A/N: Beta'd by the one and only... Midnight Cougar.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters... I just make them do what I want... Please don't sue.
Summary: When Edward Cullen is hired to work on heartbroken writer Isabella Swan's house, will he end up fixing a lot more than just her house?
23.
Their visit to the hardware store was brief—Edward simply picking up something he'd ordered, telling the guy behind the counter to put it on his tab. The man who clearly knew Edward just nodded, busy with another customer. Bella had never really thought about the fact that she was living in a small town now, the kind of town where everyone knew each other.
"Have you lived here long?" Bella asked, as they walked out of the store and back to the truck.
"Yeah," Edward said. "Pretty much my entire life."
Bella looked around; it was a typical idyllic little town with maybe 4,000 inhabitants tops. She couldn't imagine growing up in a tiny place like this. Her family had lived in the city most of her life, having just moved here a few years back. Bella had moved into an apartment in the city, and only recently moved out here when she wanted to settle down near her family.
"You like it?" she asked.
"Yeah," Edward said. "It's small, but I know everyone and it's not like it's far to the city."
"So, are you seeing anyone now?" Bella asked quietly.
Edward let out a soft chuckle, ducking his head as he started the truck. "No, I'm not. There have been a few girls I've dated, but nothing serious. Hey, Bella, I know this isn't what you wanna hear right now, but it is true what they say about time. I mean, now I can actually see myself trusting someone again, you know?"
Bella looked at him hard. If anyone else would have said that to her, she would have told them to butt out, that they didn't know anything. But for some reason, she actually found comfort in Edward's words—already having found someone she trusted, which was completely insane, since she'd known the guy for all of two hours.