A/N Thank you very much for re-alerting this story as well as your kind words.

My beta AlexisDanaan thank you so much for your work. I really, really appreciate it.

My pre-reader JaspersWoman – thanks for all the feedback as always.

DarkNNerdy – thank you for for pre-reading this and making sure I didn't have too much of the cheese factor going.

JaspersBella – thank you for reading this early on, when this was pretty much rambling thoughts. I appreciate that you took the time to read it.

SM still owns it and I'm not her.

So we're back at Forks and we've got a Bella POV to show what she's doing these days.

Chapter 3

APRIL

BPOV

"Dad?" I called out as I entered through the door. Charlie was sitting on the couch flipping through the channels on the TV.

"Hey, Bells! How was school today?" He asked looking up from his new favorite show about a guy who goes around and inspects houses. "Are you working tonight?"

I put my book bag down and shrugged off my jacket. "School was fine, Mike Newton got detention today during lunch for being Mike Newton." I sat down and started to go through the letters that lay on the coffee table. "I've got a couple hours before the closing shift tonight. I'll get dinner heated soon."

Charlie chuckled. "What did that boy do this time?"

I was a little disappointed that I didn't receive any mail today but I tried not to show it. "Oh, he tried to flirt with some cheerleaders but in doing so, ended up insulting him with his charm," I explained and used air quotes for emphasis. "I think he was trying to reenact a movie or something," I said and snickered. "You should have seen the look on his face when one of them threatened to kick his ass."

Charlie laughed and shook his head. "Crazy kid. I've got the late shift tonight myself, most likely a double since it seems my deputy is out with the flu."

"Stop by the shop tonight, we're open until midnight and I'll hook you up with some caffeine," I said, getting up and starting towards the kitchen. I got the oven ready and threw the lasagna I had made the night before into the oven.

After my birthday and subsequent breakup from Edward Cullen, aka the Jerk, I quit Newton's. It was a good thing too, I didn't need to deal with Mike flirting with me constantly. Instead, I moped for a couple weeks and went through the motions of being alive. During that time, I thought about what bothered me the most about how I was Jerk left me in the woods after he said his speech and he was the one that always reminded me how dangerous the woods were. Thank god Charlie had heard me when I began yelling once I realized I was alone. It pissed Charlie off that I was in the woods but I explained that we had broken up that day during school and I thought a walk in the woods would do me some good. It surprised me that my fib actually convinced him, seeing how my blush always seemed to give it away. I didn't really want to explain to him the truth as the words the Jerk said really cut me to the core.

It wasn't until October that things started to get better. I got a job at a new coffee shop that opened up. It was a fun and hip place to be; on Fridays and Saturdays they stayed open late and showcased musicians from the area. As soon as I learned to steam milk properly and the differences between a macchiato and a cappuccino, I started to come out of my shell. Charlie teased me that the aroma of coffee had woken me up from my slumber and in a way, it did. I became more comfortable interacting with folks and simply being me. My confidence grew and I actually started to feel better about myself. I even got back to running a couple times a week which was good for therapy in more ways than one.

I looked at the scar on my hand; not the one left from James but one I received a few months ago as I battled the steam wand on the espresso machine. I chuckled as I remembered how loudly I had sworn, naturally causing the entire cafe to stare, Charlie being one of them. After making sure I was alright, the two of us sat down and laughed about the incident. Since then I realized that Charlie was a pretty cool parent. He wasn't a man of a lot of words but he genuinely cared.

As we got closer that fall, I started to regret my decision about my future school. I missed the sun and decided that I wanted to go somewhere in the sunbelt. Arizona was out of the question given my experience with James but I didn't want to go to Florida where Renee was either. Her life with Phil really didn't feel like it included me. Leave it to Charlie though when I told him my decision. He started to tell me stories of when he was growing up and how his grandparents had a rental property out in Texas. He told me how he looked forward to summer as a teenager because it always meant fishing trips out along the Gulf of Mexico. I enjoyed listening to those stories because Charlie would get that faraway look on his face each and every time.

When I told him I wanted to study either criminology or forensics science he helped me research various schools and encouraged me to apply at Sam Houston State University; he was so happy that I wanted to do something that was related to what he did. I protested about the out of state tuition and he showed me an account he had opened up when I was a baby. There was enough money to cover my tuition and books especially after I was notified of some scholarships that I was eligible for. There was even enough to cover part of my housing as well and I would make the rest with what I was saving up from work.

The sound of the oven timer shook me out of my thoughts as I threw on my oven mitts and pulled the lasagna out to let it cool before serving.

I applied to all the major schools that specialized in criminal justice as long as they weren't anywhere I'd run into the Jerk. I applied to Sam Houston, University of California, Irvine, University of Maryland, University of Nebraska, and Washington State University. I didn't really want to stay in Washington but I figured it would be my fall back school or something. Sam Houston was definitely my first choice and if I couldn't get in, I was still willing to move out there and attend a junior college before transferring in. Charlie even agreed to that as long as it meant I join him in a fishing trip out in Galveston when he came out to visit. Everyday for the past few days, I'd been hoping to get a letter and so far, nothing, not even a thin rejection letter.

"Dinner's ready dad," I called out as I set our plates down.

"Bells, you wouldn't mind eating out here with your old man, would you?"

I shook my head and laughed silently. "No dad, it is opening day for the Mariners, right?" I laughed as his eyes widened that I knew. "I heard the talk yesterday at the coffee shop," I said with a shrug.

Charlie chuckled, "Yep, if it weren't for the double I'm pulling, I would have gone to Seattle to watch the game today."

I sat down next to him and set our plates on the coffee table. "Hey, Dad, here." I reached into my back pocket and pulled out a folded envelope. "Surprise, it's for you," I said with a smile as I handed it to him.

"What's this?" Charlie asked as he picked up the envelope.

"Just a little something I was able to get from all the crazy hours I worked during spring break," I said and smiled as he slowly opened the envelope.

"Against the BoSox?" Charlie looked at me in shock. "These are some of the hardest tickets to get and you know, they're right on the 3rd baseline! Bells, honey, thank you." Charlie gave me an awkward one armed hug and I smiled as I returned it full force and and kissed him quickly on the cheek.

"You're welcome dad, my boss actually has season tickets since she is from Seattle so when she offered them to me, thought you'd like to go. It is next Saturday night."

"I'll make damn sure. Thank you. You wanna go and do a father-daughter thing?" he asked.

"Yeah, I could do that, I'll switch so I open that day and we can leave that afternoon?"

"Yep, I'll pull a late shift Friday," he said and smiled before his attention was diverted back to the game.

We sat in silence as we watched some of the game together. In between the fourth inning, I ran upstairs to grab my uniform. As I headed downstairs, Charlie looked up at smiled, "I can see the coffee shop is a great place for you, you are more excited about working your shifts there than you were at Newton's."

I laughed, "I don't have to go though the pretense of enjoying the great outdoors and stuff. Plus I like coffee and the music and all." I pulled my hair back up onto a ponytail as I grabbed our plates and took them into the kitchen

"Bells, I'll get the dishes before my shift," Charlie said, his eyes never leaving the TV.

"Sure thing, I've got to run." I went over and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't forget, come on over tonight and I'll hook you up."

"None of that triple, venti, latte bullshit," he said and chuckled. "I'll see you tonight, kiddo."

"Love you dad."

I waved as I walked out the door. My truck made an awful rumbling sound as I started the motor and I was glad that I had gotten a cell phone for Christmas for emergencies. I sighed as I turned on the radio and headed to work. It had taken me a few weeks before I was able to actually look at the damn thing after that whole birthday party fiasco. It reminded me not only of that dumb party but of them. It proved to me that they, those Cullens, existed, despite what the Jerk had said. I contemplated taking a sledge hammer to it more than once. I even fumbled around the tool shed and found some heavy gloves and I probably would have wrenched it apart but decided not to when I realized how much fun it was to listen to music and sing loudly to the radio. I avoided listening to classical music for obvious reasons. Instead I started to listen to some alternative music and occasionally some country since I decided that I wanted to go to school in Texas.

I was humming to a Green Day song as I pulled into the parking lot and reached into the glove box to pull out my apron. I kept a few in there after the first month working at the cafe. The odor of spilled milk on my apron after a few hours nearly had me passing out one day. Now, I kept a couple clean ones and made sure I did laundry to replenish my stash.

"Bella!" My boss, Ashley, waved at me.

"Hey Ashley," I responded and headed to the back to put away my stuff.

Ashley and her husband John had decided to get away from the hustle and bustle of Seattle living and moved out here to Forks. He was some sort of computer guru who was able to work from home most of the time. Having been a big part of the Seattle coffee and culture scene, she decided to open up a coffee shop out here that catered in espresso drinks and pastries. To give it that Seattle vibe, they had live bands perform on occasion and really tried to give the place an artsy Seattle feel but with a more softer down-to-earth Forks touch. I loved working there almost immediately even though I had spilled drinks and burned my arms, I really enjoyed what I was doing. Charlie was right, I did get excited about working at Java City Espresso.

I came back out and immediately calibrated the machines since there was a slight lull.

"Ash, thanks again for tickets, Charlie was so pleased," I said as I cleaned everything and prepped my area for the night ahead.

"No problem, Bella, you worked your ass off during spring break, I mean you could have gone to Mexico or Vancouver like some of the other baristas but you chose to stay, it was the least I could do."

"Would it be alright if I opened next Saturday then?" I asked. "I thought it would be fun to spend a day with my dad."

"No problem, I'll mark you down right now. Hey, you know who came by about an hour ago," she said with a sly grin.

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Who?"

"Don't you play coy with me, you know I'm talking about Justin," she said in a loud whisper.

"Ash! I don't like him!" I responded indignantly. Ashley was convinced that I needed an older man like Justin. He really wasn't old, he was in his 20s and worked part time as an EMT for Forks. He was nice and could be good looking but my heart just wasn't into the idea of dating anybody.

After I had gotten back to the real world, after the breakup, everybody seemed to try to get me into another relationship. Angela from class tried to convince me that what I needed was someone even hotter than him. Of course Jessica took that once step further and said I just needed to get laid or better yet, a booty call. She was, as Angela put it, pissed that Edward left before she had her chance with him. I pretty much ignored her from that point on, stupid cow.

Ashley tried to push most of the men who worked at the nearby hospital onto me saying I needed a real man who was able to accept me for who I was, quirks and all. I had given her an edited version of my so-called relationship, of course making Edward a human, when we first started working there. She thought he was nothing more than a controlling jerk and by that time, I was beginning to agree with the sentiment.

Even Charlie wanted to put his two cents in on the 'let's find a date for Bella Swan' game. My own dad. He tried to set me up with his best friend Billy Black's son, Jacob. He was nice, we went to see Blood Diamond over Christmas Break and realized there was just no chemistry. He'll always be the kid I made mud pies with and that was it. We laughed about it over coffee later that evening as he explained how he had a crush on a gal from school but both his dad and mine were really laying on the guilt trip so he obliged.

My shift was pretty uneventful. Ashley left for a couple hours before coming back at ten to keep me company and help me close the shop up at midnight. Charlie arrived at around 11 and ordered a regular latte. It was a little quiet so I sat down next to him after wiping down the tables.

"So kiddo, did you talk to your boss about Saturday?" Charlie asked and I smiled. I could tell he was looking forward to spending a day with just the two of us and I was excited about it as well.

"I sure did, I'm opening though," I replied.

"Good, it will be fun and no matter what, come rain or shine the game will go on," he said enthusiastically.

"So long as there is good ballpark food," I said and laughed. It was rare to see my dad so excited and even though I wasn't a huge fan of the game, I was really looking forward to doing something a little different.

"Well, they have sushi, lemonade and some really good garlic fries," Charlie mused and got a little dreamy look on his face.

I know realized where I got my love of ballpark food from. I could picture my dad eating the fries along with other ballpark foods but I just couldn't picture him eating sushi.

"Sushi?" I asked.

"I don't eat it, sometimes Billy or Harry will when they go with me," he said and chuckled.

His radio squawking broke us out of our fun moment.

"Hey Bells, I've got to run. You be careful getting home," he said and got out of the chair, taking his drink with him.

"Later dad," I said and waved as I finished wiping off the counters and got the place ready to close for the night.

Ninety minutes later, I was heading into the shower to get rid of the scent of espresso beans that seemed to have permeated my skin. I made sure the house was locked before climbing into bed. I allowed myself a couple minutes thinking of the Cullens each night before drifting to sleep. I did some deep cleansing breaths, something I had learned when Renee was in her vinyasa yoga phase and tried to empty my mind. Each time I've done it, the image in my brain was always the same. It was always that moment when I cut myself on that damn wrapping paper. Each and every time, I would look up into Jasper's eyes and notice while they were dark, they weren't as dark as the Jerk's eyes and everybody else's. Not even Carlisle's.

I opened my eyes and looked out the window, once again whispering into the air what I've been saying for months now.

"It wasn't your fault, Jasper."

Notes: Yep, Bella's a barista. I thought that fit her more than working at a sporting good's store. If you've never accidentally touched your arm on an espresso steam wand, don't. That hurts like hell.

I am purposely being very slow in reposting chapters just in case this disappears again, thanks to the powers that be. If you're impatient (like I tend to be) clicky on my profile and see where else you can find me.

XOXO - sushi