CHAPTER THREE-1
582 Words
CHAPTER THREE
They checked out of their rooms, left their bags with the concierge, and headed to the restaurant.
“Bel!” Stacy squealed as they approached.
“Good morning, you old married people you,” Bella said, giving her best friend a hug and Brad a peck on the cheek.
“Who’s your friend, Bel?” Stacy asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“Stacy, Brad, I’d like you to meet Nathan,” Bella answered. “We met last night at the slots.” She could tell Stacy was brimming with questions, but to Stacy’s credit she reined herself in and said sincerely, “It’s a pleasure to meet you Nathan.”
Small talk was made, and the meal ordered. Then Stacy excused herself to the ladies’ room. The look she shot Bella meant it needed to be a group trip.
The bathroom door had barely closed before Stacy started in.
“Bel, he’s gorgeous! And obviously quite taken with you, I might add,” she said. “Tell me all about it.”
Bella recounted the whole story.
“So, you guys spent all night together, and you didn’t have s*x?” Stacy asked.
“No, we didn’t,” Bella answered. “Not that the chemistry isn’t there. But we decided to wait a while.”
She looked over to see Stacy teary eyed and smiling. “Bel, that is so beautiful!” Stacy said, sniffling a little. “So romantic. Old-fashioned but so sweet.”
Bella sighed contentedly, and said, “It is, isn’t it? I never thought I’d find someone with the same values as me, but here he is.”
“He’s easy on the eyes, too,” Stacy chimed, poking Bella in the ribs. “Now, let me fix my makeup right quick and we’ll get back to our Prince Charmings. And,” she added, glancing at Bella in the mirror, “when the time comes, I already know the perfect bridesmaid dress to wear at your wedding.”
At the table, meanwhile, Brad had been peppering Nathan with questions.
“I’m sorry if I seem a little pushy. It’s just Bel’s like family, that’s all. Just watching out for her,” Brad said.
“I would expect nothing less from her friends,” Nathan replied. “I get where you’re coming from. She’s special, one of a kind. That’s why how fast or slow this goes is up to her. I just want to be around her.”
Wow, Brad thought as he listened to Nathan speaking. He really means it.
Brad looked at Nathan and quietly said, “You’re all right in my book, man.”
“Thanks, Brad,” Nathan answered. “It may be old-fashioned, but it matters to me what the people closest to her think, too. Speaking of which,” he added, “maybe you and Stacy could get me in contact with her grandfather. I’d like to meet with him when I get back to Virginia.”
“Be glad to,” Brad said.
The conversation returned to general topics when they saw the ladies returning. An hour later, they were saying their goodbyes.
Brad extended his hand to Nathan, and said, “It was great meeting you. We’ll see you again?”
To which Bella replied, “Most definitely.”
Nathan smiled at her.
“Your friends are amazing,” he told her as they made their way to the casino floor to kill time before the trip to the airport. “And protective.”
Bella laughed. “Sorry if Brad was a little, well, pushy.”
“Funny, that’s exactly the word he used,” Nathan replied. “But it doesn’t bother me. In fact, I appreciate how loyal your friends are. It just reinforces my opinion that you are very special.”
And he lightly touched his lips to hers as she blushed and smiled.
She wrapped her arm around his waist and said, “And so are you. Now - let’s see if my machine is lucky again today, shall we?”
***
- Writer
