The next week brought with it the comfort of getting into a routine. I began my regular shift, working from 7 AM-3 PM Monday through Friday, and would be taking call every third weekend. In the mornings I got up at 5:30 for a quick run. After I showered and got my caffeine fix, I ate breakfast on the way out of the door. After work, I came home, unpacked a box or two, ate supper…wash rinse repeat. This is what I did almost everywhere I had lived. While my address was never permanent, my routine was. It was what kept me grounded; that and my music. I had also started playing my guitar out on the porch swing every night. It relaxed me in a way that nothing else could. Of course, I also found myself wondering what my neighbor was up to and praying that he wasn’t up to something with someone.
As I went through the first few days of getting to know my coworkers and new patients, I discovered that my daily run was going to be vital. These people were so welcoming of the new girl that by Wednesday, I had decided that they must have banded together to stock my freezer for the duration of my stay. Or at least it seemed that way. They were bringing me casseroles, salads, whole freakin’ cakes…it was so sweet that I didn’t have the heart to tell them no. I had no idea where I was going to put everything. I was just one person and they were obviously trying to re-enact the feeding of the five thousand! I did discover that some things could be taken to the doctors’ lounge and would disappear quickly, so that was a help.
That afternoon after work, I got a phone call from Alice.
“Hello Alice.”
“Hey lady!” Alice chirped in her usual upbeat way. You know, the woman runs a business and has twins. How is she always this perky?
“How are you?” I asked her.
“I am fantastic…and here is why. Are you ready?”
“Um…Sure” I laughed. “What’s going on?”
“Jazz, Emmett and Edward are gonna keep the kids Friday night. It’s ladies night over at Sugar’s and you are coming with Rose and me. Don’t EVEN think about saying no. I asked Uncle Carlisle about your schedule so I know that you are off Saturday.”
“That sounds fun! What time should I meet you there?”
“Oh, no ma’am! Not even. The boys will be home around 5:00 which means Rose and I will be heading to your house at approximately 5:05 so we can get ready together. ‘Cause Bella, when the mamas get the night off, we don’t act like nobody’s mama.”
I laughed at her, just picturing the little pixie ‘letting loose’. I had a feeling that I’d never see motherhood in the same light after Friday night.
“Ok, so you girls will be here around 5:30 then? Why don’t you let me provide supper? People from all over town have been bringing me food and I need help eating it or my scrubs won’t be fitting for very much longer.”
“Deal! That will give us something to help absorb all of the adult beverages we intend to knock back. ‘Cause ladies night means half priced drinks, which really just means we’ll drink twice as much!”
At least she’s honest.
“At least nobody really knows me yet in this town. That way if I make a fool of myself, it shouldn’t get to the gossip mill to quickly, right?”
“Ha! Uh-huh…keep tellin’ yourself that! Alright sweets, I gotta run. I’ll see you on Friday. Oh, and Bella, if you need help with your…uh… food situation (I could just see her using air quotes for “food situation”) you know you have a neighbor that you could ask to help you out.”
“Oh. Well…I…um…haven’t really thought of that” I stuttered, and truthfully…lied.
“Liar. I happen to know that he loves Carmen’s red velvet cupcakes. See ya! Bye!”
And she hung up just like that. How did she know that I was staring at a whole tray of those blasted cupcakes?
Later that same night as I sat strumming my guitar on the swing with only the light from the living room shining, the most beautiful red blood hound wandered up onto the steps. He stopped for a second before coming over to give my ankles a sniff. I offered him my hand, which he also sniffed, and then licked in acceptance before he plopped down at my feet like he owned the place.
“He likes you,” I heard come from somewhere in the dark. That voice was honey and velvet. Slow and easy. The sweetest southern comfort. I just smiled since I already knew who it was. “You don’t look surprised to see me.”
“I’m not,” I said, watching him walk up to the porch railing.
“So…I guess they told you?”
“They did,” I said, putting my guitar to the side.
“Are you mad?” he asked hesitantly, putting his hands in his pockets and kicking the bottom step.
“No. Should I be?”
“Well, I hope not. Like I said, I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he said, finally coming fully into view.
Damn it he was gorgeous. I mean, do they teach them how to wear jeans and t-shirts down here? ‘Cause he does it SO well. He ran his hand through his messy hair while waiting for me to respond.
“You don’t make me uncomfortable,” I smirked. You make me horny as hell, but not uncomfortable. “Are you just going to stand there or would you like to join me?” I asked, patting the seat of the swing beside me.
“Thought you’d never ask.”
As he sat down I could feel that energy, that delicious tension that was always there between us. Yeah…definitely not uncomfortable.
“So…neighbors?” he asked raising his eyebrows and sticking his hand out for me to shake.
I giggled and gave him my hand. “Neighbors,” I said with a nod. He took his time letting go, as was becoming his custom. He relaxed and placed his arm along the back of the swing like he had done on Sunday. Maybe this was his way of working up to all of that hugging that the rest of them did. Lord I hoped so.
“Do you make it a habit of lurking around in the dark, or am I just special?”
He chuckled. “No. I usually stick to my porch, but I think Roscoe here has been curious the last few nights. So I let him out to see what all of the whinin’ was about. This is where he came.”
I could feel him twirling my hair again and it was giving me full body tingles. I needed a distraction.
“School started this week, right? I thought I overheard some of the other nurses who have kids mention it.”
“Yeah. This year may be a bit of a challenge during football season. I have a lot of upper classmen who only signed up for concert band and not for marching band. That makes for a whole lot of funny when it comes to teaching these new kids how to march and play at the same time… kind of like patting your head and rubbing your belly at the same time…only doing it in motion in front of a stadium full of folks. It’s fun though. I like watching them finally get it.”
I could see the twinkle in his eyes from the glow of the living room light. I just couldn’t seem to look away from him.
“What about you? How’s REAL work goin’?”
“It’s great! Carlisle and Maggie have a really good system. Everyone has been so nice. A little too nice, maybe,” I said trailing off.
He scrunched his eyebrows a bit in confusion and asked “Too nice? What does that mean?”
“You want to come inside for just a minute? I can show you what I mean.” For some reason I felt nervous. I mean, I was just going to offer him a cupcake for goodness sakes!
“Sure! You have my curiosity peaked. You’re sure you don’t mind?”
“No, not at all. Come on,” I said and patted his leg. Why in the world did I just do that? And damn that thigh is firm. I leaned over to grab my guitar and headed inside, side stepping Roscoe on the way.
He followed me to the kitchen and when he reached the door way, he stopped dead in his tracks taking in the sight before him.
“Good Lord, woman! You know you need a permit to run a bakery, right?”
“It’s not funny, you ass! This is what I was talking about. People are bringing me food right and left and I don’t know what to do with all of it!” I said, even though I had started laughing at the ridiculousness of it.
“Oooohh pretty girl…you have come to the right place! I can definitely help you out. Ok, let me see if I can guess. This…” he said, walking to the confection at the end of the bar, “is Maggie’s Triple Chocolate Pound Cake with Fudge Drizzle. I can take this to school to leave for the teachers and it will be gone by the end of the day. Those ladies love their chocolate, especially during the first week of school. Stress relief you know. These,” he said uncovering a Pyrex dish, “are Bree’s haystacks. I’ll just give these out to the kids in class, no problem. But these…Bella…these are sacred,” he said taking the lid off of the cake plate that held a stack of Carmen’s red velvet cupcakes. “These are only to be shared with me. They are my absolute favorite and I like you, but I WILL cut you if you tell Emmett about them,” he said while delicately unwrapping one of them.
I laughed at his insanity. “Should I give you some privacy with your baked goods?”
“Just stand back and nobody will get hurt,” he said taking a huge bite, getting cream cheese frosting on his nose and the tip of his upper lip, not even caring.
“Here,” I said, handing him a napkin. “You missed your mouth a little bit.” I had to giggle at his pure cuteness. He looked at me like I was crazy.
“No ma’am. We do not waste that kind of goodness.”
“Well then, let me help.” Without even thinking about it, I swiped the frosting off of his nose and lip with my index finger and then held it up between us. He locked his green eyes with my brown ones and then he grabbed my wrist. Not breaking eye contact, he brought my finger to his mouth and licked the frosting off. Oh…OH. Seeing him lick his lips was one thing, but him actually having bodily contact with me with that tongue? I had to close my eyes so that he wouldn’t see them roll to the back of my head. When I had enough sense to finally open my eyes, he was grinning at me.
“Like I said, we don’t waste that kind of goodness,” he grinned while cocking his eyebrow at me.
I knew my breathing was getting heavier, so I took a step back and cleared my throat a bit. He just shook his head and finished his damned cupcake. Evil.
“So…the guitar? How long have you played?”
“I started when I was about ten, right after my parents divorced. I’m basically self taught. It’s just a hobby, you know, stress relief?” I said, while raising myself up to sit on the bar.
“I DO know. Why do you think I love my job? After a hard day, it’s easy to get lost in it.”
“Exactly. So…I’m guessing you play more than one instrument, being ‘The Music Man’ and all?”
“Yeah, my main ones are guitar, piano and the drums. But I learned a little bit of everything while I was in school.”
I could just imagine him playing his guitar, watching the muscles and tendons in his forearms flex as he moved through the different chords.
“So can I hear you play something?” he asked.
“What?! No way! You should have to play something for me as payment for that cupcake.”
He leaned back on the island opposite from me and took me in for a minute. Then he looked like he was thinking about it. He raised his eyebrow and I saw his mischievous grin take over. “Deal, but…I’ll only show you mine if you show me yours.”
“What?”
“You heard me. I’ll go first, but then it’s your turn.”
I was going to have to kill him for that smart, sexy mouth. No good could come of this, of that I was sure.
“Fine. But it has to be something that’s easy and something we both know. It’s too late tonight for showing off.”
“As you wish,” he smirked, picking up my guitar and strumming it a little bit to make sure it was tuned to his liking. After tweaking it a bit, he started in with some very familiar notes. It was Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl. Stupid, beautiful, flirty man.
I get it. He can play the guitar and every other friggin’ instrument known to man. He could probably play me too! I mean, I know he leads singing at church, which lets me know he has some natural ability, but does he really have to sound that good? Really? His speaking voice alone was amazing, all low and covered in velvet with that slow southern lilt. But singing? It’s all of those things plus a little bit raspy and a little bit bluesy. Gah! How in the crap am I supposed to follow that? And he chose a song that’s classic but flirty and sexy. I wondered if it had something to do with me. Don’t worry fella. I’ll be your brown eyed girl. You just have to ask!
He finished up the last chords and when he stilled the strings, he looked up at me with those insane green eyes and that damn crooked grin. “So…did I earn that cupcake?”
Hateful man. “Uh, yeah,” and quickly added low enough so he couldn’t hear, “and then some.” Truthfully, he could have just about anything he wanted.
“Alright pretty girl. It’s your turn. Don’t’ be shy now,” he said, handing the guitar back to me.
“That’s easy for you to say. You have actual talent. This is just a hobby for me,” I all but whined.
“Come ON woman. It’s just me. I don’t bite…unless you ask me nicely,” he said, wagging his eyebrows. “Now play the damn song,” he said, while he grinned and squeezed my knee.
I sat there for a few minutes pretending to “retune” my guitar out of spite. Honestly I was regrouping from having heard him sing plus, the little leg squeeze he just gave me.
“Alright. Don’t laugh.” I adjusted my strap and bent one of my legs to rest it up on the counter. I decided to play “This Kiss” by Faith Hill. I thought it was cute and flirty enough. He needed to know that I could give as good as I got. I couldn’t hold his eye contact because it would make me stumble over the notes; but every time I did look, his eyes were glued to me. When I finished my song, he clapped giving me a cheesy grin.
“I didn’t realize you knew country music. I figured I’d have to indoctrinate you.”
I just rolled my eyes. “Alright, alright. ‘Concerts in the Kitchen’ is over. Let me pack this stuff up so that you can take it with you,” I said, sliding off of the bar. The haystacks were already packed up so they were easy. I decided to slice up the chocolate cake so that it would be easier for him to carry as well. Because I’m nice and have a humongous crush on Edward, I got out a Tupperware container so that he could take home some of Carmen’s cupcakes.
I had just put three or four inside when I felt him behind me. He put one hand on the counter beside me and leaned his face in so that his mouth was right beside my ear. My body was on fire but covered with goose bumps.
When he moved my ponytail to my other shoulder, the backs of his knuckles brushed against my neck. He looked over my shoulder and said so low and husky it was almost a whisper, “You should know that I want more than that.”
I closed my eyes and bit down on my lip to stifle the whimper that was very close to leaving my mouth. I don’t think we are talking about those cupcakes anymore, Toto.
“Then you’ll need to tell me exactly what you want.”
He chuckled a little and reached around me with his other hand so that he was pressed against my back. He placed two more in the container and said, “We can work on the rest later.”
I had been able to feel the heat coming from his body. If I turned my head just a little bit, his lips would have been right there. Jeez…he was trying to kill me.
I put the top on the container and turned around so that I was facing him. He hadn’t moved, so I leaned up and whispered in his ear, “Play nice or I’ll tell Emmett all about these.” I let my bottom lip linger on his earlobe for a second before pulling away. I put the container between us and gave him a small push on the chest. I mean, come on…I needed a little breathing room or I was going to seriously tackle him on to that kitchen island. I noticed it happened to be the perfect height for him and all of his 6’1” glory. That was something I’d have to file away as fuel for my wicked Edwardian fantasies for later.
“I guess I’d better be gettin’ home.”
“Yeah. I have an early morning and you have…teenagers,” I cringed. He laughed.
“Thanks for these, and for the song. You’re better than you give yourself credit for.”
I blushed and looked down at the floor. “Well, it’s just for enjoyment, not for entertainment.”
“Well pretty girl, I was able to have both.”
We walked towards the front together so that I could help him to get out of the door since his hands were full. We were quiet and I wasn’t used to the silence between us. I pushed the door open, honestly hating that he was leaving. I felt like I could just…BE around him for hours. He stopped out on the porch and turned back towards me. He looked like he was debating something in his mind, biting his lip.
“Bella, do you have plans for tomorrow night? I’d really like to show you somethin’.”
“No…I mean, sure…I mean, no I don’t have plans. Where did you want to go?”
“Let me have your cell phone number. I’ll text you tomorrow with the details. We’ll be outside, so you know, it’s casual. I think you’ll love it, though,” he said putting down the box and handing me his phone from his pocket.
I typed in my number and then handed him back his phone. “I get off of work at three o’clock which means I won’t actually make it home until four so…”
“That’s fine. It’ll be fun, I promise.” He then leaned in and placed the most perfect and soft kiss on my forehead. “Tomorrow then. Night pretty girl.”
“Yeah, tomorrow,” I said in my haze. His lips were just on my face and I couldn’t breathe.
He grabbed the box and headed down the steps into the dark country night, calling Roscoe as he went.
EPOV
What in the God Almighty did I just do? I walked back to my house with a sleepy Roscoe following behind me. I sat my box of baked goods high up on the counter so that the little mongrel wouldn’t get into them later. I was a lot more forward and flirty with Bella tonight than I had intended to be, but I didn’t feel sorry. Not one bit. If anything, it felt…right. I knew there was a mutual attraction between us. The air is so thick with electricity and that feel good tension when we’re together, you can sense it clear across the town. I’ve never been one to act on physical attraction alone and I didn’t see this as being any different. Bella is beautiful, smart, quick, funny and whether she knows it or not, talented. I never expected that voice. It was pure and sweet and sexy. Nothing about it was false or forced. It was just pure Bella. My thoughts had revolved around her since our first meeting. Sure she was gorgeous, but something about her completely intrigued me. Who moves so often? Why not stay longer? Stay in one place? Was it just that she was young and could move, so she did? Was there more to her story? Was she running? Or worse, was she being chased? She was an enigma to me and I wanted to uncover everything about her.
I knew that she was shocked to find out who I really was while we were at my parents’ house for lunch. She seemed so shy when everyone was asking how she got here. I also noticed that she tried to keep the focus on everyone else. With so many of us, it wasn’t too hard to do. The mystique of this woman was killing me. After lunch when I found her swinging on the back porch, she absolutely took my breath away. Her skin was slightly flushed from the heat and every once in a while the breeze from the fans would pick up a stray lock of her hair and swirl it around her shoulders. She had to be an angel.
She looked so comfortable, like she belonged there. I watched her for a few minutes before I finally got up the courage to join her. Conversation was easy with her. Effortless. She didn’t shy away from me and she didn’t mind all of the innocent teasing. She read me like a book. The insane thing was that I was starting to think that not only was I the book she was reading, but that she was the damned author!
School had started back that next week and it was pure insanity. I knew that it would be after the debacle that was band camp this past summer. My upper classmen had hit a point in their lives where they loved their music, but they’d rather be free on Friday nights. Not to mention the weekends that we would have to be gone for competitions. It truly was a commitment. Marching band is not for everyone, that’s for sure. Once some of the kids get older, it just isn’t “cool” anymore. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the awesome uniforms. It just meant that I would have to make it more interesting and challenging to the ones I had now so that they would want to stay with it.
Alice called me Tuesday night with a very interesting proposition. She said that she and Rose were taking Bella over to Sugar’s for ladies night on Friday. Apparently the mamas needed a break! The thing about Sugar’s was that on ladies night, it actually meant ladies only. “No men ‘til after ten.” Whatever. She also said that the boys might want help watching the kids while they were out. It turns out that Mom and Dad and Uncle James and Aunt Caroline were supposed to keep all of the grandkids, but were going on their own double date first. They wouldn’t be able to pick up all of the grandkids until nine o’clock. Ladies night would wind down around ten and she just knew they would need someone to make sure that they got home safely “sometime after that.” In Sassy speak: we’re going drinkin’ and dancin’ so we can get to know Bella better. If you come crash with the boys, then you can get to know Bella better, too.
She thought she was so smooth.
I didn’t argue.
School had been so exhausting that I had been going over to mom’s for supper. I was not ashamed of being a mama’s boy. It also kept me from being overly curious and going over to see Bella. Sassy also mentioned that it was probably time to come clean to my neighbor seeing as how she and Rose had already “outed” me. Heifers. Who needs sisters when you have a cousin and a sister-in-law who are happy to intervene? Too bad I love them so much. It really gets in the way of wanting to strangle them.
So Wednesday night I decided I’d take a chance. Roscoe had been at the door whining the past few nights and that was pretty out of character for him. He usually kept quiet unless there was something to get riled up about. I let him out thinking that he had caught a new scent down by the creek. I was surprised when he started up the path towards Nana’s house. I waited for a few minutes before following him. I assumed he had picked up her scent by now since it was new, but what I wasn’t expecting was what I heard as I walked up. It was soft notes coming from a guitar. Roscoe loved when I played for him but, unfortunately, I hadn’t had much time lately between getting the house ready and starting school. Walking up on Bella and hearing her playing was a sweet surprise.
I hoped she wouldn’t be mad at me for keeping our neighbor status from her and was so relieved when she said she wasn’t. I was thrilled when she asked me to join her on the swing. I had a de ja’ vu feeling as we swung easily in the soft light from inside of the house. It was easy. It was peaceful. It was right.
It was a little strange going into Nana’s house and not seeing her things there, but someone else’s instead. Sure, our family had renovated and redecorated the entire house after she died, but I caught glimpses of things that were intrinsically Bella as she led me to the kitchen. Again, the burn to know more, anything, about this woman was getting to me. I supposed that is part of the reason I was so forward with her tonight. That and this wild attraction I had to her. And I’ll be damned if it didn’t grow even more after our little impromptu kitchen concert. Yes, I was being flirty with my Brown Eyed Girl, but she was cute and sexy as hell at the same time playing This Kiss. It was cute because of the song choice, and sexy because of the raw talent she possessed in her playing and in the sureness of her voice. If she wanted a kiss, I’d have to see if there wasn’t a way that I could work that out in the very near future.
So all of that, combined with her sweetness of presence, sweetness of smell, and maybe I was a little high on the sweetness of those cupcakes, is what made me decide to lessen the distance, so to speak, and be a little bolder. She was fun to tease. Although truthfully it didn’t have to be a tease. I’d follow through anytime she wanted. Even more fun is when she teased me back. That pouty lip on my ear just about won her a lift onto the counter to be followed up with a teenage make-out session. It was nothing and everything about her that had me all hormonal. And that’s exactly how I felt when I asked about her Thursday night plans. After seeing her with her guitar, I knew the place I had to take her to show her a little more about myself. I just hoped that I was right.
-x-X-x-
(Texts from Edward to Bella)Hey pretty girl. Ready 4 r date? ~E
Who is this? I didn’t know I had a date. ~B
Not even close 2 being funny. OK so not exactly a date as much as an outing w/ me…sort of. ~E
Semantics can b discussed later. What does “sort of” mean? ~B
U’ll see. Come to the HS practice field behind the school @ 7. Bring a blanket. ~E
A blanket? I thought I told you I don’t sleep with people I just met ;-) ~B
I’m not someone you just met. We’re neighbors! ~E
Lord. I’m ending this now b4 u get yourself in a heap of trouble. CU @ 7 J~B
I’m already in trouble w/ u pretty girl. xE
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