINDA’S house at seven o’clock that night. Like every other night for the past two weeks, he was hungry and excited and practically shuddering with anticipation.
Every night he spent with her was better than the last.
She was working on dinner when he arrived, so he followed her back to the kitchen, happily picking up a knife and chopping up vegetables for the salad when she asked him to.
Belinda wore all black—a long, soft tunic top with yoga pants—and she looked gorgeous and sexy and relaxed. She was making a bolognese sauce for pasta, and Fitz couldn’t resist sticking a fork in so he could taste it, laughing when she swatted him away.
He’d never had evenings like this before. Dinner with his favorite person in the world. Good food and laughter and conversation. Intimacy. Hot sex. Then a night of sound sleep. He really hadn’t realized that life could be so good. That he could enjoy himself so much and not have it taken away.
She asked him about his day as she stirred her sauce, and then she told him about showing Charles’s sister the storefront and her idea for the dress shop.
“I don’t think it’s going to earn a huge profit in this area, but if she’s smart, it might break even,” he said, thinking about the possibilities.
“I think she’d be fine with that. Her family has a lot of money, I guess. She said she just wanted something worthwhile to do, which is perfectly understandable.” Belinda slanted him a strange little look. “She was asking about you.”
“What about me? Did she suspect we’re together or something?” He stiffened slightly, afraid that Belinda would be worried if word of their relationship started to get around. He wasn’t ready for anything to get in the way of what they had. Not yet.
“No. No, nothing like that. I think she was interested in you. She said you were cute.”
Fitz’s eyes widened, and he burst into laughter. “What? You’re joking.”
“No, I’m not. She did say that. And why are you so surprised?” Belinda propped her wooden spoon on the side of the pan and turned around to grab Fitz’s shirt and pull him closer to her. “You are cute.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You think I’m just with you for your personality?”
Fitz couldn’t help but melt a little at the words and the warm faith in her eyes. “Well, my personality and my skill in the bedroom.”
She snorted.
“Hey!” he objected. “I’m not bad in the bedroom.”
Spilling over with giggles, she gave him a little hug and then turned back to her sauce. “You’re very, very good in the bedroom. But you’re also pretty cute, and you shouldn’t be surprised if other women notice it. As long as you’re not going to start noticing them.”
Fitz shot her a quick look. He murmured soberly, “I haven’t noticed any woman but you for years, Belinda. You don’t really think I’m going to change my mind now, do you?”
She blushed and lowered her eyes
before she slanted him a little smile. “That’s good then.”
“Yes.” He leaned over to kiss her. “It’s good.”
They returned to their meal prep, both of them hiding their sappy feelings. When the food was ready, they sat at the dining room table to eat. They were about halfway through when Belinda said casually, “Ariana thinks you’re European royalty in disguise.”
Fitz almost choked on his bite of salad. “What?”
“That’s what she said. It’s either that or you’re in witness protection.”
“Great. Excellent options.”
“Well, you can’t be surprised if people think up all kinds of possibilities. Since you won’t tell anyone.”
“There’s really nothing to tell.”
She nodded, her eyes on her plate. “I get why you don’t want to share with everyone about what happened to your family. That’s hard. But you won’t tell people your name or where you’re from.” She paused for a minute. “You won’t even tell me.”
There wasn’t any obvious reproach in her tone, but Fitz understood it for what it was. It was her way of letting him know she was thinking about it, wondering about it, concerned that she knew so little.
And who wouldn’t be? They were supposed to be trying out a relationship here, and he’d told her almost nothing.
He felt guilty about it. And scared that his reluctance would destroy the best thing that had ever happened to him. He almost blurted everything out—because keeping her happy was so important to him.
But he’d shaped his entire life for the past seven years around never being the person he used to be, and telling Belinda now would turn him back into that person. The tidal wave would come crashing down at last.
Even when he opened his mouth to speak, no words came out. He simply couldn’t get past the block.
She let out a soft sigh and stirred her pasta with her fork. “I don’t even know what Fitz stands for. Madeline is hoping it’s Fitzwilliam. Like Mr. Darcy.”
He chuckled, relieved she’d broken the tension for them. “It’s not. It’s Fitzgerald. An old family name I got saddled with.”
She looked back up with him, her dark eyes amused and also a little bit poignant. “Your first name is really Fitzgerald?”
“Yes. It really is. I’m sorry I haven’t told you any more about me, sweetheart. I just don’t like to think about the person I used to be. I like who I am now a lot better. And I really like who I am with you.”
She nodded and reached over to stroke his beard. “It’s okay. This is new to both of us. We’re still just trying it out. I’m not asking for anything else from you, Fitz.”
She wasn’t. But she wanted more. He could see it even if she hadn’t admitted it even to herself.
He wished he was someone different—someone better—so he could give everything to her.
Nine
THREE WEEKS LATER, Belinda spit out her toothpaste into the sink of her bathroom just as Fitz was getting out of the shower.
For the first couple of weeks they’d been spending nights together, he’d left her house at four or five in the morning, before any of her neighbors would be up. But slowly he’d started staying later into the morning—getting up when she did so they could have breakfast together. He was still able to slip out unnoticed, and it felt less like a dirty secret.
She liked it. Starting the day with him. Just as much as she liked going to sleep with him every night.
She gave him a half-hearted leer in the mirror as he dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist. After so many years of seeing him in worn, baggy clothes, it was strange to know how tight and fit his body was. Long limbs. Smoothly defined muscles. A lean strength she really liked.
“I’m sure Kelly is doing a fine job,” Fitz said as he gave his hair and beard a vigorous rub with a towel. He was continuing the conversation they’d been in the middle of, unaware that she’d gotten distracted by his naked body. “It’s just a rummage sale. It doesn’t have to be run like a well-oiled machine.”
Belinda turned her head to sneer at his wry tone. “I’m just saying it’s kind of annoying that it’s so disorganized.”
His blue eyes glinted with familiar amusement. “You’re just mad because they didn’t put you in charge of it.”
“Well, why didn’t they? I’d be really good at it!”
“Of course you’d be good at it. But you’re in charge of almost everything. You’ve got to give other people a turn every now and then.” He gave her ponytail a teasing yank before he strolled into the bedroom, wearing only a towel.
She followed him—not just to finish the conversation but because she needed to get dressed. It was after seven now, and she was still only wearing her bathrobe. “Other people have plenty of opportunities. I do a lot with church, but I don’t get to do half the stuff I’d like to do for the town—mostly because Mayor Bob hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you.” Fitz had sat down on the foot of the bed, evidently too involved in the conversation to start putting his clothes on.
“Yes, he does. He thinks I’m pushy and opinionated and don’t know my place.” She scowled as she thought about the man who’d been Azalea’s mayor for over a decade. “Why the town is satisfied with such a lazy, incompetent, patronizing jackass, I’ll never understand.”
“Maybe they’re not satisfied with him. Maybe they’re just stuck with him.”
“If they didn’t want him, they could vote for someone else. It’s just the good ol’ boy network. There’s no escaping it in a town like this.”
“Hey! Some good ole boys aren’t bad. I’m one, aren’t I?”
She laughed and let him draw her closer to him when he reached out to tug on the tie of her bathrobe. “You aren’t anything close to a good ol’ boy. Bob is a good ol’ boy. The worst kind. And Ken is a good ol’ boy. The best kind. But you... you’re something else.” She rubbed her hands up and down his face, his beard, enjoying the texture of it against her palms.
“What am I?” His voice was getting a little thick. He was gazing up at her in a way that made her heart race.
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “But something else.”
“Okay.” His smile was warm. Tender. Breathtaking. “So now I’m wondering why, if you don’t think Bob should be the mayor, you don’t give the town a better option.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” She frowned, not following the shift in conversation.
“I mean why don’t you run for mayor next year?”
“What?”
“You heard me.”
“I can’t run for mayor!”
“Why not?” He’d pulled her to stand between his legs as he sat on the edge of the bed. His hands lightly cupping her hips.
“Because... because...” She’d never for a moment thought of such a thing, so she didn’t have a ready answer for him. “I don’t know.”
“Well, maybe you should think about it.”
“But I’m just... me.”
Soft laughter shook his shoulders. His blue eyes were full of something that looked like adoration. “Yes. You’re you. Smart. Competent. Organized. Trusted. Fantastic with money. And with planning. You’re a great leader, and you know it. And just think of how much you’d love to be in charge of everything and everyone.”
She gave him a little swat at the teasing note in the last sentence. “Just because I’m bossy doesn’t mean everyone would vote for me for mayor.”
“I know that. They’d vote for you because you’d be so good at it. Seriously, Belinda. Everyone can see how good you are at everything you do. How you can always make things happen. People naturally turn to you when they need leadership. Plus people in town love you. You’d be a great mayor. You know you would.”
Something new and exciting was shuddering inside her, running up her spine and down her arms and legs. “I’ve never even thought about it,” she whispered.
“Well, think about it. If you don’t want to try it next yea
r, you can do it later on. You’d be great at that job. You’d be good for the town. And just think about it. If you were mayor, you could even boss me around. You know you’ve always wanted to do that.”
She laughed, still playing lightly with his beard. “There’s no way you’d let me boss you around, even if I was mayor. You’re the only person who never let me. You wouldn’t even disagree with me. You’d just laugh and do exactly what you wanted. You have no idea how much it drove me crazy.”
“Yes, I do.” He gave the ties on her bathrobe a little pull, causing her robe to fall open. “Why do you think I did it?”
“You were trying to drive me crazy?”
“It was the only way I could get your attention. Anyway, it was good for you to get a little resistance from someone. But if you really want to boss me around, I’ll let you do it.” His eyes ran up and down her body, which was bared from his opening her robe.
She could see the heat smoldering in his expression now, the way his body tightened. Despite the ample proof she’d had over the past six weeks, she still couldn’t believe she could provoke that particular reaction in him. “You couldn’t do it. After about five minutes of my bossing you around, you’d break and start rebelling.”
“Never. I can be good. Start bossing me around right now, and you’ll see.”
She gently pushed him back onto the bed. He went, but he pulled her with him so she was straddling his hips. “Okay. Then first thing is you need to trim your hair and beard again. They’re getting kind of messy.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He smiled up at her, stroking her thighs. “See how good I am?”
She rolled her eyes at his tone, although her body was definitely getting interested. “And you need to buy at least one new shirt.”
“Yes, ma’am.” His hands were getting more presumptuous, sliding back to stroke her bottom and then forward to her inner thighs.
Her breathing was getting ragged, and her cheeks were getting hot. “And you need to help me clean my storage closet this weekend.”
