The Wedding Chapel Read online

  “You’re proving to be both beautiful and smart, Bella. I’ll drink to that.”

  The topic of work set aside, the conversation turned to a game of twenty questions. Bella soon learned that not only wasn’t Colin married, he had little time to date. He was an only child, had studied global business management and French at university, and he’d lived in Germany for two years. She also discovered that he was a good listener who gave every appearance of being interested in every word she uttered. Either that, or the champagne she’d not yet tired of was getting to her head.

  “So, do you like baseball?” she asked.

  He leaned back in his chair, looking for all the world completely at home. “I’ve never actually watched a game but if it’s anything like cricket, I dare say I’d enjoy it. You?”

  She grinned. “Die hard Yankees fan here.”

  “Paris or Rome for a romantic weekend getaway?”

  “As if. My imagination won’t even let me go there, Colin.” She sighed. “But if you pressed me, I’d say neither. Visiting Hawaii is my dream.”

  She felt a stab of disappointment when, instead of responding, Colin looked down at his watch.

  “I’m sorry if I’ve kept you,” she said. She reached for her satchel. “Thank you for the lovely champagne.”

  Colin shook his head. “You haven’t. I was just checking to see if it was too early to invite you to dinner. Which it is not, so what do you say?”

  She should say no. She should go home. Reason told her that she should end the evening while it still had that magically enchanting feel to it. She met Colin’s gaze head on, her pulse registering the chemistry between them. Reason be damned for one night. A girl had to eat, didn’t she? “I know this amazing Mexican place at the other end of the strip. Do you like margaritas?”

  “I’m a margarita virgin, I confess. I’ve never tried one.” His words were playful, his tone teasing. “Are you shocked?”

  “Terribly.” Bella stood and smiled down at him. “Let’s go get you initiated into the pleasure of lime, salt, and tequila.”

  He stood and placed a hand on the small of her back. “If you mean to corrupt me tonight, Bella Johnson, I’m all yours.”

  With its glittering lights and throngs of people milling about, Colin realized that the Vegas strip was an entirely different world at night. It certainly seemed a world away from the desolate scene he’d encountered that morning. As the events of the day had conspired to lead him to meet and later run into the lovely Bella, he acknowledged that maybe there was something to the belief that Las Vegas was a lucky place. He watched from twenty feet away as Bella spoke with a young man at the reservations desk. Hearing what she said was impossible due to the mariachi band playing in the El Sol Restaurante courtyard but the young man appeared as mesmerized with Bella as Colin was.

  A wry smile tugged at the corner of his lips. What on earth would his grandmother think if she knew he’d abandoned work to spend the evening with a gorgeous red head that he’d just met? She wouldn’t believe it. She knew Colin too well to ever believe he’d choose socializing over work, especially not in the face of the latest project she’d thrown at her grandsons just this morning. But at this exact moment in time, the last thing that Colin wanted to think about was the Bladestone millions.

  He watched appreciatively as Bella made her way back to him. There was just a hint of sultriness in the way she walked. An even bigger turn on was his sense that she was anything but easy. She was a lady. “Any luck?” he asked when she reached his side.

  “Vegas isn’t about luck as much as it’s about connections. Follow me.”

  Colin did as she bid, aware that at that moment he’d follow her anywhere. He made a mental note to watch how many margaritas he drank.

  The hostess led them to a table that was tucked privately between a large Mayan inspired water fountain and a wall lined with green potted plants. Colorful serapes covered the walls and the strains of the mariachi music filled the air. Colin held out Bella’s chair and then sat across from her. “This is perfect. Judging by the line outside the door, I gather you must have considerable connections in this town.”

  Bella laughed. “I’d hardly go that far. Let’s just say that we locals stick together.”

  “Spoken like a master at getting what she wants. You impress me.” To his amusement, Bella blushed.

  The server appeared to take their drink orders. He quickly discovered that Bella spoke ‘Margarita’ as if it were a foreign language. He’d never heard of a chipotle grapefruit margarita. “I take it that margaritas are a particular favorite of yours?” he asked after they were alone again.

  “I enjoy one now and then,” she said. She leaned forward and folded her hands on the table. “Contrary to what you’ve witnessed tonight, I’m not a big drinker.”

  “Tell me what else I don’t know about you.”

  She cocked her head to the side and stared thoughtfully at him. “What would you like to know?”

  “Everything, but you can start with something simple. Tell me about your family.”

  Bella laughed. “Families are usually anything but simple. At least mine isn’t.”

  “Mine certainly isn’t either,” he agreed. “Let’s declare the subject of family taboo tonight. Work and family are off limits then.” He accepted a salt rimmed glass from the server and held it up. “Salt, really?”

  “You are a virgin, aren’t you?” Bella picked up her drink. “Watch me and do what I do.” She picked up her glass, took a sip from the glass and then licked her lips.

  Colin tried his drink. It went down like a dream. Dinner passed far too quickly to suit him. They dined on a wide variety of southern Mexican specialties. The spicy dishes were easily washed down with several more drinks. The conversation surpassed the food and drink though, and Colin couldn’t remember a time when he’d laughed so much. He knew he’d never spent a more enjoyable evening with anyone, ever.

  After the bill was paid and they made their way out into the fresh evening air, Colin knew he wasn’t ready to let Bella go. He leaned close enough that she could hear him over the mariachis. “I imagine you dance beautifully.”

  “You imagine wrong,” she replied. “But I have another hidden talent.”

  This he didn’t doubt. “Such as?”

  “I’m a good listener.”

  Colin gazed into Bella’s eyes. There was a sincerity in the way she looked at him, a wholesomeness in the way she carried herself, that acted as a magnetic pull toward her. A pull he wasn’t sure he wanted to resist. “I can easily believe that. But why are you telling me this?”

  “Because you have something weighing on you, I can see it in your eyes.” She reached out and touched him lightly on the arm. “Can I help?”

  Can I help? Three simple words. Words that Colin didn’t often, if ever, hear. It was usually his job to help, to find solutions to other people’s problems, to put out fires. It was beyond refreshing to be on the other end of the offer. He looked around. The Vegas strip was hardly the place for a conversation, it was too much to hope for a quiet spot to talk. He turned back to Bella. “While I appreciate the offer, unless you have a sinking ship that I can help save so I don’t lose something that matters greatly to me, I don’t see how you can help.”

  Her eyebrows rose. “You need a sinking ship?”

  “In the form of a struggling business, yes.”

  He watched a slow smile stretch across Bella’s lips and she reached her hand out to him. He hesitated only a moment before he slipped his hand into hers. “What’s that smile for?”

  “It’s your lucky day, Mr. Bladestone. I think I have just the struggling slice of Americana you’re looking for.”

  Vegas luck indeed. Colin squeezed Bella’s hand. “Lead on.”

  Chapter 4

  Bella led Colin through the milling throngs in front of the Coliseum. She held tight to his hand so he wasn’t lost to her as the concert goers emptied into the strip. His grip was someh
ow strong enough to make her feel secure and yet gentle enough that it felt almost like a caress. Once they were past the venue crowds, she let go of his hand but kept walking.

  “Might I ask where we are going?” Colin asked.

  “I want to show you something.” Bella glanced sideways at him. “Can we look first and talk later?”

  “Lead on.”

  She did, right up until they reached a giant pink neon flamingo. “Stop number one.”

  “Flamingo Wedding Chapel,” Colin read from the sign. A slow smile spread across his face. “I haven’t even proposed yet.”

  Bella rolled her eyes. “Trust me, Colin, marriage is the last thing on my mind.”

  “Then what explains the pink monstrosity blinking overhead?”

  Bella reached for the door and motioned for her companion to pass through the doorway. “It’s a slice of Americana, that’s what. You said you needed a sinking ship. Consider the Flamingo a tub that’s barely afloat.”

  With a raised eyebrow and an ‘I’ll go along with this’ expression, Colin entered the wedding chapel. Bella, only a step behind him, had to reach out and steady herself when he stopped short.

  “Right, sorry,” he apologized. He turned back to glance at her. “Did I hurt you?”

  She nodded and withdrew her hands from his back. “I’m fine. What stopped you?”

  He turned back to gaze around the chapel entrance. “The pink.”

  Bella, who had been in and out of the Flamingo since she was a young girl, wasn’t surprised by his reaction. The Flamingo Wedding Chapel was vintage over-the-top Las Vegas at its very best. Certainly at its most gaudy. “Don’t forget the green.”

  Colin executed a slow three sixty turn, silently taking in the Florida inspired décor. He shook his head. “No, there’s no way I could miss the green. Where are we?”

  But before Bella could answer, a silver haired woman dressed in a pink evening gown, materialized. She threw her arms wide open with a dramatic flourish that was more Broadway than Vegas Strip. “Welcome to the Flamingo Wedding Chapel. You have just entered the perfect place to cross over into wedded bliss!” The woman gave Colin an appreciative once-over. Twice. “What lucky woman is going to have the heavenly experience of being your wife?”

  Colin glanced back over his shoulder. “Bella?”

  Taking pity on his panicked tone of voice, Bella came around to stand beside him.

  “Bella? Is that you, sweetie?” The woman in rose colored glasses clapped her hands in delight. “Fancy that, our little Bella getting married! In my chapel!” She enveloped Bella in a hug. “I’m honored. Truly I am. But where’s your grandfather? Surely you don’t plan to leave him out of the festivities?”

  Unable to be heard coherently through the pink marabou feathers that trimmed the other woman’s gown, Bella stepped back. “Hello, Muriel. It’s lovely to see you again.”

  Muriel looked back and forth between Bella and Colin, a sly smile on her face. “You’re eloping, aren’t you?” She reached out to take Bella into her arms again but Colin came to her rescue by pulling Bella into a side hug so she would be safe from the older woman’s kind but suffocating embrace.

  Bella leaned into Colin’s embrace, hoping he sensed her gratitude. “No, Muriel. We’re not eloping.” She pulled away from Colin just enough that she could stand a tiny bit behind him. “We’re not engaged, we’re not even dating.”

  “Then what are you doing here?” Muriel's frown eloquently expressed her confusion. “And who is this handsome man?”

  Colin answered before Bella could. He held his hand out, no doubt to ward off a hug, and introduced himself. “I’m Colin Bladestone. A new friend of Bella’s.”

  Muriel smiled widely. “It’s lovely to meet you, Colin. Any friend,” she gave the words finger quotes, “of our Bella’s is certainly welcome here. Come in, both of you, and tell me why you’ve just stumbled into my humble wedding chapel.”

  Bella looked around. “You don’t have a wedding scheduled tonight, do you? We wouldn’t want to interrupt.”

  Muriel’s smile faded. “Please, I only wish. It’s as dead as Liberace in here.” She led them through the entrance, past the chapel, and into her office. “Have a seat while I get some champagne.”

  Bella and Colin exchanged amused glances.

  “No, thank you, Muriel. We won’t be staying long and we’re not here to celebrate.”

  Their hostess settled herself into a white wicker fan backed chair and motioned for them to take a seat on the pink leather sofa directly across from her. “If this isn’t a social call, then why are you here?”

  And so Bella told her, although she diplomatically omitted the words ‘sinking ship’. Instead she focused on Colin’s curiosity about the wedding industry. “So, Muriel, I was hoping that you’d give Colin your impression of how the business has changed in the last decade. Anything that you’d like to share with him would be great.”

  Muriel leaned forward. “Anything? The good, the bad and the ugly?”

  “Especially the ugly,” Colin encouraged her. “I’d greatly appreciate your candor.”

  It wasn’t lost on Bella that Muriel found Colin as charming as she herself did. Doubtless he had that effect on most women.

  Muriel waved her hands as if she had just performed a magic trick. “Then it is candor you shall have. But I insist on champagne, absolutely insist.” Without waiting for an answer she bustled off and returned in record time with a tray containing three crystal flutes and what Bella quickly summed up to be a mid-price bottle of bubbly.

  “Allow me.” Colin reached for the bottle and opened it with a grace and flair that told Bella he was no stranger to the finer things in life. Somehow that fact didn’t surprise her in the least.

  She settled back against the sofa and took a small sip of champagne. She listened as Colin guided Muriel through what amounted to an interview. His manner of questioning was so smooth that Bella doubted Muriel even realized that she was revealing her business in great detail to a total stranger. Bella shifted so that she was better able to watch Colin operate.

  The man was as charming as he was handsome. Doubtless most women found him flat out irresistible and fell madly in love with him. Bella took another sip of champagne. It was a good thing she wasn’t most women.

  Colin wasn’t able to escape being caught up in a hug that felt like a pink cloud as he and Bella bid Muriel farewell but the information he’d gathered was well worth it. Once they exited the Flamingo Wedding Chapel, Colin took a deep appreciative breath of the cool evening air. “Well, that certainly was instructive.”

  Bella laughed softly. “Ah, there’s that British understatement.” She stretched her arms up overhead and shook out her hair. “I agree, Muriel gave you as honest an assessment as you’re likely to get. But I understand that you’re likely to want to speak to a few other chapel owners.” She glanced down at her watch. “Why don’t you give me a call in the morning? I’ll get together a list of others who-”

  But Colin didn’t let her finish. “Tomorrow?” He took a step toward her. “Surely we’re only just getting started?”

  “Started on what?” Bella cocked her head to the side. “You wanted a business in trouble and I found you one. Correction, I found you an entire struggling industry. What’s left to do?”

  How best to explain to her his grandmother’s folly? “Plenty, and there’s not a lot of time to do it in. Look, Bella, I know it’s late but can we find somewhere to talk and I’ll buy you a drink.”

  “Oh, no,” she held up her hand. “Between the margaritas with dinner and the champagne, I’d better not touch another drop.”

  “Would the offer of a fine meal tempt you?” For some reason that he didn’t want to think too closely about, Colin didn’t want the evening to end. “Might I just ask for an hour more of your time?”

  He watched as indecision paraded across her face.

  “Here are my terms,” she said after a long moment. “You ag
ree to substitute the fine meal for a burger, fries and milkshake, and you agree to tell me exactly what you’re up to, and it’s a deal.”

  “Deal.” He held out his hand so that they could shake on it, but when she slipped her hand into his, Colin surprised himself as much as Bella when he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. He closed his eyes as his lips brushed her skin, savoring the ever so slight gardenia scent of her perfume. Here he was, standing in the delightful evening air, with an intelligent, vivacious, not to mention beautiful redhead who smelled of tropical flowers. He could only hope this was what heaven would be like. Reluctantly, he pulled back. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” Bella’s expression was hard to read. “But I do think we should get back to business.”

  Colin nodded. “Absolutely. Can I safely assume that you know a place we can sit and talk?”

  Her smile was just teasing enough that he knew she hadn’t taken offense at his kiss. “Follow me.”

  He did. Back down the strip, and then down a side street, and then yet another. As they walked in silence, it grew just a bit quieter as they left the hectic strip behind.

  They stopped outside of a heavily chromed building that, upon closer inspection, he realized was meant to look just like a 50’s diner. Red letters on a frosted door spelled out ‘Doreen’s Diner’. Colin held the door open for Bella and followed her into the restaurant. He looked around as she spoke with the hostess. Judging by the way the hostess and other waitresses greeted her, it was obvious that Bella was a regular. As charming, in a kitschy sort of way, as the diner was, he wouldn’t have thought it was her kind of place. Obviously Bella Johnson was a woman of eclectic tastes. Yet another point in her favor.

  “I can’t believe I’m hungry again. Shall I order for us?” Bella asked as they slid in opposite sides of the booth.

  He nodded and watched in amusement as she ordered enough food for six ravenous teenagers. How she kept a figure a model would envy he couldn’t imagine.

  “Oh, and two vanilla milkshakes, please.” Bella closed the vinyl menus and tucked them behind the mini jukebox that sat at the end of the aqua Formica tabletop. After the waitress sauntered away, Bella turned her attention back to him. “I hope this is okay.”