My beta is Iris, who is just amazing - thank you for doing your magic and making it readable! Thanks to Nic and MrsSpaceCowboy, my prereading extraordinaires! Also big thanks to Ceci for making my pretty banner! And thanks to you for reading this!

Any mistakes are my own.


No one else has arrived yet, so I decide to drive around town for a bit to calm myself and let the red dissipate from my complexion. I don't want Alice to know about my minor meltdown. I'm not paying attention to where I'm driving; I'm simply lost in thought. Before I know it, I've driven to the public library. Edward and I use to spend afternoons after school here − not actually inside the building, but fooling around in the parking lot. It has a large field with overgrown trees beside it. He would start to tickle me, so I'd run away and he'd chase me. I always let him catch me.

Realizing I've spent more time than I should have wandering around, I decide to head back. I drive through Hardee's and take a stab at guessing something Alice might like. Can't go wrong with cinnamon and raisin biscuits. If she doesn't like them, more for me. When I get back, Alice is there, as well as a couple of other cars. Nothing like human buffers.

Alice thanks me for breakfast and shovels the biscuits down in record time. She asks me how the unpacking's going, if I've made much in the way of progress. I've definitely made a dent in the unboxing of items, but progressing I'm not. I don't share my revelation with her; I just confirm there's still lots to be done. The men start streaming inside, chatting with each other as they wait for the other crews to show and get their day's assignments.

Edward comes in behind Seth, not looking anywhere near my direction. I watch as he interacts with the other guys. They laugh and joke, and he's in the middle of it, but at the same time, he's removed from it. He observes them like they're jesters in front of the king. Emmett's the last through the door, and Alice calls everyone to attention once she sees him enter.

"Edward, Seth, and Jake have the Newton's place out on Leicester, Mrs. Mallory's trailer park, as well as her house, and Mrs. Jamison's house. I don't care what order you do them in as long as they all get done today." Groans are heard all around from Edward's guys. I look at Alice in confusion.

"Mrs. Jamison's around eighty, and enjoys watching the guys work while she's dressed in nighties and perched on her porch." That certainly explains their lack of enthusiasm. Alice finishes assigning jobs sites for the day and dismisses the men. "We're all going to O'Malley's tonight once we're finished up, and you're coming, too. The unpacking can wait." I'm not even close to arguing. I'm ready for a drink now, and it's still before noon.

"Sounds good to me. Seems like slightly questionable behavior for a pregnant lady, though." She laughs and nudges me with her shoulder. "You ready for more learning about the wonderful world of wood and lawn care?" I raise my eyebrows and feign an excited face. "Am I ever!"

The guys are headed out the door to disperse for the day, and surprisingly enough, my anxiety level's lowered by half. Emmett walks over when everyone else is gone. "You coming out with us tonight, Bella?" He's jovial, but I still feel awkward around him. I'm not sure if it's me or maybe that weird thing with him and Edward before I left yesterday. "Alice informed me I wasn't allowed to skip, so I guess I'll be there." He looks really happy about this. "Okay. Good! I'll see you tonight!" He leaves, and I turn to Alice.

"What's up with him?"

"He's a really outgoing guy, Bella. He's never met a stranger he didn't like, and considers Jasper and me family. Since you're my sister, you're family, too. He and his wife, Rose, are just the sweetest people you could ever meet. All the kids call them Aunt Rose and Uncle Emmett, and they babysit from time to time." I'm slightly mollified at her explanation. He does seem to be fun, and I could use some fun in my life.

Alice and I spend the day going over the same things as yesterday. She quizzes me about the types of wood and services we offer, as well as costs. I get almost all of the questions right. After a little while, a Subaru hatchback pulls in, and Alice sends me to see what the customer needs. A guy with a receding hairline and a ponytail rolls his window down as I approach. He's squinting at the sun behind me, and puts his hand above his right eye to shield it from the light and still be able to see me.

"Can I get two stacks of wood?" he asks in a gruff voice. This man must smoke at least two packs a day; the stench of old cigarettes permeates the air coming from inside the car, and I can almost see the nicotine layers on the steering wheel.

"Sure thing. Pull over to where the stacks are, and I'll load them for you." He drives away, and I walk over to my towers, sad to be taking them down, and put them into this smoky stranger's car. When I've finished, he hands me a twenty and a five, and tells me to keep the change. A $5 tip is nice for all of three minutes of work. The Subaru pulls back out onto Dellwood, and I return to my lesson inside.

The rest of the afternoon passes in a blur of questions thrown at me in between customers buying wood and making appointments for Jasper to do estimates for work. It's a good thing to see the business booming like it is. There are a lot of lawn care businesses around here, but it seems like Jasper's work ethic and charming personality are paying off in spades, which keeps this place thriving.

When I was younger, I remember talk of Jasper being slutty. Nobody thought he'd ever settle down. He comes from a long line of eternal bachelors. My sister married him when she was sixteen, and if you'd have asked anyone, they'd have told you it would never last. Statistics alone show that it shouldn't have lasted. Fifteen years and soon-to-be six children later, they're still going strong. It hasn't been an easy road, but I'm really impressed and slightly jealous of them. They don't make love stories like that anymore.

The end of the work day looms near, and I know the workers will soon be returning, putting me on edge. Alice must sense it. "It's almost beer-thirty!" she exclaims.

"You did not just say that."

"I did. You look like you're ready. I'm happy it didn't take more convincing to bring you out tonight. You still haven't met all of Jasper's guys. Some only work on an as-needed basis, and they'll all be there. They've heard me gush non-stop about my sis coming home since I found out you were moving back."

She smiles at me so warmly that it radiates from her pores. I know she's genuinely happy I'm home, but drawing attention to it grates on my nerves. It makes me feel inadequate and wholly unworthy of her affections, like something must be wrong with me because I didn't miss her while I was gone.

Trying to not let the agitation show on my face, I return her smile, though I know it doesn't quite meet my eyes. Anxiety and nervousness constantly sit inside my chest nowadays. Being comfortable in my own skin isn't something I've felt since I left for school almost seven years ago, and this kind of intimacy between me and Alice is something I don't know how to process.

Before things get more awkward between us, the door opens and a blond man walks inside. He's wearing a shirt with the sleeves cut off. He has grass stains on the knees of his jeans and grass clippings in his hair. His skin is a nice golden brown from days spent in the sun. He's removing his sunglasses as he makes his way over.

"Bella, this is Chase Newton, Mike's younger brother. Chase, this is my sister, Bella." Alice happily introduces me. Mike graduated with Edward and me. He was one of the rednecks we would always shake our heads at. I'm pretty sure it was Mike who put his balls on an electric fence in a $20 bet. From what I remember, he and Edward didn't get along too well; mutual toleration is what I would call it.

"Nice to meet you." Chase extends his hand to shake mine, and our palms slide against each other. His hand is warm and feels nice wrapped around mine. He smiles, and I can tell he's use to getting his way with women. I'm not really interested, but I'll play nice.

"You, too, Chase. I didn't know Mike had a brother." The people from high school I keep in touch with are few and far between. I didn't have many close friends, and those I did have are now just people I used to know. I'm pretty sure they all still live in Waynesville.

"He's four years older. You guys graduated the year before I started. Man, Mike use to have the biggest crush on you! I use to give him shit about it all the time." This is news to me. Mike was popular and never lacking for company of the female persuasion. I wouldn't have ever guessed he was into me, but then again, I never saw past Edward.

"Wow. Okay. So you work with Jasper?" I'm just going to move on from that subject. Even if Edward hadn't been there, Mike wouldn't have been on my radar.

"Yeah. I do a little of everything, but I mainly help out on landscape design projects. Today I got a call from Edward saying he was running behind and needed me to do Mrs. Jamison's yard." He sends a pointed look in Alice's direction. "I busted my ass to get done and out of there as fast as possible."

Alice giggles, and I wonder if she's picturing Chase flying across a lawn on a mower with grass clippings whipping around him like a tornado, too. Chase doesn't look too pleased. Attempted seduction by the elderly's kind of nauseating, so I think I understand.

"Chase, I'm sorry. I'll make sure you don't have to go next time. I promise." She's trying really hard to be serious but is fighting back a laugh. "We're headed out to O'Malley's. Why don't you come with us? I'll buy you a beer to make up for it." He readily agrees, and we head outside.

The guys are getting things wrapped up for the end of the day. The work they do on the daily is strenuously hard labor, but the way they laugh and joke belies that. They have a solid camaraderie that shows the trust each one has in the other.

Alice tells me she'll see me at O'Malley's as we head to our cars. We walk through the gate, and Edward's holding the sliding part, waiting for everyone to go through so he can lock it.

"We'll see you there, yeah?" Alice questions as we pass Edward. He takes a deep breath, and lets it go while his green gaze flickers to me and back before he answers "Sure thing. Wouldn't miss it."

I pull into the parking lot of the bar and get a parking space right up front. Alice's Armada is a few spots down, so I know we've already got a table. The inside's dimly lit with neon lights, and the bar's long and lined with patrons. There are a few tables pushed together where our crew is gathered. I take the seat between Alice and Chase, Jasper's on the other side of Alice and across from him is Seth, and then it's Edward and Emmett. The rest of the guys are playing Golden Tee in the back.

Jasper leans around Alice to ask me how the past two days have been and if I've gotten the hang of things. "I'm getting there. It's a lot busier than I thought, and there's a lot to remember."

"I'm sure you'll do fine. Learning about the regular customers and the guys will probably be the hardest thing for you," Jasper tells me. The waitress comes over then with a few pitchers of beer and some cold glasses. Edward and I grab for one at the same time. We both do the polite thing and motion for the other to go ahead. Since this is the most civil we've been, I take the pitcher and pour myself some.

The night passes quickly, and I find that Emmett's one bad ass motherfucker. He has a wicked funny sense of humor, excellent taste in music, and has kept me belly-laughing the whole night. It could be the multiple pitchers we've worked our way through, but I think maybe it's a little of both. Edward's made his way to the bar and is joined by a blonde with a giant rack. The jeans she's wearing had to have been painted on, because there's no way she could've shimmied into those things by herself.

She trails her fingers over his hand and up his arm as they talk. The way she's flaunting herself all over him isn't sitting well with me. He's not mine ‒ he hasn't been for a really long time ‒ but something akin to jealousy burns me from the inside out. Edward must feel the daggers I'm throwing his and Tits McGee's way, because he turns and meets my stare before returning his attention to her.

I don't like being ignored, and that's what he's doing right now. How fucking dare he ignore me. All reason has left the building, and I'm fucking pissed as well as drunk. I'm so tired of watching Edward Cullen turn his back on me and walk away. That shit's unacceptable and isn't happening for another second longer.

I stand on wobbly legs and steady myself on the chair next to me before I make my way to the bar. Edward watches me cautiously as I stumble over to him. She's still talking when I step between them and poke him in the chest. "You know what? I don't even fucking care." Hardly deterred, I champion myself to continue, because he needs to know. "Be mad. Be a shouty asshole. But you know what?" I lean in toward his pretty face and whisper. "You don't know shit about any of it." I wave my arms wide to emphasize how much he doesn't know.

With those as my parting words, I turn to go back to my table and my awesome new friend, Emmett. My mind must be working faster than my body parts, because my feet don't turn when the rest of me does. I feel myself falling but don't feel the impact before blacking out.