22. Aaron
Chapter twenty-two
Aaron
Two more days until the Dance for Castleton event. Nearly everything is in order, despite a few last-minute hiccups.
I almost wish things weren’t quite so well organized.
The night Ellen and Mike announced their engagement, I received a late-night text from Bella. She thanked me for everything I did for her, then said she needed a little space.
I answered that I would give her that space, then asked if I could reach out to see how she was doing.
Her answer still plays in my mind. I appreciate the thought, but right now I think it’s best if you wait for me to reach out first.
It’s hard, but I’m respecting her wishes. I want to ask what changed for her, but I’m respecting her wishes and keeping quiet.
So yeah, I wish something was going wrong to push thoughts of everything else from my mind.
Even practice isn’t enough to completely distract me from this uncertainty with Bella.
“You’re going to get kicked off the team if you keep playing that way,” Coach threatens after a very poor performance on the ice.
“You could always clobber me over the head. Put me in a coma, make it so I can’t play. Would be great publicity, too,” I suggest.
Coach rolls his eyes. “Smartass.”
I smirk. “Sorry, Coach. I’ll do better next practice.”
“You better,” he grumbles, but concern pinches the corners of his eyes. “Is everything okay with you? You haven’t been acting like yourself.”
“It’s this charity ball,” I lie. The last thing I want to admit is that I have girl trouble.
He pats my arm. “Just get your head in the game, okay? Don’t want to lose you to LaLa land. Now go hit the showers.”
I nod and go into the changing rooms. The shower feels good on my aching body, and I yawn.
When I’m done and out of the rink, I find Mike loitering in the lobby, giggling at his phone. Actually giggling. I know what that means—he’s texting with Ellen.
“Ready to go?” I ask.
“Mind if you drop me off at Ellen’s rather than my place?” He looks up eagerly, then slyly grins. “You could just happen to stop by and see Bella, too. Ellen says she’s working all day and night and could use a distraction.”
I shake my head as I head outside. “She asked for space.”
Mike hurries after me. “Why?”
“My guess is that she just has a lot going on right now,” I mumble, my shoulders sagging. “But I’m worried that maybe she’s hoping I’ll chase her. She did it before, where she said one thing and hoped I’d do the opposite.”
“Dude, you don’t want to start playing those sorts of games.”
We tossed our gear into the car. It’s a cloudy, cool day.
“I don’t want to play games,” I agree. “But I know the first time wasn’t because she thought it was cute. It’s what she got used to with Steven.”
“Funny how I can hate a guy I met all of one time,” Mike says dryly.
I have to agree with that. It’s hard not to hate Steven when I see how low he knocked Bella, to the point where she even blames herself for it!
“If I can hazard a guess, based on what Ellen’s told me?” Mike lifts his brows in question as we both get into the car.
“Sure.”
Mike buckles himself in and runs his hands through his hair. “I bet Bella just needs time to process her feelings. Ellen told me that Steven used to push her to make snap decisions, so it’s natural for her to need extra time to figure her thoughts out.”
I put the car in gear and head out. “That’s probably it. I just wonder if there’s more I should be doing to help her.”
When we reach Ellen’s apartment, we find her standing on the sidewalk. She waves as I pull up.
“Hey, guys,” she greets, leaning through Mike’s window for a kiss. “Bella decided to kick me out of the apartment. Aaron, do you have any plans this afternoon?”
“Er… no, not really.”
Mike glances over at me and whispers, “Are we inviting him along with us?”
Ellen kisses him again. “I wanted to discuss the dance. And Bella. So do you mind if Mike and I hang out at your place for a bit?”
I roll my eyes but nod. “Yeah, that’s fine.”
“Great! Thanks.”
She hops into the back of the car, and we head out again.
At my apartment, Ellen starts off going over some of the things that she took on for the dance. I need to get the floor plans for the venue to her so she can get them to the decorator.
She also wants to add a few more details that will increase the decoration budget by two hundred dollars.
“I’ll pay out of pocket if there isn’t enough in the extras budget,” she tells me. “I just think that the disco-ball stars will add a fun touch.”
I check my spreadsheet tallying up all the costs. My original projections of coming in under budget had been quickly eaten up by last-minute changes.
“It’ll be tight, but doable,” I say, frowning. “Don’t you think disco stars will look a little tacky?”
Mike gasps dramatically. “Are you calling my fiancé tacky?”
Ellen laughs. “It’s over the top, I’ll admit. But it’s going to look so much nicer than those flimsy streamers.”
“Fine,” I say with a reluctant nod. “Submit your receipts, and I’ll reimburse you.”
Ellen smiles. “Good. Now that’s taken care of. Bella. I know she told you not to contact her for a few days.”
“What? You told me she needed space,” Mike barks.
I wince
“That is how Bella asks for space,” Ellen says, patting his hands. “Our master plan is still in the works.”
“Of course, you have a master plan,” I mutter.
Ellen gives me a sweet smile. “Of course! Now. Bella is going through a huge transitional period right now. But something you ought to know is that Bella has the habit of feeling like she’s taking advantage of someone else if she asks for any sort of help.
“You’re not the sort of man who will accuse her of taking advantage, I know,” Ellen continues. “You’re also the polar opposite of what she’s come to expect from men.”
“I know Steven did a number on her.”
Ellen shakes her head. Her expression is remorseful and angry all at once. “Her father was just like Steven. Mean and selfish. The sad thing is, Bella’s self-confidence has been torn down her whole life.”
Ah. That explains a lot.
It’s hard to build your confidence when people are always telling you that you have nothing to be confident about.
That doesn’t change one thing, though. “Bella asked me not to reach out to her until she’s reached out to me first. I’m not going to ignore her wishes.”
“I know. And I know Bella knows that, too. She’s so busy with this show and doubting her abilities that she’s driving us both crazy.” Ellen frowns. “But she’s also constantly talking herself out of reaching out to you, even when she wants to.”
Mike curls her hair around his finger. “Why?”
“She feels like she’s taking advantage.”
Surprise ripples through me. “But I told her I’d always be honest with her. I wouldn’t ask if I could help if I felt like I couldn’t.”
Ellen gives me the patient look that used to drive me bananas. “Just because she isn’t taking advantage of you doesn’t mean she doesn’t feel like she’s taking advantage of you. Bella, you must remember, is used to being made to feel like a burden.”
I release a slow breath. Yes, I have to remind myself of that.
It occurs to me that I know little about her upbringing.
My own childhood was full of support and happy memories. But what Ellen is showing me now is that Bella’s wasn’t.
That has to have an effect on a person.
“So what do I do?” I ask helplessly. “How can I show her I’ve got her back without pushing against the boundaries she’s put in place?”
Ellen winces. “That’s where I’m not quite sure.”
“A grand gesture?” Mike suggests.
“What sort of grand gesture?”
He shrugs. “I really don’t know. She has her fashion show coming up. Maybe you could invest money into the company to start her own line?”
“That’s grand for me,” Ellen says, shaking her head. “For Bella, a grand gesture has to be much more low-key than that. I’m not sure. But I’m going to get her to this charity dance, even if it’s only for . “
A grand gesture. That sounds like a romance novel trope.
But as I’m sitting there, an idea comes to mind. The more I think about it, the better it sounds.
I grin. “I know exactly what to do.”