Chapter 10

I'm pushing down the brightly lit hallway, practically running to get to Calculus before the final bell. I find a temporarily open lane against the wall, and I flatten myself against the metallic orange lockers as I shimmy my body sideways toward the room. With great relief, I turn the knob just as the bell rings. Panting heavily with the effort of arriving on time, I shove the door inward. I am pinned in place by the sight of Ms. Woodward. She stands at the front of the room, glaring at me, arms crossed, dripping with disappointment.

Today's Especially-Designed-to-Torture-Edward outfit consists of a blue silk blouse unbuttoned to the intersection of Are-You–Shitting-Me and I'm-So-Fucked, paired with too-tight, too-low, too-skinny black pants, which disappear into a pair of black suede boots with a 5-inch heel just for extra chuckles. I drop my head and shuffle toward my seat at the back, where I hope to wallow in pity and lust in private.

"Sit here today, Edward." She is pointing to the desk that no one wants, front and center, nowhere to escape.

I quickly slouch into the chair and pull out my notebook and pen. My classmates are deathly silent.

"As I was saying, we've been reviewing derivatives for a week now, and I'm about to pass out an in-class assignment. I need to make sure everyone has a complete grasp of the topic before we move on. Please show all your work, and if you have a question, you may raise your hand and I'll come around to help. I'd really like everyone to leave here with a fully completed paper. When you finish, you are free to turn in your paper and leave."

She begins passing out the papers, delivering a pile to the front of each row for distribution. When she reaches my row, she hands the papers to the person behind me, then continues to hand out all the rest. After everyone has gotten started, she comes up behind me and towers over my desk. When I chance a look up to see what's going on, she crouches down, holding one hand on my back and sliding the paper into my chest with the other. I can't help but notice that my arm, through no fault of its own, is having itself a most wonderful time rubbing against her chest, which is now exactly even with my eyeballs. She leans forward just enough to give me a fantastic view down her blouse and whispers breathily into my ear, "Let me know if you need help with that." She drops her eyes to my lap, where I have sprouted an epic boner in what I would proudly consider to be record time. As she pulls away, she gives me a lascivious wink.

I am more than a little confused, and fairly certain that my brain is not going to be functioning on calculus in the near future. She rounds the edge of her own desk, bouncing her tiny rear end tantalizingly in front of me, and settles herself into her desk chair, facing me not two feet away. She returns my idiotic blank stare with a beautiful smile that could be misinterpreted as innocent if you didn't know what she'd just done to me.

She gives me a little reminder to get started on my work, gesturing to my paper. I shake myself from the reverie and force my attention down to the desk. I cannot believe my eyes! Written in the most beautiful handwriting is an unmistakable message:

Edward,

In five minutes, return this paper to me, face down. Take your belongings and leave the classroom. Wait for me in the supply closet next door.

Without lifting my head, I raise my eyes to hers. She is scanning the classroom, looking for students who might need help, studiously ignoring me. Okay, Ms. Woodward, I will play it your way. I take a quick glance at my watch and note the time. I have five minutes to kill in the most delicious state of limbo of my life. Pinning my eyes to the paper, I can feel her eyes roaming the room, and I know the instant they land on me. I slide my tongue out and slowly pass it across my lower lip. I can't help the smile that crosses my lips, knowing that she will soon be crushed into the closet with me, satisfying my burning need. I lift my eyes and catch her staring. Gotcha! She looks quickly away. One of the morons in the back raises his hand and she's out of her seat.

Time's up, Edward. I turn in my sheet face down, per her request, vaguely wondering how she will grade my paper. I grab my backpack and walk to the door without a backward glance. As I turn the knob, I muse that I am about to have my dreams come true. I pull the door towards me and walk into the hallway.

Suddenly, the scenery shifts around me. Metal lockers have been replaced with memo boards and flowery name cards. I'm picking up Tanya at Sheldon Court for our first date.

She answers the door in a pair of tight designer jeans and a soft cashmere sweater that practically screams, 'Play your cards right, and you're going to be enjoying what's inside here.'

"Hi, Edward. Come on in. I'll be ready in one sec." She's over at the mirror with a dizzying array of lip glosses and somehow manages to pick the one that makes her lips look like two ripe cherries just dying to get plucked. I feel like a creep for watching her apply her gloss, so I move my eyes across the room.

Her roommate Lisa eyes me jealously from her bed. She's not jealous of Tanya, she's jealous of me. I'm taking away her fun for the night, and she's not even pretending to be nice about it. I give her a chin nod and say, "Hey, Lisa. How's it going?" She grunts at me, then grabs her Statistics book off the desk.

I redirect my full attention back to Tanya. She's grabbed a small purse from the closet and now she's throwing in her phone, her key, and a credit card. I guess she doesn't know I'm buying.

I can't believe I've been here for two years and only just noticed this gorgeous blonde creature. We met last week in Hospitality Accounting. She made quite the entrance, arriving ten minutes late and proceeding to spill her coffee all over the front of some dumb shmuck in her rush to sit down. Yeah, I was the lucky son of a bitch who ended up under the coffee. I had skillfully parlayed the incident into a date, and here we are.

She skips over to me and says, "Okay, I'm ready! See ya, Lis," and we're on our way.

Once we get outside, I ask her, "How do you feel about pizza? I thought we'd go to the Nines."

"Sure, I guess I can find something to spill on you there." I immediately love her easy sense of humor.

"So, how have we not met before?" I ask her.

"I spend a lot of time in the library," she admits. "And also? I had this crazy possessive boyfriend last year, and we hardly ever left his dorm except for classes." And apparently, she's not afraid of honesty.

"And where's this crazy guy now?" I ask, not that this is normally something I would be asking so soon, but she brought him up.

"Oh," she says breezily. "He got kicked out. He beat up some guy who was helping me with my Law homework."

"Wow. Just for helping you with your homework?"

"Well, to be fair, we weren't really studying law, and we didn't really have any clothes on." And she likes to have a good time.

"I think I get the picture. So, where'd you say this guy is now?"

She giggles and bumps my shoulder with hers. "Don't worry, Edward. He lives in Ohio."

"And what about your study partner?"

"Penn Law."

"Anybody else I should know about before I kiss you?" I have no idea what has come over me. I have never been this forward before, but I feel an overwhelming urge to kiss her.

She stops walking and turns to me. "Nope."

I'm thrilled to see that my boldness is paying off. With all the excitement that comes with starting something brand new, I lean over and give her a nice, soft kiss. I just want to taste her, and I want to give her a little preview of what I'm all about, as well.

She's delicious.

"If it's okay with you, I'm going to need to do that again," I tell her/ask her.

She smiles brightly, "I guess I'm okay with that."

This time, I take more of what she's offering me. I pull her head towards me and get the final okay from her eyes. They say, 'Come on, already,' so I cover her mouth with mine and I feel her juicy lips open up to meet mine. When I give my tongue the go-ahead, it very politely steps over and introduces itself to hers. They play nicely together, neither fighting for dominance over the other, just two tongues enjoying a little meet and greet.

Before you know it, we're making a complete spectacle of ourselves here in the middle of the walk, breathing heavily, coming up for air only when absolutely necessary, and regripping tighter each time. Other body parts are now looking to get in on the action. Soon, my arms are around her waist, pulling her whole body flush against mine. And I'm thinking to myself, "Jesus, Edward, this is a damn fine first date!"

Then I feel her leg lift up and curl around me to pull me even tighter to her. Very soon, I'm thinking, "Jesus, Edward, if you two don't stop this right now, there's a really good chance that you're going to come in your pants right here!"

This is a sobering thought. I break away from her and nervously rub my hands through my hair. "Uh, that was fun…" I start. I really hope I don't sound like an asshole here.

She makes it so easy for me. She bursts out in laughter and says, "How about buying me a slice of pizza first, Romeo!"

I give her an apologetic grin and nod. "Let's go." We reach the door of the restaurant and I hold it open for her. Tanya walks in and I step in behind her.

The door closes behind me, and I hear the warm tinkling music of a harp. The lights are dim, but I can make out that I'm in Treatment Room 3. The room is completely empty except for the massage table in the middle of the room. I can see that there's a girl lying on her back, long brown hair splayed wildly all around her face. I can see her long, muscular legs stretched along the table, and I trace the lines of her legs with my eyes, starting with her feet and following all the way up to where they disappear under the sheet covering her midsection. She is looking out at me from behind her soft brown eyes, and I recognize that it's Bella.

She smiles at me and says, "I'm ready, Edward."

I walk to the table and stand next to her. I try to speak, but the word cannot travel past the huge lump in my throat. It's a whisper, "Ready?"

She takes the bottle of warm oil that has suddenly appeared in her hand and begins streaming a line of liquid from her neck down to where the sheet is covering her breasts.

I stand there dumbly.

She takes my hand in hers and places it on top of the oil. She closes her eyes, and I can think again. But just barely.

I bring my other hand to her chest and get to work. I use gentle motions to rub one hand down from her neck to the sheet, following it with the other. I work my way all across her top this way. I place my hand on her shoulder signaling that I've finished. I wait for further instructions. Clearly, she's in charge of this session.

Bella's eyes open and she captures my green eyes in hers. I lift my hand and step back to see where the magic oil will appear next. With her eyes firmly latched onto mine, she pulls the sheet down, farther and farther, until it rests just below her hipbones. She releases my eyes, and I move them over her body, taking in the most mouthwatering mounds of creamy deliciousness I've ever had the pleasure to see.

She raises the bottle and squirts a drop on her right nipple, which stretches up beautifully to catch the oil. She repeats the motion on the other side, her left nipple equally as happy to receive the kiss of the warm oil.

The harp music is doing nothing to calm my heart rate. Up to this point, I've only imagined the perfection of Bella's breasts, and here they are in the flesh, winking at me, inviting me to touch. I know my flimsy pants are doing nothing to hide my eagerness from her.

Bella completes her design with a curved line of oil starting just below her right breast, crossing over her belly button, and back up to the other breast. She gives me a devilish smile, and I realize she's drawn a totally perverted version of a smiley face!

She sets the bottle down and relaxes into position again. Once again, I am completely unable to move. She takes my hand in hers and guides it to her flat belly.

I find my voice, "Bella, I can't do this. I'm sor-"

But she holds firmly onto my hand, starting it in motion. "Just let your hands feel what I need." She continues pulling my hand across her stomach until I've regained control of my muscle functions. With a soft smile, she lets go and closes her eyes.

I bring my second hand to the party now, and concentrate all my effort into listening to her body. The stomach is a pretty complicated body part to hear, because there are all kinds of things going on in there. As I focus myself on what I feel inside her, I relax into the massage again.

When I've worked her stomach for about five minutes past when we both knew I'd really finished, it is time to face the music. Or should I say the mountains?

They stare at me with their eyeballs of oil. I've stopped moving my hands now, so those nipples know they're next. There's no Instruction Manual for these anywhere in the spa. I have to go on instinct. Deciding it's safer to start with one at a time, I lower my right forefinger onto her left nipple.

Bella releases a puff of air and I sense her tensing under me. I circle slowly, drawing the oil around in increasingly larger circles around her nipple, covering her areola, then reaching the silky pillows of her breast. She is trying to hold still, but I can sense her body reaching up to my hand as I place my left forefinger on her other nipple and repeat the motion.

I pause briefly to gather my wits. The nipples are waiting patiently for me, standing at attention on top of two mountains of goose bumps. It's cruel to make her wait, and I'm not trying to be cruel. Each hand is poised above its corresponding breast, and I'm working up the nerve, slowly lowering them, inch by inch, when I hear her breathe out, "Edward, PLEASE!"

Snapped out of my reverie by the familiar voice, I found myself poised over Tanya's bare breasts. I was lying naked on top of the sheet that was pulled down below her navel. I felt her hands squeezing my ass. Shaking my addled brain free of the crazy dream, I was delighted to discover that I was about to have some very enthusiastic help with my morning wood. Figuring that at least one-third of my hard-on was due to my delicious memory of our first date, my guilt subsided to a manageable level.

Taking one breast in each hand, I fully enjoyed pinching, teasing, and squeezing them to the tune of her little moans of pleasure. Tanya wasn't much for morning breath, so I kissed behind her ear instead, breaking away to reach a condom from my nightstand. While I was busy, she shifted herself so that her back was to my chest, our favorite morning position.

As I took her from behind, I sent my thoughts back to our glorious first date.

"So, would it be too forward of me to invite you back to my room on our first date?"

"That depends…do you have a roommate?"

A wide smile crosses my face. "No."

"Get the check, Edward."

I pull her out the restaurant door. We're half-running to Rose House, which is mercifully not far away. I shake out my key and my student ID to get us into the building. We push through the turnstile, the security guard shaking her head at our eager display. Tanya's pressing against my back, making me want to move forward even quicker, but at the same time, hanging back is also an intriguing option. We stumble up the stairs to the third floor and I'm completely out of breath when we arrive at my room.

Whatever breath I do have left is sucked into Tanya's mouth as she presses me against the door and places her lips all over mine. My brain is screaming, 'Get inside'; my dick is screaming, 'Hurry up'; and my hand with the key is yelling back, 'Hold on, you two!' Miraculously, I am able to engage the key in the lock and open the door. It's not hard to find the bed- aside from the desk, it's the only thing in the room. Ripping clothes off ourselves and each other, we are soon rolling around in our underwear on top of the blankets.

With a warm, bubbly laugh, Tanya pushes on my chest to break us apart. We are both panting like overheated dogs on a hot summer day. She is beautifully mussed up from our romp, and I pause to really take her in. I notice right away that she's not wearing the standard issue cotton thong and push up bra, and I can't wait to see what is hiding under the silky lingerie.

"So…," she starts.

"So…," I answer.

"I like you, Edward."

"Yeah, I got that," I answer.

She gives me a little punch in shoulder. "Hey!"

I give her a more serious look and tucking her blonde hair back behind her ear, I tell her, "God, you're so beautiful."

She runs her hand across my chest and up through my crazy bed hair. "Right back atcha."

"So?" I remind her of the conversation she'd started.

"I don't normally carry a condom on a first date…"

"So are you saying that's a dilemma you'd like me to resolve?"

Suddenly, she looks shy. And it's the first time I've seen this particular emotion cross her face. "Well, if you want… I mean, I…"

I answer her with a deep kiss and send in my tongue to seal the deal. I have no trouble reaching the condoms in my nightstand. In fact, I can reach just about everything in my room without getting up from the bed. I have to break open a new box; being September and all, the year's just getting started. And from what I can see so far, it's going to be one hell of a year!

"So," I say again, holding the condom up where she can see it.

She smiles and sits up on the bed. "What would I find if I were to pull down this blanket?"

I smirk, "Tanya, please. I'm in the Hospitality School. You are going to find everything you need under these covers."

It's her turn to smirk at me. "Not if you stay on top of them," she teases, unhooking her bra with her hands, while burrowing her way under the covers with her feet.

God, I love the way this girl thinks!

I rip back the blanket and open up the sheets, inviting her in with me as I climb under. She finds my briefs and coaxes them off me. Not that I'm conflicted about removing them, just that my rock hard dick makes things challenging. I slip her silky panties down her legs and kick them to the bottom of the bed. We are both gloriously naked together under the sheets, and the pace picks up dramatically. We're exploring with hands and mouths and everything is humming along beautifully.

That's when Carlisle pops into my head. "Ladies first, Edward."

And as I ease my way down Tanya's body and place my mouth where I know she'll appreciate it most, I chuckle a bit to myself. Maybe someday, way, way, WAY the fuck down the road, if Tanya ever meets Carlisle, she can thank him for this.

Before long, she's crying out and shaking the bed and pulling my hair so hard my roots might be sore tomorrow.

As I climb up for air, she gives me a thank you kiss, hands me the condom, and turns her back to me. Just as the very unhappy thought that maybe she's going to sleep crosses my mind, she reaches back to grab me and shows me what's next. I suit up and press myself against her silky back, noticing that this is a girl who pampers herself with expensive lotions and regular trips to the salon. I reach around to grab a handful of breast as I push into her. She moans and squeezes around me, drawing me further and further in. She's not one of those girls to just lie there and tolerate the activity; she's fully engaged. She's bouncing around on me and gripping my arms tightly around her and squeezing me with some internal muscles that I've never felt before.

I'm a hot-blooded American teenage boy and she's been teasing me all night. So as I let go inside her after just a few short minutes, I am thankful that I took care of her first. And maybe in a little while, she'll let me take care of her again. Because I'll be ready again soon, and it looks like she's staying a while.

I released into Tanya with all the force of our first time. She pulled my arm around her tighter and sighed contentedly. "Morning, Edward."

I answered her with a friendly post-coital thrust.

"So are you going to show me the rest of this island, or what?"

"Sure. Let's grab a shower and some breakfast, and we'll head to the beach. Okay?"

"Sounds perfect."

I grabbed my swim trunks and headed down the hall to use Emmett's bathroom, grateful that he'd stayed at the girls' cabin last night. When Tanya came downstairs in her bikini, we shared some fresh fruit, granola, and yogurt. We packed up a beach bag with all the essentials, suited up in shades, flip flops, and t-shirts, and headed off for our day at the beach. It was another beautiful day on the island, and the beach was starting to fill up with the usual activity.

"Why don't we put our stuff down here and I'll show you around." I set the bag down and we took off our shoes and shirts.

"I believe you promised me some slathering?"

I lived up to my promise, generously slathering everything not covered by her bikini. There was no denying Tanya has a great body, and quite a bit of it was on display for me.

I took her hand and led her down the beach, past Tyler and on toward the cliff. We started hiking up the back trail as I explained the different levels.

"Wait, you've really never been off High Cliff?" she asked dubiously.

"No, it's just never been something I cared about."

"So what if I want to jump it?"

I stopped to look at her. She was dead serious. Competitive Tanya had come out to play.

"Well, you have to get permission from one of the guards, and then they ring the bell and basically the whole island stops to watch."

"Really? The whole island?" A broad smile took over her face. I knew right then, I had inadvertently just sealed the deal. There was no way she wasn't jumping now.

"Yep, then they make this victory tunnel for you on the beach and high five you when you come up. And, your face is forever encased on the Wall of Fame in the Rec Center."

"I'm doing it."

"Tanya, you might want to give this some serious thought. It's REALLY high up there."

"Edward, don't be silly. I was all-state high dive champion in high school."

"I know, but this is different. High Cliff is sixty feet above sea level. When you hit the water, you're going to go way under. I've heard people talk about it afterwards. It's scary, and an awful lot can go wrong."

She kissed me and said, "Come on, Babe. Let's go talk to the guard."

I'd long ago given up trying to talk Tanya out of something once her mind was made up. I followed reluctantly behind her as she hiked back down and over to Tyler's chair. He listened to her request and took in my worried expression before answering. He knew I was conflicted, but I didn't give him any clear signal to refuse her. She would have seen right through it anyways.

I watched from the beach with a growing sense of dread as Tyler evaluated her water skills. I would never forgive myself if something bad happened to her out here. After about ten minutes, Tanya turned toward me and raised her arms in victory. Behind her I could see Tyler shrugging to me apologetically. My stomach dropped out with the confirmation that this was going to happen. I plastered a fake smile on my face and allowed her to twirl me around when she reached the beach.

"I'm jumping at 3:00 this afternoon!"

Great. That gave me five more hours to worry. We returned to our spot in the sand and threw down the towels. I lay down and tried to relax. Tanya was so keyed up next to me that it was impossible to focus on my book. Finally I gave up. "Wanna go for a swim?"

"Sure," she answered, and we headed into the roped off swimming area. The water instantly calmed me. I did a few laps, with Tanya right next to me. Before long, I recognized the telltale signs of Tanya trying to outpace me. I was having a hard time slipping into the competitive spirit with her but I gave her a good race just to be polite.

Temporarily bolstered by the spurt of exercise, my spirits instantly sank again as I noticed Bella's head bobbing along in the water next to a blond pony tail. "Hey, look. Bella and James," remarked Tanya.

Fanfuckingtastic. They'd left together last night and now here they were frolicking in the water side by side. I hoped that didn't mean what I feared it might.

Tanya swam over to the pair. "Hey, guess what! I'm doing High Cliff at 3 today!"

James broke into a huge grin, "Wow, that's awesome, Tanya."

Bella stole a look at me before answering, "Yeah, good luck."

"Will you two be here to watch?"

"Of course. We're not planning on leaving the beach all day," answered James.

Best day ever.

O – o – o – O

The only distraction from my anxiety over Tanya's jump came in the form of intense irritation over James and Bella's growing coziness. Perched where we were on the beach, I had an unobstructed view of their beach blanket activities. From what I could see, he was starting to worm his way into her good graces. I tried to keep myself from watching, but like the wreck on the side of the road, I couldn't seem to ignore it.

At 2:30, Tanya kissed me and started up the cliff. I was met at Tyler's chair by Carlisle.

"Edward, is it true? Tanya's jumping High Cliff?"

"Yeah, Dad. I couldn't talk her out of it."

"Tyler, what's the plan?"

"I've got full staff on their chairs, and Edward down here on the beach as backup."

"Good man. Listen, I don't want word of this to get out, but I've got the paramedics on standby. I am not taking any unnecessary chances with this."

"Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it." He gave me a solemn nod and squeezed my shoulder in solidarity before walking off.

"Edward, I'm ringing the bell now." Tyler let rip with the bell perched over his chair.

People began congregating on the beach. I was soon joined by Emmett and Jasper, along with Rosalie and Alice.

"Edward, it's a cake walk," said Emmett. "No worries. That Tanya is one tough cookie."

"Thanks, Em. Listen, I'm going out to the water. Tyler, you blow that whistle for all your worth if you see anything."

"You got it, man."

I stepped to the front of the crowd, where I had a perfect view of the cliff. I could now see Tanya's tiny form appear on the platform.

The tunnel of greeters was formed. The whistle was blasted three times so Tanya knew the guards were ready. She raised an arm to signal that she was ready.

I took a deep breath and blew it out. I fixed my eyes on her. I heard her yell out, "Geronimo!" and she stepped decisively away from the cliff. My stomach dropped along with hers. She prepared her body gracefully for entry into the surf. She broke the surface cleanly and I automatically began counting off the seconds.

One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi, Four Mississippi, Five Mississippi.

This was the point when most swimmers would surface from that height. I searched for a head but found none.

Six Mississippi, Seven Mississippi. Why wasn't Tyler blowing the whistle? My heart rate was picking up, along with my breathing. I took my stance. I was going in two more seconds if I didn't see her surface.

Eight Mississippi, Nine Mississippi. A shock of wet, blonde hair broke up through the water. Tanya turned to the waiting crowd and waved jubilantly. She was better than fine. She was positively ecstatic.

Relief slammed into me like a Mack truck. The unused adrenaline rush made its way to the surface, and I experienced a full-body sweat. Overcome with emotion, I pushed my way back through the masses and found myself a quiet out-of-the-way spot in which to decompress. Leaning against a tree, I let the full range of emotions wash over me. Relief. Fear. Anger. Guilt. Worry. Wait, anger?

As I watched Tanya emerge from the high five tunnel, I admitted to myself that I was, indeed, feeling anger toward her. The jump was a selfish and impulsive act, and it could have had dire consequences not just for her, but for my whole family.

Maybe that's not fair, I reasoned with myself. Did I have these feelings when other people jumped? When Emmett jumped? To a large degree, I suppose I had resented their risk-taking, too.

However, this was different, and I didn't really want to peel back the layers and examine why that was. But before I could stop it, the answer had already descended upon me like a black cloud.

I felt differently about Tanya's jump because creeping over me, slowly but surely, was the feeling that Tanya didn't really belong here. She was the City Mouse visiting the Country.

Soon, Tanya would be looking for me to celebrate with her. I pulled myself together and headed toward the end of the tunnel. Much to my relief, Tanya was happily engaged with all the well-wishers and admirers, and hadn't missed me at all. I was grateful for the additional time to pull my mask together before I'd have to congratulate her. I went back to our spot on the beach and threw myself face down on my towel. I felt the tension flow out of me, and in its place came a profound exhaustion.

"Edward? Are you seriously SLEEPING?"

I roused myself and flipped over on the towel. "I guess I did doze off for a minute there," I admitted.

"Oh my God, did you even see my jump?"

"Of course, I did, T. You were fantastic," I stood up and hugged her while smiling as convincingly as I could.

She seemed satisfied. "What a rush! It was amazing! I was floating and sinking at the same time, and all of a sudden, I hit the water and I felt like I was down there forever…"

"Yeah, so did I," I confessed.

"And then I came up and all those people were cheering, and it was such a GREAT FEELING!"

"Hey, don't forget to have your picture taken for the wall before you leave tomorrow."

Just then, Bella and James stopped by, carrying all their belongings.

"Tanya, Dude, I don't know where you're hiding your mongo balls in that tiny bikini!"

"Uh, thanks I guess, James?"

Bella rolled her eyes toward Tanya. "I think that was supposed to be a compliment." She turned James and gave him a playful shove toward the path.

"So, we'll see you guys at Spruce around 6 for dinner?"

Blechh. Did she say 'we'?

"Sure, Bella. Anything I can do to help?"

"No, Edward. I got this. Just like old times," she smiled. Hardly, I thought.

"Later," called James over his shoulder.

"Okay, see you later then," Tanya answered brightly.

All of a sudden, an intimate family reunion dinner I'd been looking forward to for a week was turning into entirely something else.

O – o – o – O

At 6:20, I was drumming my fingers on the side table, trying to stay patient while Tanya "put the finishing touches" on her outfit.

"T, I told you. We're casual here. Shorts, tees, flip-flops. Don't sweat it."

"Edward, your whole family is going to be there. I want to make a good impression."

"Are you kidding? They love you!"

Thankfully, she came downstairs and said she was ready to go. "What are we taking over there?"

"Nothing. Carlisle's got the wine, and Bella's got all the food."

"Edward, that's bad manners. What is Bella going to think?"

"Bella's Bella. She's not going to think anything."

"So, can you explain this to me again? Who is Bella to you?"

Oh, honey. I could write a book on that one. Maybe even four. Make them into movies. Starring a super handsome leading man…Oh, but I digress. Let's keep things simple here.

"Bella was our nanny after my Mom died. She basically took care of us for six years."

"Why haven't I ever heard about her before? I mean, it sounds like she was a pretty big fixture in your life. It just seems weird."

"I don't know. She took care of us for a while. She left. We moved on. End of story. Mind if we walk while we talk? We're already pretty late."

"Oh, Edward. Nobody goes anywhere on time in New York."

She grabbed her purse and with one final glance in the mirror made her way out through the door I'd been holding open.