Sunday, August 18, 2013

Chapter 48

“Are those blueberry pancakes I smell?”

Edward grinned at the sound of Alice’s voice behind him. “You know it,” he replied, reaching for the spatula in order to flip them.

“And you know I’m an addict when I can smell them over the bacon,” she said with a laugh. “Here, let me help.”

She scooted past him to the stove and grabbed the tongs from the nearby counter, then turned the bacon while Edward flipped the flapjacks. They worked in silence for a moment, enjoying their usual morning routine a little more now that they each had someone else to cook for.

“I see you made enough for everyone,” Alice noted. “Is Bella awake yet?”

“No. She had a pretty rough evening before I brought her home. I thought I’d surprise her with breakfast in bed.”

“You’re such a romantic,” she teased. “I like that idea. Maybe I’ll do the same for Jasper.”

Alice glanced up at Edward for his reaction, but his face remained serene.

“You weren’t really mad about catching me and Jasper last night, were you?” she asked, just to be sure.

“No,” he replied evenly. “Although I really didn’t need to see the two of you going at it. I could use some brain bleach for that one. But I actually like Jasper. He seems like a good guy.”

“He’s a great guy. I know you’ll like him the more you get to know him. He’s really helped me cope with a lot of things, like Em getting worse. He’s even offered to come with me to visit her. Not many guys would do that, you know?”

“I know.” Edward paused, recalling their grandmother’s desire to meet Bella, even if she wasn’t lucid enough to remember it. “I’ve thought about taking Bella, too. Maybe we could call Tranquility Gardens ahead of time to find out how Em’s doing, and then we could all go see her together. I think it would help for her to know we’re not alone anymore.”

He stopped, blinking back the tears welling in his eyes. Now was not the time for sorrow. Not today.

“That’s a good idea,” Alice agreed. She put down the tongs and gave Edward’s arm a reassuring squeeze. “Have you thought about how we’re going to keep her there? It’s such a nice place, and the staff has been so good with her. I don’t want to have to move her.”

Edward nodded and set the spatula on the stove with a sigh. “Me neither. I’ll look into some financial aid again this week. I have enough money to get us through the piano contest, anyway. But after that, I’ve got to find some work, regardless of how the competition goes.”

He turned and gave his cousin a smile, hoping it looked more encouraging than grim. Of course, he couldn’t fool her for a minute.

“It’s going to be okay, Edward,” she insisted with typical pluck. “I don’t know exactly how, but it will. Things can only get better now that you’re done selling yourself. God, I’m so happy about that, I can’t even. . .”

She threw her arms around him in lieu of finishing the sentence. He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, once again grateful for her innate enthusiasm. “I’m pretty happy about it myself.”

“I guess the only person who isn’t is your boss,” Alice said with a snort. She drew back and raised curious eyes to his. “So, what did Rosalie do when you broke the news to her?”

Edward’s grin faded. “Well. . .that remains to be seen.”

Alice’s eyes bulged. “You haven’t told her?”

He shook his head with a slight grimace.

“So you haven’t actually quit yet. You haven’t given your notice.”

“Not officially,” he admitted, reluctant to receive one of Alice’s judgmental lectures. “But she knew it was only a matter of time. I was kind of on probation with the agency, anyway. Once my date from last night gives Rosalie the lowdown of what happened, I’m sure my ass will be grass. She’ll probably fire me before I get the chance to quit.”

“I don’t know about that,” Alice said, frowning. “You were one of her most popular guys. You think she wants to give up that kind of cash flow without a fight?”

“Under other circumstances, I’d say no. But Rosalie’s actually not as bad as you think. She kind of gets where I’m coming from. She went through it herself, with Emmett.”

“I suppose so,” Alice said with a shrug. “Maybe he can soften her up for you. Is he coming over for Black Ops this afternoon?”

Edward nodded. “Yeah. But this is something I’ll need to do in person, not through Emmett.”

“Right, of course.” Alice paused, her forehead crinkling. “So what happened on your date last night that was so bad? You said Bella had a rough night. Did she get involved somehow?”

“More like, I was the cause,” came a female voice from behind them. Edward and Alice turned in unison to find a sleepy-eyed Bella in the kitchen doorway, with Jasper right on her heels.

“The cause? How do you mean?” asked Alice, while Edward shook his head in disagreement.

“Remember my friend Jessica, from the bar? You met her the night before my birthday,” Bella reminded her as she headed toward one of the bar stools at the island counter. Jasper followed, pulling the stool out for her before seating himself beside her.

“She was a delight, as I recall,” he commented, his drawl only accenting the sarcasm.

Bella let out a small laugh. “Right. Well, she outdid herself this time. I underestimated her jealousy over Mike. She figured out my connection to Edward, then hired him to take her to the same party she knew Mike was taking me to last night.”

Jasper’s mouth formed a surprised ‘O’ while Alice shrieked in outrage.

“Get out! She did not really do that.” Edward and Bella’s identical nods refuted her.

“I had no idea who she was,” he clarified. “If I had, I never would have let Rose set up the date.”

“What a scheming little ho-bag!” Alice fumed.

“I’m a little confused, though,” Jasper interjected to Bella. “Why were you on a date with Mike?”

Her blush was one of guilt. “Because I’m an idiot. I underestimated his feelings for me, too. I thought we could go out as just friends. I was wrong.”

“Stop blaming yourself,” Edward reprimanded. “I was the one still in the position for her to use me to hurt you. It won’t happen again.”

He spoke with finality before turning and checking on the breakfast, now ready to be served. He motioned to Alice to get the dishes out of the cupboard while he placed the cooked bacon on paper towels to drain. Minutes later, the four friends were lined up at the bar, devouring pancakes in between conversing, just as they had the week before. Edward could sense the beginning of a new tradition, and the feeling warmed him down to his toes.

“Well, I still think Jessica is the main one to blame in all of this,” Alice declared after hearing both Bella and Edward’s sides of the debacle. “She’s just a class-A beyotch, plain and simple. What she did was beyond cruel. I hope you bitch-slapped her like she deserved, Bella.”

Bella laughed and spoke with a twinge of regret. “I think I was too traumatized. I’m more of a stick-my-head-in-the-sand type when it comes to confrontation. I just freeze. But you’re right, I might have felt better if I’d hauled off and slugged her instead.”

“But in the end, you stood up for yourself. And me,” Edward reminded her. “You don’t know how much that meant to me,” he added quietly.

Bella’s eyes met his, and she saw exactly how much it meant. “I do know. You were so quiet last night after I finally told everyone off. Whenever you’re at a loss for words, that’s when I know something has really touched you, down deep.”

As if to prove it, he stared at her dumbly for a moment. “You know me well,” he said at last, a grin spreading across his face.

Bella grinned back and reached for her orange juice.

“Well, if I ever see her again on campus, I’ll bitch-slap her myself,” Alice announced. “She’s got it coming to her. Not only did she hurt you, she could have gotten Edward arrested, blowing his cover like that in front of everyone. Rosalie will have a cow if she finds out.”

“Shit,” Bella exclaimed, setting her glass down with a thud. “I never even thought of that. I admitted the truth about our relationship to the entire room.”

Edward looked at her panic-stricken face and tried to reassure her. “Don’t worry about it. There’s no proof. And since I’m resigning, no one can come after Rosalie because of me. I’ll no longer be her employee.”

The truth was, he didn’t know whether he should be worried about the possibility or not. He very much doubted that anyone at last night’s Greek cocktail really cared about busting him or the agency. He just hoped Jessica wasn’t vindictive enough to do it herself.

A silence fell over the kitchen, and he wondered if the others were thinking the same thing.

“Well, I think Edward’s right,” Jasper said at last. “I doubt anyone from that party will go to the trouble of finding his agency just to squeal on him. As my grandmamma used to say, ‘Don’t borrow trouble.’”

“Oh, that sounds like what Em always told us: don’t worry until it’s time to worry,” Alice chimed in.

“Words to live by.” Jasper raised his juice glass and proposed a toast. “Here’s to the wisdom of the wonderful ladies in our lives.”

“Hear, hear,” was the unison response, along with the clinking of glass and gulping of orange juice.

“Ooh, we should have opened some champagne and made mimosas,” Alice lamented. “To celebrate Edward finally getting his head out of his ass. And to thank Bella for giving him a reason to do it.”

Edward’s answering smile was more of a sneer. “That’s a beautiful sentiment. But true,” he admitted with a rueful laugh.

Bella barely had time to give him a reproachful look before a loud banging at the kitchen door diverted everyone’s attention.

“Is Emmett here already?” Alice wondered aloud. “Seems kind of early, although I guess it is getting close to noon.”

Edward hopped off his bar stool and down the short flight of steps to the side door. “Keep your pants on, McCarty,” he joked as he unlocked the door and yanked it open. “I’d prefer your ass be covered when I hand it to you this afternoon.”

His gloating died in the cool coastal air floating through the doorway. For instead of being greeted by Emmett’s grinning mug, Edward was met with Rosalie Hale’s cool blue stare.

“I’d say it’s a little late for that,” she told him without missing a beat. “I think you already handed me my ass last night. Although, to be fair, you had some help.”

Edward’s face went ashen. “I take it you heard from Jessica this morning?” he managed to say, trying to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.

“Oh, yes. She gave me an earful. She’s a real treat,” Rosalie said with a tight smile, her sarcasm more biting than Jasper’s had been. “Mind if I come in?”

“No, of course not.” Edward stepped back and motioned for her to lead the way up the stairs. He was about to close the door when he caught Emmett’s hulking form striding up the sidewalk from the drive. He gave his friend a curious look, wondering why the two of them had come to the house together. Surely Rose didn’t want to wait around while Emmett and Edward played their usual rounds of video games. Or was she so angry that she’d forbidden her boyfriend to hang out at the Cullen house?

Edward followed her and Emmett up the stairs, taking in the surprised stares of the girls at the bar. Jasper had no idea who the guests were, but Alice and Bella certainly did. Bella blanched, getting that look on her face that Edward thought he’d seen the last of. Her expression was one of intimidation. But why? Rosalie couldn’t hold anything over them now.

Bella gaped openly at the vision of Edward’s boss entering the room. Even on a Sunday morning, wearing jeans and a simple knit shirt, Rosalie Hale’s striking beauty managed to outshine every glossy surface of the brand-new Cullen kitchen. Bella absently finger-combed the tangled strands of her own hair, wishing she’d at least dragged a brush through it, or put on some clothes besides a pair of Edward’s old sweats before coming downstairs this morning.

“Good morning, everyone,” Rosalie greeted them somewhat sheepishly, apparently sensing she’d interrupted their personal time. “Bella, it’s nice to see you again,” she continued with a nod. Bella nodded in return, her cheeks reddening.

Rosalie’s attention shifted to the slip of a girl sitting next to her. Her large, hazel eyes were the same shape as Edward’s green ones, and just as sharp. “You must be Alice. I’ve heard a lot about you. All good, of course. I’m Rosalie,” she added, sticking out her hand in introduction.

Alice reluctantly gave her a brief handshake. “Good to finally meet you,” she managed, though her tone was insincere.

Rosalie’s grin broadened. The girl reminded her so much of Edward, but without the ability to sugar-coat her true feelings. She liked that in a person. She worked with glib charmers every day. Straight shooters like Emmett and Alice were a breath of fresh air. As was Jasper Whitlock, when he stretched his hand over the counter and introduced himself with a lilting Southern “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Hale.”

An uncomfortable but brief silence fell after the introductions, interrupted by Emmett’s booming voice as he perused the kitchen. “Pancakes and bacon? Did you leave me any leftovers?”

“No, but I can fix more,” Alice piped up.

Rosalie gave Emmett a swat on one beefy bicep. “Don’t listen to him. We just came from brunch at Vios. He needs more bacon like he needs another hole in his head.”

“I can always make room for bacon. Not to mention homemade pancakes,” Emmett argued.

“It doesn’t mean you should,” his paramour argued back. “I’d like to see you make it past fifty, you know.”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily,” he shot back with an ornery grin, sliding his arm around her and giving her a squeeze. “You know I’m gonna live forever, just to irritate you.”

“Is that a promise or a threat?”

Emmett gave her another squeeze. “A little of both.”

Edward listened to their gentle bickering with interest. Though Rose was being a hard-ass as always, her expression was softer than he’d ever seen it before. Emmett had definitely thawed that ice princess with his unstoppable warmth. Her glacial eyes were reduced to mere puddles as she tried in vain to give him a glare. She pressed her lips together to stop a grin from forming, to no avail. It crept across her face like the dawn, infusing that cool landscape with a warm glow that was all new to Edward. Not to Emmett, though. The knowing smile and quick peck he gave her had the easiness of everyday gestures.

Rosalie seemed to turn away from him with reluctance as she faced Edward once more. “If you’re done with your breakfast, I’d like to have a word with you.”

Edward nodded. “Sure,” he said, his voice a bit hollow as he gestured to the living room. “Let’s go sit in the other room.”

He drank in Bella’s look of encouragement before following Rosalie out of the kitchen.

“This is a beautiful house, Edward,” she commented, her appreciative eyes sweeping the room. “No wonder you’ve fought so hard to keep it.”

“It’s been in the family for years,” he replied. “I just hope I can keep it that way.”

Rosalie turned to face him, her expression peculiar. She fished around in her designer bag, finally procuring a long, white business envelope.

“Maybe this will help,” she said as she handed it to him.

He took the envelope, uneasiness twisting his stomach despite her words. “What is this my pink slip?”

“Just open it.”

He did as instructed, unfolding the long legal paper with equal parts curiosity and apprehension. When he saw what the document contained, he raised stunned eyes to his boss.

“This is the title to the Volvo.”

Rosalie nodded, another grin pulling at her lips. “Yes, it is.”

“I don’t understand.” He understood, all right; he just didn’t quite believe it.

“It’s yours,” she clarified. “So is the wardrobe. I don’t have any use for the car, or a closet-full of designer suits. But you might. They should bring in enough money to tide you over in a pinch. Hopefully it won’t come to that, but if it does, well, maybe this can provide a little cushion for you and your family.”

The lump formed in Edward’s throat once more, but for a very different reason this time. “This is . . .” He shook his head, searching for the right words. “. . . incredibly generous of you, Rosalie. Considering how things went down, you have every right to bounce me out on my ass and repossess everything I ever put on that expense account.”

She arched one impeccably-groomed eyebrow. “You know I wouldn’t do that to you. We had a good run, Edward. You did amazingly well, considering your heart was never really in it. I don’t begrudge you anything. Consider it a bonus. A parting gift, if you will.”

A ghost of grin swept over his face. “So I am fired.”

She let out a wry laugh. “You pretty much gave your notice a couple of weeks ago. I probably should have let you go then, but what can I say? I’m greedy. I hoped you’d change your mind. I’m already having a hard time trying to figure out what to do with your clients. They’re insistent when it comes to you. They don’t want any substitutes. But the truth is, I can’t have another incident like last night on my hands. It was all I could do to calm Jessica Stanley down so she wouldn’t report us to the authorities. When I pointed out to her that she’d be implicating herself as well, that finally did the trick.”

Edward let out a long breath, then slumped into a nearby chair. “I’m sorry about that whole mess. If I’d had any idea that girl had a connection to Bella, I never would have let you book the date.”

Rosalie seated herself at the end of the sofa, next to Edward’s chair. “Well, if it wasn’t her, then it would have been another client eventually. There’s a reason I have a hard and fast rule about my escorts getting personally involved with customers. It just doesn’t work, especially when our clients are women. They have a tendency to get more emotionally attached than men do. So when an escort reciprocates outside the parameters of a work, the situation goes south very fast.”

“Mixing business and pleasure never works. Even in our profession.”

“Especially in our profession,” she corrected him with another wry smile. “Ironically enough.”

Edward’s weak grin faded. “I’m sorry I put you in that position. I fought my connection with Bella at first, you know. I didn’t want the complication. But when that changed, I should have made a clean break with you and the agency instead of asking you for special treatment. And yet you still went out of your way to help me out in the end.” He shook his head, baffled.

“I like you, Edward,” Rosalie said simply. “Well, the little I know of you. But you’re Emmett’s friend, and he cares about you a lot. That’s good enough for me.”

Edward smiled, realizing he was beginning to like Rosalie as well. “Well, Emmett’s obviously crazy about you. And that’s good enough for me, too.”

She grinned, nodding. “Well, maybe we can work on this friendship thing now that you’re no longer under my employ.”

“Sure. I’d like that,” he answered with his own smile. “How are you at video war games?”

She let out a laugh. “Are you asking me to join you and Emmett for a little Call of Duty action?”

“If you’re up to the challenge,” he taunted.

“I’m always up for a challenge. You do realize Emmett makes me play Black Ops with him when you’re not around, right? I’m a force to be reckoned with.”

“I don’t doubt that for a second.”

The two appraised one another through this new lens of friendship. The view suited them both, and they grinned again.

“Let’s go get the others and split into teams,” Rosalie suggested, rising from the couch.

“Good idea,” Edward agreed as he stood and folded the car title to fit back into the envelope. His expression sobered once more, and he grabbed Rosalie’s arm to stop her from leaving the room. She turned and looked up at him in surprise.

“Thank you.” His voice was gruff, strangled by that damned lump again.

Rosalie looked into his grateful eyes and quietly said, “You’re welcome.”

Edward wondered if he should hug her. He hesitated for a moment, noting that she looked as awkward as he felt. He finally busied himself putting the car title back in its envelope, then filed it in the drawer of the closest end table for safe-keeping.

Rosalie looked relieved when he turned and gestured to the kitchen where their friends waited. As they exited the living room, she glanced up at him and said, “If I hadn’t let you go today, you would have quit anyway, wouldn’t you?”

Her words sounded more like a statement of fact than a question. He gave her a sheepish look. “That was the plan.”

“Well, then,” she said, “I’m glad I beat you to the punch.”

He snorted softly. That sounded like the Rosalie he knew.

“You do like having the upper hand,” he noted.

“Always.”

“I’m not so sure I want to play Call of Duty with you anymore,” he teased as they entered the kitchen.

“Don’t be a sissy-pants,” she shot back. “Emmett, your friend here is afraid I’m going to annihilate him at Black Ops. What do you think of that?”

“Sissy-pants?” Edward echoed with another snort, while Emmett guiltily finished off the last piece of bacon.

“I think he’s right to be worried,” Emmett said before wiping his mouth and turning to Edward. “She’s brutal, man. I’ve created a monster.”

“All right, that’s enough trash talk. Let’s get this covert operation started,” Rosalie announced. She looked at a clearly surprised Bella and Alice, who gaped at her from across their empty plates. “You two want to join me in a little video game challenge? Girls against the boys. What do you say?”

Alice recovered first, her round eyes crinkling as she grinned. “Well, I generally suck at video games, but if you don’t mind a handicap, I’ll give it a try.”

“I’m afraid I’ll be the handicap,” Bella interjected. “I’ve never even played Black Ops before.”

“It’s not hard--I’ll teach you,” Edward offered.

Bella gave him a quick what-the-hell-just-happened-in-there? look. His eyes responded with a silent I’ll-tell-you-later.

“Hey, no fraternizing with the enemy,” Rosalie teased. “He’s right, though. It’s not hard to learn. Maybe the boys will be kind enough to give us a practice run before we start.”

The guys readily agreed, then watched still-shocked Bella and Alice accompany Rosalie to the family room. Edward shook his head at this rather strange turn of events, then began cleaning up the dirty plates from the bar. Jasper jumped in and helped him load the dishwasher while Emmett opened the refrigerator in search of beer.

“So, how did it go in there?” he asked, feigning nonchalance as he popped open a brew.

“Better than I ever expected,” Edward answered. He glanced at Jasper and told him, “Rosalie actually gave me the title to the car I’ve been driving. The C70.” He turned from Jasper’s look of surprise to Emmett’s poker face. “But you already knew that, didn’t you?”

Emmett shrugged. “She mentioned she might try to help ease the transition of you leaving the business. That ought to help you out, right?”

“Quite a bit,” he replied. “Come on, drop the innocent act. You had something to do with this, didn’t you? You put her up to it.”

Emmett raised his hands in denial. “Giving you the car was her idea. I just offered my hearty approval.”

“Right,” Edward said, still skeptical. “How about the wardrobe? Was that her idea, too? Tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of Italian suits and shoes. Even if I can only sell them for a fraction of their worth, it’s still a very nice chunk of change.”

“It certainly is,” Emmett agreed with a noncommittal nod.

Edward approached, staring down his friend through narrowed eyes. “You are the world’s fucking worst liar. You know that, right?”

Emmett’s eyes narrowed as well, but the twinkle in them was irrepressible. “You wound me deeply,” he said, stifling a grin.

Edward shook his head in exasperation before growing more serious. “Thanks, man. I mean it.”

Before Emmett could make another rebuttal, Edward threw his arms around his friend’s hulking form in a brief but bracing hug.

“You would have done the same,” Emmett replied hoarsely, embracing Edward for a moment before pushing him away and recovering his machismo. “But if you really want to show me some gratitude, you can help me take down Rosalie and her minions in there. She fucking killed me last night at that game and I am in need of some sweet retribution. You boys with me?”

Emmett held up his hands for high fives, which Edward and Jasper returned with relish.

“Now, let’s go get the best of our better halves,” he said with a devilish grin, rubbing his hands together.

Edward tailed Emmett and Jasper out of the kitchen and slowly followed them to the game room, still trying to absorb the changes happening so rapidly around him. He watched the guys settle in with the girls and listened to more trash talk ensue. He smiled in silent wonder at the start of another tradition unfolding before his eyes.

Bella looked up then, catching his wistful gaze. She got up from her spot on the couch and went to him, taking his hands in hers.

“Are you at a loss for words again?” she asked softly.

He nodded and smiled at her perception.

“Well, I’m not,” she replied, leaning closer. “I love you. You’re finally free. Now let’s have some fun.” Still grasping his hands, she backed into the family room, pulling her with him.

Edward grinned and let her lead the way.