A/N: Hoooooly heck. It's been a day. Just barely even getting this posted on Tuesday in my time zone...

Returned a little while ago from the ER with my dancer daughter who sprained her ankle. We were afraid it was broken, but thankfully it's not. She has to be on crutches for a few days and then in an aircast for a week, but should be good to go after that.

My boys brought home baby snapping turtles from their camping trip. What. the. hell?

My kids have texted me approximately 50 times the last two days (their first days of summer) with important questions and witty comments... such as "hey" and "can we have Coke with lunch?". I love summer.

A million thanks to Windgirl810 for beta'ing about 40K words in the last week. Mwah!

Littlecat358 and Michelle preread for me and aren't annoyed with me... much. I've been quite annoying this week, definitely. And kinda sorta whiny.

Thank you for reading... please review!

Oh, hell. I keep forgetting to say I don't own Twilight. I don't. There, I said it.

Chapter 21: Stella Gets Her Groove Back

"Alice?" I ask quietly, hoping it's not her…then hoping it is her because otherwise Jas is going to kick my ass for saying one girl's name while another girl lies half-naked on his bed.

"Hi, Bella," she answers, unembarrassed, sitting up and clutching Jasper's t-shirt against her chest.

"I guess you didn't see my note," I muse, smirking at them. "It's probably under Alice's ass."

She lifts up and Jasper finds the note, reading it to himself. His whole face and neck are red, which I suddenly find very funny. I laugh uncontrollably, only trying to control myself when Jasper glares at me.

"What's so funny, Baby Swan?" he asks, annoyed with me.

"This whole fucked up situation. How did you two….when?" I ask.

"When I took your bracelet back, Edward wasn't home. Alice and Riley were there though. We just started talking," Jas says, his glare melting into a slight smile.

"Jasper told me the truth about you two," Alice says soberly, watching me to gauge my reaction. "We came here today to tell you the truth about us, but we didn't think you were here."

"I yelled for you when we got here," Jas says sheepishly. "Then… well... uh, we thought we were alone."

Still laughing a little, I nod. "I get it," I remark wryly. "No need to explain."

Alice clears her throat softly, reclaiming my attention. "We're haven't told Edward yet, but, Bella, we can't hide it forever." Her eyes are wide and happy.

My eyes dart to Jasper's. He's positively beaming at me. As understanding dawns, I smile back at him, getting teary.

"Awww, you two really….of course you do, you're perfect for each other…..I'm so happy for you both," I stammer, finally managing to get some words out that make sense.

Sniffling, I watch as they look at each other.

"Where's Riley? I can stay with her if you two want a night out or alone or whatever," I offer.

Alice swivels her head quickly to look at me. "Gosh, Bella, that would be great! She's at Edward's. Could you pick her up and take her back to my house? I promise to be home by midnight," she asks. I didn't really absorb anything after she said "Edward's".

"I can't….could you get her and bring her to me? I can't go there… see him," I whisper, tears collecting in my eyes again, but not from happiness this time. Since New Year's, the raw pain has slowly subsided, but I know seeing him again so soon would rip me wide open again. I'm getting stronger… and I don't want to lose the progress I'm making.

Avoidance? Yes. That is the Bella Swan way.

"Oh, my god! Oh, no, honey. I wouldn't make you. Edward's not there – he's out of town. Riley's there with Esme," she says, talking a mile a minute as she tosses Jasper's shirt aside and pulls her own back on. "Esme's redecorating a couple of rooms at Edward's. They're over there testing paint and fabric swatches or something. I'll call her and let her know you're picking Riley up."

"Who's Esme?" I ask, my irrational jealousy flaring, wondering how many freaking women one man needs. He's already engaged to the ice princess and now he has a decorator on the side, too?

"Esme is the woman who is bringing my dad back to life," Alice explains, pausing to look at me and smile softly. "They met right before Thanksgiving and have been together ever since. This is the first time I've seen him happy since…ever, really. I don't remember much about what life was like before Mom died."

"Wow, that's great, Alice," I reply, genuinely happy that maybe Edward's family can heal after all these years. Thankfully, she doesn't mention Edward… or Rosalie… or Edward and Rosalie. "Okay, I'll get ready and pick Riley up in…half an hour?"

"Thanks, Baby Swan," Jasper says.

"You're welcome. It's the least I can do after interrupting….that," I say, waving my hand around at them and laughing as I hurry out of the room.

Even though I know he's not home, my heart is in my throat as I drive to Edward's house. My hands shake as I climb the steps to the front porch and ring the doorbell. The woman who opens the door puts me somewhat at ease though. She's pretty, probably in her early fifties and dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt.

"You must be Bella," she says, holding out a hand to shake mine. "I'm Esme. I've heard so much about you from Carlisle and the family."

"Hi, Esme. It's nice to meet you. Alice just told me that you and Carlisle…" I let my voice trail off. She laughs, getting my meaning as I step inside, then turn to face her in the entry. After she shuts the door, she turns to me, smiling widely.

"Yes. We've both been alone for a long time. We're good for each other, I think. And we're having a hell of a lot of fun," she says lightheartedly. I laugh with her. "Riley and Alice both speak so much about you that I feel like I know you already. Can you sit for a few minutes and chat?"

I answer yes and walk into the living room... but I can't sit on the couch. Swallowing uncomfortably, I look over to the corner by the bookshelf – letting my eyes land on the big chair and ottoman. I can't sit there either. I finally settle into the Stickley rocker and push myself slowly back and forth as Esme and I talk for a few minutes. I like her immediately; her caramel-colored eyes are warm and seem to draw me out of the shell I'm usually in when I meet new people. After a few minutes though, she checks her watch.

"Oh, goodness. I didn't realize it had gotten so late. I'm supposed to be ready for dinner in an hour," she laughs. "Let me get Riley for you – she's playing out back." She disappears through the kitchen and out the back door.

Standing up from the rocking chair, I wander over to the fireplace mantle. There are new pictures up since I was last here – some new photos of Riley and Alice…and several of me. One of Edward and me in San Diego, one of us in New York. One of Riley and me on the porch swing eating ice cream. Not a single picture of Rosalie anywhere I look.

I bite my bottom lip, wondering what the hell this means.

Bella, don't overanalyze, I tell myself. It probably means Edward hasn't spent a lot of time here since the summer… since the time I spent a lot of time here.

Before I can contemplate any further, the back door bangs open and a golden-haired, purple-coat-wearing streak races across the floor.

"Bella!" Riley screams, rushing toward me and launching herself into my arms as I bend down to catch her. We both laugh as I stand back up and she hugs me tightly around the neck. Esme walks back into the room, smiling as she sees us clinging to each other.

Our reunion is interrupted by the shrill ringing of the phone. Esme picks up the cordless from the end table beside the couch and frowns at the screen, I assume reading the caller ID, before answering.

"Hi, Edward. It's Esme," she says when she answers the call. "Oh, you're back? Uh huh… no, no… Riley didn't mention that you called." Esme pauses to look over at Riley. Riley looks back at her for an instant before diving for my neck again, burying her face and pulling my hair around herself to hide from Esme's partly-amused, but also a little perturbed look. I squeeze her tighter and pat her back so she knows she's not in trouble with me.

"No, I'm done here. I was just leaving," she continues, her tawny eyes studying me… inquiring. I shake my head minutely. I don't want Edward to know I'm here. "I think Riley has a sitter for the night. Yes, I'll tell Alice. Okay. Bye." She clicks the phone off and replaces it on the charger, then turns to look at me.

"He's just getting off the five. He'll be here in a few minutes," she says quietly, looking sympathetically at me. Apparently, Alice has filled her in on my friendship with Edward.

Riley rears back to look at me. "Bella! Let's wait for Uncle Edward. He'll take us to Zeppi's," she says excitedly, her bright blue eyes twinkling.

"Sweetie, I'm sure Uncle Edward will be tired from his trip. Besides, I thought we'd try some place new… just you and me," I tempt.

She gasps. "Like a girls' night out? My mommy goes on those!"

Esme and I both laugh.

"Exactly. A girls' night," I agree.

She wiggles around until I set her down and then she rushes to hug Esme goodbye. When she pulls me out the door a minute later, I call a hasty "goodbye" and "nice to meet you" over my shoulder, then follow Riley to my car. Quickly, I help her get buckled into the booster seat I borrowed from Alice, desperate to get away before Edward arrives.

As I drive away a minute later, I see a black car approaching from behind and wonder if it's Edward's black Audi. Not wanting to stick around and see, I accelerate, speeding off in the opposite direction.

Flying again.

The first week of February, Jasper and I attend a four-day conference in Miami. When we originally planned this last fall, we intended to head south to Key West for a week when the conference was over. But now Jasper is going to San Francisco early Friday morning to meet with a potential client.

Truthfully, even before the client meeting came up, I had a feeling he'd head back to Seattle rather than Key West at the end of the week. He's absolutely crazy about Alice and doesn't want to be away from her – especially on Valentine's Day next week.

Thursday night when the conference is over, Jas and I eat dinner together. He has to leave the hotel at dawn tomorrow to catch his flight to the West Coast. All through the meal – hell, all through the week – he's talked almost nonstop about Alice.

I study him now, only half-listening to whatever he's telling me about her this time, instead watching the way his Texas skies shine... the way his face lights up... the way he laughs about something she just texted him. He's smitten... besotted... spoken for. And every time I've seen Alice lately, she's looked exactly the same. I'm thrilled for both of them, but especially for Jas who never gave up hope that the perfect woman for him existed somewhere.

I often wondered how I would feel when Jas found someone; he hasn't had a girlfriend that I considered serious since college. I always kind of thought I would feel some measure of jealousy, but I don't. It probably helps that I already know Alice and like her; it definitely helps that I love Riley and know how badly she could use someone like Jas, especially since Alice says Edward hasn't been around much the last few months.

Since Rosalie. Ick.

I involuntarily shudder, even though I'm sitting right next to the patio heater at the open-air restaurant. Although I know that stewing about her isn't good for me, I let my mind drift back to that day last June in the Hale Boardroom... the day I met Rosalie. Her dislike for me was instantaneous and palpable. Edward said it was because Jack liked me, but now I wonder if it was because Rosalie liked Edward.

Still smiling for Jasper, I sigh quietly for myself. Last June doesn't matter. The fact that I was his NYC virgin doesn't matter. The fact that something between Edward and me shifted that weekend doesn't matter.

Rosalie has him now.

"You excited about your week with Jer and Scott, Baby Swan?" Jas asks, pulling me from my childish, self-indulgent musing.

"Of course. I love any time I spend with any of the Whitlocks," I answer, snapping back to reality.

When he insisted that I go on to Scott and Jeremy's without him, I wavered; I've never been down there without Jas. But I also realized that Jas and I are entering a new phase in our friendship and I'm going to have to get used to doing more on my own… because he's going to be with Alice. And Riley.

Alice hasn't told Riley about Jasper yet, but says she's planning to soon. She wanted to make sure he was going to stick around, she said. I felt a little guilty when she told me that, knowing that it was difficult for Riley when I suddenly disappeared from her life last fall. But I've stayed with her several times in the last couple of weeks so Jas and Alice could go out and we've picked up right where we left off. I have the horrible makeover pictures on my phone to prove it.

I'm even starting to love purple.

So, happy for my best friend, but also a little displaced and wondering where I fit in now, I agreed to spend a week of R&R at Scott and Jer's bed and breakfast. They've been emailing me dueling schedules – Jer's is filled with shopping and touring historical landmarks; Scott's is filled with watersports and touring the finest drinking establishments on Duval Street.

Noting my faraway smile, Jas asks what's so funny. Laughing, I fill him in... and then, as I expected, the conversation segues right back to Alice.

"I can't wait to take Alice down there," he says, smiling widely again. "Baby Swan, you should come down with us. I told her I want to bring her and Riley down in September. Will you come?"

"Of course," I answer immediately, smiling back.

"I haven't been very good company this week, have I?" he asks softly, his smile descending into a slight frown in a split second.

"Jas, you've been fine," I argue.

"No, all I've done is talk about Alice. I know you're still sad and I've done nothing but rub my happiness in your face," he says, screwing his mouth sideways a bit the way he does when something bugs him.

"Jasper Whitlock, you listen to me and you listen good," I say, leaning across the table a bit and lowering my voice to Mama Whitlock's intonation. "You, more than anyone I know, are due for a double-shot of happy... and for that matter, so is Alice. This just couldn't have worked out better."

"Baby Swan," he begins, but I hold my palm out toward him.

"Hush now," I command, using Mama's tone again, and smiling genuinely at my best friend. "She's perfect for you."

"She is pretty great," he allows, nodding. We spend the next few minutes discussing her some more and then walk to the elevator together.

When we part ways outside my door, we hug tightly.

"See you back at home," he says, twisting us side to side a bit. "Need a ride from the airport?"

"Yeah, probably. I'll call you, okay?" I ask.

"Yep. Have fun with the boys," he says, pulling away from me. "And Bella? I think when you get back to Seattle, it might be time for you to try on someone new."

Ah, here comes the eternal optimist matchmaker. For the last two weeks, Jas has been trying to set me up with some guy he plays poker with... or some guy he knows from college... or some guy he met in line at Starbucks. Usually, I turn him down flat... but tonight, for the first time, I think he might be right.

I nod and he winks back at me. Thankfully, he spares me the pep talk that normally accompanies these attempts.

"Gimme some sugar, sugar," he says instead, leaning in to kiss me. Since I found out about him and Alice, we kiss on the cheek instead of the lips. I would never want her to think there were romantic feelings attached to our friendship. It would hurt her and could ultimately damage my friendships with both of them.

We say goodnight and I let myself into my room, locking the safety latch and then leaning back against the door with a big sigh.

Inevitably, I think of Edward again: his insistence that Jasper felt more than friendship for me... his belief that Jasper and I are together now. He's wrong about both things, but I only tried to convince him he was wrong about one. I should have tried harder to tell him that I'm not in love with Jasper.

Would it have mattered to him?

As I get undressed and wash my face, I wonder.

As I pack my suitcase, I wonder.

As I turn out the light and lie between the cold, smooth sheets alone, I come up with two answers.

My head says no.

But my heart says yes.

Late the next morning, I wait impatiently as the bellman puts my bags into the trunk of my rented convertible while I toss my tote bag and purse into the back seat. As soon as I'm in the car, I lower the top on the car, pull my hair into a ponytail and put on my sunglasses.

Before long, I'm heading south on Highway One, the sun warming my skin… the wind whipping my hair. This is really the only way to drive the Overseas Highway through the Keys. I haven't traveled a lot in my life, but I can't imagine a more beautiful drive than this one, hopping island to island across bridges and surrounded by turquoise blue sea.

At one especially stunning point, I pull off to take some pictures. Standing on the side of the road, looking out at the vastness of the ocean in front of me through the lens of my camera, I have an epiphany. I'm going to be okay. No matter what happens with Edward, with Jasper and Alice, I'll live through it. And I realize that for the first time in a long time, I am content to be alone… I'm not afraid to spend time by myself. That reinforces my decision that maybe I'm ready to date again… because it's okay with me if I don't.

Thoughts of Edward intrude, as they always seem to, but the accompanying feeling is less painful than before. It still stings a bit… I still love him – I think I always will – but I feel… hopeful. I feel like I can make room for someone new – can have a relationship with someone else while still treasuring my memories of him… of us. Discarding my flip flops and smiling to myself, I lower the camera from my face and stroll across the sandy beach, looking out at the water, feeling more like myself than I have since late August. I am healing. I can let him go now. I want him to be happy…and I want to be happy too.

A few minutes later, still smiling at my newfound sense of peace, I get back in the car and drive the rest of the way to Key West singing along with the radio.

It's almost sunset when I pull into Jeremy and Scott's driveway. I sigh happily as I turn the car off and look longingly at the hammock under the banyan tree on the side of the house. I will be spending some time there this week, I vow.

"Baby Swan!" I hear from the porch. Turning my head to look at the house, I sigh deeply. The bed and breakfast is like a fairytale confection – a sunny yellow house with white, gingerbread trim and a wide, white front porch. Green wicker furniture is scattered along the veranda and dotted with bright pink cushions. If Lilly Pulitzer made houses, they would look like this.

Finally resting my eyes on Jeremy, I wave, grinning and seeing him grinning crazily back at me. "Get your ass up here," he calls.

Grabbing my bag from the backseat, I walk quickly up the sidewalk, launching myself into his arms when I'm close enough. He hugs me tightly and carries me inside the house where Scott emerges from the kitchen doorway to hug me next.

Jer takes me up to the room that is mine for the week, telling me to come down when I'm ready. Unhurriedly, I unpack and freshen up, allowing myself to do everything slowly instead of rushing through life the way I often do at home. When I'm finished, I go back downstairs and find Scott and Jer waiting for me on the back deck with wine and food. They've built a new pergola in back and we sit at the table under it, eating by the light of the tiny globe lights strung above.

"I love this," I remark, gesturing to all the new outdoor settings. We used to always sit by the small pool, but this part of the yard is beautiful, too.

"We built it for our friends' wedding and it looked so good, that we've been advertising it on the website," Jer says proudly. "We've booked weddings for all the weekends in May and June."

"That's great," I say, smiling widely. Jer is so good at this. He used to be a party planner, but hated the stress of supervising plated dinners for thousands of people. This is his ideal job. Scott is an attorney on the island and jokes that he mostly pleads down speeding tickets or drunk and disorderly citations now, but he's very well-respected.

I am startled when my phone rings a few minutes later, then roll my eyes at Jer as I answer.

"Hi, Jas," I say with a laugh.

"Hey, Baby Swan. Just making sure you rolled on in safely," he drawls.

"Yes, dad, I arrived in one piece. Now your brother and Scott are plying me with food and drink," I say. "How is San Fran?"

"It was good. I'm at the airport now, heading back north. I can't be away from Alice any longer," he says.

"Awww, young love," I say snickering a little. Jeremy's frowning at me. "Jasper Whitlock, why does your brother look like he doesn't know what the hey I'm talking about?"

"Um, I haven't told my family about her yet," he says sheepishly.

"All right. I'm handing the phone over," I say, giving Jeremy the phone. Jer and Jas talk for several minutes, then I take the phone back to say goodbye.

"Wait, Baby Swan. I need to tell you something. Alice and I are telling Edward the truth this weekend. So he's going to know that there's no you and me, okay?" His voice is soft… he's nervous, I think, about my answer.

"Yes, Jasper. I don't expect to hear from Edward anyway. But you and Alice shouldn't hide your relationship," I insist firmly.

Jasper exhales loudly into the phone. "I know. It hasn't been a good week for him though. Did you hear that James Hale was arrested yesterday?"

"No, I didn't," I say, my heart rate accelerating. It's there again… something at the edge of my mind… tugging my arm, wanting attention. But Jasper starts speaking again, interrupting my runaway train of thought.

"Yeah, I'm not sure exactly what happened yet – I just found out a couple of hours ago. I guess he was trying to undermine Jack's authority with the board at one point, but what's going on now is somehow related to a new operating system Hale has coming out next year," Jas says.

"Hmm. I was never really aware of what they were working on," I hedge, trying to speak normally even though I'm having trouble breathing right. I know a little, but it's information I had because of my proximity to Edward last summer, not because of my job. From what he told me though, it could propel Hale to the top of the software world.

"I'm kind of surprised Emmett hasn't called you. He said Jack and Edward both asked for you yesterday," Jasper admits quietly.

I swallow uncomfortably and take a big drink of my wine… pretending it's Pepto.

"He didn't call," I say unnecessarily.

"He and Tyler must have handled everything then," Jasper soothes, probably recognizing the panic creeping into my voice.

Taking a deep breath, I push away my worry for Edward and focus instead on Alice and Riley. I hope this development means that Alice will be safe from interference from James. I know Edward was worried when James moved back to Seattle – afraid that he'd start messing with Alice… or, worse, figure out Riley is his daughter.

"Yeah," I say distractedly, madly trying to find the serenity I had earlier today. Dammit.

"Shit, I have to board my flight. Listen, I'm not calling you this week because I want you to relax, but you call me if you need anything," he says hurriedly. In the background, I hear the scanner beep as it reads his boarding pass.

"Okay. Love you, Jasper. Good luck this weekend. I'm so happy for you," I say, meaning every word. We hang up and I go back to my conversation with Scott and Jeremy, concentrating on taking slow breaths and listening to them… and drinking just one extra glass of wine so that I can forget about Edward.

I wish it worked.

"This place is more fantastic each time I'm here, guys. You need a maid or a baker? I want to live here," I say wistfully as I sip my coffee in the kitchen the next morning.

"Say the word, Bella, and we'll keep you," Jeremy says. "My little brother would never speak to me again, but I do have three other brothers, so who cares?"

I laugh, but I was half-serious. I really could move here. I could leave all the drama behind and live a carefree life in the sun and fun…except for hurricanes. And Jasper and Emmett. And Angela. And Alice and Riley. Oh well, it would have been fun. I'll just have to settle for spending time here every year.

When Jeremy leaves the kitchen to serve breakfast to the other guests, I ask Scott if he knows any available straight guys on the island. Despite my decline back into Edwardland last night, this morning I am forcing myself back to Plan A: Try someone new.

"Yeah, a bunch. What are you after?" he asks, looking up from his bowl of cereal.

"I don't know…a little fun," I say, smiling at him. Then I decide I'd better be more specific. "But no drunks or manwhores."

"Well, that whittles the list down substantially," he laughs. "Do they have to be relationship material?"

"No…this is just an experiment. To see if I'm ready to tread back into the dating pool. I figure it will be safer here since I'll be gone in eight days," I laugh.

"Sure. I can set something up…we were planning to take you out on Mark's boat tomorrow night. I could invite someone for you," he offers. I smile and nod.

He stands up and offers a hand to me, pulling me to my feet and then into a hug.

"Bella, I don't think it's any secret that all of us were a little worried about you at Thanksgiving. I'm proud of you – the way you've pulled yourself back up," Scott says. I squeeze him a little tighter and exhale contentedly.

"Thank you," I whisper, silently vowing to be as strong as he thinks I am.

I spend the day lying by the pool, walking on the beach and reading Hemingway in the hammock.

Saturday night, Scott drags me down to Sloppy Joe's for drinks while Jeremy stays back at the B&B to tend to their guests.

Scott and I have a great time, drinking shots and beers until everything and everyone is funny. Momentarily, I worry about the excessive drinking, but then realize this feels different. This is fun with a friend, not drinking to drown out feelings. During the course of the night, Scott introduces me to a guy sitting near us at the bar. Brady. He's blond, tan and cute. He moves over next to us to talk and is a little flirty with me.

While Brady's talking to someone else, Scott turns to me.

"So? I'm thinking of inviting him as your date tomorrow night. He already knows everybody else going, so he'll fit right in. Is he okay?" he whispers, smiling at me.

"Yeah. He's cute… seems nice," I answer. "But don't call it a date, okay? It's just hanging out."

He agrees and must mention it to Brady while I'm in the bathroom because when I come back, Brady asks what I like to drink, saying he'll bring it tomorrow for the boat ride. We talk a little about drinks and finally settle on him surprising us all with something.

As Scott and I walk back to The Palms later, I feel happier than I have in a long time. Spending time here with my friends, having a hot semi-date, and relaxing in the sun have all done wonders for my attitude in just one day. As I snuggle into bed, I almost don't think of Edward at all. Almost.

"Hey, Bella," Brady says, squinting at me in the mid-afternoon sun. He reaches a hand out to help me as I step onto the boat.

"Hi, Brady," I answer, smiling at him. He's as cute as I remember, the blonde streaks in his hair shining in the sun, his light green eyes standing out against his lightly tanned skin. When I grasp his hand and his fingers close firmly around mine, I feel a spike of... something... rush through me.

Oh, my God. I'm physically attracted to him. I haven't been attracted to anyone since Edward, haven't felt the tingles spread across my skin since Edward. Until now. It's not as immediate, not as jolting as I remember, but the flicker of desire is there, nonetheless.

Huh. Guess the girls didn't shrivel up and die without Edward after all. That makes me smile. Not because I don't have Edward. That still makes me sad. I smile because I think this is another sign that I'm healing... slowly. It feels good.

Once I'm onboard, Brady squeezes my hand gently and then lets go, offering to take my bag. I let him, following him as he carries it inside the small galley kitchen to put away the food Jeremy and I made for the afternoon and evening we plan to spend on the boat. I ask him questions about his life and he reciprocates as we work in tandem to find a place for everything in the fridge and small cabinets. Then I help him make a pitcher of margaritas and a pitcher of something else with rum which we pass out to everyone outside.

When we're done, he makes a berry vodka and soda for me and a rum and coke for himself, then we carefully climb to the front of the boat to sit in the sun.

Finally, Mark starts the engine and we pull away from the dock and head out, planning to cruise close to shore. Brady and I continue to talk easily, both of us eventually pulling our shirts off to soak up more of the sun. I slide my shorts off, too, even though I'm self-conscious about sitting here in my tiny bikini bottoms. When I packed for this trip, I thought I was only going to be hanging around Scott and Jer and their friends. I wasn't planning on a date being around, too. These bottoms show way more skin than I normally would around someone I don't know that well.

Brady sits close to me, our arms bumping together several times as we each point at different things we see – dolphins, pelicans, really cool houses. He walks me down when I need to use the restroom and waits to help me back up, fixing us fresh drinks and grabbing snacks for us before we settle ourselves again. When he notices me wiggling around trying to get comfortable with nothing to lean against, he convinces me to sit in between his outstretched legs and rest against him.

When I lean back against his chest, my heart speeds up a bit and I feel his beating rapidly against my left shoulder, too. He's talkative, but not annoying... not conceited at all even though he's made a pretty good name for himself as a south Florida local-interest writer. It feels nice to sit skin to skin, to feel the rumble in his chest against my back when he laughs. After an hour, Scott joins us on the front of the boat. I hear him coming and start to scoot away from Brady, but he hooks an arm around my waist from behind.

"Where are you going?" Brady asks, leaning down so his mouth is right next to my left ear. His voice is hushed, raspy. Goosebumps erupt down my left arm as the warmth of arousal spreads slowly, warmly, through my veins.

"I didn't know if you'd want me to be sitting here in front of people," I answer breathlessly.

"I want you sitting here," he responds. Smiling, I relax against him once more and tentatively rest my elbows on the top of his thighs. He traces the backs of his fingers down my right arm slowly, ending at my hand and intertwining our fingers. "Is this okay?" he whispers, just as Scott sits beside us, facing us.

I nod, then crane my neck to look back up at Brady. He smiles down at me.

Scott entertains us with stories about some of the crazier guests they've had at the inn and Brady chimes in with a few stories of his own about some of the legendary Key West locals. He tells me about the article he's writing for a south Florida magazine. I'm listening, but since I'm on my second tall glass of vodka and soda, resting against a firm, warm chest, in the hot sun, I'm having trouble staying plugged-in. I have my eyes closed most of the time, turning my face toward the sun like a flower.

"Do you have any sunscreen, Bella? You're getting a little pink," Scott says. Brady offers to go get it from my bag, leaving Scott and me alone for a moment.

"So... you look happy," Scott says with a laugh. "Are you coming home tonight, daughter? Or will you be shacking up?"

"Stop it," I say, smacking his arm lightly and laughing with him. "I'm not shacking up. I might make out with him for a while though."

"Yeah, he's cute. He seems to like you, too. But I'm not sure monogamy is his thing, Bella," Scott warns.

"Well, since I'm only here for a week, I don't really care about that. I'm not hopping in bed with him or anything, if that's what you're worried about. But he's highly kissable," I say, leaning over against Scott.

"Damn straight," Scott says. "I mean, damn, I wish he wasn't straight." We both laugh and then he begs me not to tell Jeremy he said that.

When Brady comes back, he spreads a towel out for me and encourages me to lie on my stomach for a while. He sunscreens my back, and I feel the rush of desire again when he spends more time than necessary on the area right above my bikini bottoms.

"I think you got that spot already," I point out teasingly.

"Really? It doesn't look like it. I'd hate to have you sunburnt due to my negligence," he answers lightly.

"Jesus, you two are making me horny just watching you," Scott says with a smile. "I'm going to go find my man." He stands up and walks to the back of the boat. A minute later, we hear all of the guys back there laughing.

"Think they're talking about us?" I ask, smiling, as Brady lies down on his stomach beside me.

He smiles back. "Definitely. We're a rare Key West species – the heteros," he says and we both laugh. "They're probably spying on us, too, like little old ladies. Should we give them something to watch?" I raise my eyebrows at him and stare at him as he takes his sunglasses off and lays them down. His light green eyes sparkle in the sunlight.

"Are you going to kiss me?" I ask flirtatiously as he raises onto his elbows and starts to lean my way. I push my sunglasses up to the top of my head so he can see my eyes.

"I'd like to kiss you. You're not gonna slap me or anything, right?" he asks, his smile widening as he closes the distance between us. I have a sudden urge to trace the smile lines around his mouth, so I do, using my index finger to run along the two curvy indentations.

"Right," I reply. Then his lips are on mine, soft and warm and tasting of rum. It's an awkward position, so after a couple of short kisses, we both pull away and lay our heads back down. We smile at each other and hold hands between our shoulders, talking quietly for a while until he yawns and closes his eyes. I fall asleep, too, waking up as the sun is sliding slowly into the ocean an hour or so later.

Brady is sitting beside me, watching me, smiling at me. When I start to get up, he scrambles to his feet to pull me up and steady me, then we walk to the back of the boat. We spend the next two hours eating and drinking with the four other couples. Then Brady takes my hand and lures me toward the front again.

Our towels are where we left them earlier and we lie down again, on our backs this time, and look up at the stars. He points out several constellations – some of which I knew – and then his face hovers over mine, blocking out the sky.

"Bella, I'd like to see you again before you go back to Seattle," he says quietly.

"I'd like that, too," I respond. And I would. I like him.

He leans down to kiss me again and I slide my arms around him immediately. We breathe into each other and then he uses his tongue to lick across my bottom lip. That's all it takes to fully awaken my body from the Edward-slumber it's been in. I moan quietly into his mouth and he grunts back. Our kisses become more fervent until finally he pulls back, then drops a kiss onto my shoulder.

"I have to stop before I embarrass us both," he murmurs against my skin. "I have to drive to Miami tomorrow afternoon and I won't be back until Wednesday, but I'd love to see you tomorrow morning… and take you to dinner Wednesday night."

"That sounds great, Brady," I agree, taking his outstretched hand and letting him pull me up to sit beside him.

We spend the rest of the evening that way, arms and hands intertwined, trading kisses every few minutes. Eventually, everyone else except Mark – who's driving – joins us, bringing a couple of bottles of red wine and some cups with them. Brady doesn't stop kissing me even though the spies are much closer now. The taste of the red wine on his lips is sweet, pungent, intoxicating. It feels good to like someone again even though it's not the same as Edward. But I don't think anything will ever be that strong, that all-consuming, again.

By the time Brady hugs and kisses me goodbye on the dock and I reluctantly follow Scott and Jer up the walkway back to land, I'm definitely smitten though.

"He sure is a pretty thing, Baby Swan," Jeremy remarks. I turn to look back once more, watching as he helps tie the boat and then stands, his hands resting on his lean hips. He sees me looking and waves. I wave back before turning around again.

"He sure is," I agree with a smile.

Monday morning, Brady comes to the Palms for breakfast. We eat by the pool, talking and eventually swimming for a little while before he has to leave.

Once he's gone, I hang around the house, helping Jeremy with a few things. I bake some cookies, then some muffins, then some cupcakes. Jeremy really does try to hire me then. Laughing, I tell him if things work out with Brady, I'll take the job.

While we're sitting by the pool late Monday night, Jer's cell phone rings. Pulling it from his pocket, he looks briefly at the screen before holding it to his ear.

"Hey, baby bro," he says. "What's up?"

Jer's eyes widen and he sits up from his lounge chair. "Really?" he says quietly into the phone. "Yeah, she's… oh, okay… hang on." Jeremy's eyes slide my way as he stands up, then he turns and walks briskly toward the house.

"What the hell?" I ask, turning to look at Scott. He shrugs, seemingly just as clueless as me.

Jeremy reappears several minutes later and retakes his seat.

"It was Joey," he explains when I look quizzically at him. "He just had a couple of questions. Hey, Baby Swan, did you know Joey's dating that Maggie chick?"

"No way!" I exclaim. He and Scott fill me in on all the latest news from Texas. It doesn't occur to me until I'm in bed later that they effectively diverted me from whatever was really going on.

Tuesday Scott works from home and covers the B&B so Jeremy and I can spend the day out. We shop, we sun, we climb to the top of the lighthouse. He stands next to me and holds all my bags as I get a beaded braid put in the right side of my hair at one of the street kiosks. I'm way too old for this, but it is my vacation. I'll take it out when I get back home.

Tuesday night, Jer gets the inn's cleaning lady, Mrs. Clearwater, to stay at the house so the three of us can go out to dinner.

While we're at eating, I get a text from Jasper.

*You're welcome, Baby Swan.

I have no idea what he's talking about.

*Huh?

*You'll see.

Perplexed, I ask the boys if they know what he's talking about. They both feign innocence, but exchange a look.

"Did you guys get me a hot stripper or something?" I ask jokingly. They don't laugh, but smile at me. Not real smiles… uncomfortable smiles. Oh, shit. "Boys, I do not like surprises," I warn.

"I know, Baby Swan," Jer says sympathetically, reaching over to squeeze my shoulder reassuringly. "Quit worrying. Let's finish eating and then we'll walk to Kelly's for a nightcap. Okay?"

I sigh loudly. He knows he'll get me with Kelly's. It's one of my favorite places to go on the island. "All right. But there better not be any funny business, boys. I mean it. Whatever your brother's up to... you'd better not be in on it. In fact, you'd better put a stop to it."

Jer and Scott exchange another look, but then distract me by bickering about what color to paint the parlor. Relaxing somewhat, I listen with amusement... they sound just like Mama and Big Daddy. Well, except Big Daddy would never bicker about paint color.

Once we're finished, we begin leisurely strolling the several blocks to Kelly's. Jer and Scott are on either side of me and seem to be consciously keeping me in between them because every time I veer a little, they do, too. I wander back the other way; they do, too. Cautiously, I look around wondering if we're in a bad part of town, but we don't seem to be.

Inexplicably, I feel nervous when we turn the final corner and I can see Kelly's at the end of the block. My body seems to recognize something I don't, descending into fight or flight mode again… stomach churning, palms sweating, heart racing.

I'm still walking between the guys and I have a brief thought that they're protecting me from something… or keeping me from fleeing from something. Trying to control my shallow breaths, I glance up at Jer, then turn to look at Scott. Both of them smile tightly at me; Scott places a hand on my lower back to keep my pace steady when I hesitate.

The street is fairly crowded for a Tuesday and the noise of the crowd, plus the sound of the steel drum band music being piped out of Kelly's, makes it difficult for me to concentrate on what Scott and Jer – and Jasper – have planned for me.

As we're crossing the street toward Kelly's, I glance toward the dimly-lit brick steps at the entrance. There are a several people standing around in the shadows, talking… laughing… smoking. It all seems harmless.

Still on edge, I wipe my palms on the sides of my shorts and try to breathe normally… but something is off. I feel… I'm scared to feel what I feel.

The following sequence of events seems to happen in slow motion as all external noise fades to the background. As shadow people move and shift, I'm only aware of the sound of my thundering heartbeats… the sound of my flip flops slapping my heels with every step. As I walk, I glance down at my feet, trying to match the sounds with what I see.

When I look back up, I see a man standing alone at the bottom of the steps. He's tall, broad-shouldered. His hands are stuffed in the front pockets of his shorts.

It's dark, so I can't see his face... but I would know that messy-haired silhouette anywhere.

Edward's here.

A/N: Okay, I asked you to hold off the slams last chap and most of you did. :) If you wanna slam me now, the floor's yours.