A/N Special thanks to my PTB betas HEAR and Sirenastarot. And as always, I don't own Twilight.
Chapter Fourteen: Pixiedust
BPOV
The next day was like any ordinary Sunday. All the good church-going folks were in their Sunday best after sitting through services. The rest of us heathens went about our day -- extra special heathens like myself at work. I was never much of a church-goer. My mom would take me occasionally when I was young, but we never went to the same church more than a few times. She wanted to expose me to all the possibilities out there. When I moved to Ohio, I was relieved of the trips to various churches. Charlie was not an outwardly religious man. If he believed in anything, it was not something he talked about. The closest thing I ever got to a religious discussion with Charlie was when he would say grace over our holiday dinners.
This particular morning I almost felt like praying for deliverance from my nightmares. I dreamed about Edward and Tanya again and felt the despair suck me in. It was not a happy place. All I heard was the sound of Tanya kissing Edward and her laughter. I woke up in the middle of the night screaming. I crawled out of bed as I shook off the vestiges of the nightmare. Slowly, I padded into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle from the liquor cabinet. Two swift gulps later, I felt the calming warmth of whatever bottle I grabbed. I put the bottle back and returned to my bedroom. The alcohol helped settle my nerves and I was able to fall back into a dreamless sleep until my alarm went off.
My truck rolled to a stop in the gravel parking lot of the Midnight Sun. Just another day. Jacob and Angela were already there, just like the day before. I should really give them a raise. They have worked so hard recently without complaint. When I walked in, all the tables and chairs had been set up, and I could hear someone filling the ice bucket for the front cooler. I smiled as I walked into my office and tossed out the bottle that was still sitting on my desk. It was almost empty. I really needed to stop drinking so much. Sitting down, I opened my file cabinet and pulled out Angela and Jacob's employee files. I quickly updated their payroll information with their raises then I typed up a congratulatory letter to each of them. After I carefully folded each letter and put them in envelopes, I gathered my ongoing research about the restaurant addition project and put it on top of my 'to do' list for the day. I heard a few more people come in, so I went back to the front of the bar to help finish the day's prep before opening.
Angela and Jacob were quietly talking by the bar as I approached. I handed them their envelopes with a big smile on my face. They both looked at me with matching quizzical expressions.
"Just open them," I laughed. I needed some happiness after my last couple of days… well weeks if I really thought about it.
They opened their envelopes like kids at Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the expressions on their faces as they read the letters. When they were both done, their huge smiles were reflected on each others faces as they both tried to hug me at the same time. I wrapped my arms around my two closest friends.
"Thank you, Bella!"
"Thanks, Bells!"
My smile was almost as big as theirs. "You're welcome! You both deserve it. I've put a lot on your plates these last several months and you both have handled everything beautifully. That kind of hard work and dedication deserves to be rewarded. Before you leave today, I'll need you to sign the official paperwork for your files."
They nodded and thanked me again before we opened the bar for the day.
Our Sunday crowd was slightly different from the clientele we had during the rest of the week. We had some of the same regulars, but those diehards that came in on Sundays were usually functioning alcoholics. The real fun ones were the patrons who came by after church, still in their skirts and suits. They tended to drink more, drowning their sins in alcohol in the hopes of Salvation, Salvation named Jack Daniels.
The diehards and Salvation seekers started trickling in. Sundays were almost always predictable and fairly boring. I kept thinking about Edward and that last conversation we had. It made me think of all the other conversations we had had over the past three months. I slowly began to pick the conversations apart to see if I could find some point when things really changed. I couldn't. Our conversations had become shorter and a bit more strained, but the overall feeling behind them, the love we felt for each other, had not changed. It was frustrating to have that strain but the feeling still there. That's what made the whole Tanya thing so hard to believe because it seemed so far out of left field. I wished my feelings for Edward weren't as strong as they were so this situation would be more cut and dry. It would be easier to deal with that way. I sighed.
"Man troubles?"
I was startled out of my thoughts by a beautiful petite woman sitting in front of me at the bar. I was surprised I didn't hear her come in as I normally kept a good eye on the door. She looked up at me, a hint of a smile on her face, with an open and friendly expression. Her skin was pale and clear with high and delicate cheekbones giving her an almost elfin look. Her piercing, pale blue eyes had this mischievous twinkle in them that was hard to resist. I had no idea who this woman was, but I liked her instantly.
"You could say that," I grudgingly admitted.
She cocked her head to the side like she was considering something. Her black spiky hair stood out in all directions, like she had stuck her finger in an electrical socket then gelled it into place. On any other woman, this look would be totally and completely horrible. On her, it was perfect. The style highlighted her graceful facial features. This was not a style you typically saw in little small-town Vermilion. Her blue eyes danced as she looked around the bar.
"You have a nice place here," she commented idly, still looking around the partially filled room.
"Thanks. Can I get you something to drink?"
The woman smiled, her warm gaze now raking me over. "I'll have a vodka and cranberry juice."
I nodded and started assembling her drink.
"I'm Mary, by the way," she prompted, smiling from ear to ear.
"I'm Bella. Welcome to the Midnight Sun."
Mary grinned broadly at me. It was like she already knew me or knew something. Something kept nagging my mind as I looked at her, but I pushed it aside. I gave Mary her drink before I started looking too odd just standing there with a drink in my hand. Afterwards, I went to help other patrons at the bar.
When I walked by Mary a few minutes later, she spoke again, "So, how long have you been open?"
"Just a few years. It was pretty scary starting a business being so young but it has been very rewarding."
Mary nodded as she sipped her drink.
"What kind of work do you do, Mary?" I inquired politely.
"I'm a wedding planner. I just started my business a year ago myself after I graduated from college."
"Well, congratulations Mary! Businesswomen need to stick together so the drink is on the house." I couldn't help but grin. Mary seemed like a person I would like to get to know better. "Where did you go to college?"
"University of Washington. I majored in Art & Design and was able to apply that to my natural business savvy," she boasted.
"Really? That's great. I graduated from Ohio State University in Columbus. Seeing as I don't have your savvy, I had to go to school to learn business," I teased with a smile.
"Well, not everyone can be as naturally gifted as I am," Mary said loftily but with a smile so I knew she was teasing me back. I threw a cocktail napkin at her.
"Nice, Mary. I see they taught you modesty as well."
"But, of course!" She batted her eyelashes at me and we both burst out in giggles.
"So are you from Washington?" I asked, after we had finally stopped laughing.
"Yes," Mary gasped as she tried to catch her breath. "I live in Seattle with my fiancé."
"Wow, are you definitely far from home," I commented. "What brings you all the way to Ohio?"
"Oh I have some family stuff I needed to take care of," she said off-handedly.
I nodded as I excused myself to take care of some drink orders further down the bar. Despite my gloom over what happened with Edward, Mary made me smile. This day might go better than I originally thought.
As I returned, Mary looked at me for a moment before speaking.
"What kind of man troubles?"
I sighed. I noticed a nice, shiny engagement ring sparkling on her left hand. Not the kind of troubles you would know anything about.
"Just me being delusional."
"How so?"
"It's complicated," I hedged.
"I think I can keep up," Mary encouraged with a warm smile on her face.
I wasn't by nature a chatty person, but I had learned how to turn it on when needed as I worked. Bartenders often became psychologists to their patrons as the alcohol lowered verbal filters and life stories were discussed. So I had gotten used to sharing small snippets of my life that I felt comfortable with sharing with strangers. Mary was different though, she had this way about her that made me want to really talk to her and not the typical bartender small talk. We hadn't exchanged much yet, but it was like I just knew we would be friends. It was strange to feel a bond with someone I had just met. It was like what I had always imagined having a sister would feel like. I wanted to tell her everything, not just about Edward, but about me and what got me to where I was, and what my dreams were for tomorrow. I had this strange feeling that she wanted to tell me the same about her life too. My natural shyness kicked in before I gave her my whole life story, so I told her the abridged cliff notes version of what had been going on the past three months of my life.
"I fell in love with the most amazing man I have ever known, but he was completely out of my league. He said he felt the same for me, despite how different our lives and situations were. But when he went back home, he hooked up with an ex-girlfriend." Was that really all it was? Could the past three months of my life be wrapped up in three sentences?
"When did you find out about the ex-girlfriend?"
"Friday morning after I got up. It was a part of our routine to talk every morning. I was on the phone with him when his ex, well now I guess his current girlfriend, walked into the room and began making out with him while we were still on the phone."
Mary looked at me sympathetically. "What did he have to say for himself?"
I shrugged. "I honestly am not really sure. I was so upset that I just kept yelling at him. He tried to speak; I think I even heard him tell his girlfriend to stop. I'm not really sure. I was so humiliated and hurt and pissed that I just kept yelling. Then I hung up on him."
"Did he try to call you back?"
"I don't know. I threw my phone against the wall as soon as I hung up on him, and it shattered."
Mary's perfect eyebrows arched, impressed. "You would like my sister-in-law. She has an incredible temper. Anything breakable needs to be removed from the room when she's on one of her tirades."
I hung my head a little in embarrassment. The show of emotion that brought about throwing the cell phone was not normal for me. "I'm not usually like that. I normally don't lose control of my temper. I got a new phone and number yesterday so hopefully I won't break this one."
Mary looked puzzled. Her eyes tightened too, like she was angry but I had no idea what she would be angry about. Maybe she was big into conservation and the unneeded destruction of a cell phone bothered her. I shrugged. It seemed silly and I probably just misread her expression.
"Why would you change your number?" she asked.
"I didn't want to talk to him. I was afraid he'd try calling me back."
"Maybe he would have been able to explain himself," Mary said softly with a look I could not identify on her face.
"And maybe he would just reconfirm that he didn't love me anymore, but was too much of a chicken-shit to tell me to my face. Then I would have to deal with his rejection all over again," I retorted, my voice trembling slightly with emotion. I could feel my stomach clenching up again.
Mary's eyes softened. "You're afraid. You are avoiding him because you are afraid of what could happen."
I looked at Mary in surprise. "I'm not avoiding anything," I replied angrily. "I'm not the one who went back to a previous relationship without ending the one I was currently in. If he wants to talk to me so badly to explain the kissing or the photos, then he could've called me here. Or he could man up and come here to tell me personally to my face."
"But if you wouldn't return his calls, maybe he thought you really didn't want to talk to him after all," she countered.
"You're assuming he has tried to call. I DON'T want to talk to him. Whose side are you on anyway? You talk as if you know the guy." My eyes flashed. I was starting to get pissed, even if she seemed like she could quickly be my closest friend in no time.
Mary shook her head with a soft smile on her face. "I don't believe you."
I huffed. "Whatever. I have work to do." I walked away to get more cases of beer from the back stockroom. When I returned with the dolly laden with beer, Mary was still there on her barstool. She watched me work without speaking, occasionally sipping her drink. When I was done and was wiping the bar down, Mary turned to me again.
"How did you meet him?"
I looked at Mary again, trying to figure out why she was so damned curious about my love life. Why would a woman who was happily engaged care about another woman's problems? The pull to confide in her was still there, but all this sudden curiosity was strange. I decided to roll with it. It wasn't like I was going to see this woman ever again after today. She didn't seem like the barfly type based on her behavior and dress, and she wasn't from around here.
"We met here. He walked into the bar one night looking lost and confused. We started talking and didn't stop all night. He and I even danced together and I don't dance. Something just clicked between us and we became inseparable."
"But he left…" Mary said it not so much as a question but a continuation of the story from our earlier conversation.
"Yes, he had to go back to California. We were going to try to see each other when we could, schedules permitting, but I haven't seen him since he left over two months ago."
"But you talked on the phone, right?" she asked.
I nodded. "Every day. No matter what we had going on that day, we always talked at least once a day and texted constantly."
"And now you haven't heard a peep since Friday."
I nodded again.
Mary tapped her manicured fingers to her lips as she thought. After about thirty seconds, she flashed me a wide, knowing smile. "You need some retail therapy."
"What? Like shopping?" I crinkled my nose in disgust at the idea of shopping anywhere with anyone. My version of therapy involved alcohol, chocolate, and a good book.
"Yes, like shopping!" Mary started bouncing in her seat. "It'll be so much fun! Please say you will go! Please?" she begged.
I had only known this small, hyper woman for all of an hour or so, but her pleading gaze could not be denied. As with Edward, I felt safe with her, like I could trust her. Although, in hindsight, that feeling did not seem to get me very far with Edward. She also felt like the sister I never had.
"Fine," I caved. "When do you want to subjugate me to this torture?"
Mary jumped up from her chair in excitement. I think she would've hugged me if the bar wasn't in the way. "How does 9 a.m. tomorrow sound?
I shuddered. 9 a.m.? Seriously? "You do realize that I usually work till about 3 a.m., don't you?"
Mary giggled. I had a sinking feeling she had a plan that I wasn't privy to that involved me. "Can you get out early tonight so you can get enough sleep? We don't want you to be sleep shopping tomorrow. Think of the horrible things you may buy inadvertently!" Mary wrinkled her nose at that idea.
I rolled my eyes. "Mary, I can't just ask my crew to close up for me because I want to go home early. I've put them through enough the past few days."
Right at that moment, Angela walked by and overheard our conversation. She turned towards us and smiled at Mary. "Hi, I'm Angela. I'm Bella's manager here." She extended a hand to Mary.
Mary gently shook Angela's hand. "I'm Mary."
Angela turned to me as she started speaking. "If you want to go shopping tomorrow, I can close up here so you can get out early. You need to get out a little and do something with someone who is not affiliated with this place, even as awesome as this place is."
I gaped at Angela. I never expected one of my closest friends to hand me over to the devil incarnate for the worst kind of torture so quickly.
Mary clapped her hands, even more excited than she was before. "Great! That settles it. Bella, meet me here at 9 a.m. tomorrow and come prepared to shop. Tomorrow is going to be so much fun!"
I glared at Angela as she looked at me happily without a shred of guilt for throwing me to the wolves.
"What? Mary seems like a real nice person, and you could use some time away from here, even just for a day," Angela stated soothingly. She looked at me again, like she was reading me. Damn me for being such an open book. "In fact, why don't you just head out now and enjoy your evening?"
"I have work to do," I protested. "I have more research to do for the restaurant addition."
"Restaurant?" Mary piped up.
"Yeah, I want to add a restaurant to the Midnight Sun so I've been doing research for the past several months."
"That's a great idea, Bella."
"Thank you, Mary. It's been a part of my dream along with getting this bar. Buying the bar was the first step." I looked around my bar with a smile. I envisioned how the restaurant would look and what we would need to expand to accommodate the extra people. A larger venue would help get some better bands in here than the drivel I had been able to find.
"So, Bella, take your research with you. You could probably get more done elsewhere without all the distractions here," Angela offered. "It's starting to slow down anyway. We'll be okay for the rest of the night without you."
I glanced at Angela unconvinced. Before Edward, I never left the bar early or called off. I took scheduled days off, sure, but that was it. I certainly never ever blew off the rest of the day on a whim. I wouldn't expect my employees to do that so I felt I couldn't do it either.
"Bella, we'll be fine, honest. You trained us well," she encouraged.
I finally relented, my shoulders sagging slightly in defeat. "Fine." I turned to Mary, "Before I go, would you like the tour of the place, Mary?"
Mary nodded and met me at the end of the bar.
"There isn't much more to this place," I started as we walked toward the back. "My office is over there and our store rooms and ice maker are over there." I gestured to a large machine that was whirling faintly, slowly making more ice and a large insulated steel door next to it. The back area was only for employees and contained paper supplies and other odds and ends the staff would need. "And over here we have our very small kitchen where we serve a very limited amount of food." The kitchen indeed was quite small. It was not really a commercial grade kitchen, just appliances thrown together so we could serve some kind of food and still pass the state inspections.
Mary nodded, taking in everything. She seemed quite interested in it all. I wondered more about what her job entailed., being a wedding planner sounded like it could be interesting. We never really talked about anything except me. I needed to change that, I wanted to find out more about this hyper, but oddly nice, woman before I voluntarily went shopping with her tomorrow. We walked into my small office and I grabbed my restaurant research from my desk.
Mary was staring at a picture I had on top of a file cabinet in the corner. I sighed sadly; I had forgotten that the picture was there. "That's him," I confirmed. "We were at the carnival and had our pictures taken in one of those photo booth things." The picture frame held three small wallet-sized black and white pictures of Edward and me making goofy faces.
"You two look, like you were having a lot of fun that day."
"We did. It was a lot of fun. He won a stuffed animal for me while we were there, too," I murmured, thinking of Anthony lying on my bed.
Mary smiled sweetly and gave me a quick hug. "It'll be alright, Bella. I just know it will."
I froze when she hugged me. I wasn't used to people I just met being touchy-feely. However, Mary seemed to be that kind of person. I think I can deal with it….maybe.
"Well, this is all I need to continue my research at home." I took a deep breath before speaking again. I still wasn't sure about this idea but this was fairly mild compared to inviting a man I barely knew to stay at my home like I had done a lifetime ago. "Are you hungry? Would you like to get a bite to eat?"
Mary's smile now stretched from ear to ear. "Sure, that would be great!" She practically skipped out of my office in her excitement. I followed behind her at a much more normal pace.
I waved goodbye to Angela and Jacob as we walked out of the bar and into the cold November evening. There was a crispness to the air that only came right before a snowfall. Snow wasn't in the forecast for a couple of days, but you could feel it coming. Spring was always my favorite season, but there was something about this kind of smell in the air that was awesome. It reminded me of school, of football games and bonfires. Good memories.
Mary was looking at me as I came out of my reverie. I blushed, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I got lost in my thoughts a little bit. I love the way the air in the fall smells. It's like you can smell the snow."
The other woman nodded. "So where do you want to eat?"
I looked at the time on my cell phone. "At this time of night, only the diners are going to still be open. Where is your car?"
"I don't have one. I took a cab here."
"Really? Why?" The Midnight Sun was not in an area where cab traffic was prevalent. In fact, it was unusual to see a cab in Vermilion, period.
"I was told this was a good place to go for a drink," she replied somewhat cryptically.
"Well, alrighty then. My truck is right over here. Denny's is only about fifteen minutes from here. You okay with Denny's?"
Mary nodded but didn't seem real thrilled about it.
Yes, Vermilion was small enough that it currently did not have a 24/7 diner. We had one from time to time, but they usually closed for one reason or another… drug problems, health code violations, or lack of business. So I preferred to go with the chain diners that were in the next city over. Denny's was always a good place to go for a bite after a late night or really anytime.
Mary followed me to my truck and her eyebrow quirked at the sight of it. "Wow… that is quite a vehicle, Bella. Ever consider getting a car that was built during this decade or even this quarter of a century?"
I smiled; I was used to my truck getting picked on when someone saw it for the first time. "Hey, don't hate on the truck. I love my old tank. She's been good to me." I patted the metal fender with affection. They just didn't build them like that anymore.
We climbed in and made our way to Denny's. While I drove, I finally got to ask Mary some questions about her instead of her asking all the questions about me. She told me she was here for a few days for family reasons. Mary didn't explain further, and I didn't feel comfortable asking for more detail. If it was due to the passing of a family member, I didn't want to appear insensitive. Although, that would be odd because she seemed to be in a fairly good mood if that was the reason she was here.
Mary and I were quickly seated at the diner. Sunday nights didn't appear to be as busy as it was at my bar. As we sat, the sparkle from Mary's engagement ring glinted in my eyes.
"How long have you been engaged?" I asked.
Mary's face broke into the biggest cheese ball grin I had ever seen on a woman. "About six months. I'm so excited!"
"Have you set a date yet?"
"Yes, in May of next year, just before Memorial Day."
"That's great, Mary. Congratulations! How did you meet your fiancé?"
"Jasper and I met through my older brother. They met in college. My brother dropped out during his sophomore year but stayed friends with Jasper. One night they had a party and my brother invited me. Apparently he had gotten this job he really wanted and was celebrating. I had only been there for a little while and was just relaxing when he walked in: Jasper Whitlock. He is one of the finest looking men I have ever seen. I walked right over to him and asked him to dance. We've been pretty much inseparable since then." She was able to say that all in one breathe. I was impressed.
"Did Jasper finish college?"
Mary nodded happily. "Yes, thankfully! He is a counselor so it's definitely good he got his degree. He wouldn't be able to do what he does without his training."
We continued through dinner sharing stories of our childhoods, college, adulthood, stories of our friends, and anything else that our minds traveled to that night. It was incredible. Angela was my closest friend and I hadn't even share this much with her. I also learned that Mary never ever really stops. She was perpetually hyper. She only came down from her hyper state when she started talking about her brother's crazy ex-girlfriend. She got mad, and not just a little mad, but really, really, really mad. I was very glad that her anger was not directed at me. Mary did not like his ex-girlfriend at all and refused to speak her proper name, referring to her only as "Crazy."
When the check came, Mary grabbed it before I had a chance to get out my debit card. She bounced out of the booth declaring that since I agreed to go shopping with her tomorrow that she should cover dinner. I shrugged. Who would turn down a free meal?
As we drove back to her hotel, she asked about where the good places to shop could be found.
"It all depends on the kind of shopping you want to do. Around here, we have a lot of the typical box department stores but nothing really high-end or trendy. What kind of places did you want to go to?"
Mary looked horrified with the limited available shopping options here. "Well, I was hoping for something besides Sears or Dilliards…. Something that isn't a large department store… something that actually has some TASTE!" she said emphatically.
I laughed. Mary was SO in the wrong town for fashion. "We do have some high-end places on the other side of Cleveland in one of the more affluent areas. We could go there tomorrow morning. It's about an hour drive." I had only been to Beachwood Place a few times, but it was very nice. It was definitely more trendy and chic than what could be found at the malls around here.
"Oh, thank God!" Mary declared, relieved. "I was starting to think I was going to have to fly you home with me to get some good shopping in."
I laughed but was somewhat startled by her statement. We bonded pretty quickly, that was for sure. But, damn, flying out to God knows where just for shopping? Only Mary, I said to myself. I realized that I would probably be saying this a lot from now on. Wait. This woman isn't from around here. I probably won't ever see her once she leaves. I shook my head. My life had been a lot more interesting in the past three months than it had been in the past several years.
I dropped Mary off at her hotel and drove home while listening to the radio. Cleveland radio stations left something to be desired, but it was better than nothing. I never bothered to upgrade the old static-filled radio into something more modern with a CD player or satellite radio, so my only entertainment option was the radio.
Back in my familiar driveway, I grabbed my restaurant research and walked into my quiet house. It was rather dark and lonely feeling inside. I banished those thoughts from my mind and concentrated on my research. My biggest worry was the economy. Vermilion was not a large city so opening a restaurant was tricky. I had seen so many places open just to close within a few years. Someone else would buy the property and the cycle would repeat itself. I did not want that to happen to Midnight Sun or my yet unnamed restaurant.
I had been tracking other restaurants in similar environments as mine, watching their trends and ratings online. Some were doing really well, others not so much. I really needed to see what the successful ones were doing differently from the failing ones. Bigger companies would've probably hired a company to do market research but I didn't have that kind of money to spend, and I tended to be more hands on in my approach to my business. Maybe I would need to actually go to these places. Hmmm….road trip! That idea really had some merit. I hadn't gone on a vacation in some time. This would be a good reason to go. After the holidays, once things calm down a little.
A huge yawn shuddered through me as my body told me it finally had enough for the day. I turned my computer off and put my research into its folder. Peeling clothes off as I walked, I entered my bedroom and crawled under the covers. Closing my eyes, I wished for dreams free of nightmares.
My wishes were not granted that night, but the nightmares were not so horrible that they woke me up before my alarm went off. However, they were bad enough to make me look like I hadn't slept. Great. My brain scolded me for agreeing to get up so early to go shopping. I hadn't been up that early in a long time. For once I didn't have to wear my work clothes, so I settled for a comfy pair of well-loved and well-worn jeans and long-sleeved purple shirt with my favorite pair of Chucks. I had a feeling that dressing for comfort was going to be the only way I was going to survive Mary today.
Mary was waiting in the parking lot when I arrived to pick her up. She was moving side to side a little bit to stay warm in the cold November air. I hoped she hadn't been waiting long. The wind coming off the lake could be brutal in the winter. Without so much as a glance, she ran over and hopped in the truck as soon as I stopped. Her cheeks were rosy red and her eyes shined with anticipation as she held a small brown paper take-out bag in her hand. Mary reached in the bag and handed me a muffin.
"Can't shop without food first!" she declared happily.
I shook my head with a smile on my face as I took the proffered muffin. This woman was simply indescribable. Her Jasper must be truly something special to keep up with her. My stomach growled as I smelled the fruity goodness of the blueberry muffin. Before I pulled out of the lot, I had the wrapper peeled off and was happily munching on it.
"How did you guess that blueberry was my favorite?" I asked, half of the muffin already gone. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that my appetite was finally coming back. I hadn't eaten hardly anything in the past several days.
Mary smiled. "Lucky guess?"
The drive to Beachwood Place was surprisingly pleasant despite the early hour. Mary looked around quite a bit as we drove, taking in the scenery. To me, there wasn't that much to see. Ohio was not that exciting, especially driving through downtown Cleveland. She got to see all that Cleveland had to offer: some of the nicer parts, parts of downtown, parts of what remaining industry was left in the city, and the edge of some of the rougher areas of Cleveland. It was actually kind of funny that we had to skirt the border of Cleveland's rougher neighborhoods just to get to one of the affluent areas.
When we finally parked, the mall was just opening for the day. My old truck stuck out like a sore thumb around all the Mercedes, Lexus, and BMW's. I certainly got my share of looks by some of the ladies in the lot as I drove by. I merely shook my head. People who couldn't see past another's material possessions weren't worth my time. Mary was oblivious to all of the looks. She was too busy looking at each of the names of the stores, her smile getting bigger each time she found one that she really liked. I chuckled.
"Was this a good choice, Mary?" I had to ask even if I could easily tell what the answer was.
"Oooo yes! Thank you! Thank you! I know I wanted to take you out for retail therapy, so you should've picked the place… but this would be the only fitting place to do that."
She eagerly hopped out of the truck and almost ran towards the mall entrance. I only shook my head and said a little prayer as I walked in after Mary. This could be a very long day.
Several hours later with at least a dozen bags between us, Mary and I emerged from Beachwood Place much lighter in the wallet than we were when we arrived. I didn't expect to enjoy myself, but it was a novel treat to go shopping with someone who actually knew about fashion. I wouldn't say it was going to be my favorite activity, but I thought I could learn to enjoy shopping once in a great while. My bank account couldn't handle shopping trips like these too often. Obviously Mary didn't have that problem, but that was okay. She was one of those rare people who weren't obnoxious about money. She had it; she used it, but didn't flaunt it… well not completely. Walking out of a high-end mall with an armful of bags from some of the more trendy stores definitely could be considered flaunting.
"Oh, Bella, that blue dress looked so gorgeous on you! And those jeans… any man within ten miles is going to drool when they see your butt in those jeans!" Mary gushed.
I rolled my eyes. "Thank you, Mary." The blue dress was gorgeous but I had no idea when I'd ever get a chance to wear it. It was a cocktail dress, but I hardly ever went anywhere that cocktail dresses were required. However, sometimes a girl just needed a pretty dress to help her feel better. I was a tomboy by nature but I still had my girly moments. The blue cocktail dress was my girly moment. The jeans were awesome; I had to agree with Mary on that. My butt looked great. I never really spent a lot of time looking at jeans. If they fit and weren't too baggy, I was happy. I considered changing my jean buying process. These were perfect, like they were molded for my body alone. I couldn't wait to wear them out somewhere.
"So, how much longer are you in town?" I asked as we drove home after stopping at one of the restaurants in Beachwood for lunch. It was now just after 2 p.m. I felt a little guilty about not being at work, but Angela knew where I was and knew I would be in eventually.
"Probably just for another day or so. I'm not really sure. It just depends on when my family stuff gets resolved," Mary replied, looking through her bags happily. If I knew better, I could've sworn I thought she was digging through her bags more than necessary, like she was avoiding looking me in the eye. I pushed that thought out of mind. I really didn't know her well enough to decipher if she was trying to avoid something, despite what my gut was telling me. I had no idea why she would be avoiding a more direct answer. What did she have to hide?
I also felt a pang of sadness, realizing that I would honestly miss her when she left. This little whirlwind of a woman had left a mark on my life that I would miss when she was gone. It was more than just the shopping. We just seemed to click; the friendship easy. Mary accepted me as I was, and I her. She definitely was more fashionable and trendy than I was, but she did not look down on my Chucks or anything. I hoped that she would be willing to exchange contact information so we could say in touch after she left. Why does everyone I seem to care about leave?
"What kind of stuff are you trying to resolve?" She had mentioned it a few times but never said really what it was. By this time, we had shared a lot about each other but not this. She knew about Jacob and all my shenanigans in college, about my relationship with my mother -- which brought me to tears momentarily while we were in the middle of BCBG -- and with my father and just about everything in between. She had shared a lot of things with me. She loved to talk about Jasper, that topic was good for a solid hour at least. She told me a little about growing up, that her parents were really great people, supportive and kind. Mary talked a little about her two brothers but didn't say much. I didn't pry. It sounded like she wasn't close to either one, so I didn't want to be rude and ask for more details.
However, the more I got to know Mary, the more things kept nagging my mind.
I didn't even notice that she never answered me. I looked over and she was looking back at me, concerned.
"Bella, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I was just thinking too hard," I sighed.
She looked at me again, scrutinizing my face. "About what?"
"Nothing much" I said softly. I sighed and changed the subject.
"Have you picked out your wedding colors?"
Mary squealed and looked relieved at the subject change. "We are going with sea foam. It's such a calm shade of green. I love it." She went on with more of the details of her wedding. It was still months away but she had it planned down to a T. She stayed on the topic until we got close to her hotel room.
"Well, Mary, I need to go into work. Do you need me to take you anywhere before I take off?" It felt a little awkward asking, but she had been so nice to me the past two days and she didn't have any transportation of her own.
Mary cocked her head to the side -- something I noticed was a habit of hers when she was deep in thought. "How do you feel about make-overs?"
"Make-overs?"
"Yeah, this would be the perfect end to a morning of shopping. You have such awesome skin, Bella. I would love to give you a make-over and maybe do your hair."
Ordinarily, if someone I had met only the day before offered to give me a make-over, I would have scoffed and quickly left. I didn't do make-overs. I also didn't go shopping with someone I barely knew either, but Mary wasn't just anyone, she had quickly wormed her way into my heart and I couldn't deny her.
"I suppose, if you must," I ceded, grudgingly.
Mary squealed again. I started to wonder if she was part dolphin.
Forty-five minutes later, Mary was finishing my make-up as hot rollers set in my hair. I was amazed she was even trying the rollers. Anytime I tried to use them in the past I ended up with frizzy poodle-hair. It wasn't pretty, but I trusted Mary to know her way around hot rollers better than I did. She seemed to have a knack for these kinds of things. The joy she got from giving me a make-over also made me wonder if she took the wrong career path, or maybe her mother didn't let her play with dolls enough as a child.
"Oh, Bella, you look so good, even if you have to wear that horrible work outfit," Mary cried. She was clearly happy with her handiwork as she finished the last few touches to my make-up. Mary carefully began unrolling my hair. My head slowly became completely covered with soft curls. Within minutes, Mary had my hair styled in ways I could only dream to recreate. She has truly missed her calling. I only caught glimpses in the mirror as she turned me around on a swivel chair as she worked.
Finally done, she pulled me up to my feet and turned me to face the mirror by the bathroom of the hotel room. I barely recognize myself. I usually didn't wear much make-up so it was a surprise to see such smoky and sexy eyes staring back at me, surrounded by waves of soft, brown hair. Mary was the devil incarnate when it came to shopping but was an angel with hair. The front of my hair was pulled back out of my face and the ends came back around to frame my face. I was stunned.
"Mary… I don't know what to say," I whispered. If only Edward could see me this way. Thinking of him brought tears to my eyes and I bit my lip trying to keep them at bay. I didn't want to ruin all of Mary's hard work. If I always looked like this, would I have been enough to keep him? I shook my head to rid myself of those thoughts and the unwanted tears. If he really wanted me, then he would have stayed with me as I was, without me being glammed up. I found the strength to keep the tears away, but Mary had witnessed the whole exchange across my face.
Her expression was understanding and sympathetic. "Let's get you ready for work."
"What are you going to do with the rest of your day?" I asked.
"I thought I'd hang out at Midnight Sun for awhile if that's okay."
"Sure, I'd love the company." Her presence would be welcome at the bar. Mary had quickly become a close friend and now I would get to spend a little more time with her before she left. "I still need to go home and change. Do you want to see my house?"
Mary jumped up and down. "I would LOVE to see your house, Bella! You've talked about it so much I can practically picture it in my mind."
I laughed as I gathered my purse and we headed out the door. A quick glance at my cell phone told me that happy hour was just starting. In another hour, I normally would have expected my flower delivery from Edward. A tremor went through me as I wondered if Edward would still send them. I doubted it, but I'd find out soon enough. Mary thankfully didn't seem to notice my mood change.
Mary loved my house. She went on and on about it as she walked through each and every room and touched practically everything. I followed the direction of her gaze as she looked at the pictures on my mantel. She stopped at the picture of Edward and me at the beach. It was such a happy day when that picture was taken, and I couldn't bring myself to take it down. Mary continued looking about the room and spied his guitar sitting in the corner propped up against the wall. After I hung up on him on Friday I had a momentary urge to throw the guitar against the wall too. Luckily for Edward, I had too much respect for music to destroy something that could create such beauty. Mary's gaze halted on the framed sheet music that hung on the wall. My lullaby. No matter what happened with Edward that would always remain a treasured gift. I had the sheet music framed shortly after Edward left for L.A. The shop I used to frame it was staffed by real professionals and they were able to mount the pages without using any adhesive so they could be removed if I wanted to take them out, possibly to be played again.
I dressed quickly and tried not to muss my hair too much in the process. Mary still needed to do some damage control to the front of my hair.
"There," Mary declared with satisfaction. "Nothing that a little hairspray can't fix."
Before I knew what I was doing, I wrapped my arms around Mary in a big hug. She had done so much for me in the past forty-eight hours. "Thank you, Mary," I said softy, "for everything. I really appreciate it."
She hugged me back and I was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "I'm happy to do it, Bella. You are a wonderful person and deserve some pampering."
"Will you stay in touch when you go back home?"
She smiled at me shyly, which was odd for someone as outgoing and bubbly as she was. "I'd really like that, Bella."
The day before, when I first met Mary, I never thought in a million years I would be here with her in my house, after shopping all morning and a makeover. I never thought I would've bared my soul to someone I had just met. Wait, hadn't I done something similar with Edward? Granted, my feelings towards Mary were not even close to the type of feelings I had towards Edward, but they were strong and true. I felt closer to her than I felt to friends I had known for half my life.
"Great, I'd like that too." I gave Mary another quick hug before we left and headed to the bar.
Once again, I wasn't sure what to expect when I walked into the Midnight Sun. I didn't think anyone there had ever seen me dolled up the way I was today. Jacob whistled at me as I walked by and I couldn't help but grin hugely at him. Several of the male bar patrons eyed me appreciatively. Jessica about came out of her skin when she saw me.
"Bella?! IS THAT REALLY YOU?"
I winced as her shriek went up several octaves. I think I heard a dog howl in the distance. She came running over to the bar from her table with her hands flapping in the air. Mary arched a brow but said nothing as I grinned at her. I had already told her all about Jessica.
"Hi, Jessica. Yes, it is really me. This is apparently what happens when I allow a friend to give me a make-over."
Jessica was openly staring at me and it was starting to get a little weird. "Bella, I … wow. You look great. I mean, well, you never looked bad before, but damn. Why don't you wear make-up more often?"
I shrugged. "I'm more of a 'wash and go' kind of girl. I don't see the point in doing stuff like this all the time, and it's a pain to do every day. Plus, I really am not here to impress anyone with my looks. I'm here to run a bar and if someone wants to stare at supermodels, the magazines are in the men's room."
Mary choked, trying to hold back her laughter.
We strolled over to the bar as Jessica went back to her tables. Mary claimed her stool from the day before, and I took over behind the bar. Angela nodded at me, clearly impressed by my new look but didn't say anything. She was happy I got a day out to be a girl. The happiness in her eyes told me all I needed to know.
I had just gotten into the swing of things when I looked at the clock. It was past the time that Edward's flowers usually came. I couldn't help but glance at the door, hoping for the deliveryman to walk through. Edward usually ordered from the same place so it was usually the same person who delivered the flowers. I noticed that I wasn't the only one watching the door. Jacob and Angela kept sneaking glances towards the front door every couple of minutes. They both had worried looks on their faces. I tried to keep my face nonchalant. What did I expect after all? I had hung up on him after I found out he had gone back to his old girlfriend. Flowers at this point would just be mean. But as time went by, I couldn't help but get depressed. Mary was into her second vodka and cranberry drink when she noticed my face drooping.
"Bella, what's wrong, honey?"
"It's stupid, really. I don't know why I'm upset," I mumbled.
"What is it? What happened?" she asked quietly.
"I don't know why I thought he would, but he didn't. He didn't send me flowers," I said softly, my heart breaking all over again.
"Oh, honey, its okay," Mary murmured. She walked around the bar to me and wrapped her small arms around my waist.
"I didn't think he actually would, but I secretly hoped that he might." My voice shook. I hated being weak like this. I hated that he caused me to feel this weak without him.
Mary rubbed my back soothingly. "You really need to talk to him, Bella. You can't just let it hang like this."
I nodded slowly, dreading the call but knowing I needed to do it. "Maybe I'll call him tonight." My stomach clenched. "Maybe, I don't know. This sucks."
Mary continued to rub my back. Jacob had alerted Angela to my mini-breakdown, and she was quickly walking over to us from the kitchen.
"Bella, why don't we go and sit in your office for a few minutes?" Angela offered. She stood on the other side of me, making a Bella sandwich between her and Mary.
I shook my head. "No, I'll be okay. He is not going to break me." I shook myself all over, like I was ridding myself of the negative feelings. It helped me feel a little better. The pit of despair that had been following me since Friday was still there but it became a little more tolerable.
Angela and Mary were looking at each other. It looked like they were having a silent conversation just with their eyes. Angela nodded and gave me a quick hug before walking away. Mary detached herself from my side and sat back down on the other side of the bar. I could feel both of them watching me as I worked along the bar, refilling beers and pouring shots.
An hour or so went by and I was doing better at ignoring the fact that it was Monday. I had just come back from the store room with a dolly full of beer when I saw Mary and Angela messing with the television in the corner. The two of them together could not be up to anything good. I loaded up the front cooler as I tried to listen to them whisper in front of the television as they surfed through the stations.
"What are you guys doing?" I asked.
Both Mary and Angela whirled around. Mary had a better poker face than Angela did and was able to stand there and look at me like nothing was amiss. Angela looked guilty but her eyes were shining with excitement. Odd.
"Oh, I am just trying to find this one television show that is supposed to be on tonight. There is an interview on there that I just have to watch," Mary said quickly. She turned back to the television and clapped happily when she finally found the right station. "Yes!" Mary scooted back over to her stool and dragged it closer to the television so she could see better.
"Who is getting interviewed?" I almost didn't want to know. The last interview I saw was not a pleasant one for me.
Mary and Angela looked at each other again. What is going on between those two? Before I could demand an answer from someone, the show started.
The same interviewer who had done the piece on Tanya was on the screen. I groaned. She was talking about some of the things they were going to be covering on their show including a surprise last minute interview, with whom she wasn't saying yet.
"Mary, who is getting interviewed? You obviously must know if you knew this show was going to have it," I asked tersely.
Mary refused to look me in the eye. The little seeds of something that had been rooted at the back of my mind suddenly bloomed into full blown suspicion.
"Mary, what is your brother's name?" I asked quietly.
There were just so many coincidences between her and Edward. Edward had told me about his two younger siblings, Alice and Emmett, and the jobs they had. Edward had told me that Alice was a party planner. This Mary told me she was a wedding planner. Mary didn't really resemble Edward but it just seemed so strange. Edward had mentioned that Alice was engaged to a psychologist. The Mary sitting next to me was engaged to a counselor. My head started spinning and I suddenly had a headache. I rubbed my head and winced as the pounding continued.
Her head whipped around and her blue eyes looked distraught. "Please, Bella. Just watch," she begged.
Anger bubbled up inside of me as the truth finally broke through. My new friend Mary was Edward's sister, Alice. It was all clear to me now. She knew who I was this entire time. Why did she do all of this? Was this all fake? Did she even want to be my friend or was this just some ploy by Edward to see how miserable I was?
"Why should I, Mary, or should I say Alice? What was all of this about? The past two days when you pretended to be my friend? Was this just some game that Edward put you up to do? I told you things that I have only told a few people. I trusted you," I hissed, anger and betrayal burning inside of me.
"You can trust me, Bella, and my name is Mary – Mary Alice. I honestly wanted to get to know you, and spending time with you like we have allowed me to do that. This is most definitely not a game. Please, just watch," she implored quietly. I looked over at Angela who was nodding her head in agreement.
"You're in on this too?" I spat at her.
Angela looked down at her hands and fidgeted nervously. "Please, Bella," she whispered.
I wanted to run out of there that moment and never come back. For some reason, maybe curiosity, maybe because I was a glutton for punishment, I stayed. I hoped I wouldn't regret it.
The show came back on and a few unimportant segments came and went. The three of us crowded around the television as the next segment started, the big secret interview.
"Today, we have a special treat for you. Our surprise guest typically does not give interviews. He is here today to clear up some misunderstandings that were aired a week ago on this program. He wanted to tell his side of the story. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, actor and musician, Mr. Edward Cullen."
The camera panned out, taking in the whole room. Sitting across from her, looking incredibly sad and forlorn, was Edward. My Edward. I gasped at the sight of him. Even when he first arrived at Midnight Sunall those months ago, he didn't look this miserable.
"Welcome to the program, Edward."
"Thank you, Amanda." Edward's voice was sad but just as velvety as it was when I last spoke with him.
"First, let's discuss your newest movie that you are filming. How has that been going?" Amanda asked.
"Grueling, but good. We are almost done. After the Thanksgiving break, we will only need a few more weeks and the actors are off the hook. The rest of the production crew won't be so lucky," he laughed lightly but his mirth didn't reach his eyes.
"That's good to hear. Do you get along well with your co-stars?"
Edward winced. "Eh, mostly. One of my close friends is Seth Clearwater so it has been fun working with him. He has been helping me deal with some issues."
Amanda did not inquire about what exactly the issues were, but merely nodded and chose a different approach. "Tanya Denali is also one of your co-stars and is your romantic interest in the movie."
Edward nodded but did not elaborate.
"Last week, Tanya made some claims on this program about your renewed relationship with her. Would you like to comment on that?"
That question got Edward's undivided attention. He sat up straight and his eyes bored into the camera. "Yes, yes I would like to comment on that, Amanda. Her claims are completely and absolutely false. The only relationship," he sneered as he said relationship, "I have with Tanya is that she is my co-star. I am not nor will I ever be romantically involved with her." His voice held a note of finality.
I gasped at his admission. But how? I was incredibly confused.
Amanda continued.
"So are you currently in a relationship?"
Edward's face looked pained; his brilliant green eyes looked raw like he was deeply hurting. "Yeees…" his voice shook slightly. "At least I was. When Tanya's interview came out, it was…..disruptive."
Amanda's eyes softened as she leaned closer to Edward. The camera followed her movement and closed the angle of the shot. "What happened, Edward?"
"She came upon an article that revealed my previous relationship with Tanya from several years ago. Unfortunately, I had foolishly not revealed that to her yet. She was understandably upset about that. In her search for information, she came across Tanya's interview from last week and pictures from when Tanya and I went out for coffee. The nails in the coffin of our relationship were some mistagged pictures of Tanya and me. Our next conversation did not go well."
Amanda nodded. "What was the story with the coffee shop? If there wasn't a relationship, then why was Tanya holding your hand?"
Edward's face clouded over with anger. "That was a big, big mistake. We had met to go over a particular scene. At least, that's what I thought we were meeting to go over. Tanya apparently had other plans. It was a huge mistake." It seemed like he wanted to say more but held back.
"And the mistagged pictures?" Amanda prompted.
"A fan had posted some pictures of Tanya and me making out on her celebrity blog with the tagline that they confirmed a relationship between us. Unfortunately, those pictures were from the movie set of us doing a love scene. Those photos were the ones that she found."
As he spoke, the same pictures I saw online appeared on the screen. This time, the full set of pictures were displayed, including shots of Edward talking to the director with his script in his hand, parts of the set that are usually off-camera, set staff standing around. My heart was pounding in my chest. I couldn't believe this was happening. These were all the things that Edward had tried to tell me, but I was too stubborn to listen to him. I was too determined to believe that he really would leave me.
Amanda looked at her notes a bit more before she asked another question. "So, what about this mystery girl? Tell us about her. Where did you meet her?"
Edward's face beamed now. He smiled hugely, his eyes shining. "She's the most amazing person I have ever met. She is beautiful and smart and intelligent. I love her."
"What's her name?" Amanda prompted.
I held my breath.
"Bella," he said softly.
Edward's voice continued while my head spun. My heart was beating so hard I'm surprised the whole room didn't hear it. My vision started to get blurry. I realized I had been holding my breath. Overcome, I took several deep breaths to try to steady myself.
"Have you spoken with her since that conversation after she found the photos?" Amanda asked softly.
"No," Edward replied sadly.
"Well, what would you say to her if she was here right now? Maybe she's watching the program and will hear you," Amanda prompted hopefully.
The camera closed in to completely frame Edward's face. He looked very nervous. Edward fidgeted for a moment before he looked into the camera and spoke earnestly.
"I would tell Bella that I love her more than anyone else in the world. She has become everything to me. I would tell her how sorry I am, that I hope she will forgive me for not telling her everything, for holding back and pushing her away, for being stupid. I would tell her that I miss her terribly."
I felt tears coursing down my face. Angela and Alice were by my side again, each one with an arm around my waist. They had tears in their eyes as they watched Edward's interview.
Amanda spoke again, but the camera remained on Edward. "Anything else that you'd like to say, Edward?"
He took a deep breath and looked directly into the camera again. "Bella, I love you. I love you so much I can't see straight. I'm sorry. I love you."
I could've sworn that I heard Edward's last statement like he was right behind me. Now I'm hearing things. I shook my head to try to clear my thoughts as Alice and Angela slowly stepped away from me. I couldn't focus on the television anymore so I turned away from the screen to come face to face with the very same green eyes that I had missed and dreamed about the past two months. My hand shook as I raised it to my lips in shock.
"E-Ed-Edward?" I stuttered, my heart in my mouth.
A/N Gah! He's there!! Please review… and as always, teasers for the next chapter will be given with reviews. I also post a second teaser in the thread on Twilighted. Come join us in the thread for BFTO:www (dot) twilighted (dot) net/forum/viewtopic (dot) php?f=44&t=9524
Special note to my anon reviewers... I'd love to be able to reply to you and send you a teaser but I can't if you don't sign in or provide your email address! :) If you would prefer to not get a teaser, please just put a note in the review and I won't send it. :) Regardless, I still appreciate all my reviewers! :D