Lisa: Hello again! *waves*
Penny: This hasn't been preread or betaed, cause we were so anxious to post. If there are any mistakes, they belong to me and Lisa. :) As always, we do not own Twilight.
CHAPTER 3
JPOV
When I woke up, I wasn't really sure where I was. Long gone was the dawn sky I saw shining through the window when I'd laid down, so I figured it had to be late afternoon already. Rolling over, I glanced at the clock and saw a bright red 5:42pm staring back at me. Holy shit! I'd slept all day!
Jumping out of bed, I pulled my jeans on and headed out of my room. The first thing I noticed was that it was eerily quiet, and the second was that the entire apartment smelled amazing. I was so grateful that Angela had stayed and helped out. I was so exhausted that it all seemed like a dream when she arrived and took over, and I felt so much better for having gotten some sleep.
When I walked into the kitchen, the aroma was so delicious that it made me remember just how hungry I was, and my stomach growled in response to the smells that were now invading my nostrils. Angela was standing at the stove, stirring something in a large pot, while little Matthew was fast asleep in his carrier seat in the living room. I couldn't help but smile as I noticed he had a clean jumper on.
"Thank you, Ang," I said quietly, and she whirled around, spoon in hand.
"Jasper! You scared the living hell out of me!" she exclaimed while pushing the hair that had falling down from her bun behind her ears.
"Shit, I'm sorry," I said before adding, "It smells really good in here. Chicken Alfredo?"
"Yep." She smiled. "I remember you ordering it once when we all went out...you remember that night?"
"I remember." I smiled back, recalling the last time the four of us had gone out for dinner. A week before Rosalie went into labor, Alice had come back from an extended trip overseas, and we were celebrating her return. Emmett, in particular, had never been happier, and in fact that entire night was one of the best ones we'd had in a long time. "Please tell me you had an easy day. You shouldn't have let me sleep so long."
"Oh, shut up," she admonished playfully, turning back to the stove. "You were dead on your feet when I showed up. You needed the rest."
I plopped down in a kitchen chair and ran my hands through my hair, at the same time watching Matthew's tiny little chest rise and fall. "I'm so grateful for what you've done for me. You have no idea how much better I feel."
"Don't mention it. So, any thoughts on what you're going to do? You can't keep going on the way you have been, Jasper."
"Well, first, I have to find a sitter so I can get back to work."
"When do you have to be back?"
"We've been working on securing this major contract, and if we get the go-ahead, I'll need to be there as soon as I possibly can," I said, my brow furrowing as I racked my brain for a solution. Day care was out. Oh, it was available, but the wait list was so long that Matthew would be at least two years old before I could secure a place for him.
"Can't Emmett hire someone else to help to give you a bit of extra time? Maybe get a couple of laborers in to help out with the grunt work?" she asked.
"There's no doubt we'll be hiring extra help, but I'll be needed to deal with the developers and to supervise the job."
Before I'd even known Rosalie was pregnant, Hale-McCarty Landscaping had submitted a proposal to design and landscape the gardens surrounding a new apartment complex, gymnasium and golf course that was already under construction. Emmett had been in negotiations since my life turned upside down, but I needed to be there if we had any chance of sealing the deal, considering I had more experience dealing with the likes of the enigmatic Carlisle Cullen than my esteemed colleague.
I smiled as I thought of my best friend and business partner. As much as he didn't feel comfortable dealing with "hot-shot big-wigs" as Emmett described the rich and influential we'd occasionally had to deal with, he was still a big reason why we'd gotten the opportunity in the first place. Though I normally dealt with the clients and Emmett hired and fired the sub-contractors, after hearing through the grapevine that the landscaping business meant to do the project had gone broke, he decided to take action. Emmett immediately got on the phone, and discovered that in fact, yes, Carlisle Cullen was now on the lookout for a new landscaping firm to help complete the project.
There was no doubt about it. I loved Emmett like a brother. He was the peas to my carrots, and we balanced one another perfectly. Of course, Emmett was straight, but I never held that against him, especially since he seemed so cool about it when I came out to him after we graduated high school, when I realized girls didn't hold the same attraction to me as they did him.
While Emmett was loud and outgoing, I was mostly quiet and introspective. In fact, he was the one who helped me come out of my shell when we first began college. We were both single, and not only did we party together, we also roomed together, and even worked in the same coffee shop to make ends meet. It was only once we'd gotten our degrees and started the business that we decided to live apart...needing at least a bit of space so we didn't kill one another.
That boy stuck by me through thick and thin, and was even there to help soften the blow when I finally plucked up the courage to come out to my family. Rosalie was actually quite thrilled by my admission, and considering she had several gay friends, I knew her finding out I was gay as well wouldn't be an issue. My mother was just as supportive, as I knew she would be, being the soft, understanding soul she was. I was more concerned about Pa's response, and Emmett knew it, and was there with me when I finally faced my father, after having already tested the waters with Ma.
Born and raised in a deeply religious, Southern family, Pa was one-eyed and quite old-fashioned about just about everything, but the fact that his health was failing had mellowed the old guy to the point that I didn't quite believe it when he told me that as long as I was happy, he was happy. He and Ma made quite the pair, the two of them caring for one another as best they could...Ma with her type one diabetes and Pa with his arthritis, their health issues and age making me the obvious and only choice to care for Matthew.
Yep, Emmett had been there, supporting me through it all. He'd been there to comfort me after I'd broken up with Alec...the only boy I'd ever kissed. He also helped me deal with the realization that I never really loved said boy...that our relationship was more to do with comfort and convenience than it was about true love.
And when we both ended up at the University of Georgia, studying landscape architecture together, we knew that we were destined to take the next step, and start up our own business. Ever since then, he and I had been working non-stop to establish ourselves in a fiercely competitive market. Unfortunately, it meant that forming any kind of romantic relationship was just about impossible for either of us, our lives so filled with working, eating and sleeping that there wasn't much room for anything else.
Up until this latest opportunity had come along, we'd landscaped private homes for the most part, along with a few smaller apartment buildings, but in recent times, we had come to the conclusion that the business was not only stagnating, but going backwards due to spiralling costs. The downturn in the economy and increased competition meant it was time to expand or flounder, we realized, and when we heard about Cullen Holdings' project, we just knew we had to go for it.
Angela set a steaming plate of food in front of me, effectively cutting through my thoughts. She then sat across from me at the small table with her own plate.
"I just know you will. Hey, I may need to find a reason to call on by the worksite...get a good look at some of those hunks Emmett seems to have an uncanny knack of hiring..." Angela laughed, shooting me an evil wink.
"Looking for a change in career?" I responded, laughing along with her.
"Are you kidding? All those tanned, hard bodies dressed in work boots, tight shorts and wearing construction hats? I just might be!"
"Well, I tell you what. If we get this job, I'll make you forewoman."
She let out a snort before her eyes widened and she began to bounce in her seat.
"Oh...can you imagine?"
"Hey, we should hire Alice as well and get a few of the guys to flirt with her while we're at it...maybe make Emmett jealous enough to finally make a move," I said, rolling my eyes. After Alice had been off the market, dating some guy named Eric at the time, at one point I thought Emmett would end up with my sister. They even went out once or twice, but the chemistry between them just wasn't there, Emmett apparently only having eyes for the soft, petite types with dark hair and hazel eyes.
"Oh wait! I have an even better idea. You could ask Alice to be your sitter. She works from home, so she could bring it here while she watches Matthew," Angela suggested, and for the first time in days, I actually grinned.
Alice Brandon had been a part my life for as long as Angela. We'd met them both in our second year of college, and Emmett was smitten the moment he laid eyes on her, his attraction instantaneous. Spotting the two of them studying quietly at the library...Ang reading several books on advertising and business management, Alice poring over a book about web design, Emmett boldly approached and introduced himself, never once taking his eyes off the girl of his dreams.
Of course, my closest friend and future business partner had no idea I knew how he felt about the bright and bubbly Alice, but I figured he'd tell me when he was ready. He never did. Considering Alice was seeing Eric, I couldn't say I blamed him, either, Emmett's respect for her situation preventing him from taking any action. And so, their friendship grew in strength instead, just as mine did with Ang, and once Alice became available again, he surprised the hell out of me when he never attempted to take things any further, even though I'd often catch him staring at her in a way a friend never would.
"That'd be perfect! I'll be sure to ask her about it tomorrow," I replied. "Thank you so much, Ang. You're a lifesaver."
"Don't mention it," she replied, digging into her food and taking a bite. "I'm just trying to help out as much as I can. I just wish there was more I could do."
"You've already helped more than you know." I dug into my own food, moaning as the flavors hit my tongue. "Oh hell, this is so good," I said, covering my mouth as I chewed so she wouldn't see.
She laughed lightly. "I'm glad you like it. I made enough for a couple of meals, so you can just put the rest in the freezer."
I nodded my thanks, and we continued to eat in silence. Just as I put the last bite in my mouth, a small cry sounded from Matthew's direction.
"I'll get him," Angela said, putting her fork down and moving to stand up.
"You've already done too much today, Ang. Let me." Placing my hand over hers and squeezing before rising to my feet, I strode over to the carrier, picked Matthew up and held him close. His cries quieted some, and feeling that his diaper was heavy with wetness, I took him to his room to change him.
After I'd fed Matthew and settled him for the night, I sent Angela on her way and took a much appreciated long, hot shower before settling on the couch. Feeling more human than I had for weeks, I picked up my phone and dialled Emmett's number, the sudden urgency to see this thing through now foremost in my mind...
Hope y'all liked it!
Penny and Lisa
