Page 105 of Trouble Walked In

The two women were so different it was hard to believe they were sisters. Della was a vivacious blonde pixie, petite and effervescent, while Lizzie was taller, darker, and filled with quiet grace. But there was a certain something that the two shared. It was in the way they laughed, the tilt of their heads, and the lift of their smiles.

All four Bellamy sisters sparkled in their own way, but it was Lizzie who captivated him.

Tonight, standing next to her youngest sister, she looked radiant. It had been a long time since he’d seen her look that happy.

“More than ready.” Nate gave him a questioning glance. “You seem distracted. Something need your attention?”

“Yes.” Renic’s lips quirked. “But it can wait a few minutes. Let’s do this.”

He stepped up onto the stage, followed by Nate. The music stopped, and the crowd noise rumbled to as close to quiet as it was going to get.

Renic stepped up to the microphone.

“Welcome, everybody, to the Self Evident Records evolution.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Lizzie watched Della step onto the small stage in the lobby of Self Evident Records with pride and an overwhelming sense of nostalgia. Her baby sister’s face glowed when the music started, and when she sang, the audience glowed with her. Her new song was just as much of a hit here as it had been at the concert.

Renic wrapped his arms around her from behind. They stood there as a couple, just part of the crowd. It felt right, like coming home after a long time away.

She pressed against him while they listened, swaying slightly to the melody. “I’m so proud of her. Della doesn’t usually have the patience to write a song. She’s the songbird that brings them to life. Mattie writes the songs. Piper gives them soul.”

Renic gave her a squeeze. “What does that make you?”

She leaned her head back against him. “I’m the backstage shadow.”

He kissed her hair. “You’re the safe harbor. It’s easy to take on the world when you have someone to come home to.Someone to tell you how special you are, and really mean it. You do that.”

When the song ended, Jacob joined Della, and soon they had the entire party belting out Billy Joel songs at the top of their lungs. Lizzie meant to sneak out once Della was done to head back to the inn, but her sister kept flashing her huge smiles and winks. Della looked so happy that Lizzie couldn’t tear herself away.

Then Renic took her hand and led her onto the dance floor, and she no longer wanted to leave. She wound up staying the night at his place, which lead to a long morning in bed, followed by three more days spent shopping with Della, laughing with Morgan and Jordanna, and a fun afternoon listening in on Jacob’s first studio session.

The nights had been filled with Renic.

Guilt about being gone from the inn took little nibbles from her here and there, growing more insistent by the day, but her desire to spend time with Renic outweighed it. So she pushed off the trip home in favor of spending just a little more time with him. She put herself first, if only for a couple of days, and it felt foreign, like she was in a new country and didn’t speak the language, but she could get used to it.

The drive homewas very different from her worried, desperate trip to the city. She wasn’t a miserable ball of nerves, for one thing. She was blissfully happy and excited. She didn’t think she’d ever felt this sure of herself or her situation, and the reason for it was sitting in the truck next to her.

Lizzie glanced at Renic as they passed by one of the few good places to stop for food along the way from the city to upstate New York. “Hungry?”

He rested his hand on her thigh and squeezed, which sent a little thrill through her body that made her smile. “I’d rather wait for Carrie’s family dinner.”

“You don’t even know what she’s making,” she pointed out.

“Anything Carrie makes is fine by me. Besides, I know you’re anxious to get there.”

He rubbed her thigh, making the little thrill blossom into a wave of heat. She tried to distract herself by focusing on the work ahead instead of her lustful thoughts. “I keep picturing worst-case scenarios, like the barn has burned down with all the decorations in it, or the butcher went out of business and there’s no meat, or maybe all the poinsettias on the East Coast have a fungus and died.”

Renic laughed. “None of that’s happened. You know that, right?”

“Yes, but if I work through all the problems in my head now, then I’ll be ready for whateverdoeshappen. I’ll have a plan, and it won’t take me by surprise.”

“The nonexistent problem won’t take you by surprise? I can see how that would ease your anxiety to a manageable level.”

She could tell by his teasing tone that he didn’t get her point at all. “Since I bought into the place I’ve never missed the prep work for a big event like this. Ever. It’s perfectly natural to feel a little worried about it.”

“It’s been over three years, hasn’t it? You haven’t ever taken a vacation?”

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