Simply Being Belle (2 page)

The latter,
uttered in a breathy whisper, caused modern day Belle to cringe and suck in a
breath.  That part of the video always made her feel a bit sick to her
stomach.  She caught herself glancing at Dare, and he turned to meet her gaze. 
He smiled blandly and she simply couldn’t read him. 

She pulled her
eyes away and continued watching the tape.  Soon she heard her sixteen-year-old
voice again.  “
Mother
!  That is
not
the car I wanted,” she
screeched.  “I wanted a purple one!”

Oh, why hadn’t her
mother edited out this part? she couldn’t help wondering. 

“But angel…”

“I … wanted …
purple…”  She stomped her foot and crossed her arms across her chest.

“Princess,” her
mother soothed, “the car doesn’t come in purple.”

“So paint it!”

“NOW!” Lacey
intoned along with onscreen Belle.  “I want it now, Mommy!”

Belle shot her
friend a dazed glance.  Lacey looked nonplussed as she continued to parrot the
younger Belle, until she realized just how miserable her friend appeared.  She
abruptly stood and paused the tape.  “Enough!” she declared, and then softened
her voice.  “Belle, that’s not you.  You know it, I know, we all know it.  You
don’t need to look at this tape ever again.”

“But … I do,” she
murmured miserably. 

“Let’s save some
time here,” Lacey said.  “Belle, you were a pompous prima donna—but a
sixteen-year-old, pompous prima donna.  That person doesn’t exist anymore.”

She couldn’t argue
with her, but just the same, she had to view the tape.  She’d made a solemn
oath to herself and had to see it through.  She stood up and crossed the room
to restart the tape.  Upon her return to her chair, she caught Dare’s gaze
again.  She wasn’t sure what she expected to see in his eyes; contempt,
disgust, mortification, but instead, he simply smiled.

She was pulled
from her thoughts by the sound of her own voice.  “Oh, Mommy, I do love that
one!” she cried.  Her mother had presented her with the second car of the
evening—this one a sporty purple BMW and she
had
loved it.  She’d even
been mildly disappointed when she’d totaled it the day after her big party.

Apparently, a young
man at the party had loved the car, too.  Suddenly, his face loomed in front of
the camera, declaring the car “awesome” and the party “tight!”  Belle hadn’t
recognized him then or now, since the long, frizzy bangs slanted across his
face effectively concealed his features.  The boy hooted and howled, pumping
his fist in the air, until the camera had swung wide to film Belle stepping
not-so-daintily into her new BMW.

“Mommy, it’s
perfect,” she crooned.

Belle cast another
furtive glance at Dare.  This time, she read something in his expression.  His
blue eyes were narrowed and his brows drawn low, as if he were deep in
thought.  His lips formed a terse, straight line, and she noted his jaw clenched
convulsively.  Yes, this time she definitely read something there.  And it made
her feel ill. 

It was a
tremendous relief to her when the tape finally ended.  She rose as Lacey
hurried to press the stop button, and then hit the rewind.  “Must have it ready
for next birthday’s premiere,” she said sarcastically, and then hurried to wrap
an arm around Belle when she saw tears brimming in her eyes.  “Oh, Belle, are
you okay?  I was kidding.”

She nodded.  “Glad
that’s over with,” she said in a tremulous voice.  She glanced at Dare again. 
He smiled up at her once again, and she attempted a smile in return.  She
couldn’t quite pull it off.

“Okay, now that it
is over with, and thank the Lord for small favors, we have places to go and
people to see,” Lacey announced.  “We’re about to show Dare the town.  He’s new
to the area, by the way.”

“Not new,
exactly,” he amended.  “But recently returned to the area.”

“Dare’s helping
out at Legal Aid,” Steven informed, “until he starts work at Preston and Dunne.”

“I started today. 
It’s a condition of employment,” he explained.

Belle nodded,
realizing she had missed working with him at Legal Aid by one day.  Today
marked the first day of her extended vacation.  She was familiar with the firm,
Preston and Dunne, as well as the condition of employment that new employees
spend time at Legal Aid, since her grandfather had been the firm’s founding partner. 
She had worked there herself, until she had made the decision to take a
position at Legal Aid a couple years before. 

She heartily
approved of her grandfather’s insistence that all the firm’s new hires spend six
weeks at Legal Aid before starting work at Preston and Dunne.  There was more
to law than serving the rich and powerful, and Belle was glad her grandfather
had instilled that sense of service in her. 

“I think you’ll
enjoy your time at Legal Aid,” she said, glad to have something to talk about
other than the tape.  “It’s an incredibly valuable experience, and certainly
serves to broaden one’s world view.”  Good grief, she sounded like a
recruitment poster.

“Belle’s
grandfather founded Preston and Dunne,” Steven told Dare then.  “She used to
work there, until her altruistic nature overwhelmed her good sense.”

Belle shot Steven
a chagrined look.  “You left them for Legal Aid, too,” she pointed out.

“I don’t have good
sense, either,” he chuckled. 

Lacey worked as a
legal secretary at Preston and Dunne, and had met Steven there.  The two had
hit it off instantly, and had been a couple for over two years.  Their
relationship had been the impetus for Steven to leave the firm, in part at least,
since it had a no fraternization policy among co-workers—as did Legal Aid. 
Besides, like Belle, Steven had found his time there unfulfilling, and also like
Belle, he had longed to do something more meaningful with his life.  

Dare turned back
to Belle and grinned widely.  “So you’re Belle Preston? 
The
Belle Preston?”

She nodded. 

“Belle the
bulldog,” he murmured incredulously, and then his eyes widened as he realized he’d
spoken the words aloud. 

She smiled
benignly.  It wasn’t the first time she’d heard herself described as such.  She
had to admit she was tenacious—like a dog on a bone—when she had something or
someone worth fighting for.

“I’m so sor…” he
began, smiling ruefully.  He raked a hand through his hair.  “Can’t believe I
actually said that out loud,” he muttered under his breath.

She waved off his
apology.  “Don’t worry about it.”

“I don’t suppose
you’d like to join us tonight?” he asked her then, glancing at Lacey and Steven
expectantly.

“Don’t even bother
asking,” Lacey said in a flat tone.  “Belle will spend the rest of her evening
wallowing in her misery after revisiting her sixteen-year-old self, and later,
she’ll revisit her sixteen-year-old self in her dreams…”

“Nightmares,”
Steven cut in with a chagrined chuckle.     

“Right,” Lacey
agreed, “and then she’ll spend the rest of her vacation atoning for past sins,
have no downtime whatsoever, at which time, she’ll return to Legal Aid and work
herself into a frazzle again.”

“I’m not that
bad,” Belle protested.

“Yes, you are,”
her friends cried in unison.

Dare watched the
exchange, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.  “Will you join
us?” he asked again.  “It is your birthday.”

She met his gaze,
noting the hopeful gleam in his eyes.  She wondered, should she go out with him
and her friends?  Admittedly, she was tempted.  Dare Jamison was arguably the
best looking attorney she’d ever met, though looks weren’t especially important
to her. 

She suddenly
remembered the tape again—and the look on his face at one point during the
viewing.  She’d definitely seen something there—couldn’t quite identify the
emotion, but it had bothered her.  The memory caused her face to warm with
embarrassment.  She shook her head.  No, she couldn’t go anywhere on this
Friday night.  She had memories to revisit.

Belle dropped onto
her couch in the living room, tipping her head back for a momentary respite
before she washed the dogs.  Absently she stroked the tiny kitten she’d just
adopted from the Humane Society.  The tiny grey tabby pressed against her, and
then fell asleep with a contented mew.

Belle had just
returned from a Humane Society-sponsored adoption event, which had been capped
off by a doggie swim in a nearby outdoor pool.  Unfortunately, Tri and Cy had
capped off their swimming fun by rolling around in a pile of dirt outside the
swim center.  Besides effectively muddying up the inside of Belle’s Prius, the
two had also jumped all over her in their excitement at seeing the kitten.  The
dogs absolutely adored kittens. 

With a sigh, she
settled the kitten onto a pillow on the couch, and then headed for the
backyard.  She found Tri and Cy standing at the back steps, wagging their
tails.  She sat down.  “What are you two so happy about?” she asked, and then
chuckled when Tri slathered her face with kisses.   

If the two dogs
sensed a bath was coming, they didn’t show it.  Usually, they seemed to know
before she did that it was bath time, and the two scurried to the far corner of
the expansive lot.  Getting them from the backyard and into the tub was always
a workout.

“Okay, who wants
to go first?” she asked.  Tri kissed her squarely on the mouth.  “I’ll take
that as a yes,” she said, wiping the drool off her lips.

Careful to avoid
actually saying the word ‘bath,’ she took a hold of his collar and led him into
the house and to the upstairs bathroom.  Climbing the stairs was akin to
scaling a mountain for him, since the dog was missing one leg. “Take it slow,
sweetie,” she crooned.  “We have all the time in the world.”

Suddenly, his ears
perked up, as if he suddenly realized he was headed for a good soaping.  He let
out a pitiful whine.

“Figured it out,
eh?  Don’t worry.  It’ll be over soon.  Besides, whose fault is it you’re about
to get a bath?”

She hauled him into
the tub.  The dog struggled, but gave up the fight when his three feet struck
the bottom of the fiberglass tub.  At that point, he whimpered resignedly and
allowed her to give him a thorough cleaning.  She dried him off, and helped him
out.  He proceeded to shake the water off his coat with a vengeance, soaking
her in the process.  “Thanks,” she muttered.

She led the dog
downstairs and out to the enclosed back porch.  “Into your room,” she commanded,
and Tri obediently trotted into his indoor dog house.  “Next!” she called out,
knowing full well Cy was somewhere in the back forty, attempting to blend in
with the foliage.

She headed after
him, but stopped abruptly when the phone rang.  She hurried into her kitchen to
answer it.  “Hello!” she said breathlessly.

“Well, hello!”
Lacey said.  “How was your weekend?”

“Busy.”

“Tell me something
I don’t know.  Did you do anything exciting?”

“Well, I helped
out at the women’s shelter yesterday, and today the dogs and I went to an
adoption fair and doggie swim.  The dogs loved it.  Oh, and I adopted a kitten.”

“Of course you did,”
her friend said ruefully. 

“I almost adopted
a goat,” Belle volunteered.

“Of course you
did,” Lacey said with a disgusted snort.  “Belle, I’d hoped you’d have
something more … well, exciting planned for your vacation?  How about a holiday
at some exotic locale?  You’ve earned it, you know.  Good grief, six long weeks
of vacation time and you’re staying home?  Call a travel agent,
please
! 
Hey, why don’t you join your parents and grandmother in Belize?”

Spending time with
her folks on yet another one of their holidays wasn’t exactly Belle’s idea of
down time, but she left that unsaid.  “I can’t leave my dogs, and now I have a
kitten…  And I haven’t actually ruled out the goat.”

“Excuses, excuses!”
Laced charged.   “Ever hear of a kennel?”

“I don’t think
they’d take a goat.”

“Stop being
obtuse,” Lacey commanded.  “What is your problem?”

“I have so much to
get done around here,” she said in her own defense.

“Such as?”

“Well, I’m going
to work in my garden and maybe install some sort of water feature in my
backyard.  Maybe I’ll prune the rose bushes out front.  I might paint the dog houses. 
I’m just not sure yet.”

“Belle,” Lacey
said with a withering sigh, “you have six weeks—six glorious weeks off.  And
the weatherman is predicting sunshine for the next several days.  Come on, my
friend, you need some excitement in your life.”  She chuckled, and Belle
detected something in her friend’s voice.

“What?” she
prompted suspiciously.

“I was just
remembering Friday night, after we left your place.”

“What happened?”

“I think Dare
liked you,” Lacey said in a sing-song voice.

Belle practically
snorted.  “Right.  After a personal screening of my Sweet Sixteen party tape,
I’m thinking it was either sheer force of will or practiced politeness that
prevented him from running out the front door.”

“No, really,
Belle.  He was really disappointed you didn’t join us.  He talked about you
much of the evening, actually.  It seems your reputation precedes you.”

“Oh, yes.  Belle
the Bulldog.  Conjures up all sorts of romantic images.”

Lacey laughed. 

“Um,” she began
tentatively, “did Dare mention the … uh … tape?”

“Not once,” Lacey
said, and even she sounded surprised. 

“I wonder if he’ll
enjoy his time at Legal Aid?” she said nonchalantly, eager to get off the
subject of the tape. 

“Who knows?  Too
bad you’re on vacation.  Wouldn’t it be fun to do a little paper shuffling with
him?  Maybe check out his briefs.”