Page 38 of The Princess and the Pizza Man

A grandfather clock in the living space dinged low and loud, striking at the hour—a half hour past when Bells promised she’d be there.

Winter blew out a sigh, longingly looking at the pizza on the edge of the still-warm oven. After fifteen minutes, Will had set it there so it wouldn’t get cold. An irritating itch ran over his skin, and hehmphedas well. If Bells made it so his dinner wasn’t up to his standards, he was gonna have more than a few words with her. Impressing Winter had suddenly become his top priority for this evening. After sticking his foot so far down his throat with mentioning Penelope, he was eager to put a genuine smile back on her face.

“Bells is always late to everything,” he said light-heartedly, but both Winter and his hunger were getting the best of them. He pulled his phone from his pocket and held it near his face. “You mind?”

“Please,” she said, slumping onto the table. “The smell is going to kill me if I don’t get to taste it soon.”

He chuckled and slid his finger around his screen.Where are you?he texted. Then he set the phone on the beautiful reclaimed wood table they were sitting at.

They both sat in hungry silence, waiting for his phone to buzz. A few times Will had thought it was vibrating against the table, but the sound was only his stomach rumbling.

“They better be making out somewhere,” Winter said, not a pinch of humor in her voice. If Will wasn’t so hungry himself, he’d appreciate how passionate she was about food.

He picked his phone up again and tapped Bells’ name. It rang three times into his ear before she answered.

“H-hey. Sorry. Just eat without me.”

His brows shot up, and he slowly rose from his seat. “Y’all okay?”

“I… Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You sure don’t sound like it.”

There was a pause, and Will’s eyes met Winter’s, her brow pulled tightly together, making that cute wrinkle pop above her nose. She mouthed, “Everything okay?” And Will lifted his shoulders and a finger.

“You in the room?” he asked. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

“No,” Bells blurted. “I’m fine, ya hear? Just eat your dinner. I’ll talk to you in the mornin’.”

She hung up before he could argue, and Will brought the phone down and stared at the screen. If he was a selfish person, he’d definitely ignore the slight rise in Bells’ voice, the breathiness like she’d been cryin’, and sit on down and enjoy a meal with the woman he was growing attached to. But he reminded himself that he wasn’t there to get shot with Cupid; he was there for Bells.

“Hey, I think I’d better—”

“Of course, yeah…” Winter pushed up from her seat and started gathering the breadsticks and marinara. “Let me pack this up so you can have it in your room.”

“You don’t gotta do—”

“Shh… yes I do.” She scurried through the kitchen, trying and failing to find anything to pack up the food. Will’s mouth twitched, and he went over to help.

“Sorry ‘bout this,” he said as he wrapped up a couple slices in aluminum.

“Is she okay? Was it Garreth?” Her eyes got serious, and she slammed a fist into her palm. “Do I need to have a talk with him?”

A gut-filled laugh spilled from his lips. “Not sure yet, but I’ll let ya know.”

She filled his arms up with food and rushed him to the door. His brain left momentarily when she set a hand on his upper back and pushed.

“You just wanna eat, don’t you?” he said through a laugh. “Soon as I’m gone you’re attacking the other half of that.” He nodded to the pizza sitting on the counter.

“That’s only part of why I’m rushing you out,” she said, her smile wide and beautiful. “But you bet your butt I’m more worried about Bells.”

Warmth spread through him at the fact that she’d called his sister by her preferred name. It felt personal, like she truly cared about this stranger.

He turned on the spot, wanting to give her a hug, thank her for a night that had felt like home, but with his hands full, he just ended up staring awkwardly.

She laughed and squeezed herself up against his side instead. “Goodnight, Will.”

“’Night, Princess,” he teased.

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