Page 11

Five years before Derrick Bell’s murder

Noelle fussed with her necklace again and slid on two silver bracelets.

Too much?

She took off the necklace and nodded in satisfaction at her reflection in the mirror. The simple blue sundress was extremely flattering and highlighted her tan, but she wore a small white shrug in case it was cold in the restaurant.

She was meeting Derrick’s family.

It’d been three and a half weeks since the evening they’d had pie, and she’d seen him almost every day—and some nights. When they hadn’t seen each other, they had spent time on the phone. Long conversations about everything and nothing.

Two nights ago, during dinner at home, her aunt Daisy had loudly whispered to her grandfather that “Noelle is clearly in love.” Her grandfather had met Noelle’s stricken gaze—she was thankful Derrick wasn’t present—and disagreed. “She’s just enjoying the giddy rush,” he said.

That giddy rush had lasted for twenty-five days. And Noelle didn’t see an end to the ride.

Derrick had found tickets to the sold-out Broadway show that people had raved about at the party the night they met and introduced her to the musical theater experience.

They’d gone for a long weekend in Wine Country, where they’d indulged in too many glasses of red wine, and he’d boozily bought memberships at four different wineries, making her laugh and guaranteeing constant wine deliveries for him.

They would talk for hours over wine and good food.

She told him about her mother’s struggle with breast cancer and her father’s trial.

Things she’d never shared with anyone. She learned about his reading disability that wasn’t diagnosed until he was twelve.

“I’d learned how to fake it. I fooled everyone until my seventh grade English teacher.

He pulled me aside and I denied everything.

But I couldn’t fake my way through his impromptu reading test.” Derrick had given a sad smile.

“He knew because he’d experienced the same thing. ”

Her heart was getting involved, his moments of vulnerability sucking her in.

Derrick somehow got them into restaurants with weeklong waiting lists where the food and service were impeccable. When she asked how he did it, he shrugged. “My father built a lot of this town. People know our name.”

She learned his brother and sister worked for the family construction company and also had “vice president” titles after their names.

Derrick’s brother, Jason, traveled a lot, making connections for the business.

Derrick said his sister didn’t do much except carry a title and collect a check, but he smiled, his affection for her obvious.

His world of wealth was foreign to Noelle, and she listened in fasciation to his stories of international travel when he and his siblings were young and of new cars on sixteenth birthdays.

She’d had to work and scrimp to pay for everything and was slightly jealous.

Derrick worked hard too but had received priceless opportunities because of his father’s success.

She noticed he was generous, a heavy tipper with valets, waitstaff, and the baristas at his favorite espresso shop.

Trying to pass it on, he said when she commented.

Once she started looking, Noelle spotted the Bell name on several Sacramento construction signs.

Three of the five huge cranes that currently marred the city skyline were part of Bell projects.

Derrick’s apartment was in a building the company had completed five years ago.

His place wasn’t as grandiose as Rex Duggan’s, but it had lovely views and a kitchen that’d stunned Noelle the first time she’d visited.

The furniture was simple with clean lines and looked barely used.

The decor was scarce, but he had several collections he kept in glass cabinets.

Baseball cards, antique guns, cigar boxes, signed footballs, and models of elephants.

Some of the larger elephants were artfully scattered around the living room, sitting on end tables and shelves.

“Why elephants?” she asked, eyeing one that was nearly two feet tall.

“When I was thirteen, my parents took us to Africa. We visited an elephant orphanage, and I’ve been obsessed with them ever since.” He nodded at a framed photo in which thirteen-year-old Derrick had his arm wrapped around a baby elephant, pure joy on his face.

Derrick didn’t cook; the professional appliances went unused except for the microwave and fridge.

He preferred eating in restaurants or bringing in takeout.

To his delight, Noelle changed that; she loved to cook and try to duplicate dishes from her restaurant.

He’d sit at the kitchen island and watch, a glass of wine in his hand.

She’d have him wash and chop vegetables or stir things on the stove, but even in the huge kitchen, he always managed to get in her way and ask forgiveness with a kiss on her forehead or a hug from behind.

She suspected he got in the way on purpose. He loved to run his hands over her body, and she relished the attention, leaning her head against him, closing her eyes and simply enjoying the scent of his skin.

Sometimes their food burned.

Her friends elbowed her at work when he showed up, giving her a wink and him an ogle.

She’d meet his eyes and suddenly the bar was silent in her ears; her infatuation—and his—was growing.

He stopped sitting at the bar during her shifts.

They’d agreed she needed to focus, and he was definitely a distraction.

Rex Duggan came in one night and gleefully took credit for their relationship even though he hadn’t done a thing.

It was a relationship. They’d had the discussion and agreed they didn’t want to see other people. She only had eyes for him.

And thank goodness she’d picked a different type of man this time.

Fate was smiling on her.

“You look great.” Derrick appeared in the mirror, standing behind her, a look of admiration on his face. “That dress is amazing. New?”

“No. Old,” said Noelle. “You don’t recognize it because I added the belt and shrug.” She’d worn the dress on their wine trip.

He put his hands on her upper arms and studied the two of them in the mirror. “Damn, we make a good-looking couple. Jackie-and-JFK-worthy.”

Noelle smiled. That night in the pie shop, Derrick had shared his five-year plan, which included an assemblyman run for his district in three years.

He was very social and worked hard to be positively involved with politics, which explained the respect from others she’d seen in her bar.

“Putting my best face forward,” he’d told her, creating his own maxim.

Derrick had the face. It was one of those faces that photographed extremely well. The camera picked up everything she’d first noticed when she sat across from him over pie.

Strength. Kindness. And dreamy deep-brown eyes.

Derrick had the name and the intelligence.

He was well versed on issues, knew how to listen, and was a master of small talk.

She noticed women loved him and men respected him.

She had no doubt he’d be a successful politician.

One night in bed, he admitted he dreamed of the White House. “Everyone in politics does.”

Noelle easily saw his vision.

“I thought you were wearing the necklace,” Derrick said with a small frown, studying their reflections.

“It was too much with my other jewelry. And it doesn’t work well with this neckline.”

“Let me see.” He picked up the delicate necklace from where she’d set it on the counter and fastened it around her neck. He’d bought it in Napa after she’d admired it in a window. “I like it,” he said. “How about smaller earrings?”

She realized he wanted her to wear it in front of his family. “I’ll do that.” She swapped out the hoops for studs. The aquamarine pendant sat too high on her chest for the neckline of the dress, but she knew it pleased him.

Curiosity filled her as she wondered about his family.

Again. She’d looked them up online. There were plenty of business articles that referenced his father and Bell Construction, and she’d learned his mother served on several charity boards, and Noelle had spotted her in many photos at various fundraisers.

Derrick’s slightly lopsided smile had clearly come from her.

Little had been written about his sister, Lora, or his brother, Jason.

Their professional photos were on the construction company’s website, along with some candid photos of them in hard hats at groundbreakings.

Jason’s name mainly turned up in old articles about high school sports.

He’d been a football standout in his day.

A half hour later, Derrick handed his keys to the fresh-faced valet at the country club and helped Noelle out of the car.

“I’ll take good care of it, Mr. Bell.”

Derrick clapped him on the back. “I know you will, Colton.”

The young man beamed.

Derrick took Noelle’s hand and led her inside the club, occasionally exchanging greetings with other members. The restaurant hostess directed them to a table outside, where his family was already seated. Noelle checked the time. She and Derrick were ten minutes early.

Prompt family.

Then she noticed their drinks were half-empty. It appeared there’d been a family meeting before they arrived.

Derrick’s father, Stan, immediately got to his feet and took both Noelle’s hands. “So lovely to finally meet you, my dear.”

This is what Derrick will look like in thirty years.

He was tall and had the same brown eyes but with permanent smile lines at the corners. The name of the country club was embroidered on his white polo shirt. She liked him immediately.

Next to him his wife stood and held out her hand.

Noelle shook it. “So nice to meet you,” she told Catherine.

Derrick’s mother wore a sleeveless teal patterned dress with bright-pink accents.

Large rings glittered on several fingers, and multiple delicate gold chains hung around her neck.

Her French manicure matched her toes. Every inch of her seemed polished.

She was very petite, and her defined upper arms alluded to time in the gym.

Catherine’s gaze wasn’t as warm as her husband’s.

I’ll win her over.

Jason was next. He was smaller than the other two men but had a forceful presence. His grip was tight on her hand as they shook. “Derrick won’t shut up about you,” he told her.

“Glad to hear it,” she said with a grin.

Derrick gave him a gentle shove on one shoulder. “Would you rather I talked about the Kings?”

“Basketball season’s over,” said Jason. He met Noelle’s gaze. “He knows nothing about sports. Or sportsball, as he calls it.” He looked back to his brother. “If you’re gonna be in politics, you need to sound informed when you bring up sports.”

Derrick stiffened. “At least I can intelligently discuss other topics.”

The “unlike you” wasn’t stated, but Noelle saw it in his gaze.

“Boys.” Their mother sat down without another word. The men exchanged one last glare and then looked away.

Looks like a common family rivalry.

Noelle immediately turned to Lora. Derrick’s sister was petite like their mother, but she was the only blonde in the family.

They shook hands, and Lora conspiratorially leaned in and whispered, “Ignore them.” Louder she said, “Noelle, I love your necklace. It perfectly matches the color of your dress.”

Noelle touched the pendant. “It’s from Derrick.”

He put his arm around her shoulders and beamed.

“Good job for once,” said Jason, taking his seat.

Again Noelle noticed how Derrick tensed at his brother’s words. He pulled his arm from her shoulders and took a piece of bread from the basket on the table, buttering it aggressively, as if he’d like to smear it on Jason’s face.

Noelle watched. The anger was a side of Derrick she’d never seen.

“Stop,” ordered Lora, giving Jason a deadly side-eye and then turning to Noelle. “I’m sorry my husband, Stewart, couldn’t be here. He wanted to meet you, but he had to work.”

Noelle knew her husband was a plastic surgeon.

“I saw pictures of your twins,” Noelle said to Lora, trying to sound as upbeat as the young mother. “Adorable. They’re almost three?”

“Yes.” Her eyes softened and she smiled fondly. “They’re terrors, but they’re my terrors.” She looked deliberately from one brother to the other. “Hopefully my boys will get along better than these two.”

The table went silent, and Noelle didn’t know what to say.

Thankfully, a waiter approached to take drink orders. The women had glasses of iced tea in front of them, so Noelle ordered the same, and Derrick requested a vodka tonic.

Ninety minutes later, Noelle and Derrick waited for the valet to return his car.

“You were perfect,” he whispered in her ear. “I can tell they were impressed.”

“They weren’t impressed when I told them I tend bar.” She’d seen the flash of disappointment in his mother’s eyes. “I assumed you’d already told them.”

“That’s just temporary,” he said. “You’ve got the presence of a queen and the intelligence of a rocket scientist. You’re perfect.”

She snorted. “More like model rockets.” Some of her best memories of her father were of working with him on model rockets and then launching them in deserted areas. “But lately I’ve considered getting a master’s in psychology. Maybe even going for a doctorate.”

“Hmmm. Lotta school and studying.” Derrick said nothing else as his car pulled up and the valet bounded out, darting around to open the door for Noelle.

Derrick handed him a twenty and slid into the driver’s seat.

He pulled her close for a long kiss and then held her gaze.

“I’m pretty sure I’m falling in love with you, Noelle Marshall. ”

She blinked as her lungs seized. “Me too,” she whispered.

He sat back with a satisfied smile and put the car in drive.

Noelle sank into the soft seat, her mind spinning.

I didn’t realize I was until he said it.

Damn, it feels good.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye, recalling something he’d said earlier.

That’s just temporary. She’d assumed he meant his family’s attitude toward her job, but now she wondered if he meant tending bar was temporary.

She shifted in her seat. Tending bar was fun and lucrative. She chose to be there.

I’m sure he meant their attitude.