Page 84 of Trouble Walked In

Della hesitated, then shrugged. “Whatever she has going, we can make time for it too.”

“You thinkshewill make time foryou?” Renic asked softly.

Piano music started up in the ballroom, and people moved onto the dance floor.

Della crossed her arms. “All I know is I’m nowhere near as good on my own as I was when we were together. None of us are. And whatever success we’re having doesn’t mean very much when we can’t share it with each other. We had something magical, and I want it back.”

Renic rubbed his jaw, trying to ease the tension. “I don’t even know if Piper will listen to that idea. I know it hurts to hear, but she’s still really hurt about the way things went down.”

Lizzie reached out to put a soft hand on her sister’s arm. “She needs time, Del.”

Della’s face locked into an expression of determination and defiance. “She’s had enough time. So have I. Look, I’m not asking either of you to talk to Piper for me. I’ll get her back myself.”

“How?” Renic asked. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the idea. The Bellamy Sisters were pure magic on stage, but he knew precisely how angry Piper was at her sister, and letting Della think it would be an easy fix seemed cruel. “How will you convince her to get back together when she won’t even take your phone calls?”

“I’ll start by apologizing, and go from there.” Della sounded confident. “I’ll do the tour, Renic. You were right. I can’t let the fans down, and I can’t do that to my crew. But after that, I’m getting my sisters back.”

The piano music shifted to a slower, softer melody. Della glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, I love this song. I’m going to do another set.”

She gave Lizzie a quick hug. “Don’t worry, Lizzie. It’ll all work out in the end.”

Della flashed a smile at Renic and bounced back into the ballroom.

Renic stared after her, feeling like he’d just gone ten rounds with someone bigger and stronger than he. On the one hand, it was a better outcome than he’d anticipated. His most prominent name wasn’t going to leave him high and dry immediately. On the other hand, he knew just how serious she was about wanting her sisters back. If that didn’t happen, he wasn’t sure what she’d do.

Still, that was a problem for his future self to deal with. Right now, he’d take the win.

He turned to Lizzie to celebrate Della’s decision, but swallowed the words he’d been about to say when he saw her face. She watched Della with a mixture of pride, anxiety, and sadness.

It was the last part Renic didn’t understand. They both wanted Della back on track. Didn’t they?

“Lizzie? You okay?”

Lizzie nodded, but she wrapped her arms tightly around herself in a gesture that shouted that something was definitelynotokay.

He put his arm around her shoulders. “What’s wrong? Are you worried about Della and Piper?”

Lizzie didn’t lean into him as he’d expected. Instead, she pulled away. “I need to check on dessert.”

She started toward the kitchen. He followed after her. “Hang on a second.”

“It’s been a long day, Renic. Don’t worry about it. Go watch over Jacob and Della. I know you want to.”

Her tone was distant and cold, and staring at her back made him feel like she’d just shut him out. He sped up to get in front of her and blocked the doorway. “You Bellamy sisters really have a thing for running, don’t you.”

Lizzie glared at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means tell me what’s wrong instead of walking away from me like I don’t matter.”

“Move. I need to get into the kitchen.” She clenched her jaw and looked ready to shove him out of the way if he didn’t.

He kept his hands firmly planted on the doorframe. “Why does Della doing exactly what we wanted her to do suddenly have you so upset?”

Lizzie crossed her arms. “Get out of the way, Renic. I have work to do.”

From behind him in the kitchen, Carrie called out in an overly cheerful voice, “No, you don’t. But if you’re going to fight, you might want to take it into the office.”

“Stay out of this, Carrie.” Lizzie made a frustrated sound and gestured with one hand for Renic to step aside. “She’s right. We can’t talk about this out here. There are guests.”

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