4Gracie04 thank you, its not who you think it is. Charlies not doing so well right now, he could use all the help he could get.

echo58 I'm so glad you are still enjoying the story.

Thank you for your reviews

Chapter 38

Jake was right, Sue was nice. It turned out she was a nurse coming off a twelve-hour shift. Bella felt awful. This poor woman worked all night and now she was stuck having to entertain a teenager she didn't know.

"I'm sorry," Bella apologized. "You don't have to take care of me or anything. If you're tired you could just drop me off at my Dad's house. I'll be alright on my own."

"Nonsense, I'm fine. My day is far from over. I still have to clean the house, do laundry and make dinner. You might as well keep me company."

Bella marveled at this woman. She worked such long hours and now has to go home and work there too. Yet there was no complaint in her voice. She seemed happy. Bella recalled what Charlie said about helping Sue.

"I like to clean and I can cook. I would be more than happy to help out."

"That's very sweet of you, if you want to help you can. I have a daughter your age and a twelve-year-old son, so there are plenty of things around the house to entertain yourself with if you would rather do that."

"I would rather help you." Bella insisted.

The Clearwater house reminded Bella of a double wide trailer she lived in once with Renee when she was ten. It was one of the nicer homes they had.

The house was set back a bit leaving enough room for a decent sized front yard that they had fenced in. It held a small garden, a basketball hoop, a grill, and a patio set. There was a wide porch that led up to the front door that was placed on the left side of the house. A large bush that still had some bright purple blooms on it sat beside the porch. The dingy white siding contrasted with the manicured lawn and neatly placed furniture. Bella could already tell the Clearwaters took great pride in their home.

With Bella's help Sue finished her chores in half the time she normally did. Bella started a roast to cook and washed any dishes that were left from breakfast while Sue straightened the rest of the house and did the laundry.

They had just sat down for lunch when Jacob showed up. He knocked on the door but didn't wait for someone to come answer it. He was standing in the kitchen before Sue got out of her chair.

She looked up, astonishment clear on her face. "Jacob," standing from the chair she walked over to him and wrapped her arms around him. "It's so good to see you here."

He lent down to hug her back but as soon as she released him he stepped away quickly.

Rubbing the back of his neck he murmured "Hay, Sue."

Pretending she didn't notice his reluctance to communicate, Sue invited him to join them for lunch.

Noone attempted to make conversation while they ate. After lunch Sue attempted to clean up but Bella insisted she do the washing up.

"I wish my kids were more like you." Sue told Bella. "Since there is nothing more for me to do I am going to lay down, don't worry I will be up before dinner is done cooking. You kids are more than welcome to whatever you want. If you leave or go anywhere please leave a note." She wrapped her arms around Bella. "It was good to meet you, you're welcome back at any time." She pulled Jacob into another hug. "We all miss you, you know."

He nodded his head in acknowledgement but made no other move to reassure her.

It took only a couple of minutes for the kitchen to get cleaned up, even though there were just three plates and three cups Jake insisted he help with the dishes. They were just putting the last dish away when they heard a snide voice behind them.

"Well ain't this just the picture of domesticity. How sweet."

Bella turned to find a beautiful girl with an ugly sneer on her face.

"What were you going to do next?" she said, staring at Jake. "Give her a tour of all the places we-"

"Shouldn't you be in school?" Jake interrupted her.

"I left early." She smirked at him.

"Why?" He looked at her annoyed.

"Cramps, what's your excuse?" She shot back.

Bella cleared her throat. "Um, hi, I'm Bella."

The girl didn't even look in her direction. "Don't care."

"Bella, this is Leah Clearwater, Sue's daughter." Jake told her.

"It's nice to meet you." Bella tried but Leah ignored her, keeping her eyes on Jake.

"So, why are you here?" Do you finally deem me worthy enough to grace your presents?"

The sneer dropped off her face, sadness taking its place. Jake was looking at the floor shaking his head. Leah finally looked at Bella, the sneer returning to her face.

"What's so special about her?" She looked Bella up and down.

"We were just leaving." Jake stated.

"We have to leave a note for Sue." Bella reminded him.

He nodded his head, Bella went into the other room to find a pen and paper to let Sue know they were leaving and to thank her for her kindness.

Coming back to the kitchen Bella caught the tail end of a conversation. "We knew our romance wasn't going to last, but I wasn't supposed to lose your friendship." Leah cried.

"This has nothing to do with that. It's not you or anything you did. I just can't, that's not my life anymore." Jake sounded frustrated.

Bella knocked on the doorframe to announce her presents. Jake said nothing more, he just grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

"I'm not the only one who misses you, you know." Leah's words made Jake pause. With his back stiff he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, when he opened his eyes he continued his journey forward.

The ride back to the Blacks house was quiet. Bella had questions but she could tell Jake wasn't in the mood to talk. She called Charlie to let him know where she would be.

Thank you for reading.