A/N:

1. Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight. I'm just playing mix and match with her characters.
2. Loving all of your thoughts and comments! Thanks so much ;0)


New Business Guy, Chapter 7

BPOV

I didn't think I'd ever been so hungry at six in the morning but, then again, I'd expended quite a lot of energy last night. Thoughts of yesterday with New Business - - - the flowers, the bathroom hijinks, the 'I love you's - - - brought a huge smile to my face.

"What?" the man himself asked around a mouthful of pancakes.

I shook my head at him and laughed. "Just thinking that I usually don't eat this much in the morning."

"You need to refuel," he said. "You had a busy night last night."

We grinned at each other as we continued eating our breakfast.

"More coffee?" asked our waitress. I marveled at her ability to be so cheery and alert so early in the morning.

"Please," Emmett said.

She refilled his cup and mine too before she moved on to the next table in the surprisingly crowded diner.

"You were right," I said. "This place is great."

I'd put the southwestern omelet I ordered right up there with some of the best I'd eaten back home in Phoenix.

"Told you," he said with a smug grin. "I gotta admit: I didn't think I'd lose the bet."

"Now you know not to underestimate me," I said.

Again, we grinned at each other, which we couldn't ever seem to stop doing, recalling our bet from last night.

"No more funny business from you," I said as I settled into bed. "I have to be at work by seven at the latest tomorrow."

"You must mean seven at night," he said as he laughed. "No way in hell will you make it by seven in the morning."

"Oh ye of little faith," I said with a grin.

"You are not a morning person. That's all I'm saying," he replied.

"Care to make a friendly wager on that?" I asked as I set my alarm for five a.m.

He laughed boisterously as he watched me. "You're gonna be up by five? Yeah, I'll take that bet."

"Good," I said. "When I win, you have to cook me breakfast."

"No deal," he said. "Besides, that wouldn't be much of a prize."

I laughed. "Hmm, you may be right about that. I'll have to think of ..."

"If I lose, which I won't, I'll take you to my favorite breakfast spot. They're great, and fast."

"Sounds perfect," I said with a grin.

"Now if I win ..." he said as he wriggled his eyebrows.

"Don't waste your breath," I replied. "Ain't happenin'."

"We'll see," he said, still laughing at me.

"Yes, we will," I replied before I fell asleep with a smile on my face.

Not only had I been up by five, I'd been ready to leave half an hour later. New Business couldn't help but be impressed.

"I never thought you'd be ready on time," he said.

"Are you implying that I don't keep my word?" I asked with a grin.

"No, I'm just saying again that I've noticed you're not a morning person," he replied.

"Are you really qualified to make that kind of declaration?" I asked playfully. "You haven't spent that many mornings with me."

"In my mind, I've woken up with you ever day since I met you," he said.

"A lot of crazy shit happens in your ..."

I stopped mid-sentence and groaned.

"I'm sorry."

He smiled weakly. "I know you didn't mean anything by it."

Hadn't he told me that his father had serious mental health problems? And here I just called him crazy and questioned what goes on in his mind. Nice going, Swan.

"I know you're not making fun of my dad," he said. "People use the word 'crazy' all the time. If I flipped out every time somebody made a crack about being crazy or losing their mind, I would be crazy and lose my mind."

I nodded and took a sip of my water. No matter what he said, I did feel badly. When he placed his warm hand over mine across the table, I looked up.

"It's not a big deal," he said. "Don't get upset."

"This is something else you'll have to get used to," I said. "Sometimes, stupid shit just flies out of my mouth."

He grinned. "I don't want you watching what you say or tiptoeing around me," he said. "Don't go changing now. I've already accepted that you and your big mouth talk shit all the time."

"Hey, that's my greatest asset," I said as we laughed together.

"If you ever want to talk about your dad," I said seriously, "I'm here for you. Okay?"

"I know," he said. "I'll tell you more about him. Someday."

I wanted to push for more information but I didn't; now wasn't the time.

"Why did you want to get to work so early today?" he asked, completely changing the subject.

"The I.T. team is having a big meeting on Friday," I said. "Caius volunteered me to work with Rose and the guys to write up all the slides and materials. We made good progress yesterday, but we have to finish today."

"What's the meeting for?" he asked.

"They're announcing a bunch of new changes," I said. "They started a customer service team, and they're changing the group structure. Laurent's the team leader, and instead of everybody reporting to Rose, most people on the I.T. team will report to him now."

"And he'll report to her?" he asked.

I nodded.

"That actually makes sense," he said. "Rose really knows her shit, but she's a control freak and doesn't delegate well. You must have come up with that idea."

"I suggested the customer service team, and more admin help, but Caius pushed for the teams to have leaders," I said.

"So Heidi will be the team leader too, for the sales team?" he asked. I'd filled him in last week on the work I did for the big sales meeting.

"Yeah, and they'll both be team trainers," I said.

"I hope they got raises," he said, shaking his head. He knew all too well the personalities on the sales and I.T. teams.

"Judging by the smiles on their faces, I'd say they did," I replied as he laughed.

"You better be next," he said, "you do way more than what you were hired to do."

"I know," I said. "Caius promised we'd discuss my job after New Year's when things settle down a little. The thing is, I haven't even been there that long. My time will come."

"It's hard to believe you've only been there three months," he said with a smile.

"I know," I said. "If I'd been there six months or a year, doing all this stuff, yeah, I'd be more upset. You know me, I'll hold Caius to his word."

"Oh, I do know you, Madam Bad-Ass," he said.

I laughed. "One day, maybe I can make the big bucks like you."

"I wouldn't mind being a kept man," he said as we laughed together.

Just as I was about to suggest that we start wrapping up breakfast, my cell phone rang.

"It's Angie," I said, surprised. Emmett stopped eating and watched me as I took the call.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," Angie replied. "I'm sorry to call so early but I wanted to catch you before you got to work."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said. "I just forgot to tell you something. I was supposed to call you last night but I was kinda busy at Ben's."

"I was busy myself last night," I said with a chuckle. New Business raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"I can't wait for the car ride tomorrow," she said with a chuckle of her own.

I groaned. Angie talked all the time on a normal day; trapped together for hours in a car, she'd talk nonstop.

"Anyway, I talked to Mom yesterday and she wanted me to ask if you'd make a few more cakes than what you'd planned. More people from town are coming, and she just wants to be prepared."

"Sure," I said. "How many more? What kind?"

"Three more," she said. "Another apple, and two of those almond pound cakes you made last year."

"They were good," I said, relieved that nothing more troubling had caused her to call so early.

"I'm really sorry I didn't tell you earlier," she said. "You could've gone to the store last night if you needed more stuff. Now it's the day before Thanksgiving."

"It's really fine," I said. "I was already going anyway after work."

"Really? You're not just saying that to make me feel better?" she asked.

"Really," I said calmly. "I realized this morning that I need way more eggs and a few more things. I'll be leaving work early so it's not a problem. I'm glad you called me now though."

"Okay," she said, sounding more relieved. "I'll see you tonight."

I chuckled as I ended the call. Angie was a worrier. Always had been, always would be.

"Everything okay?" Emmett asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Just a few more cakes to bake."

"She called you this early just for that?" he asked.

"To give me time in case I need to get more ingredients at the store," I said. "It's the day before Thanksgiving. The stores are usually way more crowded. I know you wouldn't know that because your mommy does all your grocery shopping, but that's how it works."

New Business threw back his head and laughed. "You're not hurting my feelings at all," he replied as he laughed. "Ma does do all that stuff."

"You never told me that but I figured that one out for myself," I said with a smirk.

I already knew that I had a total mama's boy on my hands.

"Angie's family must really be big," Emmett said.

"It is, but the cakes aren't just for them," I said. "Did I ever tell you about Angie's dad?"

He shook his head. "If you did, I don't remember."

"He's a minister," I said.

"Wait, her dad's a minister and she was living with her ex?" he asked. "I bet he didn't like that."

"He never knew," I said. "He doesn't like to travel much and the few times he visited, she just made sure she hid Eric's stuff. He just thought they were dating, not living together."

He smirked. "And here I thought Angie was a good girl," he said.

"She is," I said as I chuckled. "Kind of. It's for the best that her dad didn't know. Even her mom agrees."

Emmett just chuckled as the waitress brought the check.

"Anyway, every Thanksgiving, her family comes to visit, but other people from town come too. Not everyone has family in Forks; some people move there just for logging work."

"I didn't know that," he said.

"Yeah, logging's a big part of the economy there," I said. "Forks can be a lonely place if you don't have family near. Her parents always have an open invitation to anybody from the church or from the town who wants to come for Thanksgiving dinner. They have a huge house; there's plenty of room."

"That's pretty cool," he said. "Do you make all the desserts?"

"No," I said. "People bring different things. Angie's mom and some of her aunts do most of the cooking, and some people who always come bring certain dishes. There's a lady from their church who does most of the pies, but I've turned into the designated cake lady."

He smiled. Not for the first time, I wondered how we'd handle Thanksgiving and other holidays in the future, but now was not the time to dwell on that.

"Thanksgiving at the Webers' is always a blast, and I'm happy to do my part."

"You'll be up all night," he said. "You don't have to make that cake for us."

I smiled. "I can't let Henry down. He's counting on me."

Emmett laughed. "He does like 'Miss Bella'. Austin and Kim too. Ma says they talk about you all the time."

I smiled again. "I'm used to baking a lot at the holidays, I have a system, even though I usually do it at Charlie's. It's really not that big a deal."

"If you say so," he said as he put out money to pay the check.

When the waitress took it, we wished her a happy Thanksgiving and left the diner.

"I'm glad it won't be a problem then," New Business said as we stood by my car. "If I don't come back home with your cake they might not let me in the house."

"What can I say? I bake well," I said smugly.

"Trust me," he said with a smirk, "that's not the only thing you do well."

"I'm starting to get the feeling that you're horny a lot," I said as I opened my car door.

"Good," he replied, "because I am."

I shook my head, laughing all the while, as I got in and started my car. "I'll see you tonight."

He nodded and shut my door. I assumed that he would walk away to his own car, so I turned to crank up the heat before putting on my seatbelt. I jumped a little when a rap sounded on my window.

"Yes, New Business?" I said with a huge grin as I let the window down.

"I love you," he said with a silly grin that I returned.

"I love you too," I replied. With a wave, I drove away.

I could so get used to hearing that from him on a daily basis.


Thank goodness we'd stopped for breakfast because that proved to be the only break I would have for the day. I'd barely unlocked the door to my office when Caius walked in and greeted me.

"Do you sleep here?" I asked as he sat down in front of my desk. "I'm almost two hours early today, yet here you are. Do you ever leave?"

He laughed. "I like to work. I always have. Retirement didn't suit me at all."

"When were you retired?" I asked. This was news to me.

"About five years ago," he replied. "I worked in the financial sector my whole life. If you think I work hard now ..."

He didn't finish that thought because he was too busy looking away, smiling at some memory.

"I bet you were one of those greedy, hedge-fund guys who screwed up the whole economy," I said.

Caius shrieked with laughter. "There was money to be made, and we made it."

"I'll take that as a 'yes'," I said.

"Sounds like you know a little more about the market than I would have thought," he replied with a huge grin.

"I do not," I replied. "But my stepdad and I used to watch American Greed and all those other shows on CNBC about the fall of the economy and the real estate market. Everything that happened was rich people's fault."

Again, he cracked up laughing. "My dear, you are quite the comedian." I laughed along with Caius.

Renée always hated when Phil and I watched all those financial shows. Phil used the money he made from a career in minor-league baseball to buy several retail franchises. The businesses made him comfortably wealthy, but he always sought ways to increase his wealth; he watched CNBC all the time. I just found it interesting to see the inner workings of the schemes and cons that always ended up ruining so many people's lives.

"Did you retire when the market collapsed?" I asked.

"No," he replied, "I probably would've taken a break then. But I had a heart attack and ..."

"What?" I shrieked. My boss was the picture of health.

"It wasn't major. But it was a wake-up call," he said, looking delighted at my level of concern. "Aro, my father, was still alive at that time. He begged me to slow down, in the best interests of the family."

"That's not cryptic at all," I said as he guffawed.

"Let's just say that I'm the most frugal of my family," he replied. "When my mother and my siblings were trying to run through the family fortune, thinking it would never end, I was always the one behind the scenes, making deals to make sure we didn't lose money, keeping track of their spending, being the voice of reason."

Now that sounded reasonable enough, but I'd grown to know Caius well these months I'd worked for him. He could be overbearing, condescending, demanding, and intimidating. I bet his family couldn't stand him. But I didn't say any of that, instead I asked a more innocent question.

"How many siblings do you have?"

"Three," he replied. "One brother and two sisters. I'm the youngest. Father hated to say 'no' to them, but I didn't mind. He knew that without me around, the Cullen name, and money, would be run into the ground. He begged me to retire and take it easy, so I did."

"If you retired, how did you get to be the CEO here?" I asked, fascinated by this rare insight into his family.

"I was supposed to be more like a silent partner," he replied. "But I could see I'd have to do more from the very beginning."

I had so many questions now that he was being so chatty. I had to pace myself and not act overeager.

"And you control all of the family's money?" I asked.

"I don't know if 'control' is the right word," he said. "It's more like I have final authority over the money, including all of the kids' trust funds. Aro set it up that way in his will. Rose and Edward wanted to take all of their inheritance and sink it into this place without any idea of how a business should run. I made naming me CEO a condition of releasing some of the money."

"But you were just supposed to be a silent partner to the chiefs?" I asked.

"To Rose and Edward," he said. "This whole company was their idea. Carlisle had a great job already, following in my footsteps. I was very proud."

He couldn't have looked any prouder if he tried.

"Is he your only child?" I asked. "You've never said."

"He's my one and only," he said with a broad smile.

"If he had a great job, why'd he leave it?" I asked.

"To help his cousins," he said. "Those three have always been the closest of all the kids."

"There's more?" I asked, a little more disrespectfully than I'd intended, causing Caius to fall out laughing.

"Yes," he said. "Several. First, there's Edward's twin, Anthony."

I shook my head at the thought of not one, but two, Edwards loose in the world.

"Anthony's the party guy," he said. "Edward's always worked hard, in school and at work."

I raised my eyebrow and Caius laughed.

"He has, Bella," he said with a chuckle. "While he was studying, Anthony was partying. He's always in the papers, dating all the socialites, no job, living off his looks and our money. My sister gives him whatever he wants."

I remained silent, eager to hear more about the family. I'd arrived early to do work not to gossip, but I certainly wasn't going to stop Caius from airing out the Cullens' dirty laundry. I wondered why he felt so comfortable telling me such personal things about his family, but I'd long since suspected that he didn't have any real friends.

"Rose has a sister and a brother," he continued. "They're both still in college. Lillian's a snotty little thing, almost as bad as Anthony. And she's so jealous of Rose she can barely function. Kevin wants to be a school teacher."

Caius looked disgusted as he spoke of his nephew.

"How dare he have normal aspirations," I said, laughing at the distasteful look on my boss's face.

He just rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Those are all my sisters' kids," he said. "My brother has two more. But Rose, Carlisle, and Edward were always the closest. They're the best of friends. Believe it or not, Rose, Edward, and I are very close too. We always have been."

I'd noticed how Rose and Edward deferred to Caius, even when they didn't agree with him. They clearly respected their uncle.

"I knew they were united in hating me," I said as he grimaced, "but I didn't know they were so close."

"Hate is a strong word," he said carefully. "My involvement in this company is a constant source of friction in my whole family."

"And in their mind, I'm on your 'side', so to speak, and that's why they've never cared for me," I said.

He grimaced again. "I'd have to say that's a spot-on assessment. And I'm very sorry for that. I knew they'd be upset when I hired you, but I didn't think they'd maintain this level of disdain, especially after you've done so much to improve things here."

"I suppose my attitude doesn't help either," I said with a smirk. "I was told the other day that I 'look' at Edward a certain way."

Again, he laughed. "I don't know about that but it's plain on your face that you don't give a fuck what they think of you."

"I'm here to do a job, not to be liked," I said. Caius beamed at my words, looking as proud as he had when he'd spoken of Carlisle.

"I guess they didn't expect you to take such an active role in the company," I said.

"That's an understatement," he replied. "But with so much of the family's money invested here, I couldn't stay in the background and let this company fall apart."

"I bet that didn't go over too well," I said.

"No," he replied. "My sisters were livid, but I know Rose and Edward. They're smart, and they do work hard. But they've barely had to run their own lives, let alone a business. I'd never run a business either, but it was clear I knew a hell of a lot more than they did."

"I may be biased because I'm on your side," I said as he laughed, "but I think you're doing a great job. It's clear to me that you're just trying to make ATS the best it can be. It's not like you have a bunch of your friends or girlfriends on the payroll who sit around and do nothing like at some companies."

"Didn't you know?" Caius said with a smirk. "You're my girlfriend."

"Oh, that's right," I said as we shook our heads and laughed together.

He smiled warmly at me before he sighed. "Bella, I honestly should have told you all of this sooner," he replied. "I trust you a great deal. You have a very astute mind for business, and you're a careful listener. I'm glad you're here."

"It's been rough at times, but I do like it here," I said. "It's sounding like you have no intentions of leaving ATS, or going back to being the silent partner."

"I do love it," he replied smugly. "And they need me even if they won't admit it."

"I can't see why that would cause tension around here at all," I said sarcastically.

Caius laughed so hard he bent over in his seat, holding his stomach.

"Ahh, Bella," he replied, "so young to be so wise."

It was my turn to laugh as Caius checked his phone.

"I don't think you came down here to give me the history of the Cullen family," I said. "Did you need me for something?"

"I did," he said. "I was going to tell you that ..."

He was interrupted by Rose who opened my door and barged into the office.

"Since you're here early for once," she said, giving me a scathing look, "we can get started. I'll go get my notes."

Caius sighed as she left. "I was going to tell you that Rose is here, and she needs to leave early and you should get ready to meet with her as soon as you can."

"Thanks for the heads up," I said, chuckling as Caius laughed and stood to leave.

"And Bella," he said as he reached the door, "I know that you'll keep what we discussed confidential. No one here knows the family details but the chiefs, not even Alice or Jasper."

"Understood," I replied.


I spent the entire freaking day, with no break at all, with Rose, Riley, and Laurent finalizing the text for the big Friday meeting. Once the guys arrived, Rose ignored me completely, but watching her with them fascinated me: she was challenging, yet engaging, and valued their opinions. Emmett always said that she knew her stuff, and clearly she did.

Since my chat with Caius this morning, for the first time ever, I felt a smidgen of sympathy for Rose. ATS was supposed to be her and Edward's venture. Caius meant well in basically hijacking it, but he'd hijacked it nonetheless. As Caius's number one aide and confidant, in Rose and Edward's mind, I was public enemy number one.

Rose left at 1:30, and an hour later, the guys approved the final text.

"You've been great," Riley said as he gathered his belongings. "We couldn't have done all this without you."

"Send those files to Lizzie and you're done with us," Laurent said, standing to leave.

"Is that a promise?" I asked as they cracked up laughing.

I copied Caius, Rose, Riley, and Laurent and clicked 'send' on my e-mail to Lizzie, the new administrative assistant to the I.T. team. She'd be printing out all the materials and putting them into binders for the meeting. I thought of Lizzie as something of a saint: she was supervised by Lauren, Rose's miserable assistant, and still she maintained a bubbly, carefree demeanor. That took skill that I didn't have.

"Have a happy Thanksgiving, guys," I said. They wished me the same as they left.

I made a mad dash for the bathroom, then returned to my office. Once I checked my e-mails and phone messages and tied up a few loose ends, the clock read 3:15.

"I'm outta here," I said aloud. I'd arrived two hours early today, and as far as I was concerned, that meant I was done. Of course, I had to run that by Caius first.

I found him at his desk, talking a mile a minute to Alice who looked ready to choke him.

"The I.T. materials are done," I said. "I copied you, and I was going to leave unless you needed me for something else."

"No. That's fine," he replied with a grin. "Thanks for everything. Rose was very pleased with what you'd done before she left."

"Have a happy Thanksgiving," I said to him.

"And don't shop too much on Friday," I said to Alice.

"Some stores are opening Thursday night," she said far too happily. "I can't wait."

I laughed and shook my head.

"What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Caius called before I could escape. Alice smirked at me.

"Going to see my dad in Forks," I said. "I'll tell you all about it when I get back."

"That means she's ready to get the hell out of here, boss," Alice said as Caius laughed.

"And I think Alice is ready to go too," I said.

"Okay, okay," he said with a grin. "You two go. Have a wonderful holiday. See you Monday."

"You too," we replied as Alice leapt from her seat and brushed past me out of the office. I shut the door because Caius had already started dialing the phone.

"Thank you," she exclaimed when we got to her desk. "With you tied up with Rose, he's been nagging me all day. I don't know how you stand it."

"He does love to talk," I said.

"I'm really not done my work," she said, "but I'm getting the fuck out of here. I'll finish up at home and e-mail him."

By the time she'd finished saying all that, she'd shut her computer down, pulled on her coat, grabbed her purse and some papers, and darted down the hall.

"Happy Thanksgiving," I called to her disappearing back. She waved in reply. I started walking myself, not wanting to linger near Caius should he get off the phone and start talking to me again.

I decided to stop and say goodbye to Gianna before I left. I walked right into Jasper when I neared her office.

"I'm gone," Jasper said. "Have a good turkey day."

"You too," I said though he'd already passed by me, moving as quickly as Alice.

I knocked on the door of Gianna's office. Inside, she and Ben seemed to be wrapping up a meeting. She motioned for me to come inside.

"I can come back later," I said as I looked to the invoices and spreadsheets strewn across the desk.

"We're all done," Gianna said with a smile. "C'mon in." I shut the door and sat down as Ben put the invoices in a pile.

"Let me guess," I said, pointing toward the papers on the desk. "Nobody really kept track of this stuff before."

"Correct," Ben said. "Sometimes, Chelsea had the catering invoices at the reception desk, sometimes Jasper had them, sometimes Rose or Edward. The other two meeting services people weren't here long enough for me to meet with."

I understood the reason for their meeting now: Ben handled accounts payable for ATS, and he'd need Gianna to approve and submit all the invoices from catering and other meeting-related expenses.

"I wanted to meet with Gianna early on," Ben said with a smile. "I have a feeling she'll be sticking around for a while."

"Damn straight," she replied as I laughed.

"I asked Gianna if she's related to Emmett," Ben said smugly. "I told her I know about you two, and I told her about me and Angie."

"You're so perfect for Angie," I said. "Nosey gossips, the both of you."

Ben and Gianna cracked up laughing. Clearly, they'd been talking about much more than invoices.

"Angie sounds like fun," Gianna said, "I can't wait to meet her."

"As fast as everything's been moving, I'm sure you will very soon," I said.

"So tomorrow," Ben said, looking at me warily, "who's driving?"

"I am," I said with a chuckle.

"Good," he said, looking relieved. "She swears her car makes the trip all the time, but it looks on the verge of breaking down any second to me."

"What kind of car does she have?" Gianna asked.

"A death trap," Ben said as I chuckled.

"It's a '95 Accord that belonged to her mom," I said. "It's actually held up pretty well, but Angie's not the best at getting maintenance on it, so it does act up."

"What do you have?" Gianna asked.

"A Volvo XC60," I replied, "it's a crossover."

"Bella's car is brand new," Ben said. "I'll feel much better with Angie on the road in that."

"Aww, look at you all worried about Angie," I said as he and Gianna laughed.

"I kinda like her," he said with a smirk as he stood to leave. "Have a great Thanksgiving you two."

We returned his well wishes as he left.

"I passed Jasper on my way here," I said to Gianna. "He's leaving. I'm sure it's okay for you to leave too."

"Yeah, he said I can leave," she replied.

"Oh good," I said, standing. "I am too. I'll walk with you to the garage."

The look on Gianna's face told me that she hadn't driven in to work today. "I'll just stick around to ..."

I sighed. "I know I'm supposed to stay out of it, but I could give you a ride today. There's no point in you sitting around here for a few more hours when you can just leave with me."

She immediately started to protest, but I spoke over her.

"I have a few last-minute things to get at the store and I'm going to the Safeway right near you."

"There's a Safeway closer to you than that one," she said.

"Two actually," I said, "but they're always crowded and I know they'll be worse today. The one near you is bigger, and I don't think it'll be as bad."

She stared at me for a few seconds, then she shrugged. "Okay," she said. "But just for ..."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, just today, whatever," I said as she laughed. "Meet me by the elevator."

I hurried back to my office to retrieve my coat and purse, shut down my computers, and lock up before heading to the elevator. Gianna arrived there with a smirk on her face.

"Your boyfriend's not happy about this," she said.

"Good thing I know how to handle him," I said as the elevator arrived and we stepped inside.

"Did he bring you yesterday and today?" I asked.

"Liam brought me, but Em picked me up," she said. "We're seeing how it goes. Driving here and parking every day is out of the question; it's too expensive. Em offered to pay for the garage but ..."

"Let me guess, Liam blew up at the idea," I said.

She chuckled. "You got it."

"When they told me this was the discounted garage rate, I asked what the normal was," I replied as she laughed. "Didn't seem like much of a savings to me."

"If you make the big bucks, I guess it's nothing," she replied. "But we just can't afford it right now. Liam refuses to take any more money from Em than what he loaned us. He hates having to depend on his little brother. I can't blame him for that."

"No, I guess not," I replied. "If I had more bills, I probably wouldn't pay for the garage either, but I like having the car here in case I need to leave or something. It works for now, but I understand your point too."

We arrived at my car and Gianna inhaled deeply when she got inside.

"It still has the new car smell," she said as I laughed.

"This is my first new car," I said. "I'm trying to take good care of it."

"It's really nice."

"Thanks," I said.

I basically loved my car, the first new vehicle I'd ever owned. I'd always driven my grandad's old car in Phoenix, but Renée and I agreed that we didn't think it would make the trip to Seattle. Instead, she and Phil gave me a very nice chunk of change toward a down payment to buy a car when I got here.

Charlie, so happy that I'd moved closer to him, also gave me money toward the down payment. He visited not long after I moved and he tested cars with me. I had my own money saved up, but I certainly didn't turn down free money from my parents.

We buckled up and I backed out of the garage. Thankfully, traffic wasn't too bad; other people must have left early for the holiday as well.

"In the future," I said, "you could drive to my apartment and ride in with me in the mornings."

"Thanks, but we don't want to put you out," she said.

I wanted to say that they were all being ridiculous but I bit my tongue.

"I could easily get the bus," she said. "There's a stop not far from our house. But it would take longer to get home, and Liam and Em want me to try riding with them first."

I shook my head. I knew I was new to the family, very new, but I just didn't like the idea of her having to do what they said all the time.

"I think it's about time you had an ally," I said. "I'm glad I came along."

Gianna cracked up laughing. "I'm glad too. But you'll see: it's better to pick your battles in this family."

"I can imagine," I said. "Maggie's kind of the last word in the family, I see."

"Definitely," she said. "She's a sweet lady, but tough as nails."

We must have talked Maggie up because she called Gianna just then. They talked for a bit as I drove.

She sighed when she ended the call. "She already talked to Em; she's upset."

"This is so not that big of a deal," I said, rolling my eyes.

"Anything has the potential to be a big deal with them," she said with a long sigh.

"Don't you go getting upset too," I said. "I need to know how the family operates. You're my in."

That got Gianna laughing a little. "You've been so great about us," she said. "About Em too."

"Why wouldn't I be? He's a great guy."

"I know," she said. "But this family is so... overinvolved, I guess, is the best way to say it. I worried how you'd react to us. I prayed you wouldn't run screaming for the hills."

I chuckled. "I think I was more overwhelmed than anything at first," I said. "My mom's a little overbearing but most of the time, she's off doing her own thing. I'm not used to so much involvement. But don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

"Em bringing you to meet us was a big deal," Gianna said. "A really big deal. This is serious, Bella. I hope you understand."

"Emmett and I do talk," I said as she chuckled. "Being this serious is new for me too. And it's all happened so fast. I just moved to Seattle in the middle of July."

"Really?" she asked. "You said you were from Phoenix, but I didn't realize you'd moved here so recently."

"Yup," I replied. "Then I got the job about a month after that. And I had no intention of getting involved with somebody I worked with, especially not so soon."

"Some things are just meant to be," she said. I could feel her looking at me as I stared ahead at the road.

We soon passed the first of the Safeway stores near my apartment.

"Look at that parking lot," I said. "See what I mean?"

"That's ridiculous," she replied. "I'm glad I don't have to go today. I think Maggie's all set for dinner tomorrow. She's probably been cooking all day."

"I always spend Thanksgiving with my dad and Christmas with my mom," I said. "I don't know how we'll do it in the future."

"I like that you're thinking about a future... with Em," she said quietly.

"He's it for me," I said. "I've never been a big believer in fate, but I do think we were meant to be, like you said."

"That's what Maggie and I think too," she said. "Em's so much... lighter now, I can't really explain it. He's always had so much on his plate, even before all the shit that happened last year. It's nice to see him happy."

"It's just scary," I admitted. "I kept saying that it was too fast, but I can't help how I feel."

"I haven't known you very long, but you definitely don't seem flaky, or like somebody who just rushes into something, and Em's the same way," she said. "I know you two will take your time and do what's right for you."

"We talk a lot, so that's good," I said. "We'll be okay."

After passing the second Safeway near my apartment and commenting again on the jam-packed parking lot, we rode together silently for a bit longer. I think we both wanted to ask more questions but neither wanted to pry. Finally, curiosity got the best of me.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" I said.

"No," she replied.

"Does your family come visit for holidays, or do you always celebrate with the McCartys?"

"The only family I really keep in touch with is my sister," Gianna said.

"Is she in Seattle?" I asked.

"No," Gianna replied. "I guess you could technically say she lives in Norfolk, Virginia. She has a place there with her boyfriend. They're both in the Navy and they're deployed a lot. I don't see her much, but I talk to her. We're all we have since our grandparents died, so we try to stay in touch."

"I'm sorry to hear about your grandparents," I said.

"Thanks," she replied. "They were much more than grandparents; they raised us. One day, my parents asked them to babysit and never came back."

"Oh my god," I said.

"They called later and said they just couldn't handle raising us," she said. "I don't remember any of it. I was only three. They never came back for us."

"That's awful," I said.

"It was hard on my grandparents but they loved us and did their best," she said. "We never knew my mom's family, or many other people in my dad's."

"I'm not close with much family either," I said. "Just my parents and a few others. No wonder you're so close with the McCartys."

"I am," she said. "But my grandparents were close to them too. They knew Dean before we were even born and before he ever met Maggie."

"Really?" I remarked. "Dean was their dad?"

I tried not to sound as excited as I really was at finding out some information about New Business's background.

"Yes," Gianna said. "My grandfather worked for Dean for years."

"Your grandfather worked for Emmett's dad?" I asked. I was no math whiz but something wasn't adding up. "How old was their dad?"

"He was 76 when he died," she said as my mouth fell open. "That was two years ago."

"But Maggie's ..."

"Maggie was twenty-five years younger than he was," Gianna said.

"Wow," I said. "That's a big gap."

"Yeah," she said. "He was 50 when Em was born. My Grandma said Maggie's family disowned her for marrying him."

Still too stunned to speak, I remained silent.

"When he was okay and thinking clearly, Dean was the nicest guy," Gianna said. "But his mind got worse and worse. He had plenty of family in the area but they never helped him."

"What was wrong with him if you don't mind me asking," I said. "I think it's too hard for Emmett to talk about, not that I can blame him."

"Dementia, senility, Alzheimer's," she said. "I'm not sure exactly what he was diagnosed with but it was along those lines. It started getting really bad when Liam was in high school so the kids had to deal with it for most of their lives."

"You and Liam went to high school together?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied. "But we didn't date then. I know all this stuff from my grandparents, and from what I saw. We only lived a few blocks away from them. Sometimes Dean was really calm, but then he'd have spells where he'd get disoriented and aggressive. I remember a few times he showed up at our house thinking it was his. My grandfather and a few other guys in the neighborhood would have to drag him back home. It was bad."

"That sounds rough," I said.

"Yeah," she replied. "I don't think he was ever violent because when he was his normal self, he was the sweetest guy. But when he got... out of it... there wasn't much anyone could do."

"I can't imagine what they went through growing up," I said. "Maggie too."

"I know," she said. "What I saw, and what I knew, was bad enough. I couldn't really blame Liam when he moved out, or Emily for running off with the first guy who showed some interest in her. It really wasn't fair to any of them, but I don't know what else could be done. Grandma always said Maggie was wrong for not putting him in a home, but some of those places are really bad."

"It's a tough situation, and if people haven't lived it, they can't really judge," I said.

"Exactly," she said. "And what's really fucked up is some of Dean's family showed up near the end, sniffing around for money."

"What?" I asked, stunned.

"Oh yeah," she said bitterly. "They were ashamed of him when his mind started going and none of them ever helped Maggie or the kids, so there's some bad blood. Liam almost fought one of his uncles at the hospital."

"Good lord," I said, imagining the scene in my head. "Why are people so fucking shitty?"

"Money, honey," she said as we both let out dark chuckles. "Dean had a really good job down at the shipyard before he got so ill. But any money he had was long gone by the time he died. Maggie could never work; somebody had to be with him."

"That's what Emmett said," I remarked.

"She was able to get more help for him toward the end," she said, "but that woman's been through it."

We both sat in silence for several minutes as I drove, my thoughts - - - and Gianna's too undoubtedly - - - dwelling on the sad lives the McCartys had led.

"I'm so glad she met Harry," Gianna said after a time. "He's been great for her."

"I still have to meet him," I said. "I can't say I enjoyed meeting his dog."

She laughed. "The kids love Champ. He gets along great with Biscuit and Midnight."

I groaned as she cackled with laughter. "Don't tell me you have pets too."

"Sorry," she said. "We put them outside both times you were over. They're pretty tame, but we could tell by the way you were around Champ that you're not a pet person."

"No, I'm not," I said as she continued to laugh. "Yours are dogs?"

"Biscuit is; she's a retriever mix," Gianna said.

"Retrievers are big right?" I asked.

"Some are," she said. "But Biscuit's not that big. She's a sweetheart. Midnight's a cat."

I shivered which caused her to laugh more. I really didn't like cats; in Phoenix, my grandparents' cats used to make a game of jumping out and tormenting me.

"Is it black? That's why you named it Midnight?" I asked.

"She's actually all white," she said, "we thought that would be a funny name."

I shook my head again. "I would've never known if you hadn't just told me. You didn't have pet hair all over the place like my grandparents did at their house."

"I kind of got obsessive about cleaning when I wasn't working," she said a little sadly. "Didn't have much else to do."

"Well that's all changed now," I said.

"Thanks to you," she replied.

"Thanks to both of us," I said.

There was so much more I wanted to ask her about Emmett's family, especially about Emily and Liam. But we were getting close to her neighborhood. I'd have to save those questions for another day.

"Do you want to go to your house or to Maggie's? We're close."

"I'll go to Maggie's if you don't mind," she said. "Kim's there."

"You and Kim seem close," I said.

"We are," she said with a big grin. "That's my partner in crime."

"Do Kim and Liam get along okay?" I asked cautiously. The two times I'd seen them together had involved a degree of yelling between the two.

She chuckled but then sighed.

"Liam's got a temper, and Kim is her father's daughter," she said. "She might look like me, but her personality is all him. They're just alike and they know which buttons to push on each other. They love each other; they're just... passionate."

"How very mom-like and diplomatic of you," I said as she laughed.

"I'm dreading the next few years when she starts dating," Gianna said. "I might come hide out at your house. I can already imagine the arguments."

"You're welcome anytime," I said as I laughed. "Did you ever want more kids? Do you want more?"

"No and hell no," she said as I guffawed.

"I'm 33, and a few of my friends are pregnant now," she said. "No way do I want to go through that again."

"Did you have a bad pregnancy?" I asked.

"Not bad," she said, "it was just stressful. Kim wasn't planned and I was young. Maggie and Liam were freaking out because I didn't want to automatically get married when I found out. My grandparents never really liked me going out with Liam anyway, so they weren't happy either."

"That sounds like way too much stress to have to deal with," I said.

"It was," she said. "I wasn't ready to be a mom at all, but at the same time I was so excited."

"I'm glad I'll be older if it happens for me," I said. "I would not have been ready when I was younger. I barely feel like an adult as it is."

"Kids are so much responsibility," Gianna said. "And they're expensive. We're done. It's Em's turn now. I'll be more than happy to babysit your kids, but this oven is turned off."

I cracked up laughing.

"At least Maggie has other grandkids," I said. "I doubt she'll pressure us."

"Don't count on that," she said as she snorted with laughter.

"My parents know about Emmett now, and they know it's serious," I said. "They're gonna crank up the marriage and grandkids talk. I can feel it. I almost don't even want to see them tomorrow and Christmas because I know how bad they'll be."

"Better you than me," Gianna said, still laughing.

"Thanks, you're such a big help," I said.

I altered my route toward Maggie and Em's house and soon pulled up in front of it.

"Coming in?" Gianna asked hopefully.

"No," I said. "I better not. I really do need to get to the store and get home to start baking."

"Okay," she said. "Thanks again. Have a happy Thanksgiving."

"You too," I said. "I promise I won't breathe a word of what you told me."

She nodded and stepped out of the car. By the time she opened the gate to the yard, the front door opened and Maggie and Kim waved to me. I waved back but drove away.

I wouldn't be allowed in Forks without cake and I had to get started on them. But I certainly hadn't minded my informative chat.

Between Caius and Gianna, I wondered if it was National Tell Family Secrets Day.


I'd been home for several hours and baked two cakes already when New Business called.

"I'm on my way," he said. "I'm stopping at Subway. You want anything?"

"No thanks," I said. "I'm having a salad. See you when you get here."

He must have been close when he called because what seemed like mere minutes later, he knocked on the door.

"It smells great in here," he said as he stepped inside of the apartment. "Look at all your pans and shit lined up on the counter. Professional."

"Thank you," I said, eating up the compliment.

"Be right back," he said as he made his way to the bathroom. I hung up his coat which he'd placed on a chair, then I put his bag from Subway on the dining room table across from my salad. I heard Angie stop talking on the phone long enough to greet him on his way back to the table.

"I didn't think Angie could be that loud," Emmett said when he sat down.

"She has to be with her family. There's too many of them, and they never shut up." I chuckled and shook my head.

"Is everything okay?" he asked. "She sounds upset."

"Oh yeah," I replied. "She's just talking to her sister. They're gearing up for tomorrow."

"I thought she'd be over at Ben's since they'll be apart for a few days," he said.

"She probably would be if she didn't have a mountain of laundry to do," I said. "Plus, we're leaving as soon as we're both ready in the morning, so it's best if we're here together."

"Is she really okay with me being over here all the time?" he asked. "I feel like I ran her out of her own house."

"Don't," I said. "The school where she teaches is a lot closer to Ben's place than this apartment. She loves his house. Honestly, I don't think she likes being here much anymore. I think it reminds her of Eric."

"I never thought of it like that," he said as he unwrapped his sandwich.

"She hasn't said anything about leaving here when the lease is up," I said, "but if she does, I want to take over the lease and stay. At least for a year. I really like it here."

"I do too," New Business said. "It's peaceful."

"Yeah," I said softly as we started eating our food. I knew why he liked it here: it was a total escape from not only his house, but also his family.

"How come you're just now eating?" he asked. "You weren't waiting for me were you?"

"First of all, I can wait for you if I want to," I said as he laughed. "But I wanted to get some of the cakes started. Yours are done."

"You made more than one?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied. "I made the apple, and an almond pound cake. That one is small, just in a loaf pan. But I wanted you guys to try it."

"Thanks," he said, shaking his head. "How many more do you have to make?"

"Four more after the two in the oven now."

His eyes grew large. "You say that like it's no big deal," he said. "You'll be up all night."

"I won't really," I said. "Once you get all the ingredients ready, it doesn't take long at all. And these aren't layer cakes with icing or anything, which would take a little more time. They're bundt, just baked in one pan. The apple has a glaze that can go over it, but that's already done. I put some in a little container with your cakes. Your mom will know what to do with it."

"You're amazing," he said with a smirk. "Is there anything you can't do?"

"I can't really follow orders when my boyfriend's family makes a simple situation complicated and tells me to butt out."

He cocked his head to the side and grinned. "Smart-Ass."

"That's Bad-Ass, thank you very much," I replied as he guffawed.

"My apologies," he said. "Nobody said 'butt out.' But you got her the job. We can't have you picking her up and taking her too. It's too much."

"So you're not mad at me?" I asked.

"No, I know you just want to help," he said. "But really, you've done enough. I don't want you to get overwhelmed with us. You already were; you said so yourself."

He was right about that; dinner Monday night had really unsettled me.

"Okay," I said. "But if it gets too much, it's no big deal if Gianna drives to my place and rides to and from work with me. I'm closer to downtown than you all are, so the commute's not as bad for me. Just keep it in mind."

"We will," he said.

"Because I'm part of the family now, right?" I asked.

"Right," he replied.

We chatted a little more as we finished our food. I enjoyed moments like this, for some reason to me, they felt 'coupley'. Angie bustled about never ungluing her cell phone from her ear, yapping all the while.

By the time we finished eating, the cakes in the oven were done.

"I feel like I'm watching a cooking show," New Business said.

He watched me set the cakes out to cool, then prepare more batter to pour into the next two waiting pans.

"Like I said, I'm old hat at this," I replied. "My mom hates cooking and baking, but both my grandmothers loved it and rubbed off on me. I actually like baking way more than cooking."

"You're a great cook," he said defensively.

"I didn't say I was bad," I replied as he laughed. "Just that I don't like it as much as baking."

The reverent way in which he quietly watched my every move started to unnerve me, but thankfully Maggie called him and he stepped away. I got the cakes put in the oven, then I sat next to him on the couch. When he ended the call, he turned to me.

"Can we go to your room?" he asked.

I raised my eyebrow warily. "I can't let these cakes burn."

"I promise I'll behave," he said with a grin, "but I have something to tell you. We can come back out here after. But I need to talk to you in private."

"Is something wrong with Maggie?" I asked, alarmed. He'd just talked to her on the phone.

"No," he replied. "This isn't about her at all."

He did look very serious so I led him to my bedroom. He sat down on the edge of my bed and quickly and easily pulled me onto his lap.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I stroked his cheek. He looked very nervous as he stared at me with those intense eyes.

"My first sales trip for Summit-Meyer is next week."

I gasped and he nodded his head sadly. We both knew that this run of togetherness would come to an end at some point because of the nature of his job. Still, it sucked to hear.

"The whole week?" I asked.

"The sales visit is just Monday and Tuesday," he said, "but then we're going to another tech conference the rest of the week. I won't be back until next Saturday night."

"And you just found out?" I asked skeptically. I knew better; trips like these required advance planning.

"No," he admitted. "But I wanted to wait to tell you; I didn't want to ruin what we had going. I didn't want you to be upset."

I wanted to tease him, or crack some joke, but I couldn't; I was simply too sad. Instead, we looked at each other with glum expressions. A week-and-a-half of no New Business was going to make for some tough nights in my bed. I sighed.

"I understand," I said as I kissed him quickly and caressed his cheek. "It's gonna suck though. Especially now."

"Yeah," he said as he leaned his forehead against mine and rubbed my thigh. "Especially now."

We knew what that simple statement meant: especially now that we'd declared our love.

"You don't need to keep stuff like that from me," I said. "Your job involves traveling; I knew that from the beginning. You were traveling the first day I met you. Just tell me. Okay?"

"From now on, I will," he replied.

I stood and reached out my hand to him, which he took as he stood.

"At least last night was memorable," I said as I wriggled my eyebrows at him this time. He guffawed.

"That it was," he said. "That it was."

"We'll still talk," I said, "don't be sad."

"These trips used to be like vacations for me," he said. "Now that I have you, I'm not looking forward to the traveling at all. I miss you all the time when we're not together. I hate it."

"I miss you too," I said, almost brought to tears by his heartfelt admission. "This is exactly how I felt when we left San Diego."

"It was?" he asked, looking at me sadly.

"Yeah," I said. "I knew then that what I felt for you went way deeper than anything I'd ever felt before. I didn't know if you felt the same way or how serious you were, and what I'd do if you weren't."

"I thought all that and a whole lot more," he said bitterly.

"We have to remember that we're just starting out and getting used to this," I said. "I'm sure two or three months from now, there'll be days when we can't stand the sight of each other."

He smirked.

"And we'll get through those times too," I said.

"I already miss you," he whispered which just about ripped my heart out.

"I already miss you too," I said.

"Can't you come up with your own sad line?" he asked as I laughed.

"Not when what you say fits how I feel," I replied.

He pulled my hand and we walked toward my bedroom door.

"C'mon," he said. "I know Angie's here and I know you gotta listen out for your cakes. But I still have time to cop some feels and make out with you on the couch before you go to bed."

I laughed, then looked up at him with a ridiculously silly grin.

"You always know just what to say to make a girl feel special."


A/N:

1. Yes, last time I said this was supposed to be the Thanksgiving chapter. Welp, Caius and Gianna had other plans ;0p

2. I've finally created a blog for the story! All the chapters will be posted there, in addition to pics and other info related to the story. There's a link to the blog in my profile but here it is as well: morefromgjficfan dot blogspot dot com.

3. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!