Chapter Three—Lost Cause

For three days, Edward had been busy with the case that seemed to have the neighborhood on alert. During that time, he hadn't seen much of Little Miss Red Coat. In fact, he hadn't seen her at all.

He told himself that he wasn't in his car waiting for her arrival from wherever she worked, so that they'd happen to meet at the door. He was simply there to watch the neighborhood.

"Damn," he hissed. If it hadn't been for his captain, he'd still be out with Garrett and Alistair canvasing the area. He'd been running on empty for close to ten years now. What difference would one night off make?

Checking the time, he realized that he'd been in his car for almost twenty minutes. Feeling like a fool, he grabbed his bag of groceries and exited his vehicle. As he made his way toward the front stoop of his building, he heard the unmistakable melody of jingle bells from behind him.

He didn't want to see her.

Uttering an oath, he purposefully, picked up his pace. He knew without even looking that it was his neighbor. The scent that permeated their hallway also followed her around.

Her strides though shorter, were quicker and she beat him up the front steps without a look back at him. However, she held the door open, though it seemed almost absentmindedly.

He immediately scolded her for it, "You shouldn't allow someone to just walk in behind you. It could be dangerous with all the robberies lately." The tone he used could've been smoother rather than accusatory.

The short red leather coat she wore shifted over her hip, revealing a fitted grey sweater dress and black tights. A delicate eyebrow rose and the smile disappeared from her face.

Cocking his head to one side, he said, "It's good to know that you have other expressions besides a smile."

The pretty eyebrow raised further, one side of her mouth tilting up in a soft smirk. "It seems I only save those expressions for you." Tossing her hair to the side, she walked toward the mailboxes and opened hers, ignoring him.

Edward didn't let that bother him, considering how he was so rude to her the first time they met and now again. He tried to think of something to say, but failed to find the words. Since the last wreath incident, he planned to repair the damage to the door. He hadn't taken time to remove the wreath with care and scratched the paint beneath. When he returned home the following night, the door was as good as new.

Shifting through the mail, he saw something addressed to him from Bella. Guilt hit him again. She sent me a Christmas card, even after everything I did.

Granted she was partially at fault, he still felt like shit about it. Determined now to set things right, he turned to talk to her, but found that she already made her escape. He groaned and slammed his mailbox shut, running to catch her.

She was long gone and as he set foot in his hallway, he looked down at the card Bella sent him. Inside was a repair bill for the door. Crumbling it in his hand, he hissed, "You can run, but you can't hide, lady!"

Her head popped out from her apartment, a satisfied smile on her face. "Look around the other floors, they're all decorated. Also, check your rental agreement. I can decorate the halls as I choose for all holidays, including the doors. If you had knocked on my door, asking to remove it, I would have gladly and without complaint. You didn't. Plus, I only charged you for half." A blush tinted her lovely face, as she bit her lip. "It is partially my fault."

"I don't want my door decorated. I thought I made that obvious when I left the first one on your door."

Her face transformed to one of innocence, fluttering lashes, widening eyes as they started to glisten.

"You did that on purpose?" As her chin trembled, she shook her head. "I guess I didn't want to believe that." She sighed and shrugged. "I thought the first time was one of the kids in 2A that removed it, they've done things like that before. Having thought that, I made sure that it wouldn't come off unless I wanted it to, so I glued it on. It wasn't until I woke up to the sound of a bear growling in my hallway, that I realized you didn't want one. I was going to remove it myself if you hadn't."

Edward wanted to laugh as she ranted her explanation in one breath. "So you admit the damage to the door is your fault and not mine."

Bella shook her head and replied, "No. I know what to do and could've easily removed it. Again, if you knocked on my door I could've done it with little complaint."

He doubted that, but knew she was right. Having jumped to conclusions, he retaliated without thinking.

"Fine, I'll pay for the bill," he said, making his way to his door. There was no wreath or lights, in fact, his neighbor had even removed all the garland and lights around it. Now, it looked out of place.

He thought he heard her door close, but he looked over his shoulder to see that she was leaning against the wall watching him. "Why do you hate Christmas so much?" she asked as she removed her gloves.

"Why do you love it so much?"

"That's easy. It's the season of giving and a time where I get to spend it with my friends and family. Some of the best things happen during this time of year."

"Well, I don't have anything to give," Edward replied, entering his apartment. "As for family, they're all dead. I've seen some of the worst things happen during holidays. Just the other day, I had to watch a single mother tell her kids their presents were stolen and there would be none this year. Not even a damn tree. That wasn't the worst of the day, either."

"Oh," she whispered.

"So please, don't try to change my mind."

"But—"

He shook his head, offering her a sad smile. "Don't bother, Bella. I'm a lost cause." Before she could respond, he closed the door with a soft click.

From inside he watched her through the peephole. The light he'd seen in her eyes and the smile that usually graced her beautiful face were gone. As she ran a hand through her silky curls, she pulled out her cell phone. "Hey, Dad," she said as she entered her apartment, looking once more at his door. "Can you look into something for me?"

As her door closed, it felt final, as if he lost an opportunity he didn't know he wanted. He thought it was for the best. Making his way to his liquor cabinet, he ignored the sting that came from guilt. He had nothing to feel guilty for, it wasn't his fault that he likely diminished a little of Miss Christmas's light.

The following morning, after a dreadful night's sleep, Edward locked his apartment door, running late for work. He cursed when he almost tripped over something on the floor. It was a plastic container filled with various cookies and not one of them decorated in holiday colors.

"Fuck, she's trying to kill me with kindness," he groaned, the guilt from the night before making him feel worse. That made him angrier. She was still trying to put him in a Christmas spirit. "Not going to happen."

He dropped the container on the table just inside his apartment. Turning to lock the door, he noticed the lack of decorations in the hallway. All the lights, garland and ornaments no longer hung everywhere. None adorned Bella's door, looking much the way it had when he moved in.

"Shit."