So I haven't got a ton to say here except thank you to everyone for sharing, commenting, reviewing, recc'ing...and just generally
loving on this story so hard. I heart you all!
Also thank you to A Different Forest for the recommendation this week! I knew a few new readers have joined us from there, so welcome :)
Chapter Four
Bella
"Be careful of the little ones, boys!" I warn as Jaxson, Finley, and Arlo tear down the stairs dressed in their rash guard tops and board shorts.
"We will!" Finley promises, but it wasn't really him I was talking to. He's the gentlest of the three—it's his loony brothers I'm concerned about. They're both hyped up on sugar after spending the morning baking sugar cookies with Mom and Danny, and we've got one of our cousins here who is younger than them and less confident in the water.
Out by the pool, I find Mom and Angela sitting at the table with Claire, my cousin's wife. Her husband, Aaron, is over by the grill with Dad, Benjamin, and Grandpa Freddie. As usual, the guys and the girls have separated so the men can congregate around the grill and show off their masculinity.
Yawn.
As I join the women at the table, I spot Little Grandma supervising the toddler pool on the grass and can't help but smile. Instead of leaping into the pool with his brothers, Finley has taken a detour and veered over to see her. She's watching AJ, Aaron and Claire's two-year-old. In the big pool, Jaxson and Arlo have joined Danny.
Brunches at Mom and Dad's have always been a big family affair. It looks like that hasn't changed in my absence. Aaron and Claire have travelled into town to see his parents, my aunt and uncle. They live just outside the bay, but Aaron and I are the same age and were in the same grade, so I've always been closer to him than my other cousins and he said he couldn't resist visiting now I'm back with the boys. It's their first time meeting, so I make sure to take photos.
Ever since I was little, I've loved taking pictures and making albums. Before I left high school, I made albums for each of my closest friends and filled them with pictures of us all. I still have mine in my bedroom upstairs; I wonder if they still have theirs.
"Your boys are just darling, Bella," Claire tells me as I sink into a seat between her and Mom.
Grinning with pride, there's no way I'm going to deny that. It's the truth, after all. "Thank you. I think they're pretty great."
"Isn't Arlo the spit of you?" She breathes, watching my youngest climb out of the pool, demand everybody's attention, and flip back into the water to their cheers.
"I actually think he looks a lot like Ben," I admit. "But it's nice to know one of my boys resembles me, even just a little. Jax and Finn are all their father." Which I'm not bitter about at all, obviously. "They have an uncle on his side and it's like looking into the future."
It's always creeped me out how much Jaxson and Finley look like Robert, their may-as-well-have-been-a sperm donor's younger brother. They may have my natural shade of dark brown hair as well as my gray eyes, but their features...they're all Holder. Then there's Arlo with my ex's blond hair and dark eyes.
Mom's hand landing on my forearm reminds me that I'm in company. The frown that always accompanies thoughts of my ex loosens, and I manage a smile which reassures her—for now at least.
It's a little awkward for a moment, presumably because Claire wants to ask about the boys' father but doesn't know how, but my littlest guy saves the day.
"Momma, Momma, Momma!" Arlo screeches, landing in my lap with a wet slap.
"Oh, Lo!" He's soaked, and now so am I. Fantastic. "You're drenched!"
"Sorry, Momma, but look! I can do it, watch me!"
"Do what?" I mumble, standing so I can steal one of the towels I brought down for the boys to pat my legs dry. Thankfully I'm in cut-offs, so it's mostly just me that's wet, not my clothes.
"Watch, Momma!" Arlo repeats, running back to the pool with Mom laughingly reminding him not to run by the pool. He chirps an unapologetic sounding apology before sucking in a deep breath and executing a pretty decent dive into the pool with only a little splash.
Everly leans out of her bedroom window to congratulate him—and Arlo lights up like a Christmas tree. The praise from our family members down on the patio only adds to his delight, but the grin he gives me when I lift him from the pool by his hands and give him a squishy hug despite how wet it gets me is the best.
After getting changed, I rejoin everybody outside and do the rounds as we eat. Little Grandma and Grandpa Freddie tell me how happy they are that I finally came home and compliment me endlessly on how wonderful the boys are. I didn't realize until they arrived earlier just how much I'd missed them—I've seen them twice in the nine years I've been away. Grandpa's health is up and down, and Little Grandma doesn't like to be away from home, so both of those times were when I flew back to Florida.
I chit-chat with my cousin and his wife and catch up on their plans to settle down with AJ now he's heading toward preschool. They've been exploring the world since before he was born, but they're ready to settle into a house and put down some roots now, preferably in Jackson Bay. We're in the same boat, in that respect.
"We just want somewhere AJ can grow up, you know?" Claire tells me as we women folk clear up. The men cooked, so this is our show while they kick back and watch the kids leap around on the grass with the water guns Benjamin brought over from his place.
Both tired after a hectic morning of running around after their grandchildren, Little Grandma and Grandpa head off after dishing out pocket money to the kids and hugs to the adults.
"I get it," I tell Claire, because I do. "I loved living in England, but I want the boys to have memories of the sand between their toes and the Fourth of July parade." Peering out at Dad pulling Arlo onto his lounger so he can tickle his belly with his mustache, I sigh wistfully and smile. "I want them to have that."
Claire follows my gaze and laughs, and I know she knows what I mean. "Ron is exactly the same with AJ. He always gets him full of sugar when we take him over there."
"These two are the same," I tease Mom with a hip-bump as she carries a few more dishes inside.
She flashes us a saccharine sweet smile and shrugs. "It's the job of the grandparents to spoil their grandbabies." Dumping the dishes in the sink, she points a dirty wooden spoon at me. "And we have a lot of catching up to do, so you can't complain even one little bit, honey."
"I'm not complaining, I was just commiserating with Claire."
"Commiserating," Mom huffs, hugging me around the middle before nudging me out of the way. "Get outside and enjoy the last of the sun, ladies. I can handle this. I'm going to put most of it in the dishwasher anyway."
After double and triple checking that she's sure, Claire and I head back outside just in time to catch the tail-end of Dad and Benjamin's conversation. My ears perk up.
"So, EC?" Benjamin is asking as I slide behind Finley on a lounger. He nestles back into my chest but continues playing whatever game Benjamin has loaded onto his iPad. Some kind of train-chasing game, it looks like.
Dad sighs and takes a long pull of his Corona before saying anything. "I don't know what's gotten into him lately. He's all over the place."
Benjamin frowns. "You don't think it's the baby, do you?"
The baby? Who's baby?
"I don't know, son. You could be right."
"What baby?" I can't help but ask. The words are out there before I've even made up my mind to say them.
Dad and Benjamin glance my way. "The head chef at the restaurant, his wife's due any day now," my brother explains, his expression tightening. "They're havin' a girl."
Oh. Suddenly, I realize I already knew that. I met Tanya the other day, the wife of Burger Co.'s head chef. It didn't compute in my brain until now.
"Yeah," Dad sighs, gazing up at the sky. He and Edward have been friends for years; they're more like brothers than friends, really. Dad has drunkenly referred to Edward as his wayward younger brother many times. I know it kills him when Edward is hurting.
"Wasn't he supposed to be here today?" I wonder, remembering Mom told me this morning that she was expecting him.
"He texted earlier. Something about the new menu and a printing fuck-up."
A silly, insecure part of me wonders if I'm the reason he's been AWOL recently. The morning after we went to Burger Co., Mom admitted she was mad Edward hadn't been there like he said he would be. Then he showed up with flowers and chocolates and won her right over, just like that. Now there's this, him missing brunch.
Is it because of me? I can't help but—perhaps foolishly—wonder, even though the idea of him avoiding me puts a rock in the pit of my stomach and a sour taste on my tongue. Not to mention a whole lot of confusion because I have no idea why he'd be avoiding me.
Just as I'm about to ask more questions, Everly carries my cell out to me and mouths that it's someone about an interview. Excitement and nerves shoot through my veins as I raise it to my ear.
"Hello, this is Bella Swan. Speaking?"
"This is Jane Vaughn, from Vaughn's. You left your resume last week so I'm just calling to see if you're free for an interview on Monday. We haven't had any other applicants, so it's pretty much yours if you want it, but formalities..."
"I am free, that would be great!" Shooting Dad a silly smile and a thumbs up, I confirm a time with Jane and promise to see her Monday before hanging up with a whoop. I don't even care that she sounded so blasé about it and basically said I'm only likely to get it because nobody else applied. A job is a job.
It's one step closer to getting my life here on track.
"I've got an interview Monday. At Vaughn's."
Dad nods approvingly. "That's great, honey. It's not too far, and it's right next to Burger Co. if you have any problems."
My stomach erupts with butterflies. Being next door to Burger Co. hadn't even entered my mind until he pointed it out, but he's right. The convenience store is right next to Edward's restaurant. If he is avoiding me, it'll be a lot harder with me so close.
"I'm sure I'll be fine, Dad."
"Sure you'll be fine with what?" Mom joins us out on the patio, looking between me and Dad with confusion.
She's just as pleased as I am that I've got an interview so soon since arriving back in Jackson Bay. She's not stoked that it renews my vigor for finding a place to move into with Jaxson, Finley, and Arlo, but I take onboard her point that settling into a new job will take up enough time without throwing myself full steam ahead into house hunting.
"I'll hold off on looking for a house until I've started work and settled in," I promise, just to placate her, but the excitement doesn't abate and I spend the rest of the weekend crossing everything that this job will just be the start of good things to come here in Jackson Bay.
~ oOo ~
"You got this, Momma."
Twisting in my seat to grin at my boys, I reach out a closed fist. "Thanks, baby."
Jaxson taps my fist with his, then his brothers follow suit. "Are you nervous?"
Turning back to face the tiny convenience store, I can't help but quickly glance next door at Burger Co. and wish my interview could have been there. It's closed right now, but the prep chef is probably inside getting things started ready for the lunch time crowd. At least I'd know some people if I worked there.
"A little," I finally admit.
It's been a long time since I've had a first day of a new job. Back in England, I had the same two jobs the entire time I lived there. I worked at the coffee shop around the corner from our home, and later, I worked part-time for a small publishing house.
This is totally outside my comfort zone. Not to mention that Jane Vaughn was openly hostile with me when I went for my interview on Monday. The name didn't ring a bell until I saw her in person and realized she's none other than Jane the Pain, the girl who mercilessly bullied Everly throughout middle school before transferring out of state when her parents relocated. Her uncle, Aro, is the owner of the store, and I guess she's moved back to help him run it. Mom didn't even know yet, so it must have been recent—she and her crochet club are the worst for gossip in Jackson Bay. They know all the good stuff before anyone else.
"Nana's here!" Jaxson crows as Mom pulls into the parking lot in Dad's car. We're trading today—I'll take his convertible so she can take her SUV back. That way we don't have to keep swapping the car seats over.
I can't wait until I have my own car and this car-swapping business will be a thing of the past.
"All right." Turning back around to face the boys, I give them what Finley has dubbed the 'Mom-brow.' It strikes fear in even the wildest of kiddos. "You're going to behave for Nana today, right?"
"Right," they chime in unison, each drawing an imaginary halo around their head as they don impish smiles.
I don't believe them for a second, but they're her problem today.
"Okay. I'll see you later. Momma loves you all."
"Love you, Momma," they sing, blowing me kisses.
Mom offers me a reassuring smile and a hug as soon as I step out of the car. "You'll be fine, honey. I can see you're nervous but you've no need to be. You've got this."
"That's what Jax said," I laugh—a little nervously.
Mom's expression softens. "If the worst happens and you absolutely hate it, you know we could find you something to do at the hotel—"
"All right, I'd better get going, Mom. Thanks for having the boys!"
She takes my interruption with the good humor it was intended, laughing all the way into her car as she tosses me the keys to Dad's car and climbs in to join the boys. With them occupied, I've got no other option than to bite the proverbial bullet and head into Vaughn's.
~ oOo ~
Hanging my jacket on the hook in the hall with a heavy sigh, I try to push the stress of the day out of my mind.
As it turns out, this new job? Not the start of good things. Or even okay things, to be honest. Jane Vaughn is still the laziest, most self-centered person I've ever met and Aro is such a wet lettuce that he lets her waltz around doing whatever she likes all day while barking at me to do her jobs as well as mine.
That said, it all melts away when I walk through the house and lean in the doorway overlooking the backyard. Mom is perched on the end of a lounger beside the pool taking photos as Dad tosses the boys, one-by-one, into the water by one arm and one leg. After popping up cackling and spluttering, they scramble to climb out to get back into the line to go again.
It's a picture-worthy moment, for sure.
Only after snapping a few photos and a short video do I announce my presence with a cough and a grin when they all turn to look at me—well, all except Finley, who gets a brief glimpse of me before he hits the water. When he breaks the surface, he offers me a wave with one hand while he brushes his wet hair back with the other.
"Hey, Momma!"
"Hey, honey," Mom says, jumping up to loop an arm around my waist. "How was it?"
Glancing back over at the boys, who are once more focused on Dad and their fun new game, I lead Mom over to the table and sit down heavily with a long, heavy exhale. Her sympathetic frown makes me smile. "It wasn't that bad, but it wasn't good. Put it that way."
"Oh, sweetheart."
"It's okay, it was probably just a fluke. First day issues, that's all. Anyway, what I really want to talk about is what you guys all got up to today. How were the boys? How did you get on?" Distraction is key with Mom. I learnt that early on.
"Oh, this and that." Mom's face lights up as she talks about the boys—the same way her face always lit up when we video called and she'd tell me about babysitting Danny. It's adorable and heartwarming and everything I wanted when I imagined moving back here.
"Don't forget lunch," Dad reminds her as he joins us part way through her retelling of their day. "That sure was somethin', watching those boys cram pizza into their mouths as quickly as possible."
"Don't you know? I don't feed them," I tease, laughing when Dad tells me it's obvious.
The boys play happily on the grass while Mom and Dad fill me in on the rest of their day. They played in Dad's office at In The Bay for a couple of hours, then Mom and Dad took them for pizza at a pizzeria on the beach. Apparently it's a great place run by a family who, like ours, has been here for several generations.
"Do you remember the Georges?"
Nodding slowly, I can vaguely remember a couple of faces. "Didn't they have a daughter in Everly's grade?"
Mom nods. "That's right, Liv. They bought the old bar on the beach not long after you left and slowly restored it to its former glory. It's a really lovely little place now."
"That's great! We needed some variety around. I bet it takes a bit of the strain off Edward and Burger Co., too."
"It does, not that he particularly appreciates it. He prefers to keep busy, you know?"
I don't, but I can imagine why he likes to keep his mind occupied.
The six of us spend the evening out on the patio courting the sunset before heading inside. After feeding the boys dinner and taking pictures of them falling asleep in it, I wrangle them into pajamas and bed, tucking them all in with smooches to their sun kissed cheeks and a warmth in my chest that tells me we might just be okay here, crappy new job be damned.
Besides, working at Vaughn's can only get better.
~ oOo ~
By shift three at Vaughn's, I've lost all hope of it ever improving.
Having me there seems to give Jane the impression she's not needed except to rule over the store, shouting orders from her position in the office where she stinks the place out with her nail polish—which apparently needs redoing every other day—and spends half her time talking noisily on the phone. The business phone, might I add. I hate to imagine the bill on that thing.
Arriving for my first late shift on Wednesday, I'm just in time to see Jane flouncing out of the stock room with her cell in one hand and a bag of groceries I bet she didn't pay for in the other.
"Oh, there you are! It's about time."
Glancing at my watch, I frown. "I'm fifteen minutes early."
Mom is taking the boys to the beach with Angela and Danny, so I figured I'd earn some brownie points and head to work a little early. I wish I hadn't bothered now.
Jane is the sort of woman who wears too much makeup and not enough clothes. The uniform code is pretty casual here, but it definitely doesn't allow the mini skirt and crop top she's wearing. Not the way I read it, anyway.
As she scowls at me, her eyes narrow and she shifts impatiently in her heels. "I've got plans, Bella. Not all of us want to sit around here all day."
I refrain from pointing out that I don't get to sit around at all. Instead I bite my tongue and force a smile. Sometimes it's easier just to placate her, even if I'm not sorry at all. "I'm very sorry. Won't happen again."
"Good." She breezes past me, the smell of perfume around her so strong that I sneeze three times before Jane leaves the store with a huff and a disgusted look over her shoulder.
"What a fucking—"
"Oh, and another thing!" Biting my lip hard, I turn to see her in the doorway. "The delivery arrived, so you need to get that sorted."
With that, she's gone. Actually gone this time, thank the lord.
After locking my purse in the cupboard under the counter, I take a chance and dart out into the stock room to see what I'm dealing with.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Before I left yesterday, I made sure everything in there was tidy and organized. I put out the overs from the previous day and sorted the delivery. All Jane needed to do was restock the things that ran out throughout the afternoon and evening, yet...the room is a complete and utter mess. Boxes are strewn over the floor and today's delivery is mixed up with all the older stock.
There goes my chances of getting out of here on time, I realize with a muffled scream of frustration into my hands.
"Hello? Is anybody here?" A voice calls from out front.
Shutting the door on the mess to think about later, I somehow manage to plaster what I'm sure is an unconvincing smile on my face. It's Mr. Walters, from the laundromat down the street. His unceasing ability to talk absolute bullshit distracts me temporarily, but there's no escape from the shitstorm behind the stock room door and it taunts me whenever I look over there.
~ oOo ~
Throughout the afternoon and evening, whenever I get a lull, I try to sort bits and pieces so I won't have to do it all later on. The mixed up stock is the killer. It's the most time-consuming and also the most frustrating. Some of it, like the fresh things, have short dates anyway and should have been put out this morning.
Between serving customers, tidying up the shop, and re-organizing the shitshow of a stock room, it all takes way too long.
By the time I sign for the day's—thankfully small—delivery and put that where it needs to go, it's nearly ten. Then I have to move on to the cleaning and cashing up part of my shift. Turning the 'open' sign to 'closed' never felt so good.
Thankfully, the sound system behind the counter works just fine, so I can at least boogy and sing into the end of my mop to try and cheer myself up.
Thanks to the menial tasks, my mind wanders. Even though I know I shouldn't, I compare our life in England to our new life here. It's still new, still fresh and early days. I need to give it a chance. Even so, it's frustrating that it's not as perfect as I foolishly hoped it would be. At least right now, right off the bat. It's not all bad, not by a long shot, but there are downsides. This job, for one. Well, I could probably cope with the job. It's the owner of the store and his bitch of a niece I can't stand. I can only hope things improve because job opportunities here in Jackson Bay are scarce. I know Mom and Dad would help me out and find something for me to do at In The Bay if I asked. Hell, they'd probably love it if I went to work for them.
But I remember working there throughout high school. This job is dull—working there was worse. The only upsides were the people and the hours, really.
There's also my ridiculous pride that won't allow me to go back to my high school job working for my parents. It's silly and I know it to think that way, but I can't help it. I left to become successful, not to return to the same job I left as an eighteen-year-old. It's bad enough that everyone in town must be wondering about the boys' father and why I've come back without him. I don't want to be gossip fodder for the next decade. Going back to the hotel, I'm sure to have a million questions to answer from the staff there.
Here in Jackson Bay, jobs are life-long—for the most part, anyway. The same people I worked with back then still work there. It was one of the things Dad used to try and entice me back with, not realizing it would do the opposite and put me off.
Tucking the mop and bucket back into the corner of the small cleaning cupboard, I shake off my morose thoughts and stifle an eye-watering yawn. It's thirty minutes past midnight and I was meant to finish at eleven thirty. I'm relieved I thought to text Mom earlier to warn her I'd be late. She and Dad would have been worried otherwise.
I may be an adult, but they still like to baby me. Mom in particular. I didn't realize how much I missed it until we came home.
"Come on, Swan. Just the trash to go and then you're home free," I tell myself, wrestling the bag from the can and heading out into the alley behind the store. On my way out, I murmur a quiet prayer that I'll be alone out there. I really don't fancy company.
It seems that nobody's listening at this time of night though, because no sooner has the door to the store slammed shut behind me does another door fly open along the alley and a broad, obviously agitated silhouette step out into the dark. I can't control the squeak that escapes me, but my panicked heart gets a break as my eyes adjust.
A broad, obviously agitated, familiar silhouette.
On second thoughts, maybe some company out here isn't the worst thing...
Anybody want to take a guess at who Bella's company might be? ;)
Huge hugs and thank yous to annaharding, Thats-So-Alex, LadyLoonie, Anakinsmom, and LizziePaige for your help. You ladies rock and I heart you.