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Chapter Thirty

Pulling into the driveway, I noticed the house appeared still; peaceful.

But I was knowledgeable enough to know that would not be the case once I opened the front door. I flipped the deadbolt behind me and cautiously, quietly, walked through the foyer.

Renee did not seem to be anywhere in sight, and the house was silent. Too silent.

I felt momentary relief as I convinced myself she probably stayed the night at Phil's place. Or that's what I would assume. She hadn't spoken much about her relationship with him, and I certainly did not want to pry.

My feet shuffled against the carpet, filling the silence, as I walked through the living room into the kitchen. Opening a cabinet, I pulled out one of our mismatched glasses and filled it with tap water.

I stood in front of the sink, peering into the backyard and sipped the water letting my thoughts level out. I was worked up for nothing, expecting a battle with Renee. Instead, I was greeted with an empty house and sweaty palms.

Each step I took towards the second floor was slower than necessary. I pulled out my phone to make sure I hadn't missed any calls or texts.

Nothing.

I hesitated at Renee's closed bedroom door, but ignored any odd feeling I had as I made my way into my own room.

Edward hadn't mentioned a time for Emmett's party. All I knew was the location. Knowing him, he would make a surprise drop-in, so I decided to shower early.

I grabbed a frayed towel from the linen closet and walked into the bathroom, leaving the door wide open as I noticed one of the drawers had been left open. I nudged it shut with my hip and opened the mirrored medicine cabinet to grab my toothbrush.

As I shut the cabinet, Renee's smiling face appeared behind me in the mirror.

I shrieked, dropping my toothbrush in the sink.

"Hi, Baby."

"Holy shit!" I screamed, trying to calm myself down. "What the hell?"

"I didn't mean to scare you," she said, shaking her head.

"Well, you did! That was creepy," I murmured and grabbed my toothbrush from the sink. "I didn't think you were home."

"Where would I be? You had the car and were off doing whatever it is you do," Renee snickered and closed the lid on the toilet so she could sit. "Where were you?"

I pretended to focus intently on not adding too much toothpaste to my brush. "Hm. With friends," I said vaguely. "Hey. Phil was nice."

Distraction. She took the bait.

"You think?"

"Yes," I nodded quickly, shoving my toothbrush in my mouth so she wouldn't ask me anything else regarding my whereabouts.

Renee looked dazed. "He's a bit different."

I shrugged, still brushing, because I had no idea what the hell 'different' meant to her.

"So. Were you with Edward?" she suddenly asked, cocking an eyebrow. I pointed at the toothbrush and let out a muffled sound. "Is that wise?"

I spit into the sink and tried my hardest not to glare.

Was it wise?

No.

Did I care?

No.

"Was it wise renting out a house that will kill us in rent?" I countered before rinsing my mouth.

"Bella. You really need to get over that," she said with a huff. "I'm just not sure it's a good decision to be hanging around the landlord."

"But it's a good decision to ask him to not charge us rent? What makes you think you're entitled to ask him such a thing? There are lots of people struggling out there, why do you get a handout?"

Renee crossed her arms, already clearly bored with the subject matter of this conversation. "I didn't think he'd run and tell you."

"He didn't! I tried to pay rent and he refused, saying you asked him not to collect. Imagine how I felt?"

"I didn't think about it."

You never do, I wanted to say.

I tapped my foot. "Look. I want to make friends here. I want to...take classes."

I wanted to be normal.

Renee narrowed her eyes. "What's stopping you?"

Well, that was a stupid question.

"I don't want to make any plans if..." I bit my lip. How to put this delicately as to not upset her. I figured 'I'm worried about your flake ass' wouldn't go over too well.

Renee stood and said, "I'm happy, Bella."

"What?"

"I'm...happy. Here. I already love the garden center and Phil is nice."

"So..."

"Don't worry," she smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes.

Honestly, I wasn't sure what to say. So I stood there, barely blinking, and watched her walk out of the bathroom.

Because Renee never adapted this well, this soon, in a new place.

Too good to be true. I wanted to pinch myself for being so pessimistic.

Instead, I ignored the irritated feeling in the pit of my stomach and focused on getting ready for Emmett's birthday party.

A/N: You think it'll be that easy? Hm. Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading!