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My body, used to rising at the same time every day, jerked awake.
Yawning, I reached for my phone to check the time. It was only seven. I still had a couple of weeks before classes resumed, but I did have work in a little less than an hour.
I was an English major who worked as a secretary. Yeah, it sucked – but it paid the bills. My mother had gotten me the job the summer I'd turned seventeen and two years later I was still there. On the days I didn't have to go to school I worked full time, otherwise I got in a couple of hours in the afternoon, filing and answering the phone.
They really did pay well though and, because of my mother's friendship with Attorney Uley, even arranged for me to have benefits.
As much as I loved living in Ocean Park- it was a beach town after my own heart – there weren't that many great opportunities when it came to employment. Still, I couldn't see myself moving anywhere else, even after I graduated from college. Living by the sea and staying close to the people I'd grown up with was important to me. My father lived up the coast in another tiny Washington town and while I visited him several times a year it was always a relief to come home to what I knew.
I missed the days when summer meant sleeping in and endless chillin'.
But for now, it was time to get up. My eyes drifted to the calendar above my desk.
Thursday. If I could just make it through today and tomorrow, then I could enjoy two days of freedom.
Two days of maybe seeing Edward. I shivered at the thought.
In the shower I closed my eyes and let myself daydream.
His mouth. His hands. His voice… oh my gosh, his voice.
He'd kissed me and then brought me into Seth's car and kissed me some more, even when the boys got back in and we left the bluffs. Quiet, soft kisses. Arriving at his house had been somewhat surprising; I'd barely felt the car move.
The boys pretended not to notice as he whispered his goodbye and squeezed my hand before climbing out.
He didn't even have my number. And I didn't have his; I'd been too smitten to think about such technicalities. Dammit.
Finishing up in the shower, I quickly toweled off and opted to let my hair air dry as I did my makeup. Sometimes I blow dried it, and that looked fantastic, but I had neither the time nor the inclination to do so this morning.
My mother left for work way before I did and she'd left coffee and a blueberry muffin on the counter for me. Grabbing both, I headed out the door.
By lunch time I was famished and just a little stir crazy. When my coworkers started talking about food I offered to do the pick up – anything to get out of the office, even if just for a few minutes. Maybe I could get a healthy little dose of sun on my face and arms.
I was waiting in line at the deli when a familiar head of hair caught my attention.
Edward had come in and was looking around. His face brightened when he saw me and he came over, making my heart drop.
"Hey you," he said, coming and standing really close.
My mouth practically twitched, wanting to kiss him.
"Hi, Edward." I smiled up at him, appreciating just how good he looked in the sunlight. He had a light tan and a few freckles by his nose. His hair was even ruddier than I'd initially thought; dark red and almost-bronze streaked through the brown, naturally lightening it like he spent a lot of time outside.
"I like this," he said, tugging my blouse a bit as he gave me the once-over.
Blushing, I glanced down at my work clothing: a grey pencil skirt, sleeveless white button up, and heels. I looked good, it was true. Thank God.
"Thanks… so what are you up to? Are you going to order something?"
"Nah, I'm on my way out of town for the day. I stopped by your job and they said you were here, so…"
"My job? How'd you know where I worked?" I asked, my heart beating a little faster at the possibility that he'd been looking for me.
"Seth told me."
"Oh." I smiled, biting my lip. He had been looking for me. Major brownie points. "Cool. Where do you work?"
"I work with my dad's company. You've heard of Masen and Cullen?"
"Yes, I have," I replied, surprised. Masen and Cullen was a very lucrative and well known architectural firm in the Long Beach Peninsula. In fact, the lawyer I worked for represented them, so I was familiar with both their practice and their good name.
"Yeah. And I start working toward my Masters in architecture this September."
"Your Masters? Wow. I'll be starting my junior year of college," I laughed.
"That's cool. It goes by fast," he said.
His eyes never left mine. So intense.
The person ahead of me in line finished their order and moved away, leaving me to order next. I stepped up and gave the cashier the list I'd brought from the office, guessing that would be easier than trying to explain it verbally, with everyone's preferences and special requests.
"Anyway, I gotta run." Edward said. "What are you doing tonight?"
"I don't know yet. What are you doing?"
"I wanted to see you again."
My stomach fluttered in anticipation. "I'd like that."
The cashier gave me my total. Reaching into my purse, I pulled out both my wallet and my phone.
"Do you want to give me your number?" I asked, giving him the phone before paying.
"Sure." He programmed his number in and then took his own out. "What's yours?"
I moved aside so the next person could order and then gave him my number.
"All right. Good seeing you. You're hot all dressed up like that; I'll be thinking about it all day," he smirked, looking pointedly at my skirt. A shiver of excitement shot up my body. He tended to do that a lot to me.
I watched him leave, my whole body buzzing with attraction. Jeez, he was a gorgeous.
"Is he a looker or what?" the woman behind me muttered, startling me with the similarity of our thoughts.
I smiled back at her, nodding.
That night I made sure to shave and blow dry my hair. I mean, now Edward had seen me looking both casual and dressy, so I wanted to aim for something sort of in the middle. I knew the guys had a gig somewhere, and I wasn't sure if we were hanging out before or after. Or both.
Edward called for directions around six, further setting me on edge. I couldn't stop thinking about how he'd kissed me the night before. Seeing him earlier in the deli had only made me more anxious, knowing how delicious he tasted and how good he felt, but not being able to do anything about it.
"You going out?" Mom said, emerging from her room with a book.
"Yeah. I met this guy, Edward, so… I'm hoping…" I mumbled, lightly applying lip gloss.
"Oh, okay. Have fun honey. Be careful."
"I will."
Just then there was a knock at the door.
"Oh good," Mom whispered. "I'll get to see him."
Rolling my eyes, I went to the door and opened it, knowing my mother was hovering in the doorway, just waiting to get an eyeful.
"Hi," I greeted him. He looked perfect, not surprisingly, in jeans and a t-shirt.
"Hey." His smile was beautiful. "You ready?"
"Yeah, let me grab my bag. This is my mom, by the way. Mom, Edward."
"Hi, Mrs. Swan," he said smoothly. It felt weird that he knew my last name, but why wouldn't he? We'd talked for a long time the night before, and he'd had his tongue in my mouth for even longer.
"Oh, call me Renee," she replied flirtatiously.
And that was our cue to leave.
"Bye, Mom. Love you. Don't wait up."
"I never do," she called back as I shut the door.
"I wanted to grab a bite to eat before heading to the lounge where we're playing. That okay?"
"Definitely." I nodded. I'd go anywhere with him right about then.
I really hoped he'd kiss me again soon.
In the car, Edward kept his hand on my knee.
I'd worn a skirt about that long, and it felt nice, feeling his warm skin against mine.
We chatted a little about our day. I didn't have that much to divulge, nothing interesting anyway, but he'd gone to check out a new jobsite where he and a construction crew would soon be building. He was lucky to be able to spend so much time outside and I told him I envied him for it.
It was hard work, but he got fresh air and sunshine.
"You wouldn't be saying that if you had to work during a storm," he joked.
"True," I conceded. "But… I guess I get sick of being cooped up all the time."
"So you're an outdoors girl."
I shrugged. "You could say that."
"Good to know." He squeezed my knee and my heart went along and squeezed too.
Dinner was good, for several reasons.
Edward took me to a little place near the water where we had a couple of beers with our meal and talked about his music. Conversation came so easily with him. The silences never felt awkward and our words never felt stilted. With Embry, we'd had an easy going discourse too, but nothing like this.
Edward's eyes were so green, so clear. They almost seemed to change depending on the sort of day it was, or what he wore. His eyes never left mine while we talked, ever, and I didn't want them to.
The feelings between us rolled off in waves, the wanting so very tangible.
His fingers tickled by mine across the tabletop, and I wanted him.
By the time we made it to the lounge where the band was performing, most of the other guys were there. Embry gave me a small wave, his smile small too.
At least he was talking to me.
"Okay," Edward led me over to wear a group of girls was sitting together. "You can sit wherever you want, obviously, but this is where … our friends sit."
Psh, right. Their female friends- their groupies. I'd rather have a root canal than sit there and listen to their probably insipid chitchat. Still, I didn't want to seem snobby. I eased one of the chairs over and sat so that it was I was facing the stage.
When they finally began, I sat holding my breath. They had another lead singer but Edward sang alongside him sometimes. Sometimes he looked at me, and sang, and I thought of the night before when he he'd played me a song.