Chapter 23: First Fight
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What a relief—Paul was finally taking things into his own hands, and dealing with his situation. The dinner dishes were done, homework was finished, and Bella and Jacob were snuggled together on the couch watching TV.
Oh crap. It was too good to be true. Paul's pickup pulled up to the house. Now what? The front door opened and in he walked, carrying two bags of clothes. Looked like Rachel wasn't in a forgiving mood yet.
Paul shrugged, and sheepishly said, "Sorry guys, Chelle shoved my clothes out the front door before I could even knock." He carried the bags into the bedroom, and shut the door.
Bella gave Jacob the look—the specific Do something look. "It's been nearly a week," she stated calmly.
He lowered his eyes, afraid to meet the opposing forces. "Yeah, I know. Let's wait a little longer. She can't stay mad forever." God, I hope she puts down her arms soon, before Bells starts putting up hers.
Not saying a word, Bella continued staring at Jacob. He surrendered to her nonverbal plea. "I know what you're gonna tell me, Bells. I'll go talk to him right now."
He strode over to the bedroom door, and rapped politely.
Paul's voice sang out. "Come on in, the door's unlocked—unlike Chelle's bedroom door." He muttered the last phrase.
He lifted his head, turning his attention away from the drawer he had been arranging his clothes in. "Go on, say it—big man, cocky Paul, shut out of his own damn bedroom. Sh**!" He slammed the drawer closed, and grabbing a pair of jeans off the top of the dresser, flung them against the far wall.
Hunching over, he hung his head, feeling defeated. With his arms extended to brace himself on either side of the dresser, he asked, "Do you think you could drive over there with me and talk to her?"
Jacob sympathized with his packmate, but did not relish being a referee in this mess. No siree—he was on good terms with his dad and Rachel and wanted to keep it that way. He clapped a hand on Paul's shoulder. "I really don't think I should get in the middle of this. You and Rach need to sort this out on your own."
"Well, Mr. Sunshine, it's kinda hard to sort things out when the other party won't even give you the time of day. Any other bright ideas?"
Rubbing a finger across his chin, Jacob offered, "What about Emily? Have you explained all this to her. Rach would probably listen to her. A woman will always listen to another woman."
Paul rolled his intense brown eyes. "Have you forgotten—this is Chelle we're talkin' about."
"Jeez, sorry, it's all I've all I've got. What's it gonna hurt?"
"Okay—hell, I guess it's worth a try." Paul sighed loudly. Straightening his stance, he pointed to the blue wrinkled fabric on the floor. "Can you hand me those jeans so I can put them in a drawer?"
Taking Jacob's advice, Paul stopped by the Uley's after school to see Emily. As luck would have it, she was visiting her sister who just delivered a baby. She would be staying there at Neah Bay on the Makah reservation 'til the end of the week.
Paul went on to work and once more returned to Jacob's home at the end of the day.
Jacob was still at the garage when Bella entered her kitchen with some groceries. The door to the spare bedroom was partially open, and she overheard Paul talking on the phone to Rachel.
"Chelle, don't hang up! God, I miss you. Baby, please let me come home. No . . . I . . .
Chelle . . . Chelle . . .?"
She passed by his door, as he came out of the room, wiping a tear away with the back of his hand. As soon as he spotted her, he turned away in embarrassment and went back inside, closing the door.
Bella was trying her best to be patient, but several more days passed and Paul was no closer to a resolution than day one. He was gone a few hours at Quil's house when she finally blew a gasket. She went to the fridge to get out the meat she had saved to fix stroganoff for dinner and it was gone except for a few measly pieces left on the platter.
Ugh! She just wanted to scream. That was the last straw.
Jacob could feel the tension in the air. He walked into the kitchen and innocently asked, "What's for dinner, honey?" One glance in her direction, and he was sorry he asked. Uh-oh, here it comes.
Bella was standing by the fridge, her arms at her sides, and her hands fisted. "Ten days—ten days, Jake! He's got to go. He's eaten everything that's edible in this kitchen. I can't keep up.
"And another thing—I have no privacy with him around. I have to be fully dressed before I can use the bathroom in the morning, and even then, he's in there half the time showering or shaving."
"You're right, I'll ask him to start showering at night, and chip in a little more for groceries."
"No—that's not the point, and that's not going to solve the issue. I want him out of here." She glared at Jacob, her chocolate eyes shooting fiery darts in his direction.
Leaning flush against her, he used his charm to reason with her. He lifted her chin, and rubbing one finger along her jaw, spoke softly. "He has no place to go. No one else will take him. He's a pack brother, I owe him, Bells."
"Yeah, well you owe me too." She pushed him away. "And stop that. You're not sweet-talking me into letting him stay.
"Why can't you go talk to that stubborn sister of yours?"
Jacob lowered himself onto one of the wooden chairs. He was so tired today, and hungry too. Did they really have to discuss this right now?
"Jeez, I already told Paul I won't do that. I don't want to get stuck in the middle of their problem. Why don't you go see her?"
"Why me? She's your sister!"
Crap! He was not in the mood, and he could feel his temper starting to rise.
He bit his tongue, not wanting this tiff to escalate into a full blown war.
"When I married you, I didn't realize that this was a package deal; that the whole pack would be moving in with us."
That did it! "Paul is not the whole pack," he growled rather loudly.
"Coulda fooled me, 'cause he sure eats like he's the whole pack. Now, get him out of here. It's either him or me."
She crossed her arms in front of her chest, and began walking to their bedroom. Jacob got up from the chair, and roughly pushed it aside. Following behind her, he yelled, "Are you giving me an ultimatum, Ms. Bossy Britches?"
She stood in the center of the bedroom entrance, with arms akinbo and yelled back. "Don't you understand English? Maybe I should try Quileute. Get. Him. Out. Of. Here."
"What the hell do you want me to do?"
She started to close the door to their bedroom. Jacob clenched his teeth. "Oh, that's right . . . typical Bella . . . run away and hide. That's vey mature. Out of sight, out of mind. Problem solved."
Slamming the door in his face, she replied, "I didn't see you doing anything."
"It wasn't my problem," he shouted through the wooden panel.
"Well it is now," she answered angrily.
Jacob turned the handle on the door. It was locked. This was turning into a nightmare. He banged his fist on the door. "God dammit, Bella open up this door."
His adamant wife retorted. "This door opens when Paul is out the door."
He pounded again. "C'mon. I said open up."
Suddenly the door swung away, and Bella threw a pillow and a blanket at him. Then it swung back and was relocked.
"Okay, you win, Bella. You don't want me in the bedroom, so I'll find someplace else to sleep." He rummaged through the hall closet and pulled out a sleeping bag, then he carried it out to the garage.
Hours went by, and Jacob was tossing in his bedroll. It wasn't so much that he was uncomfortable. He was pretty much used to a rough environment whenever he patrolled. It was the feeling that things weren't right between he and Bella. They had never really quarreled before, and he didn't like it one bit. Damn that Paul—and Rachel too. She could at least have the decency to hear him out. Why did their stupid misunderstanding have to spill into his happy home? Closing his eyes for the umpteenth time, his attempt to catch a few winks was once again unsuccessful. He punched at his pillow, repositioning it under his head, and pulled the sleeping bag up around his ears.
Outside the garage, soft footfalls approached. He heard her heartbeat falter as she slid back the side door. A few seconds later, a beam of light flashed over his head, and she was kneeling at his side.
Jacob turned over in her direction; no use in pretending he was asleep. It wasn't fooling anybody.
"Say what you need to say, then go back to bed. You're gonna catch cold out here."
She put out her hand, touching his arm. "I can't sleep. It doesn't seem fair for you to be out here on the garage floor, while Paul is comfy cozy in one of our beds."
His eyes glistened in the light from her electric lamp. Those puppy dog eyes gazed at her sorrowfully. "Believe me, this was not my idea."
Bella pulled the zipper down and slipped in beside him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she rested her cheek against his. "It was lonely in that bed all by myself. I'm used to having my space heater wrapped around me."
She snuggled up closer to him, and let out a little sigh. "I think I've come up with a solution. I'll take Quil with me, and confront the instigator head on."
"We already tried that several times, Rach won't listen. Anyway, you said you didn't want to see her."
"No, not Rachel, you idiot."
Jacob clicked his tongue in frustration. "He's gonna be here a couple more days again then, 'cuz Emily doesn't get home 'til Sunday."
"Not Emily either. I'm talking about this Jennifer person. This is all her fault. I'll make her fess up, and we'll all be a happy family again."
Pulling her in closer, Jacob kissed her neck. She was making him shudder as her fingers danced over his broad shoulders and chest. Before you knew it, she was giving his engine a major tune up. The services rendered would last for a good twenty-four hours . . . maybe. At least they hoped so.