Page 47 of Trouble Walked In

““I’m not sure forcing them to spend time together is going to have the effect you think it’ll have. You Bellamy women are like drugs. You get him hooked, it might not work out so good for us.”

She laughed. “I’m not a drug. Besides, it might settle her down. Mark’s a down-to-earth guy.”

“If they fall for each other, she won’t go back on tour. She won’t want to leave the inn at all.”

“Hmmm. I doubt it’ll go that far even if they are attracted to each other. Della’s impulsive. She flits from man to man as a hobby. And Mark’s a small-town guy, you know? His world is the vines. His family has lived here for generations. No way he’ll want to join up with her in the bright lights of the city.”

The way she said it made him think she wasn’t exactly talking about Mark and Della anymore. “So what you’re saying is you can’t see a future for any two people from different walks of life, period.”

Lizzie hesitated. “Not exactly. But, yes. Pretty much.”

“Not…yes?” He raised an eyebrow at her.

Lizzie made an irritated sound. “I’m just saying they’re all wrong for each other.”

He kept his tone noncommittal.

“How would it work? She’s constantly traveling. He has to tend the vines. It’s impossible.”

“Right.”

“Stop that,” Lizzie snapped.

“Stop what?”

“That. I can tell you don’t agree. Why don’t you just say it?”

“I think most people would make room in their lives for the one they love. I know I would.” He shrugged.

Lizzie turned away to stare out the passenger window. “I don’t think this discussion is solving the problem.”

It was late, they were tired from a long day of sparring with each other, and he was still more than a little wired from exploring the backseat with her. “Okay. We’ll both sleep on it tonight. We can talk about our next move in the morning. Maybe over breakfast?”

“Can’t. I give everyone marching orders for the day at breakfast. Maybe we can meet up after, once everyone gets going.”

His instinct caught the mention of marching orders and ran with it. “Count me in on those orders.”

Now that he had Lizzie willing to work with him, he wanted to keep the momentum and goodwill growing. Helping her out seemed like the best way to do that.

“Really?” She glanced at him. “Don’t you have work to do? A business to run? Lives to change?”

A montage of the future Lizzie claimed she and Renic couldn’t have flashed through his mind, featuring Belhurst Castle, grapevines, and her tangled in his sheets.

Why couldn’t they have that? He could run his business from an inn in upstate New York. He could run it from anywhere if she was standing next to him.

He put a hand on hers. “Tomorrow, and whenever you need me, I’m yours.”

Chapter Thirteen

Lizzie hoped that everyone would have gone to bed and she’d find it dark and empty when they got back. She was worried that some evidence of her backseat romp with Renic would show, and she really didn’t want to answer the questions.

Her hopes were dashed when she got out of the car and noticed all the lights blazing in the front entry. She didn’t want to think about what that meant.

What fresh disaster waited for her on the other side of that door?

Surprisingly, the entry was empty. The kitchen lights were off, but the upstairs lights were on, and she could hear someone pounding a hammer.

Lizzie frowned at the stairs. “The contractors are still here?”

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