28
I'm standing beside my car, smoothing my clothes down and trying desperately to channel my professional reporter self, when I hear my name called from across the parking lot.
In the doorway of the single storey building with Cullen Tree Services & Forest Management printed on a sign above the door, is Edward.
It's incredible how much larger the lot feels as I walk across it with his eyes on me, than when I drove in just minutes ago.
"Hey, how are you?" he asks when I get close.
"I'm good, thanks." He leans in and kisses me on the cheek, and I repress the thrill of his lips on my skin. This is how he greets friends, his mother, his grandmother… it holds no kind of significance at all. "You?" I ask. It sounds casual, but I'm dying to know everything that's happened since I saw him last.
He holds the door open for me and I step inside, stealing a glance at his arms in the rolled up sleeves of the light blue button-down shirt he has on.
"Yeah, things are going good here," he says, an excited smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. "Best decision I ever made."
"That's great," I tell him. It's impossible not to be affected by his enthusiasm, and I'm smiling back at him.
Inside the building the smell of fresh paint sits in the air, and the furniture, basic as it is, all looks new. He introduces the receptionist as we pass her, and she smiles as she offers to bring some coffee through.
"It's fine, I've got it," he says, moving across to the coffee pot on the bench behind her and pouring two cups. There's an informal respect between the two of them and I guess that both are good at their jobs.
Edward picks the mugs up and gestures with his head to a doorway off to the side.
"Go ahead," he says.
I walk in, noticing his name on a plaque on the open door. As he follows me, he ignores his desk and sets the mugs down on a coffee table instead. I hover as he goes back to close the door.
"Why do you look so scared?" he asks me with gentle concern when he turns back around.
I feel an embarrassed smile pull at my lips, and cast my eyes down to the ground.
"I guess I didn't know what to expect after the last time I saw you."
"Bella, there was nothing wrong with anything you said or did that day," he assures me. "The timing of everything was… poor. As far as regrets go, that's the only one I have."
I notice his use of was. Past tense.
"And now?" I ask, letting him guide me to one of the chairs while he sits down in the other.
"I'm still with Bree."
My heart sinks. I'd thought for a moment… maybe….
"Things are still not great," he continues. "But I'm putting plans into place. It's taking time, but it's the best way to tread. I think so anyway."
"What kind of plans?" I ask, with excruciating curiosity.
"This place, for a start," he says, taking a drink from his cup. "I've been putting in the hours, trying to set everything up and yank it into the twenty-first century. Now we're up and running, everything's so much more efficient that I should be able to do a good proportion of work from home; maybe even cut my hours right back."
I suddenly see exactly what this is all about.
"For Lucy. You're going to try and get custody," I say, a little shocked because I hadn't made a link between his new business venture and his home life at all.
"Not full custody, I think it's important she spends time with her mom. I definitely want her to spend at least half her time with me, though. There's no way I could ever have made that work before I took this place on though. The timing was perfect."
"What about Bree's mom?" I ask. "If she's such a hot-shot lawyer, what makes you think you can pull this off?"
He relaxes back in the chair and his foot moves forward, across the carpet until it's just touching mine. I'm not sure he's even noticed, but I'm painfully aware of every inch of him.
"This isn't about screwing Bree over, it's about making things fair."
"Oh. You've explained all this to Bree, have you?" I ask. "Only I'm not sure she's going to be as good-natured when it comes to you. You know what she's like."
"Of course I do," he says. "Which is why I've also hired a hot-shot lawyer of my own. Just in case."
"Wow." I raise my eyebrows and smile approvingly. "Good for you."
"Thanks," he says.
I'm not sure it's something I can define, but I feel as though he's been holding himself back; maintaining that professional distance I'd been relying on, despite the personal nature of the conversation. Neither of us speaks for a moment, and when he looks at me again I can tell that, almost imperceptibly, the carefully placed facade has slipped a little. His demeanour softens minutely, and hints at his vulnerabilities.
In that moment, he's just Edward again.
"I hated seeing you so unhappy all the time," I confess, my courage bolstered by the sense of familiarity that has settled over me now.
"Yeah, it's been pretty miserable. It's nice to have something to look forward to again. I've missed that feeling."
I nod.
Somewhere outside the room, a telephone rings. Edward blinks, clears his throat and straightens a little, and I remember why I'm here.
"I guess we should get on with the interview," I say, conscious of the ticking clock as I reach for my bag. I have another appointment on the other side of Clallam County straight after this one.
"Yeah."
I'm concentrating on pulling my stuff out when he speaks again.
"Em broke up with Charlotte." He takes me by surprise and my head flies up to look at him. He's watching me intently.
"Oh. Yeah, he popped by to let me know," I say with a small laugh.
"He did? He never mentioned it." He's frowning and he doesn't look particularly happy at what I just told him.
I shrug, glancing at the clock again.
"Okay, I think I'm ready," I tell him. "Let's do this."
~RH~
A/N - I should have mentioned this before, because it's a great fandom event - theTwiFic Fandom Awards are running again and nominations close today, 11th October. Head over and support your favourites from the fanfic world, there are lots of great categories to choose your faves for! Their blog can be found at twificfandomawards dot BlogSpot and that's a co dot uk address. They also have a Twitter account - at TwiFicFanAwards
Have a good weekend :) xx
