Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of Stephenie Meyer. No copyright infringement is intended. However, the original plot Never Enough is all mine. That being said, please be nice and don't copy or translate without permission. Thank you.

Love, hugs, and up-against-the-wall, hot-as-hell Tyler kisses to Cullen_Crazy01 and iadorepugs this Remember Me weekend for all their help and support! I couldn't and wouldn't do this without you two.

Chapter 7

Boredom was no longer a word in my vocabulary. Ever since my afternoon encounters with first Angela and then Edward, most of my waking moments, and the majority of my sleeping ones as well, were spent preparing for Friday's meeting.

After Will's basketball game Tuesday night, I spent three hours on the phone with Angela, then Ben, then Angela and Ben. Angela had been a busy girl in the hours between our lunch and phone call.

"Bella, check your email. I sent you a few things," Angela instructed.

'A few things' turned out to be no less than a dozen emails, each with multiple attachments. There were sample partnership agreements, vendor contracts, zoning ordinances and variance applications, and my personal favorite, a rough draft of a café menu. Angela had been very busy indeed!

"Ange, did you even take the time to feed your family tonight?" I laughed as I opened document after document.

"No, she didn't," Ben remarked dryly from the other extension. "I had to go get pizza. And give the kids baths. And put them to bed while at the same time answer her questions and demands to find more documents."

"Shush!" Angela told her husband affectionately. "You were the one that rushed home when I called you about it this afternoon. Bella, most of those attachments came from either Ben or Rosalie."

"Rosalie?" I asked, surprised.

"She doesn't usually practice corporate law, but apparently she hounded some associate today to make copies of the paperwork she and Ben thought we'd need to get started. So, how was the building?" she demanded.

"Perfect," I sighed, picturing it in my head again. "We should probably walk through it together though, before…"

Angela cut me off. "Oh, no need. Jasper faxed me the layout and specs, and I agree it's perfect. Are you free tomorrow morning at eleven?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?" I asked.

"Ben set us up with Mr. Bennett at the bank to discuss SBA loans and financing," Angela answered.

"I hope you don't mind, Bella," Ben interjected. "You don't need to pull anything together for the meeting. I've got all the information you'll need in your client files, if you give me authorization to give the records to the bank."

My head was spinning at the rapid change in direction my life had taken. From the cheerful laments of two bored housewives just this afternoon, we were suddenly diving headlong into this crazy idea. And it felt great.

"Sure, no problem," I told Ben, and Angela's answering squeal made my ear ring. She launched into a minute description of several of the menu items, and I settled into the couch, prepared for a long conversation.

~*~*~*~

The meeting with the bank went well. I had worked with Andrew Bennett at Port Angeles Community Bank for years, and had been through all of these hoops before with Black's Garage. He gave both Angela and I staggering amounts of paperwork to review and complete. In my pile was a statement I needed Jacob to sign saying I was no longer responsible for any of garage's debt. I decided to stop there on my way home, since I would need to talk to Jacob about all of this anyway.

"Bells!" Seth Clearwater hollered when I walked in to the garage. He scooped me up in his arms and swung me around in a circle, ignoring my protests. Seth was the little brother I had never had, literally. His mom Sue had married my dad Charlie the summer before Jake and I got married. "What brings you down here?" he asked me, setting me down. "Whoa, you look smokin' girl!" he said with a wolf whistle, taking in the suit, high heels and upswept hairstyle I had felt was necessary for a business meeting at the bank.

"Thanks. I've actually got to talk to Jake. Is he here?" I asked, gesturing to the closed office door.

"Uh, I think so?" Seth said a question in his voice. He shrugged his shoulders. "I only got here about twenty minutes ago, and I haven't seen him. Go ahead and go in," he suggested.

I crossed the room to the closed office door and knocked. Hearing no response, I knocked again, louder this time. "Jake?" I called. "Are you in there?"

I could hear movement from inside the office, and I put my hand on the knob, which rattled slightly. "Bella, don't come in!" Jacob yelled, panic in his voice.

"Jake, are you okay?" I asked, worried now. I ignored Seth as he started to snicker behind me, and I twisted the doorknob. It was locked.

"I'm fine!" he yelled, his voice sounding closer. Suddenly he wrenched the door open and stepped through, bumping into me as he pulled the door shut quickly behind him.

"Jake, are you all right?" I asked, studying his face with concern. He was breathing rapidly, his skin was flushed, and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead. "You look like you just ran a marathon." I said.

His eyes got wider, and a little wild, as the color in his cheeks deepened. Seth's laughter behind us got louder, and I turned to frown at him. "Seth, this isn't funny! Jake could be sick."

"Jake's sick all right," Seth muttered, his laughter dying when Jacob glared at him. I took a step back to study Jacob, noticing new details this time. His hair, which he always wore pulled back at work, was falling freely around his shoulders, in wild disarray. His shirt was untucked, and buttoned wrong. I saw with confusion that his feet were bare. When my eyes traveled up to meet his gaze once again, I noticed with growing embarrassment that his pants were undone. I could hear soft footsteps in the office behind the closed door, and my stunned brain suddenly caught up with what had obviously been going on. I flushed scarlet.

"Ewww, dude, can't you two wait until you get home?" Seth groaned. "Other people use that office, you know! Wait 'til I tell the guys!" He paused. "Well, maybe not Embry." Renesmee was Embry's youngest cousin, and he had stopped speaking to Jacob when his relationship with her became public knowledge. It had nearly come to blows, at least on Embry's part, before I had interceded on Jake and Nessie's behalf.

"Shut up, Seth. Don't you have work you should be doing?" Jacob growled menacingly.

"Sure sure," Seth said with a wide grin, winking at me, relishing my discomfort just like a little brother should. "Oh, by the way Jake, your fly's open. See ya around, Bells!"

Jacob cursed under his breath and yanked on his zipper. He ran his hand over his face, covering his eyes for a brief moment in a calming gesture I had seen a thousand times. He smoothed his hair, and then met my eyes. "Sorry, Bella. You have no idea how embarrassed I am right now."

I could still feel the blush burning my cheeks as I gazed back. Jake was not the only one mortified by the situation. "Not a problem, Jake. It's your place, not mine. I probably should have called rather than dropped by." It was depressing that, by comparison, the two of us had never been so caught up in our passion for one another that we couldn't wait for the comfort of our marriage bed. Not even once. I was jealous, but not because Renesmee had Jacob and I didn't. I was jealous of what they felt for one another, envious that I had never felt such a strong pull to anyone, not even the man I had been married to for fifteen years. What about Edward? My inner voice decided now was a good time to tease me. Shut up, voice, or I'll poke you with a Q-tip! I thought.

Jacob was unaware of my snarky internal monologue as he poured both of us a cup of coffee. "So what does bring you by the garage?" he asked, handing me the coffee laced with three sugars, one cream, just like he knew I liked it.

"Well, I've got some paperwork from the bank that I need you to look at and sign," I told him, taking a seat in one of the reception area chairs. Obviously I was not going to be invited into the office anytime soon. Not that I wanted to be. Seth had said it best. Ewwww.

"Did we forget something? I mean, we must have signed a million papers," he said.

"No, this is something new," I told him, then went on to explain the business Angela and I were opening. I described the location of the storefront, which was only a few blocks from here. Then I went into the help I would need not just with the paperwork the bank was requiring, but also with the kids this week, and if I needed to be away from home in the evenings.

Jacob was enthusiastic. "Bella, that's great! I can't think of a better job for you than running a bookstore. And of course I'll help with the kids however I can. Have you told them yet?"

"No, this has all come up so fast I haven't had a chance to talk to them about it. I'm a little nervous about telling them, because I'm going to be out of the house a lot for a while." In truth, I was terrified to break the tenuous truce that Sarah and I had established after her first weekend at Jake's house. She had stopped intentionally trying to do things to upset me, which I felt was a lot of progress.

"Well, I'll talk it up with them. Maybe you can involve them some in the planning stages, especially Sarah. She loves to read as much as you do," Jake suggested. I smiled, thinking it was a good idea, and thanked him.

We talked for a few more minutes about the bookstore and the kids, he signed the paperwork, and I left. Before I was even out the door, Jacob was already back in the office, and I heard Renesmee's soft giggle greet him as he closed the door. I smiled sadly to myself as I heard his responding chuckle, a feeling of melancholy settling over me.

As I settled behind the steering wheel, my cell phone rang. I checked the display to find a number I didn't recognize. Knowing I had given out my number to several people over the last couple of days, I hit the send button and put the phone up to my ear. "Bella Black," I said in a professional voice.

"Bella, Edward Cullen here." His voice was just as magnetic through the phone as it was in person, and I was glad he couldn't see the blush that stained my cheeks…or the way my nipples suddenly hardened against the silk of my blouse.

"Hello, Edward. How are you today?" I asked, praying that my voice wouldn't tremble, crack, or otherwise give away my tremendous nervousness to be speaking with him. I was relieved that for once it did as I hoped. My voice sounded smooth and friendly.

"I'm doing well now," he said. Did I imagine an emphasis on 'now,' as though his day is better 'now' because he's talking to me? "I was calling to confirm your appointment for Friday afternoon to review the plans and talk numbers with Jasper."

Oh, that's right, I thought, disappointed. He was supposed to call about the meeting.

Who cares? A hot guy is calling us! My inner voice was squealing now.

'A hot guy?' Who are you, my teenage daughter? I mentally asked the voice.

Hello, hot guy on the phone – pay attention! I realized that the line had gone silent. Crap! Damn my internal monologue.

"I'm sorry, Edward, could you say that again?" I asked, wondering if I sounded as stupid as I felt.

"I just asked if three o'clock is still a good time for you?" he repeated, and he didn't sound like he thought I was crazy.

"Three o'clock is just fine. My business partner Angela Cheney and her husband Ben will be there, as well. Is there anything I need to bring with me to the meeting?" I asked.

"Just your beautiful self," Edward responded. There was a moment of silence, then a nervous chuckle on his end of the phone. "I mean, you don't need to bring anything with you, Mr. Bennett at the bank already sent over the papers we need."

He called us beautiful my inner voice cried with joy. I didn't have a response for myself this time, I simply enjoyed the impossible notion that Edward Cullen thought I was beautiful. I think the idea made my brain melt a little. I know it made my heart race.

"Oh, okay," I said, my voice a little breathy. Laaaaame taunted my inner voice. "How are the plans coming along for the space?" I asked to keep him on the line.

"Great!" Edward enthused. "I really can't wait to show you how they've come together. I hope you'll be as pleased with them as I am."

He wants to please us, inner voice giggled. "I'm sure anything you do will please me," I blurted, wanting to bang my head on the steering wheel at the words that escaped from my lips unfiltered. "I mean, we kind of shared the same ideas for the layout when we walked through the building last week."

"Well, I took a lot away from our conversation, and I hope you'll be happy with the renderings," he answered. "And I've had a few new ideas which I think you'll like."

"What kind of ideas?" I asked, intrigued.

He chuckled. "Actually, I'd like to surprise you," Edward said.

"I don't like surprises," I warned him.

He laughed again, and the carefree sound made me smile. "You'll like this, I promise. And besides, the meeting is only two days away, so you don't have long to wait. Not too long for anticipation to build."

"But just long enough to drive me crazy," I muttered. "All right, Edward. I'll wait, but I won't be happy about it," I told him teasingly.

"I think you'll be quite satisfied," Edward murmured, and my pulse raced again. "Oh, hey, how did the basketball game turn out the other night?" he asked, sounding as if he was trying to keep me on the phone this time.

"Oh, it was great. Will's team won, and he scored eight points. It's the first game where he started, so it was a thrill," I answered enthusiastically.

"Congrats - that's so exciting for the little guy," Edward said. "You must be so proud."

"'Little guy'?" I snorted. "Not many people think of a six-foot tall thirteen year old as a 'little guy.'"

"Your son is thirteen?" Edward asked, sounding a little stunned.

"Yes, Will is thirteen. And his sister Sarah is fifteen."

Edward was silent for a moment. "Did you get married when you were twelve or something? There's no way you're old enough to have teenagers."

"Well, thank you for that, but did you really think Rosalie would trust the twins to someone that young?" I asked, remembering that he had been present for the discussion about Sarah babysitting.

"Bella, I'm pretty sure Rosalie would leave the twins with a trained monkey if it meant she was able to get out from time to time," Edward said dryly. "Actually, she leaves them with my brother all the time, which is proof that she'll leave them with an untrained monkey as well."

I laughed. "I'm sure you didn't just compare my daughter to a monkey, trained or otherwise," I teased.

"Of course not, Bella, I…" Edward stammered.

"I was just kidding," I soothed. "But now you know the truth – I'm an old lady with scary teenagers."

I heard muffled conversation in the background. It sounded like Edward covered the mouthpiece and spoke to someone, and then he was back on the line. "Bella, I'm really sorry to cut this conversation short, but there's a call that I have to take."

"Okay, thanks for calling, Edward. I'll see you Friday at three," I said softly.

"Yes, Bella. I'm looking forward to it. I'll see you then." Before starting the car and pulling into traffic, I saved Edward's phone number to my cell. Smartest decision we've made all day, my inner voice sighed.

I finally broke down and told the kids about my plans on Thursday night at dinner, and it went better than I had expected. Will's main concern was whether I was still going to be able to go to his basketball games, and I assured him that I would be at as many as I could. Sarah wanted to make sure it wouldn't interfere with her after school activities.

"You don't expect me to work there, do you?" she had asked.

"Expect? No. But it would be nice if you could give me some help with the teen section. I don't know what everyone is reading right now." I watched out of the corner of my eye as interest flared in hers.

"I'll think about it," she said, her indifferent tone not completely masking her curiosity at my proposal. I let it slide, knowing if I pushed she would push back in a negative manner. Will asked me question after question about the bookstore, and seemed genuinely excited at the idea. Sarah listened, not contributing to the conversation, but I could see the wheels turning in her mind.

Friday dawned bright and clear, and I felt a charge of excitement go through me when I realized today was the day. The day we get to see Edward again! My inner voice was crowing happily.

The thought brought me up short, and I stared at myself in the mirror, toothbrush still in my mouth, my hair in wild disarray. I knew I should be thinking about the meeting with Jasper to discuss lease terms, and with Emmett to discuss a construction schedule. I should be mulling over the contracts that Angela and I would complete, and conducting the research I still needed to do with suppliers and vendors. But throughout the day, even as I worked on the laundry list of tasks, my mind would continue to return to Edward Cullen.

When I arrived at CWC at 2:50 pm, I was greeted by the receptionist. She was young, and pretty of course, but very professional when she took my coat and offered me a beverage. I was glad that I wasn't holding the cup of coffee when Emmett saw me in the lobby.

"Bella!" he hollered, sweeping me up into a hug that lifted me a good foot off the ground. The air was knocked out of my lungs as he squeezed me and pressed a kiss to my cheek. "It's good to see you again, girl!"

"Emmett, put her down before you hurt her," came a voice to my right with just a touch of southern sweetness. As Emmett sat me on my feet, Jasper stepped forward to help steady me, proffering his hand for a short handshake. I smiled in gratitude. "Bella, it's good to see you," Jasper said, and again I felt that calming influence I had felt once before in his presence.

"Jasper, Emmett. Good to see the two of you as well," I greeted them. "Thanks for taking the time to meet with me today."

"Our pleasure, Bella," Jasper answered. "We've been looking forward to it since Edward told us about your walk through of the property. I think he may be more excited than you about today's presentation."

I laughed out loud, remembering my largely sleepless night as I anticipated today. "I don't think that's possible!" Angela called from the doorway as she and Ben entered the office.

The receptionist hung up the telephone and turned to Emmett. "That was Edward. Everything is set in the conference room."

Emmett clapped his hands together. "Excellent. Thank you Jane." He turned towards me. "Shall we, Bella?" he asked, gesturing down the hallway. "First doorway on your left," Emmett instructed, and I led the way, hoping that I wouldn't trip.

I entered the room first and stepped to the side to allow the others to file in. My eyes were immediately drawn to Edward. He was standing with his back to the door, hunched over the credenza and making a note on a legal pad. He wore a lightweight black sweater over a white collared shirt and dark charcoal trousers, all of which stretched appealingly across his physique. When he turned, I saw he wasn't wearing a tie, and I wanted desperately to run my fingers down the "V" of his sweater. I had now seen him in three forms of dress – shirt and tie, work casual, and jeans – and I couldn't decide which I liked best.

Maybe we should see him undressed before we decide, my inner voice whispered hopefully. Okay, those thoughts were definitely not helpful at this precise moment. I found myself blushing once again when Edward met my gaze. When had I turned into such a pervert anyway?

Edward stepped forward, smiling as he held his hand out to me first for a handshake. The warmth of his grasp set my heart racing, as always. As seemed to be our custom, our fingers lingered longer than strictly necessary. He introduced himself to Angela and Ben, and then motioned for all of us to take a seat at the conference room table. He stepped forward and pulled out my chair for me, and I was touched by the chivalry. Did men even do things like that anymore? Apparently, this man did.

Edward cleared his throat and then moved to stand near the front of the table. If I didn't know better, I'd swear he was nervous! He tapped a couple of keys on his keyboard and picked up the remote.

"Thank you for allowing me to work on the plans for this project Angela, Ben… Bella," his voice was smooth, professional, and his smile genuine as he looked at each of us in turn. "I hope you like what I've got for you here. I've gone over the specs with Emmett and Jasper, and they are prepared to give you some numbers based on the plans as developed. Obviously, there is plenty of room for input and ideas, so please speak up if you have any questions or thoughts."

He pressed a button on the remote, and an overhead rendering of the space was displayed on the screen behind Edward. I heard a gasp and then realized it was my own.

The plans were absolutely perfect – everything Edward and I had discussed was there. The placement of each element was flawless, and the floor plan flowed seamlessly from the bookstore to the café. Angela studied the café plans intently, her smile widening as her eyes traced the curve of the counter top and then skipped to the nearby table tops. "More!" she demanded, and Edward grinned at me.

The next slide was an artistic rendering of the café area, and this time it was Angela's gasp that filled the conference room. "Edward, who did these?" Angela asked, her voice reverent.

Edward ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "Actually, I did, Angela. With a little help from a friend who recommended the color scheme and a few of the design elements."

"Bella, we're going to frame these and put them up in the store! These are amazing, Edward. Who helped with the color scheme? We need to hire them!" Angela was leaning forward in her seat, looking like she was ready to leap out of her chair.

Jasper cleared his throat, and I turned in my chair to look at him. "Actually, Alice helped Edward with some of the design work. She did ask me to pass along her card in the event you were pleased with what she added to the presentation."

"She's hired," Angela and I said in unison, and everyone laughed. We turned back to Edward's presentation, which included several more slides of various views of the store and café. I was astonished at Edward's artistic drawings, and stunned that he truly had visualized what had been in my head as we walked through the space.

I noticed a few new ideas that he added. The storage and office area had been shifted to provide more space in the children's area, where he had added a small stage, and narrowed the entrance to provide a little more security for the parents. He had added desk-like structures throughout, which he explained would be wired for electricity and would be an ideal place for people to work on their computers, away from the busy café area. The café area now boasted a variety of seating options – comfortable chairs for lounging, a bar-like stretch of counter where customers could sit with a drink, and tables where they could enjoy a snack and work or read.

Once Edward finished with his presentation, he took the seat next to me, and I heard him sigh with what seemed like relief. I peeked at him out of the corner of my eye, only to find him looking straight at me. He smiled, winking as he took a long drink of water, and I could feel the blush stain my cheeks once again.

Emmett spoke next about construction materials, costs and time lines. Jasper followed with information regarding the terms of the lease and occupation details. Ben, Angela and I were all given portfolios including the presentation materials to review. Ben looked first at Angela, then at me, and as we had arranged previously, I nodded.

"Gentlemen, thank you so much for all your hard work. I'm very impressed that you were able to pull all this together on such short notice, what with Bella just having viewed the property on Tuesday." Angela nodded in agreement, and I smiled, catching Edward's eye again. His returning smile dazzled me.

Ben spoke again. "Now we obviously need a little time to go over the paperwork, but Bella, Angela and I all believe that this is exactly what we want – the property, the improvements, the lease – everything."

"Yesssss!" Emmett shouted and pumped his fist, and everyone sitting around the table laughed. "I haven't been this excited about a project in a while." Just like that, the tension in the air dissipated, and the room was rife with excitement.

"We need to celebrate," Jasper suggested, his calm voice in direct contrast to the bright exhilaration in his eyes. "Alice told me to call her as soon as the meeting was done, and I was instructed, quote, 'To beg, grovel and otherwise throw myself at their feet' to convince all of you to join us for dinner and drinks tonight at Maria's."

"And Rosalie told me to make sure you were there, or else," Emmett said with a theatrical shudder, making everyone laugh again.

Angela spoke first. "I can call my parents and they will be here within the hour to watch the kids." She turned to Ben and batted her eyelashes, a beguiling pout on her lips. "Pretty please, Ben? Can we go out with the other adults?"

Ben threw his head back and laughed. He picked up Angela's hand and pressed a lingering kiss to her fingertips, his eyes warm. "As if I could ever resist your charms, my beautiful wife. We would love to join you this evening. What about you, Bella?"

All eyes in the room shifted to look at me, and I squirmed slightly under the scrutiny. "I… I don't know…" I stammered. What about me, indeed? I didn't have any plans. The kids weren't even coming home after school – they were headed straight to Jacob's. Home had empty rooms, leftovers and reruns. Out had friends, dinner, music… and Edward. What are you waiting for, an engraved invitation? Say yes!

Oblivious to my internal debate, Edward swiveled in his chair to face me, his smile beseeching. "What do you say, Bella? Pretty please?" he asked me softly, mimicking Angela's plea, his voice husky. I couldn't break away from his gaze, and I was pretty sure I didn't want to.

I think I like it when he begs, my inner voice cooed to me.

"She says yes!" Angela interrupted before my inner voice could once again become my outer voice and embarrass the hell out of me. "Ben and I will make sure she's there. Seven o'clock?"

"Outstanding!" Emmett boomed, clapping Edward on the shoulder and breaking the spell. It didn't escape my notice that Edward seemed just as reluctant as I to look away from each other.

"A night out on the town!" Angela squealed, quickly rising from her seat and grabbing my hand, forcing me to do the same. She turned and gave Ben a kiss on the cheek. "And I've got the perfect outfit. You're not going to know what hit you," she told him.

Oh shit! My inner voice cried, and a feeling of dread hit. What are we going to wear?

Wow, lots of words this chapter, and they were very fun to write! I hope you enjoyed reading them, as well.

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