Okay, so I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that I'm pretty sure I'm only going to be updating once a week. I'm not saying that I'll never update more frequently, but I don't want to promise something and then not deliver. So look for weekly updates from here on out.
The good news is, we meet Jake in this chapter! And on that note, I'm going to shut up now :)
As always, Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight; all I own is the idea for this story.
Chapter 2- BPOV
I left for Forks a little over a week after Charlie called. He set up his surgery for the Monday after finals week, and I went up the day of so I could get settled in at the house before he came home from the hospital. If all went well, he expected to be released after three days.
I had called Alice right after I made my airline reservations, and the squeal she emitted had me holding the phone away from myself to protect my eardrums. Although Alice certainly had the money to fly to Phoenix whenever she wanted, she didn't always have the time. She owned an upscale clothing boutique in Seattle that kept her pretty busy, especially considering that she was too much of a perfectionist to trust anyone else with the place for long. I really would have preferred to go visit her in Seattle for a day, but since I wasn't sure what condition Charlie would be in, I had her plan to come to me, instead. I couldn't wait to see her, but it was awfully hard to picture beautiful, impeccably dressed Alice traipsing around Forks in her Manolo Blahnik's.
I'd met Alice at the same time I met Edward. They were both in a ridiculous elective class I took my senior year in college- history of magic, of all things- one of those filler courses you end up needing last minute. I was sitting in the back on the first day, and I noticed two students at the end of my row who were both so gorgeous that I couldn't believe I'd never noticed them around campus before. I never would have guessed that they were brother and sister since they looked nothing alike, but that made sense when I later found out that they were adopted. Edward was tall, lean and fit, with piercing green eyes and a head of artfully disheveled reddish-brown hair. Alice had dark brown eyes and pitch-black hair that she wore in a short, spiky pixie cut. She was also tiny, dwarfed even by my five-foot-five.
Alice had been the first to strike up a conversation with me. She was much more outgoing than Edward, although he joined in once Alice and I got to talking. Over the next few weeks, I got to know both of them. They were the adopted children of Carlisle and Esme Cullen, and they had been raised in Seattle, Washington. They were my age, which was twenty-two at the time, and they had an older (also adopted) brother named Emmett, who played professional football for the Denver Broncos. Their mother was a self-employed architect, and their father was a neurosurgeon. Alice was planning to pursue a career in fashion, and Edward told me of his own plans to become an architect like their mother.
I could tell that they came from a fairly wealthy background, and I was immediately intimidated by such a well-off, successful family. Alice was such a warm person, though, that she made short work of any misgivings I had. We became close friends in practically no time at all.
Edward took longer to warm up to. It wasn't that he was unfriendly, he was just so intensively focused on his studies that he didn't leave much time for social interaction. I was a good student and took my classes seriously, but I knew I would never match his drive. I admired him for his devotion to success, but I was intimidated by it, too.
Apparently, Alice could tell that he was interested in me, because she dropped enough not-so-subtle hints that he finally asked me out on a date. At first it was rough not having Alice there to control the flow of conversation, but by the end of the evening we were talking more comfortably than we ever had. That date led to a second, and then a third, and almost before I knew it, we were exclusive.
Edward was, in many ways, and old-school romantic. He took me to upscale restaurants, he always paid, he bought me flowers and had them delivered to my house. I still lived with my mother at the time, and the gentlemanly gestures weren't lost on her. She thought Edward was a great catch. I had to agree with her. I finally understood the phrase "swept off my feet." Although I normally wasn't much for traditional romantic gestures, my last "relationship" with some jerk in high school made me much more appreciative of Edward's ways.
We dated all through the remainder of our senior year. I finished out my English degree and my secondary teaching certification, and Edward went to work on his masters. I got a job at a high school in Maricopa County. When Edward completed his masters, he told me that he planned to stay in the Phoenix area indefinitely (he was in love with Arizona) and asked me to move in with him.
I had no objections to that- my mother had just gotten engaged to a man named Phil, the first decent guy she had dated in years- and I figured it was time for me to leave the nest. What I had a problem with was Edward's idea of where we should live.
He assumed that he would just buy us a house, probably somewhere in Scottsdale. He was surprised when I told him absolutely not. Not only did we not need a huge house just for the two of us, but I refused to allow Edward to pay for everything when I had a decent job. I wasn't moving in with him unless we bought something together and I could afford to pay half.
It was our first real fight, but I won. We settled on a three-bedroom condo on the outskirts of Gilbert, one of the cities on the fringe of the Phoenix metro area. It was in a gated community with a clubhouse and a pool, and it was close to where I worked. Edward had already rented out office space to start his branch of Cullen Design, and we fell into our new routine fairly quickly. I knew Edward almost felt like he was slumming it by living in a condo, but in truth, it was the nicest place I had ever lived in.
At first, things seemed wonderful, and I was very happy.
I sighed suddenly, trying to force my thoughts back to the day at hand. I didn't want think about Edward's descent into workaholic-ism, not when he was currently thousands of miles away in Mississippi, and I needed to get my head clear. I needed to focus on taking care of my father during this trip. My problems with Edward could wait until I got home.
I was thrilled when my plane landed in Port Angeles. I wasn't overly fond of planes to begin with, let alone ones like the prop-plane I'd just vacated. It was nothing but an over-glorified school bus with wings. I still had to pick up my rental car and make the hour drive back down to Forks, but at least the hard part of the trip was over.
Edward had insisted on renting the car for me, and I had a feeling that he hadn't reserved the kind of non-descript, compact car I would have liked. I was relieved when the agent handed me the keys to a beige Nissan. Nothing too flashy. I giggled when I glanced around the lot and realized that it was probably the nicest car the rental place had to offer. I definitely wasn't in Phoenix anymore.
As I drove to Forks, I tried to acclimate myself to my surroundings. I hadn't been to this part of Washington in ten years, not since my last summer visit with Charlie when I was seventeen. I'd forgotten how green everything was. In Phoenix, the most green you saw was the muted hue of a Saguaro cactus. Here, everything was lush and leafy. It took some getting used to.
I had to admit it was absolutely beautiful on a day like today. For once it wasn't raining. The sun was shining brightly through the trees, throwing dapples of light onto the road before me. Fluffy white clouds floated lazily overhead, devoid of any signs of rain. Oddly enough, I was suddenly glad I came.
I made good time and hit the Forks town limit around noon. I would swing by the house and drop of my luggage and then head over to the hospital to check on Charlie. His surgery had been first thing that morning, so I figured he would be awake and lucid. In spite of the circumstances, I was looking forward to seeing him. Once a year really wasn't enough.
I wasn't surprised to see that Forks looked exactly the same as I remembered it. It was strangely comforting. All the stores that had been in business during my last visit were still there, every familiar landmark still standing.
I was idling at a red light when I noticed a flash of color out of the corner of my eye. For some reason, I turned to investigate, and was delighted with what I saw.
Parked in the lot of an auto repair shop was an old pick-up truck, its paint a faded tomato red. I didn't know much about vehicles, but I guessed from its bulbous cab and rounded fenders that it was probably made sometime in the '50s. For some inexplicable reason, I immediately fell in love with it.
It was for sale.
Maybe it was a sense of rebellion against Edward. I knew he would absolutely hate it. It was the complete antithesis of any vehicle he would ever consider buying for me. Even better, it had to be cheap, meaning I could pay for it myself. Without stopping to think more on the subject, I jerked over into the turn lane just in time to make the turn into the body shop's parking lot.
I parked next to the truck and got out, excited to look it over. It was definitely old, but it seemed to have been well cared for. The tires looked fairly new, and the inside was clean. I glanced up at the sign on the building in front of me- "Black's Auto Repair." I could only assume that they were the ones selling the truck, unless someone else was borrowing their parking lot. I didn't see a contact number on the "for sale" sign, so I decided to go in and ask.
The guy sitting behind the counter looked up right away as I walked through the front door into the little reception area. He was a few years younger than me, in his early twenties. He was Native American, probably part of the Quileute tribe from down in La Push. His long black hair was pulled into a low ponytail with a piece of red elastic, and he had his sneaker-clad feet propped up on the chair opposite his. He closed the AutoTrader he'd been leafing through and flashed me a friendly grin. I couldn't help smiling back.
"What can I do for you?" he asked politely.
"I'm interested in that truck out front."
His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really?" Then he seemed to recover himself. "Sorry, you just don't look like much of a truck girl."
I smiled again. It had been a few years since anyone other than my dad had referred to me as a "girl." "What should someone who's interested in a truck look like?"
He shrugged. "Eh, about a hundred pounds heavier, bearded, pack of Marlboros in his pocket." He laughed and got up from his seat behind the counter. "Anyway, you'll have to talk to Jake about the truck. He's the owner."
I wondered if he meant the owner of the truck, the shop, or possibly both. I didn't get a chance to ask. He stuck his head through the door leading into the garage and yelled, "Hey, Jake, there's someone here about the truck!"
"Be right out," a muffled voice replied.
About thirty seconds later the door swung open, and I had to stop myself from gaping at the man who stepped through it.
Holy hell.
The first thing that struck me was how tall he was. He was easily six-five. He was also muscular- I couldn't help but notice the way his short-sleeved shirt stretched over his well-defined torso and upper arms. He was Native American too, his copper-brown skin smooth and clear, his eyes a deep, dark chocolate. His black hair was much shorter than his coworker's, but it was shaggy, as if he'd cut it himself without the benefit of a mirror. Not that it mattered. There was no haircut on earth that could detract from the beauty of that body and that face.
Just when I was beginning to wonder if I'd been staring too long, a brilliant, sunny smile suddenly broke out on his face, his perfect, full lips parting to reveal a set of gorgeous white teeth. His beauty was almost blinding, and now I knew I was staring. Gah.
Then he shocked the hell out of me by speaking my name. "Bella Swan!" he exclaimed, his husky voice containing a hint of pleasant surprise.
I racked my brain for a moment, trying to figure out how he knew me. Surely I would have remembered someone who looked like him. Then I remembered the name of the business- Black's Auto Repair- and it clicked into place.
"Jacob Black?" I asked incredulously. "I barely recognized you!"
He grinned again, and I actually had to take a second to remind myself that I had a boyfriend at home. Yeah, Edward, remember him? Now stop acting like a schoolgirl drooling over the football captain.
"I don't blame you. I was a pretty scrawny kid the last time you saw me," Jacob replied. "It's been what, ten years?"
"Yeah, that's the last time I came here to visit." Then, in a softer voice, I added, "I was sorry to hear about your dad."
Jacob sobered for a minute. "Thanks. It was a really rough time."
I nodded slowly. "Charlie took it hard too, I remember. That's actually why I didn't come back the next year. He wanted to get away from Forks and get a change of scenery. And after that, I was in college, so…" I trailed off. "What did you and your sisters do after?" I asked, remembering that Jacob's mother had died when he was small. Then I paused. "I'm sorry if I'm prying."
"Not at all," he said easily. "Rachel and Rebecca were already in college at the time, but Billy left custody of me to the Clearwater's. So that's how I ended up with Seth over there as my pseudo-brother."
I'd practically forgotten that there was anyone else in the shop with us. I looked over at the guy I'd spoken to when I first came in, and my mouth fell open. "That's Seth Clearwater?" The boy in my memory had been even skinnier than Jacob and about a half-foot shorter than me. Now, he wasn't quite as tall or as built as Jake, but he was no slouch, either. "There must be something in the water down in La Push," I muttered without thinking.
Both Seth and Jacob roared with laughter, and I felt a bright red blush race across my cheeks and up to the tips of my ears. I hadn't blushed like this since high school. What was wrong with me? I was a twenty-seven year old woman, for God's sake.
Jacob caught his breath. "Sorry." I found him taking in my blush with noticeable amusement. "You haven't changed much," he murmured.
I was surprised that he remembered so much about me. I'd never thought of myself as particularly memorable or special. The way Jacob was looking at me now, so intently, had me off balance. The he shook his head and his face went back to its early friendliness, and I decided I was reading too much into it.
"Let's go outside and I'll unlock the truck so you can take a look," he said.
I squinted as we returned to the uncharacteristic sunshine, and grabbed my sunglasses from where they rested on top of my head. I might as well get some use out of them while I could. Jacob unlocked the driver's side door of the truck and stepped back.
"Hop in, see what you think."
I climbed into the driver's seat. Everything was as clean and well-kept as it had looked from the outside. Jacob handed me the key.
"Want to take it for a test-drive?"
I nodded enthusiastically. "Sure."
"You know how to drive a stick, right?"
"Yeah."
He hesitated. "Would you mind if I rode along? Not that I don't trust you," he added hastily, "but the clutch can be a little tricky. I just want to make sure you've got the hang of it."
I nodded, and Jacob walked around the truck to the passenger side. I leaned over to unlock it for him, and then hurried to put on my seatbelt.
He gave me a quizzical look as he climbed into the truck with me. "Is that your car?" he asked, pointing at the Nissan.
"It's a rental."
"Oh, okay. I just wondered why you'd want to buy this if you already had a new car."
"Yeah, I just got that to use while I'm in town, but then I saw this and I just had to take a closer look. My car crapped out on me the week before last, and it was going to cost more to fix it than it was worth to start with."
I started up the truck and gently eased it out of the lot and began driving back the way I came in. I continued talking without even really knowing why, except that Jacob Black was one of those people that I immediately felt comfortable with. "To be honest, this is right up my alley. New cars just don't have any personality. Of course, my boyfriend's going to be pissed if I don't let him by me a new car."
Something flickered in Jacob's eyes when I mentioned having a boyfriend, but I didn't know what it was. Surely not jealousy- more like surprise that someone like me would be in a relationship. I knew I must look so plain next to someone like him. To be honest, I wasn't sure what Edward had seen in me either. I wasn't overly displeased with what I saw in the mirror, but I didn't think I was anything to write home about, either. Not that it mattered what Jacob thought of me, I reminded myself, once again wondering what my deal was.
"You don't want him to buy you a new car?" Jacob asked.
"It's not that I don't appreciate it, I've just never liked having people pay for things for me. I just want to do this myself." I paused briefly. "I must sound really ungrateful."
"There's nothing wrong with wanting to be self-sufficient, Bella."
I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye and found him looking at me with that intense expression again. I had to force my concentration back to the road.
"Thanks," I replied, genuinely pleased that he seemed to understand.
"So what brings you back to Forks?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Charlie had double knee surgery this morning, so I'm going to stay here for a few weeks and help him out with things. I'm a teacher, so I need something to do for the summer." Especially with Edward clear across the country.
"What do you teach?"
"Freshman English," I replied, smiling as I thought about how much I actually enjoyed my job. It had its ups and downs, but it was usually very rewarding.
Jacob smiled back. "I can definitely picture you as a teacher." Then he went on, "So what does your boyfriend do, and how is it that he can handle not having you around for weeks?"
I almost swerved off the road. Was he flirting with me? Surely not. "Uh…he's, um, an architect," I stammered. "His name's Edward Cullen."
"The Edward Cullen?"
"You've heard of him?"
"Yeah, I have a little bit of interest in architecture, myself. More of a hobby than anything else. I'm not really into commercial stuff, but he does good work." Jacob gave me a look that I didn't know how to decipher. For some reason, he seemed… disappointed, almost. Strange.
"Anyway, he's on a business trip in Mississippi right now."
Jacob relaxed, and his strange expression smoothed out. "You don't sound too thrilled."
"It's just that it happens all the time. He's gone more than he's home." Once again, I was shocked to find myself venting my frustrations to someone I hadn't seen in ten years. I had to admit it was nice, though. The only close friend I had was Alice, and although I knew she would be understanding, I still felt uncomfortable complaining to her about her own brother.
"I'm sorry," Jacob said sincerely. "It sounds lonely."
"It is," I replied. Suddenly I had a lump in my throat. I realized that I was going to bawl my eyes out if I didn't change the subject. I noticed that we were back to the outer edges of town, so I found a driveway to turn around in and headed back to the shop. "The truck drives really well. I can tell its been taken good care of."
"It was my dad's. After he died, the Clearwater's held on to it for me, and I started driving it as soon as I got my license. I used it until I saved up to buy my own car, and it's been sitting in the garage ever since, but I keep it tuned up and run it out occasionally. I just decided it was time to stop holding on to it." He shrugged. "I know it's just a truck, but it has sentimental value."
"Are you sure you want to sell it?"
"Yeah, it's time. I have to admit, though, I might feel better if it went to someone I know." He grinned suddenly, giving me a pointed look.
I laughed. "You don't have to sell me, don't worry. I've already decided I want it."
Once we were parked back in the shop's parking lot, I realized that I still had to deal with my rental car, and that Charlie was going to be in no shape to drive. "Oh, shit," I muttered.
"What?" Jacob followed my gaze to the Nissan. "Oh, the rental car. You got it in Port Angeles, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well, why don't I keep the truck here tonight? I'll give it a thorough cleaning for you, check the fluids, make sure everything's up to speed, and then you can meet me here in the morning and I'll follow you up to Port Angeles so you can take your car back."
"Really, you don't mind?"
"Nah, Seth can keep this place going while I'm gone." He gave me a teasing smile, and once again I was struck by how gorgeous he was. "You just have to promise that you'll give me ride back and not leave me stranded up there."
I wrinkled my nose at him. "I'll think about it."
"Guess I'll have to take my chances then."
Jacob quoted me a ridiculously low price on the truck and I found myself trying to haggle him for a higher price, which he refused. We finally compromised and I wrote him a check. We planned to meet at nine, and I drove off in my rented Nissan, glad that I would soon be rid of it. I already adored my new (old) truck. It had a history, a personality, qualities I liked in vehicles.
As I headed to Charlie's house, I tried to keep my mind off the dark eyes and engaging smile of Jacob Black.
********
I wasn't surprised to see that Charlie's house looked exactly as I remembered it. The faded white siding looked a little more weathered, but other than that, it was unchanged from my last visit here. I walked carefully up the cracked walkway to the porch and automatically grabbed the few pieces of mail from the box beside the door before reaching under the eave for the spare key. Charlie had told me on the phone the day before that he still kept it in the same spot. It was definitely a testament to small towns and their supposed safety that an ex-cop would even dream of hiding a key outside. No one in Phoenix would dare do such a thing.
I let myself in and slipped the key onto my own key-ring before taking the mail into the kitchen. I glanced at it casually as I set it on the counter- a water bill and two items from the city. Charlie had been the Chief of Police in Forks until just this last year; now he was a city councilman.
The inside of the house looked just as unchanged as the outside. The kitchen cabinets were still painted a fading yellow, and the furniture in the living room sat in the same place. The only thing different was the television- Charlie had upgraded his old thirty-two inch to a fifty-eight inch LCD screen. It took up the majority of the wall.
I noticed that the living room was still littered with pictures of me, mostly from childhood, but a few from recent years. I felt a pang of sadness at how few photos there were of me from the last ten years. I vowed to visit with Charlie more; after all, he wasn't getting any younger. I hated that he probably thought I'd always chosen my mother over him when that wasn't really the case. Charlie could take care of himself. My mother, bless her heart, could not. It was only because she was now married to Phil that I was currently off the hook. Phil was a good man and he took care of her. She was so scatterbrained that without someone to look after her, she was likely to forget things- important things, like paying the electric bill.
Charlie and my mother were so different that it was hard to believe they had ever dated, much less gotten married. Although, if I was honest about it, I knew that she probably never would have married Charlie in the first place if she hadn't been pregnant with me. It was a failed experiment that lasted until I was two. It always made me a little sad that I had no memories of the three of us together.
I shrugged off my melancholy and trudged upstairs with my two bags. I groaned as I passed the hall bathroom. I'd forgotten that the only bathroom in the house was upstairs. I wasn't sure how Charlie would feel about needing his daughter's help up the stairs just to used the restroom. Hopefully he wouldn't be at the stage of recovery for long.
I entered my old bedroom and dropped my bags on the floor with a relieved sigh. I chuckled at how similar the room was to the way I'd left it- same yellowed lace curtains on the walls, same desk in the corner. The bedspread and sheets looked new, though, and I hoped Charlie hadn't bought them just for this short visit.
I went back downstairs and did a quick check on the contents of the pantry and refrigerator. It was worse than I feared. As soon as I left the hospital after visiting Charlie, I was going to have to stop off at the Thriftway and pick up some groceries.
I locked up the house carefully and got back in the car. Luckily I remembered the way to Forks General, although it wasn't exactly easy to get lost in a town as small as Forks. I called Edward on my way to let him know that I'd made it into town safely, and wasn't surprised when I got his voicemail.
"I just wanted to let you know I'm here. I'm on my way right now to visit Charlie. I have some news for you though- you don't have to buy me a car now! I bought a truck this afternoon from a local mechanic. Got a great deal on it, too, so I just wrote him a check. Anyway, I'll talk to you later. I love you."
I snapped the phone shut and giggled to myself. I expected a very irritated phone call from him sometime in the next hour or two. I realized that I hadn't thought to mention to him that I was going to be making a trip to Port Angeles the next morning with said mechanic. Not that it should matter.
The receptionist at the front desk directed me to Charlie's room, giving me a friendly smile and welcoming back "Chief Swan's daughter." I thought it was funny that people still thought of him that way, and I wondered what the new chief would have had to say about it.
Charlie was propped up in bed when I walked in, watching the news. He looked good for someone just out of surgery, alert and relaxed. He smiled broadly as he looked up and saw me standing there.
"Bells!" he called, waving me over. "It's so good to see you, honey."
I gave him a hug, careful to watch for his IV. "How are you feeling, Dad?" I asked as I sat in the chair next to his bed.
"Not bad, considering. But I think they have a pretty good cocktail going in that IV right now." He chuckled. "So how was your trip?"
"Alright. You know I'm not big on planes."
"Yeah, neither am I." He paused. "How's Edward?" he asked grudgingly. Edward had never been one of Charlie's favorite people. He found him a little too reserved and somewhat off-putting.
"Doing okay. He's pretty busy, so I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet today." Then I remembered the phone message I'd left him. "He probably won't be too happy when I talk to him next."
"Why's that?"
"I bought a truck."
"Really? Where, here?"
"Yeah. I bought it from Jacob Black."
My dad laughed. "So you bought Billy's old truck! Well, I'll be damned. I didn't think that thing still ran."
"It's actually in pretty good shape. Jacob seems to have taken good care of it."
"You haven't seen Jacob since you were what, eighteen?"
"Seventeen," I corrected. "He recognized me right away."
"Doesn't surprise me," Charlie muttered. I was about to ask him what he meant by that, but I didn't have a chance. "Jacob's a good kid," Charlie went on.
"He's only a couple of years younger than I am, Dad."
"You're all kids to me," Charlie replied. "Jacob's been through a lot- first his mom dying when he was so young, then Billy…and then losing Harry two years ago. He thought of Harry like a second father-"
I held up my hand before he could go on. "Wait, wait. Harry Clearwater died? You never told me that!"
Charlie shrugged a little. "I never thought to mention it, I guess. You didn't know the Clearwater's that well. He had a heart attack two years ago. It was rough on Sue and the kids- on Jake, too."
"Poor Jacob," I said softly. "That is a lot to go through."
"Jacob's a resilient person, though. He always manages to stay upbeat, somehow."
"Yeah, I noticed that about him. He's such a nice guy, too. He offered to follow me to Port Angeles tomorrow to take my rental car back."
Charlie smiled slyly. "You don't think Edward will mind?"
I shook my head, confused. "Why should he?"
"Oh, I don't know, a pretty girl like you going somewhere alone with a good-looking mechanic…"
I groaned. "Dad, please. He's just doing me a favor. And I know Edward isn't one of your favorite people, but I love him, so please try to restrain yourself from setting me up with anybody, okay?"
He held up his hands in submission. "Okay, okay, sorry."
He changed the subject after that, and we chatted about other, inconsequential things until the nurse came in to check his vitals and I decided it was time to get to my grocery shopping. I leaned down to give Charlie a peck on the cheek and another hug before I left.
"I'm sorry it's under these circumstances, but I am really am glad to see you, Dad," I whispered.
"I'm glad you're here, too, Bells," he replied gruffly. "I'll see you tomorrow."
As I drove to the Thriftway in the waning light of the early summer evening, I tried very hard not to think about my father's comments about Jacob Black.
I didn't succeed.
Once again, I just want to thank everyone who has reviewed so far and/or added this story to their alerts and favorites. I appreciate any and all feedback.
Jacob has been holding out on Bella about something from the past- next chapter, we'll find out what that is. The next chapter will also be in JPOV. I can't wait!
Please review and let me know how you think it's going!
