before it was time.
Or left a bride unkissed. The phrase seemed to come out of nowhere. Just as Regina’s newfound spirit had. Now that he acknowledged that he was attracted to this reborn Regina with the soft skin and berry lips, he was going to have to stay more in control of himself. This time they would do things right, by the book. Letting his impulses run away from him where his wife was concerned was not a good idea.
Especially since neither of them was certain if they would still be husband and wife by the end of the year.
But a vision of those full lips still lingered after she had gone.
CHAPTER TWO
REGINA was at her desk at The Wedding Belles late the next day pretending to review her week’s schedule while she tried not to think about her future or the fact that it would soon be time to go home. The conversation with Dell yesterday had made her jumpy. Tall and dignified with that chestnut hair always in place and those unreadable amber eyes that seemed to measure everything, he was the picture of the elite male. Once again she had felt how ridiculous it was that a man like him should have been forced into marriage with a train wreck of a woman completely unsuited for him.
And that deep aristocratic voice of his always messed with her respiration and reasoning and made her feel as if she were babbling. She hated that. It reminded her too much of how her parents had always admonished her to be more normal and take the time for logic to kick in before she reacted to situations.
“If it were only that easy,” she muttered. She wanted to be the type of sophisticated woman who knew how to talk sensibly to a man like Dell without feeling dizzy, but that didn’t seem to be possible. Yesterday’s meeting with him hadn’t turned out at all the way she’d planned.
Suddenly she remembered that moment when he had suggested that they resume their role as man and wife and try touching each other…
Regina jerked at the thought and the pencil she was holding slipped out of her fingers. She lunged for it and knocked a photo album off the desk. It landed with a loud thud.
“Are you all right?” Julie’s voice called from the reception area.
Not even close. Two days ago she would have honestly been able to say that she felt fine, but this new situation with Dell made her heart positively race.
“I’m great,” Regina called, her voice muffled as she bent to pick up the album.
“Good. Could you come out here?” Julie’s slightly tense voice had Regina hurrying past a cabinet filled with frame and matting samples and rushing into the reception area.
Late afternoon sunlight spilled through the tall windows, onto the golden-yellow walls and oak flooring, turning everything bright. It was closing time and most of the customers had gone, so the usual bustle of the shop was missing. Other than that, however, things looked pretty normal. Except for the dozens of containers of yellow daisies just inside the door.
“Where did those come from?” Serena asked, coming out of her own space, carrying a length of satin ribbon from the dress she had been working on. “Callie, did you order daisies for a wedding? I don’t have any dresses on my list that would go well with that particular shade.”
“Don’t look at me. They’re not mine,” Callie said, her green eyes widening as she came out of the area where she created floral masterpieces and saw the mysterious display. “No orders for daisies lately.”
“Nope. They’re all for Belle.” Natalie slipped some sample pictures of her cakes into her pocket as she bent down to look at the cards.
“You should have seen what it looked like when the delivery guy showed up with his arms full.” Julie’s reddish-brown curls bounced as she spoke. “I felt guilty sitting at the reception desk, it took him so many trips. Where should we put them?”
“I don’t know, but Mr. Right must have been trying to create an impression.” Audra gave a low whistle.
“I’ve never heard Belle express a weakness for daisies, but as an accountant, I suppose I should admire the man’s thrifty ways.”
“So, the date went well, I take it,” Regina offered. Belle had been introduced to the man through a mutual friend over the weekend and all of them had been hopeful that she might fall in love again.
“Maybe he is her Mr. Right,” Callie said. The subject of whether there was a Mr. Right for every woman had come up lately at their weekly poker games. They’d all been friends for a long time, much longer than they’d worked together, and men were often a topic of conversation. And not always a comfortable one, Regina admitted. The friends were divided on their opinions, and some of them, herself included, had engaged in disastrous relationships. Was there a Mr. Right? It was possible. It was also possible that he might live on another planet and never show up, she conceded.
The click of a door sounded just then, and Belle came down from the apartment she kept upstairs, probably drawn by the chatter. The hard-to-ignore daisies and last night’s big date in everyone’s mind, the women couldn’t help but look up. Not that that was unusual. Belle, an ample and gorgeous curvy woman with shining silver beautifully coiffed hair was a presence. She commanded attention without even trying. She was also the most generous, kind person Regina knew. She had inherited this building, she owned the shop and she cared for the Belles as if they were her daughters. They loved her, and it was only natural for them to wonder about the flowers.
“So…he’s Mr. Right?” Audra asked, her blond hair sliding across her cheek as she tilted her head.
Belle gave a big sigh. “Hon, I’m afraid I’ve had my Mr. Right, and when my Matthew died that was it for me. I’m just looking for Mr. Maybe-We-Could-Keep-Each-Other-Company, but not with this man. He seemed nice at first, but then he got too grabby. He almost pulled a button off the sleeve of my best rose silk blouse.”
“Well then, he’s history,” Regina said, giving her friend a hug. Belle loved nice things, especially clothes.
“I take it he didn’t ask first.”
Belle returned the hug, her comforting scent surrounding Regina. “I almost had to damage him for other women,” she said. “But I let him off easy by showing him the door and just giving him a quick wallop with my bag.”
Julie chuckled. Belle’s bag, a work of art, was huge.
“Looks like he’s sorry.” Natalie gestured toward the flowers. “Or maybe not. Those are some pathetic daisies.”
“Sweetie, it doesn’t matter.” Belle’s delicious Southern drawl stretched out the syllables. “That was the last straw. It wasn’t even fun and it was downright embarrassing. Imagine a woman of my years having to wrestle with a man! Despite the fact that my friend Rae Anne keeps calling me to encourage me to hop back in the marriage market, I’m through dating, and I’m just going to sit back with those of you who are married or almost married and let the rest of the world look for love.”
A chorus of objections echoed through the room. Regina and her friends might each have her own love or lost-love stories, but all of them wanted Belle to find a man who would appreciate her.
“I’ve got the shop, a good life and all of you girls for family,” Belle insisted. “That’s all I need. So, stop worrying about me. We’ve got weddings to plan
