Read Online If The Shoe Fits by Judi Fennell - Free Book Online

tongue to
prevent herself from laughing long enough to get the answer out.
“Carrot waffles.”
    Harry had no such compunction and groaned,
long and loud, before dropping his head onto his crossed forearms
on the table.
    Perla’s mouth twisted as if she’d sucked on a
lemon. “You know, maybe we shouldn’t encourage him quite so
much.”
    “ Or you could direct him to other,
less dangerous, pursuits,” said her husband.
    “ Hmmm.” Perla tapped a bright red
manicured nail against her equally bright red lips. “That’s not a
bad idea.”
    Before Perla could continue that thought,
Bella headed off to get them Gus’s special and enough coffee to
chase it down with. Perla and Harry couldn’t back out of their
arrangement now; Gus would be devastated if no one tried his
special and, so far, carrot waffles hadn’t gone over as well as the
spinach donuts. And those hadn’t gone over well at all.
    “ Hold on, angel.” Perla tugged
Bella’s wrist before she could leave. “Have a seat.”
    Bella took a quick look around. Everything
was, for the moment, under control, so she sat down. “What’s
up?”
    “ I have a thought about Gus.”
Perla flicked one manicured fingernail with another. “I may be
talking myself out of my mad money, but our Gus needs to feel
appreciated for his creative endeavors. He needs people to enjoy
them, but the problem is, no one sees these concoctions of his as
creative. Maybe—” She wagged her finger at Bella. “Maybe you should
suggest he paint or do interior design. Or fashion.” She clapped
her hands. “That’s it! He sews the aprons for the restaurant,
right? He should create a line of clothing. There’s always a demand
for it.” Perla smoothed a hand over her figure.
    “ Yes, Gus can bake regular food by
day and let his imagination run wild on yards of fabric in the
evening.” Perla stood and patted Bella’s shoulders. “Don’t you
worry, angel, I’ll set that man straight.” She snorted. “Well,
maybe not straight, but I’ll tell him my idea. I doubt Giac or Harry would be happy if I made Gus straight. Then we’d
have a whole other problem on our hands.” She flipped her hands and
scurried away. “Wish me luck!”
    Bella shared a commiserating shrug with Harry.
Perla meant well. Just like Gus with his creations.
    She returned to the counter, wiped down one
departing patron’s spot, then was about to refill Mr. Griff’s cup
of tea when he put some money on the counter.
    Bella covered his hand with hers. “Oh, no, Mr.
Griff. This one is on the house. A welcome-to-the-neighborhood
gift.”
    He smiled from ear to ear. “Thank you, lass. I
always knew you were—that is, er, you look like a generous soul.”
He put his other hand atop hers. “You must come to my shop someday
and I’ll find you the prettiest pair of shoes you ever saw—on the
house, of course.” He winked then hurried out the door so quickly
it was as if he had wings on his feet, leaving behind three coins
as a tip. Three gold coins. Hmmm, maybe he really was a
leprechaun.
    Bella shook her head. Leprechauns, fairy
tales, unicorns… She needed to get a grip on reality.
    Or on a really hunky
guy.
    Been there, done that. And, oh, had it been
nice.
    But then he’d pulled away and apologized.
Probably for the best, but still…
    She plunked her chin in her hand and toyed
with the coins. If only…
     
    ***
     
    “ Kelly, get me a sub’s contract,
will you?” Reese asked his assistant as he passed her desk on his
way to his office.
    “ Okay, but—” Kelly didn’t get the
rest of her sentence out before it became obsolete. “Luke Jamison
is here to see you.”
    Through his office door, Reese could see that.
And he was not happy about it.
    Especially with the guy making himself
comfortable behind his desk, rifling through his papers.
    “ Something you needed, Luke?”
Reese refrained from throwing his fist into Luke’s face. Barely.
“Or are you trying to see where the benefit was that