“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 workbenches. 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
