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"And who was that?" Rose asked, her head tipping with a knowing gleam in her eye. When Bella's cheeks tinted pink and she quickly looked away Rose stopped whipping the countertop to focus on her friend. "Let me guess the hottie from the speed date. Robert, right?"
Bella tried to avoid that sneaky glint shining back at her. Rose was like a dog with a bone and relentless when she thought she knew something. Hoping to dissuade questions she wasn't ready to answer, she dug through her bag and set up her workstation.
No matter how hard she tried she couldn't push that man from her mind. With a bright smile, Bella looked up at Rose through her mirror.
A dreamy sigh slipped past Bella's lips, and she licked them as she memorized that simple kiss. There were traces and hints of his flavor, and she wanted to lap them all up. "Yes. He is just yummy, everything about him. Oh my God, Rose … He came over last night and …."
"Whoa—whoa, wait a minute, he came over?" Rose shook her head, her lips pressing into a thin line. "Bella, you don't know anything about the guy. I'm all for going wild … if anyone deserves it, it would be you …"
"Rose!" Bella snapped her fingers in front of Rose's face. "He didn't come in. We ate pizza in my hallway. Totally his suggestion, by the way. Who even thinks of something like that?"
"Apparently, Mr. Rob," Rose smirked as Bella pranced around the salon with a pep in her step normally not there. "So, why was he walking you to work this morning if he …"
Bella grabbed a new pair of scissors and headed back to her workstation. "He asked to walk me to work. How could I possibly say no?"
"I really don't think you could," Rose murmured, a flash of her beautiful white teeth making an appearance. "I'm assuming by that sweet little kiss I saw, you will be seeing him again."
Rose bent close to the mirror, plucking a few stray eyebrows from her brow. "I still say he looks just like Edward Cullen—like they could seriously be twins."
Bella seemed not to be paying attention and was too caught up in her own musings. Her thoughts were already on the date she hoped to be on. Hand on her hip, she turned to Rose with a pout. "Babe, I really hate to ask—I know the kids are a handful but I was just wondering if you could …"
"Yes. I will babysit. Emmett and I love those kids." There was zero sarcasm in her tone as she met Bella's gaze through the mirror, bringing Bella into focus. "I have been waiting for you to ask ever since that speed date."
When Rose mentioned Emmett, Bella paused and threw a skeptical look in her direction. "Do you really think you two can keep your hands off each other long enough? The kids are already corrupt enough, they don't need any PDA."
Rose wrinkled her nose as she considered Bella's question. "I don't know. We might combust, but for you … I think—I think we can keep our hands off each other."
Bella stopped prepping her work area, turning her full attention on Rose. "You are the best friend I could ever ask for. If I can ever …"
"Stop," Rose commanded, leaving her reflection behind, she grabbed her phone from the counter. "You go and have a blast. Get drunk, dance, and don't come home. Hell, I will even get the kids off to school in the morning."
Bella's eyes watered. "You would do that for me?"
Rose nodded, "I would do anything for you. You are one of the sweetest and most selfless people I have ever known. You need this, and I want you to have a fucking blast. Do everything I would do, and maybe some things I haven't tried yet."
Crossing the linoleum floor, Bella hugged Rose. "Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me."
Rose returned Bella's hug. "No problem. But I want you to look at this real quick."
"What?" Bella asked, way too elated to pay attention to anything. She was already counting the minutes until she was off and could go see Robert. "Rose, I don't care what or who he looks like. It doesn't matter to me."
"Bella! I don't care if he is famous or some guy living in an alley as long as he makes you happy. I'm just saying if I could jump this guy's bones—or someone who looked like him—I would be all over it." Poking her password into her cell, she brought Google up with a press of a button. Quickly she typed in Edward Cullen, and within half a second, his photo popped onto the screen.
"Look at this guy and—tell me he doesn't look just like your Robert." Rose held her phone toward Bella.
Bella was prepared to see someone who remotely resembled Robert and instead, her breath stalled in her chest when she came face to face with Edward Cullen aka Robert.
"There's no way—no freaking way." Taking hold of Rose's phone, Bella stumbled backward until her legs bumped into her chair.
Silently, she traced every feature, line by line, from his cheekbones to the color of his eyes, his hair, his build. She swallowed and looked up to Rose. "It's not possible. W-why would he lie? And why would he be interested in someone like me?"
Rose regretted her decision seconds after showing Bella that picture. All the bubbly life that had brightened her eyes, dimmed. Chewing her lip she met Bella's gaze with a shrug. "Bella, I'm probably wrong. A lot of people look alike. Just ignore me, I don't know anything."
"That's him, Rose," Bella exclaimed, returning her attention to the photo. "Every freaking detail." Slowly, Bella scrolled through different pictures of him at different angles.
She'd sat across from him for an hour last night, and she'd been inches from his face this morning. "I just don't understand why he'd lie about who he is, and what the hell does he want with me when he can have a woman like that?"
Bella stopped on a picture of some blonde bombshell wrapped around him like a second skin. They looked completely enraptured with one another. A flash of jealousy sparked to life, and Bella wanted to wrap the woman's lush blonde hair around her fist and yank her away from Rob—Edward. "Look at them. I think his hand is up her skirt, and her boobs are the size of my head."
Rose took her phone back and studied the photo closely. "Are you sure? Are you positive that's Rob?"
"I swear," Bella stated, shaking her head. " I have half a mind to tell him right where he can go. Is this a game for him? Am I charity work? Fuck."
She must've looked like a real idiot to him last night. Pizza in her fucking hallway! Plastic plates, sitting on that dingy ass carpet. "Holy shit. What—I feel so stupid."
"No. No. You are a strong, independent woman and you outshine any skanky blonde wrapped around him. There was an article in Glam saying they had a nasty breakup." Skimming the contents of her phone, she brought the article up and handed Bella back the cell. "Dude, she used him bad. Just used his name to land a role in a movie."
Bella read the article. Empathy welled in her chest when she saw the photos attached to the column. Rob—Edward looked miserable. "It still doesn't explain what and why and who. What the hell is going on?"
"You know what? Who gives a shit who he is? Edward or Robert. You go on that date and live like it's the last one you will ever have. Fuck it." Rose's hand slapped her chair, her mouth set in a firm line. "Do you, Bella. You deserve it and don't question the whys. Hell, actually it could be pretty funny watching him scramble for answers."
Bella chewed her lip. "Are you saying I just go and pretend he is fucking Robert? Or what?"
"I say, do you. Whatever you want to do. If you want to pretend he is Robert just keep your heart out of it. If you want you can have fun with this and enjoy it while it lasts." Rose crossed the space separating them and took hold of Bella's chin. "Make this completely about you, and enjoy it for what it is. Don't even think about tomorrow."
"Is that what you would do? Just date him and have fun, say goodbye in the end?" His shining gaze came to mind, his sweet gestures, the heat he inspired when his name popped up.
Could she keep her heart in check? Hell, just that simple walk to work had tugged at a few strings attached to the organ.
"That's exactly what I would do. I say we get you all sexed up and take advantage of whatever is happening—especially if he makes you smile the way he did when you got here. When he stops making you smile I will rip him a new one. Get on the phone and tell him you found a babysitter."
A slow smile crept across Bella's face as she looked back at his picture. He had the most captivating smile she'd ever seen—and those damn eyes. Not only was he a dreamboat but he was sweeter than milk chocolate on a warm summer's day. "Okay. I will go out with him." A giddy sensation filled her belly. "Can I borrow that cute little black dress?"
"You sure can," Rose dipped her head in agreement. "I will come by a little early and help you get ready if you want."
Bella considered what Rose said all throughout the day. By the time she walked out of the salon, she had an entirely different perspective. If Mr. Hollywood could reinvent himself, then so could she.
Holding Darla's little hand in her own they made their way to the coffee shop.
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