I'm posting a day early because I may not be near my computer much tomorrow, hope you enjoy the chapter. Sassycook was the 25th reviewer on TWCS, and Taylor9901 wrote review 50 on ffn. Love to you all for your sweet reviews, all the extra time I have on my hands is very soon going to result in more writing time, which I know you will appreciate. Mizzdee is my better half, and she knows how to keep me motivated. (Mainly she dangles her own plot points in front of me and then tells me I have to write with her to see them before the chapter is done...it is VERY effective!)
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.
Chapter 4
Agreeing that we could leave, Edward and I walked down the street to the parking garage that housed his car and made our way to Little Italy after our pit stop. It took us a while between carrying the last of my things down to his SUV and locking up, but by eleven thirty we were double parked outside the brownstone while we got my things into the entryway.
"Don't try to lift them into the elevator, I'll be back in a couple," Edward said as I locked the front door and then found the lighter boxes and pushed my dress form into the elevator and rode up to my floor.
I propped open the door and slid the boxes into my little loft, putting them in the areas they would later be unpacked into. There was a great built-in bookshelf near where Esme put my desk, and another one that sat under my TV, giving me room for both electronic equipment and knick knacks if I wanted to.
Returning downstairs for the books and the small amount of kitchen stuff that hadn't made it upstairs from our shopping trip yesterday, Edward helped me get the last of my belongings up and then offered to help me unpack.
"For now, maybe we should do the shopping, since the car is parked on the street for the moment. That way you can put it back in the garage and then we can relax."
"Okay," he agreed, locking up before we slid into his car and headed to the grocery store.
Shopping with Edward was an adventure. We had started at the regular supermarket so that we could get things that Whole Foods wouldn't have, namely junk food and other staples that were just too expensive to get there. I knew the store so we made it out of there easily, but Whole Foods was where it got interesting. I had us each take a cart here just like in D'Agostinos and then went through each section, going through my huge list all the while avoiding what we didn't need to go past. By the time we were picking out vegetables and fruit, I thought he was starting to regret this trip.
"What else do we need?" Edward asked in a thinly veiled whine.
"All that's left is the meat counter," I told him as I turned my cart, leading him towards our final destination.
Twenty minutes later we were at the checkout line, racking up a total that almost made me hyperventilate until Edward handed over his credit card. "This wasn't normal, right?"
I looked at him a little shocked and then shook my head. "No, you had nothing in the house; it shouldn't be anywhere near this high normally."
"Then breathe," he teased me. "We need to eat."
"Yes, and since we're having cold cuts for lunch, I'm making us something nice for dinner."
"You're not working these next two weeks, Isabella. You don't have to take care of me," he said.
"I finally have someone else to cook for, let me be excited about this," I pleaded and he smiled back.
"Fine, I'm looking forward to it."
We worked together to load up the car, and then unload it back at the house, leaving me to put away the perishable stuff before I started organizing the pantry cabinets. Edward didn't come back to the kitchen, so I made a sandwich when I was done and moved on to unpack my books.
I focused on getting the last of the boxes emptied in the early afternoon, and by the time I needed to head down to start dinner, I was officially moved into the top floor of the brownstone.
Edward was still nowhere in sight, so I looked at the pantry shelves and tried to find something for dinner. I'd bought plenty of stuff to stock the freezer with while I had the free time over the next two weeks, but not wanting to start any of that tonight I decided on bourbon chicken with Spanish rice.
Getting the ingredients out, I cut up the chicken and browned it before I started making the sauce. The rice would take a while to cook through, so I put that on and then focused on what I was doing. I was in my own little world when Edward reappeared, so his voice startled me.
"That smells fantastic," he said, making me jump. "I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, I drifted off for a bit, but dinner's almost ready if you want to get yourself a drink."
"Can I get you anything?" he asked and I pointed to my glass.
"Yeah, if you could just refill my Spite, that would be great," I said, spooning out the Spanish rice into a bowl and then pouring the chicken into a second one. I sat them both on the island and pulled out plates and silverware before joining Edward to dish up our food.
Popping a piece of chicken in his mouth, he moaned before saying, "Wow, this is amazing. What is it?"
"Bourbon chicken and Spanish rice," I answered as I had a forkful of my rice.
"Well, with food like this, it's a good thing Esme put in a small gym for me in the man cave, because I will have to burn off a lot of calories," Edward joked and I couldn't hide my blush at the compliment.
"Thanks, there aren't a lot of people who get to enjoy my cooking, so the compliment is very welcome," I admitted and he looked around the kitchen.
"Do you have any plans for the next two weeks, considering that you'll only be watching the girls?"
"Well, tomorrow I'm making a bunch of food that I can freeze for when the kids are back, and Monday Angela's going to come over in the morning so that we can look through some wedding magazines and look for apartments for her and Ben now that they have at least one income until she gets hired. She's applying at a bunch of different accounting firms and accounting departments for companies, but she hasn't had any responses yet."
"I'm sure it will all work out for her, and it's sweet of you to worry about her and Ben. I take it you're very close?" Edward asked.
"We are. Angela is like my sister and Ben's one of my best friends. I was alone in this city before them, trying to escape Florida and Washington and live on my own. The two of them and your family have really taken care of me the past few years and I'm so grateful for all of them," I told him.
"I can tell by how much my nieces talk about you that you're important to them too. My children need that kind of fun in their lives," Edward whispered a little wistfully.
"And what do you need, Edward?" I turned his statement around.
"A fresh start," he said.
I watched Edward for a moment and I could see that he was struggling with something. Maybe it was his identity as a newly-divorced single father, or it might have been something deeper, but I knew better than to push. Finishing up my dinner, I put the rest of the rice and chicken in a Tupperware and stuck it in fridge before taking the pans and scrubbing them, placing the plates and other dishes in the dishwasher until it was full enough to run.
"I'm going to head upstairs; I'll see you tomorrow, Edward."
"Goodnight, Isabella," Edward called back as he walked down into the basement to presumably go back to whatever work he had been doing before dinner.
I turned on a movie when I got back into my room and shot off a text to Angela, confirming that she was coming by on Monday after Ben had gone to his new job.
How did you know? Angela texted back a minute later.
Insider info from the management…I'll explain it if he doesn't. I shot back before hitting play to lose myself in a mindless comedy for the night.
I didn't see much of Edward over the next few days; coffee would be waiting for me when I woke up in the morning, and he would appear in the kitchen just before dinner was finished, but for the most part my days were my own.
I cooked up a storm, filling the freezer with ready to cook meals and even playing around with the new ice cream maker I bought. The first time Edward had the strawberry ice cream I'd made, I thought he was going to kiss me; he seemed so excited about it.
Angela hung out with me in the mornings while we waited for the girls to get out of school, and then Jared would swing by and pick us up on the way to Carlisle and Esme's. The girls had made a whole list of things that they wanted to do with their cousins, and Esme was quick to bankroll the excursions by putting some extra money on the card she'd given me to use when I was taking the girls' places.
Angela found out about those and she looked at me confused. "Are you telling me that half of your credit cards are pre-paid from your bosses? I want that life."
"It isn't so glamorous, Ang. The money buys groceries and tickets to the zoo," I told her.
"Whatever, you have two places to live and I'm trying to figure out…what the hell?" Angela started clicking away on her laptop and I ran to the side of the island she was sitting on.
"What is it?"
"The firm I interned for is hiring. I'm sending them my application to see what might come out of it."
"Any luck on apartments at all?" I asked.
"Yes, we can get a great two bedroom in Brooklyn, but I check everyday hoping that something will come up. We can just barely afford the rent on Ben's pay, but if I'm working then it will be that much easier."
"It'll work out, Angela." I pat her shoulder just as my phone rang.
"Hello," I said into the phone as soon as I saw Tia's school number pop up.
"Miss Swan, this is Nurse Beverly, Tia came into the office feeling sick and she's got a temperature. Would you or one of her parents be able to pick her up?"
"Yes, I just need to make a few calls to arrange it, but someone will be there to get her soon."
Angela packed up and left for the day, while I called Jared, thankful that he wasn't busy. Soon he was picking me up as we drove to get Tia. My poor girl looked so tired when I went in to sign her out, but it wasn't long before she was tucked into bed, Lottie coming home and reading quietly so she didn't disturb her sister.
The second week of Edward's kids' vacation passed much the same as the first. School ended for Charlotte and Tia on Wednesday, so we spent Thursday hanging out before their cousins returned on Friday.
Edward took Friday off so that he could meet the kids at the airport and spend the day with them, so I took the opportunity to take my girls grocery shopping for some stuff for the meal I was cooking tomorrow.
"Bella, you don't know what you're cooking yet? You always know what you're making way in advanced for special occasions," Lottie questioned me as we walked through Whole Foods.
"Yes, but I know what you guys like. Your uncle has been eating what I cook because it's food in the house, but I don't know what he prefers."
"Mom says that Uncle Eddie is a meat and potatoes kind of guy, but you have to make him something special."
"Chili," Tia cheered, no doubt remembering the last time I made it for them, as we walked past the meat counter and I was suddenly pulling out the moleskin I had filled with recipes that I brought along for when I decided on something.
"Do you think he'll like it?"
"Yeah, he'll totally love it," Charlotte said as she started clapping and running over to the area where the butcher was waiting to take special requests.
It took a while to get everything together, but by the time I got back to the brownstone, the sounds of a full house were evident. Jasper and Alice ran over to give me a hug and I told them to go up with their cousins to hear all about our plans for this summer and all the fun things they'd get to see.
"That looks like a lot of groceries for someone who just went shopping on Tuesday," Edward teased as he tried to sneak a peek in the bag.
"Well, I didn't know what I was making for tomorrow night on Tuesday, but the girls helped me out with the perfect birthday dinner," I told him, closing the bag he was starting to dig through.
"No fair," he pouted.
"No peeking," I shot back with a smirk as I moved to put the meat in the fridge.
As I lay out the various vegetables so I could begin my prep for tomorrow, Edward moved in closer. "Isabella, you didn't have to plan a big dinner for me."
"Yes I did. We do it for everyone on their birthday, and now that you and the kids are here, it just means we have more birthdays to celebrate. I don't mind it, Edward. I went to school for it, and it's nice to celebrate with a big family." I failed to hold in the sigh, and Edward noticed it.
"Just know that I appreciate it, and tomorrow is Saturday, which means that it's your day off. Special dinner aside, you don't have to watch the kids. I'll be hanging out here with them all day."
"I'll keep that in mind." I spent a little while doing the prep work I could, mincing the mountain of garlic, onions, and tomatoes, packaging them up until tomorrow. Making sure everything was set, I moved onto the tres leches cake.
Edward had all the younger kids up in the play room, so when Rosalie came down alone, I had a feeling this was going to be a little bit of a pissing contest.
"Listen, Bella, my siblings may need a nanny, but I grew up on the streets of Chicago, so why don't we make a deal. I'll beat my dad home nights, and you don't try and keep track of me. How does that sound?" she sneered at me, thinking she'd won.
"Rosalie, that attitude right there is exactly why your father thinks you need a nanny. And you didn't grow up on the 'streets of Chicago,' you had a driver, just like you will here. Now, I'm going to make you a deal, and you will take it. You don't like me; that much you've made perfectly clear. But I won't have your behavior put your siblings or your cousins at risk by mouthing off when we're out somewhere. The other kids want to get to see the city this summer, and knowing some of the fun things to do might help you fit in better when you start school in the fall, so when we go out, you will stick with us and not argue with me. You'll help me and hold your brother's hand and we'll enjoy the parks and the museums and all the fun things there are to do around here. And when we're home most days, if you want to lock yourself in your room, all I'll ask is that you follow your father's rules and not be disruptive. If you want to do things with me, that would be great, but I'm not here to force myself on you." I matched her glare until we both heard the throat clearing behind us.
"Is there a problem here?" Edward asked.
"No," Rosalie answered. "Bella was just telling me that she'll need me to help her keep the little kids together when we go around the city."
"I'm glad that you're willing to help her, it makes me proud to see you acting like a mature young lady." Edward grinned as she muttered her goodbye on her way past him up the stairs. "I want you to tell me immediately if she acts up, especially if it might endanger the others. They're a large group to take out on your own."
"Alice will be in her stroller and Jasper's one more. Lottie can hold both his and Tia's hands if necessary. Sometimes making kids like Rosalie think they're a second caregiver will cause them to be more responsible," I explained.
"I trust your judgment, and just so you know," he leaned in to whisper, "that cake smells delicious."
Shivering at his proximity and the playfulness that had crept up a bit in the last two weeks, I went on to make the special butter for the cornbread the next day. When I was finished for the night, the butter was complete, the cake was under glass on the counter and all of the prep for the chili was done. Tomorrow would be a long day of cooking, but it was worth it if the Cullens had a nice day.