He gave her a tight smile. “I guess it’s all part of your job.”
She pulled out her chair and collapsed into it, held her hand up to the waiter for a drink. Bella took a glass of champagne and relished the first sip. “Oh, that is so good. What a day it’s been.”
A giggling local woman came over and handed Jake her phone. “Can you take a photo of me with Bella please, Jake?”
Bella smiled for the photo, engaged in polite conversation, and noticed the tight lines around Jake’s mouth. When the woman left, she reached over and took his hand. “I’m sorry. This has been a bit of an eye-opener for you, hasn’t it?”
He gave her a stilted smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Yes, you could say that. Somewhat a different kind of event compared to the ladies in the café when we first went out. That wasn’t anywhere near as exacting as this is tonight.”
“I’m sorry. It can be overwhelming if you’re not used to it. It rocked me until I got into the swing of it. Give it another hour or so and we can try and sneak off. With luck the cameras will be turned off and it will all be over.”
“Good. You’re looking pretty tired.” He ran his thumb over her knuckles. “I knew this was too much for you to take on.”
“You have no idea. By the time we usually finish taping each episode, I feel the need to crawl into bed and stay there for days.”
“Why don’t you then?”
The look in his eyes was hard to decipher. She got up, reached for his hand, and dragged him out to the foyer. Bella pulled him to the small dark alcove and pushed him down into a chair, and sat on his knee. “I need this for a moment and we couldn’t do it in there without everyone watching us.”
“I understand. The last thing I want is to have my picture splashed all over the gossip magazines.” Jake wrapped his arms around her, and she breathed a sigh of relief. This was where she wanted to be.
She didn’t know how long she could keep it up. “Stop thinking so hard.” She tipped her head back and opened her eyes staring at him.
“Sorry, can’t help it. You’re doing too much and I’m trying to figure out how we can make this work.” He kissed the tip of her nose.
“We can sort that out once this is all over. I can relax again and concentrate on my book and the restaurant. That shouldn’t be too hard.”
“Hmmm, I still think you’ve taken on more than you need to.” He dipped his head to take her lips with his and she wound her arms around his neck, took advantage of his eagerness. They were deep into the kiss when a noise and flashing lights interrupted them. “Here comes that guy from the show you were telling me about, the guy from Survivor. Don’t look now.”
Bella groaned and whispered in his ear. “I have to do this, be seen with him. We help promote each other’s shows because it’s the same network. Sorry.”
“Bella, darling.” A camera panned away and Ryan Freeman coughed, grabbed her arm, and lifted her to her feet. “Excuse us.” He dragged her away. “I was just telling Russell that it would be a good idea…”
Chapter Seventeen
Jake paced the road from his house to the fisherman’s cottage. It was two a.m. in the morning and Bella still wasn’t home. He should give up and go to bed. Admit that she was enjoying the party and he didn’t fit in. He was dreaming if he thought otherwise. Perhaps he would have been wiser to stay with her as she’d suggested but he could see she had people wanting a piece of her and he felt in the way. It wasn’t his lifestyle at all but obviously it was hers. He ran a hand over his head, rubbed his eyes, and kept pacing.
His Valentine’s Day gift burned a hole in his pocket. He ran his hand over the small box, disbelief sinking in. It wasn’t the type of thing he should be offering her. Not after seeing Bella in her normal setting among the crowd of famous people she hung with. Diamonds and glitter were more her style. Things that were out of his reach.
How idiotic to think that he’d be enough for her. Him, a small-town fire chief and her, a famous chef with her own cooking show and friends in high places if Sally was to be believed. In all honesty, he didn’t need to listen to his friend’s wife. He’d seen firsthand how many people craved her attention, how they fawned over her and hankered for selfies. And for that guy, the actor or whatever he was that claimed her from Jake’s knee when all they wanted was a moment alone, to be here in Cherry Lake – that alone made Jake understand how important she really was.
He’d watched her as she’d circulated and chatted with people she knew and those that lived in the town. She treated them all the same. The smile never slipped, the animated conversation didn’t dull. Bella was the consummate celebrity and he was the small-town fireman with ties to Cherry Lake he couldn’t break. No matter what Cory might think.
Cory, his sweet, well-meaning son was prepared to move to Seattle to a new school if Jake wanted to be with Bella. He’d leave his friends, his grandfather
