Author Note: Thanks for reading!
Many of you suspect that Aro is somehow involved, or at least knows more than he's saying. And you're all wishing violence upon Ethan/Anthony when Bella finally gets her hands on him again.
Thanks again to moosals and NKubie for pre-reading. Stephenie Meyer owns all characters.
Chapter 7: Vacation
Four years later (August 2014)
"You wanted to see me, Mr. Jenks?"
"Isabella, come in, come in," my boss greets me with a smile. "And you know I've told you to call me Jason."
I take a seat in the guest chair in front of my boss's desk, crossing my legs. "What can I do for you, Jason?"
He looks at me for a moment, his lips set in a thin line. "Your numbers for the second quarter were quite a bit off the company average," he states solemnly. "And this quarter isn't shaping up any better."
My eyes widen. I knew it had been a tough quarter, but to get called out on it? Mortifying.
"I'm sorry, Sir," I apologize quietly. "I'll do better, I'll work harder."
He waves his hand. "I don't think it's possible for you to work any harder. When is the last time you took a vacation, Bella?"
"A vacation?" I frown. I honestly can't remember the last time I took more than two days off in a row.
"I think you need a break. You're working too hard, and frankly, I'm getting worried about your health."
"Sir, I—"
"Don't worry about your clients. I'll have the others cover them, just as we always do. You can finish out the rest of the week, and then I don't want to see you back here until after Labor Day, is that understood?"
"Y-yes, Sir," I reply meekly.
I step out of my boss's office in a daze. Two weeks he wants me to be gone? What on earth will I do without work for two weeks?
Three hours later, I repeat what he said to Angela and Jessica over lunch in the company cafeteria.
"I think Jason is right, Bella," Angela says, looking at me with concern. "You do need a vacation — a real one. Don't just stay home for two weeks. Go somewhere, relax, have fun."
I frown. "Go where?"
"Anywhere!" Jessica exclaims, throwing her hands up.
"Last year, Ben and I went to California, to Carmel, for our 15th wedding anniversary. Maybe you could go there?" Angela suggests. "It's really laid back and relaxing. There are beaches, a museum, an art gallery, wineries. And if you drive up to Monterey, they have an aquarium, golf courses, and a marina where you can take whale-watching trips… tons of things to do."
And that's how I find myself flying into the Monterey Regional Airport four days later.
I've booked a room for the duration of my stay at a small boutique hotel. It's beautiful, with a luxurious king-sized bed and in-room jacuzzi. Perfect for relaxing, but also very romantic — if I had anyone to bring with me.
I've dated… some… in the last four years, since my night with Ethan — I mean, Anthony. My longest relationship lasted all of three months before he complained that we were never able to spend any time together. Frankly, I wasn't all that bothered. Neither Riley nor Alec, the one other relationship that got as far as having sex, did anything for me in the bedroom.
Perhaps I was being unfair, comparing these 40-something men to my young lover, but I've never been one to settle for anything in life. Why should I settle for a man who can't make me feel the way I now know I'm capable of feeling?
For the entire first week, I don't leave the small town of Carmel-by-the-sea. I walk up and down the beach for hours, visit all of the things that Angela told me about, and spend plenty of time perusing the small, upscale shops.
Finally on Saturday, I drive up to Monterey to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium, before spending the afternoon on one of the whale-watching tours.
On Sunday, I head back to Monterey, stopping first at a Starbucks for my morning caffeine. I walk along the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail, then to Fisherman's Wharf, returning to the pier from which I'd left for the tour yesterday.
Stopping in at one of the many seafood restaurants for a late lunch, I just take a seat at the bar. I place my order with the bartender, Bree, then sit sipping a glass of wine while I wait for my meal.
"Hey, I'm going on my lunch break now," Bree says as she sets my plate down. "Edward will take care of you if you need something, all right?"
I look toward the far end of the bar, seeing the dark-haired man at the cash register with his back to me. I smile and nod, letting her know it's fine, but then my eyes are drawn back to him. He's wearing the restaurant's standard white polo shirt, the same as Bree, and khaki pants. But the way his ass looks in his pants…
I shake my head. Yeah, no, if he's as young as Bree — who looks barely old enough to tend bar — I could almost be his mother. Scowling at myself, I turn back to my seafood pasta.
"Would you like another drink?" a male voice asks a few minutes later . I look up, staring open-mouthed at—
"Ethan!" I exclaim.
He frowns, taking a step backwards. "My name is Edward," he says, pointing at the nametag pinned to his polo shirt.
"No," I insist, "You're Ethan. Or Anthony James — whatever."
"I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else."
"I don't," I reply angrily. "I'm sure your boss, or maybe the local police would be interested to know that you're a con artist and a thief."
He stares at me for a few moments, then runs his hand roughly through his hair. The same bronze hair that felt so good on my fingers.
"Please just give me a chance to explain," he begs. "I get off work at seven, then we can talk."
"If you think I'm going to leave and trust that you'll still be here at seven…"
"What are you gonna do, sit there all afternoon?" he scoffs.
"Yes."
Ethan—Anthony—Edward stares at me for a moment, then shakes his head. "Fine. If you don't need anything, I have other customers." When I don't reply, he turns away, pouring a beer for someone a few stools down. I watch him like a hawk, in case he tries to run. Of course, the view isn't bad either — from the front or back. Is it possible that he's even more good-looking now than he was four years ago?
No! He stole from you, Bella. The police were never able to find my stolen jewelry or Ethan/Anthony — though I maintain they never really took my case seriously enough to look that hard. I've always suspected that his boss knew more than he was saying, but I had no way to prove that.
When every lead we followed came up empty, I put everything behind me and moved on; I never expected to see him again. This is all just so surreal. To run into him here, nearly 1,000 miles from Seattle? I mean, what are the odds?
I'm nearly finished with my meal when he comes back. "Do you want another glass of wine?" he asks, gesturing toward my empty glass.
"Trying to get me drunk?"
He rolls his eyes.
"Is Edward really your name, or just another pseudonym?"
"It's really my name," he answers quietly.
"One more glass — it's chardonnay."
I watch as he refills my glass, then takes my empty plate into the kitchen. God, I should've recognized him from his ass.
"Would you like any dessert?" he asks when he returns to me once again.
"No, thanks."
"When Bree comes back, I'll see if I can leave early, ok?" I nod.
Sipping my wine quietly, I wonder what he's going to tell me. What possible explanation could there be for him to do what he did? And do I want to hear it? Do I want to hear that the entire night was just a con job and he wasn't even attracted to me? Do I really want confirmation of that?
I'm startled when he slips the folder with my check beside my napkin. "You can pay me whenever you're ready."
"I'll wait for Bree."
He rolls his eyes again. "Bella…" he sighs, and my eyes widen slightly at the fact that he actually remembers my name.
We stare at each other for a long, tense moment before I relent, grabbing my purse from where it's hanging over the back of my chair. I pull out my Visa card, inserting it into the little pocket and handing it to him.
Just as I'm signing my name, I see Bree return from her break. Edward speaks to her quietly and she nods. He disappears into the kitchen, and a couple of minutes later, I'm startled when he touches my arm lightly.
"I can leave for a while," Edward says.
A/N: So… we've jumped ahead nearly four years! Bella had given up on finding Ethan/Anthony and moved on, but now she's run into him in California, of all places. As a rule, I don't like coincidences in fic, but this was the always the way I saw the story unfolding. I'm not sure they could've ever had a future as long as the betrayal was still so fresh in Bella's mind.
What do you think Edward is going to tell Bella? Would you have given him a chance to explain or made good on the threat to involve the authorities?
Thanks to all of you who voted for The Man Next Door on TwiFanfictionRecs! It came in #2 on the list of Top 10 Completed Fics for September 2015! I knew I had no shot at winning, so this is awesome! :)
Grad Night was nominated for Favorite All-Time Fic in the 2015 Twific Fandom Awards, polls open today. And oh yeah, I'm apparently up for Favorite Veteran Author, so thanks to whoever nominated me. There are at least 50 nominees in each category, so yeah, I have no chance lol.
