Chapter 10 – Food for Thought

"Dad. I'm fine," she insisted, cradling the phone into her shoulder and surveying the contents of the refrigerator while still holding onto the crutches. "No. Seriously. I haven't had a headache all day."

The refrigerator was nearly empty save two eggs, some shredded cheese, and the quarter of a gallon of milk left in the container. A long list of groceries was scribbled onto a notepad stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet. She had not done the shopping in over two weeks and Charlie would've rather ordered take out than set foot inside the grocery store.

With a sigh, she tried to think of a reason to get her father off the phone. "I've gotta go, Dad. Yeah. The laundry's calling me."

To her relief, her dad finally took the hint, and happily she told him goodbye and hung up the phone. He had ordered pizza for her, which was not the healthiest of meals, and after having it three times this week, she felt above and beyond her pizza leftover limit. But, she knew better than to argue with him. Charlie was a creature of habit, and since she was limited with her duties, he was only trying to be helpful…the only way he knew how. She hobbled to the drawer in the coffee table and pulled out a twenty to pay the driver.

Bella's mood had grown bitterer as the day progressed. She felt restless, and angry…and bored. After arguing with Dr. Cullen at the hospital the day before and with Charlie that morning, she had lost the battle to attend school. It was true that she had passed out at school following a headache, but now she felt fine…and her head felt miraculously normal. And it had not helped things that Charlie had called Renee and informed her of yesterday's incident. So now, instead of her dad calling her constantly throughout the day to check on her, both her mom and dad were alternating every hour on the hour.

She hobbled around the kitchen, peeking out the window every now and then. It was raining, as always, and she found herself cursing the precipitation. She hated the thought that Edward was at school, and that she was not.

Edward…He had always been on her mind, in her dreams, in her thoughts. To Bella, he felt as vital to her as her organs. At school, he had come to her rescue, first taking her to the nurse's office, and then transporting her to the hospital like her very own medic. Though she was not completely herself, she did recall the care with which he held her, carrying her around like she weighed no more than a sack of feathers. The concern was there – etched into the lines in his forehead.

For a moment, she thought she heard a car and peered out the window once again, only to meet the raindrops as they leaked down from the rain gutter. Bella shook her head. She had no right to look for him, but still longed for him to be there.

To take her mind off of Edward, Bella made her way to the laundry room. There was a daunting pile of dirty clothes bunched up inside the hamper, and she had been missing some of her favorite sweats. Bella searched the pockets of her jeans and to her surprise, she discovered and then pulled out a folded piece of paper. Her eyes quickly read the words.

Quileute Legends

260 Honey Suckle

Port Angeles

She could see it in her mind – a book with a dark blue cover that she had purchased at that Native American book store in Port Angeles. It was odd; now that she thought about it…she had searched her room and not run across it. Crumpling the paper in her hand, she dug into her brain for more details. Her brows knit together in deep concentration as she willed the memories to return. She remembered having not gone alone into Port Angeles; there was something about shopping with Jessica and Angela…and that was it. And now she felt she was on the cusp of another glimpse, fishing further inside her mind. Another flash appeared in her mind's eye; it was night time, cold. There had been an alley way, and some men…

The phone rang, startling Bella, and she cursed at the disturbance. For once, she had felt like she could truly recall one memory, but had been interrupted.

By the third ring, she picked up the phone, her voice cross. "I said I'm fine!"

"I'm glad to hear that. Hello, Bella."

The sound of his voice caused goose bumps to rise across her body. Her breath caught for a moment, and her heart reacted with a heavy pounding rhythm. "H…hello, Edward. I…I'm sorry," she apologized quickly, trying not to trip over words. "I thought you were my dad." Charlie had refused to update their phone, much less subscribe to the idea of caller id.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?"

His every syllable was laced with concern.

"No. I was just doing laundry," she told him, the piece of paper in her hand already long forgotten.

"Shouldn't you be lying down?" he asked, amused, knowing very well that she would not be.

Bella smiled, twisting the cord around her fingers. "You sound like my dad…and your dad."

"Well, I just wanted to make sure you're okay, and my dad asked me to check up on you." That was true, Edward told himself. It was all the excuse he needed; it was lunchtime and their table in the cafeteria was miserably empty without her. Since Bella had begun attending school there, the monotony of high school had become tolerable.

"I am fine," she told him. "In fact, I would have been there today if it weren't for…."

Edward cut in, "Now, that wouldn't have been wise, Bella." No matter how miserable the last few hours had been in her absence.

"No, I guess not," she admitted. The tone of his voice was so convincing, there was not much that he said that she wouldn't have agreed with.

"Listen, I was wondering if you would like me to bring your Biology homework over after school?" he asked hopefully.

"I would love to," she replied quickly, and then upon realizing her error, a blush crept across her cheeks. "I mean, I would love that. Yes, thank you, Edward. I would appreciate that." She could feel the blood rushing through her veins in anticipation.

His grin was from ear to ear. Although Edward had anticipated her response to be favorable, he had not known if anyone else might already be visiting her. And, he knew it would not be proper just to show up…

A knock at the door caught her attention and Bella groaned. "Oh, that's the door."

"Do you have company?" he asked, blocking the oncoming rage at the thought of that Quileute boy showing up uninvited.

"No, that's the pizza man. I guess I should go," she told him regretfully as the doorbell sounded loudly. She hated to say goodbye to him if only for now.

"Okay. Take care, Bella. I'll see you after school. Get some rest."

"Bye," she told him, hanging up the phone ever so gently as though she were holding his heart in her hands. Goodbye for now…

Two hours and forty seven minutes later…

Bella hobbled to the door excitedly, pausing to straighten her blouse and smooth down her long wavy locks. Her heart was thumping wildly, and she had to fight to catch her breath.

She opened the door to find Edward in her doorway, smiling her favorite crooked smile. Gripped in his hands was an array of colorful daisies, lilies, roses, and sunflowers. Her eyes went from wide to wider, and once again her breath caught in her throat.

"You brought me flowers?" It was not a question, but a statement of her surprise. In her life, she had never been offered such a sweet gesture.

"Don't you like flowers?" he asked, feeling suddenly awkward. It appeared that he did not know everything about her. Not nearly enough, in any case.

She curved her pink lips into a shy smile, still overwhelmed by both his virile presence and his thoughtful gesture. "I do. Thank you, Edward." She gestured for him to enter and follow behind her as she headed for the kitchen. "I'm not sure if Charlie has a vase. I've never gotten flowers before."

"Now, that's a shame." Edward was glad that he had taken Esme's advice; even if they were get-well flowers, they served the purpose very nicely. He stood by her side as she leaned down and shuffled under the sink for a vase while still holding one crutch under one of her arms.

Bella set an empty coffee can in the sink, peeled off the lid, and turned on the faucet. "This will work," she said, rinsing out the grounds. She turned to face him just then, her gaze searching his handsome features.

"What is it?" he asked curiously.

"It's just that you don't speak like other boys our age."

Edward shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I don't." Their eyes locked and the water began to overflow the mouth of the coffee can. "I'll be right back," he told her, setting the flowers down onto the counter.

After shutting off the water, her fingers shook as she unwrapped the plastic from the bouquet. Edward Cullen was there…at her house…and they were alone. Unable to control the erratic beating of her heart, she arranged the blooms as nicely as she could into their makeshift vase.

All at once, and entirely too quickly, he was at her side again and setting down two brown paper bags onto the counter. She looked at him, puzzled, but before she could question him, he had rushed out again. Her eyes widened once again as she peeked at the contents. Bella gasped and turned to face him as he entered with two more bags and a gallon of milk in his grip. "You brought me groceries?"

"When I brought you home yesterday, I noticed the list on the refrigerator." His perfect memory had recalled each item. She was so young to have to act as the lady of the house, but Edward knew it was a responsibility that she assumed freely. He placed the gallon of milk on the inside shelf of the refrigerator door.

"Edward, why did you buy me groceries?" she asked, mixed between shock, gratitude, and shock.

He shrugged again. "Esme always buys more than we'll ever eat." It was almost true. His adoptive mother had kept up with the illusion of grocery shopping, but he had, in turn, ditched sixth period to complete the missing items from the Swans' list. "It's nothing. And we are happy to help."

She didn't know what to say, still feeling a little embarrassed. Her first impulse was to tell him that she could not accept, but his tone was very final, and the way he had set about unloading steak, ground beef, cheese, and an array of fruits and vegetables told her that he was not very likely to take back the bags of goods.

Bella nodded suddenly, mentally tabulating the cost to be at least a hundred dollars or more. "Thanks. My dad will pay you when he gets home."

Edward chuckled, and to Bella, even the sound of his laugh was musical.

"We don't need your money. Think of it as our way of helping," he told her, still busy arranging lunchmeat in the bottom drawer of the ice box.

"Thanks," she said again awkwardly. He had said that the Cullens did not need money, and she had witnessed firsthand the proof of their wealth…the house, the cars…the clothes… Still, she was extremely uneasy with their generosity. "But, if it's all the same to you, I would like to pay you back."

Edward arranged the condiments on the middle shelf and then turned to her. He shook his head. "Esme would be awfully disappointed if you tried to give us money."

"Maybe I can cook dinner for your family?" she offered.

He rose from his kneeling position and stifled his laughter at the absurdity of her offer. "That won't be necessary." Standing directly before her now, his eyes gazed directly down into hers.

Arrested by the power of his golden eyes, she found herself hardly able to speak. They were inches apart and the sweet scent of his breath drifted into her nostrils. "There…must be something…."

At that moment, he had never been more tempted to take her into his arms and press his lips to hers. "You could go out with me," he suggested softly, his hand lightly brushing some strands of her hair against her shoulder.

Bella shivered at his touch, completely intoxicated by his presence. "I could do that."

"Tonight."

"Tonight," she agreed, breathlessly.

"I could take you to dinner."

She blinked at the blissful thought of spending more alone time with him later. "Okay."

The moment was perfect, and as she stood there leaning up against the kitchen sink, Edward would have loved to simply hold her close to him. How he had missed her warmth… His head snapped up in an instant as his ears caught the sound of the familiar truck making its way toward the Swans' residence.

"I should go," he told her.

The thought of him leaving promptly tore her from his spell. "Why?" she asked, confused.

"Chores," he said quickly. It was as good an excuse as any. He moved toward the kitchen table. "Emmett, Jasper, and I have to clean the garage."

"Oh," she replied, disappointment showing clearly on her face. "So…tonight…?"

Edward smiled, realizing he probably should have used a simpler common chore.

"The three of us work very quickly," he assured her, as he wondered how he would get through the next few hours. "I'll see you at six." He smiled at her sweet face, feeling truly happy to have arrived at this point again with her after all this time. Regretful to end this moment, he moved to the front door. "Bye, Bella."

She hobbled along to catch up to him, waving to Edward as he headed toward the driveway. "Bye, Edward," she said, her heart still pounding as he pulled his silver Volvo out. After he backed out, Billy's truck pulled in, and Bella did not miss the way Billy and Jacob had both craned their necks at the sight of him leaving.

His dark eyes glared at the flowers that sat cheerily on the middle of the kitchen table. They were splayed unevenly in every direction inside the coffee can. He then turned to face Bella as she unpacked the two remaining bags on the counter. Joining her, Jacob poked around in the contents left over inside the grocery bags. "Why did he buy all this stuff?" he asked, very unhappy about this new development. But then, to his delight, he found a box of chocolate chip cookies and held it up to Bella as she worked to put away the canned goods.

She nodded and giggled as Jacob tore into the box of cookies. "His family is very nice," she told him, poking her hand into the cookie package and retrieving one for herself. "… and thoughtful."

He furrowed his brows as he popped a cookie into his mouth. The Cullens were not to be trusted, this he knew. All the Blacks and every Quileute inhabitant sensed this. Before contemplating another of the goodies, he watched as she tore open a package of paper towels. "I don't know, Bella. Maybe you shouldn't go out with him," he warned.

"Jacob, maybe you shouldn't worry about it."

With a sigh, he continued to unbag a variety of bagged noodles and jars of sauce. "I just don't want you to get hurt again."

Bella laughed. "I'm not going to get hurt." For some reason she felt very protected in Edward's company.

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, I know what you mean, Jacob," she said, irritated, and moving past him to store the sauces inside a cupboard. "I'll be fine."

He knew he was out of line, but Jacob could not resist throwing it out there. "Maybe you can finally find out why you broke up with him."

She closed her eyes impatiently and then opened them to meet the accusing look in his dark eyes. "Maybe I will."

A/N: Many, many thanks goes out to my reviewers! I love you guys! And I love to read your feedback. So, as always, those who submit a review (who are signed in or give a valid email address) I will send a teaser snippet of the next chapter. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to click that review button...