Thank you for the response to the last chapter :)

Now

"So." Alice smirked at Bella who was rushing around the shop, putting a few last minute things away before she left for the day. She had about half an hour before she absolutely needed to be home.

Bella narrowed her eyes, pausing as she moved a candle back into place. Alice wasn't very good at putting products back where they belonged after customers had moved them. She always claimed the next person to find it in the spot would buy it. After no customers bought the products that were out of place, Bella realized that her cousin was a little lazy and didn't like to do that part of the job. While she could have easily fired her, Bella realized Alice brought in a different clientele - women and men who wanted to know their futures. She did tarot and psychic readings that brought in customers that hadn't been in when it was only Bella.

"So…" Bella repeated back to her. She was ready to leave. She waited for Alice to add on to the word. Typically, when her cousin started with "so," there was something important that followed it.

"So, the contractor is coming today." She emphasized the word 'today' as though it was supposed to mean something to Bella.

"And?"

Alice watched her for a moment. When she didn't continue speaking, Bella rolled her eyes and sighed. "What, Alice?" The contractor coming by wasn't news. It was the reason Bella was quickly putting things in the shop away, the reason she was leaving three hours earlier than she normally would.

"So the contractor is coming today, and I'm not sure if you had seen the state of the front yard?" Alice responded, as she crossed her arms, leaning against the counter in front of the register. She looked amused. She and her now-fiance had lived with Bella for a little over two years. After their grandmother had passed, Alice felt that she needed to move to the town where she used to spend her summers. She wanted to support her best friend and relative through another hard time in her life - in both of their lives. The house was large enough for the two of them; it had been paid in full. It made sense.

The interior was in fine shape, especially for a house that hadn't received many updates. The porch was becoming dangerous, with the wood beginning to splinter. Bella feared that one day one of them would fall through and injure themselves. Alice didn't see it happening, but she did agree that the porch needed to be upgraded. Her fiance had agreed and called the contractor.

That contractor was coming today.

While Alice had been a witness to several of Bella's garden disasters and while she didn't mind any of them, she knew Bella was embarrassed by it. It was a display of her emotions for all to see; it made her feel exposed.

"No?" Bella answered, frowning. That very morning, the garden was calm. She had been grateful for it. She wondered if she had been kidding herself about not feeling the stress of the day.

"Yes," Alice grinned. "It looks pretty wild. I mean, I don't care, but I know you get self-conscious about it. You may want to drink some herbal tea or something to keep it from spiraling out of control when he gets there. You'll need to be on your best behavior if you want him to stick around."

Bella's jaw clicked. There were few things more irritating to her than Alice telling her how to behave. She was right, though. When they were growing up, Bella had scared off almost anyone who had come to do updates on the house.

"I am always on my best behavior, dear cousin."

"Yeah, I know," Alice laughed. "But this time you really need to be in control."

"What do you see, Alice?" Bella pinched her nose. All she wanted was to head home to tear up the lawn, but not before understanding why she should.

Alice shook her head. She only shared when it was absolutely necessary. They had both agreed on it when they were children. Ever since Alice invaded Bella's mind to show her about the future, their grandmother ensured they understood how to maintain boundaries. They'd both decided on Alice only sharing on an as needed basis. In this situation, it wasn't dire that Bella knew what was going to happen.

"You know I won't tell you that."

"You're annoying," Bella growled before turning to the entrance, not even bothering to finish cleaning up the mess.

Alice smiled big. "You love me! I'll see you later!"

She rolled her eyes one more time and headed out, just as Jasper Whitlock, the local librarian and history buff, entered the store.

"Hello, Jasper," Bella said as she passed him. He returned the greeting before heading to see Alice, the woman he would marry. Alice had come into his life unexpectedly - well, unexpectedly for him - more strategically for her. They met when she moved back. He was absolutely smitten when it came to Alice. He couldn't describe what it was when they first met, but she was certain of their future. That was enough for him.

He also had found the contractor who had recently moved back to town, the contractor who Bella suddenly needed to rush home to tidy up for. He had already spoken with him the other day to go over numbers, and from the sounds of it, Jasper was pleased with the work this guy and his partner would do.

Bella followed the path she had taken earlier that day. This time, though, there were neighbors out who stared as the young woman with the long mahogany hair and dark eyes sped past them. She ignored them.

When she reached her home, she gasped.

Her garden...was exactly as she had left it in the morning.

She opened the gate and walked in, staring in disbelief at the lawn.

"What?" Why had Alice lied?

"Isabella Swan?" A familiar voice spoke breaking her out of her thoughts. She turned toward the direction it came from. There was a man standing outside her gate. The gate that she had left open. She squinted.

She inconspicuously pinched herself to see if she was dreaming. When she felt the tiny bit of pain, she realized she was awake.

And he was real.

It was the man who was once a boy she knew. The only boy who had ever distracted her. The boy she hadn't seen in years. And now he was a man, standing at her gate.

Uh oh...

Thanks for reading!

-Bravery