Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. That being said, please be nice and don't copy or translate without permission. Thank you.

It's an early update – yay! I've got a crazy weekend planned, including my last birthday in the threes (yikes!), so I wanted to make sure to get this chapter out because my computer access will be limited. I hope you enjoy!!

Chapter 5

I found it unnerving to return to my dark, empty house after the evening of lightness and fun with Rosalie's friends and family. I shivered a bit as I hung my jacket and purse on the hook in the foyer, fumbling for my cell phone to carry with me through the house. I flipped the phone open, knowing there was no way I had missed a call, but hoping all the same that either Sarah or Will had tried to reach me. They had rarely stayed away from home for anything other than the occasional birthday party or sleepover. I knew they were in more than capable hands with Jacob and Ness, but I still missed them. It felt wrong to have them gone. It was too still, too quiet.

I avoided the kitchen, knowing I'd find the abandoned mess from dinner but not wanting to trigger the melancholy. I climbed the stairs wearily, suddenly feeling the weight of the day press down on my psyche. Maybe a nice warm shower would help. I needed to erase the smell of smoke from the bar and relax my suddenly tense muscles. I found myself smiling fondly as I picked up Will's wet towel from the floor at the foot of the tub, then shook my head at my thoughts. Any other day, I'd be grumbling under my breath at his forgetfulness. I turned on the shower, letting the water heat as I absentmindedly stripped off the outfit I had worn this evening.

Normally I avoided looking at myself in the mirror, generally dissatisfied with the visage that stared back at me. Tonight however, I looked at my reflection critically, wondering what someone else might think. Wondering what Edward might think. That thought made my mouth go dry, yet another blush rising in my cheeks. My nipples pebbled, and I wasn't sure whether it was the cool air of the bathroom or the thought of the beautiful guitar player I met tonight.

I was no longer a nubile young woman like the pretty waitress at the bar. My body clearly displayed the effects of pregnancy and child birth. The cesarean scar on my abdomen was a faded white line. The surrounding skin was marked with faint silvery spider webs, remembrances of stretch marks from two pregnancies barely two years apart. My breasts were no longer as high and firm as they had been during my youth, again marked with the ghostly reminder of the children I had nurtured there. About three years ago, I had gained a significant amount of weight that had caused the stretch marks to darken again, as well as other unsightly changes to my once slender and toned form. Although I had taken all but twenty pounds of that weight off again, there was a permanent roundness to my belly between my hips, and heaviness added to my thighs and bottom that altered the shape I had been before. I knew that Sarah's earlier remarks had been made strictly for shock value, but I couldn't help the insecurity that flooded me when I thought of Renesmee's perfect young figure next to my own time-stamped body.

I stepped into the shower and adjusted the temperature, the cascade of warm water soothing my frayed nerves. I lathered my hair with my favorite strawberry-scented shampoo, glad anew at my recent haircut that had taken my hair from halfway down my back to just below my shoulders. I worked the deep conditioner into the strands, then picked up the loofah and my freesia scented body wash, leisurely running the sponge along my limbs. I absently passed over my torso, and a shockwave shot to my center when I came into contact with my suddenly sensitive nipples. I gasped as the sensation brought to my mind's eye the long fingers and crooked grin of Edward Cullen.

The feelings stunned me. It had been a long time since I had felt such a primal reaction in my own body. The sex with Jacob had been good, if infrequent through the years… and completely non-existent for the last two. But even in the early lust filled days of our pre-child relationship, I had always been slow to arouse. I could not recall a time in my youth where simply picturing a man could set off such a firestorm. Apparently my libido, after two years of being stuck firmly in the off position, was suddenly revved up like one of Jake's motorcycles. And all it took was meeting Edward Cullen.

I pictured Edward's face again, the look of intensity in his eyes as he had leaned forward to talk to me. I felt a low throb between my legs as I stroked the loofah up from my knee, and shuddered as I swept it across the juncture of my thighs. I hesitantly grazed a finger through the curls there, gasping at the sensation, remembering how I had watched his fingers stroke and pluck the guitar strings. I was immobilized under the shower spray, aroused and bewildered, embarrassed that I was fantasizing about a complete stranger. Indecision stilled my movements, and I stood there until the water turned lukewarm. I knew I had about a minute before all the hot water was gone, so I hastily rinsed my hair. I wasn't quick enough, the water turning ice cold before the conditioner was gone. Shivering violently, I stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel.

I wrapped myself in my warmest robe and rubbed vigorously at my wet hair. Grabbing my brush, I worked it through the tangled strands as I walked into the bedroom. I admired the changes I had made to the room Jacob and I used to share. A brand new bed and mattress, delivered the day the divorce was final, sat opposite where the old bed had been. Jacob had looked at me blankly when I told him I needed help hauling the old furniture out, asking what was wrong with our bed. "The our part of bed," I told him, refraining from adding the phrase 'dumbass.' Embry had laughed, clearing hearing what I had left unsaid. Embry's wife Holly had simply rolled her eyes as she helped me arrange the new bedding. The new wrought iron frame was chocolate brown, and the vines on the headboard were mirrored on the brown and dark aqua bedding and window treatment. I smoothed a hand over the silky comforter, loving the feel of the soft material. I was pleased that the room did not feel like our room, but like my own.

When the shivers had stopped, I donned a pair of pajamas and settled against the mound of pillows placed against the headboard. I fired up my laptop computer, wanting to check my email account and peek into the kids' Facebook pages before I went to sleep. Will's status made me laugh out loud - "I wondered why the frisbee kept getting bigger, then it hit me." Sarah's status made me grit my teeth. "Having a blast with Dad and Ness – best weekend ever!" I tended to my farm, fed my (fluff) friend, killed some mobsters, and sent a couple of nonsense flair to people, including the frisbee one to Will. I smiled when I saw a friend request from Alice Brandon-Whitlock, and quickly accepted it.

I checked my email and found a message from my high school best friend, Angela Webber, now Cheney. It had been a few months since we had seen one another, and I sent her a message asking if she wanted to meet for lunch soon. Now that her children were in school full time, I hoped it would be easier to see one another.

I shut down the computer, yawning hugely. I turned out the lights and climbed in under the comforter, enjoying having the entire bed to myself, rather than the one side, or more precisely six inches, Jake had allowed. My thoughts once again returned to the evening. Thanks to Rosalie, what had started out as one of the worst evenings of my life ended up being a rather enjoyable one. However, as I drifted off to sleep, it was not Rosalie that I thought of, but her beautiful brother-in-law, and his soulful voice, singing of hope directly to me.

~*~*~*~

I learned several things that first weekend.

First of all, the house stays quite clean when the teenagers are away. I spent Saturday morning cleaning up the messes left behind by the abrupt Friday night departure. I regretted giving in to my temper when I had to toss out my favorite casserole dish, broken when I threw it into the sink. I focused all my energy on cleaning, wondering if I was going to feel this overwhelming urge to "fix" my house every time the kids were gone. If so, I was going to have the cleanest house in all of Port Angeles every other weekend.

Second, and this was something I had both anticipated and feared, I didn't have enough to do to occupy my time. After tidying up the already clean house, I resorted to planning out the menu for the next two weeks, then paid October's bills, and started a list of ideas for Christmas. As I dusted the bookshelves in the living room, I ran my finger absently over the titles, lamenting my lack of fresh reading material and making a mental note to check out Amazon tonight.

Third, errands were much easier to run, and far less expensive, when I was able to do them alone. The trip to the grocery store with my thirteen-year old garbage disposal usually resulted in half a cart full of impulse purchases because I simply couldn't resist his puppy-dog eyes and charming smile. I had to look twice when the cashier gave me the total, because it was almost half the regular amount. A stop at the post office did not include a detour into Sarah's favorite bohemian boutique, saving me the cost of a new pair of jeans or shoes.

I did pass the building on the corner which Alice had mentioned last night, and I could picture the doors open to the fresh autumn air. I could almost smell the delectable aroma of fresh coffee and pastries luring in the passers-by to browse the endless aisles of books. Alice and Emmett were right, this would be the perfect place for a bookstore. I just didn't know if I was the perfect person to bring it to life.

Fourth, no matter how many errands I ran, how much time I spent planning, or how many projects I worked on around the house, it still felt weird to have the weekend, and the house, entirely to myself. I supposed it would feel that way for a while. Being suddenly single after all this time was going to be an adjustment. But Saturday wasn't as difficult as Friday, and when I awoke Sunday morning to the silence of an empty house once again, it was easier than it had been the day before.

I finally gave into my curiosity on Sunday morning and started researching bookstores. The experience of opening and running the garage with Jake gave me an advantage – the small business lingo I was reading actually made sense. The one thing that stymied me was the food service portion. Running a café within the bookstore opened up a whole realm of regulations with which I had no experience. I started to wade my way through the Washington State requirements, grateful for the interruption when the phone rang.

"Glad to see you're not ignoring my phone calls any more," Rosalie teased.

"Yeah, well, I've learned my lesson about your persistence. I'm afraid if I don't answer you'll show up here unannounced, and I refuse to be dragged from this house today," I laughed.

"Oh, come on, Bella. You had a great time Friday night. Admit it."

"I did. Rosalie. It was exactly what I needed. Thank you very much."

"So did you like my family and friends?" she asked. I knew her well enough to know that her tone too innocent – she was fishing.

Well, it didn't mean I had to rise to the bait. "Absolutely! Alice and Jasper are great, and I can see why you love Emmett so much. He had me in stitches all evening."

"And what did you think of my brother-in-law?" Rosalie asked, and I could picture the grin on her lips as she asked.

So much for evasion. "Nice guy, very talented musician," I commented. Not to mention the amazing face, gorgeous body, and voice that could melt a pair of panties from across the room. "You were pretty specific about telling me that Emmett, Alice and Jasper were going to be there. Any reason you didn't mention to me that we were meeting him there as well?" I asked in what I hoped was a casual tone.

Rosalie exhaled in a noisy sigh. "I was afraid you'd be uncomfortable because he's single. I didn't want you to feel like I was setting you up with him, because I'm not. I know neither one of you is in the market or ready for a relationship."

Neither one of us? I filed that information away. As well as the mention that Edward was single. "No discomfort. Like I said, it was exactly what I needed." We talked for a few more minutes, then I heard the sound of car doors slamming outside. "The kids are home, I should let you go."

"Okay, Bella. Remember, coffee with Alice this week!"

As I hung up the phone, Sarah and Will blasted through the door, already bickering with one another. Never had there been a more welcome sound to my ears. Will saw me sitting on the couch and immediately flung himself in my direction, rocking the furniture when he landed. His exuberant greeting took some of the sting out of Sarah's pointed glance in my direction before she headed up the stairs without speaking. I felt a flash of irritation. This behavior was going to end, and soon.

"How was your weekend?" I asked Will.

"Great!" he enthused, and launched into a detailed description of what must have been his every waking moment with his dad. He had spent most of the day Saturday at the garage with Jacob and Seth. He told me all about the motorcycle he and Uncle Seth were rebuilding, and I felt my heart stutter in fear. I could clearly remember the injuries that I had suffered when Jacob taught me to ride, at least the ones that weren't fogged by the multiple concussions. I made a mental note to talk to Jacob about this, feeling that at thirteen Will was still too young. I sent him into the kitchen for a snack with strict instructions to go do the homework he had 'forgotten' to do at his dad's this weekend.

I could feel the heavy bass beat of Sarah's music as I climbed the stairs towards her room. I knocked loudly, her "come in!" difficult to hear over the loud music. When she turned and saw me in the doorway, she paused for a moment, then turned down the music.

"How was your weekend?" I asked.

"Good."

"Cheerleading practice go well yesterday?"

"Yeah." One word answers. Oh goodie.

"What are you working on?"

"Homework." In a shouldn't-it-be-obvious tone. I tried not to let my irritation show.

"Oh, hey, I got a lead for you on a couple of babysitting jobs, if you're interested." I thought maybe this would draw her out.

I wasn't wrong. "Really? How'd you do that?" she asked, holding my gaze for the first time since she had returned home.

"I saw some friends on Friday, and it turns out both couples have kids. I think Alice said that Caitlin is seven and Jackson is four, and Rosalie said that Maddie and Lillie are both six."

Sarah's eyes opened wide with surprise. "Maddie and Lillie? My day camp girls?" I nodded. She squealed in excitement and launched herself at me, hugging me fiercely. "Mom, that's great. You're the best!"

I hugged her back, closing my eyes briefly and enjoying the sensation of her freely-given affection. "Glad I could help, sweetie," said softly, noting that for once her smile didn't disappear when the hug ended. I felt a glimmer of hope.

She sat back down in her desk chair and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking back down at her book and the papers spread out before her. "I gotta finish these couple of calculus problems – what time are we having dinner?"

"Not for a couple of hours yet. I can make you a snack if you're hungry ." I offered.

"That's okay, mom. I'll grab something when I'm done," she said absently, already absorbed again in her textbook. So much like me at that age, I thought to myself, closing her door quietly behind me.

A quick peek in Will's room found him at his desk as well, his science book open before him. He had already finished half of his "snack" – a huge sandwich that dwarfed the plate it sat on. I considered chastising him for such a large "snack," but I knew he'd eat a full dinner in a couple of hours, and still want more later that evening. Oh, to have the metabolism of a teenage boy! I thought enviously. The tell-tale creak of the loose floorboard outside his door gave me away, and Will looked up from his book and winked at me. I smiled and blew him a kiss before leaving him to his studying.

The final lesson of the weekend was learned as my children returned home, healthy, happy and unscathed from their first weekend at Jake's. As hard as it had been for me to let them go, they were fine, and they were going to be fine. I just needed to figure out what I needed to do to make it fine for me, as well.

Yes, it's a bit of a filler chapter, but now that most of the main characters have been introduced & the background established, it moves more from here. I promise this is our last Edward-free chapter – we're going to be seeing a lot of that fella, and both Bella and I couldn't be happier!

My love and thanks to Cullen_Crazy01 and iadorepugs for their unfailing support and encouragement… and the occasional nag to get up off my butt and keep working! I couldn't do this without out, and wouldn't want to try!

Thanks also to each of you who have read and reviewed, especially those of you who comment on every chapter. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your feedback! Thanks so much for reading!