Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight.
"Well, consider us for all your catering needs," I could hear Seth cooing to Rosalie as I stood in the small commercial kitchen that had become my hideaway since the moment I had opened doors to the bakery.
"I will," Rosalie responded back with a purr that made me roll my eyes since I could almost see her flirting with the boy. She had no idea the flirting would get her nowhere with Seth since he was not interested in shallow blondes who would fuck you over in a heartbeat.
I moved slowly, blocking out their conversation as I slowly scooped out the oatmeal raisin cookie dough, forming it into the cookies that they would become. It was methodical and mindless, but it was that senselessness that had saved me from my rambling thoughts too many times to count.
"You know, if you want to self destruct, I'm cool with that since everyone loves to watch a great fall from grace, but that… that thing I just witnessed here with Rosalie Cullen-McCarty… that was just fucking stupid," he bitched as he entered my sacred space of the kitchen.
"You don't understand," I quipped back to him as I looked over to find him leaning upon the door frame with a smart ass grin upon his face.
"You're right. I don't so why don't you enlighten me," he shot back with a grin that had stolen my heart years ago when we met during our first week of college. Seth was my friend and brother that I chose to add to my family when I needed someone as I dealt with Edward's silence.
"What's the deal with this guy?" he asked me as I shook my head at him only to listen to him groan in response.
"I don't mind your silence, Bee. Your business is your business, but this guy… this Edward Cullen has been a sore spot for ten years and… And while I gotta I'm incredibly impressed on your ability to hold a grudge to this degree without being a member of the mafia, but… This shit with you and him… it needs to stop," Seth said slowly as if I had a mental deficiency that kept me from understanding this basic concept. "We need the business and I can't… I mean, I won't let you take this from us just because of some bull shit teenage behavior that happened years ago."
His words stung because they were true. I knew we needed the money. I knew I needed the money, yet saving Edward from whatever make believe crisis that he had thrust himself into was the last thing I wanted to do after how he behaved.
"At least tell me what happened so I can understand and maybe hate this guy like you do, since everything I know… everything I witnessed about this guy… I gotta say it and I know this will hurt Bee, but everything that I know about you and him leads me to believe that he hasn't done anything to earn the level of hate that you dish out whenever his name is mentioned," Seth said as he stepped back from me with a soft grin since he knew that just implying I was wrong about Edward was enough for me to lose from damn mind.
"I told you," I half assed whined as he watched me with a patient look that only added to the twisting discomfort that was a heady mix of embarrassment and dislike as I thought about the boy I used to know.
"You told me he left without a good bye," he stated without cracking a smile.
"You told me that you barely kept in touch and when you did it was something that you had to force," he continued as I looked away.
"That's true," I agreed and then watched him smile as if he was pleased that he had paid attention to some of my drunk rambling about Edward.
"I remember him coming to Iowa City when you broke your leg," he offered up with a grin as he reminded me of Edward's impromptu visit to my apartment that I shared with him and three others after I had slipped on ice while walking to class only to break my leg.
"He was pretty good to you if I remember right," he offered in a suggestive tone that made me bark out a laugh.
"Yeah, really good if you think being good to someone is keeping them high on pain pills and feeding me ice cream," I snorted in response as I rolled my eyes at him and his memory.
"He knew you loved strawberry, Bee. I had lived with you for two years and had no fucking clue that strawberry was your favorite," Seth defended as I laughed at him.
"Oh, well that definitely means he's a fucking fantastic guy," I snorted as I turned to place the empty mixing bowl in the sink to wash out before the end of the day. I wanted out of the small kitchen and even smaller space as Seth continued to try to find some reason as to why I refused to deal with Edward Cullen.
"You know, that high school kid down at The Great Wall restaurant knows what I order before I even open my mouth so maybe that means I owe him something as well," I mocked and then waited for Seth's smart ass comment, but it never came. He just continued to focus on me with a quizzical look until I watched his eyes light up with recognition.
"This is about Jasper," he announced in a tone that was full of victory as I tried to hide the stumble in my step as continued to load the industrial sink with the last of the dirty dishes that I had created.
"No," I managed to say, but it was too late. Seth knew.
"He hated Jasper," Seth continued on as if I hadn't even spoken.
"Everyone hated Jasper," I reminded him of something that he used to tell me throughout my courtship and eventual marriage to my now ex-husband.
"Yeah, that's true. Jasper was always a huge asshole," Seth agreed with a solemn nod of his head as if what he spoke was the gospel truth.
"But this was different. You didn't care if I hated Jasper. Hell, I told you I hated Jasper the night I met him and you didn't give a shit," he rambled on almost with glee because no one loved being right more than Seth.
"He hated Jasper and because of it he must be destroyed," he mocked as I rolled my eyes at him even though there was some truth to what he had to say. Edward did hate Jasper. He had hated him from the moment they had met and never once did he ever try to hide that fact from me or Jasper.
"Shut up," I mumbled as I sprayed off the dishes using the industrial sprayer so they would be somewhat clean before being placed in the dish washer.
"No, that's it!" Seth announced gleefully before laughing loudly as if some great puzzle had been solved.
"What did he say?" Seth demanded as I shook my head no, not that it mattered. Seth would just continue to push the issue until he knew.
"What does it matter what he said?" I asked him and then listened to him sputter, giving me a moment to enjoy catching him off guard with my agreement to his accusations.
"I knew it!" he exclaimed as I watched him hop up on the metal counter top that I had just cleaned, settling in for some story that I wasn't about to tell him.
"I mean, I may not have known Edward fucking Cullen all that well, but it was pretty damn clear the guy wasn't shy when it came to sharing his opinion when it came to you," he rambled as I looked at him, letting his words sink in against the phantom voice that belonged to Edward, bitching at me over nonsense like he always did.
"He needed to mind his own business," I retorted as Seth ignored me, rambling on over what little memory he had over a boy that drifted in and out of my life without rhyme or reason while never really letting me in his.
AN:
Thanks for reading!
My favorite oatmeal cookie recipe.
3 1/4cup of flour
1TBS baking powder
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1tsp baking soda
2 cups plus 2 TBS shortening
1 ¾ cup brown sugar
1 ½ cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups of oatmeal
2 ½ c raisins
Blend flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, & baking soda. Set aside.
In mixing bowl, mix shortening, brown sugar, sugar, eggs & vanilla until fluffy. Mix in flour mixture for about 2 minutes. Blend in oatmeal & raisins last.
Scoop out about ¼ c of cookie batter and place on greased cookie sheet. I use parchment paper and that works wonderfully. Bake at 350. Check the cookies from about 8 minutes on since the directions have list 9 to 12 minutes to cook.
Enjoy!
Xoxo
Mamasutra