When Bella opened her eyes the next day, the sun streamed in her bedroom window. She blinked and groaned, holding her hands over her face to block out the light. Her head still felt like cotton wool but not quite as bad as last night. A shower, coffee, and something to eat would probably help. Typical. It happened every time she taped a show. She got busy, forgot to eat or drink and then crashed when the adrenaline fell flat.
Only now could she agree that Russell had been right. She was so close to burnout. Strange that he saw it and she didn’t. And she’d managed to upset Jake as well, by trying to please everyone at the same time. That was the last thing she wanted to do. She was sure she’d given him the impression she was drunk or at least halfway there. How to make it up to him?
Bella threw back the blankets and padded into the bathroom, turned on the shower. She looked at herself in the mirror, saw the black marks under her eyes and groaned. How on earth had Jake fallen in love with her when she was such a terrible mess? When was she going to learn to take care of herself better?
She slipped off her nightshirt and stepped under the water, sighing with pleasure. The heat took the aches and pains from her shoulder blades and made some of the stiffness go away. Bella stood under the hot water until it cooled before she got out.
With no reason to rush over to the hotel, she felt at a loss for something to do. Jason was heading back home for a couple of days off and wouldn’t be doing another shoot until she called him. After the last few weeks of early mornings and late nights, she decided to pour herself a coffee and drink it out in the garden.
A small paved area with a birdbath and two Adirondack chairs sat smack bang in the middle of the front yard surrounded by a box hedge low enough that she could still see Flathead Lake. Bella had mentioned it to Jason for the next photo shoot. It would be perfect with the large expanse of blue water as a backdrop. She might even be tempted to do a shoot down on the water’s edge too, a picnic setting on the sand. It was pretty enough.
She eased down into the chair, rested her cup on the armrest and put her head back. With her eyes closed, Bella relaxed and let her mind wander. Such a shame last night hadn’t gone the way she wanted it to. Sure the hotel would get the promotion it deserved and her show would be great but was that all she wanted it to be? Jake had looked gorgeous. Rugged and handsome in his black dinner suit, he’d made her heart flutter and it was the thought of being with him that kept her going. Until the real world got in the way.
The look on his face when Ryan had pulled her from his knee and dragged her away. The determination in his eyes when she’d done her best to convince him to stay when he tried to leave. The pain in her heart as she watched him walk out. How was she going to be able to make it up to him?
“Hey, Bella.” The gate slammed shut and Cory came loping in. “You’re not at work. What’s going on?” He dropped down into the chair beside her.
“Day off. Big night last night.” She gazed at him, a thought coming to her. “How come you aren’t at school?”
“Study period. I’m going soon but wanted to come see you first.” He sat up, cleared his throat. “So, um, did Dad tell you what I said yesterday?”
She thought a moment, couldn’t come up with anything that would account for the sudden rush of heat to Cory’s cheeks. “Why don’t you tell me in your own words?”
“I guess. Well, it’s like this. I know you and Dad are tight and I think it’s great, you know? I mean, he hasn’t had anyone he likes as much as you since Mom died. In fact, I don’t remember him having anyone. He’s old and all but he’s still not old enough to be on his own, right? So I figured, if you’re going to go back to Seattle when you’re done here, maybe we should go too.” He sucked in a big breath. “’Cause I know it’s hard to have a relationship when you have to travel to see each other and I didn’t think that would work out for you guys.”
Tears welled in her eyes. What a sweet kid to be thinking of her and his father when he’d only just met the girl he fancied.
“I mean, I don’t really want to leave my friends and Granddad but so long as I get to go to a school where I can play soccer, I’ll survive.”
“You’d move so your dad and I can be together?”
“I’m going to go eventually anyway so it’s not that big a deal, really. Isn’t that what he told you?” He stared at her, noticed the tears slipping down her cheeks and gulped. “He didn’t say anything, did he?”
Bella pressed her lips together, shook her head.
“Oh, crap. Now I’m in for it.” He hung his head, groaned. “He’s gonna kill me.”
“What did your dad say when you made the offer?”
“Nothing.” He picked at a thread in the knee of his jeans and her heart went out to him. If Jake didn’t say anything, did that mean he wasn’t planning on making the move to be with her?
“I see.” She looked out
