Disclaimer: Nah, I'm still not Stephenie Meyer.
Vacation for Rent
II.
"I thought you would be excited," Charlie told me as he thumbed through an outdoors magazine at the kitchen table. I was leaning against the counter, Edward still standing in the doorway.
"Excited? Me? Camping?" I tried to get through to him that I wasn't exactly the camping type. He of all people should know this. After all, I was his daughter.
"Oh, c'mon Bells. It'll be fun. Besides, it won't be like camping at all! You should see the inside of that monster! There's a couch and a dinette and bunk beds. Heck, you've even got your own private bathroom in the back, shower and all!" Charlie was unusually excited. I wondered what he had eaten for lunch.
"Oh!" he began again. "And I've got some really fun activities planned for this trip! It will be unforgettable! So won't you give it a chance? Please?" I stared at him and he had a look of desperation plastered on his face. I started to feel that ache inside me. The one that told me I was a bad daughter for not humoring my own father for just one stupid trip. I looked at Edward who was leaning comfortably against the counter next to me and offering an encouraging smile. Funny, I didn't even notice him move from the doorway.
"I… I don't know…" I said. I still wasn't convinced.
"I knew it would come to this," Charlie said, setting the magazine down on the table and crossing his arms over his chest.
"I'll make you a deal," he began. I raised my eyebrows. A deal? What kind of deal?
"You come camping with me in the RV, and Alice and Edward are welcome to come with us… but be aware that without Alice, there will be no Edward," he finished as he eyed Edward. Was he serious? Not only was he taking me on a trip, he wanted to take two vampires with us? Not that he knew they were vampires, but that wasn't the point. I looked at Edward, and he was staring back at me with an amused grin on his face. I exhaled an aggravated breath I didn't even realize I was holding.
"I can't believe this," I whined. Charlie shrugged and rose from the table.
"You two talk about it, call Alice, and I'll be back. I'm going to take the cruiser to pick up a few things for the trip," Charlie said. He sent one more pleading smile toward me and was out the door. I turned on Edward.
"What?!" I demanded. He laughed and shoved his hands into his pockets.
"I told you I was going camping," he snickered. That's when the phone rang. I considered just letting it ring, but Edward moved to get it. I placed a hand on his shoulder, holding him back, and I reluctantly picked up the phone. Before I could even hold the phone up to my ear, I heard a shrill voice through the receiver.
"Of course I'll come with you!" Alice. Of course. Why had I doubted it?
"Er, but…" I tried to think of an excuse.
"What about when it's sunny?" I was proud of myself for finding a legitimate concern.
"It's going to be cloudy the whole time. I already checked!" Alice announced through the phone. "Bella, please?"
"Not you too," I accused.
"I'll be over there in no time!" she said and hung up the phone. Oh, I didn't doubt that. Why wasn't I getting a say in this? I felt like Charlie, Alice, and Edward were suddenly all against me. I sat down at the table and placed my chin in my hands. Soon enough, Edward had taken a seat next to me.
"Bella, it won't be that bad," he assured. "Trust me, it'll be fun. Think about it… me, you, Alice, time together…" He was starting to win me over, but I didn't want him to see that.
"Well…" I struggled. "What… what about food? Charlie's going to expect you two to eat, and I'm going to expect you to get hungry sooner or later."
"Don't worry about Charlie," he said as he brushed my hair away from my face. "Alice and I have gotten our way around meals before."
"What about the other part?" I asked flatly.
"Well, we are going camping. If it gets bad enough, I'm sure it wouldn't take long to find sustenance." He offered a gleaming smile. How could I say "no" to that? I closed my eyes, trying to block out the image of his gorgeous face. It didn't work.
"Okay," I submitted with my eyes still closed. He leaned in and placed a kiss on my cheek.
"I'll let Alice in," he said as he stood. That's right… why use a doorbell when the other beautiful vampire can already hear you?
Alice didn't waste any time to get to my side. She was already rattling off about her excitement.
"Oh, Bella, I'm so excited! Thank you so much for agreeing. I mean, I already knew you were going to agree, but there was still a chance that you wouldn't want to go. But anyway!" She stopped to examine my face. She frowned when she calculated that my smile was only out of courtesy.
"Don't worry," Edward pushed, locking his eyes on me. The fire in his eyes melted my cold shoulder, and I let a larger smile slip from my lips. He was right. I was going to be spending time with him and Alice. What better way to spend my vacation?
"You know, it's okay to be excited, Bella," Alice said, placing her hands on her hips. "After all, I see nothing but fun ahead of us."
"Don't you want to spend your break with Jasper?" I tried one last time. The hope in my voice was obvious. All she did was smile at me. I sighed in defeat, and I heard Charlie's cruiser pull up in the driveway.
It didn't take him long to come inside.
"Alice!" he exclaimed when he saw her standing in the kitchen. She returned his smile as he placed two shopping bags upon the counter. Then he turned his full body to me.
"The verdict?" he asked, trying to sound official and businesslike. Out of my peripheral vision I could see both Alice and Edward grinning. Apparently, Charlie could see them, too, but he tried to not let their faces affect him. Not just yet.
"Well, as you can probably see by the looks and their faces," I said motioning toward Alice and Edward, "I decided to go along with this vacation thing you've got planned."
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A/N: And then there were two chapters posted. Soooooo, review! Much love!
