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Chapter Eight
Belle
“So, tell me all. You’re glowing. What gives?” Natasha asked, her brown eyes curious.
Adam had left fifteen minutes ago, and I’d taken the laptop out on the front porch to enjoy the late spring sunshine while I caught up on some online work when Tasha had video-called.
I shrugged, trying to remain casual. “Things are good.”
“Good?” Tasha scoffed in disbelief. “You look like the cat that got the cream, the pie, and the cake.”
“Things have progressed between Adam and me,” I admitted, wondering if she could see the hot color staining my cheeks.
I hadn’t said anything to her before now, partly because I’d wanted to keep my relationship with Adam to myself, like a cherished secret, and partly because I didn’t want to jinx anything. Adam and I hadn’t discussed what our future looked like or how things would work if we stayed married. But his words this morning had reassured me that we were both on the same page. Neither of us wanted this marriage to be over when I turned twenty-one in seven months.
Tasha moved her face closer to the screen, locking her eyes on me. “When you say progressed…”
I sometimes forgot that Tasha needed things spelled out. Subtleties and metaphors tended to go over her head. “We’ve had sex. A lot of sex. Like, on the living room floor, on the kitchen table, in the shower, we even did it once outside in the—”
“Okay, okay! I get it. I don’t need all the nasty details,” she cut me off. “So, what does this mean for you both? Are you going to stay married?”
I shrugged again. “I don’t know. I think so. I hope so. I mean, I’m totally in love with the man. I thought I was in love with him before I came back here, but spending time with him, the way he’s supported me…” I trailed off, lost in memories. “Seducing him was the best thing I’ve ever done.”
“You seduced him?” Tasha asked in disbelief.
“Yeah. Still can’t believe I did that,” I replied, shaking my head.
“Go, girl,” she said, giving me an approving smile. “I wish I had the guts to do that.”
I frowned. “With whom?” Tasha had never expressed an interest in a man the whole time we’d known each other.
“The guy that comes in every day. He’s gorgeous. Tall, blond, blue-eyes. His name is Link. He works at the auto-repair place on the edge of town.”
“And he comes in every day?”
“Yep. He takes ages deciding what he wants and buys a different sweet pastry each time. Asks me lots of questions about myself that I have no idea how to answer. You know how awkward I get,” she sighed heavily.
“Um…Could it be that he likes you, too?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Uh, you know me. I wouldn’t have a clue if a man liked me even if he hit me over the head with a baseball bat and dragged me back to his man cave to make wild, passionate love to me,” she stated dryly.
I burst out laughing at that mental image. “Hate to break it to you, honey, but any man who has to hit you over the head with a baseball bat to seduce you probably isn’t the best catch.”
“Says the woman who married a man she hadn’t seen for four years,” she replied sassily. “I know your Grams meant a lot to you, but an arranged marriage? It’s like something from the last century,” she said with her usual bluntness.
“Grams had her reasons. And we both agreed. Either one of us could’ve said no,” I reminded my friend.
“Well, it looks like it’s all going to work out for you guys. I’m happy for you both,” she said genuinely.
“Thanks, Tash,” I said softly. She was one of the best people I’d ever met, and I felt blessed to have her friendship.
I was startled by the sound of a vehicle approaching and looked up to see a truck coming to a halt in front of the house. My eyes widened as they fell on the man who climbed out—a man I’d hoped I would never have to see again.
“Oh, shit!”
“Belle? What is it?” Tasha’s concerned voice came over the laptop speaker.
“Robert! He’s here!” I hissed.
