Hello all! Welcome back! I'm so glad you all liked Edward standing up to that waitress. Desperately needed in this crazy world of FF where waitress just throw themselves at men constantly, lol.

A little bit of lingo this week for those unfamiliar with the construction world: sub means subcontractor. Edward is a general contractor, which means his company coordinates the projects and hire specialty subcontractors to take care of specific elements, etc. I won't get into construction too much here cause I'm sure it's quite boring for most people, haha.

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

Chapter 6: Bella

My fingers tapped anxiously against my desk. I still had thirty minutes until my meeting started, but I was anxious because he would be there.

I had presented the plans to the board, and they had all signed off enthusiastically. We'd scrambled to get together final budget numbers, and Wednesday afternoon, I'd sent the invitation for a job walk. Thursday had been about nailing down the budget with the team and my going over the game plan with everyone on how to approach the bid.

I couldn't help but remember my conversation with Edward on Tuesday and the frank sultry promise he'd made about taking care of one another. I knew he'd probably been talking about work, but my mind had made it out to be much more than that, and it had been distracting me all week.

I hadn't called him about the job walk. I knew it would be too distracting to talk on the phone, so instead, I emailed him the invitation. He'd responded immediately, accepting the invite.

We had five companies coming. I had never led one before, but Garrett had offered to be there with me, helping me out. He'd overseen several projects in his time at the aquarium, and I was grateful for his help.

There was a knock on my office door, and I looked up at the warm, smiling face of Garrett. "You about ready?"

I nodded, standing from behind my desk and smoothing down my dress. Okay, so maybe I'd put a little more effort into my appearance today. I usually wore slacks and a simple blouse to work, but today I was dressed in a long-sleeve, red dress that ended just above my knee. The neck was modest enough that I felt comfortable wearing it at work and combined with black tights and my black boots. I was warm enough despite the November chill. I saw Garrett's eyes flash over me, and I pretended not to notice. I was flattered, but my attention had been well and thoroughly diverted.

I picked up my notebook, turning to Garrett with a nod. He offered me an easy smile, and we headed out to the lobby.

"Nervous?" he asked, and I realized I was fiddling with the end of my ponytail. I looked up at him and dropped my hair, shaking my head.

"A bit, but I'm fine," I assured him. He nodded.

"You'll be great. You've got a shrewd mind. The board trusts you to take care of this project, and that means a lot."

I smiled up at him. He was really quite tall.

"Thank you, Garrett."

He patted my back in perhaps an overly friendly way. I didn't mind too much since he dropped his hand almost as quickly as he put it on me.

We reached the lobby and my breath caught in my throat. I tried to make my reaction to seeing Edward less obvious, but I'm sure I wasn't successful.

He was standing there, his blue button-down tucked into his dark slacks. His long sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his hair was perfectly, effortlessly, wild. On some men, it looked unprofessional and chaotic, but he carried that hair perfectly.

He was talking to a man in jeans and a plaid shirt, but his eyes were on me, and I bit my lip as I watched his gaze take me in. The dress wasn't tight, with a flared skirt, but his eyes made me feel like I was naked.

I flushed and struggled to rein in my breathing.

Garrett headed toward the small group, oblivious to my reactions.

I took a deep breath to steady myself and glanced at the rest of the group. There were more men than I had expected, and briefly, I wondered if they had come in teams or if other companies I hadn't invited had shown up.

A man with dark hair stepped forward, offering Garrett his hand. "Michael Laurant," he said formally. "WOL Industries."

Garrett shook his head, and I could see the other men introducing themselves. Clearly, they thought this was his show. I cleared my throat before it could get away from me, and everyone turned in my direction. "Hello all," I said, forcing a smile onto my face, even though I was suddenly feeling very annoyed. "I'm Dr. Isabella Swan. Thank you for responding to my invitation to our job walk."

I received quite a few blank looks from most of the men, and my eyes flickered to Edward. He looked delighted and amused.

Garrett smiled and reached over, his hand landing on my back. "Gentlemen, she is right—this is her show." He shook his head apologetically at me, and I nodded, stepping away from his hand.

I turned to the man to my right, and he stepped forward to introduce himself. I then had everyone sign in, and I realized that while only the five I'd invited had come, they had all brought different subcontractors with them. Edward had brought two, and I wondered what the thought behind it was.

I didn't want to seem unknowledgeable, so I didn't voice anything aloud as we were all introduced.

When I had met and shook hands with everyone, including Edward; who had the grace to act as if this was our first meeting. I then confirmed we were ready to proceed and looked up at the group. "Right. Gentlemen, if you would follow me."

I grew more comfortable as we headed into the aquarium. This was my work, my home away from home, and I knew this project backward and forward. I was able to walk them back to the current exhibit, a small nook in the main aquarium before I took them out to the site of the new build. It would be tricky, adding onto the pier for the lab, but then again, they were the experts.

Edward's two subs were sharp and asked plenty of good questions. One, a mechanical engineer, had the best questions out of perhaps the whole group, and I answered him as well as I could.

I did my best not to make eye contact with Edward because looking at him thoroughly distracted me. Even though I wasn't looking at him, I could feel him looking at me. Yes, I'd worn his favorite color, quite on purpose, like a giddy schoolgirl, trying to send hints to a boy she has a crush on. Though, quite unlike a teenage boy, Edward seemed to be fully aware of the hints I was throwing his way.

The job walk concluded back in the lobby, and I looked over the group, trying to gauge if anyone had questions. A few stepped forward for some clarifications, which I was able to get through painlessly.

When it seemed like no one else had anything to say, I nodded to the group. "Thank you all for coming out. I look forward to receiving your bids."

A few men came over to shake my hand, and now that we weren't in the middle of a meeting, they were overly friendly. I offered them stiff goodbyes, shutting down any sort of advancement they might be considering.

I turned to Edward after dropping the hand of a man who was leering a little too much at me, and my heart lurched into my throat.

"Dr. Swan," he said, offering me his hand. I reached out to take it, and his touch soothed away my irritation.

It was a little unnerving.

"Mr. Cullen. Thank you for coming."

He nodded, his eyes cutting to his subs. "Thank you for the invitation." He looked back at me. "We'll be in touch, I'm sure."

I smiled and nodded, trying to stop my blush. Why did he have this easy reaction over me? I was a grown woman!

"I look forward to it," I breathed.

He smiled, and belatedly, I realized we were still holding hands. I blinked and released him, taking a step back and looking down at the floor to collect myself.

"Do you think your team will be up to the challenge?" I asked, glancing back at him. He took a deep breath, and his tongue swept out over his bottom lip so quickly, I almost missed it.

"Oh, most definitely."

I blinked. How did he deliver so much promise in three little words? I felt breathless, my heart slamming inside me so hard, I was sure he'd be able to hear it.

"Good," I breathed, practically incoherent.

"Red suits you, Dr. Swan," he murmured, so low that I barely heard him. I blushed.

"It's rather growing on me," I whispered back. He smiled, and it was a sweet, surprisingly shy smile that completely disarmed me. I felt myself relax and offer him a real, warm smile in return.

"Ed?"

I glanced past him to his subs, who were waiting for him. I looked back up, pulling myself together.

"Feel free to contact me with questions, Mr. Cullen."

His eyes were dancing with his amusement. "I'm sure you'll hear from me, Dr. Swan."

I nodded, and he offered me one more smile before turning to leave. I watched him, mute, and it wasn't until he was out the front door and out of view that I was able to move again. Thankfully, Garrett had gone back to his office after the job walk, so no one was around to see me staring after Edward like a starry-eyed schoolgirl.

I turned in the lobby and paused, catching Rose's gaze. Her eyes were wide as she stared at me over the heads of the class she was touring. I blushed when our eyes met, then blushed harder when she mouthed, Oh, my god.

Lunch. I mouthed to her, and she nodded as I hastily made my way back to my office.

…

Rose came into my office, depositing two salads on my desk. It was too cold to sit and eat outside, and I wanted more privacy than the break room could offer. She closed the door before sitting across from me, her eyes expectant. I flushed, looking down at the salad, trying to gather my thoughts.

"You're looking hot today," she said, surprising me. I looked up at her and shook my head at her smirk.

"Don't call me out like that," I muttered, smiling down at my salad. She laughed lightly.

"Hey, no judgment. After seeing him, I'd have been dressing up too if I knew he was coming to see me."

I frowned. "He was coming for a job walk."

Rose snorted. "That man was here for one reason, and the job had nothing to do with it."

I rolled my eyes at her, peeling the lid off my salad. "He's a professional, Rose."

"Yeah, a professional hottie." I snorted and looked up at her. She flashed me a wicked grin.

"Look, I didn't see him until the end, and maybe he was being professional on the job walk, but as soon as it was over, his eyes were well and thoroughly undressing you."

I flushed a deeper red, biting my lip. "I feel so young and inexperienced around him," I admitted. "It's crazy. I'm a grown-ass woman, I have a daughter, for crying out loud, but when he looks at me, it's like…" I paused, trying to come up with the words. "It's like no one else exists at that moment. It's terrifying."

Rose stared at me, wide-eyed. "Holy hell," she muttered. I nodded, swallowing hard.

"He's too much, too soon."

Rose considered this. "I don't want to invalidate your feelings," she hedged, and I glanced up at her. "But could this be because you haven't been with anyone in over eight months?"

I winced. The last guy I'd tried to date had never even made it to meet Gracie. We had a few dates and some rather lackluster sex before we parted ways. I could freely admit to myself that, yes, I was horny.

I let out a long breath. "Could be," I mused. "Red's his favorite color," I admitted, embarrassment coloring my cheeks even more. Rose giggled, and I looked up at her anxiously.

"Oh, Bella. You have it bad."

I blushed harder and poked at my salad. "Yeah, I suppose so."

She snickered. "Don't worry; I don't think you're alone."

I thought about the look he'd given me earlier, the endless sensual promise in his words. Oh, most definitely.

My breath caught in my throat at just the memory. Dammit, I really did have it bad.

I glanced up to Rose, who was watching me with amusement, leaning back in her chair, her long legs crossed, her salad balanced on her lap. "What do I do?"

She shrugged gently, leaning forward to put her salad on my desk. "First of all, you don't have to do anything," she said gently. "Look, my teasing aside, this is a choice you have to make. If you want to pursue him, I'll be here, cheering you on and offering to babysit Gracie whenever you need," she shot me a look, and I flushed again. "If you choose not to, then I'll be here, supporting you and offering to babysit Gracie whenever you need."

I blinked, my eyes filling with unexpected tears. Her friendship was unwavering and unconditional, and I felt such immediate gratitude. I reached across my desk, taking her hand. "Thank you, Rose," I whispered. "You've been such an incredible friend. I can't imagine if our paths had never crossed." I shuddered at the very thought, and Rose shook her head.

"Bella, I love you and Gracie like family, and I'm here for you like I know you're here for me. Like you've been here for me." A sad look crossed her face, and I squeezed her hand.

"How are you holding up?"

She sighed, releasing my hand and sitting back in the chair. "It's hard," she said, frowning. "Royce sent me flowers the other day."

I gasped. "What?"

She nodded, picking up her salad and stabbing at it. "That fucker wants me back. How can he still want anything to do with me? I tried to ruin his life."

I frowned. "What are you going to do?"

Rose looked up at me and shrugged lightly. "I called him and told him if he shows up at any point, I'd castrate him." She smiles at the shocked look on my face. "I think he got the message."

My heart ached for her. I wanted to help her through this, to take some of the pain her break up with Royce had brought her. Rose was strong, but even she had her moments of uncertainty. It had been a revelation for me.

"Would you like to come over to hang out with Gracie and me this weekend? We can do something fun, maybe watch movies or something," I offered. Rose looked up at me, wide-eyed.

"Really?"

I nodded. "Yeah, it'll be fun. We'll spend the day pampering ourselves. Gracie would love it. So would I."

Rose smiled. "Oh, Bella, I would love that so much."

I grinned. "Good."

…

Garrett stopped me on my way out. "Bella!" he called from the open door of his office. I paused, poking my head inside. It was bigger than mine, with a large window that looked out on the water. He had beautiful fish prints framed on one wall, artwork commissioned from a local artist. "Hey, I just wanted to let you know you did great today."

I blinked at him and smiled a little, coming into his office a little. "Oh, thank you."

He stood from behind his desk, coming around to lean against the other side of it, so he was closer to me. "Seriously, I'm impressed with the hours you've been putting in and how efficiently you've been handling everything. I would've never guessed this was your first big project."

I smiled. "I'm a little overwhelmed," I admitted. "But honestly, I'm more excited than anything else. I can't believe it's finally happening."

Garrett nodded, reaching up to rub his chin with his pointer finger and thumb. "It is exciting, isn't it?" he hummed. I nodded, and his light blue eyes met mine. "Bella, are you free this weekend?"

I paused, not quite sure what he was asking. "I uh, have just made plans," I said slowly. He nodded.

"There is a lab down in Olympia, new thing, state of the art. They're using it to monitor the freshwater fish in the area, but I thought we could drive down and take a look at it. It might help with planning this lab."

I blinked. Oh, this was about work? "I have my daughter all weekend," I said slowly. "I'm sure I could make time next week, though," I prompted. He nodded.

"Sure, sure. We'll come up with a time. It's not urgent. I only thought of it this afternoon and thought I'd throw it out there."

I watched him, trying to determine if this really was just about work. He was fairly relaxed, so maybe it was. "All right. I have to go pick up Gracie from daycare," I nodded toward the door. "I'll see you Monday?"

He nodded and waved me off. "Monday. Have a good weekend, Bella."

I smiled at him as I ducked out of his office and headed from the building. Though I was fairly sure he'd been asking for the sake of work, I couldn't be certain. An uneasiness came over me at the thought, and I shook my head. I wasn't going to make a mountain out of a molehill, and right now, I had much more pressing issues at hand, namely, figuring out what was happening with a certain, beautiful, and disarming project manager.

Pressing indeed! I really do love writing these two (and Gracie, of course!). They have been such a lovely experience so far for me.

This week I am starting Ink of Future Past by PearlyFox and loving it so far. She's a phenomenal writer who knows her way around some serious fresh squeezes!

(I'm also still recovering from a Bellaria hangover, which I have just read for the first time, so if you want to talk Bellaria, PLEASE hit me up!)

See you loves next week, where we will finally get to meet Alice!