For those who celebrate, I hope you all had a lovely Easter yesterday. I'm still in a bit of a food coma this morning from an all day brunch!

Quick shout out to TLS for the mention last week, thank you!

Thank you so much to Fran S. Flower for beta'ing this chapter for me. Also to my amazing pre-readers, brierlynn03, DaniDarlinxx, & Jgaff. You ladies keep me sharp!

Chapter 5: Edward

It was a cold and blustery day, so when I got to the restaurant, I went straight inside. I knew I was here before Bella and Gracie, and I took the time to select the perfect table. The place was relatively quiet, and the hostess was accommodating, flirting openly with me, even after I asked her for a kid's menu.

I found a seat by a large window that looked out on the water. It had been a long time since I'd been down on the piers, probably since I'd been a kid.

My fingers drummed anxiously on the tabletop as I thought about the impending arrival of Bella and Gracie. I was delighted Bella had asked me to join them, but I was fucking nervous too. What did this lunch mean? Did it even mean anything?

My phone chirped, and I glanced at it, seeing an email come in from a sub. I pulled it open to distract myself. I had a shit ton to do for closeout on a handful of jobs this week. I should be in the office, buried in my computer, but instead, I was sitting in a family restaurant on the pier.

A gust of cold wind brushed through the restaurant as the door opened, and I looked up anxiously. I saw Bella, and even though I was nervous, part of me relaxed at the sight of her. Her hair was wind-blown, a tangle around her face as she tried to navigate her daughter out of the cold and into the restaurant. Gracie was immediately distracted by the decor and ran to the large fish tank near the hostess's stand. Bella shook her head, exasperated with her daughter, and reached down to unwrap the child from her coat. Bella glanced up, her gaze catching mine, and she blushed, offering me a small smile.

I felt my own smile tug at my lips as Bella reached down to take her daughter's hand.

I stood from the table, and Gracie saw me, gasping. I grinned at her as a bright smile stole over her face, and she tugged on Bella's hand harder. "Mama! Mama! It's the prince!"

She was practically shouting, and the few people in the restaurant turned to look at us as Bella and Gracie came to the table. I crouched down in front of Gracie, smiling at the awed look on her face. "Hey, Princess."

She preened and looked up at her mother, who was shaking her head at her daughter, a warm smile on her face. "Is it all right if Mr. Edward joins us for lunch?"

Gracie turned to look at me, stunned again before she nodded vigorously. I grinned at her and stood, moving around to the table and pulling a chair out for her. "For you, Princess." She looked up at me with wide, round eyes and moved to the chair. I helped her climb up before tucking her in closer to the table. I looked up at Bella, who was watching me with identical round eyes. I smiled at her and pulled her chair out as well, motioning to it. She blushed and slid into the chair. Mom had taught us etiquette growing up, but I'd seldom used it to this extent. I wasn't an ass to women, but I had also never held a chair out for them either.

I moved around the table and took my seat across from Bella. Gracie's little face was turned to the large picture window, gazing out at the water. "So," I said, getting her attention. She looked up at me shyly. "What's good to eat here?"

Gracie licked her little lips and looked down at her kid's menu. She spotted the crayons and gasped, sitting up on her chair and reaching for them. I smiled as she started to color and turned to her mother. Bella was biting her lower lip, and the sight of it was pulling at something deep and dark in me. I didn't want to get too intense on her too quickly, so I looked away before it became evident she was turning me on.

I heard Bella clear her throat, and when I glanced up at her again, she was looking at the menu. "The chowder is good," she said quietly. "Gracie usually gets the chicken strips."

I smiled at Gracie, who wasn't looking at either of us. "Not into fish?" I asked, looking up at Bella. She met my gaze and shrugged lightly.

"I think seeing them at my work makes it hard for her to eat them."

I nodded in understanding. "What is it you do, Bella?"

She blinked, looking a little dazed a moment before she took a breath. "I uh. I'm leading the research team dedicated to the study, conservation, and rehabilitation of the Great Pacific Octopus."

My eyebrows rose in surprise. "I don't know that I've ever seen an octopus," I said after a moment. She smiled, relaxing a little.

"They are phenomenal creatures. They are losing habitat because of human encroachment." she frowned, and a small v formed between her eyebrows. "I'm hoping to bring more awareness to them and their environments. I want to get the community involved, so people realize how important marine conservation is." Her voice was ringing with her passion, and I took a careful breath to calm myself the hell down. Why was it so hot to hear her talking about work?

"That sounds incredible," I said after a moment. Bella met my gaze and blushed.

At that moment, our waitress came to the table, sending me a flirty smile. I ignored her as I turned to the girls. "Ready to order?"

I wove a hand to Bella. "She'll have the chicken tenders," Bella said, brushing Gracie's hair back from her face. "I'll have the seafood bisque."

The waitress turned to me, licking her lips provocatively. It was annoying as hell. For all this woman knew, I could be out to lunch with my family, and she was practically throwing herself into my lap.

"Fish and chips," I said, handing her my menu. She nodded, her fingers brushing mine as she took it. I dropped my hand to the table as she sashayed away. I felt embarrassed and annoyed, and I risked a glance up at Bella. She was looking out the window, a small frown on her face. I took a deep breath and reached out across the table to her. I took her hand gently in mine, and she looked up at me in surprise. I wanted to apologize for the waitress, but I didn't want to talk about it in front of Gracie. I had no idea how much kids picked up, and frankly, I had some choice words I needed to hold back.

Bella met my gaze, and I saw her brown eyes soften then warm slightly. She offered me a small smile, squeezing my hand.

I let out a relieved breath, and our hands untangled as Gracie looked up from her drawing.

"Mama, can I have a pen?"

Bella reached into her purse and pulled one out. "On the paper only," she reminded her gently. Gracie nodded and turned back to her work. Bella looked up at me shyly. "So, what kind of jobs do you typically do?"

I took a breath and sat back, smiling at her. "This and that. I do work with Microsoft and a handful of other tech companies in the area. I've done a few with Boeing, but aerospace is more my brother's specialty."

Bella smiled. "Your brother seems like quite the character."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry about him, he can be a real…" I paused, glancing at Gracie. "Pain," I said finally. Bella snorted delicately, and I grinned at her. I wasn't used to censoring myself, but I knew I could use foul language a child most definitely should not be hearing.

"So, you work with your mom and your brother?"

I nodded, relaxing further. "My mom's brother started a company about thirty years ago called Platt Building," I explained. "Then, when my little sister started school, Mom went back to work, and Platt Building became Platt and Cullen Building, or PAC."

Bella nodded. "Did you always plan to go into construction?"

I frowned. "Not originally. I had a lot of different interests in school, and for a while, I thought about going into medicine," I paused, and Bella's eyebrows rose in surprise. "But then I took a construction management class, and things just clicked for me. I got my BS in Construction Management and Estimating and started working with my uncle. I started in the field, but because of my education, I was able to work up quickly. I just finished my MS in Construction Management a couple of years ago."

Bella looked impressed, and I tried not to look smug about it. I'd worked my ass off to get my education while I was working, and it had paid off big time. I was in line to head up Operations for our entire company someday.

"It sounds like you found your calling," she mused. I nodded, and Gracie looked up at us.

"Um, Mr. Edward? What is your favorite color?"

I smiled over at her. "Red, I think."

She nodded and turned back to her drawing. I glanced at Bella, who was smiling affectionately at her daughter.

"How about you? Did you always want to work in Marine Conservation?"

Bella looked at me and nodded. "Ever since I was little, I knew it was something I wanted. I went to school in California and managed to find a decent job supporting some local conservation agencies, but I wasn't lead on anything until they offered me the job up here," she gazed out the window, and just to the right, you could see the end of the aquarium. "It's my dream job, and I'm so excited about it."

"So you just moved up here?"

Bella looked back at me and nodded. "I grew up in Forks with my parents," she wove a hand across the water. "But I haven't lived here since high school."

I wanted to ask about Gracie's father, how he factored into all this, but I didn't want to intrude.

"How long have you been here?"

"We moved up in June."

I nodded, glancing at Gracie. "Well, welcome to Seattle," I said, holding up my glass of water to her. She smiled as I sipped. There was so much I wanted to ask her, so much I wanted to know, but I wasn't sure what was appropriate.

I saw our waitress across the restaurant, holding our tray of food, and I turned to Gracie. "Hey Princess, I think our lunch is coming."

She looked up at me, looking slightly bashful. Bella reached over to help her clear her art from in front of her, and I held my hand out in offering. Bella handed me the placemat, and I set it in the empty spot next to me. Our waitress delivered the food to Gracie and Bella before taking her time, bending in front of me so I could see down her low-cut shirt. She set my food in front of me and licked her lips, smiling at me. "Anything else I can get you?" she purred.

"Maybe some space," I growled, the words tumbling out of me before I could stop them. She blinked, freezing where she was.

"Excuse me?"

I glanced at Bella, whose eyes had gone wide, her eyebrows rising as she watched me. "I'd like to have lunch with these lovely ladies in peace," I said, chickening out from the honest shit building up in me. She frowned but straightened.

She glanced between the girls and me before turning on her heel and stalking off. I looked nervously over at Bella, who watched me with an expression I couldn't quite name.

"Sorry," I muttered, again feeling embarrassed. She shook her head.

"She's the one who's being inappropriate," she said softly. I still couldn't quite tell what she was thinking, and I turned to my food, feeling slightly anxious.

"Mama," Gracie said, breaking the tension. "Can I have ketchup?"

I looked up at them in time to see Bella frown a little. "I'll flag someone," I offered. Bella looked at me and nodded. I caught the attention of a busboy, and thankfully, he was able to bring us Gracie's ketchup without any sort of drama.

Bella put some ketchup on Gracie's plate before handing me the bottle. I took it and put some near my fries. I really wanted vinegar, but no way was I calling the waitress back over.

"So Princess," I said, looking over at her. Gracie looked up at me, a French fry halfway stuffed into her mouth. "Your mom said you go to school?"

Gracie beamed around her fry and shifted on her chair. "Yeah!" she said, chomping happily. "I have school, and so does my best friend, and we play all the time."

I smiled. I really didn't know how to interact with kids, but Gracie was so fucking cute; she made it a little easier. "Who's your best friend?"

"Um, it's Hannah," she said, shooting me a look like it should have been fucking obvious. I laughed and nodded.

"Is she a princess, too?" Gracie scrunched up her nose.

"No. She's a dragon."

I frowned, glancing at Bella, who shrugged, seeming unconcerned. I turned back to my lunch, biting off a chunk of fish. It was flakey and warm and so fucking good.

"How's your fish?"

I looked up at Bella and nodded enthusiastically. She smiled at me. "It's really f-" I paused, catching myself "fantastic," I choked out. She snorted delicately. "How's your bisque?"

She licked her lips, and I was thoroughly distracted by it. "Delicious," she hummed. She glanced at Gracie. "How about your chicken, baby?"

Gracie looked up at her mother, her mouth stuffed. She hummed, and Bella smiled, pushing her hair back from her face. I grabbed a fry, munching it happily, and Gracie looked at me curiously.

"Did you get chicken yummies too?"

I smirked. Chicken yummies? "No, I got fish'n chips."

Gracie's little nose scrunched in confusion, and she clambered up on her seat to peer over the table. I nudged the plate toward her, showing her my lunch.

She frowned. "It looks like chicken."

"Would you like to try it?" I looked at Bella, silently asking if it was okay. Her eyebrows rose, but she nodded, looking at her daughter curiously. Gracie nodded, and I cut her a small piece of fish. I reached over, putting it on her plate, and she eyed it. She picked it up with her little fingers and popped it into her mouth. Bella and I watched her curiously as she chewed. "Yum!" she decided, and Bella shook her head, looking flabbergasted.

"Two years trying to get her to try new foods," Bella muttered. I snorted.

"It looks fun, so of course, it's gotta taste fun, right?"

Bella smirked and shook her head, dipping her spoon into her soup. I turned back to my lunch as Gracie picked up another chicken finger. "I never developed much of a pallet beyond the kid's menu," I admitted. Bella looked up at me. "I'm a simple guy, and I have pretty simple tastes."

Bella smiled, and her face lit up with it. Fuck, she really was beautiful. Looking at her made me catch my breath a little, and I had to drop my eyes down to my lunch, my stomach twisting. It wasn't entirely a bad feeling, but foreign. When was the last time I'd had butterflies around a girl? High school?

Gracie offered up more stories during lunch, rambling about some game she and Hannah played at school. Bella was patient and kind as her daughter prattled on, and I found myself genuinely interested in listening to Gracie, even though I could barely keep up with her.

Our waitress came by, dropping our check off, and I snatched it before Bella could grab it. "I asked you to join us," Bella argued.

I shook my head.

"But I did ask you first," I pointed out. She scowled slightly, and I smiled, pulling my wallet out and sliding my card into the black booklet. The waitress returned, and I handed it over to her, glad when she took it without trying to feel me up or something.

Bella's brow creased for a moment before she sighed. "Thank you," she said, shaking her head. I smiled at her, relieved she wasn't going to fight me too hard on it.

The waitress brought my card back, giving me a lingering look before sashaying away.

I pulled out both copies of the receipt, my temper skyrocketing when I saw she'd left her number at the bottom of my copy with a note to call her when I was done babysitting.

Bella must have sensed my anger because I felt her shift across the table. "Everything okay?"

I glanced up at her.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna talk to the manager," I said quietly. Her eyes went wide as I stood from the table. "I'll be right back," I assured her.

Thankfully, the restaurant was fairly empty, so no one was too close when I approached the hostess. "I need the manager," I bit out. She blinked, her eyes going wide before she nodded and darted off. I could only imagine how furious I looked.

A minute later, a young guy, about thirty, came out, trailed by the nervous-looking hostess. "Hello sir, how can I help you?"

I shoved my receipts at him. "One of your waitresses has seriously overstepped." He took the slips, his eyes going wide as he looked them over. "I tried to be polite; I even tried to ignore her when she blatantly flirted with me in front of," I paused, glancing back at Bella and Gracie. I didn't have a word for them yet. I turned back to the manager.

"Sir, I'm so sorry that you and your family have had to deal with this," he said, shaking his head. "Rest assured, this will be dealt with."

My jaw ticked. "You get that little girl is four, right?" I snapped.

His eyes flickered to our table. "I'm sorry, sir; this goes against every code of conduct and ethics we have," he waved the receipt between us. "Allow me to cancel the charges on your card. Lunch will be on us today," he said, stepping over to the hostess's booth. I huffed.

"Look, I don't care about the money," I snapped. "I just want to make sure her shit won't fly."

The manager's eyes met mine. "Rest assured," he said firmly. "It will not be tolerated."

I leaned back, letting out a breath. "All right," I said, feeling slightly appeased. I didn't feel great about getting anyone fired, but she certainly had it coming. That shit was not okay.

"The charges have been canceled," he said, glancing up at me. "Please accept lunch on us with our sincerest apologies and assurance that no such incident will be happening again in our establishment."

I swallowed and nodded. "Thanks," I muttered. He nodded, and I reached up, running a hand through my hair. I made my way back to the table, and Bella looked up at me curiously. I gave her a tight smile.

"Are we ready to head out?" I asked, glancing at Gracie.

Bella stood, trying to help Gracie into her coat. I pulled my own coat on and waited for Bella and Gracie to be ready before walking them from the restaurant. The waitress nor manager was nowhere to be seen as we left.

Outside, the wind had calmed, though it was still fucking cold. I walked Bella and Gracie down the pier until we neared my truck. The cold air was helping to clear some of my anger. I paused, catching Bella's eye and nodding toward the car. "This is me."

Bella nodded, glancing over her shoulder at the aquarium. "That's us," she said, turning back to me. I smiled and glanced down when Gracie pulled on Bella's arm. Bella let Gracie's hand go so that she could turn to play in the green between us and the aquarium. Bella shifted so she could watch Gracie while she still spoke to me.

"Everything okay in there?" she asked.

I let out a long breath, reaching up to tug on my hair. "It will be," I grunted. She arched a brow, and I hesitated, wondering if I should tell her. I didn't know her well enough to be able to predict how she'd handle it. "I spoke to the manager," I said finally. "The waitress is probably getting fired right now."

Bella's eyebrows rose again, and I wondered what she was thinking. "You got her fired?"

I sighed. "She was way out of line," I growled. "She tried to give me her number and told me to call when I was done babysitting." The words still pissed me the hell off, and I could see Bella's face cloud with anger.

"She what?"

I nodded, reaching down to scratch my jaw. "I know. I…" I cut myself off, shaking my head. "Whatever. She's been dealt with."

I glanced up at Bella to see her watching Gracie, her brows furrowed. I was dying to know what she was thinking. Maybe she was the type of person who didn't like a scene being made?

I could feel myself start to panic and spiral in my self-doubt when she looked up at me, her warm brown eyes fierce with fire. "You stood up for us," she said softly.

I blinked.

"Um, yeah," I said slowly. "I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable or like I've overstepped or something…"

Bella reached out, her hand taking mine and squeezing gently, stopping my words. I looked down at her in surprise.

"Thank you," she whispered. Her soft words warmed me, and I smiled at her. We heard Gracie giggle, and both looked up to watch her.

"I feel like I should be thanking you, Bella," I said quietly, pulling her attention briefly to me. She looked a little confused, and I offered her a small smile. "For inviting me to lunch. I had a really great time. Despite everything."

Her smile was warm and kind and lit up her eyes. "I did too," she murmured, squeezing my hand before letting it go. I immediately missed her warmth.

We both glanced back up at Gracie, who was a few feet away, running in the grass.

"Edward," Bella said, drawing my attention back to her. "I need to be honest. Tomorrow I'm presenting the final plans to the board. As soon as I get the final sign-off, I'm going to be sending out invitations to bid," she paused, biting her lip and looking up at me. I watched her, mute, curious to see where this was going. "Esme, who I now realize might have had ulterior motives," she smirked, "mentioned several times that you are the best project manager for this job."

I took a breath, trying to gauge where she was going with this. Sometimes she was really fucking difficult to read. "I'd strive to do the best for both our companies; it's all I can ever do," I murmured.

She nodded. "I…" she paused, again glancing at Gracie, who was crouched down, inspecting a leaf in the grass. "I'm going to be looking for the best fit for the aquarium," she said, looking back up at me. "It's going to come down to price and communication," she bit her lip, and I smiled a little.

"Are you worried I'm going to expect something because we've had lunch?"

She blushed, and I knew I hit the nail on the head. I sighed and shook my head, unable to stop my smile. "Bella, if an invitation to bid is sent my way, I'd be disappointed if it wasn't a fair fight. Many companies around Seattle could do as good, if not a better job." I paused, rubbing the back of my neck. "But I can guarantee you, none of those companies are going to honor the business partnership between our companies more than we would." I flashed her a bright smile. "I look forward to being able to prove that to you, should I get the opportunity."

Bella bit her lip, and suddenly, I wasn't quite sure if we were talking about work anymore. My gaze landed on that lip, being worried between her teeth, and it was so fucking distracting; I had to drag my eyes away, back up to hers.

Her eyes were large and dark and fuck me, the blush stealing over her cheeks made her look aroused.

Was she?

I fucking was.

Bella blinked when Gracie called out to her, and we both took the moment to compose ourselves.

Fucking hell.

Bella nodded in approval as Gracie held the leaf up to her before she abandoned it again and continued running around. Bella glanced back up at me.

"I look forward to receiving your bid, Mr. Cullen."

I smiled at her, unable to stop the joy I felt from slipping out onto my face. "I look forward to working with you, Miss?" I realized I didn't even fucking know her last name. She snorted and held up her hand.

"Dr. Swan," she said, leveling me with a look. Fuck, that was hot. I shook her hand.

"Dr. Swan," I murmured back. She shifted on her feet. I wanted to ask her out, really ask her out, but it didn't seem like the right time, juggling a blossoming work relationship and with her daughter right here. I glanced at Gracie and smiled. I liked the kid. So far, she was funny and pretty easily self-entertained. I looked back at Bella, and I couldn't help but think about how I really liked her too.

"Mama!"

Bella sighed, glancing over at Gracie. She looked back at me. "I need to be heading back to work."

I nodded. "I'll see you soon, Dr. Swan."

She smiled, and it was a sweet, shy smile that made my heart clench in my chest.

"You'll be hearing from me, Mr. Cullen."

I grinned at her as she backed up toward her daughter.

"I can't wait."

For those wondering, Edward is 32, Bella is 31, and Gracie is 4. If you find me on facebook, I have their character "profiles" on my page that gives you that info plus a little more.

This week's rec is The Muse in the Shadows by Lily Jill. This woman has the ability to take my heart and squeeze it in all the right ways.

Also, this story only posts weekly, but if you're looking for more, I have an ongoing fic, Lockdown that posts daily. If you're already reading it, I'll see you there shortly.

Until next week, my dears! xx