Good morning and happy Friday everyone! Lots of information coming in this chapter, so grab a cup of coffee or a bottle of Mountain Dew, whichever is your morning caffeine fix and dig in.
I am always extremely grateful for the help My Bella and Hope4more give me, but even more so with this chapter since I attempted to write it a couple of weeks ago while sick, and well... lets just say, me writing while on cold meds is not a good thing. You guys are the best.
Special thanks to Alicetheannoyinglittlepixie for her awesome fashion expertise. She designed Bella's outfit for this chapter. The link for the Truths, Lies and Alibis collection on polyvore is on my profile page as well as my blog. There are a few sets for various chapters in the story.
Thanks to Stephenie Meyer, 'cause she owns it all and if she didn't none of us would be here right now.
Oh, it's time to let it go
The world's got a funny way of turning 'round on you
When a friend tries to stab you right in the face
Losing faith in everything I thought I hoped I knew
Don't sweat it, {it was} set on false pretense
Betrayed but not gonna be willing to change
And it doesn't seem likely to fade
Betrayed but not gonna be willing to change
Cu-cu-cu-cuz you know...
It's sacrifice
False pretense you'll hurt again
Stop pretending to deny
False pretense you'll hurt again
All along you know you thought you got the best of me
{But} you were wrong and I'm laughing right in your face
I cannot believe you claimed you were my family
Don't sweat it - it's set on false pretense
False Pretense by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
~*BPOV*~
June 29, 2010
I had been pleasantly surprised by how much better Edward and I had been getting along over the last couple of days. Edward helped around the house by doing his own laundry and he was also rather efficient at picking up after himself. He even offered to cook for me again sometime. When I asked him about it, he said that he was simply doing what he was used to and didn't expect for me to become his maid just because we were living under the same roof.
We had even managed to survive going to the grocery store together. I had wanted to go to Pikes Market since I had enjoyed the open-air market in Capri so much with Nana, but Edward was leery of me being in such a large open area that would probably be really crowded. He said it would be too easy for someone to follow us and get lost; undetected in the maze of people and venders if they should try to cause trouble for us. But he did promise he'd take me when this mess was all over. I was thrilled and scared at the same time with how easy it was for him to think about our future.
So I had accepted his reasoning and settled on the regular grocery store. I thought back to Sunday afternoon and how much fun it had actually been to get out of the house and do something normal.
When we arrived at the store, the first thing we did was grab a cart. I had to promise Edward that next time he could push the cart when he pouted because I got one before he did. He literally hung his head and slumped his shoulders like a little boy not getting his way. It was actually quite adorable and I couldn't help giggling at him. It was so good to laugh again.
We were about halfway through the store when I realized the amount of food we had accumulated in the cart.
"Um, Edward, are you expecting a lot of company sometime soon?" I asked while he was browsing the frozen food section.
He turned around giving me a puzzled expression. "No. Why?"
"Just who to you expect to eat all of this food you keep adding to the cart?"
Walking over to the cart and adding a container of ice cream called Moose Tracks he replied with a huge grin on his face, "We are."
I looked all around us and then back to him and said, "Um, we as in you and me? 'Cause unless you have a starving small army hidden in your room that I am unaware of I can't imagine us eating half this food."
"I'm a growing boy, I need to eat," he said as he picked a grape out of the bag in the cart and popped it in his mouth.
"Growing boy my ass," I mumbled thinking he hadn't heard me. But apparently he had because next thing I knew he was planting a big kiss on my cheek and telling me not to worry that the food would get eaten.
He had been in an extremely chipper mood that afternoon and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. Not that I wanted or thought he should be in a bad mood, he just seemed lighter and happier.
We had learned some things about each other that we hadn't known before, including our favorite foods, as well as some that we didn't like. I think we both even enjoyed ourselves. It felt completely natural to be doing things such as grocery shopping with him.
Things were hardly back to normal between us, but we were making some progress. Our talk had gone a long way to ease a lot of the tension and we were cohabitating in a more peaceful manner. Perhaps that was why he was in such a good mood back on Sunday. I think it also helped that I wasn't going out of my way to avoid him or be snotty towards him. At least not on purpose. There were still some moments when my emotions would get the better of me and I would snap. But now I would also apologize for it later.
Before our talk on Saturday, if I had been in a room and he entered it, I would quickly exit it. Or if he was in a room I would stay out of it. I had holed myself up in my bedroom most of the time and even though I still spent a lot of time there, we were able to be in the same room with each other and it wasn't as awkward as it had been prior to our talk.
I knew he wanted to make things right between us, and I truly did miss what we had on Capri, but for whatever reason I still couldn't let go of my issues. I had asked Edward for time and he agreed to give me all I needed.
My better mood seemed to translate into a better appearance. Instead of just throwing on a pair of slacks and a blouse as I had last week for work, today I decided to put a little effort into what I would wear.
After skimming through my closet I decided on a purple top with short gathered sleeves that sat on my shoulders, a black skirt which hung to about mid-calf and my black knee high suede boots. Then after adding earrings and a bracelet, I gathered what I needed for work and made my way to the living room, wondering if Edward would notice the change in my appearance.
The smell of fresh brewed coffee hit me as soon as I entered the room. I recognized the scent immediately; it was my favorite kind. I set my things down on the small table by the front door and headed towards the kitchen.
Edward was sitting at the table reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee.
"Good morning," I said smiling brightly at him as I grabbed myself a cup.
"Good mor—" he cut himself off and nearly missed his mouth as he was in the middle of raising his cup to his to take a drink of his coffee. He couldn't take his eyes off me and I was internally doing a little bit of a happy dance.
I set my cup down on the table to cool a bit and then got a container of yogurt out of the fridge.
"I see you found my secret stash of gourmet coffee?" I asked. I was still smiling from his reaction to my appearance as I closed the refrigerator door.
Lowering the paper down he watched me as I moved across the room to get a spoon out of the drawer.
As I sat down at the table, Edward cleared his throat and turned his gaze back to his paper before saying in a slightly strangled tone, "Uh…yeah it was all I could find. I hope its ok." His timid response had me wondering where confident Edward had gone or did I really have that big of an impact on him.
"Yeah it is. It's my favorite," I told him as I pulled the foil lid of the container of yogurt.
"It's good. Where did you get it?" he asked, while getting up to refill his cup.
"Oh, you can't get it here in Seattle. My roommate from college lives in New York and she sends it to me. Sometimes she sends chocolate too."
"That's nice of her, it's really good. Are the two of you close?"
"As close as you can be considering we live on opposite sides of the continent. We got our masters in psychology together. About six months after we graduated, her boyfriend was offered a job in New York and she went with him. So every once in a while she'll send some of the coffee. It's her favorite too."
"Are they still together?" he asked raising the cup to his mouth for another drink.
"Yeah, they got married a year later. She has a partner whom she shares a private practice with and her husband Ben is an accountant for some big firm up there."
"So what about you? Did you have any serious boyfriends in college?" he asked as he folded the paper up and set it aside.
"Um, just one," I answered nervously. I knew sooner or later I would have to have this conversation with him. I probably should have told him about Garrett when we talked Saturday night. My relationship with Garrett was a big part of why I was so afraid to trust my own emotions now and not rely so heavily on my gift. But I also knew that since my gift was pretty much useless when it came to Edward I would have to let the past go if I wanted to be with him. But I really didn't want to start my day by telling Edward how I had lost my virginity and gotten my heart broke all by the same guy.
"Just one? I find it hard to believe someone as beautiful as you didn't have more boyfriends than that," he said as his eyes were once again raking over me.
"No not really when you think about it."
"What do you mean?" he asked curiously.
"Remember me, the girl with the strange gift to tell when she's being lied to? It's extremely hard to keep a guy interested once they learn you can do that. Or the ones you simply quit seeing because you learned they had lied to you."
"Fools. They were all fools if you ask me," he said. "They were too blind to see what a gift you were for just who you are, and idiots for lying."
I quirked an eyebrow in his direction in response to his last remark before I got up to place my spoon and cup in the sink.
I rinsed out my cup and was standing at the sink with my back to Edward when I heard him say, "Yes, Bella, I was an idiot. I should have told you right away. I should have trusted in our feelings for each other enough to believe that we'd get past it."
Not realizing he had come to stand behind me, when I turned to move away from the sink and leave the kitchen, I plowed right into him. Almost as if acting on instinct, his arms wrapped around me and held me against his chest.
I looked up at him as he began to talk again. "Bella, I don't know who this guy was or what he did to break your heart, but I can see the pain he caused you in your eyes. I love your eyes and do you know why?" he asked and I shook my head no. "Your eyes are like windows to your heart. You can see so much of what you are thinking and feeling reflected in them. And if I have anything to say about it, no man will ever break your heart again. Myself included." He then leaned down and kissed my forehead and released his hold on me. As I moved to walk past him he caught my arm and said, "I meant what I said, you are beautiful and any man would be a fool to let you go. I can't do it by myself though, Bella. Help me hold on to what we have."
"I'm trying," I whispered as he let go of my arm.
"That's all I ask," he replied.
I nodded and then walked out of the kitchen.
Edward followed me out of the kitchen. I was halfway up the stairs when I heard Edward coming up behind me. I reached the landing and after taking a quick peek at him, turned toward my bedroom. Just before I went inside he asked, "Will you be ready to go soon?"
"Yes, in just a few minutes. I just need to brush my teeth."
"Ok. I just have to grab my keys and wallet and I'll meet ya downstairs."
I paused at my bedroom door and turned around. "Edward?"
"Yeah," he replied.
"You look really good too." And he did; the dark green of his dress shirt enhanced his eye color perfectly.
Edward didn't say anything but instead flashed me that drop dead sexy grin of his as he entered his room. One of these days that grin was going to turn me into a puddle of goo.
Edward was waiting by the front door for me when I entered the living room ready to leave. He opened the door and told me to go so he could set the alarm.
Once we were in the car and headed towards my work, I quit procrastinating and told him about something I should have two days ago. Hesitantly I said, "Um, I'd like to go to Forks this weekend."
"For the entire weekend?" he asked with what I swore was a hint of nervousness.
"Well, that is what my parents would like. But I didn't think it would be fair to make you have to spend the entire weekend being subjected to the craziness that is my family so I was hoping maybe all day Saturday and Sunday. I'm off work on Monday since the 4th is on a Sunday so we could drive back late Sunday night after the fireworks or Monday morning. Whichever you would prefer. Or you know since my father is a police officer you really don't have to stay if you don't want to," I offered.
"Bella, I'm not leaving you in Forks. If you want to go, we'll go. But I'm staying there with you. Are your parents aware of the situation with us? I mean, do they know I am living with you right now and why?"
"Yes. I explained the situation to my mother when she called on Sunday. I haven't told them about us. But that doesn't mean Nana hasn't."
"Do your parents have enough room for the both of us? Or should I get us a hotel room?" he asked.
"They have plenty of room. Nana is in the guest room so I am sure they will just put you in my brother's old room."
"And where is that in relation to where you'll be?"
"Um, it's right across the hall from mine."
"Good. So listen, since we are discussing family gatherings and all. I was wondering if you'd be my date for my sister's wedding in a couple of weeks?"
"When is it?" I asked looking over at him and noticing for the first time this morning that he hadn't shaved in a couple of days. The scruff actually looked really good on him. It made him look a little rough around the edges and I liked it.
He smiled as he caught me staring at him, "See something you like, Agent Swan?"
"I...ah… just noticed you haven't shaved recently," I mumbled while looking away, trying to hide the blush I could feel heating my face.
"My razor broke. You know, you don't have to hide or be embarrassed to look at me, Bella. Look all you want, I really don't mind," he said as he reached over and lovingly stroked the side of my face with the back of his hand. Without realizing what I was doing I leaned into his touch, again forcing myself to acknowledge just how much I missed it.
"Why?" I murmured.
"Why, what?" he asked.
"You told me to look at you all I want. It doesn't bother you?"
"No. It lets me know you're still interested. And, Bella, as long as I know you're still interested, I know there's still hope that things will work out between us."
"Oh," I whispered not knowing what else to say.
We remained silent the rest of the way to the federal building. He parked his mustang in my assigned spot and then escorted me up to the series of offices where the bureau was located. He then gently squeezed my hand and said he'd see me around five. I nodded and headed towards my office.
I heard someone behind me and glancing over my shoulder saw Jessica coming up behind me.
"Who's the hot stud, Swan?"
"Since when do you refer to men as hot studs, Jess?" I asked while trying not to laugh.
"Well ya know, just because I prefer women, doesn't mean I can't recognize a good looking man when I see one. It just means I don't want to screw him," she scoffed playfully.
"He's a friend," was all the information I was willing to give her. I really didn't suspect her as the leak in the bureau, but I wasn't going to take any chances.
"Come on, I saw the way he looked at you. You've got to give me more than that," she whined as she followed me into my office.
"No, actually I don't and I'm not. Sorry." I leveled my gaze at her to let her know she needed to drop it.
"You know what you need, Swan?"
"No, but I'm sure you're about to tell me," I encouraged hoping the faster she got through whatever it was she had to say, the faster she'd be gone and I could get to work.
"You need to get laid. I'd be willing to bet it's been way too long. Months probably."
"You know what, Jess. You might just be right. But unfortunately I don't see that happening in the immediate future, so I guess everyone will have to deal with my sunny personality," I quipped.
She refused to let up, and went on to attempt to convince me to see if my "friend" who had escorted me to work would be willing to engage in a "friends with benefits" arrangement.
Fortunately before I had time to get any more frustrated with her than I already was, Emmett showed up and dismissed her so he could talk to me.
"What's up?" I asked as he sat on the corner of my desk and fiddled with a paper weight he had picked up.
"Have you gotten the copies of the sign in log from the prison?"
"No, I was going to ask you the same thing."
"I figured if you had you would have said something. I called them this morning and they said they had been sent out the same day we requested them," he explained.
"That's odd they should have been here by now. Do you think someone intercepted them?"
"That's precisely what I was thinking myself. So if they were, it'd probably be a waste of our time to submit a second request. I'm thinking the best option is to go take a look at them ourselves. You up for that?" he asked.
"Sure. When were you thinking?"
"Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Does that work for you?"
"Yeah. Oh by the way, I got some info on Reynolds' brother."
"Whatcha got?" he asked while getting up off my desk and sitting in the chair in front of it.
"According to what I've found, his name is Jared and he's a mailman down in Olympia. I also found out he has been named executor of Reynolds' estate and stands to inherit most of his assets once he's been executed."
"You think he's a possible suspect for delivering the apples?" Emmett asked.
"Well his occupation certainly would make him suspicious, but if it is him there still has to be someone else. Someone here in the bureau who fed him my whereabouts and home address. There's no way he could be acting alone. I'm thinking if it is him, he is just the delivery guy. I'm waiting on a background check to come back on him as well as running his name to see if he has ever been issued a passport. I hope to have them both back this afternoon."
"Let me know what you find. We can make a run down to Olympia and question him as soon as you get the info."
Changing the subject I asked, "How's Rose?"
"She's good. A little pissed that you haven't called or come by the house since you've been back."
I raised an eyebrow at him to let him know I was still upset. He knew our current situation prevented me from doing so. "Tell her I'm sorry. I've meant to call her but things have been so crazy and well…you know it's not like I can just come and go as I please right now."
"She knows. I've told her what I can, which isn't much, but she'll get over it. So how are things with you and Cullen?"
"Don't want to talk about it, Emmett."
"I'll take that to mean you guys haven't talked about anything and you're still pissed."
"What part of 'I don't want to talk about it' do you not understand? I already had to deal with Jessica asking questions this morning. You of all people ought to know when I say I don't want to talk about it, I mean it," I huffed.
"Is that what she was doing in here?" he asked.
"Yes she saw him walk me up this morning and she decided to play twenty questions and then inform me that I needed to get laid."
Emmett snorted. "She might have a point, Bella."
"Go to hell, Emmett," I snapped.
"Look, you need to talk to Edward, hear what he has to say. You know I ordered him not to tell you right?"
"Yes, Emmett, I know. We talked over the weekend. He apologized and explained his reasons for his actions. I just feel… I don't know what I feel other than confused right now."
"Are you going to hold a grudge against him forever, Bella? What are you going to do if you wait too long? Have you thought about that? Is him keeping the fact that he was working for me the real reason you are pushing him away so easily? When was the last time you had a man in your life that wasn't a platonic relationship? Think about it, Bella. What if by the time you get around to letting it go, he's moved on?"
"No, I haven't. And if you think this is easy for me, you are sadly mistaken. Edward and I talked, he said to take all the time I need, that he's not going anywhere," I defended.
"Look, Bella. I'm not trying to tell you what to do or how to live your life. But even if he says that now, you can't expect him to wait forever. Sooner or later if you keep him waiting, he's going to give up and move on. Might not be next week, or even next month, or it might last until this mess with Reynolds is all cleared up. But what happens when he goes home and life goes back to normal and he's not spending as much time with you? Just think about it," he advised.
"I appreciate what you're trying to do, Emmett. And I get what you're saying. I'm just confused and I need to sort some things out in my head. Maybe in my heart too. Ok?"
"Ok. Well I am going to go set up the time for us to go check out those sign in logs next week at the prison. Let me know if you get that shit back on Reynolds' brother."
"I will," I told him, although at the moment, James Reynolds was the furthest thing from my mind.
Emmett's words were swirling in my head. I had never considered the possibility that I might lose Edward if I took too long to either cut ties completely or to move forward and fix things between us. I had been prepared for the possibility of not having him in my life if he had been the one helping Reynolds and that hurt bad enough. How would I feel if it were my fault, if I waited too long and lost him because of my own insecurities? Emmett did have a point about me keeping myself distanced from everyone. Right now that even included him. But how long would I be able to continue to do so before there was no one left?
"Uggghhh," I groaned wishing it were so much easier for me to trust Edward. Trust myself.
The rest of the morning went by fairly uneventful. I passed the time combing through everything in Reynolds' file. I also started a list of suspects within the office. Seth, Emmett and I were having a meeting tomorrow morning to go over everyone's personal files.
On my list was everyone's names. I tried to piece together any sort of link or connection they might have to Reynolds and what reason they could possibly have for working with him. So far I hadn't been able to come up with anything concrete. Money, blackmail and revenge were the usual reasons someone would align themselves with a criminal such as Reynolds.
As I continued with the list, it dawned on me that Jacob Black hadn't been in the office since I had returned; it had been over a week. Not that I missed his arrogant ass, but it struck me as odd. I made a mental to ask Emmett or Seth about it. I also recalled at one time or another being told that Seth and Jacob were cousins or something like that. If they were related, would he betray his own relative as well as his boss?
In the past I had always tried to stay as far away from Jake as I could. It seemed any time he was anywhere near me he was hitting on me or begging me to date him, which I constantly turned him down. His advances in the elevator the day I left had been the most aggressive he had ever been. But of course we had also been completely alone at that time too. I was going to have to bite the bullet and pay much closer attention to Mr. Black now.
Then there was Jessica who was a nosy busy body. She did her job well, but she was always a little too deep into everyone's personal business. Was it just an innocent habit or was she digging for info. She had been hovering around me more than she normally would since I had come back. I knew that she and Lauren had been trying to adopt a child, so could money be a motivating factor for her?
Tyler was one of those straight and narrow guys. Followed the rules to a 'T' and refused to bend them even the slightest. This made him pretty unlikely to be the leak, but then again it was often the ones that you least expected it to be.
Sam was the office techy nerdy guy. Not to say he looked like a nerd, but was into all the latest advances in technology and that sort of thing. He had only been here for a little more than a year. He had transferred from the office in Dallas. Apparently his three year old daughter needed medical care from a specialist that was located here. I had never worked a case with him so I hadn't had much contact with him. I just knew the basics, which was he was married, his wife's name was Leah and they had three kids. So the big question with him wouldn't be if he could hack into the bureau's system and find out my location, but could he do it without being picked up by the bureau's backup security systems? The other question would be did he need money for his daughter's medical treatments? I would say yes to both being possibilities. I wasn't condemning him as the guilty one, but as of right now he stood out as the one with the most to gain besides Jessica.
The only other remaining members of our office were Seth, Emmett and myself. Emmett I trusted implicitly. I was aware that Emmett had determined Seth to be the easiest for him to get cleared and had urged the higher ups to do so as quickly as possible knowing he wouldn't be able to handle the case alone. However it still didn't stop me from wanting to look at everyone from every angle.
The only reason I could come up with for Seth being a possible suspect would be that he was supposed to have originally headed up this investigation while I was gone. But as soon as an internal leak was suspected it was placed in Emmett's hands and according to Emmett Sam and Jake were also immediately removed from the case. Which meant one of two things. If the accomplice was either Jake or Sam, they had already gained the information they needed to locate me or they continued digging once they were taken off the case until they found what they were looking for.
However, Seth had never shown any signs of disrespect towards Emmett, nor had he ever acted as though he was one to hold a grudge, especially when the reason the case was handed to Emmett was because it was procedure to do so since it was an internal investigation and had to be handled by the commanding agent in the office. It was in no way a reflection on his ability to handle the case. And even if Seth or Sam and Jake for that matter, had any hard feelings about not being in command or being removed entirely from the case, it is hardly enough reason to hand over information that would put the life of a fellow agent on the line.
The only differences would be that Seth would be completely aware of why the case was being handed over to Emmett. Jake and Sam would simply be told new developments in the case called for the changes and in order to keep the integrity of the investigation from being compromised they couldn't be told why. They would accept that a being part of the job. It wouldn't be taken personally. There would have to be a much deeper, more sinister reason for whoever it was that was helping Reynolds.
I knew that Seth and Emmett would have their own observations and ideas to add to mine, so I printed a copy of what I had for each of them to look over and add what they thought would be helpful.
As I walked up front to retrieve the documents from the printer, I was shocked to see Jake talking with Jessica in the break room. I had no idea he was back and the conversation looked pretty intense as did the expressions on their faces. But because the door was shut I couldn't get a feel on any emotions emanating from either of them without going in there. I hesitated, trying to decide if I should or not. Chances were whatever they were discussing they would probably end the conversation as soon as I entered the room. I procrastinated too long and my choice was made for me when Jessica spotted me in the hall and waved for me to come in. I was instantly hit with a plethora of varying emotions; anger, sadness, regret, nervousness, as well as a few others.
What really piqued my interest though, was why these two were having a conversation that would involve such intense emotions. If they had been romantically involved I could see it. But they were so far from that sort of involvement it didn't make sense. That is unless Jess was thinking of switching teams, which I didn't see happening. Although her gaze did linger on Edward for quite a while this morning.
"Where were you off to?" Jessica asked.
"I was on my way to the printer. Why, what are you guys up to?"
"Oh we were just commiserating with one another," she explained. But I knew instantly she was lying. Or at the very least not telling me the whole truth.
"So, Swan, how does it feel to be back?" Jacob asked with a cocky grin on his face.
"It's great actually," I replied, not willing to give either of them even the tiniest bit of information.
"Well you certainly don't look so great. You'd think you would at least come back looking well rested and full of energy, but you look tired and run down," he chided.
"Geez, Jake, way to make her feel like shit," Jessica chastised as she smacked him on the arm. Something about their coziness didn't sit right with me.
"Don't worry about it, Jess. I'm used to him being a jackass. Why would he behave any differently now? So what were you two discussing, it looked pretty intense?" It was no secret in the office that I had a very strong dislike of Jacob. We got along like oil and water and that was when he wasn't being a jerk.
He tried to hide it but I caught the look that they sent each other. It was one of those looks that silently said 'don't say anything'. They were hiding something and not doing a very good job of it. I saw him just barely shake his head telling her no again.
Jess took a drink of the soda she had in her hand and motioned for me to sit down, while Jake moved across the room and pulled whatever he was eating for lunch out of the microwave.
I explained I was waiting for important information and needed to get back to my desk, so I asked her to walk up to the printer with me and fill me in. I was anxious to get the info, but in reality I wanted to get to the printer before anyone in the office got a chance to see my notes on them. I didn't know if what she was about to tell me would be what they were talking about, but one thing was certain whatever she said, I'd know if she was lying.
As we made our way up to the front office, she filled me in on how Lauren had undergone in-vitro and it had failed. About how it was so expensive and because of that they were torn over whether to attempt the procedure again or to move forward with applying to become adoptive parents. I told her how sorry I was and offered to lend her an ear if she needed to talk. I hadn't detected anything she had said to me as untruthful and I was sincere in my offer to be there if she needed someone to talk to. There was always the chance if she confided in me you never knew what little tidbit of information might slip out.
Once I was back at my desk I saw I had gotten an email with the information on Reynolds' brother. I looked it over and then called Emmett and asked him if he would get Seth and then come to my office.
"So what'd ya find out, Swan?" Seth inquired as he sat directly across from my desk.
"Well first I don't know if Emmett has filled you in but Reynolds' brother, Jared Reynolds lives down in Olympia. He's a mail carrier so he would have the ability to send packages as well as possibly get address information on just about anyone he wanted. The passport scan I ran is negative. He's never been issued one so if he left the country it was under an assumed name.
Reynolds also has a sister who is a stay at home mom and appears to be squeaky clean. Oh and I also discovered that both his brother and his sister are half siblings. His father must have remarried at some point, given the common last name of him and his brother."
"Ok, so let's assume he's innocent, or that he at least wasn't who did the delivery in Italy. That doesn't mean he hasn't been the one to arrange the local deliveries," Emmett proposed.
"True," Seth added.
"But someone did, so if he didn't then who? Emmett asked.
"There's an easy way to find out," I told them.
"How?" Emmett wanted to know.
"We pay him a visit. Odds are nearly one hundred percent in our favor that all I have to do is ask him if he delivered the apples and I'll know if he's lying or not."
"Then let's go," Seth encouraged us.
Three and a half hours later, we were back in Seattle and back in my office discussing what we had learned.
"So we can scratch the brother off the list," Emmett sighed in frustration.
James' brother had passed with flying colors. Jared Reynolds had been slightly nervous at times, but frankly who wouldn't be if the FBI showed up on their doorstep to question them. Other than that he had been calm and answered every question we asked of him without hesitation. He said he didn't know anything about the apples and seemed to be truly sorry for the turmoil his half-brother was causing me. He claimed to know only what he had heard in the news coverage and read in the papers about his brother's case. And he was telling the truth. There was no doubt in my mind of it.
"But we are still going to keep tabs on him right?" I asked and then added, "He might be innocent now, but his occupation allows him liberties that others wouldn't have. Plus there is no telling if James would try to use him in the future."
"Yes. Everyone connected to him needs to be monitored," Seth told us.
We talked a little more about my ideas on the other agents in our office. Seth snorted and laughed when he saw what I had to say about him. But he understood that I was only doing my job.
After they left, there wasn't much time before Edward was due to be here.
I was going over my notes from the meeting with Jared Reynolds as well as the info in his brother's file about him and their other family members when there was a soft knock on my office door. I knew that Seth and Emmett had left the door open when they left so I didn't bother looking up, figuring whoever it was would just come in.
"You know, you're gorgeous sitting there all deep in thought with your hair tucked behind your ear. It's quite sexy," Edward cooed as he walked into my office.
"You're such a charmer, Mr. Cullen," I replied with a smile I was unable to hold back. "I'll be ready to go in just a minute."
"That's fine. Um, I need to go back by my office for a few when we leave here. I hope that's ok?"
"Um… yeah that's fine," I said as I let out a frustrated sighed.
"Bella I—"
"No. It's ok. I didn't mean that towards you. I'm sorry. I've just had a frustrating day and I was looking forward to going home and soaking in my tub with a glass of wine," I explained as I grabbed the rest of my stuff to take home with me.
"I'd be happy to wash your back for ya." And there was that damn crooked smile of his again. Damn he was sexy and he knew it too.
I snorted. "In your dreams."
"No, I prefer the real thing," he teased, while winking at me.
"Edward, behave."
"Ok. But if you want to talk about your day, I'm here for you," he offered sincerely.
"Thank you. Not now, maybe later. So why do we have to go back to your work?" I asked as we left my office and made our way down the hall.
"Jasper and I need to finish up some plans for an alarm system that needs to be installed into an extremely large home. The customer is being annoyingly picky on where and how they want things installed, so we are running into a few issues that we need to iron out."
I nodded in understanding and we made our way down to his car after stopping by Emmett's office quickly and letting him know I was leaving.
As we drove to Edward's work, I had to admit that I loved his car. It was pretty awesome as far as cars went. The paint colors, the chrome wheels, everything from the two tone leather seats, to the man that was driving it. It was next to impossible not to notice how damn sexy he looked driving it. It was silly how something so simple as driving could make a man look sexy, but he did. Watching the small twitches and movements of his muscles and facial features as he shifted the gears was almost mesmerizing.
Realizing I was staring at him again, I turned my head and tried to keep my gaze focused on what was outside the car, not in it. He had busted me this morning and I didn't want him to do it again.
I was pulled from my thoughts when he started talking. "So you never answered my question this morning. Remember I asked you about going to my sister's wedding with me? Our conversation got a bit sidetracked earlier and it's coming up soon so I need to know."
"Ok. When is it?"
"The wedding is in a couple of weeks. On the twenty-fourth to be exact and I would love for you to be my date for the wedding. I would very much like for you to go with me."
"Do I really get a choice with all this security detail business? And what about your sister and your family, how will they feel about me being there? Aren't you the best man? Isn't it a bit late to be adding to the guest list and—"
"Woah, slow down for a second, Sweetness. One question at a time," he chuckled.
"Oh, sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry for," he said as he reached over and squeezed my hand. The moment his hand was gone from mine, I instantly missed his touch.
"To answer your first question, yes you have a choice. I've spoken to Emmett and he has said that he and his wife are not doing anything that weekend and they would be glad to stay with you or have you over to their house," he explained.
"Ok. But what about your family and so on?"
"My sister is the one who suggested I ask you to come with me. And I am sure by now my parents have heard everything I have told her about you, which means my parents are probably dying to meet you. Alice is very much a social butterfly and that's putting it mildly. She loves to know everything about everyone and she loves to share what she knows. It's near impossible for her to keep a secret."
"So you are asking me because you sister told you to?"
"Yes… no… what I mean is, yes she suggested it. But even when we were in Capri, I had thought about asking you to go with me. It's a weekend trip though. She's getting married in Vancouver. I had planned to ask you. I thought you might enjoy a weekend away with me. I know things are… different right now, so you don't have to feel obligated to go, but I would love to have you there with me."
"I don't know." Part of me wanted to go and a part of me was worried what his parents would think of how we met; it felt a little weird.
"Would you at least think about it?" he asked.
"Yes."
We arrived at his work, he parked the car and we made our way inside.
Edward led me upstairs to his office and gave me the remote to the TV he had in there, pointed out a few magazines on a nearby table and said he'd try to hurry.
I had been flipping through the channels looking for something to watch when there was a soft knock on the door. I turned around and saw a petite raven haired woman standing by the door. I was taken aback by how beautiful she was.
"If you're looking for Edward I think he's in the next office with his partner," I told her, wondering who she was. Was she a client, an old girlfriend? I had no clue, but I was very curious to find out.
"Actually I was on my way to see Jasper," she explained as she walked towards to me. "I'm Alice, Edward's sister. Are you by chance Bella?"
"Yes, I'm Bella, it's nice to meet you," I said as I stood and held my hand out to shake hers. But instead of shaking my hand she pulled me into a hug.
"You must be waiting for Edward."
"Yeah, he had some work to finish up with Jasper. Picky client I think he said."
"Do you mind if I wait here with you? Jasper and I are going out to dinner."
"No not at all."
I sat back down in the chair I had been in before and Alice sat in the matching one next to me. We began chatting about every day events and it wasn't long before she had changed topics and was filling me in on all the details about her wedding. She was stuck in overdrive describing every detail of the event when she all of a sudden stopped and looked at me with a slightly perplexed expression on her face.
"What?" I asked slightly confused by the way she was looking at me.
"Oh, I was just wondering if Edward invited you to the wedding. I was trying to decide whether or not I should say anything in case he hadn't asked you yet."
"Yeah he did. Just today actually."
"Oh good, you're going to come with him right?' she asked giving me a sad puppy dog kind of pout, very similar to the one I had seen Edward use when trying to get his way on something. As I looked at her and tried not to laugh at her pout, I noticed she had the same exact shade of green eyes as Edward did.
"I haven't decided yet," I told her.
"What!" she exclaimed. "Oh, Bella, you have to come. Edward will have a much better time with you there. Besides I thought for sure you'd say yes, so I've already added you to the guest list."
"What am I supposed to do all night? Edward is the best man so won't he be stuck at the table with the wedding party all night?" I asked, because it really was a big concern of mine. Would I be sitting by myself all night or with a bunch of strangers? I'm sure they would all be wonderfully nice people, but I would still feel very much out of place.
"Yes he is the best man and has some official duties he has to perform, but because everyone in the wedding party is either married or has a significant other, Jasper and I have chosen to do things a bit differently."
"How so?" I inquired.
"Instead of having the wedding party at the front table as most people do, we've decided to have one small table in the center for Jasper and I. Then the other tables will be arranged so that the wedding party and their dates will be on one side of us, while our parents and grandparents will be on the other. This way we have those who mean the most to us the closest to us."
"That's very nice of you to do that for your wedding party. Most people only think about what they want on their wedding day."
"It is, but our reason is really simple. We want everyone to have a wonderful time as they celebrate with us and we were worried it might get a bit weird for Edward and Chelsea if they had to sit next to each other all night given their past history."
"What do you mean history? Who is Chelsea?" I asked, suddenly wondering if I shouldn't have, or if I really wanted the answer. But the minute Alice said that maybe she shouldn't tell me, I was past the point of being worried what it was. My curiosity was getting the better of me and I wanted to know. So I encouraged her to tell me.
"Chelsea is Edward's ex-girlfriend," she informed me and then continued, "Things didn't end well with them. They were together for quite a while, about a year and a half I think it was. She was ready to settle down and get married and he wasn't."
"So they broke up?"
"Yeah, she broke up with him. She's one of my best friends and I love her, but she really made me mad then. She thought if she broke up with him, he'd miss her and come to his senses and propose to her," Alice said with a hint of frustration in her voice. Not only was it in her voice, but I could feel how it hurt her, because of what her friend did to her brother.
"Geez, what kind of person does that. I'm sorry I know she's your friend, but really."
"I know. I was very mad at her at the time and she knew it too. I made sure of it. To her credit though, she has grown up a lot since then and is a much better person now."
"How long ago was it?"
"It's been a couple of years. She was the last serious girlfriend Edward had. He's dated a few girls here and there. Jasper and I have tried to fix him up a couple of times. But there's been no one that lasted for longer than a few casual dates. Well until you that is," she confessed and judging by the look on her face she was watching to see what kind of reaction I would have to that kind of information.
It made me wonder if Edward had told her about my gift. She hadn't lied about anything she had said so far, so I would surmise that either he had and she knew that she couldn't lie to me, or she was being completely honest with me. One thing I could tell almost immediately; Alice Cullen could be very manipulative. Not necessarily in a bad way, just that she was very capable of charming people into getting her way. Hmm the Cullen charm must be a hereditary trait.
I could also see that Edward hadn't been exaggerating when he said his sister liked to know everything about everyone and talk about it. She had been talking nonstop since she got here, making me think that it must be exhausting to be around her all the time. She seemed nice and all, but she was quickly on her way to talking my ear off. That bath and glass of wine was sounding better and better.
"What makes you think he's serious about me?" I asked. It was a bit awkward to talk about Edward with someone who was so close to him, but at the same time, it was an opportunity to maybe learn more about him. I was also very curious as to what he had told his sister about me. I didn't want to come right out and ask her, because I was pretty certain that anything I said to her about him would get back to him the first chance she had. But that didn't mean I couldn't let her spill whatever details she was willing to.
"Jasper says he's head over heels in love with you. But that's not all. I could see it all over his face when he talked about you. He had a sparkle in his eyes and a look of pure bliss on his face that I have never seen him have before. I have no doubt in my mind that my brother is indeed head over heels for you, Bella."
The way she talked about Edward's feelings for me was quite surprising. It was as if she was excited for him. Like this was some big new thing for him. I found it hard to believe that Edward had never had these types of feelings for another woman before. He was sweet, charming, and insanely gorgeous, not to mention caring and affectionate. The more I thought about it, I was surprised that he had been available when I met him.
My curiosity got the better of me causing me to ask her about it. "The way you talk about his feelings for me, you say it like he's never been in love before. Didn't he love this Chelsea girl, your friend?"
She had a look of surprise on her face like she was shocked that I had asked. After a moment of thought she replied, "No, Bella, he didn't. That was the problem. She was very much in love with him, and while he cared deeply for her, he knew it wasn't love, at least not the kind of forever love you have for someone you want to spend the rest of your life with."
Her words were quite shocking to me. Here she was telling me that the woman her brother had been in a relationship with for over a year, he hadn't loved. But yet he had so easily declared his feelings for me. Not just to me either, to Emmett. Why had he stayed with her so long if he didn't love her and why was it so easy for him to know that what he felt for me was love? All this new information was giving me a headache and left me hoping that Edward would be ready to go soon, or that maybe at the very least Alice was finished talking.
However, it must not have been my lucky day because Alice apparently still had more to say. "So you see, Bella, Edward would have a much better time if you were at the wedding with him. Besides you wouldn't want him to be the only one at the table without a date would you? I promise yo—"
She was cut off by Edward walking into the room and saying, "Promise her what, Mary Alice?" he had a mischievous grin on his face as he walked towards us. "Don't listen to a word she says, Bella. She's an evil little pixie who tries to pull everyone under her dark spell," he teased as he came up behind the chair I was sitting in and placed his hands on my shoulders causing me to shiver slightly.
After a few seconds he removed them and put them on the back of the chair I was sitting in. It almost felt as though he was using his sister's presence as an excuse to touch me. She obviously had no clue about the current stress in our relationship. Maybe if she did she wouldn't have spilled so much about his past girlfriends.
I looked up at him, forcing a smile and said, "She seems perfectly harmless to me. She was just filling me in on all the details of her wedding." She was far from harmless, but I could hardly say that with her sitting right next to me.
"Oh but don't you see, that's all part of the spell. She wants you to believe she's harmless," he chuckled.
"Really, Edward. That may have worked when we were kids. He's the one you need to watch out for, Bella. He'll steal your heart and never give it back," Alice scolded her brother playfully as she got up and made her way around the back of the chair to give him a hug.
She had no idea how true her words were. He had stolen my heart. But I wasn't so sure that I wanted it back.
As I watched them, it was obvious how close they were and how much they cared about each other, even if they were on completely opposite ends of the personality chart. Their closeness reminded me of my relationship with my brother Alec. It would be good to see him this weekend.
As Edward and Alice separated from their hug Alice asked, "Where's Jasper?"
"He'll be out in a few minutes. We figured as soon as you saw Bella in here that this is where you'd be," he said teasing her again. "He tells me you guys are going to the Space Needle for dinner?" he asked walking around to the other side of his desk, where he sat down and began shutting down his computer.
"Yes. Chelsea and Brad are meeting us there. Do you and Bella want to join us?"
Edward's head snapped up in her direction so fast you'd think he'd have a case of whiplash from it. He glared at her and in a deep voice I'd never heard him use before he said, "No."
As I looked back and forth between the two, I could tell by the expression on Alice's face and the wave of guilt I felt coming off her that she felt bad for antagonizing her brother and she wouldn't be pushing the subject.
"I'm sorry," Alice murmured softly to her brother as she sat back down in the chair.
"It's ok," Edward returned and then went back to what he was doing.
A few minutes later, Jasper entered Edward's office. After a quick introduction to Jasper, we all left.
Later as I sat in my bathtub, my talk with Alice kept playing in my mind. Specifically the part about her friend Chelsea being Edward's ex. Images of them dancing together at a wedding, and sitting next to each other were filling my head and I didn't like how it was making me feel. What I liked even less was the knowledge that if Edward had been with this girl for close to two years, he most likely had had sex with her. The thought of any other woman touching him shot through me like a bullet.
It was official; for the first time in my life I was jealous. I had never had a relationship get serious enough or last long enough to have it happen before and I didn't like it. Edward was mine. He had told me he was. All I had to do was reach out and take him. So what was I waiting for?
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Got any theories as to who our accomplice might be? I'd love to hear them. Thanks so much for reading, the teaser for chapter eleven will be posted on my blog by Monday morning. There is now also the option to sign up and get them through email alert. Have a great weekend. EA~