I don't own Twilight or its characters. Stephenie Meyer does.
Cheryl and Gabby, thank you for pre-reading, and April, thank you for editing. Any mistakes left are my own.
Ch. 23
"Bella?" she answered.
"Mom." I sighed in relief.
"I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. Is everything okay?" She sounded nervous.
"Yes, I've really been enjoying Boston. It's so pretty here in the wintertime. I've never seen so much snow. I missed you the other night when I called and wanted to try again," I told her.
"I was at a book club that night," she explained.
I knew instantly she was lying—my mother wasn't a reader. She found it boring. Not to mention Phil said Garden Club.
"We miss you, baby, when will you be home?"
I froze and wondered if Phil was there or someone else. She knew why I was gone and not coming back.
"Well, classes don't start until next week, so I thought maybe I'd look at Dartmouth or maybe a few others before heading back to Florida." I hoped my answer sounded reasonable.
"We should have dinner at the club when you get back," she suggested.
"That sounds great, Mom." I closed my eyes and nodded. My nerves were frayed. "I wanted to apologize for our fight before I left."
"No. Bella, I'm sorry. I'm proud of the young lady you've become. I wish I—" She stopped suddenly.
"Mom?" I prompted.
"Sorry, I was about to sneeze." I knew by her tone she was lying. "There has been some news since you've been gone. That gym you like to go to has burned down."
"What! Was anyone hurt?" I immediately thought of Leah and Kim.
"There was a body trapped inside. It hasn't been identified yet," Mom said, her voice sounding off.
"That's horrible."
"Baby, I've got to go. Make sure you stay in touch." She seemed rushed.
After we hung up, I stared out the window thinking. I felt sick to my stomach. Someone had died, and I couldn't help but think it was my fault. On top of it, I was fairly sure my mom hadn't been alone. A hand touched my arm, and I instinctively grabbed the wrist.
"Whoa, it's just me," Edward said softly.
I let go immediately. "I'm sorry. I'm distracted," I apologized.
"I can tell. Is everything okay?" He held my hand and gave it a small squeeze.
"I think Phil or maybe even someone else was with her. She didn't sound like she could talk freely or was like herself. Also, the gym where I learned to kickbox has burned down with someone in it. They don't know who," I told him.
"I'm sorry, love." Edward kissed the top of my head.
"What was the name of the gym? I can get Alice to check into it," Jasper suggested.
I looked over my shoulder to see the other two sitting on the couch. I waited for Emmett to make a smartass remark about Edward being affectionate, but he only gave us a solemn smile.
"It was Swift Kicks. It was owned by Leah Clearwater," I told him.
"Alice will get right on it." Jasper tapped away on his phone screen.
"Jasper, can you also get in touch with Aro?" Edward asked.
"Can do." He nodded.
"I'll go talk to Rose and ask her to get some fake I.D.s and paperwork ready for Renée," Emmett announced, standing.
Emmett and Jasper left, leaving us alone.
"Should we go mention my idea to your dad and Uncle Peter?" I asked.
"My dad is in court this morning, but we can talk to him this evening. You didn't mention you got into a fight with your mom?" he said softly.
I scowled. "It happened at the ball. She was annoyed with me because she thought I was being rude. I was upset with how fake she acted when she was at the club. She'd become superficial. She wanted me to find a guy at the club to settle down with. That night she was trying to encourage a relationship with Garrett."
"Garrett? Did you two become close?" Edward frowned. I knew that look, too; he was jealous.
I shrugged. "Not really. However, he was one the few decent people to talk with that didn't want to make me tear my hair out."
Edward nodded but still didn't look pleased. "I see. How about before we go food shopping, we go do something fun?" He smiled and swung my hand.
"What do you have in mind?" My interest piqued.
"It's a surprise." He grinned.
Days
"Wow!" I looked at the colorful indoor mini-golf course that glowed under the black lights. "I thought you hated this."
"I don't hate mini-golf. It was the course at the beach that I couldn't stand. It was horrible." Edward wrinkled his nose.
"I had fun." I pouted playfully.
"That was because you won. At least this time it should be fair," he insisted, walking up to the counter.
"Unless they have your arch nemesis, the windmill," I teased.
We were fairly neck and neck throughout the course. Both of us were more light-hearted than we had been the last few days. When it came to the sixteenth hole, I immediately started to laugh.
"Hey, I'm one stroke ahead of you," he reminded me.
"Were…were," I taunted as I dropped my ball and moved it in place with my foot.
I took a deep breath so I could focus, then swung my club. The ball went smoothly between the blades and through the lighthouse door to the other side. I grinned and stepped aside so Edward could step up to the green.
Edward took his turn and hit the ball so hard it launched off the blade. I leaped to the side and caught it before it headed to a family with kids. I pressed my lips together and my shoulders shook with my silent laughter. Edward hung his head in defeat.
"Your ball," I choked out through giggles.
"You jinxed me," he proclaimed.
"I did no such thing. You hit the ball too hard." I rolled my eyes.
"Hmph." He set his ball down and got ready to swing.
"Gently," I cautioned.
He hit it softly but firmly this time and managed to barely miss getting clipped by the blade. It went through and stopped behind my ball.
"Finally," he sighed in relief.
When we got to the end, I had won by only one stroke. We headed into the mall and down to the food court to get some ice cream. There was a store where you could get soft-serve and all the toppings you wanted. We sat as far as we could away from the crowded area. Even though I was wearing a fake pair of glasses, a short black wig, and a fake beauty mark on my left cheek, we were trying to stay low key.
"Is there even any ice cream underneath all that crap," Edward poked fun of me. He had only a single topping on his while I may have gone overboard.
"Somewhere, I remember adding a bit." I spooned a mound of M&Ms and fudge into my mouth.
"Oh. Em. Gosh…" a very familiar voice squealed.
Edward and I locked eyes for a moment, and I tilted my head down and brought my hand up to shield my face. I prayed that Heidi wouldn't recognize me. I didn't have to worry as when she approached the table, she purposely kept her back to me to face Edward.
"Edward, it's like, so good to like see you," she said.
"Hi, Heidi, did you have a good Christmas?" Edward asked politely.
"It was like blah. I, like, hate going to my grandparents'. They're so stuffy and their club is, like, totes bor-ring," she complained.
"I'm sorry to hear that. If you—"
"I saw Bella there," she declared.
"Uh..." Edward glanced at me.
"You two were so, like, perfect together. Like Topanga and Corey, Serena and Dan, or even Rachael and Ross," she said perkily.
I bit my knuckle to keep from laughing at Edward's adorably confused expression. Heidi was starting to become one my favorite people.
"I have no clue who any of those people are," Edward said.
"Duh! Like they're literally soulmates. I know you still love her or else you wouldn't be like Oscar the Grouch," Heidi stated.
I bit my knuckle harder as Edward looked slightly offended.
"Anywho, she still, like, loves you too. She was wearing your necklace still. You should, like, go to her. I can totes give you her address," she said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"Heidi, I know you mean well, but—"
"Nuh-uh. No, buts about it. You're, like, literally impossible. Look, he's not your E," she stated as she turned to me. She stopped short and her eyes narrowed, then opened wide. "Oh. Em. Gee…he is your E!" she practically screamed before hopping up and down and clapping her hands.
"Heidi…shhh! Calm down." I put my finger to my lips. "Edward, get her a chair." I jerked my head to a nearby table.
He jumped up and went for one. Heidi had quieted down, but she was still vibrating with excitement.
"So, I guess my disguise was a bad one," I said.
"Oh, it's good. I could, like, only tell by your nose," she said.
"My nose?" I touched it self-consciously.
She shook her head and grinned. "It's a cute nose. I'm actually jealous, like, mine is huge. I wish I had your nose."
"Okay?" I glanced at Edward, who shrugged.
Edward set her chair down and she plopped into it. She moved her head back and forth between us, smiling hugely.
"You, like, listened to me," she squealed. "But, like, what's up with the new look? I almost didn't recognize you."
"It's a big secret that I'm here. You can't tell anybody, especially your grandparents," I told her.
"Kay... but why?" She blinked owlishly.
I tried to come up with a plausible reason that would speak her language but not tell her too much. "Phil is like Troy's Dad and Edward's parents are like Ms. Darbus, they don't get along or approve of us being together."
Her mouth dropped. "Like no way! That's totes unfair."
"I know, right? So until things settle down, we need to keep on the downlow, kay?" I asked her.
"You can, like, totes trust me. My lips are sealed. I pinkie promise." She extended her hand.
I linked my finger with hers, relieved it was this easy. She sprung up from her seat, still hyper.
"I'm totes going to go buy your, like, wedding present." She rushed off.
"But we're not…never mind." I stopped because she was already out of earshot.
"I just hope she keeps that promise." Edward frowned, looking in the direction she ran.
"Something tells me that Heidi would never break a pinkie promise." I smirked.
"Yeah…I only understood about half of what she said. I have no clue who any of the people are." He shook his head.
"Well, Oscar is a Grouch from Sesame Street, it's a children's show. He's always in a bad mood." I couldn't help but laugh at his no shit look.
"The others are characters from TV shows and movies," I explained.
"I'll have to take your word for it. I never watched them." He shrugged.
"Neither did I. But the girls on my high school track team did, and they talked about them endlessly," I told him.
Edward's phone buzzed and he pulled it out. "Jasper texted. He has some news for us."
My mood fell right away. I had been having such a good time that I'd forgotten about Leah and her gym. I wasn't hungry anymore.
"So who was it?" I asked, pushing my bowl away.
"He didn't want to tell us over text. We can call him from the car where it's more secure." Edward stood and took our trash to the can.
I followed a few steps behind. He took my hand, lacing our fingers together, and led the way to the parking garage. Once we were out on the street, Edward called Jasper over the speaker phone.
"Hey," Jasper greeted.
"We both can hear you. What did Alice find out?" Edward asked.
"The victim was a Jared Call. He was listed as the gym maintenance man. He was there after hours to clean the gym," Jasper said.
Although it was still sad news, I felt a bit of relief that it wasn't Leah or Kim.
"There's more. The suspected arsonist, a Riley Biers, is in the hospital. Apparently, the gym owner saw him running away from the scene. She gave chase then handed his ass to him," Jasper added.
I snorted. "Sounds like Leah. She's one of the toughest and scariest people I know. I've seen her level guys bigger than Emmett."
"Did you find out any info on Biers?" Edward asked.
"You know Alice did." Jasper chuckled. "He works for Heidi's grandfather."
Edward pressed his lips into a thin line. "Speaking of Heidi. We ran into her, and she recognized Bella."
Jasper was silent for a moment. "Do you think she'll be a problem?"
"No. She pinkie promised me she wouldn't tell anyone I was here. She thinks our love is forbidden by Phil and Edward's parents, so it needs to stay quiet for now," I answered.
"O-kay," Jasper seemed hesitant.
Edward tapped the steering wheel with his fingers. "I think we should have Rose or Tanya talk with her. See if she spills to them about today and work from there. I'm sure Heidi means well and wouldn't intend to do harm. But if she'd tell anyone, it would be those two."
"Okay, I'll talk to Rosie," Jasper agreed.
"Has anyone thought about including Heidi in what's going on? She may have some inside information that could be useful," I suggested.
Edward screwed up his face. "Heidi is well…Heidi. She's not the sharpest tool in the shed."
Jasper laughed at his comment. I got annoyed for Heidi instead.
"I think you're wrong. Just because she's bubbly doesn't make her stupid. She may not be book smart, but she knew who I was by recognizing my nose. She obviously has an eye for details," I pointed out.
"Bella may have something there. Heidi may know something without realizing she knows something. Maybe Rose can casually ask about the ball and the other girls who were there. We just may gain some details we're missing."
"It's worth a try. Also, ask Rose if Heidi has any protection detail. I didn't see anyone obvious with her, but she made a large production when she noticed us together," Edward added.
"Production good or bad?" Jasper asked warily.
"Good. She's currently out buying us a wedding present." I snickered.
"You guys didn't…"
"Of course not," I said quickly, and Edward frowned.
"Anything else?" Jasper asked.
"Not that I can think of at the moment," Edward said.
"Your dad is out of court. I told him we had news. He wants us to meet him at the home office ASAP," Jasper announced.
Edward nodded. "We're on our way."
A/N: Some ups and downs this chapter. I always have a hoot writing Heidi.
Thank you for sharing all your thoughts with me.
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