Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: Stuff happened. Then more stuff happened. Before I knew it, two weeks had passed. The good news is that on Monday, Maggie (Newtwilightfan) will post the next chapter of Monolith, her winning entry for the Red-Eyed Edward Contest!
Chapter 7
Angela was bored out of her mind. True, she had hardly expected this trip to be particularly entertaining, but the reality was mind-numbingly dull. There was nothing to do, nowhere to go, no one to keep her entertained. She had already passed judgment on her sister-in-law's housekeeping abilities (sub-par), her niece's spectacles that made her look like an old maid (the girl had just looked at her blankly; maybe next time she'd shoot a barb at her intelligence), and her brother-in-law's apparent lack of ambition and willingness to live in a hovel. To her great surprise, her own husband had stepped in at that and defended his brother, putting out Angie even more. She had so far ignored Bella, but maybe a few words to the girl would be a good idea; especially since Carmen had implied that Bella was dating that dishy neighbor. Angie was convinced that must be a joke, or a case of wishful thinking on the part of the girl. Bella was alright, but much too young for the man.
Angela spent a few minutes in a blissful haze as she thought about Edward's sharp jaw and broad shoulders. James had ruined her chance of flirting with the man yesterday, but she hadn't given up hopes of livening up this dead ditch of a village with a hot little affair. She could have sworn she had heard his voice yesterday afternoon, but when she had rushed to the window that looked out towards his property, all she'd seen were some rustling bushes and miles and miles of boring green fields.
Her lip curled in distaste as she looked over at her husband. He was enjoying it here, she could tell, even though he hadn't said it in so many words. He'd spend all day being cosseted by his brother, relaxing under a sunshade or watching sports in the living room. It was like he'd regressed to the annoying boy she'd first met in college. She couldn't help feel a little aggravated. All these years she'd invested in trying to smarten him up, she'd pushed him into a lucrative stream at work, she'd guided him into the best social circles, she'd managed his entire life to make sure they lived up to a certain standard, and what happens? The moment he's near his hick of a brother, he's a boor again.
Her ruminations were cut short as Carmen walked into the living room. Seeing that her husband and his brother were happily engrossed watching Sports Centre, Carmen walked over to her sister-in-law.
"Would you like some coffee, Angie?" she asked.
"Sure, sure. If that's what you insist on calling the tar water you brewed yesterday," said Angela with a condescending laugh. "Really, dear, you might have at least bought a decent coffee maker. Or you could have told me how primitive your life here is, and I would have gladly gifted you one for the holidays or something. We are family, you know," she said in a faux-sincere tone that fooled no one—certainly not Carmen, who had gotten inured to Angie's fake-niceness over the years.
With an equally saccharine smile, Carmen said, "Darling, you are much too sweet. I could never impose on you like that! I mean, if I was stupid enough to actually accept something from you, you would gloat so much, you might just strain something. We couldn't have that, now, could we? Besides, the rustic charm is the point of living here. I understand this is quite a change from your 'lifestyle', but surely you can manage reality for a few weeks."
Before a glowering Angie could retort with an even more acerbic taunt, Rose and Bella walked in. Grabbing an apple, Bella looked in interest from one woman to the other. "So, what'd we miss?" she asked nonchalantly.
Rose hid her snigger by opening the fridge and sticking her head in. Carmen rolled her eyes with a wry smile and held up a cup. "Coffee?"
"Nah, aunt C, I'm good. So, Edward said something about a village fair at Champagnac la Rivière. Will you guys join us? It sounded like fun, and we really haven't had a lot of time together. What do you say?" Bella looked at her aunt hopefully.
Sliding a steaming cup of coffee over to where a disgruntled Angie was sitting and glowering, Carmen casually leaned against the counter. "Hmmm, the village fair should be fun. Eli and I actually haven't been for a few years—we got tired of them, would you believe it?" she laughed. "I guess we will stop by, at least for a little while. What have you kids got planned?"
Angie harrumphed. "Your neighbor Edward is hardly a 'kid', Carmen. If he is planning the trip then I'm sure he would welcome a little… adult company," she simpered.
Bella's jaw set in annoyance. With one hand on the table, she leaned in and said, "I'm sorry, Aunt Ang, maybe you don't know this, but Edward and I are together."
Angela looked up at the younger girl with a look of compassionate pity, and spoke in a low tone of voice that only they could hear, "Bella, you are a good girl, but still so young. I'm sure you think you and Edward have something special, but dear girl, what do you have in common with a man nearly double your age? I'm not trying to be a bitch, but I don't want to see you hurt just because no one warned you."
Bella just stared at her in disbelief. Thankfully, she was saved from having to answer by a light tap on the kitchen door. Her whole body relaxed at the welcome sight of Edward, closely followed by Jasper, as they entered from the back porch.
"Hey Carmen, you remember Jasper, don't you?" said Edward, giving Carmen a light hug, before moving to engulf Bella in a warmer, tighter, longer embrace. He finally stepped back after a minute, dropping a chaste kiss on her smiling lips. Jasper was teasing Rose about something, while Carmen laughed at their interaction. Angela was sitting at the kitchen table, her lips in a tight line, glaring at Edward and Bella.
Raising his eyebrows at her rudeness, Edward casually slung an arm around Bella's waist to bring her even closer, before addressing Angela. "By the way, Angela, your son should be over in a little while. His friend arrived a little while ago, and they're catching up. He asked me to let you know."
Partly at the thought of her darling son, and partly due to the dazzling smile Edward had turned her way, Angela found her chagrin melting away. Taking in the situation at a glance, Jasper discreetly rolled his eyes and dropped into the chair across the table from Angie. He turned on the charm as he introduced himself to Angela, flirting outrageously. It made Edward roll his eyes, but Angela lapped it up.
Bella was just glad to have the older lady's attention diverted from her man.
…_ _ _ …_ _ _...
Jasper was back at Edward's place. James was slinking around downstairs, evading his parents' questions about his friend, and avoiding his cousins like the plague. Emmett was sitting on the comfortable couch in the upstairs living area, wedged comfortably between Bella and Rose.
Edward had just brought them up to speed on the James situation. Three pairs of eyes stared at him unblinkingly.
"A kid?"
"He hasn't told them?"
"Wow, that dude sure knows how to make a mess, but not how to clean it up, huh?"
Edward held up his hands and shushed them. Though they had not exactly shouted it out, it was still possible that sound would carry downstairs, where James and his parents currently sat. "Do you want them to hear us? I know exactly what you're thinking. Mais vraiment, this is quite an ironic situation. Victoria seems to be quite genuinely nice, and her daughter is absolutely delightful. The way James is so eager to appear worthy of them is very… different and surprising. I did not think he had it in him. But he begged Jasper and me not to tell his parents yet, and we agreed."
"Oh no! How can you do this to me?" groaned Rose dramatically. "All I want to do is go downstairs and beat her on the head with the 'grandma' bat."
"But sweetheart, how on earth does he think he will get away with not telling them?" asked Bella, ignoring her cousin for the moment.
"Well, mignonne, I don't have any wish to be the one to break the news to his parents; that's his problem. But I made it clear that I would not lie to Eleazar and Carmen about Victoria. I've given him until tomorrow to come clean to all of them."
Rose nodded. "Yes, that makes sense. Although I can't get over what a complete ass he is!"
Edward chuckled at her indignant face. "He is, indeed. But he seems to be completely enamored of her. You will see for yourselves tomorrow. Little Annie would like to go on a picnic, if that is alright with all of you?" he asked.
"A picnic would be fun," Bella admitted, though her forehead was still creased with a slight frown. "And I'm looking forward to meeting the little kid; she sounds adorable. But I'm not entirely sure I like the sound of this woman. If she isn't interested in James, what's she doing here?"
…_ _ _ …_ _ _...
Bella's sense of foreboding didn't go away all evening, though she did manage to put it aside briefly at bedtime to listen to Rose gush about Emmett. She had to admit that Edward's nephew seemed to be a really nice guy. Plus, he was fun, in a quiet sort of way. It had been a quite hilarious watching him and Rose interact earlier that evening, all shy glances and secret smiles. He wasn't as classically good looking as Edward, but he was attractive in his own way. While Rose was all starry eyed about his dimples, and how tall he was, and how muscular he'd gotten over the last few months, what really stood out for Bella was his personality—he was one of the happiest, most straightforward people she had met. Add his intelligence to the mix, and he really was perfect for Rose.
The trouble was that Angela had decided that he was perfect for Bella. When the guys went to return to Edward's place, Angela insisted that Emmett stay for dinner. She commented that Bella probably found it easier to talk to Emmett because "they belonged to the same decade." She suggested that they should sit together at the table. She insinuated that sparks flew every time Emmett looked at Bella. She basically made dinner hell.
The saving grace that stopped the evening from going completely south was, of course, Rose. The younger girl listened to everything her aunt spewed, then commented with a straight face, "I don't know, Aunt Angie. We all tend to go for older men around here. I guess you just couldn't pass on the cougar gene to us."
That shut Angela up long enough for Rose, Bella and Emmett to escape, sniggering as they saw Carmen glaring at her sister-in-law.
Still, the constant drip of Angela's acid was starting to corrode Bella's shield of happiness. The only person who could soothe her right now was Edward, and he was tied up with a house full of guests. For the hundredth time, she wished he hadn't offered to let James and his friend stay over.
…_ _ _ …_ _ _...
Haute Vienne has over a hundred small and large water bodies scattered over the countryside. For their picnic, Edward decided on a small lake near Cussac. It was a tiny place, with a restaurant and a play area for kids. The minute Annie saw the swings and slides, she let out a squeal of pure delight, before dragging Edward along to play with her. Clearly, this was an excellent decision.
Victoria laughed and laid a hand on his arm. "She is really taken with you, isn't she? You are a natural with kids." The touch lasted just a moment, and he ignored the idea that perhaps she had been standing closer than he was comfortable with.
A few clouds drifted across the deep blue sky, and a pleasant breeze added to the idyllic atmosphere that had settled over the picnickers. Edward smiled as he looked around the scattered members of their rather large group. Rose and Emmett were deep in discussion about some or the other plant they had found growing on the bank of the lake; James was trying to impress Vic by challenging Jasper to arm-wrestling matches. The plan was backfiring, though, since he lost every single time. Annie had chosen Edward as her playmate for the day and refused to let him out of her sight, so he and Vic were sitting on the grass near the sandpit, helping her mess around to her heart's content. He craned his neck to look around again, but he still couldn't see Bella anywhere.
In fact, he hadn't actually seen or spoken to her since last night. This morning, it had been difficult to contain Annie's excitement, and he had gone along with Victoria's suggestion that they go ahead, and let Jasper drive the others to the lake. He was so sure that Bella would find her way to him that he let Annie monopolize his attention for a while. But every so often, he would look up, scanning the area as far as he could see, searching for a glimpse of the woman who was so much a part of him that he felt unsettled without her around. Now, though, he was getting worried. The others had arrived a good half hour back, and she hadn't come over to him. He glanced up again, his worry overtaking him, till he finally loped over to the bank where Rose and Emmett were still examining some weeds.
"Where's Bella?" he asked, his restless eyes still trying to find a trace of his girl.
Rose pursed up her lips and huffed. That got his attention.
"You seemed… busy, so she went for a walk," she replied, rather shortly. Rose didn't have much artifice. The look on her face let him know in no uncertain terms that he had messed up. Now he just needed to find his love and fix whatever he had done wrong.
He ignored the sound of Victoria's voice calling out to him. "Which way did she go?" he asked, and with a short nod and quick "Merci," he was off, jogging along the river bank towards the copse of trees Rose had pointed out.
…_ _ _ …_ _ _...
A/N: What's up with Bella? And how's Angie going to deal with Victoria? That, and more, next week. ('More' may be code for the good stuff).
