Eye In The Sky
A/N: Thank you to my super beta, Irritable Grizzzly, for her fastidious editing and helping me to become a better writer. Special thanks to my pre-readers farkle and froz3n charlotte for encouragement and honest opinions.
Thank you to Rose Arcadia (The Blinkie Goddess)who made TWW a beautiful blinkie, banner and started a thread over at the Twilighted forum! Check my profile for the links. :)
Thank you to Gossip-Bangkok for the wonderful review on Rose's blog. Mille grazie!
Disclaimer : All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
"He turned nineteen in June, a month before Jasper."
"Quit salivating cougars; the man-meat has left the building." An unfamiliar ginger-haired cashier joined their sphere upon Esme's exit. She appeared to be a few years older than Bella and looked on the scene contemptibly until her gaze landed on an unapologetic Shelly.
"Hey Vicky!" Shelly said, There's no shame in looking! You can call me a cougar all you like, hon, but pretty pictures are all I've got to keep me warm at night. At least you've got a husband."
Victoria rolled her eyes and pursed her lips in amusement. "So Cougar, are you having that toy party this year?"
Shelly smacked Victoria's forehead with her palm and plopped her purse on the edge of the service counter. "Oh damn! I totally forgot about that. I'll have to plan it for January, right after inventory. I'll make Margaritas. Vicky, would you bring that caramel popcorn again? I want the recipe! Bella, are you in?"
Bella froze in place. She was certain that her face betrayed her embarrassment. Still, she knew that her reaction was critical. She pushed away her discomfort in an effort to connect with her co-workers.
"Give me the where and when and I'll bring the guac," she said nonchalantly.
"Now that's what I like to hear!" Shelly shook her keys in appreciation and turned on her heel.
Vicky popped her knuckles and chuckled softly. "Shelly's such a riot. I'm glad you're going to the party even though you looked like you wanted to back out."
The crinkles around Vicky's blue eyes made her smile even brighter. She discarded a paperback onto the counter and extended her right hand that had freckles which ran the length of her arm. Her grip was firm and confident.
"I don't think we've been properly introduced. I'm Vicky Tanner; my checkout is closest to the Service Desk."
"I'm Bella Black. It's nice to meet you." She pointed at Vicky's copy of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. "So, how's that book? I adore Jane Austen but I have a hard time imagining a supernatural adaptation."
"You'll just have to borrow it after I'm done." She stuck out her tongue and grinned wickedly.
The two women chatted the rest of the night from their nearby stations during the slow times. By ten-fifteen Vicky was out from behind her register, her back leaning against the wrapstand. The two had an animated discussion about Days of Our Lives, Jane Austen and the undeniable virtues of Chunky Monkey.
"...So every spring we take the pilgrimage up to Vermont on Cone Day," Vicky said, referring to her husband James and their three school-aged children.
"Wait, I think I missed something. What's there to do in Vermont in March?" Bella asked.
Vicky's eyes widened and she looked at her new friend in mock horror. "You call yourself a Ben & Jerry's lover and you haven't been to the shrine? The factory is in Waterbury, Vermont and they give tours. We brought Bree for her sixth grade science report a few years ago and I keep making up new excuses to go back. Once a year they have a free cone day. You and your husband should take the drive with us."
Bella shook her head and thumbed the laminated tabs on her register's key-code guide. "I doubt Jacob would want to come. When he has free time he likes to spend it fishing or watching sports."
"Bella, he can't spend all his time fishing. The water freezes in the winter," the cashier argued.
"He goes ice fishing in a shanty on Lake Congamond."
Vicky's snort erupted into a guffaw. "Christ, they're fishsicles!" she shouted and resumed an inappropriate gigglefit. When she was finished, she wiped runny mascara off her face with the back of her hand.
"Fine, leave the Chubby Hubby at home and bring that little hottie instead."
"Vicky, has anyone ever told you what a terrible influence you are to the sanctity of marriage?"
"Yes, frequently. But in my own defense, I never said that you should take him to bed. Just take him sightseeing. Have fun!" She batted her eyes innocently and threw the "Register Closed" sign onto the conveyor belt.
Bella paused and internalized her emotions before she spoke. "I don't know how to be casual with people. It's just not in my makeup. I've never even had close girlfriends before."
"You don't give yourself enough credit Bella. You and I have been prattling away for four and a half hours. You're just coming out of your shell."
"That's one of the nicest things anybody's said to me all week."
"Hang in there, kiddo. Promise me you'll look before you leap. I'll save you my drama, but trust me when I say that having a successful marriage takes a lot of effort."
Bella knew that somewhere underneath those words hid a story, but instead of prying, she just nodded politely.
XxXxX
Thursday and Friday passed by unremarkably, except for furtive glances from Edward when he thought no one was watching. The few times he attempted to approach her desk under the guise of "needing change" Emmett appeared out of thin air and performed the deed himself. Thwarted, he dragged his hand through his hair and rubbed the prickles of his beard. At one point Bella caught sight of him mid-swear through the lone video monitor on the cigarette wall. She bit back a smile when Emmett tossed the cash bag on her counter.
"I need change."
Bella proceeded with the task perfunctorily and avoided eye contact with Emmett. As she placed the bills and rolled coins into the bag, he took the pouch from her and zipped it, then leaned over the counter conspiratorially.
"Do you see that guy on register three? He's been watching you, but I'm watching him. Just an F.Y.I., I take care of my peeps, 'kay?"
She sighed and made no attempt to hide her annoyance. "Come on now! I'm a big girl, Emmett. Why don't you cut the crap and go bust those kids lifting candy bars and lighters at register six?" She pointed in the direction of two shifty-eyed girls who wore oversized black hoodies decorated with multiple safety pins.
He looked over at the girls whose hands were stuffed deep into their pockets as they shuffled toward the closest exit. He turned back to Bella with a pained expression.
"Take this back to register three for me." He returned the cash bag to her and scurried off in pursuit of the thieves. His Red Sox cap was barely distinguishable through the glass of the exit door.
"Hey, Jessica? I've got to run this change over to register three. I'll be right back."
Jessica looked up absently from her Harper's Bazaar and twirled her finger in the air as if to say, "Shut up and leave already!" Bella let herself out of the two doors that separated her counter from the sales floor and sauntered toward the young cashier.
"If you want cash back Ma'am, you need to first accept the sales total, and then wait till it prompts you for cash back and the dollar amount."
A grey-haired woman in her late seventies held her bank card in hand and looked up at the cashier. Edward saw the customer's confusion and smiled compassionately. He moved to offer the woman assistance.
"May I?"
Bella watched silently as Edward gave an abbreviated point of sale tutorial to the woman likely his own grandmother's age. He was courteous and never patronizing. To the growing crowd behind, he threw another smile and wave. Miraculously, they stood patiently in line. When he completed the transaction, Bella advanced to his register.
"Hi, Edward. I have that change for you."
Edward's ears perked up at the sound of her voice. When he saw the bag in her hand, he stepped backward into the aisle and allowed her register access. His earlier smile was nothing compared to this one that advertised the aftermath of excellent orthodontia.
She quickly deposited the funds into the till and drew receipt tape from the printer. She started to thank him, but he interrupted her with his own thanks. She tuned out his words and focused on the soft green of his eyes, which spoke volumes more than his voice. A discreet throat-clearing from a customer in line halted her momentary daydream.
"You're all set," her voice sounded breathy and her stomach was in knots. The feeling was unfamiliar, but not altogether unwelcome. She willed herself to look away, even when she felt his stare.
Grown-up women don't fall for college boys. Your bed is made and there you should lie.
"I've been waiting for a break all night to come and talk with you!" hailed a feminine voice. Vicky's black twill pants made a slight swishing noise as she moved to catch up with Bella. She grinned and waved a familiar-looking paperback in the space between them.
"I'm on chapter fifty-three and I'll finish it on my day off. Are you working Sunday? I'm working the early and can bring it to you then."
Bella shook her head. "I guess Zombies will have to wait. I work tomorrow then not again until Tuesday."
"Where do you live? If it's not too far, I could leave it on your porch." Vicky took a long swig from her Poland Springs bottle.
"I live here in town, on Talcott."
Vicky abruptly stopped drinking her water and sputtered, "Oh my God! We're practically neighbors! I live two streets away, off Route 20."
"Tanner, Black! Are you off the clock?" Emmett growled from the nearby CoinStar machine. A sweaty scowl replaced his usual jovial disposition. He hadn't caught the suspects. His haggard expression betrayed his defeat.
Bella turned away from her friend and addressed him, "I'm headed back to the counter now."
Vicky shuffled away to her register and muttered something that sounded like "Prick" and flashed him a scornful look over her shoulder. With pushed up sleeves, she flicked on the lane light above her station.
Emmett rolled his eyes at Vicky's display then looked down to his wristwatch. "It's just over an hour till close. You're still on company time – be useful."
Bella nodded in compliance but couldn't help the trifling feeling that came from the reprimand. Truly, she understood the importance of worker productivity even during downtime. As a manager, she was vigilant and vocal about just this sort of thing. Tonight, however, logic lost to emotion. Her throat tightened and tears welled in her eyes.
She returned to the service desk, pressed her hands to her eyes and slumped to her knees below the counter. She hunched over and her back bounced with small sobs. At the sound of her crying, Jessica put down the magazine and then saw her on the floor.
"Oh my God, are you okay? Do you need some Kleenex?"
Bella managed to grab a small box of rough facial tissues from the shelf closest to her. She held it up wordlessly then hiccoughed into her sleeve. Jessica pushed a metal trashcan toward her and stepped back.
"You're not going to throw up, right? I can't watch people throw up without barfing too."
Bella dabbed her eyes and strained to listen to the sounds of the sales floor. The earlier throngs of shoppers had quieted to a dull thrum. She rose from her crouch and faced her.
"Jessica, that's insane. Do you actually think I'd to throw up just because I'm crying?"
Jessica looked at her with confusion. "Well, Marisol does, so I thought... Oh shit! You're not, I mean, I forgot! I'm sooo sorry Bella. Shit!" Her curls trembled in time with her awkward apology.
In an instant, realization struck that Marisol Crowley was six months pregnant with her first child. Early on, the two women had shared ultrasound pictures and held the distinction of being the only two pregnant store associates that year. Marisol had since resigned her company position and became a full-time homemaker in a Connecticut suburb. She and her husband Tyler expected their baby son in early March.
"Jess, do me a favor and don't speak the rest of the night."
X-x-X
After a fitful night of sleep, Saturday finally rolled in. Bella replayed Jessica's words from the night before over again. She waged an internal war over her contempt for Marisol's healthy pregnancy and all new mothers in abstract. She had not expected to feel this way, but her longing for her lost child made it nearly impossible to share in another's baby joy. Baneful little thoughts darted through her consciousness and attempted to nest.
She jumped into her work uniform and skipped breakfast altogether. When she was ready to leave, she stopped to bid her husband farewell. Jacob was still huddled underneath the snowmen-print sheets, but he stirred and pulled her into a hug.
"Are you leaving already?"
"Morning shift. I'll be back home in the afternoon."
"Would you mind picking up some snacks from the store on your way home? Seth is coming over tonight for the game."
"I can do that." She kissed him and quietly left the room, then walked downstairs and picked up her purse. She paused in front of a window and saw the cold, rainy street outside. Even in the early-morning darkness, she could see the steam that ascended from the storm drains. She donned her hat and gloves and prepared for the chill of a December New England morning.
X-x-X
Her morning went by rapidly, thanks to Dunkin' Donuts coffee and an RTV task. There were no customers at her counter and Bella was so immersed in dented cans and duplicate labels that she didn't hear Shelly approach, and jumped when she spoke..
"Go to lunch, hon. I'll cover your break."
"Thanks Shelly! Let me just remove my till and I'll be out of here."
She removed the change drawer from the register and secured it in the office, then waved to Shelly and headed for the time clock. About halfway there, she felt a presence behind her and it grew steadily closer. She looked over her shoulder and saw Edward's lean form as he caught up to her.
"Bella, hi. Are you going to lunch now? I was just wondering 'cause I'm going and thought maybe you'd join me in the break room?" he said too fast.
She turned to address him when she noticed a change in his appearance. Gone were the wrinkled chinos and shirt and in their place were pressed black slacks and a long-sleeved polo shirt. He wore the company apron with his "Edward" name badge affixed over his right pectoral. The most outstanding change was his clean-shaven face. He looked...nice.
"I have to buy my lunch from the deli today, but I'll come back and join you, okay?" A surge of adrenaline rushed through her body and left her arms and legs a-jitter. She held out her swipe card and bade him to go first.
He raked his fingers through his bronze mop and smiled so that his incisors peeked over his lip. "Yeah? Okay, I'll walk with you to the deli." He shivered indiscernibly when her fingers grazed his knuckles at the time clock.
Together they left the confines of the hallway for the sales floor. No one looked up from their work to see them walk past. No one heard the clamor of her pulse or his staggered breath has his eyes appreciated her hip movement. If others were attuned to the electric flux between the pair, there was no such indication.
Irina stood only inches above the deli refrigerator cases in her polyethylene gloves and a lunch-lady hairnet covered her grey chignon. She squinted expectantly at Bella.
"Vhat can I help you veeth?"
"The special please, on wheat," she said distracted by Edward who was picking through the drink cooler. He held up two bottled soft drinks and she nodded at his choices.
"Do you vant peekuls on side?"
"No thanks."
Irina finished wrapping the roast beef sandwich when Edward took it from the counter before Bella could protest.
"This is my treat."
While his charming smile disarmed her, the artless nature of his generosity was her undoing. She could tell that he liked her, without pretense and he left her with a warm and tingly feeling that almost made her forget that she belonged to another.
"No, I shouldn't."
Almost.
"I insist! Granted it's not a gourmet meal, but I was hoping that you'd like me for my witty personality, not my bank account," he said chuckling. He tucked her lunch under his elbow along with the bottles and some pre-packaged deli fare, presumably for himself. He walked in the direction of the employee check-out lane and stopped.
"You go on. I'll catch up with you in a second."
She entered the break room alone and scanned it. Aro and Marcus sat in a corner and played a serious game of chess. Kate and Heidi, two pretty college girls. Compared apps on their iPhones and ate vending machine candy. Eric sat alone at a table near the door s spooning vegetable soup out of a plaid thermos container and drinking his strawberry milk with a straw. She found an empty table near the refrigerator and sat down.
Minutes ticked by and Edward still hadn't arrived. She looked at the clock and counted the fourteen minutes of lunch break she had left. She was about to leave in search of him when he appeared at the door and mouthed, "Sorry!" to her.
"I was beginning to think that you skipped out on me."
"I'd never do that to you! It's just that Emmett cornered me at the register."
"Eat now, talk later. I've got to be back on the floor in ten." Hungrily, she tore into her sandwich and Edward did the same.
When they were finished, Edward smiled at her and said, "I like this. You're easy company."
"We've barely spoken two sentences since you came in. I'm hardly a winning conversationalist." She stood up from the table with her trash.
"Here, let me take that," he urged and took the styrofoam container. "You know, I do enjoy a quiet lunch break. I spend all day talking to blue-haired grandmas. By the end of the day, my voice is raw and my feet are killing me. I appreciate this," he gesticulated between them, "much more than you know."
Bella colored at the sincerity of his words. She wanted to tell him that he was adorable and chivalrous. Like a fresh battery, he had energized her. But the gold band resting against her heart was a cold and heavy reminder of her previous commitment.
"You're welcome, Edward. It's nice to make a new friend in the store."
Edward's smile narrowed almost imperceptibly. He heard her say the six-letter "f" word, which was never a good sign with women. He decided to clarify his feelings.
"I think you know that I'd like to be a lot closer to you than a friend . I haven't stopped thinking about you since that day in the frozen food aisle."
He rose and threw away their trash.
"Walk back with me?"
They hurried along the corridor. A half-dozen other store associates passed them along the way. Once they each swiped their time card, Edward took her hand and pressed his cell phone into her palm.
"Will you give me your number?" he asked and deliberately stroked her thumb.
Her breath caught at the unexpected sensation. She bit her lip and examined the small phone in her grasp. She drew it close and typed-in her cell number while his fingers remained connected with hers. When she was done, she looked into his eyes and felt utterly naked.
"Thank you, beautiful." He touched his lips to her temple and her eyes fluttered closed. All too soon he broke contact and walked away.
The pleasure was mine.
Endnotes: RTV – In retail, Returns To Vendor.
Hello Readers! Thank you so much for taking the time to read and review my story. Who knows, maybe we'll break 70 reviews with this chapter? (Here's hoping!) I love responding to all of you. Special shouts to Kalimando, Midnite Seranade, twilightgirl 337, ms-ambrosia, o0fefe0o and to everyone who visits the thread or Twitter. You can find me on Twitter (at)jeneffleurage. Thank you for your recent TWW pimpage! (Kalimando on A Different Forrest & Pearl421 on Twitter)
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