Chapter 1: A New Beginning and A New Friend

Bella

It was Thursday. I had arrived in Forks in the early evening the previous day. Command granted me four days to familiarizer myself with Forks, the base, and to start unpacking. Monday would be my first day in charge of Black Cat. It was a doable timetable.

I stay on base Wednesday night. My dad, Charlie, and stepmom, Daniela, were planning to come to help me unpack and had a living room set for me. They were stationed in Seattle and were on alert for a potential mission. I hadn't heard from them on whether they were going or not. If they weren't going, they would arrive around noon. So, I had about four hours to kill.

Entering my house, I groaned at all the boxes scattered around the upper floor. My former home was a loft apartment. I kept things simple then, never knowing when I would be reassigned. Becoming an Admiral was one of the happiest days in my life because it meant I could settle down and buy a house without the fear of a transfer.

I bought a cozy house. When I saw the pictures, I knew it was perfect for me. It was tri-level with four bedrooms, den, kitchen, and two baths. There was even a basement. Free storage was a plus in my book. My broker did an amazing job of finding the house that met my shortlist of wants. The only want he couldn't meet was proximity to the base. It was a fifteen-minute drive which was not a big deal, mind you. It wasn't thirty to forty minutes away like most officers who lived off-base in larger cities. The advantage of a small town.

I didn't have had much in way of furniture. The essentials were what I had: bed, nightstand, two bookcases, and kitchen table with a couple of chairs. The love seat and chair I had were second-hand, to begin with, and had become threadbare, so they went into the dumpster. Heck, I had more books than furniture, something I would have to rectify.

With a shake of my head, I dug through the boxes until I found a pen and pad of paper and started making a grocery list. Once my list was done, I brought up Google Maps on my phone, finding the nearest grocery store – Thriftway. From the images, I saw the grocer was part of a small strip mall.

The drive was short and for mid-morning, the parking lot was scarce of cars. There were a few, employees and a few customers. The cart corral was empty save for a trash can. A glance showed me there was no trash inside, although it was close to full with water, most likely rainwater. Someone should come out and drill holes at the bottom.

I grabbed a shopping cart and reviewed my basic list: bread, deli meat, condiments, and soda. Instead of looking at the placard above each aisle, I decided to go up and down each, familiarizing myself with the store. Grabbing a few things that were not on my list, I tossed them in the cart. Being engrossed in shopping, it was no surprise I banged into another cart. Glancing around the corner, my eyes met humor-filled green ones.

"Licenses and registration, please," a deep, rich male voice said with a chuckle.

Looking over at him again, I raised an eyebrow.

'What kind of backwoods town had Forks become? Did I need a license to push a shopping cart?'

I glared at the speaker, hoping he would elaborate.

"Oh, come on," he said. "It's a joke. It's not like you need a license to push a cart." He raised a hand and rubbed the back of his neck. "And, if anyone needs a license to push one, it's me. I wasn't paying attention."

He sounded a bit nervous. I was in jeans and a light sweater with my hair twisted up into a tight bun, plain-faced, no makeup. Not that I wasn't much of a looker, well that's according to all the guys I dated. So, I didn't understand why he would be nervous.

The guy in front of me had on tan Dockers, a dark blue long-sleeved polo shirt, and a North Face jacket. He looked like he stepped out of a magazine.

"No, I should have paused and attempted a glance before charging out of the aisle."

He chuckled again and shook his head. "I'm Edward," he said, extending his hand. "I haven't seen you around before."

"I recently moved here," I stated. "I haven't been in Forks for long. Oh, Isabella. I prefer Bella, though." I shook his hand.

Edward's smile was remarkable. Genuine. It reached his eyes and made them sparkle. "Welcome to Forks. I'd be happy to show you around. We could grab coffee sometime."

I made a Mr. Yuk face complete with my tongue hanging out. My reaction caused him to chuckle once more.

"Or, the drink of your choice. I don't care much for coffee, either."

"I hate the saying, but it's better than 'join me for a nightcap,'" I commented.

He leaned against the handle of his cart as his shoulders shook with his laugh. "True. Is that one even politically correct anymore? It could be construed as consent for bedroom antics."

I shook my head and laughed. "People are so offended these days. If you don't want to go, do, watch, or listen, then don't. It's senseless to deny others the pleasure, or flat out not invite someone in because you enjoy their company and want to continue a conversation."

Edward's smile told me he agreed. "Forcing your opinions on someone else is stupid. And like you said, asking someone if they want to join you for a nightcap should not be construed as anything more than a drink and continued fellowship. If it leads to consensual bedroom antics, then so be it."

It was my turn to laugh. "You've had this conversation before, haven't you?"

He blew out a breath. "It's cause for contention in the office. My employees are, hmm, how to say this without coming off sounding like an ass."

"So politically and socially polite that they can't think for themselves?" I suggested.

He stared wide-eyed at me for a long moment, so long in fact that I began to squirm. After a moment, he relaxed and smiled. "Yeah, you could put it that way."

Relief washed through me. I thought for a moment I had overstepped the friendly banter with him. It wasn't like I knew Edward. Thinking it was better to steer the conversation back to his roundabout way of asking me out, I said, "So… getting a drink together sounds great. Today is out of the question for me. Let me give you my number."

He smiled again, digging his phone out of his pocket. He handed it to me after a moment. His address book was open. I typed in my name, digits, and gave his phone back. It didn't occur to me that I gave a guy my personal cellphone number. I usually didn't, opting to give out my work number. For some reason, Edward intrigued me, and I felt comfortable with him calling me in the future.

"Okay, let me send you a quick text so you'll have my number. I'm in town for the rest of the week and through the weekend. I have meetings in Seattle all next week and a couple of business trips."

My phone dinged a second later. I stored Edward's number and pulled up my calendar. Saturday looked good barring any security issues or being on alert, making me start my new assignment early. "How about we meet up at the diner on Saturday?" I suggested.

"Breakfast? 7:30?" he asked, the smile still in place.

I bit my lip, pretending to study my calendar for a moment. "Looks like I'm free. I'll text or call if that changes." I added the breakfast date to my calendar with a smiling face with heart-eyes emoji.

Edward and I parted ways after he said he would call me later tonight. He headed back to the bakery while I went on to the registers.