Word prompt: pipe

oOo

Work continued for the next few hours. Bella collected empty plates and glasses and helped Jasper loading the SUV with stuff they didn't need any longer. The sooner they started, the sooner they'd be able to get things back to Brixton, where his and Alice's catering company had its base.

Alice, his wife, was a chef, and it were her dishes and creations that had founded the reputation of "Whitlock's Brand". She had been at the McCartys' home earlier today when the buffet was being set up.

Bella didn't mind packing up stuff in the kitchen or carrying things outside. Anything that decreased her chances of running into Edward again after that monumental faux pas earlier.

Her cheeks got warm again as she thought back to it. He'd had no right to yell at her, sure, but now, knowing what she knew, she understood. She'd be devastated if anything happened to Pookie, the family dog that lived with her parents. Every Sunday when she visited with them, Pookie would run around her in circles, practically grinning at her return.

An hour after the incident, Rosalie had come up to her.

"I'm sorry about my brother's behaviour," she'd said, but Bella had shaken her head. Jasper had already filled her in on the details – one of them being that Edward was Rosalie's older brother – and assured Rosalie that she was okay. Still, she wasn't eager to meet him again, given his mood and their earlier encounter.

It was around two that the last of the guests were leaving. Jasper was outside, loading chafing dishes into the car while Bella wiped the counters in the big kitchen. If all went well, they'd be finished within half an hour. Jasper had already dismissed Angela and Nettie and Felix, so it was only him and Bella. Every single one of her bones felt tired, and her feet hurt. Thank God, she could sleep in tomorrow. Her parents didn't expect her before one p.m. for lunch, and knowing her sister, Jackie would probably be even later. She was notorious for her Saturday-nightly bar hopping.

Jasper returned to the kitchen, sweat on his brow. He lifted two racks of wine glasses, speaking over his shoulder on his way to the door.

"Bella, can you get me the duct tape?"

"Sure." Bella smiled. Duct tape was Jasper's answer to any and every technical problem. She had once seen him fix an exhaust pipe with it.

She grabbed it from one of the boxes and followed Jasper outside into the foyer. He had moved the car to the front door after all the guests had left, so they needn't carry things around the house any longer. The night air was slightly chilly, but still surprisingly mild for late October. Bella suppressed a yawn as she crossed the foyer. She was hungry. The staff had eaten around ten, when work had slowed down, but she'd had no appetite. Now, she realised that her last meal had been a sandwich right before starting work more than twelve hours ago.

"Thanks," Jasper said when she handed him the tape. "Just a few more racks, and the trash, and we're good to go. D'you want me to drop you off at home?"

Bella lived in a tiny apartment in Fulham that was the size of a shoebox with a ridiculously high rent – one of the reasons she worked for Jasper. To her, it was still better than sharing with a roommate.

"That'd be great," she said. "Unless you want me to help you unload?"

"No," Jasper replied. "Ally and I will do it tomorrow."

"Okay. I'll go get back inside and finish with the kitchen."

She slipped back inside the house and headed in the direction of the kitchen, when some movement by the stairs caught her attention.

Of course, it was Rosalie's brother, looking even more drunk and dishevelled than seven hours ago.