Chapter Ten
I run my flat iron through my hair one last time and give myself a once over in the mirror. I only got four hours of sleep, but I'm wide awake and raring to go. Noon can't come quickly enough. It's been sunny the past few days and today is no different as I lock up the door behind me and head for my car with a spring in my step.
I'm wearing my ancient, nearly threadbare Forks High School track and field t-shirt with denim shorts because I woke up feeling nostalgic. I was in track for the first three years of high school, but I was too busy with photography and journalism my senior year to keep up with it. I still ran on the trail along the Sol Duc river in my free time. So did Edward. It became an unspoken thing between us every Saturday morning that last year in Forks. We rarely talked as we ran, but it was nice to be with someone who seemed to understand how peaceful running was to me. It's funny how we could share something like that and still manage to argue throughout the week.
Traffic isn't heavy so early on a Sunday, so I make it to the restaurant with a good fifteen minutes to spare. Dad's massive red Silverado is parked near the entrance along with a few other cars, so I decide to head in. I smile at the hostess and tell her I'm meeting people as I peer around the restaurant. Mom sees me and starts waving me over as Dad and... Edward push two smaller tables together. It all makes sense when I see the woman just behind Mom.
Apparently Mom and Elizabeth Masen's reconnection has turned into an invite for breakfast while my parents are here. With her son in tow. Not that I mind in the slightest bit, I'm just nowhere near prepared.
"Belly, I got a phone call from Elizabeth last night when she saw on my Facebook that we're visiting. You remember her, don't you?"
I look at the woman and it's unnerving how much her son resembles her. I've seen her before, but it's all hitting me now. "Hi, Elizabeth."
"Didn't you grow up to be a lovely woman," Elizabeth says as she hugs me. I'm caught off guard by her immediate warmth, but I hug her back as if it's something I've done a million times.
"Thank you."
"When your mother told me about meeting up with you for breakfast, I suggested we tag along. You don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not."
"Funny thing is that Edward doesn't eat meat either. This worked out perfectly."
I arch a brow and look over to where Edward's standing. He's rubbing the back of his neck and he just shrugs. "That's cool," I say as we all start taking seats and put in our drink orders. I'm totally happy when Edward sits next to me. He smells really good.
"Surely you two remember each other," Elizabeth says beaming over at us. I can already tell she's one of those genuinely kind people.
"Uh, yeah, we had a few classes together," Edward says quietly. Of course, no one but the two of us know that we've done things like have dirty first-timer sex right here in this very city.
"Wonderful. It's like a reunion all the way around," Elizabeth says as her attention turns to my mother. I take the opportunity to talk to Edward.
"Did you know about this?" I ask as quietly as I can.
He shakes his head. "I eat breakfast with my mom every Sunday. Sometimes Dad, but he's usually golfing."
I nod. "So are you a vegetarian or full on plant-based?" I ask in a normal tone.
"Vegetarian. I haven't been able to give up cheese."
I can sympathize with that because the struggle is real. "I hear you. I'm five days dairy free. What made you change?"
"I read an article a few years back that was very convincing," he says as he looks into my eyes. Understanding hits me and I wonder just how long he's been following me online. Since my MySpace days?
"They charge seven bucks for a glass of grass juice? Literal grass," Dad grumbles as he looks over the menu.
"Charlie, you sound like Ed," Elizabeth says.
"The things we do for our children. At least they have eggs here. Free-range, organic eggs from local sources." Dad rolls his eyes.
When we place our meal orders, I'm buoyant that Edward orders the exact same thing as I do. It's the small things that mean the most, I guess. I send a silent thank you to the universe for making today play out the way it is.
"So, Bella, what have you been up to recently? Your mother says you run a website."
I nod as I sip my tea. "It started out with travel blogging and SEO writing to fund my travels, but I've slowly transitioned it into more of a lifestyle website the last couple years. I've since partnered with ad companies thanks to the amount of traffic I get. I know I can't travel full time forever, so I needed the site to become something I could keep up with from one place. It houses everything from vegan recipes and reviews for sustainable products all the way to wellness and spirituality. I wanted it to have something for everyone. There's also a popular message board where members can interact with each other on a bunch of topics."
"I'll have to check it out. It sounds like you're doing well for yourself."
"I am, thankfully. I'm planning to meet with a financial adviser at some point so I can make the right investments to implement a few ideas I've had for awhile, but I'm content where I'm at right now."
"I could help you," Edward blurts out.
"Can you?"
He grins and looks down. "It's what I do. Investing. Building lucrative businesses."
It would give me an excuse to keep talking with him other than wanting his company. "I'd like that."
"Did you remember to bring it?" Mom asks Elizabeth.
"Oh! Yes," she says as she plops her gigantic Coach tote onto the table and starts rummaging through it. "Here it is."
My mom looks at the picture in her hand and laughs. "Those were the days, weren't they?"
"Absolutely. I can't believe it took us so long to start talking again," Elizabeth says.
"Life happens. We didn't have Facebook back then and long distance calls weren't cheap."
"No they weren't. Even after we moved back to Forks, all we did was work, work, work. Do you remember this picture, Charlie?" Elizabeth asks as Mom hands it over to him.
Dad chuckles. "I do. Fourth of July barbecue back in '89. Seemed like the whole neighborhood was there."
"It was like a going away party for you and Ed," Mom says.
"I want to see it," I say and Dad hands me the picture.
There's a lot of people I don't recognize in the picture aside from my parents, Elizabeth, and my grandma Swan who died a few years ago. I'm not sure where it was taken, the little yellow house in the background being unfamiliar. There's Billy's son Jake and his daughter Rachel, and most importantly, me and Edward. I was wearing a blue and white sailor dress and Edward's riotous hair, while a deep auburn now, was bright red. What makes my chest ache is while everyone else was looking toward the camera, Edward and I were looking and smiling at each other. I wasn't even three yet and Edward was barely three himself. Our little hands were pressed together and we looked like two peas in a pod somehow separate from the rest of the group.
"It seems I've always had a soft spot for you," Edward whispers near my ear as he leans in to look the picture over.
Before I do something dumb like start crying, I hand the picture back over to Elizabeth. "Thanks for sharing this."
"I have quite a few. You can come over anytime to go through them with me. I would've brought more of you and Edward, but they're still packed up at the moment. Ed and I recently decided to move to Seattle full time."
"I may have to take you up on that offer." I brush my bangs out of my eyes and smile at her. She's smiling too, until she gets a good look at my wrist. Her eyes narrow, not in a mean way, and I put my hands in my lap.
"That's a nice tattoo, Bella. A compass, is it?" She asks as she looks over to Edward who's studiously staring at his drink.
"Yeah. It was my first." Oh, Edward, Mama knows where your tattoo is, doesn't she?
"When did you get it?"
"Right after high school."
"Hm. Edward has a tattoo as well."
"You wouldn't know it looking at her, but Bella has several. What's yours of, Edward?" Mom asks.
He opens his mouth and makes a weird sound, kind of like a choke as he glares at his mom. Before he can answer, our server shows up with a loaded down tray and the topic of conversation moves in a different direction. I'll definitely be revisiting the topic at some point.
I'm listening to my mom go on and on about how delicious her tofu scramble is when I hear Elizabeth ask Edward about Marcy. It's so hard to listen to two people at once.
"She has somewhere to be," Edward says. I know he's lying thanks to Rose and her big mouth. What does that mean?
"This doesn't have anything to do with you and Bella having the same tattoo, does it?"
"Mom."
"How well do you two know each other?"
"Not now, please? It's private."
I so badly want to turn and look at the two of them to try and get a better read on the situation, but I stop myself as hard as it is. My heart's already hammering away and I'm starting to fidget. I'm brimming with questions and the desire to touch him is so intense, I clench my hands into fists. So much for keeping my cool and acting like an adult in this situation. It's like I'm back in class with my hand raised, knowing the answer, but waiting to be picked.
"Why aren't you eating? Is there something wrong with your food?" Mom asks me.
"No, no, it's good," I say with a quick smile as I pick up my fork. "Everything is fine."
Conversation stays light throughout the rest of breakfast and Dad announces he and Mom need to hit the road. Elizabeth, while much more subdued than she was earlier, hugs me once more. I'm so aware of the way her eyes keep flitting down to my wrist. I think Edward does, too.
"I'll call you in a bit," he says low as he pats my shoulder.
"I'll answer."
He grins and I can't tear my eyes away from him as he walks to his car and gets in. He even honks twice and waves as he pulls out.
"You going home too?"
I turn to my dad. "Yeah. I'm going to go be lazy in my back yard."
"Sounds good. I'm glad we got to spend some time together. You could always come to Forks every once in awhile."
"I know. Maybe I'll head over before summer ends."
"You're always welcome."
"I love you, Dad."
"I love you too, kid."
"Go ahead and start the truck. I'm sure it's a sauna in there by now," Mom says as she heads over to me. "I'll be calling you later."
"For what?"
"To find out why you were you making googly eyes at Edward all morning."
I scoff and feel my cheeks warm up. Maybe it's the sun. "No I wasn't."
"I know what I saw. Be careful, Bella." It doesn't matter how old I get, when my mom gives me the look she's giving me now, it makes me feel like a kid again.
"You make it sound like he's dangerous."
"No, but I know how you are."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"When you get an idea in your head, you focus on it to the exclusion of all else. Your dad's like that, too. Just mind your heart."
"Mom, it's nothing," I say but neither of us believe me.
"Isabella."
"I will."
"Good. I'll call you when we get home. Love you," she says as she kisses my cheeks.
"Love you too, Mom."
I swing by the gas station to grab a Sunday paper and fill up my gas tank before heading home. Rose is still gone and I don't have any work things to attend to, so I go out back to relax and do the crossword puzzle to pass what little time is left. As I'm filling in the word for forty-eight across – breathless – my phone starts vibrating from my back pocket.
"Hello, Mr. Masen. It's been far too long," I say jokingly.
"Well, Miss Swan, it's better late than never."
AN: Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. You've all been amazing. And a special thank you goes out to LayAtHomeMom for recommending this story on The Lemonade Stand :)