Hollywood Harlot

Chapter 16

There wasn’t even a moment to rest after lunch before the entire bridal party slowly made their way out to the skating rink just outside the atrium. Bundled up in warm winter clothes again, Jake held Bella’s hand as they followed the crowd. A massive pole barn stood at the base of the left side of the mountain. With a dull metal roof and rustic logs to support it, the structure blended in perfectly to the natural background.

Inside, a beautiful oval skate rink sat in the center of the structure. As the wedding party was still just arriving, the rink sat empty and waiting, ready for the dozens of excited party goers.

“Have you skated before?” Jake asked, walking around behind the rental counter and grabbing two pairs of skates.

“More than I’ve skied, but I’m certainly no Olympian,” Bella said lightly. The fresh mountain air and beautiful sunshine wrapped itself around her, and she felt safe and warm and good in a way she hadn’t for a very long time.

Jake led her to a bench and sat her down, handing her a pair of skates.

“You knew my size?” she asked.

Jake shrugged. “With two sisters, I learned to be observant.”

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach again. None of the guys she’d ever dated had bothered to learn her shoe size or any other specific, personalized detail about her. It felt really nice to be noticed, for the effort to have been made for her specifically.

As Bella laced up her skates, she saw Jordyn was the first one to take the ice. Donned in bridal white leggings and a white long sleeve athletic shirt, she was the vision of a perfect angel as she glided effortlessly across the glossy surface. Long, sure strokes guided her strongly, until she curved around the bend, skating backwards, and leapt into the air in an effortless spin.

Bella gasped and the entire rink burst out in applause. Jordyn slowed down and bent over, covering her face in her hands.

“Everybody, come join me,” she called merrily, and Bella couldn’t help but laugh along with Jordyn’s infectious attitude.

Gage was the next to take the ice, and he skated shakily over to his bride-to-be, put his arms around her waist as he awkwardly skated to a stop, and leaned down to kiss her passionately.

Bella grinned up at Jake, who had once again taken her hand and was leading her slowly out to the ice. “Your sister seems really happy,” she smiled.

He squeezed her hand gently. “I believe she is. And that makes me happy.”

Bella’s heart once again fluttered. How amazing it must feel to have such a close family who cares so much for you. It made him somehow even more attractive- the obvious love he held for his family. The man was special indeed.

“You’re a good brother.”

Jake threw his head back and laughed loudly, “You haven’t spent enough time with Jess yet, if that’s what you really think.”

Bella scanned the rink for Jess and found her sitting on some bleachers, alone, by a rustic hot chocolate stand.

“You’re right,” she responded, “So a couple laps around the rink with you, and then I’m going to go keep your other sister company. She looks so lonely over there.”

Jake squeezed her hand again. “That’s one of the things I love about you,” he said. “You’re just so damn thoughtful and sweet.”

Bella blushed. Jake leaned down to her and covered her lips with his own, opening his mouth slightly and sliding his tongue quickly inside her. She leaned up against him, palm flat on his broad chest, and tilted her chin to fit him a little better. He wrapped both arms around her back and pulled her closer, adding pressure to the kiss. He finally pulled back and and she felt a little dizzy from it all.

He flashed a giant grin down at her, and it occurred to Bella that it was the most relaxed she’d seen him since they’d met just a few days before. It was nice to see.

Hand in hand, they stepped out onto the ice together. Jake’s long legs skated strongly and quickly over the ice, but Bella didn’t have a hard time keeping up. They skated next to each other in perfect unison, silently, simply enjoying the moment.

Jordyn and Gage stood in the center of the rink as their wedding guests skated around them. Laughter and excited chatter filled the air, and outside it began softly snowing again.

“This place truly is magical,” Bella broke the silence.

“It is,” Jake said simply, and Bella glanced at him to see the just-jovial face had been replaced by a much more serious one.

“What are you thinking?” Bella asked.

Jake shrugged lightly. “It’s just harder than I thought, I guess, to be back here. I didn’t realize how much I missed it while I was away.”

Bella nodded slowly. “Couldn’t you split your time? I feel like I’ve seen a lot of fancy, handsome movie stars such as yourself live in multiple places, jet setting all around the world.”

Jake grinned. “So now I’m handsome? Before I was ‘not so bad looking.’”

She giggled. “You are very handsome indeed, Mr. McGreen. And I believe you are quite aware of that fact.”

Jake pulled her to the rails on the side of the rink and kissed her again. “I like to hear you say it,” he said gruffly.

She raised an eyebrow and leaned up to whisper in his ear. “I think you’re very handsome.”

He groaned and kissed her again. “Where did you come from?” he asked. “You’re amazing.”

Bella giggled and gently tugged his arm, pulling him back to the skating lane. “A few more laps, if you don’t mind,” she said.

Jake groaned again but followed her obligingly, a huge smile on his face. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said.

“Me too.”

Despite the chilly air, Bella felt warm and good inside. Being with Jake was natural. She didn’t want to think about anything else. They skated around the rink two more times and Bella skated toward the exit, letting go of Jake’s hand as she did.

“Hey…” he said and she waved.

“I told you I want to talk to your sister,” she said, stepping off the ice and walking slowly back to the bench.

“Then I’ll come with you,” he said, spinning slowly around.

Bella laughed. “Nope. This is girl talk. I’m going to make friends with her if it’s the last thing I do. Plus I know you’d love to speed around a few times. Go have fun, and I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“If you’re sure…” Jake said as he was already speeding off around the rink.

Bella smiled as she undid her skates and returned them to the counter. She made her way around the outside of the rink, stopping to grab two hot chocolates heaping tall with whipped cream. The fragrant smell of decadent chocolate filled her nostrils and Bella smiled even broader.

She approached Jess on the bench and handed her a mug. Jess squinted at her but took the mug.

“Thanks,” she said quietly.

“No problem,” Bella said. “I’m sorry you’re sitting on the sidelines again.”

Jess shrugged half-heartedly but glanced around the rink, as if she was looking for someone. They sat there in silence, Bella willing to wait for Jess to take the lead.

“I skated, too, not just Jordyn,” she finally said.

Bella looked back out onto the ice, where Jordyn and Jake were racing each other around, both of them obviously extremely proficient skaters.

“Oh?” Bella asked.

“We started the same time, I was eight and she was six. Maybe because she was younger, she got better quickly. We both competed for quite awhile, but she surpassed my skill level, and I just quit.”

Bella took a slow breath in, wondering how to respond. “Do you wish you hadn’t?”

Jess shrugged again. “It doesn’t matter. I quit, and that’s the end of that story.”

Bella couldn’t help but wonder if maybe there was more to the story after all.

“Okay,” she said slowly. “Well. I’d like it if we could hang out some more. Maybe tomorrow before the bachelorette party?”

“Why?”

Bella sat up a little straighter, startled by the blunt question. “Because you mean a lot to Jake, and he means a lot to me, so I’d like to get to know you better. And because it seems like you could maybe use a friend.”

Jess squinted at her. “Shelby will be here for the wedding, you know. Don’t you care?”

Even though Bella had no idea who Shelby was, her stomach dropped and she instantly felt sick. “I don’t care,” she said simply.

“I’m surprised. It would bother me,” Jess continued slowly. “But good for you that it doesn’t.”

Bella sat there a moment longer, her mind churning. Who was Shelby and why should she care that she’d be arriving? And exactly when would she get there?

Finally, she stood up, but she smiled sadly back down at Jess. Obviously, she hadn’t been able to get through to her, and it seemed like that was an impossible task. Bella certainly didn’t want to let on that Jake hadn’t told her about this Shelby person.

“I hope you have a good rest of the day,” Bella said to her. “And I really do hope we can be friends.”

Jess shrugged for a third time but didn’t say anything. Walking away, more confused than ever, Bella wondered what had happened to Jess to make her so cold and unapproachable.

Jake ran up to her as she got near the hot chocolate stand, a giant grin on his face, like a kid in a candy store. He picked her up by the hips and swung her around, laughing. She laughed too, but in the back of her mind, she kept wondering who Shelby was, and what else Jake was keeping from her.