Chapter Seven

I haven't ever really found a place that I call home

I never stick around quite long enough to make it

I apologise if once again I'm not in love

But it's not as if I mind that your heart ain't exactly breaking

It's just a thought, only a thought

If my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy

Well I deserve nothing more than I get

Cos nothing I have is truly mine

~Life For Rent by Dido~

I woke, feeling groggy and faintly nauseous, to the sound of my cell phone ringing. I grabbed it clumsily.

"Hello?" My voice was raspy and I winced at the sound of it.

"Bella, where the hell are you? I thought you were going to be here an hour ago?" Jasper asked, a worried edge to his voice. I sat up, my eyes going to the clock and I swore loudly.

"Jesus, I overslept. I'm on my way."

"Bella, are you ok? You sound like hell. Do you want me to come over?"

"No, Jazz, I'm fine. I'm just going to shower and I'll be there in half an hour. Turn on the stove to 200 degrees and don't touch anything!"

I fell into the shower, the water scalding hot and turning my skin red. I scrubbed myself down with scented body-wash and paused to examine my face in the mirror. My eyes were fuzzy with sleep and there were dark circles beneath them. My gaze dropped briefly to the tiny tattoo, high on my left breast, a couple of inches to the left of my heart, before I turned from the mirror, searching for clothes.

I jumped in my truck to drive to Jasper's. Usually I didn't bother driving, since he didn't live too far away, but I was already running late. My battered trunk wheezed into life and I winced at the sounds it made; maybe I should take it by Jacob's garage next week and ask him to tune it up. Although it might be a bit late for a mere tuning and more like time to send it off to the big scrap yard in the sky.

I was outside Jasper's building less than twenty minutes after I'd woken up, my hair still damp from my shower and my mind firmly fixed on the preparation of a meal for six people and not the nightmare. I let myself into Jasper's building and took the elevator up to his floor. His door was unlocked and I rushed in, slightly out of breath. The three Cullens were there, Rosalie perched on Emmett's knees as they watched the parade on TV. Jasper looked me over once.

"Are you OK?" He asked quietly as every eye in the room fell on me. I looked up at him, brushing my hair out of my face.

"Did you try to cook?"

"No-"

"Then I'm fine." I grinned and he pulled a face, moving to ruffle my hair but I dodged out of the way, moving into the kitchen. I began to pull out the ingredients for chilli con carne, mentally preparing myself for the day ahead. Jasper stood in the doorway, watching but not saying anything. I decided not to say anything unless he did and set about chopping onions as I heated the oil on his rarely-used stove.

"Can I do anything?"

I jumped slightly; without my noticing, Jasper had left and instead Edward stood in the doorway. He was wearing khakis and a long-sleeved green shirt; it was the same beautiful shade as his eyes, I noticed and banished the traitorous thought to the back of my mind.

"Uh…" I looked down at what I was doing, "There's some bread in the cupboard over the fridge, it needs to go in the oven on a low heat."

He didn't say another word, pulling out a baking tray and arranging the bread rolls on it in silence, which I was grateful for, because my head was still fuzzy. For some reason, there was no awkwardness in the silence, the two of us working in a strange synchronisation. I browned the mince, adding pinches of cumin and paprika, the spicy scents mingling as I poured tinned tomatoes over the mixtures, leaving it to simmer as I turned to set the yellow rice boiling only to find Edward was already measuring it out. I hid my surprise and tipped the tortilla chips into a bowl and putting it in the bottom of the oven to warm before looking around for the bar of dark chocolate that I had bought the day before. It was not in the cupboard I had left it in and I sighed, going into the living room.

"Jazz, where's the dark chocolate I bought?" He looked up from the game of cards he was engaged in with Alice with a sheepish smile.

"In my stomach?"

"Was it in the bag that I had labelled as acceptable to eat?" I asked, folding my arms and looking at him. He scratched his head, flushing.

"Uh… not exactly."

"Not exactly?"

"…No. It wasn't. Sorry Bella." I rolled my eyes and went back to the kitchen, rifling through the cupboards until I found a bag of brown sugar, tipping a teaspoon of it into the chilli. Edward watched without commenting as I shouted for Jasper to sort out the table.

"I didn't know that you could put chocolate in chilli con carne." Edward said after a moment and I glanced at him, stirring the spicy mix.

"It adds richness. You don't taste the chocolate, or sugar in this case. It just gives the mixtures depth."

"I look forward to tasting it." He said, smiling faintly. A tingling prickled my stomach and I put a hand to my abdomen, willing it to calm as he turned to drain the rice.

When I returned to the room five minutes later, a dining table had been set up, complete with complimenting napkins and tablecloth. Emmett grinned at me, setting out a couple of wine bottles.

"Eddie's being awfully quiet. You didn't kill him, did you?"

"Don't call me Eddie." Edward's voice was annoyed as he appeared behind me, carrying a stack of warm plates. I ducked my head and rushed back to the kitchen, pulling out the bread rolls and putting them in a bowl. Jasper was stirring the chilli and I scowled at him.

"Don't you dare eat any."

"Did you have a nightmare last night?" He asked and I paused by the fridge, holding a tub of butter in my hands. He looked over at me, eyebrows pulled together.

"Bella?"

"…Yeah." I closed the door a little more forcefully than was necessary.

"The same one?"

"It's always the same one."

"Did you take a sleeping pill?" His tone was disapproving and I pushed past to get the chilli bought he caught my wrists, turning me around to face him. He was frowning and I knew why, but I couldn't talk about this here and now without breaking down.

"Jasper, I'm not discussing this. Not with a roomful of strangers right next door. Besides, I only took one and it was-"

I broke off as Edward cleared his throat. I whirled around and he met my eyes with an expressionless face. Jasper reluctantly let go of me and stuffed my hands into my pockets.

"Jasper, bring the chilli through. We're ready to eat." I said calmly, pushing past Edward. For some reason, his cologne hit me full in the face and I almost shuddered at the scent of it. Cool and spicy and enticing. I almost moved closer to get another wave of it but restrained myself, sinking into a chair at the table. Rosalie and Emmett were sat at one end, Alice perched on a chair beside Jasper's usual seat. This left me, once again, between Edward and Jasper. Everyone chattered loudly as they served food, Jasper piling more onto my plate than I could actually eat and Alice tapped her fork against her glass, demanding our attention.

"Everyone has to say one thing that they're thankful for!" She said cheerfully and I slouched in my chair.

Oh, please, no…

Emmett began, winking at Rosalie.

"I'm thankful for this woman saying yes." She smiled at him and the moment was so sweet that I tore my eyes away, watching the steam rise from my plate instead. Rosalie spoke next.

"I'm thankful for our future. It's going to be good." She said, kissing Emmett's cheek softly and he wrapped a huge arm around her shoulder, pulling her chair a little closer to his. Alice rolled her eyes and tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"I'm thankful for… new friends." She shot a sparkling smile and Jasper and I. Jasper visibly swelled as he grinned back at her and I bit back a snort.

"I'm thankful for new family." He said, nodding to Emmett and Edward, before returning his gaze to Alice. She blushed prettily and her fingers ghosted against his wrist for a moment. I smiled down at my lap before realising that they were all watching me expectantly. Panic shot through my chest as I flushed, looking at Jasper. He nodded gently and I took a deep breath, looking at my plate.

"I… well, I'm thankful that Jasper let me cook."

"Bella, that's not a real thing to be thankful for." Alice teased and I scoffed.

"Trust me, it is. You only let him cook for you once."

"Geez, you give a girl food poisoning one time!" Jasper laughed and I pointed at him accusingly.

"I was on an IV drip for two days!" I cried.

Emmett had cracked up with laughter and Rosalie was biting her lip in an effort not to giggle like Alice. Eventually they calmed down and Emmett looked at his brother.

"C'mon, Edward. I'm starving, do your thanks." Edward was silent for a moment and then that same crooked smile graced his lips.

"I'm thankful for good food and good company." He said simply and Emmett picked up his fork.

"Good enough for me, let's eat!"

For the next ten minutes, there was quiet as we all ate, conversation limited to asking someone to pass something. Eventually Emmett swallowed and looked over me with a grin.

"Damn, Bella! Can I hire you to cook for me everyday?"

"I'm expensive." I warned him and Jasper snorted.

"He'll probably pay more than Garrett, Bells. You should go for it." He said, dipping a tortilla chip into his bowl and scooping chilli into his mouth. I smirked.

"I'm telling him you said that. Besides, he'd probably give me a raise if I asked for it. He loves me."

"On the other hand, since he's selling the store to me, I guess you should be asking me for a raise."

I dropped my fork and stared at him. He was grinning like a madman and I mouthed wordlessly at him for a moment before Rosalie cleared her throat.

"You're buying the bookstore?"

"How? When? What…?" I gabbled and Jasper leant back in his chair, hands behind his head.

"He asked me last week. He and Kate want to move back to New York, closer to family, so he asked me if I was interested. I said yes."

I didn't know what to say, hands sitting limply in my lap as I ran it over in my head. Jasper was buying the bookstore. Jasper was going to be my boss. Jasper was going to be the owner of a business. Half of me was so proud of him that I wanted to cry – the other half was intensely bitter that he was making such a huge step in his life, whilst I was still floundering around.

"Bella? You OK?" He asked and I was aware of everyone watching me. Taking a deep breath I leaned over and grasped his wrist.

"Promise me something?"

"What?"

"Stop putting me on shifts with Mike?" I pleaded.

Jasper burst into laughter and I smiled, patting his wrist.

"I'm proud of you, Jazz. You'll be awesome at running the store, you practically do it already."

"I've got plans for that place, Bella. You'll see." He grinned and scraped the last mouthful of chilli from his plate. The conversation turned from the bookstore to Emmett and Rosalie's house, to Alice's plans for the apartment that she shared with Edward. The plates were all but clear and everyone was gearing up for dessert when Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart started to play from my phone, which I'd left on the coffee table. I gave Jasper a dry look.

"Jasper, we need to have a serious talk about personal boundaries and your dire choice in music."

"This is a classic, Bells. Not like that crap you listen to." He teased and I rose, going to pick up my phone.

"If you're referring to my Stravinsky CD, it wouldn't help to educate yourself a little." I said primly, but my voice faded away as I looked at the caller I.D.

Renee.

After a moment, Rosalie arched an eyebrow.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" She asked dryly and I looked up before hitting the reject button and turning the phone off.

"…No." I muttered, putting it back on the table. Jasper gave me a sympathetic look and then glanced at Alice.

"How about we get those pies out?"

"Rosie, come and help me." Alice said, kicking Emmett until he started gathering plates loudly as Jasper slid over to me.

"Was it her?"

"Thanksgiving is a time for family, right?" I said flatly, wrapping my arms around myself. He hugged me briefly, aware that I was uncomfortable with the audience, although they were trying to appear busy. I shrugged.

"She'll get the message eventually, right? I mean, it's been three years. She can't just keep pretending that everything is OK, that she can play happy families whenever she wants." I said quietly. Jasper kissed my temple lightly, rubbing his hands over my shoulders before turning to help clear the table.

I pushed the unanswered phone call to the back of my mind as we rejoined the table, warm apple pie on each plate. Jasper inhaled deeply, patting his stomach.

"This smells great, Alice."

"Thank you, Jasper!" She beamed at him and Edward laughed under his breath. Alice glowered at him and I looked around.

"What's so funny?" I asked curiously and he smiled, his eyes crinkling with the action.

"She bought it at a bakery by our apartment." He murmured and Alice huffed, but Jasper was already digging in, lathering his slice with fresh cream. I reached for the custard at the same time as Edward, fingers bumping as we reached for the jug handle. He smiled briefly, picking up the jug and pouring a generous helping onto my pie before serving himself.

For some reason, the day ended on a marathon game of monopoly. I moved my little hat three places and groaned, ending up in jail for the second time. Emmett tsked, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Really, Bella… I didn't think you were so badly behaved."

"She's a wild one." Jasper said sadly, "I always knew she'd end up on the wrong side of the tracks."

"How can I be on the wrong side of the tracks when I own all the railways?" I said smugly, flicking my train station cards at him. Emmett groaned.

"That's a terrible joke, Bella. And to think, I was going to give you my Get Out Of Jail Free card, in exchange for your gasworks."

"Not necessary, my dear Emmett," I said, "I shall get out the old fashioned way."

"Bribing the guards?" Alice smirked.

I pretended to glare at her.

"I'm starting to wonder how I've picked up this reputation as a criminal. Jazz, what have you been saying about me?" I pouted.

"Oh, all sorts of terrible things." Edward said, joining in the teasing for the first time. Maybe it was the glass of wine I'd had with dinner, or the thoroughly relaxed atmosphere that the Cullens exuded but I gave him a devilish grin.

"Probably all true."

"Even the time you pushed Jasper into the creek in Ravenna park?" Alice asked and I nodded proudly.

"Absolutely. He had it coming, anyway."

"I did not." Jasper insisted.

"You crashed my date!" I accused, jabbing him in the ribs and he shrugged nonchalantly.

"He was an asshole!"

"I could have told you that," I scoffed, "You were the one who followed us out to the park, even though I told you to keep your nose out of my business!"

"Why did you go out with him if he was an asshole?" Rosalie demanded and Jasper rolled his eyes.

"Because Bella only dates assholes. She's got the worst taste of anyone I've ever met."

"That can't be true, I never dated you!" I shot back and he pouted, giving me a hurt look. I laughed, reaching for my can of coke. Alice cocked her head curiously.

"What did he do? The date, I mean?"

"He cheated on her with his ex-girlfriend." Jasper said flatly. I ignored the sympathetic looks, shrugging. My brief relationship with James had not been a big deal in my eyes.

"Who cares? It's not like I even liked him. We were only together a few weeks, nothing ever happened. It was only because Jazz saw him with his ex that we were in the park in the first place. I was originally planning on pushing him in the creek."

"So how did Jasper end up in there?" Edward asked curiously.

"He crashed the date, telling James that he was going to kick his ass. James bolted and when Jasper turned to me expecting praise and worship, I pushed him in the water."

"Chivalry is dead." Jasper bemoaned and Bella snorted, poking him in the ribs,

"Chivalry had nothing to do with it, you just didn't like him!"

"Because of the aforementioned assholery." Jasper said triumphantly and I rolled my eyes. "Don't pull that face, Bella. You knew he was bad news, you were only dating him because you knew I didn't like him!"

"You were pissing me off, acting like an overprotective brother! Besides, a girl has needs, Jasper, and you never approved of any of my dates. I gave up trying to find someone you liked."

"I know lots of nice guys, Bella. I could set you up with someone!" Alice offered brightly and I pulled a face.

"I don't really date anymore, Alice. I've been date-free for two years now." I said firmly, pulling my knees up under my chin as I watched Emmett move his car and hand over eight hundred bucks to a smirking Rosalie, who was wining the game by miles. Alice pouted, giving me a pleasing look.

"Oh, Bella… there's someone who's perfect for you. Remember what I said when we met the other day? Someone for everyone, we just need to find your someone!"

I picked up the dice and rolled a double six. With a smile, I moved my piece out of the jail and waved it at Alice.

"See, Alice? I'm doing fine by myself."


A/N: Oh, Bella, give in and jump Edward! Go on, do it! You know you want to!

So, Thanksgiving. Being English, I have never celebrated it, but this is how Bella celebrates – chilli con carne and monopoly. I know, still not much of Edward! But don't fear, he is prominent in the next couple of chapters.

My friend's boyfriend is much better. He came around finally yesterday morning, although they still don't know what's wrong. It could potentially be a brain virus, although until they've done the MRI and ECG, we won't know for sure. However, the other problem is that he was given a dose of Tamiflu medication that was twice as high as it should have been – congratulations NHS, you've succeeded again!

Life for Rent – I used this one to show how detached Bella feels from life, especially family-centred events such as Thanksgiving.

You reviewers are wonderful to the power of awesome. I love reading your feedback, it really does make my day. You make me very happy, my little chickadees.

Reviewers will receive their chosen Cullen/Werewolf and a bar of dark chocolate to share. You can decide in what ratio. (Just out of curiosity, who would you choose and what would you do with the chocolate?)

Love

Katie