Chapter 4

"Helloooo Stranger"

After days of arduous massaging of nit-picky details, the festival was ready. I had somehow managed to get Logan to take me out to eat which was a feat in itself. We sat happily in our booths munching on our meals in comfortable silence. I messed with my lackluster salad regretting my choice to be healthy influenced by Lo's meal choice. My back sat rigidly in the booth as we pretended to be a normal family.

" I heard from Carol you are fitting in nicely with the other founding women." Logan almost sounded proud as he turned his focus away from his leafy lunch he had been stabbing and devouring.

"Mhm, her son keeps on waking in our meetings shirtless and sweaty, it is getting weird."

Logan snorted in a very ungentlemanly way, "That dog, needs to look to put his paws elsewhere."

" Trust me I know, I don't want to encounter a jail sentence anytime soon." I speared my salad bringing it towards my mouth. "You know there is a lack of eligible gentlemen my age right now. If you want to keep me away from the cradle maybe you should help you sister out."

" I am not helping you date," disgust was written all over his face a shudder wracked through his body.

"Well if you see a cutie point me to that booty," I winked at him trying to make him even more uncomfortable.

" Anabelle, you are a lady."

" And this lady has a need to do the deed." Logan stood up to leave a look of contempt on his face, but I grabbed his hand to stop his sudden exit. " Alright, I will stop the torture. I heard from the puppy you and his dad have been meeting with the council more often. Anything interesting happening?"

" Hardly, Mayor Lockwood just likes using those meetings as a measuring contest. It is mostly people throwing around their weight being as boisterous as possible trying to impress the other in the room. It is quite annoying to deal with. " At the last sentence, he lowered his voice as a reporter Lo knew how much gossip traveled in our tranquil town.

"If there is any measuring help needed I am ready." Lo groaned and threw money on the table stalking out the front entrance while I trailed after scrambling to get my money out stumbling out apologies for teasing him too much.

XXX

The Lockwood estate was a flurry of activity people swarming in and out in a rush carrying out their task like a swarm of bees working for their queen. I exited out of Lo's car, he had been kind enough to drive me to my mini hell. I gave him a quick wave and he zoomed out of there trying not to get wrapped up in helping.

I carefully walked my way up the entrance trying to avoid all the scattered worker bees and being as unobtrusive as possible. Carol stood in the center of everything directing the workers with a curt order and a flick of her wrist. It was honestly awe-inspiring to watch as she controlled her dominion. The Karens fluttered around and "helped" in the background. They were feigning being useful as they fed candles through wax protectors at the pace of an addled sloth. Carol did a light shoulder hug with an even lighter kiss as a greeting. It was all very superficial, to say the least.

" Glad to see you could finally make it, we started without you, I hope you don't mind. We weren't quite sure when you would show." Her polite word was dripping venom and it was all very much a southern affair.

"Sorry Carol, it looks like you have everything underway. I am glad you were able to get on without me."

"Well, the ladies pretty much have everything underway here. What to do, what to do, hmmm, oh I know you can go help with a clean-up committee. You should be good at taking out the trash right?"

"Sounds great, unfortunately, Logan drove me here so I won't be able to go, I guess I am on candle duty too." I went over to grab a candle when I felt Carol's acrylic claws clamp on to my shoulder keeping me from my desired path.

"Oh, I think Tyler is around here maybe he can drive you." A smirk graced her face. She had discovered on one of the many occasions Tyler had tried to talk to me that I was uncomfortable with his efforts. So needless to say she tried to wield her own child's crush against me now, much to my annoyance.

" I wouldn't want to bother the kid maybe Lydia can drive me." I glanced at one of the Karens hoping for a savior.

"No, Tyler needs to get out of the house," she walked up to the stairs and yelled up it for her curse of a son." Tyler, Belle needs a ride could you help her."

Tyler came clambering out of his bedroom and slowed his pace to a cool guy swagger as soon as he drew closer and saw I was in sight. He put on a simmering smile that would make girls his age melt in their panties. Why couldn't this kid not figure out that I was not up for the jail sentence he came along with. I was too pretty for jail, I would probably end up someone's bitch.

"Hey Belle, you need a ride?"

"I can just walk. The town isn't that far from here." I turned to try and walk away leaving him to trail after me like a puppy as I tried to make my quick exit. I scrambled out of the house descending the porch in the quickest manner possible when the puppy was able to leash me. His meaty hand grabbed my wrist and halted my progress. Like mother like son I suppose.

" Towns a 30-minute walk from here, come on let me give you a ride." I felt the double entendre hang in the air. I did not want to clarify or even give recognition to the joke because I knew that would just encourage him.

" I am a big strong girl, I can walk."

"You're wearing heels."

" I can go barefoot, I got thick soles."

"You're being ridiculous, come on." The jock dragged me around the side of his house to his garage. Only releasing the hand he had captive to open the car door of his Jeep to usher me in, man did he have a nice Jeep.

" If I get in you have to promise to take me home and then take me to the town center. I don't want to mess up my shoes," for emphasis I brought up one of the offending articles of clothing for him to get a better look at. I was trying to show him my very insensible shoes to help persuade him to save my cuties.

" Sure, I can let you take me back to your place."

" And no more hitting on me dude. It makes me feel like Chris Hansen will ask me what I am doing here."

XXX

I tried to force Tyler to wait in the car, but he wouldn't listen to me and he forced his way in anyways. A whistle let out behind me and Tyler gave my house an approving look.

" This is almost as nice as my house."

" Yeah, well my dad was a pretty decent Lawyer." I trudged up one side of the house's imperial staircases leaving him to trail after me. The second story was divided up into the master wing, my parents' side on the right and the children's' wing on the left. The children's wing only had three-bedrooms with one always being meant for a guest when needed. I walked over to my old room and braced my hand on the door frame taking in a deep breath before turning to talk to Tyler.

" Just warning you this is my childhood bedroom," He suggestively quirked his brow. "My mom decorated it." With a flourish, the door was opened and he was able to see my childhood nightmare. My room was a pastel pink with white lace all over. Stuffed animals that matched the pink and white theme were perched in random areas. A crown with a sash that read Miss Mystic Falls sat on a white vanity that with crammed full of pictures of my high school friends around the edges of the mirror. It all looked very picturesque for an 8-year-old child.

Tyler walked to sit on the pink and white canopy bed while I looked around for my tennis shoes and to change into some clothes I could get gross in. "So princess, "he paused for his dumb joke. " How long are you staying in town for."

"Probably a while, the house is paid for, and I don't want to move anywhere else." I was bent over my suitcase and trying to get some semblance of an outfit together.

" So I will get to see you more often."

"Nah I am hoping to get a hunky boyfriend that will scare you off." I grabbed some leggings and a short-sleeved split wrap top to throw on. Tyler looked mildly interested until I walked into my bathroom to change.

"You know I am almost eighteen," He called through the bathroom door.

" Yeah and close only counts in horseshoes." I emerged to find the kid laid out on my bed looking at the ceiling. " Ready bud?" I was trying to use all the emasculating terms I could think of to knock this kid down a peg but he kept on coming back like a lost puppy.

"Yeah," his eyes met mine and I felt like something was bothering him.

"What."

" You know if you weren't a chick I think we could be friends."

"If you weren't a dick I could see that being true. "I leaned down to give him a hand up and started to exit the room. The kid was just lonely it didn't help that he was born with insufferable parents. I sympathized with the kid on having horrible parents." I let you be my little buddy if you chill out on hitting on me."

" Alright deal."

XXX

After a long afternoon of picking up trash and helping assemble all the booths, the festival was ready. I was given the barest amount of leave to get changed and the only thing I could think to do was to throw on some skinny jeans with my original blouse and smear on some makeup with cat-eye eyeliner. I practically ran out of the house with wedges in hand.

I barely was able to run-up to the popcorn trolley to man my station as the locals began to swarm in.

It was a small blessing I was able to get this booth. I got all the free popcorn I wanted and the majority of the Karens didn't want to sign up because they didn't want to smell like popcorn. It was a fun and relaxing evening and I was able to pass out toys to quite a few people. Those who recognized me gave their condolences though and it was all rather awkward when they did so.

So many people were in the center of town as the sky began to start to dim. As the majority of people began to get their fill of popcorn the inflow of people began to slow. As I filled up my third bag for myself a handsome gentleman approached.

" Would you like some popcorn, Sir." I smiled offering him my own bad I hadn't touched yet. His blue eyes bored into me and I felt my heart rate quicken.

"Sure, I don't think I caught your name. I am new in town, the name is Damon."

"I am old to town," I said with a wink," I am Belle." I handed him his popcorn our hands lightly brushing at the exchange. I felt heat pooling in my cheeks at the slight exchange. This man was the epitome of sex and I was so down for it.

"How'd you get that scar?" his hand not clasping the popcorn touched my neck lightly sending shivers down my spine.

" I don't remember."

His eyes dilated and his grasp on my neck became a little tighter," Tell me what you do."