Chapter 7 - Into The Mystic (Van Morrison)

Sunday was a whirlwind of activity. Charlie and Rose were up early with me to attend Mass. It was really nice to have company in my pew. It's also nice to have friends who understand and even share my faith and how important it is to me. I don't think I'd have had the idea to start my business had I not been taught to serve others, nor would I have overcome all the obstacles without my faith and constant stream of prayers, particularly the Rosary. Lots of people think it's babbling or don't understand the value, but to me it's a meditation of the life of Christ, nothing makes me quit my pity parties like meditating on the Sorrowful Mysteries. Contemplating the events of the suffering of Jesus puts everything in perspective for me, like how can I worry about this when He went through that? Suddenly nothing seems like that big of a deal any more. At least that's what it does for me. I pray daily and use my Rosary as often as possible, though sometimes I'm not able to finish it in one sitting. I figure God understands, He's the one who set this work before me, so He knows how busy I am. But it's good for me to take the time out because it calms me, and boy do I need calm these days.

After Mass we changed into jeans and I set about peeling apples for the pancake. Normally this is the time I'd start saying the Rosary, I normally do it using my fingers while I work because I can't sit still for long and I always lose count on the beads. Instead I visited with Rose while she told me about her plans for her big move. Her folks weren't thrilled when she called but she thinks they expected it anyway. She's lived all over the world so they should be grateful she's on the same continent, at least that's her take on it. I wonder why they're concerned when they're never home anyway.

Rose is hoping I can make time to help her hunt for a house. I reminded her mine will be empty for a while but she says she wants her own since she's staying, that she's had to move so often it'll be great to get her stuff out of storage and really make a home. I forgot that feeling of living like a nomad, only bringing the basics, living minimally.

She's the one who taught me to get a storage unit and send cool things I found on my travels to be stored away for later. I used one of the sheds in Charlie's yard and would send stuff to Charlie to cram away in there. When I returned home I was stunned by all I'd gathered in my 4 years of travels, that was the first step in deciding to try my hand with Eclectic. My apartment was furnished with so many things from so many places and I was surprised at how many went together so nicely. Even though they came from very different places and cultures, they blended nicely. Everyone who came over remarked at how cool my place was, how comfortable it felt, how surprised they were that all those colors just went together. So of course I would help Hale pull her own pieces together to make a permanent home. I'm just so glad it'll be here with me!

Charlie joined us as I finished mixing the batter. Of course he had to steal one of my sugar and cinnamon-coated apple slices. What is it with people and chopped food? Apples sit on the counter and spoil but the minute I've washed, peeled and cut one, they can't be resisted. He plopped down on the other stool at the kitchen island looking rather uncomfortable.

"So Bells, I was talking with Esme about this nurse you mentioned, I think it's a great idea. It turns out I used to know her. She's a widow, her husband was Harry Clearwater, from the station. He died on the job in that warehouse fire a few years back. I didn't know him really well, he was on a different shift, but he was a good man. I feel better knowing a little something about the woman who will possibly be living here."

"Wow, small world, eh?" He nodded "I'm relieved to know that you'll feel more comfortable with her, it helps to know where a bit about her life and that she understands where we're coming from as well."

"Where do you think we should put her, we only have three bedrooms?"

"Don't worry Dad, I'm sure Sue will need a little time to get things together if she is planning to work with us, she's supposed to call me tomorrow. In the meantime, Rose was just saying she's hoping to go house hunting this week, if the time overlaps and we need Rose's room, she can stay at my house or else we can bunk together. Don't worry about it, we'll all be fine." He nodded.

"I hate that I'll need someone here. I mean I feel fine, but I know things are off. I hate to be a burden, Bells. Why don't you two stay at your house once Sue comes to stay, we'll be okay and your home is so close anyway, you're only 5 minutes away."

"That's true Dad, I'm sure she'd take great care of you, and I'm grateful that you're accepting this help even though things seem okay now, it's better for us to adapt now, before things really change. As for me living away, I just feel like this is the place I need to be, if either of us needs space, I'll stay there, but you're important to me and I want to be sure you're getting everything you need. You've taken care of me your whole life, now it's my turn to return the favor."

He could tell my mind was made up so he left it alone. "Besides, Carlisle mentioned that propper nutrition can make a huge difference on this issue so I can't leave you here to nuke hot pockets! You've got to be the world's only fireman who can't cook!"

We all laughed, "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, fuzzball. I was always the favorite on shift because I'd happily do the dishes as long as I got to eat the meals," he teased, I love when he gets silly with movie quotes, it's sort of our thing, it's our humor. Sometimes others don't get it and either think we're nuts or else get insulted thinking we're calling them names, whereas I know Charlie was quoting Star Wars.

"Firemen live large, that's for sure! Shift meals are some of the tastiest things I've eaten. Each man has his specialties and they take turns cooking." I told Hale. "Dad's thing is making fish. Everyone loves it because he catches them himself so it's always fresh. I could never stand eating fish, I like shellfish but that's pretty much it. Ironic huh? Everyone else falls over themselves to get at Dad's freshly-caught salmon and perch but I gag when I just smell it." We all laughed. "Of course it didn't help when he would put the fish head on my plate with a cracker in its mouth, I think it scarred me for life!"

We all laughed hard as Rose started singing that stupid old Fish Heads song, "Fish heads, fish heads, roly poly fish heads, fish heads, fish head eat them up, yum!"

"Bells you always were a good sport! Even then you laughed and dumped it in the trash. I love that about you kid, you're such a sweet person." I started to get misty so I turned around to place the apples into the cast iron pan then poured the batter over it. I groaned as I lifted the heavy pan into the oven.

"Hey Swan, if your dad doesn't cook and Renee's cooking is the stuff nightmares are made of, where on Earth did you learn to cook so well?" Charlie and I laughed at that, remembering some of Renee's worst concoctions. Sometimes it wouldn't have been so bad but it looked like someone vomited in a bowl. It's really hard to make yourself eat something that looks so horrible.

"Self preservation, my dear friend. I had great motivation to learn, if I didn't cook I had to eat their cooking! Also my Granny Swan was a great cook, she taught me quite a bit about baking, the rest is just following recipes."

"You sell yourself short, Bells. You have a flair for cooking, you take care to do things just so and that makes a difference." Charlie said, making me blush.

It's true, I do love to make things look nice. I mean even with stuff like this oven pancake, I took time to arrange the top layer of apples, trying to make it look as nice as possible. Pretty food just tastes better.

"Hey Hale! Have you got any favorite meals I can make for you this week? I can pick up the ingredients tomorrow while I'm out and about." She just shook her head and said whatever I make would be fine.

Later we headed over to the Cullen's with me hauling my gigantic cast-iron frying pan full of goodness, feeling silly having to wear my oven mtts, but hey that sucker was hot. When Edward opened the door, looking mighty fine I must say, he called out behind him, "Hot stuff comin' through" then quietly added, "and she's carrying a pan." I smiled and winked at him.

Charlie cleared his throat and Rose broke the tension by laughing and saying hi to everyone. Don't get me wrong, Charlie likes Edward, I think he's having a hard time knowing he won't be around forever to look out for me. And he's still feeling awkward about how Edward found him the other day.

I walked into the kitchen and set the pan down on a trivet, I swear my forearms groaned, that sucker was heavy! The kids came charging over to hug me talking over one another about our outing yesterday. They were still dolled up from church and looking too precious for words. Seth had plaid shorts with a polo and Emily was wearing a sweet pink plaid dress with a small shrug over it. She had accessorized with a matching purse and pink patent leather Mary Janes, while Seth had shed his shoes asap and was running around barefoot.

Everything was ready to go so we said a quick grace and dug into the food. Everything was absolutely delicious. There was a chorus of yummy sounds around the table, and I swear Edward sounded like he was having an orgasm as he ate the the food I'd brought. That made me feel really pleased, turned on, but pleased. He caught me watching and winked, which naturally made me blush. Man I hate how easily I blush. Of course that made him chuckle a little.

We all had a really nice meal and the men did the cleanup because the women had cooked. Hale liked this because she hadn't cooked but the men wouldn't let her help. We headed out to the back deck and watched the kids play as we all enjoyed the beautiful day. I was leaning against the railing and could feel Edward's eyes on me. As I turned my head to look I busted him staring at my bottom and it was his turn to blush, but he didn't look away he just smiled and shrugged as if to say can you blame me? That made me smile too. I work hard to have my body look like this, I know my backside is tight! I attend Pilates class 3 times a week with Renee, it's our mother-daughter bonding time. I also run, Rollerblade and hike at area forest preserves with Emmett when we have time. Emmett has a giant black lab named Bono, who likes to keep us company on our journeys. Actually he's sort of the office pet at this point, Bono has his own bed in Emmett's office and he greets anyone who comes into the office with a sniff, tail wag and, if they check out okay, a small lick to the back of their hand. Bono likes most people, but if he doesn't like them he watches them until they leave, not looking menacing, just watching then he escorts them out. It's rather amusing and he's quite spoiled as everyone sneaks him treats and toys.

That dog is a sweet big lug. He makes me want one of my own, but right now life is just too hectic, I wouldn't have time to dedicate to training a dog and I refuse to have one of those little yippy ones women carry in their purses. Nope, not me, when I get a dog it'll be a beefy one, like a yellow lab, rottweiler or doberman. I was going to get a Vizsla for Charlie but his hunting days are clearly in the past and those dogs have to hunt. You can't get one and not exercise it daily and hunt it regularly, it's like catching a wild bird and clipping its wings. Damn it! Charlie is losing another of his beloved hobbies to illness. I really have to make sure he can get out and enjoy what he is able to do before things get worse. At that thought Charlie walked out and stood next to me.

"Hey Dad." I leaned into him a little and he smiled then put his arm around me.

"Hey Pal-ee Girl." That was his nickname for me when I was a little girl. That made me smile too.

"You up for some fishing next weekend?" That question seemed to surprise him.

"What gives, you hate fishing!" he said.

"No I don't...you know I love being on the water." He laughed and gave me a look. "Alright fine, I don't love going out in your boat to go salmon fishing but I do love being with you on the water. Anyway, Edward mentioned that Seth really wants to go fishing. What would you say to all of us going out for the day sometime soon?"

His face brightened and he turned to Edward, "You like to fish?" Edward kind of shrugged his shoulders and said he'd give it a try. Charlie seemed pleased to have a potential fishing buddy, though I think Seth would end up being more of a buddy to him than Edward. They decided Friday would probably be a good day since Edward was taking his test Wednesday. He would probably need a day to recover between.

"Ya know, next Sunday is Father's Day, is that something you'd rather do then?" I know Carlisle knows his way around the boat and lake, I would feel okay having him take the boys out. "We girls could hang out here and make a feast for when you all returned, then cook your haul. But you have to clean it, I draw the line at handling slimy fish guts!" Everyone laughed.

Esme loved the idea as did Carlisle. I looked to Edward and he looked at me like I was a dream-come-true. It was endearing and yet made me feel uncomfortable. Did I overstep my boundary? It didn't seam like a huge offering. It made me want to hunt down his ex and smack her because the simple offer was like food to a starving man? He smiled and agreed it'd be a great idea. Then he called the kids over to tell them.

Emily didn't look very happy so I squatted down to see why.

"I don't wanna go fishing, Bewwa," she pouted. I chucked a little and told her that she and I would do a secret project for her daddy that day and she perked right up. Man what a cute kid! I'll have to ask Esme what Edward's favorite treat is so Emily and I can bake it for her. As I turned to head over by Esme, I caught Edward's eye and he winked again so I smiled and headed to his mom's side. As it turns out his favorite is simply chocolate cake with chocolate frosting - easy breezy. That'll be a great project with Emily.

As we were getting ready to leave Edward grabbed my hand and pulled me into the den, away from the crowd and pulled me into a heated kiss.

"I have wanted to do that all day," he said with a devious smile. "Thanks for your idea of fishing, Seth is so excited, and for smoothing things over with Emily. She just adores you."

"Well the feeling is mutual. She and I will have fun don't worry about a thing."

We kissed again, then I spoke. "I better get back and you, sir, have two young people who need your attention and I have to go clean my house and pack up some things since I'll be staying at Charlies for the foreseeable future."

He smiled at me, kissed my nose and patted my ass as I walked out of the room. I jumped so he laughed some more.

I spent the afternoon gathering up some things from my house then we had a mellow evening back at Charlie's. True to her word, Esme showed up with Edward carrying a ton of groceries. That woman doesn't do anything halfway. She had everything I'd need to make a list of meals she planned and included the recipes so I would be able to follow it. She's so thoughtful and generous, she refused to accept payment for the food. Edward and Charlie carried in the groceries and I put them away as Esme went over her list. As they headed out again, Edward gave me a quick peck on the lips before leaving. I think kissing Edward might be my new favorite pastime. Rose quirked an eyebrow at me and gave me a thumbs-up, which made me giggle. I suppose having Hale here is what it would be like to have a sister. It's fun to have someone there to tease and goof around, but also to help with the work. She jumped right in and helped put all the groceries away.

We had a quiet evening, watching TV and chilling out together. Before I headed to bed Charlie spoke up. "Bells, I've been thinking about tomorrow. Are you heading straight to the police department or to the office first?"

"Actually I think Rose and I should head to the store first, she needs to be ready to roll before the press can catch wind of anything. We'll outfit her and give her time to prepare before I call them. Wait, should I call them or would it be better to go in?"

"Go in, I think. I mean you might not want to tip off the damn crook, so if you go there first you might have more of an element of surprise."

Charlie's right, I hadn't thought about secrecy. I hate to sneak around. I can't understand why people would want to act that way, it complicates things so much. If you just live right you don't have to worry about being busted in wrong-doing or for not remembering your own lie.

I sighed feeling the enormity of it hit me again. This had been such a good weekend, I'd kept thoughts of it at bay as much as possible. Now it seemed to wash back over me, covering me in a sense of dread and sadness. "Do you think they'll be able to recover the money? Or at the very least trace where it went?" I asked Charlie and Hale.

"No idea, kid, but we'll figure it out," Charlie answered, then pulled me in for a hug. "You work so hard to help people I hate that someone took advantage of your good nature. We'll get to the bottom of this, try not to worry too much."

"It really is frustrating. I'm wondering so many things. First is who did this, second is how can I get the money where it fucking belongs and if I can't get that back to them should I issue checks for the difference since it wasn't the people's fault? Also, how long has this gone on? I mean my profits would be the same regardless because the correct amount was withdrawn even though the whole amount wasn't received by the artisans. See that shook me at first thinking I built a house of cards, but I know what we've got is solid and will only get better as we add clothing and normal retail housewares lines. I know this is good, I just feel like crap that it's being undermined." They seemed to sense that I needed to vent.

"Girl I wondered when you'd snap. You've been too calm all weekend long!" Rosalie knows me so well. "Someone ripped you off, you have a right to be pissed. Let it out."

That made me laugh, "You know me righteous indignation fuels my creativity. We'll get to the bottom of this, but I needed this weekend to hit the reset button, so to speak. I had to let everything sink in and just process it, but now that I have, I am angry and will use my resources to find out what happened and make sure justice prevails."

"Damn that's funny, you sound like Captain America or something." She laughed at me. "I know what you mean, just your wording made me laugh. We'll stop whoever this is."

"See that's another thing, I don't know if it's one person or a conspiracy. As I was building my business a lot of the hires were people other employees knew. There were hardly any cold hires, everyone was sent by someone and that feeds my paranoia in this. There's a big part of me that wants to go "Off with their heads" and just fire everyone, but there's no justice in that either. Those people have felt like a family to me, that's what hurts. I mean I trusted these people to have my back and I've taken care of everyone. I pay well, am fair when they need time off or special favors, I throw parties and occasionally even spring for lunch and yet someone felt like it'd be fine to take more from me, to rip me off. Rather not me, they ripped off the workers and that just isn't cool!"

Now I was working myself up, but I need to be worked up. I needed the anger and adrenaline to help me think more clearly. But being keyed up is not conducive to a good night's sleep, and I'm not very productive if I don't sleep so I decided to go take a nice warm bath. I grabbed a glass of wine, my phone, and a pillar candle then headed up to the tub.

The sight before me is a reminder that there will be sacrifices in the future, one of which is that I will miss my house. This tub is one of those shower-tub combos and while it's clean it is not terribly deep or comfy. I may have to keep regular dates with my own bathtub while I stay here because honestly this will be fine for tonight but won't cut it in the stressful days to come. I lit the candle, turned out the light and nestled in and grabbed my phone to play some music, but as I started to scroll though my playlist it rang with an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Bella, it's Edward. I'm sorry, am I calling too late?"

"Hey. No, it's fine I'm just taking a bath."

He let out a low moan and I chuckled, gee maybe now would be a good time to get one of those brain-to-mouth filters! "Sorry, I'll let you go," he said sounding very uncomfortable.

"No, no, honestly it's fine. I'm glad you called."

"Really?"

"Yep," I said, popping the p. "So was there a particular reason for this call or were you simply calling to chat?"

"Both really. First things first, I am calling to tentatively accept your offer to work for Eclectic."

"Fantastic! But why tentative?" I asked.

"Well you know that I want to be available to my kids, I learned my lesson about working long hours so I wanted to be sure that I wouldn't be expected to be there for 12-hour days."

"No, nothing like that. I'd be willing to let you set your own hours. Since you're the first lawyer I'd be hiring directly, I mean are you considering doing freelance instead?"

"I think I'd rather work for you at the moment, if that's alright."

"That's great, what I started to say was since we always had an out-of-house legal team, I have no idea what you need so you're essentially your own boss there. I trust you to make decisions about what is needed and if you find you are swamped by the workload, say so and we'll hire more help. That legal team was overpriced and under performing anyway, this is a chance to improve everything so don't worry about speaking up about what wasn't working or what you need. I'm super jazzed that you're gonna do this!"

"Well I have a few other concerns," he said. "I mean, I hate to be presumptuous, but I really like you Bella, I'd like to have the opportunity to see where this can go, but mixing business and pleasure doesn't seem like such a good idea to me."

I gulped and my voice quivered a little from nerves as I spoke, "I really like you too, Edward. So much. And your kids, I simply adore them. I'd like to see where this goes, too. But that's just it. I already trust you, and I'm not a hands-on manager, which I guess is part of the problem with the missing money situation. I hire people who are good at their jobs and expect them to do them without me breathing down their necks. If you're worried about being annoyed with me as a boss, don't be, or better yet, call Alice and ask her opinion. She's my best friend and has been my employee for 4 years now. She still calls me out on my personal crap but we don't fight about work or get awkward about personal stuff on the job. I have my own work to do I don't need to be managing yours as well. You follow me?"

"Yeah, I get it, and frankly I'm relieved, it sounds ideal as long as you're not worried."

"Nope, nada. If you can manage the work you're given in 30 hours I'm not going to insist you be there an extra 10 twiddling your thumbs, however if you find you can't finish in a reasonable amount of time, speak up so we can hire help. Work is supposed to support your life not become it. At least that's how I feel. I work to support myself not the other way around. Also our work environment is really casual, dress comfortably, obviously if you've got meetings or a court date then dress as you would, but also, if the kids are off school and know to behave, they can come in with you, or you can work from home if your workload allows it. Eclectic is a family, we're all in it together."

"Well that's a relief, sounds great, especially after my last job, I averaged 60-70 hours a week. I was paid well for that but it was too much for a single father." Edward said.

"I can see how it would be hard. Charlie's job was like that, he worked 24-hour shifts, so while he was at the station I was at Renee's or a friend's house. Had she not stayed local when she left he'd have had a hard time remaining a fireman," I said. "I know how hard it was for him to be a single dad, I tried hard to help where I could, like cooking and cleaning."

"It's the little things that add up, I mean I love my kids and would do anything for them, sometimes they need things and I have no clue how to go about making them happen. That's where having a partner would be great. I mean I never really got one because Tanya never took on the role of mother, so all the decisions all their needs fell to me. I guess that's why I'm so grateful to have my mom and dad, they've helped me so much. The pressure is so much less, I just hate to introduce more stress in the form of a job, just as I'm finally getting a handle on things."

"That's where I was coming from, and I mean it, if the work is too much you have to speak up, this is new territory for the company, we pay a whole lot for the legal services we've had so don't worry about expenses adding up to bring on extra people, even if it's just for projects, we can outsource projects, get an intern or even hire you a secretary. Once you pass the test, we'll fire that firm and get you set up. I'm sure it'll be a mess to start with but in the long run you'll run it better than all of those bozos combined."

"Wow, I've got to say your faith in my abilities is both flattering and scary, you've never seen my work, how can you believe so firmly?"

"Well I know you have integrity, I've seen it in how you handle your family, you've got a great work ethic I know because of the hours you kept and based upon Esme's boasting about you over the years I know a little more than you think about your work abilities, and I dunno how to put it, but I genuinely trust you and know you'll look out for me, I mean Eclectic. And that means a great deal to me. Eclectic is my own little missionary project. It's a hand up for people rather than a hand out. We do what we can to allow the people to earn a decent living for themselves and their families. Thanks to the exorbitant amounts people are willing to pay at the Mart, we're able to really help them and earn a living for ourselves and the other employees. You add the new lines Alice and I are working on and well, it's gonna help a lot more people and earn a lot more money."

"Which new lines?"

"This is something I'm very excited about, I spent a lot of time, energy and money investing in some new clothing and house-ware lines. Most of the merchandise we sell in the store is made on contract by artisans, and they're things for the home. These new lines are clothes and household items with our ethnic flare and they'll be made in plants in Kenya, Latvia, Estonia, and Indiana. That's where the expense has come in to play, equipping these places, we're working on hiring people and so on. We're bringing jobs where they're desperately needed and the clothing lines will sell in major retailers. My favorite being Target."

He laughed at that, "Target?"

"What? Are you a snob, Edward Cullen?"

"No I'm just a little surprised. I was married to a woman who refused to be seen in things more than once and everything had to have a label. She never spared a thought for the cost of things or that it meant I'd have to work more to pay for it," he said. "So when I talk to you, the owner of a big-time company and a graduate of the Art Institute, and you say you love Target, it surprised me, that's all."

I laughed. "Have you met me and my dad? I'm a blue-collar girl through and through. I just happened to have worked hard and earned a lot of money, but that doesn't mean I have changed, it just means I get to pursue more of my dreams. Gimme a pair of jeans and a hoodie with my combat boots any day and I'm a happy girl. But the cool thing about Target is that I can help others make a fashion statement without breaking their banks. I like that I can help people stretch their hard-earned money and even create new jobs in this lackluster economy."

"See that's what's so cool about you, you're not saying look at me, look at what I can make, you're worried that the people have jobs and the consumers can afford it."

"I'm just glad I can help, it's not about me, I'm just the grease that helps others do their thing and earn a living," I said. "I'm grateful to be able to have the opportunity."

"Speaking of opportunities, thanks for hiring me, I'm looking forward to helping you with these projects," he said. We went on to establish his salary and the priority projects, then decided it'd probably be a good idea to hire an assistant for him. Good thing I own the building, we'll probably have him take over one of the other business suites it'll give him some autonomy and provide a professional environment.

"Well this is the first business meeting I ever had in the bathtub!" I said with a giggle. He groaned again. "I better get out, I'm turning into a prune."

"Goodnight Bella, sweet dreams," he said with a smile in his voice.

"You too, Edward, I'll talk to you soon."