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"Come on, girl. You're terrible at hiding things," Bella pushes, giving my leg a friendly kick under the table.
"Fine, okay." I twist the cup around and prepare myself for what's to come. "We had a rough start. But we've been getting along lately," I explain. I proceed to give her the low down on the series of events since Deacon's arrived back in town. I finish up with, "I know it's crazy, but he's starting to win me over."
Bella sinks back into her chair and wrinkles her nose. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"
"I don't know! Okay? I just feel something, even though I shouldn't. But that's why you're here to give me some perspective."
"I thought you hated him!" She opens her arms as if I just delivered some news that's so abominable it should be declared illegal. "You've been sworn enemies since high school Harper. Are you kidding me?"
"I did! Okay, well, I didn’t hate him, but I was annoyed by him. He was really entitled back then and so cocky, but—," I pause and slump my shoulders. I don't even want to talk about this myself. But I forced the conversation on Bella, so now I have to face it.
"But what? I'm all ears," Bella snaps, still keeping the hushed whisper even though she's obviously worked up.
"Okay." I sit up straighter and throw my shoulders back. "Okay, he isn't all bad."
She's quick. She's always been the first in line with a comeback or a point-blank blunt statement. But despite her delivery, she's watching me without any judgment. Bella says, "Harper, dear, he's ridiculously good looking. He always has been. It's not that I don't get the appeal physically."
She pauses, and I can't help myself. "I know! He looks at me with his beautiful gray eyes and then smirks. Ugh! It is ridiculous and so unfair. I have no self-control."
I stop to gather my thoughts and she waits, patiently. "When he gets too close, my heart goes from zero to sixty without my consent. And those butterflies in the stomach you hear about? Those would be fun. I feel like I have a herd of hippos trying to do ballet. It's out of control."
"And his lips?" Bella presses.
I feel my cheeks go hot in an instant. "Don't start. I am not answering that question."
"Mmhmm."
"So, you think it's as ridiculous as it sounds?"
She finishes off the rest of her coffee, placing the cup onto the table before speaking. "Do I think it's as crazy as it sounds? That your longtime frenemy-rival, a crazy handsome guy, arrives unexpectedly back home after years of college and avoiding this place like the plague? And that you, my dear, fall head over heels with him in a matter of weeks? No, not really. It makes sense, actually. There's a lot of pent-up stuff between the two of you."
Bella places her finger on the top of the table, her eyes darting across the surface as she speaks. Then she laughs. "Have you ever seen one of those movies where two people can't stand each other, then—"
I raise my hand before she finishes. "Yes, yes I have." She is not actually helping the situation for me.
"But…" Ok there's a but, that's what I need to hear from her. "What I do think is questionable is you getting involved with your boss. You know this can get real messy, real quick. And then there's your relationship with his parents to consider. You and the Reynolds have been so close for so long, and I'm not sure you should risk it by fooling around with their son."
Bella does that thing where she cocks her head to the side and raises her eyebrow with an air of knowing, daring me to even try to argue. What she's saying does make sense, and she's beingvery sensible and careful about it. There are a lot of angles to consider.
"And then there's his daughter," I add under my breath. "I think being a single dad is what really changed him. He's softer, more considerate and I adore her."
"Yes, that's a whole new level of complication. This isn't a situation you can just walk away from, like a regular break-up."
She's right, and I can hear in her tone she's trying to be sweet about it and warn me. Still, her words sting. There's no easy option for me when it comes to my attraction to Deacon. And one of the things I should consider is how everyone else might be impacted by our 'relationship'. Especially Sasha.
Bella leans forward and takes my hand. "I am not trying to rain on your parade here, girl. You know that. I'm just reminding you what your realities are and what the right thing to do might be. I know it's not fun to hear."
"I know," I admit, "and I appreciate your honesty, Bella. I'm just trying to figure out how I can work with him so closely going forward. We've got a magazine campaign coming up, and we're supposed to be working hand in hand on it. Being in the same office every day will make it hard."
"Why does he have to be so involved with the marketing aspect of things, anyway?" Bella challenges. "If he's going to be running the place, shouldn't he focus more on the big picture instead of being hyper focused on one department?"
I consider her words. "Yes, you're right. It was Mrs. Reynolds, though, that suggested he start in marketing. She wanted us to see this project through to completion. Deacon is just doing what she asked him to do."
"But," I add, "if I take the lead, showing him I can handle it from here and don't need his input, maybe he would move on to another area of the resort. Then I wouldn't have to work sohard to resist him everyday because we won't be together all the time."
Bella nods her head. "Exactly, show him you know what you're doing, and remove the problem since you clearly have no willpower." She bats her eyes at me.
"What? I totally have willpower. We've only kissed once."
