Chapter Two

It was Tuesday and we were busier than we had been before. What was the special occasion? It was still two weeks until Halloween so there weren't any Halloween parties going on in schools and school was in session still, so why were there a lot of kids in the bakery? And why was everyone suddenly craving cupcakes at twelve in the afternoon?

Whatever, I shouldn't complain. It was business and any kind of business was a gift. But did it really have to be today? I was already panicking over my date later tonight and wanted to close early.

But from the looks of it, I wasn't going to get to close early and I wasn't going to ditch Alice to fend for herself.

The day went by slowly, my anxiety over tonight being shoved aside for the stress of keeping up with orders that didn't seem to slow down at all throughout the rest of the day. Of course, it wasn't only Alice and I here, we had a staff to help with filling orders called in and to help bake the cupcakes and they were a saving grace when it came to days like today.

Finally, the customers stopped filing in and it slowed down significantly. The sun had just set and the street lamps were on so I flipped the lock on the front door and started to clean up the front counter.

"Bella?!" Alice squeaks from behind me, making me jump. "What are you still doing here?" I fix her a confused look and she stares at me in disbelief. "Your date? With the police officer?"

I shrug, going back to wiping the counter. "He's not picking me up until seven, I still have time."

Alice scoffs and yanks the rag from my hand. "Bella, it's seven-thirty!" She exclaims and I glance at the clock behind her.

"Shit!" I rip my apron off, grab my bag and run out of the bakery towards my car.

I'm running up the steps to my apartment and Edward's sitting on the floor outside of my apartment, looking dejected and slightly annoyed. "I'm late and I'm so, so sorry! We were busy and I was overwhelmed and lost track of time. Give me five minutes to change and then I'll be ready to go!" I shove the door open after unlocking it and let Edward in behind me.

Dropping my bag on the couch, I run to my bedroom and yank my black t-shirt off over my head and wiggle out of my work jeans. I change into a black floaty skirt and a red blouse with black flats. I have no choice but to run my brush through my hair quickly and glance once more in the mirror before heading back out into the living room.

Edward is leaning against the back of the armchair in the living room and I'm suddenly struck by how attractive he is.

Being in his uniform is one thing – a police uniform can make a lot of people attractive – but he's wearing a simple pair of dark wash jeans with a cream-colored sweater and his bronze hair is unruly and he just looks so…sexy.

"Hi…" He smiles, almost shyly.

I give him a smile and then frown. "I'm so sorry about being late. You probably thought that I was skipping out on you."

He shakes his head, pushing himself off the chair. "It's fine, really, Bella. I understand that you were busy. But you're here now and that's what matters. Are you ready to go?"

I nod and he leads the way out of the apartment and down the steps to his waiting car.

Fifteen minutes later, we're parked out front of a pizza place in the middle of Seattle. I glance over at Edward as he turns the ignition off. "Pizza?" I ask, amused.

Edward nods and gives me a heart-melting grin. "I figured you'd be hungry after work and who doesn't love pizza?"

"Okay then." I laugh and step out of the car, and follow behind him into the restaurant.

We head inside and when we approach the hostess stand, the girl in front gives Edward a flirtatious smile – completely ignoring my existence – and grabs two menus, heading towards a table in the back. She seats us by the large window and then leaves us.

I'm about to sit with my back against the wall when Edward suddenly speaks up. "Do you mind if I sit there? I have this thing about being able to see the door."

I give him a strange look but don't argue. I sit down on the opposite side and look through the menu. After our waiter comes by and takes our orders and menus, I fold my hands in my lap and suddenly feel awkward. Why do I feel so awkward?

"So…" I start. "What's the reason with the door thing?" I really hope I'm not being rude but I just need there to be some sort of ice breaker.

Edward smiles and leans back against his chair. "It's just a police thing. I feel a lot better knowing I'm able to see the door. Having my back to it is extremely uncomfortable and I get anxious about it." I nod along at his explanation. "And if something were to happen, I'd be able to see it right away and react quicker."

"What made you want to be a police officer?" I ask, interested.

He shrugs. "I don't really know. All I remember is that I used to love pretending to be a cop when I was a kid – my parents constantly bought me new police costumes so that I never outgrew them."

I can't help but smile at the thought of him as a small child, dressing up in a police uniform.

"What about you?" He smirks. "What made you want to own a bakery?"

Laughing, I comb my fingers through my hair and lean back in my chair, feeling a little less anxious. "My dad, Charlie, was a terrible cook when I lived with him. He could barely make spaghetti without messing up, so I was usually the one who cooked dinner every night. I also baked – a lot. Charlie is the police chief of my hometown and so I would bake for him and his coworkers and I just loved it a lot more than cooking, than anything really. I loved the smell of fresh baked cupcakes and how the house would smell sweet for days after I had baked."

His ears perk up. "Your dad's a police chief?" I nod. "What a coincidence."

Our dinner arrives and we spend the rest of the night talking about our past and where we went to high school, what made us want to move to Seattle…the basics.

After we finish and pay, we head back to the car and it's close to ten at night and I'm exhausted from my early morning and busy day.

Edward drives me back to the apartment and walks me to my door and my chest suddenly feels warm. He's protective and it makes me want to melt. "As much as I really don't want this date to end, I have a very early morning."

I smirk. "I do, too."

We stand in the hallway, staring at each other, both of us smiling, for a while and I really don't want the night to end. I like talking to him, it's so easy and he makes me feel warm and safe. I haven't felt like that in a long time.

And then he's capturing my face between his hands, his eyes searching mine for a sign of indifference. And then his lips are brushing against mine, my heart racing and I'm gripping his wrists to steady myself. My breathing is embarrassingly loud.

I'm waiting for him to kiss – I want him to kiss me. But he suddenly steps back, dropping his hands, and giving me a soft smile. "Goodnight, Bella." He chuckles and then heads back down the hall, towards the elevator.

I slump back against the door, staring after him. My heart is starting to slow, but my head is a confused mess.

What the fuck?

Opening the door, I walk in and see Alice walking out of the kitchen, holding a small pint of ice cream and in her pajamas. She looks surprised to see me. "Well that was a short date." Her face drops. "Did it go badly?"

"I don't think so?"

She makes her way over to the couch, folding her legs underneath her. "You don't think so? What does that mean?"

I'm staring at the floor, still trying to wrap my head around his rejection. "The date was going well – we talked and laughed and then when he dropped me off, he leaned in to kiss me…and then he pulled away and left."

"Maybe he wanted to kiss you but just didn't know how you'd react." She offers, not sounding so sure of herself.

"I think I made it pretty obvious that I wanted him to kiss me." I scoff, beginning to get frustrated. "I'm going to go shower and then go to bed, I have to be at the bakery early tomorrow morning."