All characters that are from the TWILIGHT saga by Stephanie Meyer belong to Stephanie Meyer. All others belong to me. I do not receive profit for these stories except for the joyous enjoyment of reviews.
This story follows right after When I'm Gone: Third Installment to GONE Saga, so if you haven't read that one or the two before, please do.
The timeline of the story will coincide with Gabriel Michael Laskaris' growing up years, starting at Seth and Rosa's wedding day, April 12th and will progress from there.
AN: William Jacob Lahote, 1yr/Skye and Marilynn Lahote, 4yr/Vivi, 12-13y,7thgrd/Marc, 13-14y,8thgrd/Jillian Young, 11m-1yr/And as always, Gabe's age is next to the chapter.
Enjoy and please review! I already have the next chapter so if I get tons of reviews by tomorrow morning, I'll update before going to work!
Chapter Fifty (11yrs old)
January
"Willie's naked! Willie's naked!"
Paul laughed as he cleaned up the living room, two large trash bags by the back door stuffed with wrapping paper, used plates, cups and napkins. Rachel had lost –her rock to his paper –so she was on bedtime duty which was why she was in the bathroom bathing William and the girls.
"What is it, mama?"
Paul had to bite back his laughter at Skye's question –it was the same thing every night ever since William was old enough to sit in the tub on his own. He had told Rachel she shouldn't be bathing them together but she'd said it was nonsense –her mother had bathed Jacob along with her and Rebecca until he was about three or four. That, of course, had him wondering if Rachel had been the one to point to Jacob's privates and asked what it was –every night.
"It's called a penis."
Paul winced as he wiped down the coffee table, still not sure Rachel's insistence in teaching their kids the appropriate anatomical terms for their body parts was such a good idea but he'd yet to find a reason why it wasn't a good idea.
The woman was just too damn smart for her britches.
"Daddy says it's a willie."
A splash followed by giggles then Rachel's voice, "Daddy's silly."
Oh, yeah. Very silly. He'll show her how silly he was tonight –she'll be calling his penis anything but when he was done.
"Why don't I have one?"
"Because you're a girl. Girls have vaginas."
He cringed again –seriously, the way she talked to their kids made him very uncomfortable. He just knew someday it was going to bite her in the ass when one of their kids –probably Skye –started yelling about vaginas and penises in the middle of a crowded store.
"Is this a vagina?"
Rachel's laughter carried down the hall, William letting out a high squeal of protest which meant his mother had taken him out of the tub, "No, sweetie. That's your bellybutton."
"Do you have one?"
"Yes I do."
"Does Daddy?"
Another chuckle, more squeals of protest then her answer, "Yes he does."
Then, his quiet little Marilynn spoke up in a high pitched voice, "Everyone has a bellybutton but not everyone has a vagina, right mama?"
Laughter, "Right, baby. There you go, William. Go find Daddy."
Little feet padded into the kitchen as he closed the back door, William Jacob stopping in the middle of the lighted kitchen, looking up at him with a big toothy grin, "Da!"
"Hey little man," Paul lifted him up off the floor, swinging him up above his head before settling him against his broad chest, laughing as Skye's words echoed down the hall, "Boys have penises and girls have vaginas!"
"That is correct!"
She was going to regret this, he just knew it. His only wish was to be there when it happened.
Thirty minutes later, the girls were in their matching rainbow pajamas, their dark hair damp ringlets framing round little faces. Both girls were in Marilynn's bed, their stuffed animals piled around them as Rachel picked up the book she was reading to them.
Walking into his daughters' room, he sat on Skye's bed, William snuggled into his side with thumb in his mouth -the kid was exhausted after a long day that included a party to celebrate his first birthday. Just as Rachel opened the book to start the next chapter of In The Garden, Skye crawled to the foot of the bed, several of the stuffies tumbling onto the carpeted floor, "Daddy?"
"Yes baby."
"Is your penis small like Willie's?"
The look on his face had to have been hilarious because Rachel was flat on her back, holding her stomach and laughing so hard tears streamed down her cheeks.
Go figure -she teaches them this crap and he's the one paying for it, "Damn you, Rachel!"
February 14th
He was nervous but he wasn't going to back out now, not after all the work he put into coming up with the perfect gift, one that would say how he felt about her for him. The school was still relatively empty, just as he had planned, having gotten up earlier than usual and ridden his bike to school, promising his mama he would be careful.
Reaching her locker, he quickly spun the combination into the lock, pulling it out of the catch as soon as it clicked open. Setting the lock aside, he pulled his backpack off his shoulder, crouching down to set it on the floor and unzip it, carefully pulling out his surprise.
He had been working on it for months now, Billy Black helping him with the smaller details but he'd gotten most of it done on his own. Placing it carefully on the bottom of the locker, he made sure it was centered then took the envelope from the inside of his binder, leaning it carefully against it.
Taking the lock, he carefully shut the door, closing the lock as soon as it was in place. Now that he was done, he was feeling even more nervous -what if she didn't like it? What if she thought it was stupid?
As much as he wanted to open the locker and take it back, he forced himself to pick up his backpack and walk away -he was not going to chicken out now because, quite frankly, he just didn't have it in him to do so.
She was running late, so it was a good thing she had her math and history books with her so she didn't have to stop at her locker until after lunch. Rushing down the hallway to her math class, she smiled and waved at those who called out to her, reaching up to push her hair behind her shoulders -she hadn't had time to do it up in a braid the way she usually did.
Reaching the classroom right as the final bell rang; she smiled at Mr. Reese before moving doing the aisle to her desk, smoothly sliding into her chair as she pulled out her notebook and math textbook.
The soft smile on her face was a daily occurrence, thanks to the small origami daisy on the corner of her desk -there was always one waiting for her every morning ever since the first day of school, and although she was certain who left them there, she wasn't sure how he knew which desk was hers.
The hour went by fast, her concentration focused on Mr. Reese as he taught them algebraic equations. He assigned their homework several minutes before the bell rang, calling out names of students he needed to speak with concerning the last pop quiz he had given them.
Vivi shoved everything into her messenger bag, the little origami daisy in her pencil case where she placed them for the day, putting them in her jewelry box once she got home. Mr. Reese stopped her on her way out of the classroom, handing over her pop quiz, "Good job, Vivi. You're doing very well."
"Thank you, Mr. Reese," she gave him a smile, taking the paper and placing it into her bag without looking at it, checking to make sure she had her sketchbook and pencils for art class.
Usually, Gabe would be outside her math class to walk her to art before heading to the gym for his second period but he wasn't waiting today. Vivi's heart clutched painfully in her chest as she stood to the side of the door, watching as people came to and from classes, waiting another minute then two, having to run to get to class before the tardy bell rang. Miss Palazzo didn't like tardiness and despite her hippie ways, she was somewhat uptight about rules.
Art went by quickly, the hour spent sketching a basket of fruit, concentrating on shading and dimensionality. As the hour came to an end, she finally set her pencil down, frowning at her sketch -she wasn't as artistically inclined as her brother, one look at the lines and squiggles that made up her drawing attested to that. She supposed her artistic abilities inclined more towards a full body expression, one that didn't require anything but music, space and the movement of her body.
"Okay, class, listen up," Miss Palazzo clapped her hands, moving between the standing easels towards the front of the classroom, "You have a project due next month. I want you to find something -anything -that fills you with inspiration. Study it, focus on it and draw it. I want it to show what you feel when you look at it -I want it to have emotional depth as well as artistic. I want to feel what you felt when you looked at it. You have six weeks to work on it and make sure you use nothing but pencil."
As the bell rang, they all picked up their materials, Vivi placing her graphite pencils into the leather case she kept them in -they had been a gift from Marc for Christmas along with the case.
Celia, the girl that sat at the easel to her right, moved to walk beside her as they exited the classroom, mouse-brown hair cut to frame her thin face, "I'm going to draw an egg. That's about as inspired as I get."
Vivi laughed at that -they had bonded over futile attempts at creating art, "I'm thinking along those lines too. Either that or a wall."
Their laughter mingled with the cacophony of voices as they stepped out into the hallway, Celia's odd-colored eyes twinkling as she leaned close to whisper, "There's your boy."
Vivi looked at her, somewhat confused at the statement, "What?"
Celia nodded her head across the crowded hallway, "Your boyfriend."
Looking up, she blushed at the sight of Gabe leaning against the wall, talking with one of his football friends, looking like he had all the time in the world. However, she knew he had phys. ed. during second period and gym was across the school campus which meant he had to have run to get to her art class before the bell rang.
"He's not my boyfriend," Vivi whispered, her face getting hotter as Celia gave her a look of disbelief, "He's my best friend."
"Oh," Celia's face morphed into a teasing smile as she bumped her shoulder against Vivi's, "I'm pretty sure that won't last long...the just friends thing, I mean. He's crazy about you -not to mention how you feel about him."
"Is it that obvious?"
Celia giggled as they waited for the crowd to thin out as people made their way to the next class in their schedule, "Only when you two look at each other -which is all the time. Anyway, I'll see you later. Don't want to be late for drama."
"Bye Celia," Vivi couldn't make the blush go away as she approached Gabriel, the smile on his face as he looked at her making her heart skip a beat. She turned to give his friend a smile, "Hi Tony."
"Hey Vivi," Tony grinned at her, punching Gabriel's arm as he headed down the hallway to his own class, "See ya later, Gabe."
"Right," Gabe returned the punch before pushing away from the wall, his smile turning into a grin as he stared into her gold-brown eyes, "How's your Valentine's day going?"
"Good," Vivi smiled, gripping the strap to her messenger bag in both hands.
Gabe's smile dimmed a bit as he shifted his weight, hitching his backpack higher up his shoulder, "Just good?"
"Yeah," Vivi shrugged, not sure why he looked upset and not knowing how to ask, "We should get going -we don't want to be late for history."
Gabe nodded, not saying anything else as they made their way down the hall. Good thing their history class was just around the corner -bad thing Gabe wasn't going to be able to concentrate on anything else but the obvious fact Vivi hadn't liked his surprise.
Where did he go wrong?
History was a drag and their lunch hour was quiet, which was unusual. Vivi could tell something was bothering Gabriel but he just shrugged, not telling her what it was even though she had asked -multiple times.
Looking at her watch -a Christmas gift from Tia Rosa -she remembered she needed to go to her locker and switch her math and history books for biology and English, not to mention her drama binder, "I know there's still ten minutes of lunch but I have to go to my locker and switch out my books. Want to come with me?"
Gabriel shrugged, grabbing his backpack and lunch tray as he stood up, staring sullenly over her head as she picked up her own lunch tray.
"Gabriel," Vivi placed her tray in the drop-off window, crossing her arms over her chest as they made their way towards the lockers, "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"You keep saying that but it's obvious it's not true."
Gabriel lifted a shoulder, hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans, "It's not like I can do anything about it, anyway."
"You can always do something about anything."
"Oh sure," Gabe rolled his eyes, leaning against the locker next to hers as she spun the dial, "If you didn't like it, there's nothing I can do about that."
She stared at him in confusion as the lock clicked open, "What are you talking about?"
Gabe finally looked at her, seeing the confusion in her pretty eyes, realizing he was being a big baby over something she didn't even know about, "You didn't open your locker this morning?"
She shook her head, gold-red curls tumbling over her shoulders as she lifted the latch, "I overslept and my morning stretching took longer than usual. I was running so late, I didn't even have time to eat brea -oh!"
Gabe didn't say anything, watching as she picked up the envelope with her name across the front, feeling slightly self-conscious about the whole thing -it was why he had snuck into her locker in the morning, so he wouldn't have to be there when she discovered his surprise.
Vivi stared at the small wooden box the envelope had been leaning against, tiny carved daisies around all the edges painted white with yellow centers, the rest of the redwood box varnished to a high sheen, "Its beautiful...you made this? For me?"
Gabe nodded as he gave her a shy smile, rubbing the toe of his sneaker against the tiled floor, "Yeah...just thought it would be a nice gift...for Valentine's Day."
Vivi's eyes were bright, her smile growing as she stared up at him, finally throwing her arms around him. He was surprised but he still managed to keep his stance, hands going to her waist, his fingers coming into contact with the soft skin exposed by her shirt riding up.
Swallowing hard, he tried for a teasing smile, his voice cracking slightly halfway through, "You haven't looked inside yet."
Vivi pulled back, hands on his shoulders as she smiled into his blue eyes, "There's more?"
"Sure," Gabe nodded, clearing his throat as she pulled away from him, the tingling in his fingertips traveling up his arms, his body feeling strange but in a good way. He watched as she removed the lid, feeling unusually shy as she pulled out what he'd put in there, "I saw it some months ago, thought you might like it so I saved up my chore money and bought it for you."
Vivi held the bracelet in both hands -it was brown braided leather with a silver lobster clasp, three small charms hanging from it -a daisy, a star and a ballerina. There were also several donut beads, "This is...wonderful. I love it!"
His grin stretched with relief as he pointed at the charms, "You can add more if you want too -I picked these three because they made me think of you."
Vivi smiled up at him, heart in her eyes as she softly whispered, "Its perfect."
The sound of the bell signaling the end of lunch peeled throughout the school building, the swell of voices increasing as everyone started towards their next class, slamming locker doors, scrapping chairs and laughter echoing around them neither Gabe nor Vivi paid attention as they gazed into each other's eyes, time suspended for them as the moment stretched into an eternity.
The locker door on the other side of hers was slammed shut, the sudden intrusion to their moment having her jump as she broke eye contact. Turning to look at her brother -being they shared the same last name, his locker was next to hers -with a withering look, "Must you slam your locker like that?"
Marc arched an eyebrow as he looked over her shoulder at Gabe before looking down at her, "I called you name and you didn't answer -thought it would be a good way to get your attention."
"Next time, a tap on the shoulder would suffice," Vivi wrinkled her nose at him, tucking the bracelet into the front pocket of her bag before he noticed it. Pulling out her books, she placed them in the shelf, taking the ones she needed and slipping them into the bag.
"Right," Marc looked away from Gabe and into her locker, dark brown eyes landing on the still open wooden box in the bottom, "What's that?"
"A gift," Vivi answered, placing the lid back before closing the door, the lock clicking in place before she turned to look at him, "What did you get Robyn?"
Marc's eyebrows lowered over brown eyes as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, "For what?"
"Valentine's day," Vivi gave him a look, the one that told him she thought he was being purposely obtuse, which he was, "She's your girlfriend, after all."
"We're just friends," Marc muttered under his breath, looking around to make sure she wasn't anywhere near enough to hear him.
"Oh, right," Vivi smirked as the second bell rang, "'Cause friends kiss the way you two do."
Marc's mouth fell open in surprise, "How do you know that?"
She chuckled, closing the flap of her messenger bag, moving to stand next to Gabriel, "You two aren't as double-o seven as you think."
Gabe didn't even bother holding back the laughter, grinning at Marc as Vivi took his arm to pull him down the hallway, "Let's go, Gabriel. We don't want to be late for biology."
Grin still in place, he gave Marc a wave before taking Vivi's hand in his, not missing the glare the older boy gave him along with the one finger salute.
They made it to their class just in time, the final bell ringing as they sat down at the table they shared -they had paired up on the first day of school after the biology teacher had them all pick lab partners.
Vivi pulled out her notebook along with the textbook, taking the envelope from the front pocket where she had placed it, "So what's in here?"
Gabe looked over just as she started opening the flap, panic clawing his insides as he reached out to stop her, "No! You can't...uhm…read it when you get home. Not here."
Vivi giggled, cheeks a rosy pink as she placed it back in her bag, "Okay."
Letting out a sigh of relief, he gave her a somewhat sheepish smile, looking to the front of the class where the teacher was talking to one of their classmates, "So, uhm...you want to get ice cream sometime today? Like...after football practice?"
"Oh," Vivi's eyes were big with regret as she bit her bottom lip for a couple of seconds before explaining, "I have dance class today. Tia's picking me up after school to take us to Port Angeles...I should be back by dinner time."
"Oh," Gabe nodded, turning his pencil over and over between his fingers, "Maybe over the weekend or something."
Vivi nodded, her long hair catching the light coming in from the windows, the gold-red color so bright he faintly wondered if it would be hot to the touch, "Sure...that would be nice."
"Yeah."
Mr. Betance started the class so they both looked away from each other, facing forward and taking notes, occasionally sneaking glances, both smiling when they did it at the same time.
After assigning them their homework, Mr. Betance gave them the last five minutes of the hour to themselves, Vivi blushing slightly as she leaned close to Gabriel so she wouldn't be overheard, "I need a favor."
Gabe nodded as he leaned in towards her, realizing the smell of strawberries and vanilla tickling his nose for the past hour was her shampoo, "Sure, whatever you need."
She held out the bracelet to him, her smile shy and sweet, "Could you put it on for me?"
He took it from her, their fingers brushing, the fluttering emotions surging through both of them causing simultaneous blushes and sheepish smiles.
He looped it twice around her left wrist, his fingers brushing the soft skin stretched over her delicate wrist bones -she always made him think of the little crystal angels his mama liked hanging up on their Christmas tree, the ones they found out broke even if they landed on the soft carpet.
"Thank you," she whispered softly, her sweet smelling breath brushing against his cheek as he took a little longer to make sure the catch was secure before letting go, his fingers trailing down the soft inside of her wrist before he took her hand and gave it a squeeze, his smile making her breath catch in her throat.
"You're welcome."
Third Weekend of March
"She won't sleep. I bounce her, I walk her, I rock her -nothing works!"
Lyn gave her sister a smile filled with compassion, familiar with this rant thanks to the mothers of her younger patients, "Have you tried singing to her?"
The topic of conversation was currently balancing herself on her toes, tiny hands gripping her aunt's fingers as she shifted from side to side, working on finding her balance.
"It doesn't work," Julie watched her eleven month old daughter as she rocked back onto her heels before rocking forward to stand on her toes, wobbling a bit before she balanced herself, looking up at her aunt with a smile of accomplishment, showing off her two bottom teeth, "I sing to her -she'll clap, giggle, laugh, dance -anything but sleep."
"Aww," Lyn grinned down at her niece, leaning down to kiss her soft blue-black hair, "You're mama's biggest fan, aren't you?"
"Ing! Ing!" Jillian rocked up, purple eyes bright as she bounced her knees; she looked adorable in a pink tulle skirt along with a white onesies that had a glittery pink tiara on her small chest and pink ribboned headband around her small head –her father had dressed her that morning.
"Now when Julian sings to her, she's out like a light," Julie slouched deeper into the armchair, exhaustion riding her hard -she hadn't had a decent night's sleep in the last ten months, "It doesn't matter what he sings, she's out, although she does have a preference for blues music."
Lyn looked up from Jill's china doll face to give her sister a look of surprise, "Blues music?"
Julie nodded, stretching her long legs out with a sigh, "Mostly Billy Gibson," at Lyn's questionable look, she explained further, "ZZ Top."
"Oh," Lyn laughed, looking down at Jill as her tiny fingers let go of her hands, staying on her feet for a good minute or two before gravity won and had her falling back into her diapered bottom, "You and Uncle Collin have something in common, Jillie."
Jillian looked up at her aunt, a belly laugh escaping her as she turned to get on her hands and knees, crawling across the rug to where her mother was.
"Is he any good?"
Julie looked up from watching her daughter as she grabbed the round edge of the coffee table to pull herself up, her smile of accomplishment making Julie smile, albeit a tired smile, "Is he ever...he can put Jill to sleep and turn me on all in one breath."
Lyn burst out laughing, Jillian startling in surprise as she turned to look at her aunt, her tulle skirt swinging with the movement as she let go of the table and fell back onto her bottom again.
Julie chuckled as Jillian swung her wide purple eyes to look at her mama before looking at her aunt, her sweet little face sporting a look of totally confused surprise.
"Did I scare you, Jillie," Lyn got off the couch and on her knees as she reached for her niece, picking her up and lifting her over her head, Jillian giggling as she kicked her legs, stretching her arms in an attempt to touch Lyn's face. Lowering her closer, Lyn blew a raspberry into her sweet smelling neck, the little girl laughing as she grabbed handfuls of Lyn's blond hair.
Julie enjoyed watching her little sister play with her daughter, able to see Lyn's amazing ability to connect with children, which, as a pediatrician, it was a very good skill to have.
"We need to get her into a schedule," Julie sighed as she let her head drop back, closing her eyes for just a moment, "It'll be much easier for her once we get a nanny."
Lyn looked up at her sister in surprise, Jillian wiggling in her arms to be set loose, "You're getting a nanny?"
Julie nodded, opening her tired eyes to watch as her baby crawled across the floor towards her, "We're going on tour in –"
Lyn interrupted, her tone of voice revealing the surprise she felt at her sister's news, "You're going on tour? Are you taking Jill with you?"
"Of course we're taking Jillian," Julie leaned forward to lift her baby up into her arms, Jillian pulling at the neckline of her cotton top shirt, "We're waiting after the summer's over –probably sometime in August or September. Natalie's been working out the details –we've agreed to two shows per week, one city for every two weeks. We're starting in Seattle, moving down to Los Angeles, over to Vegas, up to Denver, Chicago, Detroit –"
"What about the holidays?"
"We're flying in for Thanksgiving and Christmas," Julie pressed a kiss on a soft pudgy cheek, her reward a cascade of giggles, "Lian wants us to spend New Year's in Australia –I've talked to mom to see if she's up to getting the time off to come as well. You and Collin are also invited if you can get the time off."
Lyn sat back on her bottom, leaning against the couch as she tried to get her thoughts organized, "I didn't…I didn't realize you and Lian were planning on picking up the whole touring thing."
"Lian and I talked about it," Julie understood her sister's hesitation with the revelation of her news, "We both love what we do, Lyn. Music and performing…it's all part of who we are so we've decided, since Jillian's old enough to be able to travel, we can get back on the tour circuit this year –this one's going to be the first duet tour we do. We've sand together before –the CMAs and the Grammies but we've yet to tour together and since we're a family, we thought this would be a perfect time."
"You think Jillian will be able to handle the tour bus?"
Julie laughed at that, looking down at her daughter playing with the tulle ruffles of her skirt, "Jillian loves the tour bus –not to mention the band. They got her last week to finish recording Lian's next CD and they all spoil her rotten…you ought to see her, Lyn. She thrives under the attention –loves being in the spotlight."
Lyn chuckled as she wrapped her arms around her drawn up knees, "Performing must be in her genes."
Julie nodded, Jillian grabbing on to her t-shirt to pull herself up to stand on her mother's thighs, "Sometimes, she'll sing with me…you know, just babbles and squeals but I kid you not, she's always on pitch."
Lyn laughed, able to see how tired her sister was as Jillian danced around, tiny feet digging into her legs and stomach as she kept a tight grip on her mother's t-shirt, "It's like she has music in her head –she won't stop moving."
Julie let out a soft sigh as she gave her sister a pointed look, "I know…"
Lyn chuckled as she pushed herself up off the floor, "Let me take her out for a walk –just a few hours, give you some time to yourself. Take a nap…maybe a shower –"
"Are you saying I smell?"
Lyn pursed her lips as she took Jillian from her, the little girl letting out a squeal as she lifted up her knees to grasp her tiny feet in her equally tiny hands, "Well, I wasn't going to mention it but…you smell a little sour."
Julie sniffed her t-shirt, "She spit up on me this morning but I changed my shirt."
Lyn's eyebrows lowered, the pediatrician in her coming out as she settled her niece on her hip, "She's still spitting up?"
"Yes," Julie pushed herself to her feet, arching her back to get a bit of relief for her tired muscles, "Every morning, when I nurse her, she spits up. Maybe she's lactose intolerant?"
Lyn stared at her sister, not sure how to answer without making her feel stupid, finally just coming out with it, "You're breastfeeding her so…she can't be lactose intolerant because…well…only cows have lactose."
"Oh."
They stared at each other, the laughter erupting simultaneously, Jillian laughing along with them even though she had no idea what the joke was.
Early April
Central Seattle Library
The soft rustle of pages being turned was accompanied by the sound of pen moving across paper, the occasional sound of a clearing throat, a cough, a sneeze…even a whispered conversation kept complete silence at bay.
She had seen him in here before –sometimes by himself, sometimes with his little girl. She couldn't help watch him while he did whatever he was doing. She knew he wasn't an undergraduate student –he looked to be somewhere in his mid or late twenties –but it was obvious he was a student of some kind.
Every time she came in to work on her thesis project, she looked around for him and if he was here, whether alone or not, she found herself a table where she could watching him –it was for that reason she was aware of several things.
One –he wasn't married what with him lacking a ring. Two –he loved his little girl and seemed to encourage her in whatever it is she did whenever she came in with him. Three –there was no man hotter than he and she was very interested.
Now, the thing she needed to figure out was how to approach him –as a single father, he probably didn't date much, at least she had made that assumption because he never checked out the women in the library, not even those who purposely walked by his table or bumped against him in the aisles whenever he went in search of books.
Not only that but she had also noticed how possessive of him his little girl was –some weeks ago, an undergrad student, obviously still not old enough to drink, had approached him. The little girl had climbed on him and latched on to his neck, not once letting go while the girl tried to talk to him. Even though she hadn't been close enough to hear the conversation, it had been hilarious because from where she was sitting, it was obvious for every question the college girl asked, his little girl had been the one to answer…and not once, did he reprimand her for it.
Looking over the edge of her stack of books, she watched him as he worked on whatever it was he was doing, his laptop in the middle of the table, several books spread around him and a stack of papers set to the side while he flipped through a book.
He was alone today and she knew this was her chance if she was only brave enough to take it. Looking down at her notebook, she bit the end of her pen, pondering her approach for a couple of minutes before she gave a decisive nod as she stood up to walk to his table.
"Excuse me?"
Embry looked up from the book he was using, focusing on the woman standing beside his table, "May I help you?"
"Uhm…I'm sorry to bother you. My name is Martha…I was wondering if I could interview you for my thesis project."
Embry's eyebrows rose in surprise, not having any idea what kind of thesis project would require interviews, "What is your thesis on?"
She smiled as she pulled out the chair at the end of the table, sitting down without an invitation, "I'm working on my Master's in education. My thesis is based on parental involvement in early education. I've seen you a few times before –with your daughter. I've noticed how invested you are in her education and would like to ask you some questions. It would help me out a lot."
Embry couldn't help the smile from growing as he leaned back into his chair, putting his pen down on the table, "I wouldn't mind helping but…she's not my daughter."
The surprise in her eyes was evident to him and he couldn't keep his smile from growing, completely unaware of its effect as she blinked at him, "She's not your daughter?"
He shook his head, "No. She's my boss's daughter. She comes up with these elaborate research ideas for school and can't find adequate material in the library there so I bring her here."
"Oh."
Embry chuckled as he set the heel of his sneaker on the edge of his chair, resting his forearm on his knee, "She's finishing sixth grade next month and is hopeful the middle school library will offer a better selection."
"Sixth grade," Martha leaned back into her chair, tapping a fingernail against the table's surface in a nervous gesture she wasn't aware of having, "She doesn't look older than ten."
"She's eight, actually," Embry knew he was bragging but he couldn't help it –his Princess was just that amazing, "She skipped second and fifth grade."
"Oh, wow," Martha's smile grew and he could see she was honestly impressed with the information, "I've been a teacher for almost ten years and have never come across a child skipping more than one grade."
"Forks doesn't have a gifted program," Embry explained to her, "And Emmie happens to be very gifted. The best way they've figured out to challenge her is by advancing her…she, of course, manages to catch up and surpass their curriculum which means advancing her again."
"Are her parents actively involved in her education?"
Embry nodded, not minding the questions because it concerned his favorite topic of conversation, "Her father is a history teacher at the high school as well as the track and field coach. He's got a PhD in various areas, from what I understand, and he's always encouraging her to learn as much as she wants too."
"What about her mother?"
"Leah's a stay at home mom –she's always willing to listen to her ideas for possible projects and such, I help her set them up when necessary –bring her here whenever she needs to do research but most of the time, she's pretty good at getting things done by herself."
Even though she had used her thesis as an excuse to talk to him, Martha knew a golden opportunity when she saw one, "I would love to interview her parents –as well as you. It seems you're the most involved in her education."
"I suppose I could ask Rick and Leah…they don't come up to Seattle, though, so it might have to be a phone interview or perhaps through e-mail."
"What about you?"
Embry cocked an eyebrow, "Me? Well, I only come up here when I need to do research for my own thesis or whenever Emmie needs the library."
"Could we maybe set up a day and time," Martha gave him a smile, eyes bright as she leaned forward, "We could meet for coffee –a relaxed atmosphere is known to help interviews go smoothly."
Embry shrugged, not knowing if that was true, "I suppose we could meet for coffee…I have a lunch meeting on Wednesday with my thesis advisor. How about we meet at that coffee shop west of campus at, say, three?"
"Sure," Martha nodded, taking his pen and writing on the margin of his notebook, "Here's my e-mail and phone number. Let me know if there's a change in plan –and please, if you could ask her parents?"
"Sure."
She smiled again, standing up and pushing her chair in, turning to walk away before turning back to look at him, a bit surprised to see he was back to reading his book, "I'm sorry but I didn't get your name."
Embry looked up, somewhat surprised to see her still standing there, "Oh, sorry. I'm Embry –Embry Call."
Martha held out her hand, liking the way his larger one felt as it closed around her smaller one, "Nice to meet you, Embry. I'll see you Wednesday."
"Sure."
She felt good about herself –she had not only gotten the nerve to talk to a totally hot guy but she would be seeing him again…not to mention, she had possible interviews with the parents of a little genius.
