Beta'd by cejsmom and preread by Twi-mom12292005
You all know who owns these characters. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter 10
EPOV
Craigslist, I have never used Craigslist until now. I had no idea how extensive Craigslist was; want ads, for sale, for lease, rehoming, and personal ads. I had never in a million years thought I would ever consider a personal ad, but here I go.
Looking for girl; pretty, long dark hair, with Jack Russell Terrier "Buddy" at the Huntington Beach Dog Beach on Saturday, June 9th. I have something you might want.
I hesitantly push ... publish.
I almost regret the ad, but not. My constant thoughts of this girl over the past few weeks have invaded my brain. Maybe attempting to find her will relieve some of the guilt I feel over our encounter at the beach. I still feel somehow responsible for her dismal day, even though my dogs and I didn't cause any of it. I want my life to go back to normal, as in not thinking about her, smelling her, or hoping to see her.
Another visit from Victoria reminds me of yet another reason why I don't want to be in a relationship. Women are complicated and can be very manipulative. After all my family has been through, we choose to live a drama free life as much as possible. A woman in my life, especially one who is anything like Victoria, would upset this delicate balance. I have more than just myself to think of too. My family and my dogs are too important. I am... comfortable.
Alice assures me that she will grill, check out, and interrogate anyone I choose to date; giving her stamp of approval before allowing me to introduce them to our parents. I don't doubt she would give me her objective/honest opinion, but why mess with something so...peaceful. When I say this, Alice, just rolls her eye and mumbles something about defense mechanisms. She accepts my choice to be single, but doesn't understand it; especially the celibacy that comes with my lifestyle.
The Hoag Hospital Annual Gala charity event is on the Fourth of July. The whole family and Emmett and Rosalie are coming. My mom works especially hard on this event and it's for a good cause. Unfortunately, I have no doubt that something is in the works for me to be fixed up with someone's daughter, granddaughter, or niece. It's always the same, "She's such a sweet girl, a real looker" and these descriptions are mostly true. I'm just not interested and not comfortable being set up. I spend my whole night trying not to be rude while trying to escape. It ends up being embarrassing for both of us. In hopes of avoiding all of this, I am bringing Jasper with me, he's my plus one. He is quiet, but very smooth with the woman. I could learn a lot from him if I wanted to.
Jasper and I need to discuss the lawsuit anyway. Apparently, we haven't made any progress. It has been proposed that I move, but I have too much invested and it would be incredibly hard to move my business. I have established myself here for the long run. I will fight until the end on this one, for the inconvenience yes, but mainly on principle. I was here first; they knew how noisy we were when they built so close. There has to be a legal way to win this lawsuit, because I'm not prepared or willing to give Victoria what she wants.
A/N
Hmmm, any guesses on what Edward's noisy business is?
I leave for LA today. BD2 tent city here I come!
I will be reading all of your reviews and responding if I can.
And I will continue to post on schedule.
Thanks everyone!