A/N I'm getting questions about imprinting and all I'm going to say is this story is going to include imprinting and the turmoil it causes.

Copyright disclaimer: Twilight and all recognizable characters are sole property of Stephanie Meyer

Chapter 3

Bella surprisingly got a good night's sleep thanks to jet lag and benadryl. She got up at 6:30, got a shower and ate a lite breakfast. She peered out the window at 7:30 and there the truck sat, just as Seth had promised. She left a little early for the school, so she could be there when they opened up at 8. She wanted to have time to get a nice lunch on before Charlie came home. The receptionist met with her and glanced at her resume. "Bella, it's obvious, you're more than qualified for this position. I'll let you in a little secret. One of the Kindergarten teachers is going on maternity leave the last two months of the school year. I know they haven't filled that position. If you do well, I bet they'll offer you the position and if you want to stick around next year, maybe you'll find a permanent job."

Bella had no idea if she planned to stay next year. She wasn't even sure if she going to make it to the last two months of school, but she acted enthusiastic anyway. She had become a professional at faking, so she did what she thought bettered her chances. The administration office told her if she had the time the principal at the elementary school would like to meet with her. It was still only 8:30, so she headed straight there. The principal must have liked her as well because she was given the job after only a few minutes. It was at least half the salary she was promised in Jacksonville, but that was to be expected.

She made it back to the house at 9:45, not exactly too much time before she expected her Dad home, but she still had plenty of time before lunch. Seth had been considerate enough to leave his number in the truck, so Bella decided to share her good news with him.

ur truck went to good use...i got the job

btw, i didn't wreck it

Why did she suddenly want Seth to think she was witty? Maybe it had to do with the fact he had the sweetest laugh she had ever heard. Although, she wouldn't hear him laugh when he read her text.

She went around the house, to make sure she had taken care of everything and it looked good, so she turned on the TV to keep her mind off her nervousness. It was true she was apprehensive about seeing Charlie again. She flipped it directly to the Food network. Her phone vibrated.

i know...

and congrats

What did he mean "I know"? Did he know she got a job? Did word travel that fast in Forks? Or was he talking about her not wrecking his truck? That must be it, Seth was a cop, so he would be the first to hear about an accident in Forks. It wasn't like he was having her followed or something.

A car door slammed outside. She clicked the television off and stood up to go to the door.

She heard Charlie as well as a woman's voice just outside the door, so she opened it before they had the chance.

"Bells! Bells, what are you doing here?" he looked at Sue. "I told you not to worry Bella."

"For crying out loud Charlie, she's your daughter. Did you really think no one would tell her you were shot." Bella thought they were so cute. Sue smiled sweetly at Bella and gave her a hug. "Don't listen to your father, he's very happy you're here. You've really grown into a beautiful young woman, Bella." She liked Sue instantly. No wonder Seth was so appealing to her. Friendliness must have run in the family. Bella wondered if Leah was just as friendly.

"Come on in, Dad. You just got out of the hospital, you should sit down. How are you feeling?"

"Like it's time for my next pain pill, but first give your ole man a hug, Bells. It's been a long time." Charlie had only visited her twice in the past five years. "How long are you staying? Don't you start a new job next week?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact, I start a new job at Forks Elementary, Monday, so I'm staying as long as you need me." Charlie couldn't hide his excitement when she said that.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive, Dad, It's a done deal. Now, have a seat so Sue can explain your medications to me and I'll get started on a special welcome home dinner."

Charlie got situated in his favorite chair and Sue and Bella got busy in the kitchen. She let Bella know what he was taking and how often to give it. He had to wear his specialized sling at all times. She said Charlie managed in the shower this morning at the hospital, but if she needed Seth to help to call him anytime. Charlie would probably rather lie on the floor and die than let him assist him with the shower. Bella more than understood that, because she was equally modest. Sue explained Charlie's rehab schedule to Bella. She was going to have to see if she could get a break on Fridays, because that was the only day that didn't have arrangements for him. Sue asked what she could do to help, so Bella let her chop vegetables and peel potatoes. She was cooking smothered steak with mashed potatoes and gravy. She was also going to saute green beans and mushrooms because it was one of Charlie's favorite sides. She had rolls rising on the counter as well.

"Wow, Bella, this is quite a feast for the middle of the day. Charlie is going to be thrilled. He griped constantly about the hospital food." Sue had the rest of the day off, so she was staying for lunch.

Bella got the idea, she should send Seth a message, in case he had a lunch break.

making a bunch of food, can you get away for lunch?

Seth replied immediately.

not until 1, is that too late?

Bella promised his food would be ready.

nope, I'll have a plate ready for u...c u soon

Once Bella got the steaks seasoned, she put them in the oven on low to cook them nice and slow, so they would be tender. She peaked in on Charlie to find him sound asleep in his recliner. The pain pills worked quick. She noticed a car she had not seen before outside, so she went over to the window to investigate. Her truck was pulled out of the side garage and a pair of jean clad legs were sticking out the front. That could only be one person, and Bella felt her heart skip a beat. He was fixing her truck and she was undecided if she had gotten excited about the truck or that Jacob had come back.

Bella went outside, not wanting disturb Jacob, but she should see if he needed anything. As soon as she approached the truck, he said, "Hey Bells, can you hand me that wrench out of my tool box?"

"What does it look like?"

His hand came out into view with a silver tool in his grip, "Like this, only bigger. It's been awhile since I worked on this truck and I picked up the wrong size."

Bella quickly found what he was talking about and switched out the tools for him. "Thanks Jake for getting to my truck so soon. I've got good news. You were right, I got the job."

"That's great, I knew you would. Hopefully, I'll get it going for you, but I may have to go back to the shop for some parts."

"Oh okay, can I get you something to drink?"

"Not right now."

Bella felt a little awkward as she continued to talk to his feet. She started to head back into the house when she remembered she had a huge lunch cooking. Seth was coming, so she went back and invited Jacob as well.

"Sure, sure lunch sounds good, just let me know when it's ready."

The aromas soon began to permeate the house and Charlie's nose woke him up. "Bells, you didn't have to do all this for me; but it sure smells great. Is it ready?"

"Almost Dad, the rolls will be out in about five minutes. I'm going to go out and get Jacob."

"Jake's here?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, he is working on my truck. Thanks for keep it. I was really surprised to hear it was still here."

Bella stepped outside again to find Jacob had come out from under the truck. He was standing at what she assumed was his other car. It was a Dodge Challenger, she only knew about it because Phil had a thing for muscle cars and there were always car magazines around the house. He was on the phone, so she didn't want to interrupt. He waved to her and she mouthed, "Lunch is ready." He held up his finger signaling he needed a minute. It was only 12:30, but Seth shouldn' t mind if they started without him. Bella went inside and made everyone's plate. Charlie advised her that she should put more on Jacob's plate, that she would not believe how much those boys could put away. She decided to go ahead and make Seth's plate to make sure he had his own adequate portion.

Jacob came inside and headed upstairs to the bathroom. Bella noticed he had several smudges on his arm and face. His shirt looked pretty clean and she wondered if he had changed it before he came inside. She could not help but watch him climb the stairs, but Jacob must have had a sixth sense because he turned around and caught her. That was the second time she had been busted, and he seemed to enjoy the attention. He gave her a cocky grin and then disappeared into the bathroom.

Bella sat down at the table next to Sue. Jacob caught sight of the biggest plate of food and sat across from her. He immediately dug in, "Oh Bella, this is so good. Where did you learn to cook like this?"

"Trial and error...food network. My Mom stinks at it, so it was a survival technique."

"I haven't had food this good in forever. Thanks, it really hits the spot."

"Oh, doesn't your girlfriend cook for you?"

Jacob looked up, Sue had a funny look on her face. Did she say something wrong?

"Naw, she isn't really into cooking. "

"Oh, well I could send some simple recipes home with you if you think she'd like to try them." She thought she was being nice.

"Um, no thanks. Then I'd have to admit I've been telling people she can't cook. Just forget I mentioned it."

Jacob went back to enjoying his food.

The four of them made small talk. Bella was kind of jealous that Jacob could so easily carry a conversation with both Sue and Charlie. She was more of an observer than a participant. Jacob turned to her when he was done and thanked her again. "Bella, I am going to have to go back to the garage in a little bit. I need a part and hopefully I have it there. If not, I will have to order it for you."

Charlie spoke up, "Whatever you need, Jake...let me know and I'll pay you."

"Dad, I've got money. I can pay Jacob."

Jacob looked up and towards the door. Bella saw a car pass by and realized Seth must have gotten dropped off. She jumped up and went to the door to let him in. He must have felt comfortable with Bella after their prior evening together, because he picked her up and spun her around. "Mmm, smells good in here Bella. Second time, in a few hours you're feeding me. I might have to marry you."

Bella felt warm all over when he said that. Of course, he was joking. She giggled and blushed. She went to reheat Seth's plate and told him to have a seat. He followed her into the kitchen to wash his hands at the sink. She was getting the plate out of the microwave and felt him sneak up behind her. He reached around to take the plate from her and made contact with her body again. Bella thought he was being overly friendly. She didn't exactly mind, but she wasn't quite ready for it.

Seth had a seat and started to eat. Bella offered Jake one more helping but he declined. She was about to sit down by Seth, because Charlie and Sue had gone back into the living room. Jacob stood up and went to the sink to wash his dish. She didn't expect him to do that, so she followed him instead of sitting down. "Here Jacob, I'll get that, you are doing enough fixing my truck."

Sue yelled to both of them. "I'll clean the kitchen when everyone is done. Leave it, Bella."

Jacob took the sponge out of Bella's hand and she didn't know what happened, but being so close to him made her feel funny inside. He had touched her hand and she had to admit to herself that despite all her inner conflicts; she in fact was attracted to Jacob. It didn't matter that she knew he had a girlfriend. She liked it when he stood close to her, and she wanted him to touch her again. This was not good, she couldn't wait to discuss it with her new therapist.

Jacob went ahead with cleaning his own dish, so Bella joined Seth. "Thanks so much for inviting me today. This is the best lunch I've had since starting on the force. No offense, Mom," he yelled to Sue.

"It's fine, Seth. You're right," she called back.

"Bells," Jake wanted her attention. "I'm going to check on a couple of more things on the truck, but would you like to ride out to my shop with me in a bit?"

Seth spoke up before she had a chance to answer, "Why? Do you think Bella likes cars, Jake?"

Bella did not miss the look Jacob gave him. He might have seemed extremely nice and friendly, but for a second Jacob looked scary. She wondered if they had a disagreement prior to this lunch, because they barely had acknowledged each other except for that interchange.

"I thought Bella might like to take a ride to La Push and see my shop. She and I are still trying to catch up," Jacob responded.

"Sure, Jacob. I would like to go," she hoped that would be the end the tension that had just risen up in the room.

Seth shrugged and stood up to take his plate to the sink. Instead of heading out front, Jacob went to the back door. He didn't even speak, he only motioned with his head and Seth followed him and shut the door behind them. Bella couldn't help herself. She headed over to the sink to continue washing dishes, but really she only wanted to look out the window. They both looked very serious. She wasn't a lip reader, but it was obvious Jake said the "f" word a couple of times. They were arguing. There was no way, it was about her. She was not stupid enough to believe that. Who knows, maybe it was something about tribal functions. Jacob mentioned that he and Seth performed duties on the reservation. She decided to stop spying and went to join Sue and Charlie. Seth came back in and gave his Mom a kiss on the cheek. "Come out to my truck, Bella. I have something to ask you."

"Um okay," so Bella followed him. Jacob was back under her truck again.

She walked Seth to his truck and he opened the door but didn't get in. He thanked her for lunch again, and then made a point to tell her that if her truck wasn't ready, he had Monday off and he would give her a ride to and from work.

"That's very generous of you, Seth. Um...I hate to ask, but could you drive me to Port Angeles after work? I don't know who else to ask." She inadvertently whispered the rest, "I have a doctor's appointment."

"Are you sick?"

"Uh, not exactly, but can you? I really need to go."

"On one condition, you let me take you out to dinner afterwards."

A loud clanking noise could be heard under her truck and Jacob yelled, "Dammit."

She and Seth stopped talking, but Jacob didn't move from under the truck.

"Okay, I will be in touch with you this weekend. Thanks, and before she could step away, Seth was hugging her again. She wondered if he noticed how her body stiffened. She wanted to avoid that reaction, but it happened every time like a reflex.

Bella went back in the house to make sure Sue and Charlie would be fine with her taking a ride with Jacob. She was in her room changing, when she heard a knock at her door. She said, "Just a second," and quickly put on a different top that didn't smell like food.

She opened the door to see a very relaxed Jacob, the one that she liked so much better than the angry version he had been earlier. "You ready?"

"Sure,"

She followed him out to his car. He even opened the door for her. "Phil would love this car, Jake. Mind if I take a picture of it later?"

He laughed, "Of course not, I'll take one of you with it, if you want."

"No, just the car's fine."

Bella had forgotten how peaceful the drive was to La Push. Jacob told her more about his garage. His friends Paul, Embry and Quil worked with him. Jacob seemed to have a lot more going for himself than she did. He owned a business and was in a serious relationship as well as being involved with his tribe. He was two years younger than her as well. Oh well, at least she had gotten her degree even if she still lived with at least one of her parents and did not have any friends.

They pulled into the garage, but she didn't see much activity going on. "It never fails, I take off and those jokers quit early. Oh well, I'll make them work extra tomorrow, come on in Bella. You can sit in my office while I search my inventory.

Jacob led her to a small room with a desk and a second hand loveseat. She sat there waiting for him. The office didn't appear to have any decorations. Bella saw the back of a picture frame on the desk, she was debating on whether she should go have a look. She was pretty certain, there would be a picture of Nadia in that frame. She was very tempted to take a look but Jacob came back in the office.

"Sorry about that, looks like I need to order the parts. I know you are anxious to have your truck going again."

"It's fine. Seth is giving me a ride."

"So you and Seth seem to have hit off fast," it seemed more of statement than a question.

"Yeah, he's easy to talk to and he's funny and so nice."

"Yep, he's a regular golden boy," he said with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

"Are you upset with him for some reason?"

"Nope."

"But I..." she didn't want to admit her snooping, but she found it easy to be honest with Jacob, "I thought I heard you two arguing in my yard after lunch."

"Aw that was nothing, something Seth was suppose to do for me. I was only reminding him."

Bella decided to stand up, she assumed they would be leaving since Jacob could not find the parts he was searching for. Jacob approached her with a very serious look on his face. "Bella, I wanted you to know, I'm really happy you're back. I know we didn't get to spend much time together before, but I really like spending time with you."

She thought he was going to hug her, but then he turned away. She caught him staring down at his desk. His jaw clenched and he looked incredibly tense to her. "Thanks Jacob, I agree. You're a nice friend. It's been so long since I had one and now I feel lucky to have both you and Seth. You two have both me so kind to me." She guessed she had said something wrong, because Jacob had that look again. It was the one she found scary. "I'm sorry...do you have some sort of inner conflict going on? Did I say something wrong?"

"Inner conflict? Are you trying to psycho analyze me, Bella? Did you get that from your shrink?" his voice was cold and distant.

She could not believe how a few seconds ago he was so happy to have her around and now he was throwing her problems in her face. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Screw you, Jacob. I was trying to be understanding. I don't know how you know that about me, but I guess I'm big joke to you. I'm sure you and all your friends had a good laugh about the crazy girl that was left in the woods." She headed towards the door to leave forgetting that Jake was her stupid ride. He grabbed her wrist as she reached for the door handle.

"Wait, Bells, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I don't know why I did? I've just got some personal stuff hanging over my head. Damn, please forgive me...I know you're just being thoughtful. Come here," and Jacob pulled her into a hug. For once, her body didn't go rigid. She let herself melt into his embrace. He was so strong and so warm. Seth was right, it must have been a Quileute thing. She should pull away, because friends don't usually hold onto a hug so long, but she couldn't bear to do it. He wasn't stepping away, in fact, she felt him hold on a little tighter. His right hand went to her hair, and he let it make a pass down the length of it before he took his large fingers to stroke her cheek.

"It's okay, Jake...I say stupid stuff a lot too. Usually not out loud, but I forgive you."

They were still very close when the door opened. In walked a man wearing only a pair of cutoffs. Bella was pretty sure he was one of the guys she saw disappear into the woods the day before. He spoke to Jacob, "You told me to give you a heads up, you got about 3 minutes, tops."

Jake moved away from Bella and walked in a circle around his garage. He pulled at his hair in frustrated manner. Bella guessed whatever this guy was talking about. It must have been bad news.

Jake finally spoke up, "Bella, this is Paul." He had a deviant little smirk on his lips and Bella took an instant dislike towards him. "He's going to have to give you a ride back to Charlie's."

"What?" She didn't want to go anywhere with him.

"I'll let you know about the truck later as soon as I get the parts ordered, but I've got something to do now. You have to go," he said abruptly almost rude.

That creepy guy, Paul put his arm around her and walked them out the door. He guided her to his truck. She kept shrugging her shoulder to try and convince him to drop his arm, but he wouldn't take a hint. About that time, she recognized Jacob's red VW pull up. It was her. She was beautiful. Bella could tell even through the glare of the car window. She exited the car and briefly gave Bella and Paul a look, neither of them even acknowledge each other. She walked into the garage. Well, that was exactly what Bella needed to see. Nadia was so exotic, she seriously had no flaws. Bella would never be able to compete with that, she was plain vanilla; always would be. Jacob liked her friendship, but she was reading too much into anything that she thought had transpired between the two of them.

Finally, Paul took his arm off of her to let her sit in the truck. She pushed herself against the door hoping to stay as far from him as possible.

"Where to darling?"

"Charlie's, where else?"

"Okay, have it your way, I thought you might want me to give you a tour or something."

"No thanks, I need to get back."

"You want some free advice, you seem skiddish?"

"No, I'm good," the last thing she needed was his advice.

"Stay away from Jake."

She frowned at him. Who was this idiot?

"Um, thanks but Jake and I are friends."

"You're wrong. Jake doesn't have friends...not anymore."

She didn't want to talk to him, so she didn't even respond. She just watched the landscape go by and was thankful Paul drove really fast, so she could get back to Charlie's and away from him as soon as possible.

Thanks for reading.

As the story continues, Bella will be faced with a huge dilemma. I know some people will be disappointed no matter which one she chooses, but I'm very interested to hear from you. Are you rooting for Seth or Jacob in this fic?