Characters belong to Stephanie Meyer's

Chapter 3

Charlie helped Bella bring her bags up to her room. He carried the heaviest one up last. Placing it next to her bed instead of on top of it. Out of breath, wide-eyed, and with a; now sore back he asked, "What is in this thing?" Bella happily got down on the floor opening the bag, revealing that half if not most of the bag was filled with books.

"Oh," Charlie said in a now understanding tone. " I guess I should go get you a bookshelf."

Bella smiled up at him. Her eyes bright and pure elation on her face "Yes please." It was the happiest he had ever seen her. Charlie smiled back.

He stood there for a minute before they both started feeling awkward and stiffened uncomfortably. Feeling like he outstayed his welcome Charlie said. "Well, I'll let you get to it then." And he left Bella to unpack.

Bella looked around her room, It was bigger than the one she last stayed in. However, this one did not have an ensuite bathroom. "Unfortunate," she thought. The bathroom in the hall was the only bathroom in this house. They had to share it.

Bella walked down the hall to check out the communal bathroom. It wasn't too small. Nor was it very big. She looked under the sink and in the small closet next to the bathtub, she could easily fit her hygiene products there. Nevertheless, she felt like she was encroaching on Charlie's space making her decide it would be better if she just stored them in her room and brought them back and forth.

Back in her room. She had a nice full-size bed that had an elegant metal headboard painted white. Getting some of the decorations out of the bag she started to beautify her room.

She draped a set of white fairy lights over the top of her headboard, then pulled out a pretty lace canopy. She would have to ask Charlie for help to pin it to the ceiling. She pulled out the corkboard and thought it would look nice over her dresser. Charlie would have to help her with this as well.

She pulled her blanket out and threw it over her bed, then placed her stuffed wolf on top of it. placing a couple of candlesticks and a few picture frames on her dresser then one picture frame with a picture of her and her mother in it on her nightstand; there was a nice lamp already there. She discovered an alarm clock, Bella was happy to see that. Her mother wouldn't have thought to buy her one. She would have to ask Charlie for help to do much more. She really didn't want to bother him. At least she could put her clothes in the dresser.

Bella placed the corkboard and the canopy on her bed then tried to move the suitcase of books. Realizing she couldn't even shove it over she took one of the now empty suitcases and placed it open next to the wall, then proceeded to move a couple of books at a time from one suitcase to the other.

She was almost finished when Charlie knocked on the door. "Hey, kiddo. Wow, look at this place." He stared around the room in Surprise. "This looks great."

Bella blushed."Thanks,"

"I was just coming up to see if you wanted to order pizza or go out to the diner for dinner. Do you need help with anything in here?" Charlie's eyes were circling around the room like he didn't know where to look first.

"A little." She admitted. She pointed at the things on her bed and told Charlie where she wanted to put them.

"Let me just go get my toolbox and I can put them up right now. Then we could decide on dinner."

Charlie put the canopy up first. When he went to put the corkboard over the dresser Bella pulled the cloth behind her headboard and slightly around it.

Before they could decide on dinner. Charlie told her she should call her mom just to let her know she got there safely. That call took a while. Renee insisted on Bella telling her every detail of the trip, the house, and her room. Plus anything else Renee could think of to keep her on the phone.

Bella insisted it was not necessary to do anything special for her. She said that Charlie should just do what he usually did for dinner and that is how she found herself sitting in the local diner.

Everyone who came into the diner just had to say hello to Charlie, and it was never just hello. They would ask him questions, tell him stories, complain about things that seem to go on and on forever, some even asked for advice on things. All who said hello to Charlie welcome Bella home. She would just nod her head with a small thank you. She was pretty sure she was in shock hearing how friendly her father was with everyone. What happened to the shy quiet man she remembered.

Happy New Year everyone