Chapter 28

“This one turned out really good.”

Bella held her phone up to Edward, who took a quick glance and smiled at the image before aiming his eyes back at the road before them.

“I’m glad we finally made it out to the lighthouse,” he said. “The view is pretty amazing from there.”

“Yeah, it is,” Bella agreed, flipping through the photos on her phone’s touch screen. “We were lucky to come across that jogger - it was nice of him to stop and take pictures of us together.”

Edward nodded. “You’ll have to email them to me.”

Bella fiddled with her phone for a few minutes, forwarding the pictures one by one: the two of them close together, arms around each other, with the scenic lighthouse and impending sunset as their backdrop; the one of her holding up a giant shell to her ear to hear the telltale waves; the one of Edward posing atop a giant boulder like some explorer who’d conquered a new world.

“Done,” she announced when the photos were sent.

“Thanks.”

Bella stared at Edward as the sun descended behind him, casting his profile in stark and regal relief, like the bust on a coin. She wondered if she would always be this mesmerized by him. Surely that would fade as familiarity replaced novelty. But right now, she couldn’t imagine it.

“So, why won’t you tell me where you’re taking me to dinner?” she asked as they headed north toward the city.

“I told you, it’s a surprise.” His grin was positively impish.

“Well, I hope it’s no place too fancy, considering how I look.” She began searching her backpack for a brush to tame her beach hair, blowing about her face once more in wild abandon.

“You look gorgeous,” Edward answered without missing a beat. His eyes raked over her disheveled clothes, but she knew he was seeing her bikini, and what lay beneath, in his mind’s eye.

Heat seeped into Bella’s cheeks as she recalled their sexual tryst on the beach. She didn’t know what had made her so bold, going down on him like that in public, even if they were mostly hidden from view. She only knew she didn’t want to leave him unsatisfied, not after the dizzying heights to which he’d driven her once more with just a few well-placed fingers.

“I had fun today,” she said, wondering if her blush would give her away her meaning. “Thanks for taking me to Discovery Park.”

“The pleasure was all mine,” he answered, his smirk implying that he knew exactly what she was talking about. “Trust me.”

“I do trust you. But it was our pleasure. We’re in this together,” she reminded him.

His expression turned more serious as he turned grateful eyes to hers. “You’re pretty amazing, you know that? I’m a lucky guy.”

She gave him that little Mona Lisa smile again. “Yeah, you are.”

He chuckled and nodded as he steered them toward the twinkling lights of the city.

# # # # # # # # # #

Alice Cullen’s ass had been buzzing all night.

Well, it was her left butt cheek, to be exact. That was the pants pocket which held her phone, set to vibrate. Her right back pocket was reserved for her order pad. She’d never quite mastered the art of memorizing her customers’ menu selections, so she diligently wrote down their choices in a messy shorthand of her own design, complete with cues as to which dish went with which customer. Luckily Sophia and the sous chefs at Mama Giana’s Ristorante were adept at deciphering her scribbles.

She stuffed her latest order sheet into the carousel above the warming station, then reached eagerly for her phone. The text was a simple one, but made her perma-grin widen.

I’ll bet you look cute in your uniform. Describe it to me again.
Grandma Em had always told her the shy ones were the ones you had to watch out for, and Jasper Whitlock was turning out to be no exception.

Short-sleeved peasant blouse, cut just low enough to get me some extra tip money, she typed back as quickly as her thumbs would allow. Black slacks. Pretty basic.

I’m definitely coming in some night to see it. I might turn out to be a very generous tipper.
Alice nearly jumped up and down at that response. Well, I’m here until closing tonight. Otherwise you’ll have to wait until Wednesday for my next shift. She almost added, “How’s that for being direct?”

She stared at the screen impatiently for a full minute, waiting for Jasper’s reply. She was about to give up and stuff the phone back in her pocket when it buzzed once more in the palm of her hand.

I’m on my way.

Alice practically bounced back to the restaurant floor, giddy with excitement. She hadn’t seen Jasper since Thursday, when she’d met him for lunch between classes at a burger joint near the quad. They had shared their experiences of their first week at U-Dub over a giant order of chili cheese fries. They’d lingered over each bite, talking more than eating, neither very anxious to get to their next class. By the time they were forced to leave, he’d finally, somewhat bashfully, asked her what she was doing this weekend. She had regretfully informed him she was working at the restaurant every night. He’d looked as disappointed as she felt. Two hours later, after their classes were through, she received her first text message from him, asking her how it went. Her ass had been vibrating with Jasper Whitlock’s words ever since.

“Couple at Booth Five,” said Deb, the hostess, as she passed Alice on the way to the kitchen.

“I’m on it,” Alice chirped. She decided she’d better dial it down a notch so her next customers wouldn’t think she’d been free-basing out in the alley on her break.

She grabbed two menus and wove her way around the tables to the far side of restaurant where the cozier booths were situated. Booth Five was one of the smaller, more secluded spots usually requested by couples who wanted a romantic evening together. She wondered if she could get Jasper seated back here, and then spend her break with him.

She was plotting the maneuver in her head as she whipped around the corner to the opening of the booth, brandishing her menus.

“Hi, I’m Alice and I’ll be your server this eve---”

But her words were cut off by the blunt impact of surprise at who she found looking up at her. First she saw the enormous brown eyes of the cashier from the bookstore - the one Edward had a thing for - staring up at her in equal shock. Then her focus quickly jumped across the table to none other than Edward himself, looking a little sheepish, and a lot expectant.

Alice wasted scant time gawking at them both before exclaiming, “Get out! I can’t believe you’re here. Together. The two of you. On a date.” She said the last word with the incredulity it deserved, but then realized she might be blowing things for her cousin. “I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with that. At all. I think it’s great, in fact.”

Edward cringed slightly. “Everybody’s got to eat, right?” he downplayed. “And Sophia makes the best Italian food in the city. I take it you remember Bella from the bookstore, right?”

“Yeah, of course!” she exclaimed with a smile at Bella, who gave her one in return. “I’m sorry I didn’t call you, but this first week of school kind of put me on overload, you know?”

“Oh, I know. It’s overwhelming at first. But you’ll get into the routine soon enough,” Bella said in assurance. “Call me anytime, though. Especially if you have any questions about classes or anything.”

“Thanks, I will. We’ll have to get together sometime, for sure.” She shot Edward a look, trying to discern his feelings on the matter. The small but pleased grin on his face nearly floored her. She hadn’t seen that expression since the last piano recital he’d done before going to Julliard. The appreciative crowd had given him a standing ovation, and though his face had been composed to express modest appreciation, his uncontainable grin had belied his struggle to keep from bursting at the seams with pride and happiness.

Alice looked at Bella once more, marveling at how she had accomplished such a feat. She had made her cousin happy again.

Bella was positively beaming herself, for that matter. “Yeah, we should hang out,” she told Alice. “I’m sure we’ll have lots to talk about.” Her gaze drifted back to Edward’s, and her eyebrow raised mischievously. It looked like Bella Swan was ready to hear more about Edward Masen - if she even knew that was his real last name. And Alice was more than happy to give her an earful.

Edward colored slightly, perhaps realizing the can of worms he might be opening by encouraging the two girls to get together. “Great,” he said at last in resignation.

Alice chuckled and handed them their menus, then recited the evening specials for them. She already knew Edward would want the lasagna, but she figured she might entice his date into something more adventurous.

“The crab agnolotti sounds good. I think I’ll have that,” Bella decided after Alice was finished.

“Oh, it is! It’s delicious,” Alice enthused, scribbling the item on her pad. She was about to ask what they’d like to drink when her cousin stunned her for the second time that evening.

“That sounds good. I’ll have the same,” Edward announced. “And we’ll have a bottle of the house pinot grigio to go with it.”

Alice gaped at him dumbly like he’d given her the entire order in Italian.

“What, no lasagna?” she finally asked with a laugh. “Sophia will be crushed.”

Edward only smiled. “Well, maybe it’s time for me to change it up a little. Try something new.”

He and Bella seemed to exchange a conspiratorial look, like they had a special secret between them. Alice stared at them for a long moment before adding a “2” in front of the agnolotti order on her ticket. She then retrieved their menus and left the duo alone in their bubble of obvious mutual attraction.

She spent the next twenty minutes subtly eavesdropping on them while she waited on other customers. The two had clammed up when she served their wine, and then their meals, so she had to resort to sneakier methods. She wasn’t interested in the topics of conversation so much as Edward’s behavior. Though Alice had never seen him working as an escort, thank God, she knew he had a coolly charming persona that he could put on at will, like the suits he donned before leaving the house. She’d seen that side of him whenever she’d been able to attend his music concerts - the veneer of the consummate professional hiding a bundle of nerves and latent insecurities within. He used to throw up sometimes before performances when he was younger. But onstage, you’d never know it. He always appeared calm and unflappable, the picture of confidence.

But she soon discerned that Edward did not use this mask with Bella. His smiles and laughter were genuine, as was his obvious affection. Every time Alice glanced at their table, she was struck by how at ease her cousin looked. How like himself he was. His old self, before the demands of everyday life had thrown him off track. She overheard him joke about dunking Bella in the Sound, claiming he never would have gone through with it - that her shrieks when he threw her over his shoulder and waded out knee-deep into the water were entertaining enough. She thought she heard Bella say something like, “I have better ways of entertaining you,” which made Edward’s eyebrow shoot skyward as he agreed that she certainly did.

Wow. This is serious, Alice realized. Not because of the apparent physical intimacy, but the emotional closeness. Edward was all in. She’d never seen him like this with anyone before. A glimmer of hope flooded her, like the sun breaking through the cracks in a cloudy sky. This girl really was the key to Edward making a change for the better. Alice was suddenly certain the tiny brunette sitting across from him would be able to succeed where she’d failed, and give him a reason to quit selling himself to others.

Alice hummed happily to herself as she rang up Edward and Bella’s order. She was heading back to their table when a familiar tall, blond drink of water entered the restaurant. Happiness turned to elation at the sight of Jasper Whitlock’s broad grin and quick wave when he saw her. She waved back and grabbed Deb, who was already on her way to greet him.

“Seat him at Booth Six,” Alice whispered to the hostess.

Deb glanced at the handsome young man, then at her co-worker. “Sure thing,” she said with a wink.

By the time Alice got to Booth Five, Edward and Bella looked anxious to leave. They rose from their seats immediately when she tried to give Edward his change. He shooed her hand away and told her to buy herself a hot fudge sundae - her favorite - later.

“Thanks,” she told him, pocketing the change. “Speaking of which, are you sure you two don’t want to order dessert? The tiramisu here is to die for.”

Edward and Bella shared that same private-joke look as before, and Alice was still fascinated by the sight of it.

“No, I think we’re finished here,” he said, after Bella shook her head in refusal.

“The dinner was delicious, though, really,” she assured Alice, finally tearing her eyes away from Edward’s. “Please tell the chef how good it was.”

“I will, now that you’re leaving,” Alice replied. She shot her cousin a look. “I didn’t tell Sophia you were here with a date so she wouldn’t do anything crazy, like spit in your food.”

Bella frowned and gave them both a quizzical look. “I’ll explain in the car,” Edward told her.

As they all turned to leave, they nearly bumped into the hostess leading Jasper to his table. Alice intercepted, grabbing him by the arm to stop him.

“I’m glad you came,” she told him, giving his bicep a squeeze. “Jasper, this is my cousin, Edward, and his date, Bella. This is Jasper Whitlock. I met him in the bookstore last week - he just transferred here from Texas Tech.”

They all said hello, while the males shook hands and sized each other up. Both Edward and Jasper were similar in stature and build; they even had matching crooked grins. But while Jasper’s was conciliatory, Edward’s was wary. He was clearly protective of his baby cousin, but Jasper understood why. Alice had filled him in on a brief family history, enough for him to know Edward was a brother and caretaker to her, and the only real family she had.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Jasper told him in his most polite southern drawl. “Alice has been kind enough to show me the ropes around campus, since I’m new. She’s a special girl.”

Edward gave him a brief smile, his eyes narrowing slightly. “That she is,” he agreed. His expression seemed to add, “And don’t you forget it.”

Alice was grateful for Deb’s interruption as she showed Jasper to the booth behind them.

“Geez, Edward, you could have been a little nicer,” Alice hissed, giving him a quick whack on the arm. “I like him. He’s a good guy.”

“I hope so,” her cousin replied. “If not, he’ll have to answer to me.”

Alice rolled her eyes at his macho posturing. Bella seemed to find the whole thing amusing, though she gave her a sympathetic look as she followed Edward to the door.

“I’ll call you soon,” Alice hollered after her with a wave. She decided she was going to make good on her promise this time. Not only could Bella help her coax Edward to look for some alternatives to his current job, but she might be able to help soften his attitude toward Jasper.

She turned her attention to the broadly grinning Texan awaiting her in the next booth. After handing him a menu with an exaggerated sweep of her hand, she recited the day’s specials once more. He ordered the linguini and clams with a Goose Island beer.

“And can I get you an appetizer of some kind?” she added, deliberately leaning over the table to flash him a little cleavage as she took his menu.

His hungry eyes lingered over her enticements for a moment before returning to her inquisitive gaze.

“You do know how to whet a man’s appetite, Miss Cullen,” he said with a lazy grin. “I’ll take an order of whatever you recommend.”

Her grin was not nearly so slow to arrive as his. “I’ll have the chef whip up something special for you.”

“Sounds great. Surprise me.”

“I’ll do my best.”

Forget the left butt cheek, she thought. Alice’s entire body was vibrating this time as she bounced back to the kitchen.