I smiled when Jacob's eyes widened for a moment when he finally actually looked up at me. I held my hand out to him to shake and he stood there in a stupor for a moment before taking it. Then he gasped and whispered "Crap!" I looked at him, raising a brow. "I probably just got oil all over your hand," he said, looking uncomfortable.
I looked at my hand and laughed. "Just a bit. No worries. Some Dawn dishwashing liquid will take that right off," I said. He looked surprised and I grinned at him. "Got any?" I asked. He nodded and opened the door to the house, inviting me in. He led the way to the small kitchen and showed me the bottle of the dish liquid on the sink, offering the sink to me first. I quickly washed my hands with the oil-and-grime dissolving liquid and dried my hands with a paper towel. I stepped back so he could wash his hands and sat on one of the chairs around the minuscule kitchen table.
"So what were you working on that had you getting grease everywhere?" I asked, knowing he was most likely working on the VW Rabbit that had been his pride and joy in the books. I grinned when he confirmed it.
"A VW Rabbit, huh? What year?" I asked.
"1978. I got lucky, it was still in really good condition to begin with," he replied.
" A '78? Wow, one of the originals here in the USA, then, before any of the makeovers in '79 and '81," I said. Jacob looked as if his eyes were going to bug straight out of his head. Ok, yes, I admit it, when Twilight first came out, I looked up information on VW Rabbits, because I wanted to know what one actually looked like. "What color is it?" I asked.
"Red," he replied.
I smiled. "I'd love to see it sometime. How close are you to having it finished?"
"Still looking for a carburetor. Don't suppose you know where I could find one?" he said, a grin on his face.
I tried not to laugh. "Give me a week, I could probably find you one," I said.
There was a noise at the front door and it opened, revealing Charlie, and two men I didn't recognize, one in a wheelchair, the other pushing him. They looked up and saw me and Jacob in the kitchen. I grinned and waved. "Hey dad!"
"Maddie, what are you doing here, honey?" he asked and I stood up and walked over to him, hugging him.
"You forgot your lunch! And I figured if I was bringing lunch for you, I might as well bring it for Harry and Billy too," I told him.
"Well that was thoughtful of you, sweetheart. Oh, by the way, Billy and Harry, this is my daughter Madison. Maddie, this is Harry Clearwater and Billy Black."
I smiled at them and shook their hands. "Pleasure to meet you both," I said. I turned to dad, "The lunch box is on the ground by the stairs, I couldn't lug it up without feeling off-balance and didn't want to drop it or end up falling right back down them." I grinned, both of us knowing my balance had days to rival Bella's. Stairs and I were not friends.
"I'll get it, Dad," Jacob said and walked outside. He returned in a few moments carrying the ice chest. I thanked him for his help and apologized for not having put food in for him as well.
"No problem. You didn't know I was going to be around," he said as he started to unpack the food for his dad, Harry and Charlie. "Though next time, remember me, please? This looks fantastic!"
I blushed. "Will do!" I promised. I turned back to dad and gave him a hug again. "I've gotta head home, as far as I know I've still got plans tonight. I'll be home probably around midnight or so, if that's ok?" I asked.
He thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, that'll be ok, since it's not a school night. But midnight and no later unless something comes up. You've got that pepper spray in your purse still, right?" he asked.
Unlike Bella, I took safety precautions seriously. Not only did I have the pepper spray, but I had a taser as well. I didn't know if it would take down a vampire, but I remembered Kate's power from the books; it might at least give some time to get away if nothing else. And it would definitely drop anything else, even a shifter, I was pretty sure. "Absolutely," I replied, nodding.
I said my goodbyes to everyone. "I'll keep an eye out for that carburetor, Jacob!" I said, winking at him as I left, making him and everyone else laugh. I waved as I climbed into the Beast and pulled away. As I passed by the beach, I saw Paul, Jared and Sam chasing each other down the beach and honked the Beast's horn at them and waved. They waved back and I laughed as Paul dropped to his knees like he was heartbroken I was leaving. "Wait for me!" he shouted, making me laugh harder.
Just as I pulled into the driveway, my phone rang. I pulled it from my pocket and was shocked that I'd missed several calls and texts from Jasper and Alice. I yelped as there was a sudden knocking on the door of the Beast. I looked over to see Jasper standing there, looking incredibly angry, his eyes black as pitch instead of their usual golden color.
"Jasper?" I whispered worriedly. He yanked open the door, making it squeal loudly. He gently pulled me from the truck and ran his hands carefully over me as if checking me for injuries. "Jasper, honey, what's wrong?" I asked quietly, worried.
"Alice saw you disappear!" he choked out, pulling me to him and hugging me tightly. I buried my face into his neck. "Do you have any idea how terrified I was, how lost I would be without you?" he whispered, kissing my temple.
He took my still-ringing phone from my hand and answered it. "Yes, Alice. She's here. She's fine. No, I don't know why she disappeared, but I'll be sure to ask. Yes. Yes, we're still on for karaoke tonight, I'm assuming." I nodded and he affirmed it for the Pixie.
He hung up my phone and tucked it into my pocket, still not letting me go. I heard and felt him sigh and relax. When I looked up at him, his eyes had started to bleed back to their golden color, but a wide rim of black was still there. "Madison, love, I don't know whether to just never let you go again or just kidnap you, right now."
I snickered. "I don't think Dad would appreciate either one of those options, darlin'" I teased him. I blushed when I heard him growl and it did something warm to my insides. I shivered and found myself snuggling closer to him. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders.
"Where were you?" he asked, as we walked towards the house, the air having begun to take on a chill. I opened the door and walked inside, sitting on the couch as he sat down next to me. I slid over to lean against him. "I went down to La Push to take some photographs and take lunch to Dad, he forgot his this morning when he went to go fishing with his friends." I replied, yawning softly. I felt Jasper running his fingers through my hair and felt like I was going to start purring any moment. I loved it when people played with my hair, it was just so soothing to me. I heard Jasper chuckle and was certain he'd picked up on my feelings of contentment and pleasure as he continued to caress my locks.
"No falling asleep. Alice said she'll be here in an hour to help you dress. Personally, I can't wait to hear you sing again, darlin'," he said, reminding me about the plans for Karaoke tonight. Somehow while being in his arms, it'd slipped my mind. Strange how that happens, I thought, giggling to myself.
He kissed the top of my head. "You need to go ahead and get your shower in and everything before Alice gets here, you know how she is. I will see you later, my lady-love," he said and kissed my cheek before leaving at vamp-speed. I sighed and climbed the stairs. I checked in on Bella, only to find her sleeping, her mouth open and snoring lightly on her copy of Wuthering Heights. I pulled her quilt up over her shoulders, gently pulled the book out from under her head and carefully lifted her upper body and head to place her pillow under her. I dimmed her lights and pulled the door mostly shut. I wrote a quick message on the white-board on her door-our way of leaving messages for each other, we all had one on our doors-and grabbed my robe and toiletries before heading to the bathroom.
I finished my shower quickly, wrapping my hair in a towel and wrapping myself in my robe. I didn't bother dressing yet because I knew Alice would just make me change anyways. As I walked into my room, I heard a knocking at the front door. "Come in, Alice", I said, knowing she'd hear me. Sure enough, a second later, she was standing in my bedroom doorway. I waved at her, plopping on the edge of my bed. She grinned at me, knowing I wasn't going to give her any grief in what she chose unless it was indecently tight or short.
Within minutes, she'd chosen an outfit and tossed it to me. I grinned at what she'd chosen and shooed her out of the room for a few moments while I dressed. I slid on the black lace bra and panty set, pulling on a pair of tight-fitting bootcut black jeans, a plum-colored blouse with black lace overlay and pearlized snap buttons and a silvery belt with purple rhinestones on the buckle spelling out "Darling". I laughed at how perfect it was. I pulled on a pair of thick socks because of the cold and jerked when Alice flung open my door and shoved a pair of boots at me. They were the same silvery colored leather as my belt with a small heel. I pulled them on over my socks and laced them up the front. I adored them already.
I stood up and stepped in front of my tall cheval mirror and began to brush out my hair. I yelped when Rosalie appeared behind me. She had me sit down while she worked on my hair and I smiled when she finished and it resembled a picture I'd seen once of a Civil War era hairstyle: a bun wrapped with ribbons and the ribbons left to float behind as well. "Thanks, Rose, I love it," I said. She nodded and asked if I was ready to go.
I checked once more on Bella who was still sleeping and I gathered my wallet and ID, putting them in my purse. I left a message for Dad and reminded Alice and Rosalie that I had to be home by midnight. As I stepped outside, Jasper stood from where he'd been leaning against the side of Carlisle's Mercedes. His mouth gaped open for a moment as he took in my attire. I blushed as he walked up to me and lifted me off the porch, swinging me around for a moment and making me laugh.
"You look stunning," he said and let me slide down his hard body until my feet touched the ground again. I could feel my face burning as I leaned up and kissed him softly. I heard him growl in satisfaction, pulling me closer to him.
"You can kiss her later, Jasper! We've got to go or we won't have long to sing!" Alice said.
He huffed but released me. As I climbed into the Mercedes beside Jasper, who was driving, I saw Emmett's giant Jeep pull up on the street. I could see him and Phillip in the front seats and as we pulled out of the driveway, they drove behind us all the way to the club. We talked all the way to the club, arriving swiftly due to their inability to drive the recommended speed limit. As we climbed out of the vehicles, you could hear the loud music pumping from the building.
Alice grasped my hand, yanking me into the club. We showed our IDs, sent the boys off for drinks as we found a table in the back of the club. We listened to a few singers, some who weren't too bad, others who absolutely butchered their songs. I gasped as I heard my name announced. They all looked at me expectantly and I had to laugh when Alice asked, "Are you ready for this?"
"As ready as I'll ever be," I said and stood up, making my way to the stage.