Dear Readers, I implore you to pay attention to the dates in this chapter. They'll give you the best sense of time passing. I attempted to respond to every review of the last chapter. I'm sorry if I missed yours.
One reader PMed me, but had her PMs turned off so I couldn't respond. I just wanted to tell that reader that you must have this story confused with another fic. I never wrote a chapter where I covered a month a paragraph. This is chapter 39 and it starts on January 12, 2010, EXACTLY 3 months to the day that Edward and Bella met. It is also the same day that Bella quit her job with Edward.
Chapter 39 – January, February, March…
January 12, 2010
You have seven new messages. To listen to your messages, press 1…
*beep* Message received on January 11th at 9:53 PM.
"Edward, it's Emmett, what the hell, dude? Where was Bella tonight? Was that Kathleen Snow you were with? Rose is pissed. Call me."
*beep* Message received on January 11th at 9:57 PM.
"Edward, it's Alice. Call me. Now."
*beep* Message received on January 11th at 10:14 PM.
Edward, honey, it's mom. Um, I need to ask you something. Could you call me? It's okay if it's late."
*beep* Message received on January 11th at 10:17 PM.
"Edward. Call. Me. Back!"
*beep* Message received on January 11th at 10:29 PM.
"Edward, I don't know what the hell you were thinking, but you better call Alice back. She's driving me crazy."
*beep* Message received on January 11th at 11:11PM.
"I knew you were going to fuck this up. Idiot. No I won't cool it, Emmett. I can't believe he did this. You better figure out a way to fix this, Edward. I like Bella."
*beep* Message received on January 11th at 11:41 PM.
"Son, it's your dad. Please call your mother back. She's very upset. Oh, and First would like to speak with you when you have time tomorrow."
*beep* *You have 18 new text messages.*
Click
DELETE ALL UNREAD MESSAGES?
Yes.
Sigh.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
AngPOV
Mr. Cullen's office door slammed shut, startling me. I spun around quickly from where I was waiting for the elevator.
"And where do you think you're going, Ms. Weber?"
"It's lunchtime, Mr. Cullen. I was just going to get something to eat."
"Were you planning on leaving my reception area unstaffed?"
"N…No, sir. Mrs. Cope just went to the restroom for a moment."
"Wait until she returns before you go anywhere."
"Yes, sir." I walked back to my desk. "Was there something you needed?"
"I'm leaving for the weekend. I've changed my plans and won't be back until Tuesday. I've arranged for my email to be forwarded to Mrs. Cope. My phone calls will be routed to you. Take messages. If Dr. Snow calls, tell her I'm on my way."
"Yes, sir."
With that, the elevator I had summoned arrived, and Mr. Cullen stepped on without a good-bye. I was still standing at my desk, staring at the closed elevator door, when Mrs. Cope came into the office from the restroom.
"I thought you were going to lunch with Bella and Ben, dear."
"Um, I was, but he came out and gave me a hard time for leaving when you weren't here."
"Hmph." She pressed her lips together and shot a dirty look at the closed elevator doors.
"He said that he was leaving for the weekend and wouldn't be back until Tuesday. His email will be coming to you; I'll be getting his calls." I pressed the call button for the elevator again.
"Thank you, dear. Enjoy your lunch. Take your time. Tell Bella and your young man I said hello."
"I will." The elevator doors opened. "See you in a bit."
Mrs. Cope smiled before turning to the work on her desk. I stepped on the elevator. As the door slid shut, my smile fell from my face.
Two months: it had been almost two months since Bella left Edward. Almost two months since he'd turned into a rotten dictator at work. At first, I thought the venom was directed at me, since Bella lived in my apartment. But it quickly became apparent that he was being overbearing with everyone, even Mrs. Cope.
I thought about Bella while I rode the elevator down. She was working half days at the literacy project three days a week plus doing lunches when they came up. She was still attending her classes, but she hated them. Her plan to attend school throughout the summer fell apart when she quit her job at CE. She could get loans and grants for the tuition costs, but needed more money to live on, so was planning on temp work during the summer to make ends meet.
The elevator had arrived in the lobby. I stepped off and looked around, quickly spotting Bella and Ben sitting together talking. I walked over to them.
"Hey! Sorry I'm late. I had something I needed to take care of."
"No problem, Ang," Bella said. Ben slid his arm around my waist and kissed me on the cheek. All three of us were carrying brown bagged lunches. We headed towards the cafeteria together.
I was riding the elevator back upstairs. Mrs. Cope had said to take my time, but Ben had a lot going on with some systems upgrade, and Bella wanted to talk to Esme before she left for the day, so I was only gone an hour. I looked up when the elevator doors opened. Mrs. Cope wasn't at her desk.
"Mrs. Cope?"
Mr. Cullen's door was closed, but the door to the restroom was open, she wasn't in either of those rooms. I looked around before spying a bit of color behind her desk. I walked over to get a better look.
"Oh my God, Mrs. Cope?" I dropped to my knees next to the prone form of Shelly Cope. I shook her shoulders gently.
"Mrs. Cope? Shelly? Can you hear me?" There was no response.
I jumped to my feet and grabbed the phone, quickly dialing the extension for security.
"Security, Felix Afton speaking."
"Oh my God, Felix. It's Angela on 40. Mrs. Cope is passed out up here. I need help. Call 911, and come up here. Please."
"I'm on my way, Angela."
I sprinted back over to Mrs. Cope and dropped to my knees again. I only hesitated a second before reaching out to touch her. She was lying half on her side with her face angled towards the floor. It almost looked like she was trying to reach the couch, but passed out. One arm was extended out, and her head rested on it. Her skin was pale and damp and her breathing was shallow. It didn't look like she was injured, but I was afraid to move her. I reached out and grasped her hand that was near her chest. I kept calling her name until the elevator binged and the door slid open.
"Ang?"
"Over here, Felix!" I called in relief.
Felix sat down next to me. "I called 911. They'll be here any minute. Want me to move her to the couch?"
I shook my head. "I don't think she's injured, but you're not supposed to move someone who's unconscious, right? In case they hurt their head or something?"
Felix shrugged, looking upset and nervous.
"Where's Mr. Cullen?"
"He left for the weekend."
Felix nodded.
It only took about five more minutes for paramedics to arrive. They were efficient and soon had Mrs. Cope secured to a gurney.
"Who's coming with her?" one of the EMTs asked? Felix looked at me.
"I…I can't. I can't leave the office unattended. Bella! Bella can go. I'll call her. She's on ten. I'll call her, and she'll meet you in the lobby." The EMT nodded. "Felix, I'm okay. Go get Bella and help her get downstairs as fast as possible."
With that, they all left the office. I called Bella and told her that something happened to Mrs. Cope and that she should meet Felix at the elevator so she could go to the hospital with her. I asked that she call with an update as soon as she could. I assured her I'd call Mrs. Cope's son as soon as I got off the phone with her.
After hanging up with Michael Cope, I stood still in the middle of the office. Numbly, I walked around Mrs. Cope's desk and jiggled her mouse. I breathed a sigh of relief as I saw her desktop pop up. She hadn't locked it before walking away. I could access her email. I sat down at her desk automatically and dialed Emmett Cullen's extension.
"Mr. Cullen, I'm sorry…Emmett. There's a problem. Mr. Cullen has left for the weekend and Mrs. Cope had a…an accident or something. She's on her way to the hospital. No, I'm fine. No, Bella went with her. I don't know. She was unconscious. The EMTs just took her. I'll be okay. Yes. Okay. Thank you."
I hung up the phone. Emmett needed to finish something, but then he'd come upstairs and work from his brother's office until Mr. Cullen returned next week, so I wouldn't be alone.
The phone on my desk rang, and the sound made me jump. I hurried to answer it, realizing it was Mr. Cullen's outside line.
"Edward Cullen's office."
"Hello Angela, this is Kathleen Snow. Where's Edward?"
"He left just over an hour ago. He said to tell you that he was on his way if you called."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome. Excuse me, Dr. Snow. Could you give Mr. Cullen a message for me? Please let him know that Mrs. Cope got sick and went to the hospital."
"Oh? Is she okay?"
"I…I don't know. She was unconscious when I found her. The EMTs said it was possibly a heart attack…"
There was silence on the other end of the line, then finally, "I'll pass on the message. Good bye."
"Thank you, Dr. Snow, good…" I realized I was talking to a dead line so I hung up. The elevator binged again, and I looked over in time to see Ben, Felix, and Esme Cullen step off the elevator. I rose to my feet.
"Angela, dear," Mrs. Cullen said, "Are you alright?"
"Yes, Mrs. Cullen, I'm okay." Ben pulled me to him in a tight hug.
"You shouldn't be all alone up here," she continued.
"It's okay. I already called Emmett. He said he'll come up and work from here until Mr. Cullen comes back next week."
"I tried calling Edward," Mrs. Cullen continued. "He has his phone switched off."
"I believe he is spending a long weekend with Dr. Snow."
Mrs. Cullen pursed her lips in what appeared to be distaste. "Mmmm," was all she said.
"I'll stay with you until Emmett gets here," Ben said.
"Thank you. I'm sorry to pull Bella away from her work, Mrs. Cullen, I couldn't leave the office unattended."
"Don't worry about it. I'll be sure to mention your dedication to Edward."
"Thank you."
She smiled at me kindly. "You're welcome. I'll leave you in the capable hands of Mr. Cheney then."
Mrs. Cullen and Felix left the office. As soon as the elevator doors slid closed, tears I'd been holding back started running down my face.
"Shhh…" Ben soothed, pulling me over to the couch. We sat together until Emmett arrived. He shook Ben's hand before heading into Mr. Cullen's office with his laptop. Ben went to work, eliminating the password protection on Mrs. Cope's computer so I could continue to access all of her and Mr. Cullen's email.
"I'll see you later, Ang."
"Bye," I said softly, "thank you."
Ben leaned close and whispered, "Love you," in my ear.
"I love you, too," I replied. I watched as he boarded the elevator. When the door slid shut, I sat down at Mrs. Cope's desk and pulled up her email.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
With Mrs. Cope not working, I'd taken to arriving at her usual starting time, 7 AM. Emmett had approved my overtime, so I still worked until five. It was only about 7:15 when the elevator binged softly. I looked up from where I was sitting at Mrs. Cope's desk as Edward Cullen stepped off the elevator.
"Good morning, sir," I said tightly, but respectfully.
"Ms. Weber." He nodded at me. "Thank you for covering for Mrs. Cope today." I was gratified to know that Dr. Snow had told him about Mrs. Cope. I had wondered, when Emmett confessed yesterday that no one from the family had heard from him since Thursday morning.
"No problem, sir. I spoke with personnel about hiring a temp, but everyone thought it best to wait until you came back to make a final decision."
Mr. Cullen's face grew more and more confused as I spoke.
"A temp? Why?"
"Well, I'll put in extra hours, but there's really too much work here for one person."
"You can certainly handle it for a day or two, can't you, Ms. Weber?" His tone was curt.
"Of course," I replied, flustered, "but it will be at least six weeks before Mrs. Cope returns, certainly…"
"Wait. What? Six weeks?"
"Well, yes. I don't have all the details, but any heart attack is bad, right?"
"Heart attack? Dr. Snow said she was sick."
"Oh! Well, she is sick. I told Dr. Snow that the EMTs thought it might be a heart attack, but haven't spoken to her again to let her know that they confirmed it."
"I see. Alright, then. I'd prefer not to have a temp in this office. Let's pull someone from another department."
"Yes, sir."
The elevator binged again. Emmett Cullen stepped off, a cheerful smile on his face. He stopped when he saw his brother.
"You're back," he stated.
"Obviously."
Emmett frowned. "Okay then. Let's talk in your office, and then I'll get back down to mine. Morning, Angela."
"Good morning, Emmett."
Mr. Cullen frowned at our casual familiarity, but didn't say anything. I watched as the two men entered Mr. Cullen's office, shutting the door behind them.
EmPOV
I followed Edward into his office and closed the door behind me. I was usually one for an open door policy, but what I had to say to my brother shouldn't be overheard.
Edward sat down behind his desk and indicated the chairs before his desk. I snorted before sitting down.
"Where the fuck have you been?"
Edward looked up at me, a frown on his face.
"Not that it's any business of yours, but I took a few days off."
"You were completely out of touch."
It was his turn to snort. "That was the idea."
"You're not some lackey around here, Edward. We need to be able to get in touch with you."
"Everyone seems to have weathered the storm just fine."
I shook my head in disbelief. "Weathered the storm? You better give that poor girl out there one hell of a raise. I would have quit after what happened in here last week."
"What do you mean?"
"She comes back from lunch on Thursday…"
"Thursday?" Edward looked surprised.
"Yeah, Thursday. You'd have known this if you checked in once in awhile."
"Spare me the commentary, Emmett. Just tell me what happened."
"She came back from lunch on Thursday to find Mrs. Cope passed out on the floor. She called security and sat on the floor until the EMTs arrived. Then she called me. I couldn't get here right away. Felix called Ben Cheney to come sit with her so she wouldn't be all alone up here. Mom showed up, too."
"Mom? How did Mom get involved?"
I went right for the kill. "Bella was working downstairs. She went to the hospital with Mrs. Cope since Angela couldn't leave the office."
I knew it. As soon as I said Bella's name, a dark look came over Edward's face. His lips were pressed into a thin line. He ran his hands through his hair. Score!
I sat back and waited for him to say something.
"How is she?"
"Bella? Fine. She's…"
"Not Ms. Swan," he interrupted me, "Mrs. Cope. How is she?"
I exhaled. "It's not good. I think you should consider a permanent replacement, instead of a temp. She's going to be out at least six weeks, but I know her son wants her to just retire and move closer to him."
Edward sat back and exhaled loudly. He looked upset, but the way he'd been acting lately, it was probably because he didn't want to be inconvenienced.
"Okay, Emmett, thank you."
"You're welcome. And, you really should do something nice for Angela."
"She's just doing her job," he said with a shrug. I didn't trust myself to answer so just turned and walked out of his office, closing the door behind me.
EPOV
I watched Emmett leave the room before turning around and staring out the window. I was angry, but didn't know where to direct my feelings.
I had no interest in being lectured on responsibility by my brother. Especially when he was right. It was irresponsible for me to drop out of sight like I did this weekend. Normally, it wouldn't matter, but something I should have known about happened, and no one could get in touch with me.
Ms. Weber aggravated me with her talk of a temp when I first walked in this morning. Just last night, Kathleen mentioned speaking to her and finding out that Mrs. Cope was sick. I figured that Ms. Weber called her when she couldn't reach me.
Now, it seems, Kathleen knew all weekend long that Mrs. Cope was sick and hadn't bothered telling me until the last minute.
I grabbed my phone and hit the speed dial.
"Good morning, baby," Kathleen purred. I shook my head.
"Kath, when did you find out that Mrs. Cope was sick?"
"Last week, Thursday, when I called your office."
"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"
"We decided to go away because you were stressed out," she replied reasonably. "You needed some time away from the office and your responsibilities. There was nothing you could do to help her. You have to admit you're much more relaxed now."
"Yeah." I paused and grudgingly decided to let it go. Nothing was going to be accomplished by yelling at her no matter how pissed off I was. "Okay, I guess you're right. Just, next time, let me know if you get news from a member of my staff, even if there's nothing I can do, I like to be informed."
"You're so conscientious. That's one of the things I like about you so much. I'm sorry, Edward, I shouldn't have kept the information from you. I thought it was for your own good."
"I appreciate your concern."
"I have to run. It's crazy here today." I could hear the muffled voice of the hospital's paging system in the background. "I'll be home around six on Friday. Will I see you then?"
I sighed again. "Yeah. I'll call you when I get off work on Friday."
"Have a good week, Edward. I'll miss you."
"Bye, babe."
Thursday, March 11
BPOV
"Bella!" Ang shouted to me from the living room. She must have just gotten home. I was vegging out in my room bare-footed, wearing a soft pair of yoga pants and a tank top, trying to read through the most boring book ever written, Classroom Management for the 21st Century. My hair was piled on my head, being held up by two pins, a pen and a precariously perched highlighter.
Grateful for the break, I called out, "Be right there."
Tossing the book aside and rubbing my eyes, I got up and went into the living room, where Angela was sitting on the edge of the sofa with…
"Jake?"
He stood up and smiled at me hesitantly, "Hey, Bella."
"Hi, Jake. What's up?" I asked, genuinely curious. I hadn't seen him since the day he helped me move in. I suppose I should feel bad about that, but my life had been such a whirlwind since…well, for awhile, that I hadn't spoken to anyone but Angela and, occasionally, Alice or Riley. Or Rose. Jasper, from time to time. Hm, come to think of it, my friends were really clingy. While my relationship with Edward was over, the people I met through him had become very important to me.
"Um, nothing. Is there someplace we can talk?" he asked, glancing over at Angela. Angela popped off the couch in response.
"You two can hang out in here, I'm going to take a shower and get ready for my date with Ben. We're going to the movies, and then we'll be back here to hang out, okay?"
Angela walked to her room, but stopped just outside her bedroom door to look back at me. She made an exaggerated face and mouthed, "Oh my God, he's hot!" before opening the door and disappearing into her room.
I hid my smile. Jake was a good looking guy. A little tall for me, maybe, but…
"So, what's up, Jake?"
"Nothing, really. I'm working a lot more now. My dad's got me sitting in on meetings and going with him on site visits. Nothing exciting, but it's important if I hope to run the company one day."
"That's great. Sounds like a lot of responsibility. How are the guys doing? Still hitting the clubs and stuff?"
Jake grimaced. "Not as much. Quil met someone…Claire; he spends a lot of time with her. I see Embry and Brady from time to time, but work and traveling for the company has bit into my free time."
"How about you? What's going on with you?" Jake's tone was hesitant. I had no doubt he was aware that I was no longer with Edward. The press coverage of our breakup had really been over the top. I had been hounded by photographers. As soon as things started to quiet down, Edward started seeing Kathleen Snow, and the photographers were back, asking my opinion. As if it mattered.
"Um, school. And I'm working part time at Esme Cullen's nonprofit Literacy Project."
"That's probably tough, eh? Working for her after…" Jake hesitated and looked at me worriedly.
"'Sokay, Jake. Really. No big deal. Edward and I didn't work out. He wasn't always supportive of my goals, and I…wasn't what he needed, either. Not being together is really better for both of us."
Jake scoffed and muttered under his breath.
"I doubt you came here to talk about my ex," I said.
"No, definitely not. Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime. You know, dinner or a movie or something. Coffee?"
"Oh!"
"Is it too soon? I mean, I've seen the pictures, I know he's seeing someone else, but if it hasn't been long enough for you, I…"
"No! No, that's not it. I'm…fine." At least, that was what I was going to keep telling myself.
A knock on the door interrupted us.
"Let me get that." Jake nodded.
I opened the door and let Ben in. Jake stood up and offered his hand, which Ben shook easily.
"Nice to see you again, Ben." I was surprised Jake remembered him from the move.
"Jacob, right?"
"Jake's fine."
"Jake." Ben smiled before turning to face me. "Angela ready?"
"She's in her room."
"'Kay. See you guys later." Ben walked over to Angela's room and disappeared inside. Jake and I sat back down.
"Uh, so, what do you say?" Jake asked as soon as we were settled. "Would you like to go out sometime?"
I studied Jake's face. I admit that I was flattered that he seemed so unsure of himself. As if he really wanted to go out with me and was worried I'd turn him down. He was always nice…and helpful…and fun. There was no reason I couldn't go out with him.
"Um, yeah, I think I'd like that, actually."
Jake's answering smile was like watching the sun rise. His whole face lit up.
"Really?"
I chuckled. "Yeah, really. Don't act so surprised."
"Okay, cool. Uh, should I call you?"
"How about now?"
"Now?" He looked bewildered.
"Is now not good for you?"
"No!" he practically shouted and then looked abashed. "Now's fine," he added in a more moderate tone.
I laughed again. "Just let me get changed."
I left Jake in the living room and went to my room. Taking my cue from what he was wearing, I changed into a pair of low-rise, black jeans and a half-sleeve, purple turtleneck. I pulled on black suede boots that Riley "just happened to find in a dusty store room" and brushed my hair out, deciding to leave it down. When I came out of the room, Jake was talking to Ben and Angela.
"I'm ready," I said, grabbing my coat from the closet.
All three of them looked at me. Angela had this excited look on her face that made me believe I was going to be in for a long night of "roommate bonding" when I got home later.
"Where you guys going?" she asked.
I gave a little shrug and glanced at Jake. "Uh…"
"Wherever you want to go, Bella, is fine."
"Ooh!" Angela interrupted before I could think, "Go to Panera. Bella loves Panera."
I looked at Jake to see if this was okay. He shrugged, "Panera's fine."
"I do love their broccoli cheese soup."
"Okay then, let's go."
Jake took my coat from me and helped me put it on. I grabbed my key from the bowl by the door and waved goodbye to Angela and Ben. Jake and I got on the elevator and stepped out onto the sidewalk. I glanced around.
"Where's your truck?"
"I didn't bring the truck," he said, hitting the unlock button on his key fob. I glanced over when I heard the telltale beep of unlocking doors.
"Wow! That's nice. What is it?"
"An R8."
"I don't speak Car & Driver," I told him with a smile.
He chuckled. "It's an Audi." I nodded. I'd heard of that one.
"Well, it's very nice."
"Thank you." Jake walked me around the car and held the door while I slid in. I waited while he walked around and got seated.
Friday, March 12
My cell phone started ringing at 6:30. I groaned as I picked it up: Riley.
I brought the phone to my face before hitting the button.
"Mmph?" was all I could manage.
"Good morning, beautiful," he sang. I swear, Riley never slept. He was never tired, never downtrodden, never less than completely put together and gleeful.
"Riley," I mumbled, "What do you want? It's 6:30 in the morning."
"You should be proud of me, Bella-bella," he chattered, "I've shown great restraint this morning. I've been dying to call you since five-ay-em."
"Why?"'
"Can we have this conversation face-to-face?"
"Sure. Meet me around 11." I yawned. "Bye, Ri…"
"Au contraire. We're going to talk now. I'm outside your apartment door. Let me in."
Grumbling, I hung up. I stumbled out of bed and slid along the wall until I reached the front door. I unlocked it and pulled it open without checking the peep hole.
Riley breezed in, two paper cups in a cup holder in one hand, a plastic garment bag in the other. He was perfectly dressed, as usual, in jeans and boots. He had on a corduroy blazer, a scarf and dark mirrored sunglasses. His short bleached hair was spiky today.
I made my way to the couch, where I sat before falling over and snuggling into the soft cushions. I was so glad Angela was already gone. She'd been starting work at 7 every morning since Mrs. Cope left CE.
I could hear Riley walking around the apartment. He had thrown the garment bag over one of the club chairs, and then headed into the kitchen. I knew he preferred drinking out of real cups when they were available. Sure enough, he returned a few moments later with two mugs and proceeded to pour the contents of the paper cups into the ceramic ones.
I lay there, silent. It wasn't until I realized that Riley was also being quiet that it occurred to me that something was up. I cracked at eye. Riley was sitting in the empty club chair, staring out the window.
I cleared my throat. "Riley?"
"Mmm…"
"What's up?" I asked in a small voice. Quiet Riley was never good.
"How long?" he asked in a high, offended-sounding voice.
"How long what?" I sat up.
"How long were you going to keep your new beau from me, hm? I thought we were besties." His voice had a tragic lilt.
"Riley," I said reasonably before stopping. "Wait. How did you…we went out on one…beau? What are you talking about? "
Riley reached into his blazer and pulled out a wad of hastily folded printer pages he had brought with him.
I leafed through them quickly.
"Fuuuck meee," I breathed.
"Sorry, sweetie, you're not my type, but that hunk of man meat you were out with yesterday…." He tilted his head as if contemplating an evening with Jake.
"Where did you get these?"
Riley sighed heavily, and I shook my head at my stupidity. Freakin' paparazzi and the internet.
"I…I don't get it. These are pictures of us leaving here. Did they follow Jake here? Why? I mean…. They don't follow me anymore." I trailed off completely confused.
"Oh, beautiful," Riley shook his head, "they never left you. Your paparazzi friends are still following you around. Despite what that bastard did to you, he did catapult you to gossip rag fame. You'll never walk alone." He said this last in an angelic tone of voice with an expression to match.
I frowned.
"I'm not news. I'm Edward Cullen's fake ex-girlfriend."
"That makes you news. Remember what happened when Stoop…" Riley had taken to calling Edward stupid when I broke up with him. Recently, he'd shortened it to Stoop and started using it instead of his name.
"…when Stoop starting dating that tramp, the troops mobilized and attacked, right? Remember how they harassed you?"
I nodded.
"Well, ever since, they've been sneaking around hoping to catch you with a new guy." He smiled hugely. "Stoop's in for a big surprise when he drags his sorry ass out of that den of iniquity he calls home." Riley practically cackled.
A small part of me…a very small part…a part I was embarrassed to admit resided inside me, was a little happy that Stoo… I mean, Edward, was going to be blindsided by the paparazzi fairy this morning.
EPOV
"Edward!"
"Mr. Cullen!"
I looked around, bewildered. It was unusual for me to exit my building through the front door, but I was on a call, and sometimes the phone cut out when I entered the garage, so I had walked outside.
A scrum of photographers was approaching me.
"I'm sorry, I may cut out. I'm heading into the garage." I turned my back and headed for the wide doors that would lead me into the garage. I was ignoring the chattering mob at my back as best I could until one voice broke through.
"Mr. Cullen. What do you think of Bella Swan's new boyfriend?"
Coldness swept through me, and my step faltered. I paused as the mob, sensing my hesitation, fell silent and waited for their sound bite.
"I'm going to have to call you back." I said evenly into the phone.
I lowered my arm and slipped my phone into my pocket before swallowing hard and forcing a smile onto my face.
Boyfriend? Hold it together, Edward. You don't know if they're right. They're hardly a reliable news source.
Turning, I addressed the photographers. The sound of furious clicking ensued.
"I wish Bella nothing but happiness." There, that was neutral. And honest. Ish. Honestish.
"It is true that he's an associate of yours? An old friend of the family?"
"Honestly, this is the first I'm hearing of it, so I have no idea who she's seeing. Like I said, as long as she's happy…"
"It's being reported that his name is Jacob Black."
A sick feeling settled in my stomach, and I could feel my smile straining. Someone thrust a piece of paper towards me and I took it automatically. It was a picture of Jacob Black holding the door of a car open for Bella. His hand hovered over her lower back.
"Mr. Cullen? Is Jacob Black a friend of yours?"
"I have no further comment."
I was able to break my way through the group and enter the garage where they couldn't follow me.
AngPOV
Mr. Cullen was late…really late, for him, anyway. It was 8:15. I looked over at Maria. She was a lower level assistant from Sales. She was nice enough and a hard worker, according to her manager. She was here to replace Dora, who left in tears yesterday after Mr. Cullen yelled at her for inverting figures on a spreadsheet she had turned in.
Working for Mr. Cullen was always high stress, but you couldn't tell when Mrs. Cope was here. She'd been doing her job since forever, and everything ran smoothly when she was there to pick up the slack or show the way.
The work was getting done, but barely. If Maria didn't pull her weight today, there was no way I would be able to get everything done without bringing stuff home. The elevator chimed, and Maria rose to her feet and smoothed down her skirt nervously, ready to meet her new boss.
As soon as I caught a glimpse of Mr. Cullen's face, I knew something wasn't right. He wasn't angry, he was furious. Already. He barged into the space between the desks and looked at Maria.
"Who are you?"
The smile on Maria's face faltered, and she began to stutter before I cut in, "This is Maria, Mr. Cullen, from Sales. She's agreed to help out here while we're looking for a permanent…"
He cut me off. "Fine." He turned to Maria. "Move my 4:00 meeting to 2:30, and tell the people in Special Projects they better be ready. I want the projected figures for the Azon deal on my desk by 10:00. Reach out to Allied and tell them that the timeline is fine, but they better hit all the deadlines. Have the cafeteria send me up a burger or something at noon. I want a rough draft of the quarterly numbers before 2:00. Call Alice Brandon-Whitlock and tell her the suit she ordered is not acceptable, I want black not navy. Order a gift around $100 off my nephew's birthday registry and have it sent to my home address. Make sure it's in stock; I don't have time for backorders. And, I need dinner reservations for two at 8:00 this Saturday night at La Mer."
"Ms. Weber, I need you in my office. Now."
Grabbing my legal pad and two pens, I stood to follow Mr. Cullen as he stalked towards his office. I spared a glance for Maria. From her bewildered expression and moist eyes I knew I'd be lucky if she was still here when I came out. I heaved a mental sigh and rearranged today's priorities to include the work Mr. Cullen just dropped on Maria's lap.
Sunday, March 21, 12:47 AM
EPOV
I rolled over and punched the pillow. Exhaling sharply, I tried to rid my body of the excess aggravation that just wouldn't leave me.
What had originally promised to be a fun evening of more than pleasant company had turned into a tense night…not a single participant happy to be there.
My parents had given Emmett, Rose and B-…me dinner reservations at one of the hottest restaurants in the city as well as tickets to a show as a Christmas present. They also promised to babysit EJ, so that we could hit the club before heading home.
I thought back to the conversation that started this evening rolling.
"Hey Edward, it's Rose. I wanted to talk about next Saturday."
"What's next Saturday?" I replied, distracted.
"Dinner and a show. Remember? Mom and Dad gave it to us for Christmas."
"That's already?" As much as time had been dragging these past few months, days seemed to slip past me in a haze.
"Yeah, next Saturday, the 20th."
"Okay, what about it?"
"Will you pick Bella up, or should Emmett and I…"
"What?" I shouted the single word into the phone. What the hell was she thinking?
The tone of her voice made it clear she had been expecting my reaction. "Will-you-be-able-to-pick-Bella-up-or-should-Emmett-and-I-get-her?"
"Christ, Rose. Ms. Swan's not going."
"Why not? The gift was for all of us. Why shouldn't she go…just because you can't keep it in your pants?"
I made an aggravated sound I didn't even try to hide. "I was in my pants. Ms. Swan overreacted and made a rash decision based on anonymous pictures sent to her cell phone by someone who was obviously trying to cause trouble."
Rose relented for a moment. "Did you ever find out who sent the pictures to Bella and the press?"
It had been bad enough that the pictures were all over her phone. Whoever had snapped them had also sent them to the tabloid web sites. They were all over the internet before 10 o'clock that night.
"No," I answered shortly. I had tried to get to the bottom of that mystery, but the number came up unknown. The phone company was only able to trace it to a prepaid, disposable phone. Pressure on the websites was ineffective. No payment for the pictures had ever been requested or made, the photos were completely anonymous.
"Well, no matter, the dinner and tickets were gifts to Bella, not just you. She should go."
"Fine, go with her. I'll give my tickets to Emmett. Tell her to bring a friend. I will not be going." I hung up. I'd had enough of Rose.
The entire point was moot, however. Ms. Swan refused to go, as well. My mother stepped in at that point. Although she was not known for guilt trips, she could be "persuasive." In the end, Rose, Emmett and I agreed to go. Ms. Swan was more resistant and managed to get out of the evening. When I told Emmett I was bringing Kathleen, who I'd started dating a few weeks after Ms. Swan left me, he promised to smooth things over with Rose.
I thought about how I'd started seeing Kathleen. It was about two weeks after Ms. Swan made her decision. I had stopped by my father's office at the hospital for lunch. We tried to go out together a few times a year, just the two of us. He did it with Emmett, too. It was a Saturday.
Dad was busy talking to a few of the residents. I was waiting in the cafeteria, drinking coffee and reading the paper when someone called my name.
"Edward?"
Kathleen. I stood up. She looked good in a short navy skirt and a white blouse with a lab coat on.
"Hey, Kathleen, how are you?"
"I'm good. Are you very mad at me?"
"Mad at you? Why would I be mad at you?"
"Um, those pictures…." She shrugged. "Then I read that you and Bella broke up."
I pulled out a chair for her and she sat.
"Don't believe everything you see," I told her humorlessly as I sat in my chair. Bella had believed something she saw and look where that got us.
Kathleen's eyes flashed. "So you didn't break up?"
"We didn't break up," I told her. How could we? We were never really dating. "However, we are no longer seeing each other."
Kathleen looked confused…join the club, honey…but let it go.
"I'm sorry; I hope I had nothing to do with that."
I shook my head. Nope, the way I saw it, the blame was all Bella's. Her decision. Her mistake.
That was when my father joined us.
"Dr. Snow, Edward." My father nodded at us both. "Sorry I'm late, son. I had a few things to discuss with the residents. Dr. Snow, will you be joining us?"
"Oh, no, Dr. Cullen, I wouldn't want to intrude on your time with your son," she said, rising to her feet. I stood as well.
"No intrusion, I assure you," I told her. Kathleen looked at my father, before looking back at me uncertainly.
"Actually, I'm coming off a twelve hour shift. I really just came for some coffee before heading home."
"If you're sure…?" I hedged. It was nice seeing her again.
"Really, Edward, it was great seeing you." She reached over and hugged me. "Thank you again for your kindness the other night. Dr. Cullen, I'm sure I'll see you next week."
My father nodded. "Good bye, Dr. Snow."
I watched as Kathleen walked towards the coffee station. My father and I went to the counter to grab our lunches. My dad was held up talking to one of the nurses, so I headed to the cashier alone and ended up in line behind Kathleen again, who seemed deep in thought. I leaned close to her ear.
"We have to stop meeting like this."
"Oh!" Kathleen startled. When she realized it was me, we both laughed.
"I was wondering," I said, "if you'd be interested in grabbing a cup of coffee with me sometime?"
"I'd like that very much."
"What's your schedule next week?"
"I'm here early in the week, but I'm off on Thursday."
"Great, can I call you Wednesday night? We can make plans to meet up."
"Okay." Kathleen gave me her cell number before paying for her coffee and leaving the cafeteria with a small wave.
Turned out that there was no way I could get away from the office on Thursday, so I called and asked her if we could meet for dinner instead. She agreed, and we'd been seeing each other ever since.
She wasn't Bella, but at least she wanted me.
Seems Emmett failed to smooth things over with Rose. She had had a stony look on her face all night when the four of us went out to dinner. She spoke only when spoken to and barely acknowledged Kathleen, while completely ignoring me. Emmett and I sat next to one another in the theater, between Kathleen and Rose. As soon as the curtain calls were done, Rose excused herself and didn't come back. Emmett went to go find her. He called my cell a few minutes later and passed on the club, saying Rose wasn't feeling well and they were going to go home.
Yeah, right.
I wasn't looking forward to EJ's first birthday party next weekend at all. Rose made it clear that the party was family only. Kathleen had been hurt; the 27th was the first Saturday since we'd come back from our long weekend that she wasn't working. I promised her that I'd leave as early as feasible and we'd spend the evening together at the club.
I flipped over again, trying to get comfortable and jostled Kathleen who made a discontented noise, but didn't wake up. Grunting, I got up and padded out of the room. If I wasn't going to sleep, at least I could get some work done.
Time line to make it clearer:
Monday, January 11th - Bella's first class/Hospital's New Year Dinner
Tuesday, January 12th - Bella quits her job at CE/breaks up with Edward
Saturday, January 30th - Edward has lunch with Carlisle/asks Kathleen to coffee
Thursday, February 4th - Edward takes Kathleen to dinner. This is their first date.
Thursday, March 4th - Edward leaves work early for a weekend with Kathleen/Mrs. Cope has a heart attack
Tuesday, March 9th - Edward returns to work after his long weekend.
Thursday, March 11th - Jacob shows up at Bella's apartment and takes her to Panera. This is their first date.
Friday, March 12th - Edward is approached by the papz regarding Bella and Jacob
Saturday, March 20th - Edward, Kathleen, Emmett and Rose go to dinner and a play together