Chapter 22: Paul's Dilemma
Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight.
The honeymoon, although short, was a wonderful respite from the real world. Still, there was truth in the old adage: There's no place like home. They were once again ready to take on the world, and anxious to get back into a comfortable routine. Jacob, especially needed his garage time, and he was dying to stick his head under the hood of that Spider. He was still pinching himself that this was not a dream. Would he be able to hand this beauty over to the council?
He decided to hang onto it for one glorious month, then have the tribal elders raffle it off. He'd keep part of the money to buy a piece of land to build a house on, and maybe an automotive repair shop—oh, yeah, and a new car—a lot cheaper car. The rest would go to the council for programs sorely needed by La Push—you know, a library, a clinic, scolarships, etc.
"So what do you think, Bells? Do you agree?"
Bella was never one to covet things. Nodding her head enthusiastically, she blurted, "Yes!" Then she nearly knocked him over as she leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs around Jacob's torso.
She was proud of her man. That Spider would stick out like a sore thumb in this community. The money from the raffle would benefit all of La Push, not just the Black's.
That Tuesday, Jacob went to the bank, and Chad signed over the necessary papers. The Spider now belonged to Jacob—at least for the next thirty days.
His plan for the raffle wasn't a hard sell to the council. They began immediately to advertize and sell raffle tickets. People as far away as Sappho, and Beaver bought tickets, not to mention the residents of the Makah Reservation. By the time Jacob was ready to turn over the car, they had raised over 1.2 million dollars.
Jacob and Bella bought a lot outside of La Push. They fixed up Billy's place because the ol' man refused to move, and Jacob became the proud owner of an existing repair shop, renamed appropriately, Lupine Motors. Every Saturday, Jacob, Quil or Embry would give the younger teens a tutorial on the workings of the auto engine. If any of them were interested, Jacob would hire them on as part time employees. It was a win-win situation all around. Jacob really looked forward to those Saturdays, because afterwards, he would take a leisurely bubble bath with his sweetie. And, oh, how sweet it was.
Six months had slipped away. Jacob and Bella were still deliriously happy, until one day . . .
It was 9:15 P.M. when Bella heard a vehicle approaching the house. She looked out the window, and saw Paul's pickup, weaving back and forth on the roadway. He stopped the truck abruptly, almost taking out the tree in the front yard. Staggering up to the front door, he pounded on it loudly. Bella opened the door, and Paul fell into the room. Knocking her into a nearby chair, he had her pinned down, practically straddling her. While she was struggling to get the heavy guy off her lap, Jacob walked into the room.
"What the hell's goin' on here?" he bellowed.
Looking wild eyed, Bella retorted, "I don't know, but can you get him off me. I can't breathe."
Jacob grabbed Paul around the ribcage and hauled him off of Bella. He dragged him to the couch and sat him down. "Okay, Paul let's have it."
Paul was a wreck. His breath reeked of alcohol, his clothes unusually rumpled, and his eyes—they were bloodshot. There were tear tracks running down his cheeks, and his hair was sticking up every which way. Good lord, was this the devil may care Paul? What happened to him?
"Chelle ran me out of the house," he croaked. "She told me not to come back. I love her, Jake. What am I going to do? I'll be lost without her. What am I going to do?" he lamented again. He dropped his head into his hands, and sobbed pitifully.
To say that seeing Mr. Arrogant in such a condition was shocking, was a gross understatement. Bella always thought he was a jerk, but he proved now, that he really did love Rachel. Her heart even twinged with sympathy for the big lug.
Jacob pulled up a chair to speak to him. Bella sat beside him on the couch, not knowing what to do. She finally placed a hand on his arm in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.
"Jeez, Paul, you look like hell. What on earth happened? Why is she so mad at you?"
Paul wiped at his eyes, and began his tale of woe. He sighed a couple of times, trying to get his emotions under control. "Well . . . you remember Jennifer? The guy she'd been seeing dumped her, so she started comin' onto me. I tried to avoid her—honestly, I was. I told her not to bother me—that I was in love with your sister. She didn't take that too well.
"She caught me at the grocery store, and was hanging all over me. You know how she is . . . I pulled her away from me when her ex walked in. I guess she wanted to make him jealous, so she grabbed me and kissed me. I pushed her away, but not before Emily saw us together. I told her to buzz off, and she really went ballistic. The next thing I know, she spread rumors that she and I had a thing going. Emily heard the rumors and saw the evidence; she told Chelle what she saw.
Wringing his hands, he said. You know it's not true—I would never cheat on Chelle. Why would she believe that? Anyway, I need someplace to crash. Can I stay here a while?"
Jacob looked at Bella. She nodded her head. "Sure, sure. I'll go get you some clothes to wear to bed. But, I've gotta ask you. Where's the bottle?"
"It's empty; I threw it away."
Paul was steadier on his feet as Jacob helped him into the spare bedroom. His alcoholic haze was nearly gone. "Hey, man, thanks, I owe you."
"Yeah, you do," Jacob answered.
The next morning, Jacob and Bella were in a rush to get to school—Paul included—so there was little time to properly discuss the sticky situation. Bella especially wanted this condition remedied as soon as possible. She felt sorry for Paul, but good grief, he was a big boy. He needed to fix the mess by himself.
That afternoon, after school, Paul was using Jacob's cell in an attempt to speak to Rachel. He couldn't get past Billy. Apparently, his wounded partner asked her dad to run interference for her.
"She doesn't want to talk to you, Paul," Billy explained. "I don't agree with that decision, but I have to honor her wishes. Give her a couple of days to cool down. It'll give you time to come up with a story."
Paul stood up from the couch, his voice rising louder along with his frustration. "I don't have a story. I only have the truth, but she won't listen."
"All I've got to say is, try again in another couple of days. Bye."
"Well . . ." Jacob asked. "Is she going to speak to you?"
"No." Paul plopped down on the couch, defeated. "Your dad says to give her some time to cool down. I don't know if I can wait that long."
I know I don't wanna wait that long. "Okay, Paul. You can stay here. Rach can be pretty unforgiving sometimes. Maybe she'll start missing you." Although, why, I can't imagine. Jeez, this is gonna put a serious crimp in my love life, not to mention my bank account. The grocery bill's gonna go through the roof.
Bella and Jacob were sitting up in bed. She was not in the best of moods. "You told him he could stay?"
"Have a heart, Bells. He's a broken shell. It's only a couple more days." Pleee-aase let it be just two more days.
Scowling, Bella replied, "You hope!"
"I can't just turn him out in the cold."
"Why not, Rachel did. Anyway, he could go wolf. His coat will protect him from the cold and he can live off the fat of the land."
Jacob's mouth dropped open in surprise. Bella had always been so compassionate. "Jeez, Bells, I can't believe how unsympathetic you're being."
She took his hand in hers. "I'm not being unsympathetic. I'm being realistic. Jake—you're enabling him. If he's all warm and cozy here, he's not going to be motivated to solve the problem. It won't seem all that urgent."
Entwining their fingers tightly, Jacob appealed to her. "Well, let's not make his problem become our problem, okay? Two more days, and we'll see what happens."
Forty-eight hours raced on by, and Paul was attempting to contact his Chelle once more. He hit a brick wall head on, in the person of his father-in-law to be.
"What do you want me to do, Billy?" he pleaded.
"Give me the damn phone," Jacob growled as he snatched it away from Paul.
"Dad," he barked. "This is getting ridiculous. You tell Rach to come to the phone right now. She can at least talk to me."
He heard her in the background saying, "I'm not talking to him either. He's Paul's pack brother. Jake will be on his side. Those pack puppies always stick together."
"Man, what a stubborn woman!" Jacob muttered as he threw the cell onto the couch.
Paul walked to the nearby coffee table and grabbed his keys. "You don't need to tell me." As he went through the door, he added, "Wish me luck, Jake. I only hope this is as easy as ripping the head off a vamp."
Bella, oblivious to the previous conversation, came out of the kitchen. "Where did Paul go?"
Jacob sighed, and shaking his head commented, "He went back to the frontlines, and he better have plenty of ammunition with him."