I do not own Twilight, but absolutely loved reading it...
a/n: thanks for reading...
We sit here for a while not saying anything to each other. We sit here and enjoy being close to one another, enjoy the silence and enjoy the understanding we seem to have reached.
I know things will not always be easy, but I also know that as long as we come together we can make it through whatever this life throws at us.
The Next Monday…
Edward kisses me and the boy's good-bye as he heads out the door for work. "You know you don't have to say anything to Mike," he teases. I'm watching his khaki-covered, toned ass as he walks in front of me through the laundry room towards the garage.
"I'm sorry, but if that asshole thinks he can say things like that to an employee's husband he has another thing coming. I'm going to call Victoria and apprise her of the situation and see what she would like to do and then go from there."
"You don't have to…" He is walking towards his Volvo with his briefcase in hand.
I cut him off before he can continue, "Edward, if she's not willing to do anything about it, then I can find another job. I can always work for Alice for a while until I can find another job in publishing."
Edward puts his case in the car and turns to face me, "You could always just write."
I walk up to him and kiss his lips, "Baby, don't tease…" I kiss him again, "We just need a little more money in the bank before I can take time off to write."
"I know," this time he kisses me back and pulls me flush to his body. I wrap my arms up around his neck and run my fingers through the back of his soft hair. He pulls back and nuzzles my neck with his nose and mumbles, "have a good day and let me know how it goes," against my neck.
I smile up at him, "Ok, I will." I step back as we say our 'I love you's' and he gets into his car and pulls out of the garage, waving at me as he closes the garage door.
I head back into the house and check the boys' back-packs while they are upstairs brushing their teeth. Nate comes downstairs, grumbling something about Alex getting toothpaste on his arm. I do my best to turn it into a joke and Nate begins to let it go.
At 8:00 am the boys are out the door and on their bikes, making their way to school. Jason is still asleep and I have a few minutes of quiet. I decide to call Victoria and discuss the Mike situation. Heading to the office and I take my cell phone off of its charger and turn the phone on and scroll through my contacts looking for Victoria's number. Considering the time and knowing Victoria isn't usually in her office until 9:00, I opt to call her on her cell rather than leave a message at the office.
The phone rings twice when Victoria answers. "What's up, Cullen?" she jokes, dryly.
"Well, good morning to you, too, Victoria," I dead-pan.
"Yeah, yeah, good morning, what has you calling me this morning?"
"I have a problem that I need to discuss with you."
"With?" she asks.
"Mike," I state simply.
"Can you come in to the office today?"
"Yes, I can. What time? I just need an hour or so and then I can come in anytime this morning."
"Let's shoot for 10:00."
"Ok, I will see you then."
"Bye, Bella," Victoria mumbles as she hangs up her phone.
I head upstairs to wake up Jason and to change into something more suitable to wear into the office. Sweatpants and t-shirt certainly won't cut it.
Once in Jason's room, I pick out some clothes for him to wear for the day and then walk over to his bed and gently rub his back, "Jay it's time to wake up," I croon. He blinks his eyes and then rubs his face against his pillow. "Come on Sweet Pea, we're gonna go see Nana."
Jason smiles and sits up, "Ok," he whispers.
I kiss the top of his curly head. "Your clothes are right here. Get dressed and we'll go."
"K, Mama." He's still smiling as starts to slowly move around his bed.
I walk across the loft to my bedroom and pick-up the phone to call Esme as I make my way to my bathroom.
"Hello?" Esme answers.
"Hi, Mom, it's Bella."
"Hi, Bells. How are you today?"
"I'm good. I'm hoping you wouldn't mind watching Jason for a little bit. I have to go to the office."
"I can watch him for you. What time?"
"I will probably be over in about 20 minutes. Have you had breakfast? I can pick up something."
"Has Jason eaten yet?" Esme asks.
"No. I just woke him up."
"Why don't you just bring him over and I will take him out to breakfast?"
"That sounds great. He will love that."
"Ok, good. So I will see you in a little bit?"
"Yeah, I should be over in 20 minutes or so. Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate you watching him on such short notice."
"Any time, Bella, you know I can't get enough of that sweet little guy," Mom laughs.
"I know, Mom. I will see you shortly."
"Bye, Bells."
"Bye, Mom." We hang up in unison.
As I hang the phone up Jason come into my bathroom.
"I'm dressed, Mom," he chirps.
I smile and tell him, "Alright, Baby, head downstairs and get your shoes on. Mom will be down in just a minute."
"K, Mom," he says as he turns and heads out of the room presumably to do what he has been asked to do.
I go to my closet and pull out a pair of black, pin-striped pants, a white, cotton, button-up blouse, a black vest and a pair of black, four-inch heels. I dress quickly and go to brush my teeth, and do my hair and make-up. My hair has been in a pony-tail most of the morning. So, I pull it tighter and covered my normal rubber band with a more decorative beaded one. I put on basic make-up: powder, blush, mascara, light eye-shadow and some lip gloss and then head back downstairs.
Jason has managed to put on his shoes and is playing with a toy on the couch. "Mom, can I turn on the TV, pleeeease?" he asks.
"No, Baby, we have to go," I tell him. "Can you go and wait by the garage door, please?" I ask gently.
"O-kay," he obeys and after I grab my briefcase and keys I find him standing at the garage door, toy in hand.
"Jay, you are doing such a good job listening today," I smile at him and ruffle his hair.
"Tanks, Mom." He looks up at me grinning from ear to ear.
I open the door and we head to the van. He gets himself buckled into his seat and we head over a few blocks to my Mother-in-Laws house.
When Esme and Carlisle first decided to buy a house in our neighborhood I was a little apprehensive. We had always gotten along quite well, but there was always some type of distance separating us. And I wasn't sure what Esme's expectations were going to be of our time. It turned out all my worrying was for nothing. Both Esme and Carlisle called before coming over and invited us over every couple of weeks or so. Esme helped with the kids when asked, but we seldom had to. She normally had the four of them spend the night once a month and would take one or two of them once a week. All in all, having my in-laws live around the corner has been a dream come true for us.
I pull into Esme's driveway and park. Jason is out of his seat in a flash and jumps out the door as it slides open. He runs up the sidewalk towards the front door and Esme meets him on the porch with arms wide open. She scoops him in her arms and peppers his neck and cheeks with kisses making him giggle, "Nana, stop it," over and over again. She sets him down and takes his hand as I come to stand beside her.
She takes a quick glance at my face and asks, "Everything ok, Bella?" as we step into the foyer.
"Yeah, Mom," I smile, "Everything's fine. Did Edward tell you about what my boss said to him a few weeks ago?"
"He didn't tell me," she says as she shakes her head no. Esme kneels down and whispers something into Jason's ear. He nods emphatically and runs down the hallway heading towards the kitchen. "Carlisle mentioned something about Edward have a 'run-in' with a man that made him question some things. But, Carlisle was really very vague. I think he wanted to keep Edward's confidence."
"Oh. Well, my lovely boss, Mike, saw Edward and Jasper at lunch a few weeks ago with Tanya, and basically, made rude comments about telling me about Edward's girl-friend." Saying it out loud to another person just made it all more frustrating.
Esme's face looked shocked for a moment and then she shook her head, again. Then I heard her say, "Idiot," under her breath.
"I know and that wasn't the worst of it. But anyway, that's why I'm going to the office today. I have a meeting with the Editor-in-Chief, Victoria, this morning to tell her that I cannot work for Mike anymore. She's going to have to assign me to someone else or I will find another job."
"I'm sorry to hear that your boss is such a douche." I can't help but laugh and Esme joins me for a second until Jason comes running back to us carrying his Nana's purse.
"Here, Nana," he holds her purse up in front of him. I can tell from his serious expression and puffed up chest that he is very proud to have successfully retrieved her purse.
"Thank you, Jay," she smiling down at him when she asks, "You ready to go get some pancakes?"
"Yeah!" he yells and starts jumping up and down.
"All right, tell Mommy bye and we'll get going."
Jason throws his arms around my legs, almost knocking me down, "Bye, Momma."
I tell him goodbye and kiss the top of his head and then head out the front door.
It takes me twenty minutes to get to the office leaving me only a few minutes to get to Victoria's office and check in with her secretary, Riley.
"Hello, Mrs. Cullen," Riley says politely, "Please have a seat, Mrs. Hunter will be ready in a moment."
"Thank you, Riley. How have you been?" I ask as I take a seat in a plush leather chair across from Riley's desk. Riley Jones has been Victoria's secretary for years. She is blonde, petite, in her mid-twenties and as sweet as can be. She and I always fall into easy conversations whenever we run into one another.
"I have been very good. Been dating, Brian, for 6 months now and everything is going really well," she smiles and I can see a slight blush come to her cheeks and I can't help but smile back.
"That's good to hear," I nod, "How's work been?"
"Good. I'm actually not going to be a secretary for much longer," she added with a smile spread across her face.
"Really?" I ask completely surprised. "I take it from your expression that this is a good thing?"
"Yes, it really is. Mrs. Hunter is promoting me. I am going to work as her assistant for six to eight months and after that she will work me in to editing."
"Wow! That is great, congratulations…" I want to say more, but we are interrupted by the buzzing of the phone on her desk.
Riley smiles apologetically and picks up the phone. She offers a "Yes, ma'am," and then hangs up. She looks at me and smiles, "Mrs. Hunter is ready for you, now."
I stand, straighten my clothes, thank Riley and step through the door into Victoria's office. She is sitting behind her desk with a smile on her face, "Good morning, Bella. Please have a seat."
"Good morning, Victoria," I reply as I move to sit in the chair in front of her desk.
"How have you been?" She asks. It has been a while since we have spoken to one another. Most of my office contact is with Mike or his assistant, Jessica.
When I regularly worked in the office, Victoria and I would have lunch once a week. We both started ours jobs within a week or so of one another and we quickly figured out we had a lot in common. We were both married and had the same professional goals. Eventually, we started getting together outside of work with our husbands in tow. Edward and James never really became friends. They merely tolerated one another on our behalf. Things really changed when I became pregnant with little E. Victoria just pulled away from me. We stopped going to lunch together and seldom talked. I eventually got up the never to ask her why and she told me that being around me was too hard. She was unable to have children and being around me just caused her too much emotional pain. I didn't understand, but accepted her decision. After that point, we were always more than polite when we saw each other… We just never really saw one another.
"I've been good, Victoria. And you?"
"I'm good, busy." She leans forward, resting her elbows on her desk. "So, what's going on with Mike?" she asks.
"Well, about a month ago he saw Edward and Jasper while they at a business lunch. The initial conversation between the two was polite. But, when Mike saw who Edward was having lunch he cornered Edward, accused him of having an affair, then offered to help me pick of the pieces in not so polite terms." It felt like I spat it all out in one breath.
Victoria raised her eyebrows expectantly, "Is that all?"
Is that all? I ask myself. Evidently, this isn't a big deal to her. "No, it's not. Mike's behavior has made it impossible for me to work with him. I would like to be assigned to someone else."
"Have you talked to Mike about this?" she asked as she sat back in her chair.
"No and I don't really see the point. I don't have anything to say and he doesn't have anything I want to hear," I said indignantly. I am frustrated with Victoria's nonchalance and I can tell that she isn't planning on doing anything to help me.
She scoffs, "You don't want to hear his side of what happened?"
"No," I state flatly. I am trying to not become angry. I shift in my seat, crossing my legs.
"Why is that? Are you afraid of what he might say?" she says in a mocking, almost bitter tone.
I have to laugh at the 'afraid' comment and I do… out loud. "I'm definitely NOT afraid of anything Mike, might have to say. I simply do NOT want to converse with someone who would talk to my husband in such a disrespectful about ME." Now, I'm more than just angry, I am insulted. Victoria is insinuating that my husband is lying to me. I stand up and pick up my case, "You know what Victoria, I am sorry I took up your time today. And I just came to the realization that I'm done here…"
Victoria is smirking at me and then cuts me off , "Well, Bella, you should know…"
"I should know WHAT exactly?" I know where she is going with this. There are people in the "business world" that believe you do whatever and whoever you need to in order to get ahead. Those people assume when they see two attractive people together in a slightly less than professional moment that they MUST be having an affair. Mike is one of those people and evidently, so is Victoria. "I should know that my husband and his business partner were having lunch with a very beautiful female client, who happens to be a long-time family friend, who happens to be gay? What else do I need to know? I think I have figured out all I need to know. I quit, Victoria. You can consider my resignation effective immediately. All the pieces that I have been editing are with me and I will leave them with Riley."
Victoria is momentarily shocked. Here face is blank, but her eyes are wide. She recovers quickly and smiles, "Bella, don't you think you're over-reacting?"
I think for a moment and measure my words, "On some level, yeah, I am. I'm angry with you and I am completely following my gut right now. My brain tells me that regardless of Mike's, and now obviously your opinions, I know my husband better than either of you could ever dream of. And I have every faith in Edward. My brain also is trying to tell me just to calm down, work for Mike, get my paycheck and move on."
I pause and then move around to stand behind the chair I had just been sitting in. I look at Victoria. Her smug smile is still in place and I don't see the woman that used to be my friend, I see a business woman that doesn't care about anyone but herself. "But, right now… I'm listening to my gut and I refuse to work for a person that has such a poor moral compass."
Victoria is still smiling when she says, "I'm really sorry to hear that."
I turn and walk towards the door. When I grab the knob, I look back at her, "No, no you're not." I shake my head slightly and then continue, "It amazes me that we used to be friends." I walk through the door and shut it behind me not listening whatever may be coming out of her mouth.
I silently set my briefcase on Riley's desk, open it up and hand her four folders and four CD's. I can see Riley look up at me from the corner of my eye. She asks me if everything is ok. I nod and turn to walk out of the office. I only make it a couple of steps before I turn back around.
"Riley?"
"Yes, Mrs. Cullen?" her eyes are pleading with me to tell her what is going on. But I really can't.
"Take care of yourself, Ok?"
"Ok." She looks completely confused.
"Just don't ever compromise yourself. Stay true to what you hold dear." I hope she hears me. She's a smart girl, but someone has to tell her it's ok to stick to your guns.
She smiles sweetly. She looks like she may truly understand what I am saying. "Thank you, Bella."
I take the elevator down and make it through the lobby and out the front door before I hear someone calling my name. I turn around to see Mike walking quickly towards me waving. And I wonder to myself if this day could possibly get any worse.
"Bella!" he half-shouts, "I didn't know you were coming to the office today." He smiles and comes to stand just a little too close to me.
I take a step back and tell him, "Well, Mike, I won't be coming to the office anymore. I turned in my resignation to Victoria this morning."
"Wha… Why would you do that?" he stammers.
"Why? It's funny you of all people should ask that." He looks dumbfounded and I take a step toward him, my jaw is clenched so tight it feels like it will crack. My teeth are clenched and I am growling when I begin, "You see, I can't work for people who assume everyone fucks around. I can't work for people who would disrespect me to my husband. I just can't work for you OR Victoria, any more."
Mike is initially stunned, but then his self-righteous indignation kicks in. His face turns red and his eyes narrow, "You know, maybe you should talk to your…"
"Fuck you, Mike. I know what happened, I know you and I know my husband. Hell, I also know the woman in question. So maybe you should just run along to work and leave me the hell alone." I turned abruptly and walked away. Away from the asshole in front of me and away from a job that I thought I loved.
a/n: I thought this was going to be the last chapter, but I was wrong. I would like to say there will only be one more, but I'm just not sure.
Thank you for reading and please review and let me know what you think. Thanks!
