Author's note; Many thanks for the reviews of the last two chapters. I know that the last chapter was shorter than my usual marathons but as I have said before, Edward deserves to have chapters devoted just to him and Bella together. So here is the next chapter. I have given you the events of Thursday and Friday, up to the point of her departure to Phoenix. Enjoy and take care.
Beta reader; Thank you NatalieRB for being my sounding board.
Disclaimer; Unfortunately I do not own Twilight.
COOK WANTED
Thursday
I woke up this morning and instantly smiled. I thought about my little mercy mission to the hospital the evening before and hummed a little tune to myself. While I brushed my hair I looked in the bathroom mirror and smiled yet again. It felt like nothing was going to wipe the smile off my face today.
I had a fairly easy day ahead of me. Jessica would be here to clean and all I had to worry about was cooking the evening meal. The free time I had today meant that I would be able to get on with making more flowers for the wedding cake.
This was a task that I actually found very relaxing and so I looked forward to it.
Washed, dressed and ready for the job of morning breakfast, I made my way downstairs. No one was up yet. At least Alice would have had a good night's sleep.
I set the coffee pot on, turned the heat lamps on and set about making pancakes, scrambled eggs and bacon, today. As I set the table I made sure that there was a selection of fresh fruit as an option for Alice.
The coffee was almost done. Esme was the first to arrive in the kitchen.
"Good morning, Bella dear. Did you sleep well?" Her voice was bright and warm.
"Good morning, Esme. Yes thank you. You?" I held up a cup and gestured toward the coffee. Esme nodded.
"Yes, thank you. So, what was it you got up to last night with Rose?" An expectant smile graced her face.
"I wanted to surprise Edward at work. There was enough food left over, so I thought I would take him something home cooked." I turned from cooking to take in her expression.
"What a wonderful idea, Bella. No doubt he was pleased to see you." A broad smile on her face now.
"Yes, he was, Esme. I met a couple of people in the hospital while I was there." Turning my attention back to the cooking.
"Who did you meet, dear?"
"There was Paula, in main reception and Tom in ICU."
"Oh, yes, Paula. She's been working there for quite some time. Lovely woman. Tom is a very nice man. I've met him a couple of times at charity functions. That reminds me Bella. I will have to ask Edward about the one coming up in a few weeks. He hasn't been to the last few functions; they were not something he wanted to go to at the time. But now he has you, Bella. I'm sure he would love to go with you on his arm. You would like to go wouldn't you?"
"Of course I would go if Edward wanted to. I think it certainly is one of those occasions that you need to be with the right person to feel comfortable to attend."
"You are so right, Bella." I placed the last of the cooked food under the heat lamps.
"There, Esme. Please help yourself." As Esme plated up her food, I took the coffee pot into the dinning room and set it on the table.
"Thank you dear. Don't forget yourself will you?" She said taking her place at the table.
"I won't Esme." I clicked on the kettle and made myself an herbal tea.
Next to arrive in the kitchen were Emmett and Rosalie with Carlisle following behind a short time later. Esme mentioned the forthcoming charity function to Emmett and Rosalie.
"Of course there'll be food, won't there?" Emmett asked as he made his breakfast selection. This was always the first priority for Emmett to attend any function like this.
"We're going anyway, Em." Rosalie chided him. "We should all go as long as Alice is up to it. Bella, you're going aren't you?" Rosalie asked. She took her plate into the dinning room and set it down on the table, smiling at Jasper and Alice as they made their way into the kitchen.
"As long as Edward is, yes." I replied.
"That's settled then. We will go as one big family. It'll be so much fun." Rosalie looked over to me and smiled, her eyes twinkling.
I joined the rest of the family with a plate of scrambled eggs. I was wondering what I would wear to this function. Prom Night was a long time ago for me and I definitely didn't have anything in my wardrobe for something like this occasion.
Alice looked over to me. As if she could read my mind she smiled at me.
"We'll need to go shopping." She announced. "I will certainly need a new dress to fit over these two." She held her hand at her stomach that seemed to be getting bigger everyday. "Bella doesn't even have a dress suitable for this occasion."
I looked at her with a slight grimace on my face. She furrowed her eyebrows at me.
"Do not give me that look, Bella. You want to look your best for Edward, don't you?" Oh yes, she knew just the right thing to say in order to get her own way.
"Yes, Alice." I conceded. "You are right as always. I look forward to going shopping with you. Obviously not this weekend as I'm in Phoenix. Any time after I get back. You name the day, okay?" I let out a small sigh, hoping that no one heard it.
"Well, done, Bella. Well said. It might be a good idea to organise it for a Friday, as you have the rest of the day free after breakfast is over." Looking at me, awaiting a reply.
"Yes a Friday will be fine, Alice. You'll be coming with us won't you Rosalie and Esme?" I glanced over in their direction.
Rosalie nodded. Esme looked up from her coffee cup and smiled at me. "Bella, I have a whole selection of dresses for occasions like this, that I've bought over the years. I won't need to buy another one. You girls enjoy yourselves. What I could do is meet up with you for lunch and make sure that Alice puts her feet up and eats. I know too well what she's like when she goes shopping. There is no stopping her!" She smiled knowingly at Alice.
I smiled at her and nodded. It would be good to spend some quality time with the women of this lovely family.
It was time for everyone to get ready for work. I cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher. As everyone left for the day I opened the diary up to today's page. I had already jotted down a couple of ideas for the evening meal. As this would be the last evening meal I would cook until Monday, I would use up as many things left in the fridge as possible minimizing waste.
I found slices of cooked chicken, vegetables that included sugar snap peas, broccoli and there was left over cooked bacon from this morning. Those ingredients would be enough to make a chicken and pasta creation, with fresh herbs and Parmesan shavings. I had sufficient ingredients to make a starter with tomatoes and Mozzarella, avocado and Parma ham. I quickly wrote down in the diary the ideas so far. For dessert I decided to make mixed fruit meringues, as there would be quite a lot of fruit left to go rotten if not used. As I made my final notes I looked at the menu and smiled. Nice and easy today, Bella. I set myself the task of preparing the fruit as this would take a while. I settled down at the breakfast bar and began to peel and slice the fruit into a bowl. As I worked I squeezed lemon juice over the fruit so that it would not brown.
Jessica arrived at the house and made her way to the kitchen. She sat down next to me on a barstool.
"Hi, Jess. Help yourself to a coffee." I lifted my hands to show her that they were somewhat busy.
"Thanks, Bella. Would you like one too?" She asked as she poured.
"Please, Jess. So, how are things?" Jess placed a cup of coffee in front of me.
"Good. James wants to take me away on holiday next month. If I write a note for Esme would you make sure that she gets it? I will only be gone for a week. He wants to take me to Hawaii." I glanced up to see her face beaming.
"Than sounds great, Jess. A bit of sunshine and relaxation." Lucky Jess.
"Umm, and some quality time together. It'll be good to get away from the daily routine. Will you be going away anytime soon?"
"Well, I'm going to see my parents this weekend." I looked up at her. She was frowning.
"I mean going away with Edward, silly." She retorted.
"I doubt it, Jess. I've got wedding cakes to worry about at the moment." Turning my attention back to slicing and dicing fruit.
"How many cakes do you have on order?"
"Well, I have another one to have ready for July and then of course there's Rosalie and Emmett's cake to see to and another one for September."
"I see what you mean about getting away. Could be a difficult thing to organise." She finished her coffee and added. "Right, I had better get to work. I'll see you in a while."
With the fruit preparations done, I put the covered bowl of fruit in the fridge. I washed my hands and set out the equipment I would need to make the sugar paste flowers. I worked quickly, finishing the necessary amount of white roses. I then worked in the right amount of food colouring to make pale pink marble effect roses. I shaped the sugar paste into another selection of open and closed blooms and set them in the box with the others.
The box was now full. I had to stop. I made a note in the diary for Monday to source silk flowers and leaves, which would save a lot of time later on when I finished the cake. I tidied away the equipment and wiped down the work surfaces. My phone began to ring. I reached for it checking the caller ID. It was mom.
"Hi, mom. Everything alright?"
"Oh, yes, Bella. I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay your end. You are still going to arrive tomorrow afternoon aren't you?" Her voice sounded a little hesitant.
"Yep, no problems this end. I have a couple of meetings first thing in the morning, so I'm going to pack tonight. Make sure I'm organised."
"Meetings? You'll have to explain that to me when you get here. It seems that you have so much news to tell me. How is Edward?"
"Very well, thanks mom. He's at work. I won't actually see him until Monday now."
"Well you know the old saying, Bella. Absence makes the heart grow fonder. We'll pick you up at the airport as arranged then. Take care. See you tomorrow, sweetheart." She actually sounded happy for me.
"Okay, mom. Love you."
"Love you too sweetheart. 'Bye."
"Bye mom."
As I put the phone down I realised for the first time how saying that I wouldn't see Edward until Monday actually made my stomach churn. I'd never felt anything like it before. Is this how it feels when you can't be with the person you love for a few days? The pain seemed to reach my chest. It tightened and my breaths shortened. I shut my eyes to try and re-focus. I breathed deeply.
"Bella, Bella are you okay?" Jess broke me out of my daze.
"Huh, oh, Jess. Yes I'm okay." I was lying.
"Are you sure? You look paler than usual" Her look was one of genuine concern.
I smiled feebly at her. "Yes, really. I'm fine. I'll make lunch, shall I?" I poured the last of the coffee for Jess and flicked the switch on the kettle to make tea for me. I then pulled out some items from the fridge to make lunch.
"So what will you do this weekend? Have they got anything planned for you?" Jess asked as I made sandwiches.
"Well, they haven't said anything but no doubt I'll catch up with friends and neighbours I haven't seen since I moved to Seattle. I don't suppose anything has changed in seven months." I shrugged.
"Not like your life, hey Bella?" She looked across the counter top and noticed the box of sugar paste flowers. "Oh, Bella, can I have a look?" She pointed to the box.
I moved it over towards her. "Of course. Just don't open the box. It needs to be kept air-tight." Jess nodded and peered through the clear lid. I placed the plated sandwiches in front of us and sat down.
"These are beautiful Bella. You are so clever. Did you learn all of this at Catering College?" She took a bite of her sandwich.
"Yes, there were so many different sections to the course. When I tried cake decorating I found that I was good at it. It's great that I can put the skill to good use now." I took a bite out of my own sandwich.
"I suppose when you get married, you'll want to decorate it yourself because no-one else will be able to do the job well enough." She looked up at me grinning.
"I can't see me getting married for some time yet, Jess. There are so many things I want to achieve before that." I stated.
"What kind of things? Surely you can still achieve things even if you're married. It certainly hasn't stopped Alice or Rosalie for that matter." She had a point.
"I suppose your right, Jess. Anyway marriage is still something that is far away in the future. Who knows what can happen in the meantime."
Jess shrugged her shoulders and got down from the barstool and put her cup and plate in the sink. "I'd better get back to the cleaning. See you when I've finished."
I smiled at her and nodded finishing my lunch. I put the few items in the dishwasher and washed my hands to make a start on the evening meal. I prepared half the food for the starters, cutting the large tomatoes in half and slicing the mozzarella. I placed them on a baking tray and covered it ready for later. I then made a syrup, adding freshly squeezed orange to give the sauce some depth, for the fruit, setting it to one side to cool before I poured it over the fruit and put the whole lot back in the fridge.
I set the oven to preheat, ready for the dessert. I then started to make the meringues. With the mixture at the right consistency I put some of the mixture in a piping bag and piped nest shapes onto a baking tray covered in baking paper. This again was a job that needed a steady hand. No problem. As I counted the meringues nests and smiled to myself as I had made enough to include Edward. No matter, I'll keep this for him and leave it as a surprise for when he gets home Friday.
Jess had finished cleaning. She quickly wrote out the note for Esme. She handed it to me and I put in the diary and made a note of it under today's date. Standing at the kitchen doorway, Jess said goodbye. "I'll see you next week, Bella. Have a lovely time with your parents. I take it you're not going to be doing any cooking when you visit?" She smiled.
"I hope not but if I know my mom I may have to give a helping hand. She doesn't enjoy cooking that much." I chuckled as Jess gathered her coat and bag and gave me a wave as she left the kitchen. Moments later the front door shut and I was alone again.
I slid the tray of meringues into the hot oven and turned the heat down for the cooking process. I waited until they were cooked and then turned the oven off so that they would finish cooking as the oven cooled.
As I had quite a bit of time before I had to start on the evening meal I decided to pack my bag for the weekend. The good thing about the trip was that I wouldn't need to take too many clothes with me and they would be thinner clothing that I would need to take anyway. I pulled out my large weekend bag and began to pack up in my bedroom. The only things I had in Edward's room that I needed to pack were my toiletries and this I could do in the morning quickly. I took out a couple of pairs of jeans, t-shirts and blouses and just in case, a dress and packed them carefully in the bag not forgetting underwear and shoes.
I carefully carried the bag downstairs to Edward's room to keep it out of the way until Friday morning.
Heading back downstairs, I checked to see if the oven had cooled in the meantime. It would need just a little longer. I filled the kettle up with water and switched it on to make myself a tea.
My phone rang. It was Edward.
"Hey, you." I sighed.
"Hi." He said in almost a whisper. "How are things?"
"Fine I guess." I said wistfully.
"You guess?" He retorted.
"Yep. I realised today that I wouldn't see you now until Monday. I'll miss you."
"And I'll miss you. Next time you go to Phoenix, I'm coming with you." He sounded resolute.
"No problem. Once I've told my parents about you, they will want to meet you." I smiled to myself. "Esme told me today that there's a charity function coming up in a few weeks." I added.
"I'll go if you do." There was no hesitation.
"I think we should. Rosalie has already said that it's going to be fun with all of us going." I smiled.
"Yeah, we'd have to get a table just for the Cullen family." He chuckled.
"Alice has lined me up for a shopping trip." I grimaced at the thought of it again.
"For a new dress I don't doubt." He answered.
"Yes, for her and for me." I replied.
"Good. I look forward to that. It'll be a black tie affair so I'll have to get my suit out of the bag again. I haven't worn it in a while." He said as if he were thinking out loud.
"Yes, Esme said that you haven't gone to any for some time."
"And now I am. I'm looking forward to it already." It sounded like he was smiling. "I have to go, Bella. I'm sorry." I could hear raised voices in the background.
"No problem. Take care. I love you." I could feel my eyes stinging.
"I love you too. See you Monday." His voice was barely a whisper.
"Till Monday then. 'Bye, Edward." And now a lump in my throat had formed.
"'Bye, Bella." And he was gone.
I shut my phone, fighting back tears. I pulled myself out of my thoughts, giving my head a little shake and wiping my eyes with my apron. I took a deep breath and checked the oven again. It was now cold. I took the meringues out and detached them from the baking sheet and stacked them in an air-tight box for now.
I turned my attention to the file that I would need to take with me in the morning, double checking the details of the two meetings. Happy with everything, I put the file next to the box of sugar paste flowers that I needed to drop off at the bakery.
The family were beginning to come home from work. I quickly put the water on for the pasta and put the grill on for the first course. I placed the tomatoes topped with Mozzarella under the grill. As they were cooking I sliced the avocados and arranged them on small plates, adding Parma Ham slices.
Everyone sat at the table talking animatedly. The tomatoes and their topping were ready. I arranged them on the plates and set them all on a tray and took them out to the table. A round of thanks came from everyone as they began to eat.
I placed the pasta in the boiling water and lowered the heat. I quickly stir fried the chicken and the vegetables in a little oil. With the pasta cooked and the stir fried ingredients ready, I put it all together in a large dish and tossed it together, adding a little pesto and olive oil. The main course was ready. I took it out to the table with a large serving spoon and collected the empty starter plates. I returned to the table and ate with the family. Alice managed to corner me about a colour and design of dress that would be good for me for the charity function. I admitted to her that I really didn't know where to begin with the whole idea. Her face lit up at the prospect of having a reasonable amount of control as to what I would be wearing for this occasion. Rosalie looked over to me giving me little smile. I wasn't sure but I think she showed a hint of sympathy with my situation.
I cleared the table after the main course was finished and went back to the kitchen to organize the dessert. I set the meringues on small plates and put large spoonfuls of the mixed fruit into the centre of each nest. I quickly whipped some cream, placing it in a bowl. I put on a pot of coffee as it seemed that this evening we would be staying at the table for that. Everyone seemed very relaxed and comfortable. I placed the desserts and cream on the large tray and took it out to the table and served everyone. I kept an eye on the coffee pot as I ate my dessert and collected it once it was ready. Jasper kindly took out the cups for me. We sat and exchanged news and Emmett shared a few jokes. I will definitely miss them when I'm in Phoenix.
With the meal finished, I loaded the dishwasher and set it off. We wished each other a goodnight and I made my way upstairs to have a shower and set out my clothes for the morning.
Friday
After a good nights sleep I was ready for a busy day. I got ready for the day quickly dressing in jeans and a t-shirt for the time that I would be cooking breakfast. I took a clean apron from the drawer in the kitchen and began to cook everything that needed to be used, for breakfast. Friday mornings were always a feast day. Emmett was the first down this morning. His eyes were wide with the excitement of the choice the lay before him. He quickly plated up and sat at the table. I took in the coffee pot to him. He nodded his thanks to me, his eyes smiling at me while he chewed enthusiastically. The rest of the family began to make their way down and plated up their food. I sat down with a small amount of food on my plate just to help settle my nerves before the meetings this morning.
"I hope you have a good flight, Bella." Carlisle said as he looked up from his coffee cup at me.
"Thank you, Carlisle. I just hope that the meetings this morning don't go on for too long that I'll miss my flight."
"How many meetings do have, Bella?" Alice asked, a slight frown on her face.
"Only two Alice. Don't worry about it. If they start to get too chatty I'll just have to say that I have another appointment. I need to stop off at the bakery as well with the next batch of flowers."
"Why don't you ring Charlie and ask him to get here half an hour earlier? He won't mind considering how tight you are for time this morning. You could make your first stop the bakery as they're open so early in the mornings." She suggested.
"Good idea. I'll do that now." I left the table, taking a few empty plates with me.
I rang Charlie, using the kitchen phone. Charlie was only too happy to collect me early. I promised him a cup of coffee on his arrival, which would give me time to change and get my things together.
Half an hour later with breakfast finished, the dishwasher loaded and the family getting ready to leave, Charlie arrived in the kitchen. We greeted each other and I poured him a coffee while he made himself comfortable. I quickly put together the last meringue nest and mixed fruit and set it in a bowl and covered it, putting it back in the fridge. I wrote out a quick note for Edward, that the treat in the fridge was for him and using a fridge magnet, stuck it in the middle of the door. He's bound to see that when he looks for something to eat.
I changed ready for the meetings, earning a cheeky whistle from Emmett as I came downstairs. I chuckled at him and Rosalie nudged him in the ribs. They all wished me a good weekend as they left for work. After the mad rush the house feel silent.
"I had a phone call from Edward yesterday." Charlie informed me as he finished his coffee. "He asked me to take you to the airport after the meetings, Bella. So you had better get your bags and bring them down so I can load them in the car."
"Thank you Charlie. I won't be a minute." I couldn't believe how thoughtful Edward was to do that for me. I am very luck to have him looking after me. I slipped off my high heels and went upstairs to get my bag, putting the shoes back on when I got back downstairs. Charlie smiled at me. "You're travelling light, Bella?"
"Summer clothes don't take up so much room, Charlie. Right, I'll just get my purse, the box and file and I'm done."
Charlie picked up my bag and walked out to the car and waited for me. I carefully made my way to the car placing the file and my purse on the seat next to me, the box safely in my lap.
We stopped at the bakery first. I had the key to the room ready. Charlie held the door open for me and I made my way into the building. Mike's office door was shut so I made my way straight down the hall to the room. I put the finished flowers into one of the storage boxes and placed it on the shelf.
"Hi, Bella." It was Mike. I jumped slightly, thankful that I had just put the box of flowers, safely on the shelf.
"Hi, Mike. You okay?"
"Yes, thanks. You look good. Going to a meeting?" I blushed slightly at the compliment. He had caught me unawares with the large smile across his face.
"Thanks Mike. Yes I have two this morning and then I have to make my flight."
"I won't keep you then. I suppose I'll see you sometime next week." He nodded towards the storage boxes.
"Yes, you will. I'll have to get the last of the flowers done and then the real task of decorating can begin."
"Okay. Well, have a good weekend, Bella." He smiled again.
"Thanks, Mike. See you next week." I locked up the room and he walked me to the car, giving me a small wave as Charlie drove the car out of the parking bay.
We arrived in good time for the first meeting. Mrs Peterson greeted me at the door.
"It's so good to meet you Miss Swan." She shook my hand warmly, her blue eyes sparkling. She gestured for me sit down on the large couch in the lounge. She sat down at the other end of the couch giving me her full attention. " Now, I understand that you have another meeting to get too, so I won't delay you any more than I should." Wow, news travels fast. I will have to get used to this.
"Yes, thank you. Now what did the bride have in mind?" I asked. Mrs Peterson quickly gave me a run down of the requirements and handed me a picture that they had cut out of a wedding magazine to give me an idea of the size and the flowers that were required. No problem. The notes were finalised, we shook hands and the meeting was over.
I left the house happy that the meeting had gone well. Taking everything into consideration the next meeting should go just as well. It seemed that I could not put a foot wrong. But I certainly was not going to put it to the test.
As we arrived at the next address I straightened out my skirt and jacket as I knocked at the door. I was met by a maid this time. She ushered me into the lounge to wait. Moments later Mrs Taylor entered the room with her daughter in tow. She will definitely be the epitome of a beautiful bride. Her long blonde hair tumbled down her back in large waves, setting off her dark blue eyes and sunkissed complexion. I could just imagine her wearing one of Alice's creations. We all sat down and I got my note book and pen ready to take notes. We ran through everything, reasonably quickly, even though the bride-to-be changed her mind twice. Final decisions were made and an agreement finally reached. Everyone was smiling as I wrote down the details and we said our goodbyes.
I breathed a sigh of relief as I sat back in the car. Charlie smiled at me in the rear-view mirror and I nodded. I was ready to go to the airport. The drive to the airport gave me time to let my hair down and brush through it, easing the ache at my temples from having my hair tied up in a bun for the last couple of hours. I sat back to relax for the last part of the journey.
Charlie dropped me off as close to departures as possible handing me my bag. I asked him to take the file and empty box back to the house for me as soon as he could. He smiled and wished me well for the flight and the weekend. Making my way to departures I just had enough time to get a bottle of water from a vending machine.
Finally I was on my way to Phoenix.
End of Chapter
Author's note; Many thanks for reading. I welcome any feed back via reviews. Next up is Phoenix and news travels fast. Well, we are talking about the Cullen family after all. It looks like Bella is going to enjoy her weekend to a certain extent.