I'm Alright –Jo Dee Messina
My week had been hell. I had three jobs canceled on my in the last three days all at the last minute. I thought about going back into actual Law enforcement but wasn't sure about how he would go about doing that; not to mention it would scare the heck out of my mother. I was now on my way back to Forks because another of my nieces was graduating for high school. I hadn't seen Bella since that first flight and it made me a little depressed.
I had only one relationship since then and that went down the toilet when I caught the girl in bed with my business partner which would explain why my clients are canceling on me. My phone was ringing but I ignored it. I couldn't deal with it right now. If they really want to talk to me they would leave me a message on the machine.
Jasper it's your mother. I want to let you know that you have been invited to a wedding while you are here so bring a suit or tux.
Uh crap she's setting me up again. I have been on three blind dates because of her this year. I swear that woman just wants grand babies from me. She would want me to be married when I gave them to her but a grand baby was a grand baby none the less and she would spoil them like she does the rest of them. I am roused out of my thoughts by my phone ringing again.
"Jasper." I say into the receiver.
"It's your mother. I'm checking to see if you got my message from earlier." Esme said.
"Yes I did and how many times do I have to tell you I don't need help in that department."
"The girl needs a date to her friend's wedding." Esme said.
"And you chose me because?" I asked.
"Because you are the only single one that I know of her age. Please Jasper."
"I'll do it only because I have nothing better to do."
"Thank you. Now when does your flight get in?" Esme asked.
"I am supposed to leave around noon but with the weather up there you never know." I told her.
"I'll etch out a four hour period around eight."
"Mom you don't need to do that it will be late. I already rented a car and a room so I won't have to drive around that late."
"Why would you do a thing like that?" Esme asked.
"Because I have some interviews while I'm in town and I needed a car to do it." I told her.
"Interviews?"
"You will know when I am finished." I told her. "I'm not sure what is going to come of it yet so I wanted to keep quiet about it for now."
"Are you planning on moving here?" she asked.
"No. They are just interviews. I need the information before I can continue a project." I said added the last part as a lie. I couldn't tell her just yet that I was looking into becoming a cop again.
"I'll see you tomorrow. The wedding is Saturday and the graduation is Sunday." Esme said before hanging up.
I made sure my bags were packed. I only took two a carry on and the suitcase I wouldn't see until I got off the plane and into the baggage claim area. It didn't take long because I wasn't OCD about my packing like my sister was.
I decided to check my non work related e-mail for the first time in two weeks. I had an e-mail from my niece about her graduation and one from Bella. I decided to eat dinner before I opened it.
Jasper,
I wanted to get your opinion on these dedications for my book. Should I use both, one, or neither. I really like them both and wasn't sure what to do. Your opinion is and would be greatly welcomed by me.
Bella
This novel is dedicated to a friend.
A friend that helped me with idea's for it when I couldn't think of them.
A friend I hope to see again real soon.
~!~
To where ever you are my good friend this is for you.
To my family you were there when professors dissed my work
And said it would never get published. I guess what I want to say is
Thanks for help proving them wrong.
I thought both of them were really good and told her so when I wrote her back and that I was sorry for getting back to her so late. I slumped back against my head board. I knew that I had better get some sleep so I could catch my flight tomorrow without any problems but that wasn't going to happen. I was too restless to sit still and fall asleep. I could take sleeping pills but I don't like taking those unless I am taking a twelve hour flight to some country in Europe.
My laptop dinged letting me know that I had an e-mail. It was from Bella.
J,
It's all right that you were late. It wasn't like we were dating or something like that. Thanks for your opinion once again. I have to go now so I can get some sleep before a stupid dress fitting for a close friend's wedding.
Hope to see you soon.
Bella
Since I had nothing better to do I e-mailed her back.
Bella,
I wouldn't know about dress fittings but my mother did rope me into being some one's date to a wedding. I don't really want to do it but I can't let my mom down. Good luck with the dress fitting.
Hope to see you again soon.
J Whitlock
I powered down my laptop after that so I couldn't let it distract me while I tried to get a little bit of sleep.
I woke up three hours later in a sweat and couldn't get back to sleep no matter how hard I tried to do so. I got up and turned on the treadmill I had bought for when the weather was too rainy and the ground to muddy or wet to walk outside. It kept me busy so I wouldn't worry about my sleep. I would just have to drink a lot of coffee tomorrow to keep myself awake.
After an hour on the treadmill I sat down because the twinge in my legs was getting bad. I gulped down my water and flipped on the TV. I then spent the next three hours watching a crime show marathon on the USA network. By six am I had watch a baby killer get off with life in prison and three rapist go free because the victims and questionable past. They all disgust me; the defendants not the victims.
I showered again; I ate breakfast then waited for the clock to tic the minutes by. It was boring but I had nothing else to do and didn't feel like watching the news because they all seemed to cover the story of the latest celebrity going to rehab all of which I can't stand. The girl will just be another Lindsey Lohan in a few years five or six if she's lucky.
I was jumping for joy on the inside when my phone rang.
"Hello." I said.
"It's Pete."
"What do you need?" I asked.
"I was won—"
"Wondering when my flight got in?" I finished for him.
"Yes."
"It leaves around noon today speaking of which I have got to leave so I can get through security." I told him.
"Do you need me to come get you?"
"No I'll be fine." I said. "I'll be staying by the airport for the night. I'll head up to Ma's in the morning in my rental."
"She won't like that."
"I know I already told her. She didn't seem happy before I hung up the phone." I said.
"See you tomorrow then." Peter said.
We said our goodbyes then hung up. I quickly packed up my laptop into my carry on and grabbed it along with my suit case and headed out the door toward the airport. I hated the airport buy flying was so much easier than driving. I love my car but there was no way I was going to spend days in the car.
I got threw security just fine but I did find out that my plane would be delayed an hour because of the weather in Washington state. I grabbed a sandwich from one of the stations on the way to my gate. I ate in silence.
I thought back to the day that Bella and I met. I really did hope to see her again. Then I could ask her out to dinner or something. That would sure please my mom because I asked her and she [my mom] wouldn't have to set me up any more.
I looked around the gate area and there were only about ten people; surprisingly light for this type of flight in my opinion. The other people were of varying types an overweight man and his wife sat behind me waiting, a woman had been trying to calm her three kids while they waited. The other three were quite people like they didn't want to be there all three were also in varying states of shabbiness concerning their suits.
Flight one oh three now boarding.
I like the rest of the ten people –well now twenty people stood up and walked to the ticket clerk. I showed my ticket and walked down the small corridor that led to the airplane to find my seat. I was glad I had a window seat. I looked out it while I listened to the flight attendant talk on and on about what to do if the plane suffered any thing that could make it fall out of the sky.
I heard the same speech several times before and they hadn't changed even one word in it at all. If they had I would have noticed and I haven't been told that I was doing something wrong. It didn't take long for the monotone voice to put me to sleep. I was already buckled up so they didn't have to wait for me to do it.
Eight hours and something plus minutes later I was pulling into the parking lot of my hotel. It was a small time hotel and not part of a national chain. Knowing I needed to check in I hurried in side and did all the boring checking in things. As soon as I got my room key I went back outside and grabbed my bags from the back and went to my room.
It was smaller than my room at my mother's house but it would be better than hearing all those kids screaming and I just didn't want to deal with it. I took out my phone and turned it back on. I left it on the table and went to the bathroom. When I got back there were already four messages waiting for me; all of them were from my mom. I guess she doesn't understand that I can't call her while on the plane unless I use a credit card and I don't have one of those.
"Jasper why haven't you answered me." She screeched.
"I can't have my phone on while on the plane." I told her. "And I just got into my hotel room."
"You should have called me when you got off the plane."
"Mom I didn't have the time. I had to get my bags and get to the hotel before they gave my room away." I told her. "If I could have responded to your messages I would have. And Ma I know you don't want me to tell you this but I am thirty three years old. I don't need you to worry about me."
"You are my baby."
"Yes but I am still a grown man." I said. Do you want grand babies from me?"
"Of course I do."
"Then I can't be a baby anymore. The baby of your family is Robert treat him like you used to treat me." I told her.
"It won't be the same."
"I know it won't be but we all have to grow up some times." I said. "Whether we or our parents want to or not."
I waited for her to say something but she didn't. I looked at my phone thinking she just didn't say anything but the call had been disconnected. I press the same hang up button on my phone and laid it back on to the table and threw myself onto the bed. I was hungry and tired and knew I needed to get something to eat but I was just too tired to remove myself from the bed. But I was once again answering my phone because the ring tone was just too annoying to let the call pass.
"What in the hell did you say to mom. She's balling up a storm over here."
It was Peter.
"I just told her she couldn't treat me like a baby anymore. Especially if she wants me to get married and start as you would put it popping out babies." I told him.
"We'll you made mom cry." He said in a tone worthy of a Jane Austen novel.
"I didn't mean t make her cry but it had to be said and besides you have made her cry before to so why are you harping on me about it?"
"When did I make mom cry?"
"When you got arrested with that ounce of weed and decided not to go into the Navy." I told him.
"Like when you pulled out of going into the air force?" he asked.
"I couldn't go in because of my heart condition." I told him. Ah crud no one is supposed to know about that.
"What's wrong with your heart?"
"Nothing it just beats a little fast for them. I've been checked every year since then and I'm fine." I told him.
"Charlotte is coming I got to go."
"Don't tell her about my heart and good bye," I said.
He hung up and I did to only this time I stuffed my phone into my pocket and headed out to get something to eat. It was almost nine and a lot of places were starting to close down for the night. I spotted a McDonalds across the street and walked over to it. I quickly ordered a number three and paid and walked back to the hotel across the street.
Since I didn't like the way my soda tasted I went hunting for the vending machine after putting my food in my room. I was counting out the change in my hand making sure I had at least a dollar fifty. I ended up bumping into someone or something and dropping all my change on to the floor.
"I'm sorry it's just late and I wasn't looking." A female voice said.
"That's okay." I said looking up. "Bella?"
The girl looked up. "Jasper." She said. "This is so weird."
"I guess we meet again. I see you got McDonalds to want to join me in my room." I asked her.
"Sure. I just need to take my bags to my room." She said.
"What's the number?"
"A thirty four." She responded.
"Right next to mine." I said.
"Really?" She asked.
"Yep now let's go." I said after picking up my change.
"Don't you want to get whatever you wanted out of that machine?" Bella asked.
"Sure." Pushed the required coins in and press my selection and grabbed it be for turning to Bella. "Ready now."
Bella nodded and led me to her room she put her food on the table and hung her suit case on the rack by the door. Before picking her food back up and heading for the door.
"Are you going to un-pack?" I asked.
"I'll do it later." She replied. "Right now I have my mind on my food."
I just nodded and walked out of the room. She followed and locked the door because we had to use actual key's not key cards. I waited while she checked to make sure it was locked.
"Paranoid?" I asked after the third time.
"Dad's a cop." She replied. "Police chief actually."
"That would explain it. I check it twice." I replied.
"Why is that?" Bella asked.
"My grandfather was a cop for six years before he died and I was a cop for three years before my accident." I told her. "No I work as a privet investigator or cheater catcher since that's the only type of case I get now."
"And that makes you miss being a cop and getting the real bad guys off the streets."
"I guess you could say that and it kind of loses its luster once it's your business partner that screws you over." I told her before unlocking my door.
"But you are better couldn't you go back to being a cop?" She asked.
"I've been looking into it actually." I told her sitting down in one of the two chairs in the room.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yeah. I've got interviews all over to ask what they need in an officer and see if I can even get back into the field."
"I guess good luck is in order."
"It would be welcomed. I just hope I can keep it quiet until after I get a job." I told her.
"Why keep it quiet if it's so important to you?" she asked.
"My mother wouldn't like it but she would have to deal with the job if I already have it. I'm her baby so she's always worrying about me even when it's not needed."
"Sound like the opposite of my mom." Bella replied. "I'm more like my dad any way."
"You said your dad was a police chief maybe I'll talk to him."
"I am not going to tell you who my dad is. You will have to go through the interview all on your own." Bella said.
"Dang. Guess I'll have to resort to using my charm." I said.
"So what happen with you and Lauren? You told me that you broke up but you didn't say why."
"I caught her in bed with my business partner."
"Seriously and the guy is killing your business. What an ass."
"Bella!" I shouted.
"What?" she asked.
"You cussing was a shock. You don't strike me as the type to do so." I said to her pushing the last of my fries into my mouth.
"Glad I can shock you." She responded doing the same.
Before I knew what I was doing I leaned forward and kissed her.
"Sorry I shouldn't have done that." I said when I pulled back.
"Don't be." Bella said leaning forward. "I liked it." She added before kissing me.
I pulled away again and stood up. I pulled her with me and then kissed her again this time putting my arm around her waist and pulling her closer to me. She put her arms around my neck. I could feel her hands in my hair tugging and pulling on it.
I don't know why I didn't realize it but Bella and I had moved the distance between the bed and the table and I only noticed with I fell on to the bed. Bella giggled.
"I'm sorry." She said.
"Don't be." I said. "I fell on the bed not the floor and the view is nice."
"You're incorrigible." She said.
"You weren't saying that a few moments ago." I replied.
"True but I was also distracted." She said. "But then again it was a good distraction."
"Then join me and I can distract you again." I said probably as read as a tomato I was never really good at talking to girls even though they seemed to like me.
She sat on the edge of the bed and I leaned up to her and whispered "I really like you."
"And I like you." She replied kissing me again.
I put my hand on the back of her neck so I could deepen the kiss. She pushed the button up I had been wearing off on to the floor. She pushed me on my back before kissing me again. I gave her a nudge and pulled away from her before I pulled her shirt over her head my head so it could join mine on the floor.
When I woke up the next morning Bella wasn't there. I got up and put some clothes on ad shoved my dirty ones in my suitcase. I checked to make sure I had my phone I did. I grabbed my suitcase and carry on and headed for the front desk so I could check out.
Hello my lovely readers,
I apologize for taking so long to get this chapter up. I got distracted with writing my novel and other fanfics. I hope you like this chapter it like a few others after this one kind of wrote themselves after I first hit the keys. Now in the spirit of the season please leave a review.
Maye