Gold stars go to everyone who correctly guessed what Embry told Bella but didn't translate for her. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed last chapter. You mean more than I can say. Like has been a little rough lately, so opening my inbox and seeing all those messages has been a real boost. I'm incredibly honored to have gotten 2 nominations for the Fandom Choice Awards for my Jared/Bella story "The Wolf and His Girl" (Best Romance and Best Non-Canon Pairing). I'm very thrilled and honored to have gotten a 2nd place award for Best Romance. Thanks to everyone who voted.
Lenniem: Thanks for the compliments. I'm trying to put my own twist on things, so we've got a pack who are aware of the connections between them and a Charlie who notices things. Congrats on being review #450 for this story!
Histweet: Yes, I'm continuing this. I've promised myself and my readers to never abandon a story completely. Just had some writer's block and stuff going on that kept me from writing for so long.
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From last chapter: How the hell is this going to get explained?
"Well, shit," Paul blew out a breath. Jared just shook his head. How indeed? Whatever problems the truck had had before...
Quil's head was buried in his hands, as if hiding would change anything. "You just had to ask about my day," he muttered, obviously talking to Jared.
"How was I supposed to know that you'd seen her—them?" Jared asked defensively. Then, "Billy, any ideas on how to spin this?"
Paul snorted, "Spin this? Not many ways I can see to explain why it looks like a tree slammed down right onto the truck!"
"Think they'd buy that?" the Beta posed the question to the tribe's chief. Billy looked over at the truck, obviously considering the suggestion.
"How do you plan on managing it, really?" Paul pushed. "A tree just randomly happens to fall down, and it just happens to be on this exact spot?"
Jared smirked triumphantly. "Don't you pay attention to the weather forecast? There's supposed to be a big storm hit the coast tonight. Lots of wind and rain."
"Why would I watch the weather channel?" barked Paul. "Not like anything bothers us anymore."
"Yeah, what was I thinking?" Jared slapped his forehead theatrically. Whatever ribald retort Paul might have given was forestalled by Billy finally answering the Beta's question.
"I think they'd buy it."
Rubbing his hands together, Jared talked his idea out. "Okay. So we'll say Jake took it for a little test drive and parked it over there," he pointed, "over by that tree. We might want to do some stuff around the base of the tree to make sure it'll fall tonight."
"Like cut it?"
"No," Jared snorted, "That'd be a dead giveaway. Move that boulder and maybe some of the soil, too."
While the boys got to work, Billy sighed, eyes flicking from the trio to the woods from which his son and Sam had yet to emerge. The tree had stood here for years, and he mourned its impending loss, but knew it was the best way to cover up and explain the damage to Bella's truck. Billy's shoulders heaved in another heavy sigh, feeling a momentary sense of bitterness. Why could his son not catch a break right now? First phasing, then Quil, and now Bella and Embry.
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Embry POV
"I'll hold you to that."
I knew she would, too. Her determination was one of the things I liked best about her. Then again, I liked everything about her. But I wasn't going to regret my words, even if she didn't know yet what they had meant. Maybe it was a bit soon to be thinking it, much less actually saying it, but I didn't regret that, either. Time was irrelevant, as was experience.
Two things that I hoped to experience again soon were Bella's lips and her cookies. With today's language lesson over, Bella headed for the kitchen, and after a moment's hesitation, started looking through the cabinets.
"Looking for something?" I asked, not minding her inspection but wanting to help her if I could.
She answered me as she began pulling things down from their places, "I promised you more cookies, didn't I?"
"I didn't mean you had to make them today," I protested.
"I'd hate for you to go hungry," Bella countered. "Besides, I've got the time now."
"Can I help?"
"Sure," and she started giving me directions for the oven and the cookie sheets.
With the first batch of cookies in the oven and the timer set, I took advantage and pulled Bella close to me. "Thank you."
"For what? Cookies?" she laughed softly and rested her head against my chest.
"I'll always love your cookies, but that's not really what I meant. I guess it's for giving me a chance—giving us a chance."
"Where's this coming from?" Bella wondered. "What Quil said earlier?"
"Maybe. I don't know."
"This is about you and me, Embry. Not Jacob. I don't believe you stole me away from him—not that I'm something to be kept or stolen anyway."
"You definitely aren't," was my fervent agreement.
"I do care about him, but just as a friend—even if he is making that almost impossible right now."
"Yeah, me, too."
"Enough about him," she decided. "We've got five minutes before that batch of cookies will be done. I think there are better things we can do with the time than talk about someone else."
"Yeah?" I grinned. Then in a fast move, I pulled Bella up, sat her down on top of the table, and kissed her. Somehow our hands found their way into each other's hair, and the kiss moved from gentle to intense.
The sharp buzzing of the oven timer made us break apart, both of us panting heavily. Bella shifted her hands to my shoulders to pull herself to the edge of the table. I ended up having to catch her under the elbows—her legs didn't seem to want to work. I was guy enough to smirk inside, knowing I'd affected her so much. Bella's face flushed from more than the oven's heat as she swapped out trays of cookies.
Disregarding the temperature, I plucked a freshly-baked cookie off the tray and sampled it. "Yum…"
"How can you not burn your mouth?" she wondered.
"Maybe I did, but I'm a teenage guy. Where food is concerned, a little thing like a burned mouth really doesn't matter. Besides, a fresh cookie is worth it."
I half-expected Bella to put a little distance between us in light of what had just been going on, but she surprised me yet again and moved right back into my arms. It was probably a good thing that the oven was set on eight-minute cycles, or things would really have gotten out of hand.
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Bella POV
I felt like I was surrounded by fire, heat all around me, yet not touching me. Bracketed by Embry's arms, his hands tangling in my hair again, any thoughts of a life different from this one dissipated into nothingness and floated away. Time—anything—was meaningless.
Suddenly, though, the heat retreated and cool air swept over my flushed skin.
"Well, hello you two," Embry's mom startled me when she spoke. I surmised that Embry must have heard her coming and pulled away before we could get caught. But from the way Tiffany Call's eyes shifted between me and her son, I guessed we were busted just the same.
"Hey, Mom," Embry replied easily.
"Hi," I offered, embarrassed even though there probably wasn't a need to be.
She just smiled and looked us both over again before disappearing from the kitchen doorway. When she returned a few minutes later in different clothes, it was clear she'd gone to change out of her work uniform.
"So what have you done today?" Tiffany asked.
"We spent the morning at the beach after we saw Leah off, then came back here for lunch," Embry began.
I continued, "We watched some TV this afternoon, and Embry taught me some Makah words and phrases. And I made him some more cookies—as I apparently gave too many to the Clearwater's and not enough to him."
"Embry…" his mom chided.
Rather than say anything in his own defense, Embry just snagged a cookie and slid it into his mother's mouth.
"Mmmm," Tiffany's eyes closed in pleasure. "Alright, I don't blame you for begging your way into more of these. You're an excellent baker as well as cook, Bella."
"Thank you."
"How was your day?" Embry asked in return.
"It was alright. Nothing special, but nothing bad, either. Just a typical day at work."
"I remember those days," I commiserated. "Sometimes Newton's kept me busy and other times I was bored senseless."
"It's a good job and I'm lucky to have it. It's not always easy to find employment options on a reservation."
"Why don't you go and take it easy?" suggested Embry. "Me and Bella can handle fixing something for dinner."
"Is your dad expecting you home at a certain time?" she asked me.
"No," I checked the clock. "He's probably only just now leaving work for the day. I'll give him a call in just a bit, once he's had time to get home. I can help Embry in the meantime."
She nodded and went into the living room and turned on the TV. Embry and I moved to survey the contents of the fridge.
"You've got chicken…are there any bread crumbs or something to coat it in?"
"Um…" Embry opened a set of cabinet doors and examined the contents. We've got these Shake-N-Bake things. Would those work?"
"Perfect. For the side dishes…" He pulled out cans of green beans and mixed fruit before I could finish the thought. I'd only just started coating the pieces of chicken when Tiffany came back into the room.
"Bella, you should call your dad now. There's a big storm due to come in tonight and he may want you home pretty quick."
Embry retrieved my phone and dialed home for me. There was no answer, so I left a message on the machine and had him call the police station next.
"Hey, Nancy," I greeted the receptionist. "This is Bella. Is my dad still there?"
"He sure is, sweetie. Let me get him for you."
"Dad?"
"Bells! Where are you?"
"Still at Embry's. His mom just saw something on the news about a storm coming in tonight."
"Yeah. Supposed to be a bad one, so I'm going to need to stay here in case people get into trouble and need help. Can Embry bring you back home soon?"
"Yeah…" but I knew I didn't sound too enthusiastic about that idea—and it wasn't just that I didn't want to cut short my time with my boyfriend. I knew in the abstract that the coast of the Pacific Northwest could get some really strong storms; I'd just never experienced one during any of my childhood visits or since I'd moved back. Charlie clearly caught my ambivalence—and he wasn't the only one.
"You could see if Angela or Jessica can come and stay over," my dad suggested.
"Angela's busy tonight and Jess is going out of town with her mom tomorrow."
I must have missed something, because the next thing I knew, Embry had tugged the phone out of my hand and passed it to his mom.
"Chief Swan, this is Embry's mom, Tiffany. Bella is more than welcome to stay here for the night so that she's not home alone. Embry can take the couch tonight and Bella can use his bedroom. I've got clothes she can borrow. Embry can take her home as soon as things are clear tomorrow, or whatever works best for you and for Bella." She paused, most likely to let Charlie respond. "Alright, that sounds fine."
Phone back in my hand, I queried, "Dad?"
"It's really nice of the Call's to let you stay over."
"They're nice people," I agreed.
"Just be a good guest, Bells. And just be…good," Charlie's tone sounded almost embarrassed. In a burst of insight, I realized why. My chagrin equaled his, the more so because I knew what had been going on this afternoon. But however intense the kisses had been that Embry and I had exchanged, I knew that we were a long, long way from anything like what Charlie was worried about.
"Dad, you and Mom raised me to be a good guest. I'll be fine." Hopefully my dad could be a good cop and read between the lines of what I was saying to what I meant. "Hey, Dad, I'm going to have Embry give you his home number; I may have to shut my phone off overnight so I don't run the battery down before I get back home to my charger."
Taking the phone from me, Embry rattled off his number and then listened to whatever my dad was saying. "Sure, Charlie. We'll be in touch tomorrow once we see how things are out here, okay?"
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We ate in the living room while watching the news reports on the approaching storm. Afterward, Embry went outside to secure the storm shutters over the house's windows and I helped Tiffany set out supplies like lanterns and candles. When everything was ready that could be done, we played a game as a distraction before getting ready for bed.
Ever since Tiffany's offer to my dad for me to use Embry's room for the night, I'd started feeling bad. The couch was smaller than the bed, and Embry was a good bit taller and bigger than me. So when Embry brought out sheets and a pillow to make a bed on the couch, I thanked him.
"Bella, this is for me. You'll be in my room, remember?"
"You'll be a lot more comfortable on a bed where your feet aren't dangling off the end," I countered. "I'll take the couch."
"But—"
I guess I must have looked resolute, because Embry stopped trying to argue the issue.
"Okay, Bella. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
Ostentatiously looking over his shoulder to make sure that we were alone, he pulled me close for a long, deep kiss. "Sweet dreams."
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AN: I didn't quite get to all the ideas I had for this chapter, but since you've been waiting patiently for a while now to get this update, so I'll use that info to start the next chapter and get this out to you now.
Thanks to readers Karebear1981, Alicefan32, xXCourageousXx, Mommyof3boys, and Nicole Reddekopp for pointing out to me that Embry isn't a wolf yet and wouldn't have made the comment about wolf healing any damage from a too-hot cookie. I've now fixed that little mistake.