Page 12 of Trouble Walked In

Della's voice shifted as she moved across the next room, getting closer. Panic gripped him. She could step through that door and catch him eavesdropping any second, which would do wonders for his relationship with both women, he was sure.

He should stop listening and announce his arrival, or maybe go back out and come in again. That was the polite and professional thing to do, but curiosity and a driving need for information cemented his feet to the floor. A prickle of guilt stabbed at him, but he ignored it.

“Did anyone hurt you?” Lizzie whispered, as if afraid of the answer.

“No.” Della sniffed.

“Did someone attack you in some way?”

“No.” Della’s voice was more firm. “Nothing like that.”

Renic let out the breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding with relief. Scratch assault off the list.

“Then what, Dell Bell? Something made you get in the car and drive up here. What was it?” Lizzie’s tone was so gentle that Renic felt an impulse to rush in and confess.

“I felt like I couldn’t breathe,” Della said. “Like it was all pointless. You know?”

“Pointless?”

“Yeah. Pointless.” Della’s voice grew louder. “Like…they gave me an award for the “Rush” video. Have you seen it? It’s so stupid. And the song is soulless. And I thought, ‘This is why they’re giving me statues? This crap?’ And then at the party everybody was just so full of themselves. As if any of it actually mattered.”

Renic frowned at that unvarnished sentiment. He’d never heard Della talk like that. Ever. The song she referred to was a huge hit, shattering records the day it dropped. It was the cornerstone and namesake for the upcoming tour. On an objective level, the song was fantastic. He felt that deep in his gut where most of his decisions about music were made.

He thought Della loved that song. Making the video had been a three-day party filled with laughter and practical jokes. He thought back to the studio sessions. Della had shown up early every day to work. She’d gone over and over and over every note, every nuance. When he’d told her it was good to go, she’d seemed thrilled.

Where the hell was this dissatisfaction coming from? Why hadn’t she mentioned it before?

“I’ve never heard you talk like this,” Lizzie said. “How long have you felt this way?”

“I don’t know. Awhile now,” Della admitted. “Anyway, it was too much. So I left. That’s it. I couldn’t think of where else to go, so I came here.”

The water turned back on, and dishes clinked and clattered for a minute or two. He was dying to peek inside the room, but they’d surely see him if he did that.

He should leave.

He should go back out to the front porch and knock or something. Pretend he was never here.

“You know I love you, Dell Bell. And I’m happy to have you stay here if this is really where you want to be. But I need you to call Renic before he comes waltzing through the door.”

“Why?” Della crossed the open doorway with a stack of plates in her hand and set them on the table.

Renic froze in place.

Della didn’t look his way as she moved past the door and back.

“You know how I feel about that man,” Lizzie said.

A dish hit the sink a little harder than necessary, Renic thought.

“Yeah, weallknow. I just thought you’d have moved on by now. It’s been over three years.”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore,” Lizzie said. Plates clanked on a counter for emphasis. “Leave Darth Renic in the past where he belongs.”

Renic sucked in a breath. Lizzie’s feelings toward him hadn’t mellowed. He’d been holding out hope that she’d seen how happy Della was in her new life, and how Mattie was progressing, and how well Piper was doing, and what? Forgive him?

“Anyway,” Della said, “I don’t see how you’ll be able to leave him in the past when he’s on the way here right now. Jordy said his flight landed in Rochester about an hour ago.”

Lizzie muttered something he couldn’t hear. “Great. I'm going back to the Carriage House. You can finish the last two rooms and deal withhim. Text me when he’s gone, and we’ll go over the place settings for the rehearsal dinner on Friday.”

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