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I hear their chatter carrying over the sounds of the other diners. One of the girls, a blonde named Mandy, has the attention of the table.
"So, I've got some news, ladies." Dramatic pause. "I'm moving to New York!" Shrieks erupt from the table.
"I hope you can all visit me sometime.” Mandy then turns to Isabella. "There's no hay bales there, but I think you'd still like it." Isabella smiles and nods, but I can see from the hurt in her eyes that this goes deeper than an offhand remark.
It goes like that for the next few minutes. Plausibly innocent comments about ‘farm girls,’ an obsession with big-city corporate life, with the insinuation that it ‘isn't for everyone,’ and an outright dismissal of any points she makes about anything, even if it’s a point they made themselves.
She faces all the thinly veiled insults with grace and resilience. Meanwhile, I grow angrier by the second on her behalf.
"You know, Isabella," a brunette at the table chimes in. "You're so good with the cows and horses. Maybe you could consider being a veterinarian's assistant if this ranch thing doesn't work out." The idea that this woman, with her masterful ability to work with animals, would have to be anyone's assistant is laughable.
As the conversation continues, a redheaded girl with cat-eye makeup chimes in. "You know what I respect about you, Bella?" she begins, her voice filled with false admiration. "It's your authenticity. I mean, here you are, in your ranch clothes, sans makeup. I could never have the confidence to pull off that... 'natural' look."
The words, like so many others I’ve heard this afternoon, are coated in saccharine sweetness that barely conceals the barbs they’re really giving her. Isabella simply smiles and thanks her, but I can see the tension in her jaw. I don't know how much longer she can hold back. I don’t know how much longer I can hold back.
Just then, a guy who I clock as Mandy's boyfriend decides to speak up. "You know, Isabella, you could be pretty if you tried a little harder." The rest of the table seems to perk up in agreement.
The guy continues. "Maybe straightening your hair would do the trick." He confidently runs a hand through his own slick, perfectly gelled hair for emphasis.
Mandy nods. "With a little effort, we could even get you a guy!" The rest of the girls look at each other in agreement. Under the table, I can see Isabella's hand clenching into a tight fist.
I can't take it anymore. I swing myself out of the booth and put my hand on Isabella's shoulder.
"I can't speak for all the guys," I tell the group at the table. "But I know that personally, I love her natural hair. You must not have seen the way that it streams behind her when she rides a horse. Simply enchanting."
I gesture to the blonde girl across the table.
"Not that your hair isn't also lovely in its own way. It reminds me of wheat, straw, you know, roughage. And makeup can be wonderful." I give a nod toward the redhead. "It certainly has its place, especially for those whose natural beauty needs a little… embellishment. But Bella's skin shines in the sun, and I think we can all agree that her freckles are about the cutest thing in all of Texas."
Isabella's muscles are getting tenser. Whatever anger she had been feeling towards the table is now bubbling over toward me, I can tell, but she's forcing a smile.
"And I'm glad you mentioned her clothes. I tell her all the time, she dresses like a strong, confident woman who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. And I, for one, find that incredibly attractive."
One of the girls at the table speaks up. "I'm sorry, so you know Bella?"
I wrap my arm around her shoulder and lean down. "I should say so. I'm her boyfriend."
This elicits an honest gasp from the table and a wide-eyed stare from Isabella. She pushes her chair out and stands up, subtly shoving my arm away. "If you'll excuse us for a moment," she says through a grimace. "I haven't seen my guy all day, and I need to ask him something. I'll be right back."
She grabs my hand and yanks on me hard enough to nearly dislocate my shoulder. She pulls me through the diner and pushes me into the restroom in the back. After she locks the door, she shoves me into the wall.
"What the hell are you doing?"
12
ISABELLA
There’s a thunderbolt surging inside me.
I don’t know if it’s my fury at the stunt that Alexis just pulled or the overwhelming electricity buzzing between us being so close to him.
“What the actual fuck, Alex?”
I’m breathing hard, pinning his shoulders to the bathroom wall, not ready to let him leave until he explains himself. “It’s bad enough I had to deal with those assholes toying with me out there, but now I have you on my back, too?”
I see the shock on his strong features, his eyes narrowed as if he’s trying to figure me out.
“I was helping you, Bella. You were having some trouble, and I decided I’d intervene and show those jerks who you really are. The beautiful person I see.”
