BPOV
After a very confusing morning and early afternoon, I decided I didn't want to go home yet, so I check-out an independent book store near my apartment.
Books Are Magic was a place I kept passing and meant to stop in to take a look but being unemployed deterred me. The tips I received today were even more than yesterday, so I thought I would treat myself.
When I walk in I'm greeted with a wave from the pixie-like girl from behind the counter. Her dark hair was short and spiked in different directions. I appreciated her vintage Bob Dylan t-shirt almost to the point where I wanted to ask her where she got it from, but I hold back.
I could always ask her when I check out.
The store is practically empty except for a small girl I notice reading as she's laid out on a bench with her cobalt blue Converses tapping lightly in front of her. Her coppery hair is in a French braid weaved around her head like a crown. I smile when I notice her glasses are the same color as her shoes.
I walk past her as I head to the classics section. I wanted to replace a few of my favorites that I couldn't find after the move.
I grab Pride and Prejudice and Emma, I prefer my old copies that were cracked and worn from use. It bummed me out that I couldn't find them but I knew I would get my use out of these.
"What's that one?" I hear beside me and see a small hand reaching for Emma.
It was the girl from the bench.
Up close she looks maybe six or seven, but with the copy of Pride and Prejudice clutched in her hand, she's maybe a little older. I also notice that her eyes are almost as blue as her frames.
"It's by the same author," she comments again looking up at me.
"It is," I reply.
"I really like this one," she says, holding up the book in her hand. "I pick it up anytime I come to hang out with Ali."
"You hang out here?"
She nods.
"My mom and dad had work today, so sometimes when they can't get a sitter I hang out with my dad's neighbor, Ali. If she has to work, she brings me with her because I love books," she explains.
"That's cool," I comment.
"Ali's pretty cool, she doesn't treat me like a baby like some of my sitters do."
"Do you have a lot of sitters?" I ask, making conversation with a child.
She shakes her head.
"I have one for when I'm at my mom's place and one for my dad's. My mom wanted me to stay with her boyfriend today, but I called my dad and he put his foot down," she says with a dramatic stomp.
I snort, which makes her grin.
"So, what's this one about?" she asks again, tapping at the copy of Emma in my hands.
"A wealthy girl who thinks she's a matchmaker," I explain, not sure if she's old enough to grasp it.
"Does she fall in love like Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy?"
"She does," I answer amused. "Have you read Pride and Prejudice before?"
"This is my second time reading it," she tells me with pride.
I try to remember the first time I read it, I was maybe eleven or twelve, definitely not as young or precocious as this girl.
"Do you mostly read it when you come in here?" I ask.
She shrugs.
I don't know why I do it, but I grab another copy of Emma to buy for her too. If more kids like her had a passion for the classics, maybe I would have stuck around Forks to mold the young minds.
She watches me curiously but doesn't comment.
Her next gesture surprises me. She holds her hand out saying, "Hadley."
I shake her hand while I introduce myself.
"Are your parents Hemingway fans?"
She rolls her eyes.
"That's his wife's name, right?" she asks, throwing me once more. "My dad told me that."
I nod with a grin.
There was something about her that made me wish that I had the kind of confidence she had.
"Have you read Hemingway?" I ask since she's already reading Austen.
"My dad won't let me, says he's a drunk," she explains with another shrug.
A snort escapes me.
"Le, you're not chasing away my customers are you," The girl from the counter asks Hadley playfully.
"Guess what, Ali?"
"What?"
"Bella likes Jane Austen too," she says excitedly, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.
"Does she?" Ali asks amused before meeting my eyes.
"I do, I lost my copies when I moved out here, so thought I'd check this place out," I explain lamely.
"Oh, where are you from?"
"Seattle," I tell her not wanting to have to explain Forks.
"Solid music scene out there," she says with a smile.
"Seattle has that Space thingy?" Hadley asks.
"Space Needle," I supply. "Yes, we do."
The second person in two days to associate Seattle with that.
I hold my purchases to my chest not sure what else to contribute to the conversation. Ali must see my hesitancy because she offers to hold my books over to the counter if I want to look around more.
"I think I'm done, I really wanted to have something familiar close by so I can read during my downtime."
She nods in understanding.
The three of us walk over to the counter. I set my books down while Ali starts to ring me up.
"Oh, did you mean to grab two?" she asks, holding up one of the copies of Emma.
"Uh, that one's for her," I say, seeing the young girl's eyes light up.
"She's in here all the time you don't really need to—"
"It's really refreshing to see someone so young interested in Austen's work, besides if Hadley's in here the next time I come in we can discuss the book," I suggest shooting her a smile.
Hadley nods in earnest.
The look on Alice's face seems touched that I did this.
I also buy a reusable tote for Ali to store my purchases in, I hand Hadley her book.
"Thank you so much," she squeals, giving me a tight hug around my waist, when she releases me she scurries back to her bench.
"You have no idea how much you made that kid's day," Ali tells me quietly.
I turn to her when she continues.
"Her dad has primary custody, but he doesn't fight her mom when she wants her for a night or two. Her mom has a new boyfriend which has caused a lot of friction lately when Hadley goes over there," she finishes.
I look back over to the bench where Hadley has immersed herself in her new book.
"My parents were divorced, my mom left when I was six. I always liked to hide in the books I read," I explain.
"Ah, kindred spirits," Ali says in understanding.
"I suppose maybe we are," I agree. "How old is she?"
"Nine, but her dad likes to say she's forty trapped in a child's body," she says teasingly.
I laugh because that seems to be very true.
"I meant to say something when I first came in, I really like your shirt," I tell her.
"There is this vintage shop a few blocks over, it has some killer steals. Maybe one day we can meet up and I can show you around," she offers.
"I'd really like that, I haven't had a chance to meet a lot of people yet. My roommate is a former frat boy so that is the kind of energy I'm around the majority of my time."
Ali laughs and we exchange cell numbers.
When I leave the bookstore I start to worry that maybe I overstepped. Ali said that the girl's home life is a little rocky. It made me feel a little grateful that Renee just up and left, there was no muss, no fuss in her departure. Which for as grumpy Charlie may be with me now, he made sure I was given every opportunity and supported me regardless of where we may be now.
I should really chalk up his resistance to me moving here to the distance and his loss of control in the situation. If something were to happen to me, he'd be in Forks and I would be here, so I understand.
My walk home is quick but also I'm lost mostly in my thoughts. A lot has happened over the last few days and I know I need to sort through a few things.
Which is what I end up doing.
I start with Emmett as soon as I see him on the couch when I enter our apartment. I'm calm with my words but make sure he knows I don't like him telling Jake my business.
Once I'm done with my spiel, he agrees to keep things between us. Emmett means well and if I didn't know that fact I would probably continue to hold a grudge for another week, but I don't.
My next set of intentions was to stay out of whatever dramatic history Edward and Rosalie had between each other.
On Sunday he had called out and I met Angela, one of the bartenders on rotation if one of us is out at the bar.
Rose still huffed and puffed around the restaurant but stayed on her side for the rest of her shift.
I wasn't scheduled until Wednesday for dinner service so I spent Monday writing a few pieces and Tuesday I meet up with Ali for lunch and a shopping trip to the vintage thrift shop she told me about.
"Hadley's dad thought it was very nice of you to buy her the book, like he actually looked touched, which for him says a lot," she tells me with a laugh.
"Is he nice?" I ask, hoping for that sweet child he was.
"He's a little rough around the edges, but a lot of shitty things have happened to him. He grew up in Chicago until he was ten and was forced to move here when his parents died in a car accident. His sister was in college at the time, and took him in to raise him.
She got married a few years later, so her husband became his father figure. When he was completing his education his brother-in-law's niece, Hadley's mother, was sent to live with him and the sister. She was into all kinds of drugs at the time and her own parents couldn't handle her.
I think she was like nineteen or twenty, so they really couldn't tell her what to do, but she was practically homeless," Ali trails off trying to remember the facts of Hadley's origin story.
"So they just slept together?" I ask curiously.
"He has never really gone into a lot of details other than family dynamics. I think if it weren't for his sister and brother-in-law he would have taken Hadley away from her mother. The woman is loud, dramatic, and manipulative," she explains.
"They never dated, hell, I don't even think they like each other and they're complete opposites. Her dad is very straight-laced, like a very nice guy, but wound tight. Her mother is exactly what I just described."
"Hadley seems like such a sweet kid," I comment.
"That's all because of her dad and his aunt. He has made it his mission to make her his priority. A good example is he rescinded his residency placement at Mass General in Boston so he didn't have to uproot Hadley from everything she knew, she was only a year old, but he still felt strongly about it. Also, her mother started threatening him if he took her all the way to Boston," she added, rolling her blue eyes.
I wonder how common it was for people to just give up residencies since I remember that fact about Edward. Maybe he had unforeseen circumstances that made him do the same thing.
Ali segues from Hadley's dad to a coworker of his that she's been trying to date for the past few months.
"We've hooked up, but he's so hesitant to settle down," she says with a sigh.
"Is he worth the wait?"
"He definitely is," she tells me with a goofy starry-eyed grin.
She asks me more about myself and I tell her about working at Le Cygne. Her eyes widen for a second before they move to understanding, then something I can't quite read.
"What?" I ask, taking a bite of my fry.
"Nothing, just realizing how small this city really is," she says with a laugh. "I'm a regular there."
"Oh, yeah it seems very popular."
"So, you work at the bar?" she asks.
"Uh yeah, how did you know?"
"They get really short-staffed and I knew they were hiring for a while over there," she explains in a rush.
"I like it so far, my coworkers seem nice, well at least most of them do. I work tomorrow," I ramble.
"The guys behind the bar are—" she says with a chef's kiss.
"Edward and Jazz?" I ask playing dumb.
"The blonde, he's a snack," she adds with a cheeky grin. "The ginger is a charmer too."
"Jazz is very nice to me, but Edward and I have had some hiccups," I explain before shoveling a few more fries nervously into my mouth.
"Hiccups?"
I spill, telling her about the bike incident, the sexual tension while working the bar, and the coffee apology. I even tell her about Rose and the heated back and forth I've witnessed.
Ali looks to be sitting on the edge of her seat when I'm finished.
"You both are so into one another," she says with a simple smile.
I go slack-jawed.
"I don't think so," I argue after I compose myself.
"He was such a jerk to begin with and runs so hot and cold all the time. I'm not sure what is going on with him and Rose, but I don't want to be in the middle of it. She clearly doesn't like me… I love my solitude," I ramble.
"Uh-huh," she says as if she doesn't believe me.
I roll my eyes.
She lets me off the hook by switching the topic, but our conversation haunts me all the way into my shift the next day.
I'm running a little late for the staff meal and end up being the last person to grab my food. Unfortunately for me, the only open seat is next to Mike who looks too happy about that fact.
"Hey," he grins.
"Hi," I reply before I take a bite of my Impossible burger.
I wonder how pissed Aro was that he had to make this popular entrée for the majority of us that are eating it.
"How were your days off?" Mike asks.
"Good," I say after the bite.
"Did you take in the sites of the city?"
"Not exactly, I did make a new friend who works at a bookstore in my neighborhood. We went to lunch and shopped for a bit yesterday," I explain, when I turn my head I see Edward listening intently from a few seats down.
"Oh cool," Mike says pleasantly before offering. "Maybe if we have a day off on the same day you can let me be your guide around the city."
"Maybe?" I say with some uncertainty.
I don't want to commit to anything because I don't want to lead him on.
Esme stands to give shift assignments, I will be learning how to make drinks with both Edward and Jazz. Esme makes sure to announce that more than a few of my customers had left rave reviews after their brunch experience.
Jazz claps and hollers loudly over the others while I feel my face heat up from the attention. I've always hated any of my accomplishments being highlighted because if I ever faltered I felt this huge weight of expectation holding me down.
I hold my head down waiting for their enthusiasm to end. We all start to clean up to get ready for dinner service.
Jazz gives me a short to-do list of tasks to complete before we open. I'm folding the napkins near where Edward is working on the POS system.
"I have a question," he asks softly before looking up at me.
"Okay?"
"Last week, when you said your dad wanted you to take a teaching position back home, why didn't you want to take it?"
I think about it, biting my lip trying to find the right words to explain it.
"It was at the high school, I don't think I would have been remotely qualified to handle kids so close in age to myself or at least be able to earn their respect. Maybe if there was something open at the elementary school or junior high, I would have considered it," I say with a shrug.
"Why?"
"Those minds are a lot easier to mold," I say, intending it to be a joke but there is truth to my words.
"Would you ever consider teaching here?" he asks.
I shake my head.
"I want to give writing a shot, those were my intentions of moving out here," I tell him honestly.
"What do you want to write about?" he asks curiously.
"Things that I know, isn't that the key to being a good writer?" I tease with a smile.
And I earn a grin from him in return.
Jazz interrupts asking for my help down in the wine cellar, he wants to highlight a few bottles of a new Cabernet on the menu tonight.
He goes over some key selling points of the wine, I write them on the notepad I have for specials.
He likes to tease me about being very studious when it comes to this job.
"I make it a habit to not half-ass my work," I say cheekily.
He barks out a laugh while we carry the bottles up the stairs.
I notice Edward watching us as he makes margaritas for the two women sitting in front of him. He wears a frown, which indicates another mood change for him.
Jazz has me making drinks and pouring wine for the dining room orders. Rose seems to appear out of nowhere looking angry that she has to get the drinks from me.
"Edward," she calls.
"I'm busy, Rose," he responds, shaking the shaker with one hand.
"I need an espresso martini and a glass of the house Riesling," she tells him while I'm standing right next to her.
"Bell, is on dining room orders tonight, you know the drill," he says giving her a sarcastically polite smile which to me seemed like a 'fuck you'.
I grab a wine glass and pour the house Riesling, then move to start the espresso martini. I quickly make the martini.
"I asked Edward," she huffs.
"And he is busy, so here you go," I say, pouring the martini from the shaker and handing both drinks to her.
Edward is speaking with his customers but the smirk he's wearing doesn't go unnoticed.
I almost want to tell him I didn't defy her for him but for myself. I could hold my own when it came to her.
I wasn't afraid of her bark.
I have to deal with her for the remainder of the night. I am surprised when Edward gets ready to leave around nine.
"School night," Jazz teases him while he gives his shoulders a little shake.
Edward rolls his eyes, moving past me to clock out.
"Hold down the fort," he says, giving my bicep a squeeze before he leaves.
I want to ask him what Jazz means by saying it's a school night but I feel like that might be crossing a line.
I soon learn over the next few weeks that Edward only works until nine or ten on weeknights.
A/N: Poor Bella, we know so much more than her.
A guest reviewer asked if this is inspired by SweetBitter, I watched it and The Bear recently so it's actually inspired by any fictional cooking series I've watched. The only thing that it has in common is that it's a restaurant in New York and the trails. I never read the book so not sure about that.