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Chapter 7 – On Your Mark

I spent the bus ride home thinking about everything that had happened today. I felt strange, hopeful almost. It had been some time since I felt hopeful about anything. If I could pull this off I would remember today as the turning point in my life.

I walked slowly to my apartment considering what tomorrow would bring. As I entered my room a bit of panic set in. I was expected at the office at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. I'd be working with Angela and learning the scheduling software. I'd need some sort of business attire if I was going to be sitting in Edward's office most of the day and I was sorely lacking.

The outfit I had on was the only thing I owned that was remotely acceptable. I sighed and approached the bed. Sliding my hand between the mattress and box spring, I pulled out the plastic bag that contained my life savings -- $214. My stomach fluttered as I considered how much I could safely spend. I glanced at my watch and noted that it was the 14th. I could pick up my final paycheck from Nomad on Friday, but would have to make it last until the 30th, when I'd get paid from Cullen Enterprises. This $214 could go a long way to making sure I'd eat regularly between now and then.

I carefully counted out $100 before sliding the baggie back into the bed. If I was smart -- and lucky -- I should be able to buy another pair of pants and two tops with the money in my hand. If I stayed with black clothes then I would be able to put off purchasing shoes until I got my first real paycheck.

Changing into jeans and a sweatshirt, I left my apartment and took the bus to the nearest Marshalls, determined to find what I needed. It didn't take long. I was able to find a nice pair of charcoal grey pants and two tops, one white and one a pale pink color that would work with either the black pants I wore today or the grey ones I had now. The pink top was marked "Past Season" and was only $15. Altogether I only spent $80. I looked through the shoes, but wasn't able to find anything appropriate in my size that cost less than $20.

Still, I was pleased and congratulated myself on the ride back to my stop. When I got home, I carefully hung my new purchases in my tiny closet and made myself a peanut butter sandwich. Polishing off the last of the milk I decided to go to bed early so I'd be refreshed for tomorrow.

- - - - - - - - - -

Traveling during rush hour wasn't what I remembered. I wasn't able to sit down on the bus ride to work. The nerves I'd been feeling since I woke up, combined with the swaying of the bus, were making me nauseous. On top of that, I was cold. The pink top I was wearing wasn't really warm enough for the cool mid-October morning but I couldn't bring myself to wear my hoodie with my work clothes. I hoped it would be warmer later.

I arrived at Cullen Enterprises with 10 minutes to spare. As I walked through the lobby, I saw Felix leaning against Lauren's desk chatting with her quietly. I smiled shyly at him and he waved.

"Good morning, Ms. Swan," he offered.

I hesitated before approaching him, "Good morning Felix. Please, call me Bella."

"It's nice to see you again, Bella. I guess you will be visiting us regularly." He nodded to the keycard I held in my hand.

"Yes, thank you for the key."

"No problem. You have a nice day."

"You too," I said. Then, not to be a total bitch, I looked at Lauren and smiled. She offered me a fake smile in return before turning her eyes back to Felix.

I continued through the lobby and used my keycard to activate the express elevator. When the doors opened I stepped in and waited for them to close. Just as they were about to I heard, "Hold the elevator, please!"

I flung my arm between the closing doors and they bounced back open automatically. I stuck my head out and saw Angela scurrying across the polished tile floor. I envied her the long tan sweater coat she was wearing. When she entered the lift I gave her a genuine smile. She hesitated before offering me a small smile in return.

"Good morning, Ms. Swan."

"Angela, please, call me Bella."

She pursed her lips and shook her head minutely. I wondered if I had done something to offend her, she didn't seem as friendly as she was yesterday. I could feel my nervousness returning.

We stood in silence as the elevator made its way to Edward's office. Arriving on the 40th floor, we exited the lift. She made her way to her desk. I took note that the laptop and Blackberry that were assigned to me were sitting on the coffee table where I had my tea yesterday. I glanced at Mrs. Cope, but she was on the phone. I had just taken a step towards the couch when Edward's office door swung open and he stepped into the reception area. He had an empty coffee cup in his hand.

His eyes settled right on me. "Bella, good morning!" He seemed genuinely pleased to see me. I could feel my nerves settling as I took in his relaxed smile. He walked over to the coffee service behind Angela's desk and refilled his cup.

"Grab yourself a cup of coffee or something and then join me in my office. Ms. Weber, please join us as well."

"Yes, sir," Angela answered quietly.

I quickly made myself a cup of tea as Angela hung up her pretty sweater coat and stashed her purse under her desk. The two of us entered Edward's office silently. I noticed that Angela had a small pad in her hands.

"Please sit down, ladies," Edward said, waving his hands at the chairs in front of his desk. We both sat down. I took a sip of my tea while Angela flipped open her pad and removed a pen from behind her ear. Edward settled back in his seat.

"You won't need that, Ms. Weber," he told her.

Angela closed her pad. I noticed her eyes tightening.

"So, on to business," Edward began. "I usually don't discuss performance with other employees present, Ms. Weber, but for the sake of expedience I thought we'd do this together."

Angela looked down at her feet. I noticed that Edward wasn't picking up the signals her body language was providing. This surprised me. He seemed to notice everything. I tried to smile at her, but she ignored me.

"Mrs. Cope tells me that you've been a wonderful asset in your few months up here. She's extremely pleased with how quickly you've learned the ins and outs of your responsibilities and with your eagerness to lend a hand with duties that aren't strictly in your job description."

Angela looked up, her expression completely transformed from the worried frown to a hopeful grin.

"Thank you, sir," she responded.

He smiled at her. "No, thank you," he replied. "Mrs. Cope has been with Cullen for almost 30 years. She is planning on retiring in the next two years and has recommended that you be trained to replace her. I agree that you'd be the right person for the job. So, Ms. Weber, if you're interested I'd like to offer you the opportunity to replace her when she leaves. She would be teaching you the more involved aspects of her duties in the coming months. To make time for these new responsibilities you'd teach Ms. Swan, here, the scheduling software so she can handle my social calendar." Angela glanced over at me with a full smile. I relaxed. Her earlier worry had been resolved with Edward's offer of a promotion.

"Your increased responsibilities would be reflected in your pay. You'd advance one pay grade effective upon your acceptance. Future advances will be discussed at your performance reviews and upon Mrs. Cope's full retirement. If you'd like some time to consider my offer I can give you until tomorrow…."

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Cullen. I'm happy to accept your offer right now."

"Great. Let's go to Mrs. Cope's desk. She's got your promotion paperwork ready for you to sign."

I remembered that Edward had my laptop and Blackberry ready just minutes after I accepted my position yesterday. It seems that he was used to getting what he wanted.

The three of us made our way back into the reception area. Mrs. Cope smiled at Angela as she approached the desk. She handed Angela a manila folder which she immediately opened. As she leafed through the contents Mrs. Cope turned to me.

"I've asked Mr. Cheney to come up and help you with your laptop and Blackberry. I've moved another chair to Ms. Weber's desk so you can sit with her for the rest of the day."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Mr. Cullen, I have the additional information you needed for your lunch today, if you have time now.…"

"Yes, please. In my office, if you don't mind, I need to make a phone call."

Mrs. Cope nodded and rose from her seat. I walked to the couch as she followed Edward into his office. Angela had returned to her desk and was reading the contents of her folder. When the office door closed she looked up at me.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable earlier, Ms. Swan. I knew something was up with my job in recent days and I was afraid…."

"Afraid I was here to replace you?"

She nodded slightly. "This is my first job in such a large corporation. People warned me about how difficult Shelly Cope and Mr. Cullen could be. The last assistant ended up at the reception desk in the lobby. I was really worried."

I thought briefly of Lauren and could understand Angela's concern.

"Well, let me be the first to congratulate you on your promotion."

"Thank you." Angela grabbed a pen off her desk and started signing the paperwork in front of her.

The rest of the morning went much smoother. I was finally able to convince Angela to call me Bella, at least when we were alone. We agreed to eat lunch together in the cafeteria downstairs. She had me sit at her computer and brought up the complicated scheduling software used by Cullen Enterprises. We talked about it briefly before she helped me enter several appointments and engagements in the calendar. Ben Cheney joined us an hour later. Angela worked on some of her other responsibilities while Ben spent some time explaining the various features of my phone and laptop. We set up my email account and downloaded the scheduling software I would be using. After a few false starts I was comfortable with both pieces of advanced technology.

I noticed Ben and Angela both stealing glances at one another throughout the morning. When he finished helping me he started to gather up his things to return to his floor.

"Ben," I said lightly, "I'm still really new here and don't know many people. Would you like to join Angela and me in the cafeteria for lunch at 11:30? I'd like to eat with a friendly face or two."

He stole another quick glance at Angela. Her eyes were fixed on her computer monitor as she studiously ignored our conversation.

"Yeah, Bella. Thanks. I'd like that," he accepted.

"Great! We'll see you downstairs in a little while." I smiled at him. He grinned at me and made his way to the elevator. As soon as the door closed I looked over at Angela. She was staring at the closed elevator doors with a dazed look on her face.

"I hope you don't mind me inviting Ben to eat with us, Angela?" I asked.

"No," she answered faintly, "no, not at all." She turned to look at me and I grinned at her. She smiled back before mouthing, "thank you" silently.

Right before eleven, Edward stepped out of his office. He was obviously getting ready to leave the building as he was wearing an olive brown, double-breasted trench coat over his suit. He looked quite handsome, I had to admit. The brown really set off his green eyes.

"Bella, I'm heading to that lunch meeting I mentioned to you yesterday. I'll be back at one. That gives us an hour or so to talk before Ms. Brandon arrives."

"Okay, Edward. See you then." His cell phone buzzed, and he answered as he boarded the elevator. I heard, "Hey, Emmett, listen…" before the doors closed and he was gone. I turned around to see if the files Angela had sent me were done loading and noticed both her and Mrs. Cope looking at me. I smiled faintly, and they returned to their work before I could ask if anything was wrong.

Angela and I spent the next half hour looking over the forwarded emails. She explained how she marked the ones that Edward would be required to attend and those that he could comfortably decline. She highlighted his family's email addresses and explained that because his schedule was so busy they often emailed reminders about family gatherings so that I would be able to schedule his personal and business commitments around necessary family events.

I expressed concern that I wouldn't be able to judge the importance of each event. She assured me that both she and Mrs. Cope would act as resources until I became familiar with the companies and people Edward did business with. Once I knew who was who I'd be able to make the decisions on my own.

After entering the last few dates, I looked over the calendar. The next ten days or so were actually light as far as social events went. Angela assured me it was the calm before the storm. As the holidays approached there would be more and more parties to attend. So far, I only had the cocktail party tonight and the hospital Gala next weekend. There was a soft opening for a club Edward and his brother were investors in a few days before Halloween as well.

"Ready to go, Bella?" Angela was standing at my side ready for lunch.

I grabbed my bag and stood up. The two of us made our way down to the cafeteria. I could almost see Angela vibrating in her anxiousness to see Ben. The two of us found a table and Angela went to buy lunch while I pulled my sandwich and drink from my bag.

"Hey, Bella!" I heard Ben call out and waved. He walked over to me.

"Angela just went to buy lunch, did you bring something?"

"No," he answered, "I'm going to get something, too." Ben turned and made his way to the salad bar where I could see Angela choosing items for her lunch.

Ten minutes later the three of us were talking over our meals. Ben was telling a hilarious story about one of his friends and a life-sized Yoda doll when I heard someone call my name. Looking up I recognized Mike from HR.

"Hi, Mike," I smiled. I was glad to see another familiar face.

"How's your second day going?" he asked.

"Great. Angela, here, has shown me so much already. Do you know Angela and Ben?" I asked when I felt my Blackberry vibrate in my pocket. Pulling the phone out I looked at the screen. The caller ID told me it was Mrs. Cope calling. I hit the green button.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Ms. Swan, it's Shelly Cope. There is something I need you to look at. Would you mind cutting your lunch short? Tell you can handle it. There's no need for her to miss out on the rest of her lunch with Mr. Cheney, now is there?"

That sneaky lady! "No, Mrs. Cope, not at all. I'll be right up."

Ending the call, I looked up.

"Sorry, Mike, Mrs. Cope needs me to look at something in her office. I'm sure I'll see you again soon."

"Sure, no problem," Mike said easily, "maybe we can grab lunch next week one day."

"I'll let you know when I'll be back in the office," I told him. Mike walked away.

Angela was looking at me with concern. "Angela, Mrs. Cope wanted me to tell you that you should finish your lunch. I guess she wants to see if I can handle something without you holding my hand." I grinned.

"Okay, I'll see you in a half hour or so, then," she replied.

"Bye, Ben. Thanks again for all your help this morning.

"Anytime," he said.

I walked away from the two. When I got to the doors of the cafeteria I looked back and saw Ben leaning in to say something to Angela. He had her complete attention.

Mrs. Cope glanced up at me when I stepped off the elevator. I just smiled at her before walking over to the couch. As I sat down she cleared her throat and I looked over at her.

"We seem to understand each other, don't we?" she inquired.

"I think so, ma'am," I agreed.

She simply nodded her head and returned to her work.

The mail had been delivered while I had been downstairs. Mrs. Cope had me sit with her while she sorted through the pile. She efficiently divvied up the pile. The majority she kept then handed me some to place on Angela's desk. We went through the remainder together. Included with the important business letters, junk mail and subscriptions were two invitations that she explained to me. One was for a fraternity reunion in early November. The other was for a movie opening.

Mrs. Cope leaned over to me conspiratorially. "Mr. Cullen often attended movie openings with Ms. Denali. You'll need to ask him whether he wishes to attend this event or not."

I nodded and tucked the two invitations into a Cullen Enterprises folder Mrs. Cope offered me. The elevator binged and Angela stepped off looking happy. She proceeded to her desk and began to tackle the mail I had left there. Mrs. Cope looked at me and nodded at Angela. I approached her.

"How was the rest of your lunch?" I asked her.

"Terrific!" she replied, with a bit more excitement than I'd expect from a simple lunch. I smiled in return. I showed her the two invitations. She explained that Edward and his brother belonged to the fraternity when they were in college and kept in touch with a number of the members. She thought it likely that he would want to attend the reunion. She didn't think that my attendance would be required. The movie premiere would, however, require my attendance, if Edward was interested in going.

"Do you think he'd have any interest?" I asked. Frankly, I was interested. The movie was a supernatural romance aimed at teenage girls, but it still sounded like fun.

"I doubt it," Angela replied. "Mr. Cullen attended these events because Ms. Denali liked to. You can ask him, though. He'll let you know."

Edward stepped off the elevator at precisely one o'clock.

"Good afternoon," he said pleasantly.

"Good afternoon," the three of us answered back. We sounded like an elementary school class greeting its teacher. Edward chuckled briefly as he approached Mrs. Cope's desk.

"Here's the information from the meeting. Can you get it to R&D?"

"Certainly, sir.…" Mrs. Cope continued talking to Edward when my phone rang. Startled I glanced at the screen and stared at the unfamiliar number.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Ms. Swan. That would probably be Ms. Brandon. She called earlier to confirm your two o'clock."

I quickly pressed the button to answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi Bella, it's Alice. I just wanted to make sure we were on track for two?"

"Yes, Ms. Bradon. I'll be here."

"Oh, Mr. Cullen is there, isn't he?" she let out a surprising giggle.

"Yes."

"Okay," she continued, "I'll see you in an hour or so."

"Thank you. Bye," I responded before disconnecting the call.

"We better get started," Edward addressed me, "I'm sure once Ms. Brandon gets her claws in you we won't have time to talk before we need to leave today."

Edward walked over to his door and indicated I should enter his office. I stepped inside and sat in the chair I had occupied earlier. He sat behind his desk.

"So," he started, "I wanted to give you some information about tonight's event.…"

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Thanks so much for the reviews and encouragement! I answer all reviewers. I hope you're continuing to enjoy this story. Next chapter we get a sit down with Edward and major Bella/Alice time. Reviews make me write faster!