Bella had enjoyed the last couple of weeks. Not having to slap her alarm clock into submission each and every morning made her a much more pleasant person to be around, even if the only company she was entertaining was her dog. She could sleep in, sip her coffee at her own pace, and fully wake up on her own time.

But the highlight of the first days of summer break was the presence of the construction crew next door. Watching all the man-candy sweating under the early-summer sun got her hot and bothered on more than one occasion. Several times she'd run to her room upstairs to peer out her window, hoping to catch a glimpse of them as they worked.

The one barking orders seemed to stand head and shoulders above the rest. Not literally, of course. A few of the men had an inch or two on him in height, but his presence was commanding. He had to be the Cullen in Cullen Construction. She also knew she wasn't the only one to notice the perfection the man was.

Mrs. Stanley was all aflutter preparing for Jessica's arrival. Her incessant chattering about introducing her to the fine young man in charge forced a polite smile onto Bella's face on more than one occasion. She just couldn't reconcile the idea of the strong, confident man she watched from a distance being with the Jessica she remembered from high school.

She was supposed to have arrived the previous night, and Bella wasn't looking forward to seeing her old acquaintance. Jessica always had a way of making her feel like the dirt on her shoe; high school hierarchy being what it was. The only solace Bella took was knowing Jessica's life after graduation was less than perfect; her return home proof of that. My, how the mighty had fallen.

Thumper's increasing barks and commotion broke Bella from her thoughts and drew her attention outside. She rose from her cozy spot on the sofa, still dressed in her sleep shorts and a tank top, and stepped to the back door, intent on scolding her overgrown fur-baby.

What she saw made her breath catch in her throat. She fumbled to turn the knob and rushed out onto the back deck. Thumper had burst through the weak, aged fence and was barreling toward the crew working in the Stanley's backyard. She could just barely see over the top of the fence from her elevated spot on the porch, but what she did see sent her running toward the commotion.

"Goddamnit! Thumper? What the hell have you done now?" she groused as she approached the fence, anger and fear raging inside her and fighting to see which would win.

The group of men, most of them formidable in any other situation, were stock still, standing in place as the large animal charged toward them. One of them was frozen in fear, and two of them were wielding their tools like weapons, ready to strike at the sudden, perceived danger. Visions of her sweet, cuddly Thumper being hurt because they were afraid of him forced her feet to move faster.

She wiggled through the jagged hole in the fence to run to her baby's rescue; to protect him from the harm she knew could come to him. But when she finally made it through to the other side, she was brought up short at the sight ... mortified by what she saw.

The man she had been admiring from a distance for the last two weeks was being subjected to Thumper's enthusiastic greeting, his front legs wrapped around the stranger, going to town.

Meeting the stranger's emerald green eyes, she saw what she thought was both restrained irritation and humor.

"Do you mind getting your dog off my leg?"

Momentarily stunned by the low timbre of his voice, it took a moment for the words to catch up to her brain.

"Oh, oh! I'm so sorry," she said as she stepped close enough to pull on Thumper's collar. "Down, Thump! Down!"

With a resigned huff, the canine released the man's leg and sat at his mistress' feet, his happy, tongue-lolling smile in full force. The stranger had thoroughly impressed Thumper with the head rub, and he was quite content to sit and watch the humans greet each other. He wondered for a moment if his mistress would try to greet the stranger the way he had. But no, instead, they reached out their hands to shake.

'Humans are strange,' Thumper thought.

"I am so, so sorry. I thought the fence would hold out a bit longer. If I had known it wouldn't—"

"Hey, it's okay. No harm done. He seems friendly," the man said as they both looked down at the dog in question.

"Oh, he is. He's just a big baby. Thinks he's still a puppy half the time." Bella's eyes rose to meet his. "I'm really sorry if he scared you or anyone else on your crew."

"Nah, it was fine. Big dogs don't scare me. I can usually tell when they just want to say hello and when they want to take a chunk out of you," he said with a smile. He leaned in closer to whisper. "Though, I think my buddy over there might need to change his shorts." His cheeky grin and wink told Bella the man was trying to lighten the mood.

"Still I'm sorry if he scared you."

"Really," he said, reaching out to brush her fingertips with his. "Don't worry about it. I've got an overgrown fleabag at home myself who usually sends a new mailman into a panic."

"Oh?" Bella's curiosity was piqued.

"Yeah. I have a Rott; Daisy. She's a big girl, too. Emmett over here," he said, thumbing over his shoulder toward the cowering man in the distance, "is terrified of dogs, Daisy included, so he usually just keeps his distance."

"Well, I appreciate you not panicking and using anything to subdue him," she said, motioning to the hammer hanging from his tool belt.

"Don't mention it ..."

"Oh, it's Bella. And thank you ... "

"Edward, Edward Cullen."

"Nice to meet you, Edward Cullen."

The smiles lighting both their faces caught the attention of a certain young woman watching from her spot inside at the kitchen table. With narrowed eyes, she scrutinized the couple as they chatted, their body language saying more than the words she couldn't hear.

She'd been watching from her perch at the table since she'd returned inside, forming a plan of seduction, when the furry beast had burst through the fence. She'd been imagining all the opportunities she might have over the coming weeks as the men worked on the addition, but watching mousy Bella Swan chat with the gorgeous Edward Cullen made her hackles rise. But just as she was about to step outside and try to do damage control, her youngest son, Felix stepped into the kitchen.

"Momma, I no feel good." His flushed cheeks and clammy forehead sent a wave of panic through Jessica.

"Well, let's get you into—"

Before she could stand, her words were cut off by rainbow-colored vomit hitting her lap. Orange juice and Froot Loops sat in a puddle on the surface of her skirt as the rest dripped down her legs.

"I sowwy, Momma."

Jessica could feel it coming, as she was never one to handle the sight of her kids getting sick. As she reached for the trash can and began to retch herself, Edward stepped into the kitchen, searching out Mr. Stanley.

At that precise moment, Jessica's plans to impress and bed the sexy construction worker flew right out the window.