Chapter 1

New School, New Job... New Obsession.

Bella Swan.

Seattle University, while an amazing campus, was a far cry from Arizona State where I had previously attended. Phoenix was my home for 19 years, but Renee' had moved off to Jacksonville with her fiancé Phil, and Seattle had a better Social Work program. I had originally wanted to go to Seattle to be closer to my dad, but didn't want to be away from my mom, who definitely had her issues with being left alone. I mean, seriously, who needs supervision just to go to the grocery store so she wouldn't come back with nothing but junk? But when she moved to Jacksonville, I knew that Phil would be able to take care of her.

I bid Phoenix good bye, and welcomed the lush, dense forests of the northwestern peninsula. My father is the chief of police in Forks, but Seattle wasn't far from there, and I knew I'd be able to see him at least on the weekends. Unfortunately, moving up here had also depleted any and all funds that I had in my bank account at the moment. I had enough for two weeks worth of groceries, and knew I needed a job. I'd looked everywhere on campus, in the surrounding city, and even around Forks. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Ziltch. Of course, dad offered to help me out with anything I might need, but there's just some lines a girl's gotta draw. I can't have my parents looking out for me all the time. Besides, I was sure dad needed all the money he could get, as officer pay, even the chief's pay couldn't be that great.

I was shocked when Charlie came home one night close to July 4th, and told me that the Cullen Country Club in Seattle had just lost a waitress, and needed the position filled immediately. Apparently, dad knew the Cullens well, and Carlisle, the owner also doubled as one hell of a doctor in the only little hospital Forks held. It was a good paying job, plus tips, so who was I to turn it down?

Walking onto the grounds was intimidating as hell, though. The immaculate grounds, the two story club house, the tennis courts, 18 hole golf course, driving range, and baseball diamond seemed like overkill. But once I got into the building heading for Mr. Cullen's office, I almost turned around and went right back to my truck. The place was so upscale that I almost couldn't stomach it. And the people standing in the lobby, the hallway leading into the racket ball courts, and in the stairwell coming up from the indoor pool... All looked like they belonged on the front cover of GQ magazine.

As I got up to the second floor, and started looking for the right office, of course my complete klutziness decided to rear its ugly head, and make me trip over my own feet, sending me flying toward the carpet, face first. Strong hands grabbed hold of me before I hit, righting me so quickly, I had to wonder if I'd tripped at all. I looked up into dark brown eyes, that had the craziest amount of mischief in them, and a wide grin. "Sorry."

He laughed, and waved his hands at me. "Don't worry about it. You lost or something?"

I shook my head quickly, then regretted it. "No, ... well kinda, I'm looking for Carlisle Cullen's office?"

He nodded, and pointed me down the hallway. "My dad's office is the third door down on the right. You'd be wandering the hallway for an hour wondering, it's not labeled." He grinned widely at me again, dimples in his cheeks indenting. His smile was infectious, and I couldn't help but smile back. He almost reminded me of a little kid with how happy he seemed. No one I knew was that insanely happy without being medicated. "You must be the new waitress? Charlie Swan's daughter?"

I held my hand out to him politely, "Bella."

He grinned, and took my hand in his huge bear paw of a right hand. "Emmett Cullen. Hope you'll like the job here."

I laughed dryly. "I'm sure I will, it's the only job around here."

He laughed and shook his head. "Be seein' ya, Bella."

I turned, and headed, carefully, back down the hallway before pausing in front of the door Emmett had pointed me to. I took a deep breath, and then knocked. A warm voice filtered through the door telling me to come in, and I pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

The office was just as inviting as the man sitting behind the desk. He smiled at me, and gestured to a chair facing him, wordlessly asking me to sit. As I complied, I handed him the job application, and shook his hand. "Thanks for the opportunity, Mr Cullen. I really appreciate it."

He smiled, and set the application aside, barely looking at it. "Not a problem. Charlie is a good friend of mine. We'll start you out at four dollars and hour, plus whatever tips you get. And as long as you do a good job, you'll wind up with two hundred in your pocket a night. Our last waitress, who left us to be able to start her own family, on a slow night still left with a hundred dollars. So you should do fairly well here." He smiled at me, and interlaced his fingers in front of him. "I only expect you to work mainly in the restaurant, but there may be times I ask you to pitch in elsewhere," I nodded quickly to show him it was fine with me, any work is good work these days. "Now, our grounds hold the golf course, tennis courts, baseball diamond, condos on the back of the property, and the clubhouse. There are housekeepers that clean the condos, our last waitress pitched in a few times and helped out when we were short handed there, but still being able to get back in time to do her job in the lunch rush. The clubhouse here holds the pool in the basement as well as locker rooms and showers and gym, the racket ball courts, restaurant, kitchen, gift and supply shop, and check in for condos, golf course, and hiking trails."

My eyes widened in surprise, holy hell it really was overkill here, anything you'd ever want or need to do seemed to be right here on the property, I almost didn't want to know how many acres they had to take care of.

"Any extra help we would ask of you outside of the dining room would be to help clean up in the gift shop, kitchen, and locker rooms at closing, but your job, along with the other two waitresses will be to clean, straighten, and restock the dining area every night before closing, and have it done right so the opening crew can get here, and double check. I like promptness in opening the club."

I nodded sharply in understanding. "Of course."

He smiled, softening his voice as he spoke again. "Now, Bella, when can you start?"

"Now?" I asked, a smile on my lips.

He chuckled. "Enthusiasm, I like that, you'll fit in well here. Once you start at the University, make sure you get me or my wife, Esme, your class schedule so we can make sure to schedule you accordingly. You'll get three days off every week to make sure you won't fall behind on your studies while classes are in session, but during breaks, you'll only get 2 and I'll ask you to work longer shifts. You'll start in the morning. Be here at 7AM sharp." He picked up the phone on his desk, and dialed a number, waited for a moment, and then punched in two buttons before settling it back onto the receiver. Not a full minute passed before a girl poked her head in around the door, black hair smoothed down around her small face, longer strands tucked in behind her ears. "Yeah dad?"

Mr. Cullen gestured to me, smiling. "Alice, this is Bella, our new waitress. Could you take her down and get her a uniform?"

"Sure!" Her voice sounded just as excited as Emmett's had. What was up with this family and their over abundant happiness? She practically skipped the short distance, and took hold of my hand. "Come on Bella."

She tugged on my hand, and I couldn't help standing and following the little pixie like girl out of the room and back down the hallway. She took me into a room by the stairs, and left me by the door as she became lost within the clothing racks.

There were uniforms of every size shape and color in the room, and there was no way I'd be able to figure out where everything was, even with bright neon signs pointing the way. Though Alice didn't seem to have any problem at all navigating through them. Only a few moments later, she emerged holding three button down long sleeved shirts; red, white and black, one yellow ascot, and two black ones to go with them, and six other shirts, all in black, red, and white three long sleeved three short. My eyes widened as I saw everything. "Does this come with the job or do I have to pay for it?" it was a legitimate question, if she really expected me to pay for all of that up front, I was screwed.

Alice scrunched up her nose and smiled at me. "Don't worry about it, Bella. I'll take the liberty of gifting you with these six." She lifted her left arm which the T-shirts and long sleeved shirts were hanging off of.

I shook my head. "No, you... you don't have to do that."

She grinned. "But I want to. They're new, and I love them. I got the long sleeved shirts for the other waitresses. Only Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the days you're expected to wear the button downs. Black dress pants with those. Monday and Wednesday you can wear jeans, Tuesday and Thursday are the league meetings, and while casual, Dad likes the staff to wear khakis." She held her left arm out, asking me to take one.

I obliged, and pulled the black long sleeved shirt off her arm, and held it out in front of me. By the left shoulder was a crest done in white. A lion facing to the right side of the shirt, with a hand above it, fingers upward as if it were giving a pledge, and a chevron with three shamrocks below it. Below that were the words 'Cullen Club' in a small scrawling font. "Wow. It is nice."

She grinned. "Told you." She held her arm out again, and I took the rest from her, clutching them to my body. "On warmer days you're free to wear shorts or a skirt." She looked over me for a moment, looking closely, her gaze scrutinizing at first, and then she smiled. "Though you seem to be the shorts type of girl aren't you?"

I laughed softly. "Yeah."

She smirked. "Don't worry, I'll change that." I frowned, suddenly worried about this job. But she giggled, a sound that almost reminded me of bells. "Don't worry! I'm not talking mini skirts here. You and I are going to be great friends, I just know it!" She wrapped her arm through mine, and led me back out of the room, pulling the door shut behind her with her foot. "Would you like the grand tour?"

I shrugged. "If I can drop all this off at my truck first, sure." I let her lead me back down the stairs, and out into the long hallway, past the racket ball courts, and through the gift shop to the parking lot. I deposited my clothes in the beat up old Chevy truck, and turned, to find Alice coming up behind me in what can only be called, a tricked out golf cart. I laughed shortly. "Really?"

She nodded, smiling brightly, and patted the passenger seat beside her. I couldn't help the smile that formed on my lips as I stepped toward the golf cart, smirking at the front end that looked like a car, complete with side mirrors and everything. She spun the wheel to the left, and hit the gas, the cart turning on a dime heading back in the opposite direction.

As we neared the edge of the parking lot, she pointed out the driving range and golf course. "Jasper's out there somewhere."

I frowned, looking over at her, tearing my gaze from the lush green hills that lined the course. "Jasper?"

She grinned widely. "My boyfriend, Jasper Hale. You'll like him, he and his sister, who happens to be one of my best friends, are members here." She giggles softly before correcting herself. "Well, their parents are, but of course it extends to the whole family. Rose is best known for kicking everyone's butts on the tennis courts." She lifted her chin in a gesture toward the courts to the left of the club, where a girl... no the female bobbing back and forth between the right and left of the court was definitely a woman, not a girl... she seemed to be winning against another girl, a strawberry blonde who seemed to be straining the limits of the tight shirt she wore. The winning female was tall and lean, her blonde hair pulled back into a pony tail that swung back and forth as she moved, her swings so incredibly graceful it looked almost like she were dancing on the court.

"That's Rose?"

Alice nodded. "The blonde. Rosalie is Jasper's sister."

I watched as Rosalie power served, the bright green ball moving to the other side of the course so fast it was a blur. Yeah, I know a power serve when I see one. I don't play, well, don't play the real thing, but who says that the Wii isn't realistic? The strawberry blonde swung seconds too late, and infuriated threw her racket down, and turned back to a group of girls at the back of the court, throwing her middle finger up at the beautiful blonde winner. Rosalie shouted something back at her, and I could tell by the expression on her face it definitely wasn't something nice. Then she turned, and ran back to the gate where the bear of a male that had steadied me in the hallway took grinning at her. The childish dimples looked as if they were permanently chiseled into his features.

"And that's..."

"Emmett" I responded. "I'm guessing your brother?"

She smiled widely at me. "Yup. Big brother." She smirked at me as I rose an eyebrow. "Quite literally. He's Rose's boyfriend." She turned, looking back at the baseball diamond. "I'm surprised Edward isn't out here yet."

"Edward?" I asked, genuinely curious.

"The middle child of the Cullen family. He's eight months older then I am." I frowned, mentally counting, she must have seen the confusion, because when she spoke next it was to clarify. "I was two months premature. Mom calls me her miracle baby." She smirked, then looked back to the loser of the tennis match, who was heading out of the court, and back to the club house. "Maybe it's a good thing he isn't here, you really don't want to be subjected to profanity your first time here."

I frowned in confusion. "Profanity?"

She shrugged, and started the cart moving again, waving to her brother and friend. I noticed Emmett leaning down saying something to Rosalie, and she glanced at me for a split second, narrowed her eyes, then turned away, moving to a side entrance. "I don't mean in the verbal form. My brother and Tanya..." She nodded her head to the loser. "had a bit of a thing going a year or so ago, it's over for him... but not so much for her."

I nodded, truly understanding what she was saying. She must try to get the 'thing' going back up a lot, and not very discreetly. I tilted my head as I watched her as we pulled away, maybe that's the explanation for the extremely tight fitting shirt.

Alice maneuvered the golf cart around the back 18, pointing out the beginning and ending of multiple hiking trails along the way. She explained they owned over a hundred acres, the hiking trails wrapping around the property ranging from beginner to expert, foot hills, to up the side of the mountains. As we reached the back of the property, I saw the luxurious condos. There were a total of 20 sprawling out around a large lot. Golf carts were parked in the driveways, the lawns perfectly manicured, perfect flower beds were planted in front of the porches. Alice droned on and on about the different families living there, but all I could catch were snippets as my eyes were glued to the homes. The last time I had seen anything so immaculate had been on a spring break trip to L.A. the previous year with friends of mine from ASU.

All I caught were slight bits of her voice saying things like "Cleaned every day", "The Stanleys are there", "She's a bit of a bitch but..." And then her high voice sounded slightly irritated as she spoke again. "Bella, have you been listening?"

I laughed, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Alice. This place is so beautiful. What did you say?"

She giggled. "I said, we live in that one, you can get a hold of us at anytime you need to, and in fact I'd love it if we could hang out."

I followed her index finger to a large condo... no, a large home at the very back of the lot. Two stories, a large wrap around driveway, large windows in front of the home, so large, in fact, that I could see straight out the back of the house to the forest beyond. "Jeeze."

Alice giggled beside me, making me jump, I was so entranced by the home, I had completely forgotten about her sitting right next to me. "My mom loves the light. And with how little we seem to have up here, she likes to let as much in as possible." She leaned in closer to me whispering, "They are a pain to clean though."

I couldn't help the next words that spilled forward, "The housekeepers must hate you guys."

She laughed. "The housekeepers don't set foot in the home. Mom is determined to keep the house looking good on her own. Or making her kids do it for her." She smiled, and turned the cart around, heading back for the front of the property. "What do you think?"

I laughed shortly, hardly able to process it all. "It's really, really incredible. I can't believe all of this is here."

"There is a lot here. Imagine growing up here. My dad built it from the house outward. We had a long driveway, and Dad just started building." She shrugged, as if it were something so incredibly simple just to build up a golf course and club house on your land.

She took me back to the club house, and to be honest I felt relieved to be back where I'd be most familiar with starting in the morning. She stopped the cart, and smirked, eying a silver Volvo in the parking lot, then her gaze flicked to the baseball diamond where a male form stood, bat at the ready. "Of course, now Edward is here."

I followed her gaze, and watched as he swung, connecting with the ball sending flying to the outfield. I raised my eyebrows, impressed by the hit, as my gaze moved back to him from following the ball as best I could, another crack rang out, and the wooden bat collided with a second ball. "Jesus!"

Alice smirked. "He's one of the best players on the team."

"What team?" I asked, genuinely curious. Charlie liked baseball, and while I was definitely not a sports person, by any means, I figured I could at least tell my dad when there was going to be a game, especially since he knew the Cullens.

"Our team. The Cullen Club Lions." She grinned at me. "My family, some of the club members, and employees play." She reached down, and switched off the cart, leaving it parked next to the club house. "Actually on Saturday there's a game against the Quileutes."

I frowned slightly. I knew that sounded familiar, but I couldn't place it off the top of my head.

Alice, thankfully, took pity on my confused look, and clarified. "The Quileute tribe from La Push?"

Realization dawned on me, DUH! "My dad is really good friends with Billy Black and Harry Clearwater."

She grinned. "That's them. Harry used to play, but he and Billy coach now."

"Do you play?"

She nodded. "I pitch." She paused for a moment, and frowned. "Maybe I can talk dad into letting you help out with the concession stand so you can see the game?"

I shrugged, not really caring one way or another, but she seemed so excited for me to watch the game I just couldn't say no to her. "Ok, if Mr Cullen will let me help out."

She grinned, and squealed a bit with her happiness. "Great! I know he'll let you, I'll just tell him you really want to watch the game since your dad knows the tribe."

I laughed shortly, not wanting her to lie to him, since he was my boss and all, but she seemed dead set on me being down there. "Okay, that sounds great. Maybe I'll mention it to Dad, and he'll be here."

Alice gifted me with a wide grin. "Fantastic!" She just about lept from the driver's seat of the golf cart, and flitted to my side. "So we'll see you tomorrow Bella. Don't forget,to wear black dress pants, it's Friday."

I smiled as I got out of the cart, and made my way to my vehicle and nodded. "Thanks, Alice." I waved as I got into my truck and shut the door. As I started the clunker up, a quick movement caught my attention, I looked up in time to see Alice racing to a cart that was just as 'tricked out' as hers was. This one was red, and looked like a jeep all terrain SUV. It came to a stop as the blonde male driving it jumped out in just enough time to catch her as she flung herself at him. I saw a wide grin settle on his lips, and the adoration he held for her was evident. Her arms wound around his neck tightly, and even from the distance I was from them, I could see him struggling to breathe.

I couldn't help the smile that formed on my lips as I shamelessly watched them. A flash of red caught my eye as the sun peeked out from behind a thin layer of clouds that were perpetually lingering over the northwestern part of Washington. Alice's brother, Edward, had moved from the baseball diamond, and was greeting Jasper and Alice as they moved toward the club house then. I gasped slightly, my jaw dropping probably to my lap as I took in his features.

Perfectly angular, high cheek bones, perfectly straight nose, full lips, a strong jaw line, he was the perfect specimen of male. I couldn't help the stares I gave them as they made their way back, but when Alice waved over to me, and he looked in my direction, I swear my heart stopped. The most beautiful clear green eyes I had ever seen in my life gazed at me. A crooked smile spread on those lips, stopping my heart yet again. An amused expression flooded into those eyes and I could see his body jerk with what I could only conclude to be a chuckle, and he shook his head as he draped the equipment bag over his shoulder and moved past his sister.

Holy mother of God, the man was beautiful. I wondered how often he played at the club, and how often I was going to have to be in any kind of close proximity to him. If it was more often than not... I wasn't sure how I was going to survive it.

I shook my head trying to clear it as I pulled the gear shift into first and pulled the truck around heading for the road. I wasn't sure when it clicked on my way back to my apartment, but at some point during that drive, I made the silent vow to myself that I would find out more about Edward Cullen, if only for the sake of my own sanity to survive his striking presence, or at least that's what I kept telling myself.

Even though I only believed it with a tiny portion of my being.

A/N Thank you so much for reading the first chapter, please review.

And thanks to my awesome beta summerleigh, I swear you saved me from too many DOY moments in this chapter, that's what I get for writing too late at night.