AN: Okay, you all are seriously awesome!
Here is chapter three :D
Chapter Three
Rose's POV
When our parents return from getting changed out of their swimwear, they are all a little less touchy-feely, though it seems like a concerted effort on their part. Especially when they join us at the table for lunch. Mom and Aunt Ces make a point of sitting together, each with their respective husband taking a seat beside them.
"Thank you for this feast, Kids, this looks glorious!" Aunt Cecily smiles, glancing around the table before settling on me. "I assume our resident chef has been spearheading all of the preparations for these meals?"
I nod and smile graciously. "I've been doing the planning, yes. Though I did get outvoted on the breakfast scramble. I thought a quiche might be a little less pedestrian, but Emmett didn't think it was...what was the word you used? Home-y enough?" I smirk at Em.
"Yeah, homey. This isn't a five-star restaurant, it's a home kitchen, Rosie. A home-cooked meal that feels like a home-cooked meal is good for the soul." He winks, which I know to be his subtle way of pacifying my tendency to bicker. It works every time.
"Fine," I concede. "Everyone seemed to enjoy it, at least, so I suppose you weren't totally off the mark. Though I do think they would have enjoyed the quiche even more but as these five are constantly reminding me, I am what is colloquially referred to as a food snob."
Emmett nudges me lightly. "Lovingly, affectionately, referred to as a food snob, you mean. It's how you've gotten to where you are in your career and we all respect and admire your decisiveness, discernment, and attention to detail."
"Spoken like a man who knows how to do damage control." Uncle Rick snickers.
Aunt Ces shoots him a look that reads as an encouragement to 'behave'. "Well, whatever the case, brunch was lovely, Rosalie, and all of this looks amazing as well. Shall we dig in?" She smiles excitedly.
"Yes, please." I nod encouragingly as everyone dishes for themselves beginning with Aunt Ces.
Once everyone has food on their plates, we all fall into light chatter as the meal begins. Em talks about what a great group of kids he has to coach and Jasper and Alice chime in with similar stories about their students and the three of them discuss the differences between teaching at the elementary, high school, and university levels.
Since Aunt Cecily is currently teaching middle school, their family has all of the age groups covered between them and a comment is made about how nice it is that all of Aunt Ces' kids ended up following in her footsteps.
Then Dad makes a joke about how he must be doing something wrong since none of us kids wanted to be doctors. We all groan, having heard similar laments from Dad before. I see it as more of a testament to how well Mom and Dad succeeded at encouraging us to follow our dreams.
I don't mean to imply that Aunt Ces and Uncle Rick didn't encourage their kids, by any means. They did. Jasper always wanted to teach, which is how he ended up as a university professor. Emmett followed his big dream of playing professional hockey which naturally led to coaching upon retiring from the NHL.
And Alice...well, Alice initially planned on a career in acting and only meant to teach temporarily as a means of building a nest egg since it allowed her to have summers off, giving her time to hone her craft, doing things like community theater projects and acting classes. She fully planned to relocate to Hollywood eventually in search of her 'big break'.
But along the way, she fell so entirely in love with teaching, that she decided she didn't want to give it up after all. Her exact words were, "Fame, fortune, glitz, and glamour...at the end of the day, those things don't hold a candle to the smile on the face of a five-year-old who has just been told that his teacher is proud of him."
That's why it's always so ironic when the others tease Alice about being the last one of the kids to move out to California since she was originally meant to be the first. Though I'm glad it panned out the way it did because I know we all prefer having her here with us in San Francisco, rather than galavanting around Los Angeles.
"Well, I am certainly sated now." Aunt Cecily exhales pushing her empty plate away. "If you kids keep spoiling us like this, we just might have to stay," she laughs softly.
I notice Dad winks at her and I find myself wondering how many times over the years the four of them have had conversations around that topic.
Jasper jumps in, thinking quickly on his feet. "Well, you could certainly take my room as a bedroom and Edward's as an office space if you want since we won't be needing them." He chuckles lightly, playing it off like he's just joking around.
Everyone seems content to let the idea hang in a moment of silent contemplation in the hopes of giving it room to germinate.
"Well, we'll certainly take that under advisement." Uncle Richard smiles gently, taking another triangle of roast beef sandwich and chasing it with a pickle.
"There are brownies and homemade ice cream if anyone wants dessert?" I offer before the silence has a chance to become awkward.
I made the ice cream last night while Bella made the brownies so it would be one less thing we'd need to do today. The s'mores and oreo cheesecakes we plan to have with dinner tonight were made ahead as well.
"Perhaps later, Sweetheart. I'm far too well fed to eat anything more right away." Aunt Cecily smiles at me patting her stomach. "Thank you, though."
I nod in response to her, as Jasper clears his plate away along with everyone else who is finished. "So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?" I ask, looking to our parents since I know they originally had some touristy stuff planned for the first week.
"We thought we'd take it easy and give Ces and Rich a chance to recharge their batteries after traveling. I was thinking perhaps some light movies and possibly a nap." Mom smiles, pouring herself another sangria.
"You should watch them in your room since the TV in there is newer and better quality," Emmett cleverly suggests, taking another half a sandwich. "Then if they get tired they can just crash out in there."
All four members of the older generation look immediately relieved at the convenient excuse for privacy.
"But then there won't be room for you kids to watch with us," Aunt Ces offers by way of a token protest.
"I have assignments to grade, unfortunately, but I'll catch up with you all later," Jasper states, heading upstairs after a round of hugs and kisses.
"Yes, and I have a few things I need to email our realtor about," Edward excuses, taking his leave, as though sending an email would take all afternoon but no one calls him on it as he says his affectionate goodbyes.
"Ally and I have plans to go shopping," Bella states, a little too eagerly, given how much she dislikes Alice's marathon shopping trips, but again, no one complains.
The girls give their hugs and kisses and head upstairs to get ready.
"I have some old game footage I need to watch and I need Rosie's help because I can't take notes and watch at the same time," Emmett lies smoothly and believably since he has asked me to take notes for him on numerous occasions.
I only know it's a lie because it's the first I'm hearing about it and he would have asked me if that were really the plan. In reality, we're probably just going to watch a movie in his room like we usually do. If anyone knocks we can just say Em was having trouble focusing and needed a break.
"I'll meet you upstairs after I finish the cleanup," I whisper to him, as I begin taking the last of the plates from the table. I think he instinctively knows I'm planning on doing a few minutes of eavesdropping as I work in the kitchen.
I'm fairly good at blending into the background when I want to (a skill I learned in my years training as a sous chef back in the early days of my career) so my hope is, they'll forget I'm in the room and speak freely.
Em says his goodbyes to everyone and heads upstairs. Thankfully, I don't get any pushback from the rents about doing the clean-up, so I busy myself in the kitchen as quickly and quietly as possible, making it appear as though I'm not listening or watching when in actuality, I am doing both.
"Well, that was a lovely lunch the kids put on for us." Uncle Richard says, pushing his chair back a little as they continue to sip sangria.
"It was. I wish I'd saved room for dessert." Aunt Ces sighs contentedly.
"Well, maybe you'll get hungry part way through the movie and I can bring some up and feed you." Dad, not Uncle Richard, says. If we didn't already know what we know, it would have seemed like he just meant to provide her with food, but I get the distinct impression he's suggesting something much more intimate.
"That sounds lovely, thank you, Carlisle." Aunt Cecily smiles coyly.
"By then, I think I might like some ice cream too," Mom says, pouring another glass for herself. It was a good idea that all of us kids took very little of the sangria, saving most of it for them. I have the feeling they'll be a little freer in their interactions as they get a bit tipsy.
"Mmmn, I think that can be arranged," Uncle Rick says softly.
Dad looks across the table at Uncle Rick. "And how about you, Rich? Do you feel like you might want some ice cream?" The look he gives him is almost too intimate to watch as I dry the dishes.
"Ohhh, I definitely feel the need to indulge, yes. It's been far too long since I've allowed myself any such guilty pleasures and there are certain flavors I wholly miss." Uncle Richard smiles but the longing in his words is palpable.
"Oh, I know the feeling, Rich. I know the feeling," Dad says softly.
Mom takes him by the hand, finishing her drink in one swallow, and pulls him up from the table. Aunt Ces does the same with Uncle Rick.
They bring their glasses into the kitchen on their way out. "Thank you, for the lovely meal, Rose. I can't wait to see what sort of dinner awaits us this evening. Everything has been truly wonderful, Sweetie," Aunt Ces gushes giving me a hug and kiss.
The others all follow suit, and I pretend not to notice the way Dad and Uncle Rick intentionally brush by one another while taking turns saying goodbye to me.
"I'm glad you all enjoyed it. Dinner will probably be at around eight. We usually eat late, since most of us are night owls. I hope that's okay?" I confirm raising an eyebrow in question.
"It should be. If we tire out this afternoon we can nap in the meantime," Aunt Ces suggests.
"Great, we'll see you then. Enjoy your movies and whatever you get up to." I nod, clicking my tongue.
The meaning might be loaded but I make certain the tone doesn't reflect that in any way.
"We certainly will, thank you, Sweetheart." Uncle Richard smiles brightly, as they depart from the kitchen, all but pushing one another up the staircase as they rush to get on with their…'guilty pleasures' as they've called it. Though I certainly don't believe they have anything they need to feel guilty about.
I wait until I hear the door to Mom and Dad's room close before I quietly race up the stairs and into Em's room, closing the door softly behind me. I don't lock it, of course. I never do. The rumors around here are bad enough without giving them even more fuel for the fire.
I jump onto the bed exuberantly, clapping my hands quietly. "They're gonna do it, Em. They all but spelled it out!" I whisper.
"Who's gonna do what?" He smirks setting his book down and taking off his reading glasses as I climb in under the covers beside him. Em's laptop is paused on the movie screen for whatever flick he has chosen for us to watch.
"Your parents and my parents are going to have sex. I'm sure of it. They were using ice cream as a metaphor for indulging in 'guilty pleasures' but the intention was oh so very clear." I grin, wagging my eyebrows.
"Should I be concerned about how invested you suddenly seem in our parents' sex life?" He teases, kissing me on the cheek so I know he's just kidding.
"I just want them to be happy. That's all. And the tension was so thick downstairs you could cut it with a knife," I clarify.
"Speaking of tension, you seem a little tense. Need a shoulder rub?" He smiles softly.
"If you're offering." I nod, moving to sit in front of him as he starts the movie.
"You know we'll be teased mercilessly if anyone opens that door." He smirks as his strong hands begin working the knots out of my tired shoulders.
"What else is new?" I laugh lightly. "I sometimes wonder if Eddie and Jas have the right idea, getting out of dodge. They'll have their privacy, whatever they might choose to do with it," I reason.
"Do we think they're…?" Em insinuates.
"Sometimes I do think so, yeah. Sometimes I'm not too sure. But the way they tease us does leave me to wonder." I shrug.
"You know they don't tease us to be cruel though, right? They're just tryna goad us into offering up either a confirmation or a firm denial," Em observes.
"I know. But it's so much more fun to keep them wondering." I grin mischievously.
"Oh, Rosie. You sure do love the drama." He sighs contentedly, kissing the top of my head.
"Meh, call it a 'guilty pleasure'." I snicker, as Robert Downie Jr. flirts shamelessly with Gwyneth Paltrow on the screen.
"Would you want to, though?" Em asks.
"Huh? Would I want to do what?" I ask, confused.
"Move out. Get a place. Share the day to day expenses of living as adults. Might be nice to have some of that elusive privacy." He shrugs.
I search his eyes to see if he's at all serious and surprisingly, he is. And really, it isn't though I've never thought about it. As soon as we found out Ed and Jasper were thinking of getting a house together, it occurred to me that we could do something like that ourselves.
Emmett and I spend enough time together that I don't think I'd get annoyed living with him, even in close quarters one on one. And he's right that it would give us some much longed for privacy. But there are certainly other considerations that make me hesitant about it.
"The kitchen here is so perfect, though," I state, with just enough waver in my voice that he knows it's a pretty feeble excuse.
"There are other perfect kitchens in the area, I'm sure," He shrugs, as the therapeutic massage gives way to more gentle, relaxing strokes.
"Owning a home comes with so many more responsibilities, and I certainly don't like the idea of renting and being at someone else's whim." I frown.
His arms cease their movement and snake around my waist. "What are you really afraid of, Rosie?"
What am I afraid of?
"Everything. And nothing, Em. Everything and nothing."
AN: Okay, so I hope as we hear from the different characters a few things start to make more sense?
Love you all!
Blessings,
-BMW
