Page 11

CHAPTER

ELEVEN

The Belles

“I still can’t believe Phillip did that,” Bea announces as she and the Belles watch Jett and Fable walk out of the rink. Even with her annoyance, she can’t help but notice how close they walk together, their arms almost brushing with each step.

Do they know how close they are?

Or about the smitten look that Jett only wears around her?

Or the reserved but longing look Fable wears?

With guilt all over her face, Kitty says, “I know. I feel so damn bad, but he wrote me a note and said that he felt that, this way, JT will have an even more thriving business once the year is up. His intention was to help JT.”

Hazel nods. “We know,” she says, patting Kitty’s hand. “We just hate seeing him upset.”

“He loves this place,” Maggie adds, her eyes still trained on the kids. “But she has always meant more.”

They watch through the doors as Jett shows Fable the birthday rooms. Fable looks up at him with such awe in her eyes, like she is memorizing his face. Fable has always been the kind of girl to cower in on herself. That’s her parents’ doing since they never let the girl shine like she was supposed to.

She doesn’t cower around Jett, though.

“So much time has passed,” Hazel mutters.

“Yet they still look so good together,” Bea says.

In a low voice, Kitty adds, “Phillip knew how much she means to him.”

Bea glances over to her best friend. “And he was okay with it?”

Kitty smiles, her eyes lighting up with the motion. “Yes. I don’t know what happened to our son. Maybe Elena has poisoned him. But JT is an amazing man, and he was an amazing teenager too.”

The three Cook women smile proudly. It wasn’t easy raising Jett, but they did it together and they did it the best they could. Jett holds the door open for Fable, and as she walks through, his eyes travel down her body and back up.

Bea snorts. “Fool man is a goner.”

“Always has been,” Maggie agrees. “But he’s never looked at a girl the way he looks at her.”

“Never,” Kitty agrees, a dreamy sigh leaving her lips. “Just how Phillip looked at me.”

Bea squeezes Kitty’s hand, and they share a knowing smile. On a sigh, Hazel proclaims, “With the tension between them, I give it a week before they’re shacking up.”

Maggie looks offended, but she can’t help her giggle. “No. It’ll be a month, and we’ll be planning a wedding in a year.”

Kitty snorts. “Nope. It’ll take six months for them to give in, and then it’ll take her leaving for him to admit his feelings.”

Bea shakes her head, sitting mighty pretty as she announces, “All of you are wrong.” She has nothing but mischief in her eyes. “They’ll give in to each other in about six weeks. They’ve got to fight first and then decide that hooking up will be way more fun than fighting. Then they’ll be married in nine months.”

“Those are very specific numbers,” Hazel says, eyeing her mother.

Maggie and Kitty are already giggling as Bea waggles her brows. “Because six and nine go together in the most perfect way, just like those two do.”