Chapter 1 - She's up to something..
Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of these characters, they belong to the fantasmagorical mind of one Mrs. Stephenie Meyer, I just force them to do my bidding... (evil laugh)
A/N: Alright guys, this is my first fan-fic. With that said, do NOT take it easy on me. I welcome any and all criticism and advice you guys can give me. This story is rated M for future lemons. Enjoy!
Why today?!? Why did he have to pick today of all days to come into MY bakery? Jasper Hale, my best friend Rosalie's older brother, looking absolutely gorgeous in his dark wash blue jeans and snug white button up shirt with the top two buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up. The Hale's had moved to Washington from Texas about seven years ago, and me and Rosalie have been inseparable ever since. I have had the biggest crush on this man for the past five years, and the only person who knows how I feel about him is Rosalie, and she has been trying to tell me he feels the same way about me the whole time. Yeah right! This man is a god, and I am just plain old Bella Swan, daughter of the chief of police and owner of this fine establishment, Dolci Di Bella. He could never feel the same way about me.
What makes today such a bad day for him to show up? Besides the mad rush we're in the middle of and the lack of manpower, I look like absolute crap! My hair is thrown into a sloppy bun on the top of my head, I am sweating like a freaking pig because it is hot as hell in here and I have been running around non-stop for the past 3 hours, and to top it all of, I am covered from head to toe in flour because one of the bags exploded when someone knocked it off the counter in passing.
I tried to avoid him, I really did. I was just about to turn around the corner into my office when his strong hand caught my wrist. Turning towards him, I made the mistake of looking into his eyes, and I got caught up in his crystal blue stare. He released the arm he was holding and drew it up to brush a stray piece of my hair back behind my ear, lingering there for just a second. He smiled brightly at me as he withdrew from me, clearly amused by something.
"Bella, did you get into a fight with the Pillsbury dough boy?" I looked down at myself, seeing the massive amount of flour covering me. Laughing lightly I replied.
"No smart-ass, someone knocked a bag of flour onto the floor, where it conveniently exploded at my feet." Jasper continued to take in my appearance, and I blushed a fiery shade of red under his observing gaze. Jasper finally looked up at me, and all the humor left his face. I looked down at my feet, a little embarrassed by my appearance.
"Aww Bella, come on darlin', don't be embarrassed. I think you look rather cute like that." he stated seriously as he placed a finger under my chin so he could see my face. Looking up at him, I could see no traces of humor, only concern. Discretely looking over his body one more time, memorizing it almost as if it were the last time I would see him. I turned my attention back to his beautiful face.
"Thank you Jasper. Now, what can I do to you?... I mean for you!?!" I asked, stuttering over my words. Jasper laughed at the little indiscretion. All I could think was 'open your mouth and insert you foot you jackass!' Why can't I keep my lustful thoughts hidden deep inside my head?!
"Well Miss Bella, I was sent over to formally invite you to the Hale's annual Christmas party." He said, holding out a bright red envelope. The Hale's threw an extravagant party every year for the holidays. It was always a formal affair, and it was always a blast! Mrs. Hale always decorated everything beautifully, and always cooks enough food to feed the entire town (even though there's only about 60 people invited.)
"Thank you Jasper, but why didn't your parents just mail it like they do every year?" I asked curiously. "Not that I don't appreciate the gesture, but surely it would have been more convenient for you." The question must have caught him off guard, because he looked like a deer caught in the headlights.
"Umm, uh, well, I...I was coming down here to pick up some breakfast anyway, so I just figured I would bring it with me?" He replied, and I knew he was very unsure of his answer, because it sounded more like a question. We stood there awkwardly for a few moments. I then remembered that I had left Rosalie at the counter by herself, and if she was under too much stress she tended to blow up at the customers.
"Well, this was really nice of you Jasper, thank you. I have to get back out there though, you know how your sister gets when there's too many people around." Jasper started laughing at a memory of his sister.
"Yes, I definitely do. Have a good day Bella, and don't let Rose scare all the customers away." he replied, shaking his head and laughing. With that said, he turned around and walked towards the door, turning around once he was there. Catching my eye one last time, he smiled a big toothy grin and winked. I blushed furiously, and he laughed loudly and walked out the door heading to his car.
I rushed back out to the front counter to relieve Rosalie of her post. She gratefully walked away, back to the kitchen where she was in her comfort zone. I was really glad that Rosalie was on shift today, because I definitely had to talk to her about my little run in with her brother. The day dragged on slowly, but sure enough four o'clock rolled around and we were ready to close up. Rosalie was in the middle of washing a few pans when I made my way to the back to help her.
"Hey Bells, whats up?" She asked, seeing the look of determination on my face and the envelope I had in my hand.
"Well Rose, your brother stopped by today, did you get a chance to see him?" I asked in an accusatory tone. Judging by the look on her face, she wasn't surprised by the news. Looking up from the pan she was still scrubbing. she replied.
"Jasper was here? No way...I didn't see him. What did he want?" She replied. Well, looks like she's going to play innocent. OK, I'll play along, for now.
"He dropped this off to me." I said, producing the red envelope from behind my back.
"Why didn't mom and dad just mail it to you like they always do?" she asked seriously. Hmm... maybe she wasn't up to something after all.
"Well, he said that since he was coming over for breakfast anyway, he figured he would bring it to me" Rosalie looked up at me dumbfounded. She slowly started to smile.
"Well, that was nice of him , but he didn't order any breakfast Bells." She replied, a full blown mischievous smile on her face. 'uh-oh' I thought 'by the look on her face, I'm in serious trouble.'