Chapter 3
Bella Swan had never liked wet spots. They were uncomfortable, unsightly and could lead to early onset of mildew. She stared up at her ceiling and watched the wet spot grow larger. Outside, the angry storm were raging and inside apprehension was swelling, right along with the wet spot. Turning on the radio, she hoped to block out the internal turmoil. The soothing tones of Dr. Whitlock, the Love Doctor, filled the air.
"Next caller"
"Hello, Dr. Whitlock, I've been having problems with my boyfriend..."
Boyfriend? It was such an innocent sounding word. Bella had had a boyfriend once, and she and Jacob had encountered no problems. Of course, he had broken off their seven year engagement, which some might consider to be a problem. She however liked to think it as a blessing. Now she was footloose and fancy free, and if she really put her mind to it, she could do footloose and fancy free. Yep, she was on her way to a new and improved lifestyle. And any second now, her new and improve lifestyle was going to spring a leak. Cursing her Realtor, she moved the rugs out of the way and stared at the slightly warped, wooden flooring beneath. She had thought the softened appearance gave it character. She was a moron.
Bella didn't like insecurity. She like to think of herself as capable and intelligent, a real go-getter. Yet, this afternoon when Edward Cullen had flashed her a tiny bit of his oh-so-abundant charm, she'd had a tremendous desire to go out and get her nails done. But she knew nen like him didn't noice woman like her. He had charisma, was handsome. She was just a plain Jane. She'd heard the stories about all the places he'd been. She could imagine the beautiful woman he'd met. So why pay attention to her?
Inconceivable. No mere man would reduce her to such a quivering mass of spineless Jell-O. And thanks to Jacob, Bella thought all men weren't to be trusted...none of them, not one bit. As her mom always reminded her about men, 'Why buy the cow when you can get the milk free' It took her first hand to learn that the hard way. As she looked back on it, Jacob had been a complete ass. The signs had been there but at the time she refused to acknowledge what was right in front of her face. She should realized Jacob had some one else besides her. So much of her life wasted on him. How could she have thought she was in love with the idiot? Love was for fools. Heartbreak was always the end result. There were never fairy tail endings, just empty promises. Sure at times you could be happy but in a blink of a eye it would be gone, leaving destruction in it's wake. A small bit of couples love, just wasn't worth the pain left behind. Some one always got their heart crushed. The world was a cold and cruel place mixed with small patches of love and peace. At least it was in her eyes. She knew it wasn't healthy to think like that, Jacob was the blame.
While she was contemplating her own gullibility, the first drop fell. Big, cold and fat. Strait onto her face. Dashing to what was someday to be her newly remodeled kitchen and searched frantically for a bucket. There, back at the far corner under the sink, she found a shiny light blue bucket she stole from Jacob's place in New York. Carrying it back to the living room, feeling rather cocky, placed it under what was now a steady stream of water. Putting her hands on her hips, she thought to herself 'Take that'. She was ready to battle the storm gods. It would require more than a puny drip-drip to poke holes in her future.
She dusted off her hands and sank down in front of the spot where the TV would eventually go. She couldn't afford a TV yet. Jacob had taken theirs in the breakup.
As soon as she received her first pay check, a twenty-seven inch was to be bought.
She continued to listen to Dr. Whitlock calmly explained to her caller that she was kidding herself about her new boyfriend. That he would never amount to anything and the caller should dump him. Sage advice. So thrilling to be the dumper rather than the dumpee. So where had Dr. Whitlock been when Bella was in New York? not there that was for sure.
Bella loved her new house, she really. It was situated in Greenbay Park (Not a real place, just so you know), a small suburb just south of settle. The house was small, like Jocob's house back in New York. It had wooden floors that, when polished, had a fresh pine scent. It had three little rooms rather than four. Living room, kitchen and, as soon as she moved all the boxes, she'd even have a bedroom. Of course her new house needed a little work. But she was willing to do whatever it took to start over. A new house, new city for her new life.
Looking back up, she took a hard look at the ceiling and sighed. And a new roof. She thought about calling the roofer, even went and picked up the phone, but then thought of what repairmen charged these days. Her credit card was in a world of hurt. No, she thought as she put down the cordless 'd wait out the storm, wet spot and she studied her ceiling. Really, it didn't look that bad. If she was lucky, the storm of hell would pass soon.
Thunder boomed and Bella jumped, still a little nervous about being alone. What she needed was company. She went to her would-be bedroom, rummaged through the boxes until she found the old paper box that she had treasured since her childhood. She popped open the lid and pulled out her past. Tons of pictures that told a past of a girl that once believed in far away lands, fairy tails with happily ever after. How she missed those days. Her parents were long gone, it had been almost three years now since they passed way, in a fatal car crash. It wasn't some thing you could forget, not when you felt in some small way it was your fault. Bella did, her parents were on their way to visit when it happened. Some drunk had hit them head on, no survivors.
An ominous creaking sounded deep in the bowels of her roof. She didn't want to see this.
Crack.
That made her look up. Her brown eyes widened with surprise. One truss jutted right through the middle of her ceiling, drywall drooping like a weeping willow. Above that, there was only the dark gray sky. And of course, damn rain. Always the damn rain.
Her mother had always punished her for cussing. Bella could hear her know 'A lady never cusses' but this time Bella swore up and down in a manner that would have made her mother turn in her grave. Just for good measure, she swore again.
Finding the thick paperback phone-book. She found the first water removal ad in the yellow pages and picked up the phone to dial. But wouldn't you know her luck, no dial tone.
Unbelievable. When it rains, it pours. She felt like she could never get a break. Some one above was getting kick out of her misery. She was sure of that.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Edward shuffled through the papers littered his once organized desk, not that it helped. Five til nine, and he hadn't made it through the first diagram yet. The internals of a bed. he had been an English major, not an engineer. A football game was on TV called to him. Edward, you don't really want to read that, do you? Come watch me. He groaned and took another sip of his cola.
No, he was not going to accept defeat at the hands of an innerspring. He propped his elbows on his desk and tried to concentrate. Not that it helped.
Cullen Beds wasn't about security, it was about a mattress. And if Edward was going to succeed here, he really needed to understand how a mattress was put together.
He blew out a breath, staring at the springs. What the hell was a helical anyway? He thought to himself, getting more and more frustrated as the seconds ticked bye.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
After a thorough check of her closets for ax murders, Bella knew the dead phone line was a plan to kill her, merely another step to wrecking her new and improve life. At one in the morning, she found her way to the familiar confines of Cullen Beds. Thank god ran through her head. Tired and exhausted, she was ready to discover if the company's adverting claims were true.
The office was dark and gloomy, shadows creeping along the wall. Bella clutched her herbal extracts pillow to her chest, letting the scents of lavender soothe her senses. Her backpack was filled with tomorrow's cloths, toiletry bag, mini-alarm clock, one breakfast bar and a new tin of mints. Only two more days until the weekend. She wondered if maybe she could spend the time waterproofing her house.
The rain continued to pound, but there were no drip...drip......whoosh sounds of a roof about to collapse, merely the loud whirring of the ancient air-conditioning Future Products and Research area was on the third floor, and she was relieved to see the old metal elevator waiting for her. They had said she could have after hours access, anything to keep their workers happy and productive. Right now, Bella was too exhausted to think about work. Just a few hours of sleep was all she needed, and the research testing area was the perfect place.
As the elevator shuddered to a halt, and she slid back the iron gate. First she looked to make sure the hallway was empty, and then crept toward the open glass doorway that housed the next generation of Cullen Beds. At last she thought. Inside was another hallway lined with eight doors. Each room housed a bed, a small television set, a nightstand, and a small hospital style quite the comforts of home, but there were no leaks, no standing water, and best of all. no room charges.
Bella wandered from room to room, examining each bed closely. Over the years, she'd learned the power of a good mattress.
Five years ago she had graduated from the University of Tampa with a degree in industrial engineering. First job out, and she started in the sleep products industry. A year later , she'd discovered she loved it, even with the uninvited remarks from the occasional idiot: sleeping on the job or sleeping with the boss. Everyone thought they were comedians.
She finally settled on the last room at the end of the hallway, number eight. First, she set her alarm for five o'clock, she sure didn't want to get caught. Next, she bounced on the mattress for a moment, hen kicked off her shoes and sank onto the bed.
Ah..Bliss.
For a long time, she stared at the ceiling, wondering about her roof, her job, her $9,339 Visa balance, but gradually the lavender did its job, clearing her worries away, and Bella fell into a deep sleep.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O
Edward lifted his head off his desk opened one eye, the morning light way too bright in his office. Immediately the hammer in his head pounded with vengeance. Ouch was what came to mind. Why in a building full of beds had he chosen to fall asleep at his desk?
"Mr. Cullen!" Edward groaned. It was the voice of plastic fack Barbie want-a-bee. And now he was wide awake. his lastest temporary secrerity, Tanya Denali, was punctual, efficient and possessed no visible sense of humor. He hated her.
"Security registered motion detection in the testing center last evening and no trails were scheduled. I thought you might want to know, as security is your job." She lifted one thin dark eyebrow as if he were completely inept. James Bond he wasn't, but for God's sake, it was a mattress factory. What were they going to steal?
"I'm on the case, Tanya. You can relax now" She humphed and stalked out the door without so much as a cheerful smile to start the day. Edward wondered if the temporary agency would be annoyed if called and requested a new secretary. Probably. He seemed to be annoying a lot of people lately. Still, security was his job or at least his latest job.
And it was time to check out the facts, Down at the research center, Edward lookesd into each room, wondering if he should test for fingerprints.
Nah, why bother. By the time he entered room eight, he knew that no fingerprints were necessary. There was a new smell that permeated this room. Pleasant, comforting. Not at all what they normally used in the testing lab, where antiseptic deodorizer was de rigueur. Never-the-less, the bed looked completely unused, and yet...
He sat down on the bed, a new test unit for the Dreamscape line. The innerspring gave way just as they'd been designed. He learned back, letting the warm smell wash over him. Without thinking he rested his head on the pillow, the scent of, what was that smell? Something with flowers and something else. It was soothing, relaxing, yet oddly elusive.
Something sharp poked his spine, reaching behind him, looking for a clue. But there was nothing. Someone had lain here, he was sure of it. But why? A little catnapping on the job, or a little catnapping on the side? What a perfect setup for an affair. No hotels necessary, just use the company's product.
Edward sat up. For the first time the weight of responsibility was resting on his shoulders. With a scowl, he strode out of the room.
Tonight he would discover just exactly what was being researched in the testing center. Or who.
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