A/N about canon diversion: As I mentioned in Ch. 1, in this story Claire is older and of suitable dating age for Quil (about a 3-4 yr age difference), so I've decided to make her Emily's (and thus Seth's and Leah's) cousin rather than niece. I've updated my a/n in Ch. 1 to reflect this.
Liz felt warm from her third glass of wine and full from the delicious meal she had just stuffed herself with. Embry had been right about one thing: Emily Uley was one hell of a cook.
When Kim had called earlier that day to see if she was interested in a girls' night, Liz had initially refused. After her encounter with Embry in the grocery store the day before, she knew it would be only a matter of time before she heard from Kim, wanting details. For whatever reason—maybe because they were living in such a small town with nothing better to do, or maybe because they were all so tight-knit—everyone seemed to have taken an interest in her and Embry's relationship, or lack thereof. Liz couldn't remember a time when she had been such a center of attention, and she couldn't decide if it made her feel flattered, annoyed, or worried that they were all members of some kind of cult.
But, after considering Kim's offer, she decided to take her up on it, even if that meant she would undergo the third degree that evening. She couldn't afford to alienate any girlfriends, especially if she was thinking about making a permanent home in Forks, and she genuinely liked Kim—she meant well, as did everyone else, she supposed. And, it might actually do her some good to talk about the Embry situation anyway. The run-in at the grocery store had left her more confused than ever. For a moment, she had thought he was going to make an overture to rectify whatever the hell it was that had happened between them, but in the end…nothing.
Kim had arrived at Liz's house with a car full of food and wine and a group of friends in tow: Emily, Claire, Rachel, and Bella. Liz was excited to finally meet the infamous Emily, who was married to a man named Sam and had two small children, Levi and Allie. Liz had been taken aback by the scar on Emily's face, which extended from her chin to her eyebrow—the result of a bear attack, she had said, when she caught Liz staring at it. Liz had blushed crimson at getting caught and silently vowed to start carrying bear spray when she hiked from now on.
Claire was Emily's cousin and was apparently dating Quil—the third member of Embry and Jake's troublemaking trio and, as far as Liz was concerned, the person responsible for the whole awkward grocery store incident. Rachel was Jacob's older sister who also happened to be engaged to Paul (No wonder Jake stole his pants, thought Liz), and Bella was Jacob's childhood sweetheart turned wife. She was the only woman among the group who was not Quileute, Liz had noticed with interest. Her father was Charlie Swan, the Forks chief of police and another coffee shop regular.
Liz couldn't get over how weirdly interconnected this group was.
They had spent the evening feasting on Emily's roast chicken and potatoes and drinking copious amounts of wine that seemed to flow endlessly from the supply Kim had brought. Liz enjoyed getting to know everyone and found herself sharing about her life quite easily—even details about her broken engagement and life back in Texas. The women were clearly very close with each other, which made Liz wonder why they were all so eager to let her into their clique, when they barely knew her.
"Who wants tiramisu?" asked Emily, cutting into the decadent dessert she had just pulled out of the refrigerator.
"Screw the tiramisu; I want more wine!" exclaimed Kim, refilling her glass and passing the bottle suggestively to Liz.
Why not? thought Liz, as she topped off her own glass. It felt good to let loose with these women; she felt comfortable around them, and, after the stress she had been feeling all week, she felt like she deserved a little break. Marble had curled up next to her on the floor, and she stroked his fur absentmindedly.
"Ok Liz," said Kim as they settled around the cozy living room, glasses full and dessert in hand. "Now that we've got you good and drunk, there's no more stalling. Tell us the latest with Embry."
Liz once again flushed, but this time she was unsure if it was from her embarrassment or all the wine she had been drinking. "Kim, there isn't anything to tell," she said, exasperated. "I managed to scare him off last Saturday, apparently, and he hasn't returned any of my phone calls."
"But he talked to you yesterday at the store, didn't he?" asked Claire. "Uh, Quil mentioned they had run into you," she added quickly when Liz gave her a questioning look.
"Yes, Quil saw me and introduced himself—said he recognized me from Kim's description…you must give one hell of a vivid description, Kim—but Embry didn't have a whole lot to say. I had sort of hoped we could clear the air, but it didn't happen."
"What exactly happened between you two on Saturday, if you don't mind my asking?" questioned Bella.
The women stared attentively at Liz, waiting for her answer. She swallowed. "I don't know…we…it's…things were going really well," she began. "Like I told you the other day, Kim, I just feel this connection to him, this level of comfort. I can't explain it. But then when he went to kiss me, I freaked out."
"Why the freak-out?" asked Rachel.
"Because...I just got out of a relationship six months ago," Liz reminded her. "It's one of the reasons why I moved to Forks, to get some distance from all of that. And I need time; I can't drag Embry into my mess of a life right now. It's just not fair to him, and I don't want to risk rushing into things too soon and possibly ruining what could maybe be something…amazing…down the road."
"That's totally understandable," sympathized Bella.
"But when I tried to explain that, he got upset and left," said Liz, her eyes welling with tears. "I don't know if he thought I had been leading him on, or if he had just been hoping to score and was pissed that it didn't work out…maybe I read too much into all of it." The tears ran over and splashed onto her cheeks as her voice trailed off.
"Liz," spoke Emily reassuringly, passing her a pack of tissues. "I may not know the whole story, but I can tell you that Embry is not that kind of guy."
"Not what kind of guy?" questioned Liz, dabbing at her eyes.
"A player," spoke up Rachel. "Embry's not a player. In fact, I don't know that he's even really dated a lot," she mused. "Unlike Paul, who chased every skirt that ever walked past him until he impr—uh, got together with me, of course," she smirked.
"That's why we've all been so curious," explained Emily. "Sorry that everyone in our circle has been so nosy about your relationship. You must think we're all crazy. It's just that we've all known Embry for a long time and we've never seen him like this before."
"Yeah, and for the record, Quil said he thinks Embry is being stupid," added Claire.
"Does Quil know why he's upset?" Liz asked, hopefully.
"He thinks it was just a big misunderstanding," said Claire. "But…I have to come clean…that little encounter with you yesterday at the grocery store was intended to force Embry to talk to you. Kim and I were out yesterday, and she saw you going into the store. I knew Quil and Embry were nearby, so I called to tell him."
Liz processed this new information. "Well, a lot of good it did," muttered Liz. "It was just one big pile of awkward."
"Sorry, Liz. Although, for the record, I told Claire it was a bad idea," asserted Kim, giving a disapproving glance at Claire. "What did he say to you when you saw him?"
"Nothing, really," said Liz. "He told me he had been busy at work and that's why he hadn't returned my calls. We just stared awkwardly at each other for a few minutes, and then finally I had enough of feeling like an idiot and said goodbye. As I was leaving, he told me to 'be careful driving home.'"
"Be careful driving home? What?" squawked Kim.
"Lame-o, Embry," scoffed Rachel. "He needs to spend more time around Paul, learn some game."
"Oh, give him a break, guys," spoke up Bella, who had been listening with quiet interest. "Claire, that wasn't cool of you and Quil to just spring that on him like that—sorry, but it wasn't," she said as Claire looked up indignantly. "And Kim, you shouldn't have even let her do it. If I know Embry, he was probably totally freaked out and unprepared and afraid of saying the wrong thing, so he didn't say anything at all." She turned to Liz. "Personally, I think you should take it as a good sign."
"A good sign that he barely talked to me?" questioned Liz.
"A good sign that he DID talk to you," said Bella. "He didn't blow you off or say something rude. In his own—yes, awkward—way, he was trying to reach out."
"I think Bella is right," said Emily. "He was doing the best he could, however inept it might have been. Embry is not good at being put on the spot; you and Quil should never have done that," she scolded her cousin.
"Hey, we were just trying to help," defended Claire.
"I know," said Emily. "You had their best interests at heart. You just went about it the wrong way."
"Look, Liz," interrupted Kim. "You two need to just sit down and talk this out."
"And how can I do that when he won't return my calls?" Liz protested. "I'm done talking to his voicemail; I do have some pride, you know."
"The bonfire!" exclaimed Kim suddenly. "You'll come to the bonfire this Saturday. He'll be there."
"I don't know, Kim," said Liz, shaking her head. "Embry had mentioned my coming as his guest last week, but I assumed, after everything, that the offer was off the table. It would be weird for me to just show up."
"Nonsense," said Kim. "You'll come as MY guest. And then you two can steal off somewhere and talk this out."
"Right, because that won't be awkward at all," scoffed Liz. "Won't this just be another ambush? What if he doesn't want me there? He's going to think I'm stalking him."
"Liz, it probably will be awkward, but something tells me Embry is still going to be glad you came," said Rachel. "Besides, it'll be different in that environment. He'll be on his home turf; there will be so many people and enough distractions that he'll have plenty of time to collect himself and figure out what to say."
"But look, even if he and I do talk and smooth things over, it still doesn't change anything," argued Liz. "I still need time. I'm not ready to date yet."
"So tell him that," said Emily. "Tell him that you're not shutting him out of your life, but that you need him to be your friend, for now. Set that boundary. I think that's what he needs to hear from you right now, and I think you'll find that he'll be more than happy to assume whatever role in your life you need him to. And then, who knows? When you're ready to date again, if you still feel this connection, then you can explore that possibility with him."
"I never thought of it like that," admitted Liz. "You really think he'd be open to that?"
"I do," said Emily. The other women nodded their heads in agreement.
Liz sighed. She couldn't understand why they all seemed so sure about this, but clearly they knew Embry better than she did, and maybe she needed to take their advice. "Ok. I'll go on Saturday, but if this blows up in my face, then I'm blaming all of you!"
"Deal!" exclaimed Kim with a smile on her face. "Now, what time are you coming over on Saturday so we can help you get ready?"
A/N: What would we do without our girlfriends?
So what do you think? Is it a good idea for Liz to just show up at the bonfire? Will Embry finally be able to get his sh*t together and work things out? Your reviews spur me on!
Grammar Guest: So glad you're enjoying! Thanks for reading! :-)