Chapter 14

The next day was another busy one at the shop. I had several deliveries going to the same location for a funeral, so that made Emmett's job a little bit easier. He came in around 11:30 to pick up the first orders I had ready. I was up to my elbows in potting soil when he walked up and leaned on the counter beside where I was working.

"Hey, can I get a favor?"

"Probably," I said, looking over at him. "What's up?"

"Can you put something together for me? Nothing big or fancy or anything, just, like, a nice bouquet?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure I can, but it wouldn't be ready until after 3 at least. Would that be okay?"

"Sure, that'd be fine."

"Did you have anything in particular in mind, flower-wise? Style? Message?"

He mulled this over for a little bit. "No roses or anything too over the top. Just something pretty." He paused and his cheeks flushed a little. I'd never seen Emmett blush before, and it was kind of adorable. "Pretty and classy, but also simple. Think you can you do that?"

"I'll see what I can do." I was very curious about whom this bouquet was for, especially since he was being unusually secretive, but I didn't want to pry.

"Thanks, Bella. Well, I'll see you later." He pushed off of the counter, gave my shoulder a little squeeze, and we both got back to work.

I didn't see Emmett again until around 4:30, and his bouquet had been ready for a little while. I'd finished my other orders a couple of hours prior, and I actually had some nice pieces left over. I managed to put together a nice arrangement of pink gerbera daisies, pink carnations and a couple of white Peruvian lilies. He seemed pretty happy with the end result.

"That looks really great, Bella." He looked it over thoroughly. "What do the daisies mean?"

"Well, daisies in general can mean cheerfulness, innocence, friendship."

He frowned a little as though he didn't like that answer so well. "Hmm, I'm not sure if..."

"But," I said, interrupting him to further explain, "pink daisies tend to signify classic beauty."

The frown disappeared and he beamed. "Yeah. That's...that's perfect. So, what do I owe you?"

"Nothing." He looked like he was going to protest, but I cut him off. "I just made it with what I had left over anyway, Emmett. Everything's already been paid for, and it's nice to see them not go to waste." He just smiled at me, showing off his dimples. "I hope she likes it," I said, amused to see him so giddy.

After sweeping, cleaning the counters and putting fresh flowers in the display case, I locked up and headed home. I heard Alice's voice as soon as I got in the house and found her in the living room on the phone, presumably talking to her sweetie given how bouncy she was. We waved at each other, and I went back to the bathroom to wash off some of the grubbiness of work and freshen up a bit. I washed my hands, arms and face, put on a clean shirt and some sweats, and then came back out to the kitchen to see what we had for dinner. Looking through our fridge's contents, I noticed we had ingredients for tacos. I leaned around the corner to where Alice was and cleared my throat to get her attention.

"Tacos for dinner?"

She nodded and gave me a thumbs up.

"Hi Jasper!" I said, raising my voice.

She giggled. "He says Hi, Bella."

I went back to the kitchen and dug out a skillet, starting to break up the hamburger meat to cook. I also got out some vegetables to clean and a block of cheese to grate. Alice came into the kitchen a short while later, beaming. She had that look on her face fairly often since meeting Jasper.

"Anything I can do to help?'

"Sure, do you mind washing the lettuce and tomatoes? They're in a colander in the sink." She went to the hall bathroom to quickly wash her hands and came back and started cleaning the veggies. "How's Jasper? His work going all right?"

"Mmhmm, it's going well. He should be home by the weekend."

That would explain the source of that big grin. She hadn't quite started moping around the house yet, but this was likely because my 'wardrobe renovation' and her own job were keeping her busy and distracted. There had been other times when he had been away for more than a few days, and my best friend just wasn't her usual cheerful self when that happened. "It's great that you get to talk on the phone so often while he's out of town."

"Yep. He calls me every day while he's gone. Says he can't sleep well unless he hears my voice," she said, going all moony on me.

"Aww," I said, smiling at her. If it had been anyone else saying this to me, I probably would have laughed. Or gagged. But this was Alice and Jasper, and I knew it was entirely sincere. Their relationship really seemed to be one of those once in a lifetime loves you always read about but rarely, if ever, get a chance to experience for yourself. Although I was elated that my best friend had someone so special in her life, it was also a stark reminder that I had nothing close to that myself.

Alice had most likely seen these pitiful thoughts flash across my face, because she then asked, "How is Edward?"

"He's fine, I suppose. I haven't spoken to him in a couple of days, actually." I tried to infuse as much nonchalance into the statement as I could.

"Really?" She looked slightly baffled. "Not since Monday?"

"Not a peep," I said, stabbing the meat in the skillet with the tip of my wooden spoon.

"Have you called him?"

I shook my head, both to tell her no and to attempt to clear my thoughts some.

She turned off the faucet and dried her hands, then came and stood beside me. "Bella," she said softly, her tone suddenly serious. "I know you've been hurt. Really, I do. But, sweetie, not all guys are like James."

I closed my eyes for a minute to try to block out the bad memories from my last serious relationship. Well, it had been serious for my part, anyway. I unfortunately found out too late that it wasn't on his. Once I opened them again, I realized I had no reply to that. She reached over to my free hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. I forced myself to look at her and gave what I hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Well, anyway, you have his number. Just please don't forget that it works both ways."

"Maybe I will call him," I finally said, but I don't think I convinced either of us.

I woke up on Thursday morning after a fitful night's sleep to my alarm buzzing away. There was an outfit hanging from my closet door with a note stuck to it. I turned off my alarm, rubbed the sleep from my eyes, and stumbled over to read it.

Bella,

You should wear this today. I have a good feeling it will bring you luck!

xo,

Alice

My roommate was quite nimble on her feet and had obviously sneaked into my room this morning to leave this for me. Never one to doubt Alice's hunches, and frankly needing all the luck I could get, I picked up the hanger and brought it with me into the bathroom.

When I got to work that morning, the lights were already on and the door unlocked. I knew this could either be Donna's doing, which would be a good thing, or Jessica's, which would be...the opposite of that. Holding my breath, I opened the door and walked in. Donna was at the counter going through paperwork, and I let out a small sigh of relief.

"Good morning, Donna."

"Good morning, Bella," she said, smiling at me. "You look very nice today. I don't often see you in a skirt."

"Thanks. It just seemed like a good day to wear one." I had no idea if that was true, but Alice certainly seemed to think so.

"I'm meeting with one of our distributors for a late breakfast this morning and needed to get some paperwork before heading that way," she said, before I could wonder why she was here so early.

"Ah, okay. Did you find what you needed or can I help you look?" I walked over and stood across from her.

"No, no, I have it right here," she said, waving some papers at me. "You organize so well, and it was exactly where it was supposed to be."

I smiled, accepting her praise. I may not have been the neatest or most organized when it came to my personal space, but my work space was a different story. I liked to have everything in its proper place. Donna knew this habit kept me, and the store, running efficiently, and she never messed with or questioned my system.

I heard footsteps behind me. "I started some coffee, Mom, but I don't know why you haven't bought an espresso machine for here yet."

Uh oh.

I tried to keep my smile plastered on as I slowly turned around and faced the source of that grating voice. "Morning, Jessica."

"I mean, come on. I'm sure she drinks espresso, too, don't you, Bella?" she said, completely bypassing any sort of greeting.

"Well, not really, no."

Her eyes narrowed, she made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a 'hmph', and turned and walked back to the kitchen. Donna looked contrite and shrugged her shoulders.

"She insisted on coming in with me to help out," she said just above a whisper. "I wondered if she might not already have something planned with her friends for today, but she insisted that family came first."

I had to bite my lip so I didn't laugh out loud. This was clearly also news to Donna, and I saw the corners of her mouth twitch like she was fighting back a grin. I had no idea why Jessica was trying to pretend that she wasn't completely self-absorbed, but it wasn't fooling anybody. She just wasn't that good of an actress.

"That makes sense," I whispered back, trying my best to be affable. "I mean, all this will be hers someday, right?"

Donna's face was unreadable, but she said, "Yes, that's right." She cleared her throat and that seemed to be the cue for us to return to speaking in a normal tone of voice. "I'll be meeting Mr. Miller in about," she paused to check her sparkly Rolex, "twenty minutes, so I should get going."

"Will Jessica be going with you?" I asked, expectantly.

"Actually, it will just be me this time. I hope you don't mind having an extra pair of hands around the shop today?"

An extra pair of hands would normally be quite helpful at work. The extra mouth, however, I could have done without. Before I could respond, Jessica came back to where we were.

"We'll be fine, Mom. Now get going." She made the shooing gesture with her finely manicured hands.

Donna looked at me for confirmation. I nodded and smiled, hoping to project confidence that I didn't really feel.

"Well, alright then. Have a good morning, ladies, and I'll be back soon."

I watched Donna go, and started to walk to the back to hang up my coat and purse.

Jessica spoke up just before I got out of her sight. "Hey Bella, how long ago did you put those tuberoses in the display case?"

I turned around slowly. "Yesterday, just before closing. Why?"

"Oh. Well, I thought they were older, so I threw them out."

I just stared at her, dumbfounded. How she could toss out a perfectly fine flower arrangement without bothering to ask or even realizing that they were fresh, I had no idea.

"They just looked a bit wilted is all. I'll make a nice daffodil arrangement or something to replace them."

"Fine," I managed to say behind gritted teeth.

At 9:30, I was transferring some potting supplies from the back to the prep area. While my arms were full of heavy sacks of soil, the store phone rang. I continued slowly walking to my destination when it rang a second time. I glanced over and saw Jessica on her cellphone. It rang a third time, and she persisted to act like she hadn't heard it.

"Ah, Jessica, could you get that?"

She gave me a look like I had asked her to sprout wings and fly. She pointed at her own phone like that was explanation enough, and then continued to ignore me and the ringing phone. Sighing, I tried to shuffle faster so I could place down the soil. Eventually able to drop it, I ran over to answer the call, staring daggers at the back of Jessica's head.

At 10, I needed to use the computer to check for online orders as I did around this time every day. Jessica was playing around on it, using it to check all of her social network pages. I hated to have to ask permission to use my work computer, but I did anyway. "You'll just have to wait, I'm doing something really important." I eyed her skeptically. "For work," she added.

I walked over and glanced at the page she had open over her shoulder. "How is Twitter related to your work exactly?"

"I retweeted something this up and coming director posted, and now he's following me. We've tweeted back and forth a little, and I have a very strong feeling that he's about to ask me to be in his new movie." She flipped her hair very dramatically, as though this director could see her primping through the monitor. "So, I obviously have to make sure I reply promptly when he does, so he doesn't think I'm not interested and give the part to someone else."

I wanted to roll my eyes in the worst way, but reminded myself that this was my boss's daughter. Instead I said, "Can't you do the same thing on your phone?"

"I could," she said, scrunching up her nose, "but my cosmetologist told me I needed to not squint so much because it could cause crow's feet, and my phone screen is so tiny. Can't you just check the website with your phone?"

She undoubtedly thought it wouldn't matter if I got wrinkles in the corners beside my eyes. "I don't have internet access on my phone."

She looked incredulous. "Surely you can't be serious."

"I am serious. And don't call me – anyway, no. I really don't." I hadn't upgraded my phone in several years, mostly because mine still worked fine and I couldn't justify the cost.

"No games or taking photos or anything? Then what the heck do you use it for?"

"Uh, as a phone. Making and receiving calls, that sort of thing."

She shook her head in a pitying manner and heaved a big put-upon sigh. "Just give me two minutes, Bella."

"Fine." What was keeping Donna?

By 10:40, I had a small pile of invoices to be filed. To my surprise, Jessica offered to do it for me. Given how she had been zero help thus far, and figuring there was no way she could possibly screw up something so simple, I let her. She was still standing at the filing cabinet a few minutes later, the pile I had given her not much shorter than when she had started. I started to get a little concerned.

"Doing okay with that, Jessica?"

"Actually, no. My mother goes on and on about how organized you supposedly are, but your filing system is really confusing. I don't know how you could possibly find anything in this...mess."

One, two, three…

"What don't you understand about it?" I tried to keep my tone as neutral as possible.

"Well, for starters, why do you even have so much paperwork anyway? Isn't everything computerized?"

"They are all in the system, yes, but I also keep paper copies of all invoices for 45 days. That's how your mother wants things done."

Knowing she couldn't debate that point with me once I brought up Donna's name, she moved on to her next complaint. "Why do you have everything filed in some secret way that only you can figure out?"

"They're in alphabetical order by customer name, Jessica. I didn't realize the alphabet was such an enigmatical way to sort something."

She threw up her hands and huffed. "I just think there's a much easier way to file this stuff."

Four, five, six…

"What would you suggest instead?" I said, waiting to be enlightened.

"Well –" Her solution was that I use some of those accordion style folders for the paperwork instead of specifically labeled folders in a filing cabinet, with no discernible method of how they were organized. My mind boggled.

"Okay. How exactly would you go about filing new orders?"

"Just stick 'em in the front of the folder," she said, with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Counting to ten just wasn't cutting it. I forced myself to turn around and walk away before I gave in to the urge to stick my fist in front of her face.

My boss finally returned to the store shortly after 11, which was just enough time for me to hang on to my last piece of sanity. I was very happy to see her, both because of her comforting presence and also because I really needed the buffer.

Jessica looked up from her phone and smiled that cheesy grin I'd seen in a commercial or two. I almost cringed. "Hello, Mother. How'd it go?"

Donna looked over my way first, tilting her head slightly as if she was reading something. "Great. It was very productive. Have you all been busy here?"

I was going to answer, but Jessica seemed to assume this question was directed at her. "Oh, we've had all kinds of orders to fill, and I had to rearrange all of the displays. It really is so much work to run things here. I think Bella has difficulty doing it all on her own, so it's a really good thing I was here to pitch in and shoulder the responsibility."

My mouth opened, but no sound would come out. Donna said, "You always were very generous, dear, but I think Bella does an excellent job." Jessica looked like she was going to reply, but Donna continued, "Bella, could you come to the back with me, please? I just want to show you some of the paperwork and new account details from my meeting."

Jessica shrugged and went back to tapping buttons on her phone. Donna and I were both nearly to the back when the bell over the entrance rang. I stopped to go back but she put her hand on my shoulder and gently guided me forward, instructing her daughter instead to assist the customer.

When we got to the back, I let out a breath that I'd probably been holding since she first left the store this morning. I looked at Donna and she seemed both apologetic and concerned. "I hope that you still want to work for me after today?" she said, partly joking.

"Of course I do! It's just been a...trying day so far. It happens sometimes." Usually about twice a year, by my count.

"Yes, I'm sure it has been." She looked like she wanted to give me a hug, but on second thought just put her arms at her side and smiled. I smiled back at her, thankful for the thought if not the gesture itself. We talked about how the meeting went and the new contract details. She explained that there were just a few changes to be made and she would put the updates into the system later today.

"It all sounds pretty painless," I said. "I'm glad the meeting went well, and especially that Mr. Miller is giving us an even better discount this year."

"He's a good man, and he knows we are loyal customers. It's beneficial to everybody."

I nodded. We seemed to be done discussing the matter, so I said, "Well –" and started to walk back to the storefront.

"Bella, why don't you go ahead and go to lunch?" Donna said, stopping me just as I caught a glimpse of Jessica and a customer. I turned back to face her. "In fact, I want you to take a long one today."

"Donna, it's fine. I don't really need to," I protested.

"No, I insist you do. Jessica and I can handle things while you're gone."

"Well, if you're really sure." The idea of getting out of there for a little while, and away from Jessica, was most appealing. "Maybe I will." I thought I might call Alice at work and see if she'd want to pick me up and go some place to eat. I turned and walked back towards the counter and noticed that Jessica was talking intently to someone. She was blocking my view of them, but I could tell that it was a male. This would explain why she seemed so immersed in the conversation, though I could really only hear her doing the talking.

Maybe Alice would want to try that new bistro that opened by her office? Is the weather even good enough to sit outside? I looked at the window to check, and then back towards Jessica and the unknown male customer. She moved a little to the right so she was no longer blocking my line of sight, and I realized that this was no unknown male at all. He looked up at me and our eyes met.

Whoa.

All thoughts of weather and food flew from my mind. Strangely enough, however, Edward looked very hungry. I felt a chill run down my spine.

After a very startled moment, I collected my bearings and somehow got my legs to work again. He watched me closely and smiled. "Hello, Bella. I was hoping you were free so I could take you to lunch?"

I couldn't seem to find my voice, so I just nodded and went to get my coat and purse. Donna was watching from the doorway, a knowing smile on her lips. "Have fun, Bella. And be back around 1:30?" I nodded and smiled back. She gave me two hours free, that wonderful woman. The possibilities made my head swim.

I slid on my coat, lifting my hair out of the collar to let it hang down my back, and then grabbed my purse. I was acutely aware of him watching my every move, but decided to peek just to make doubly sure. His eyes had never left me, and he was currently taking in my choice of clothing. I stole a glance over at Jessica, and she looked like she had sucked on a lemon. My inner cheerleader did a little dance.

I walked past her and the counter, careful to keep my distance from Edward. I didn't know what would happen if he were to touch me right then, so it seemed the safest option for everyone involved. He went to open the door for me to pass through, and I did so as quickly as I could. He also opened the door of his car for me, so I was already feeling quite pampered.

We drove for a bit, seeming to have no real destination in mind. Edward's eyes focused on the road, his hands tense on the steering wheel. I adjusted my legs, crossing one behind the other, and he watched with keen interest. The air in the small space of the car was fairly crackling with tension.

He turned to look at me. I felt the need to say something, so I blurted "How have you been?" just as he said "You look nice." Embarrassed that we both talked at the same time, we gave each other nervous smiles.

"Do you have anywhere in mind that you'd like to eat?" he asked, eyes back on the road.

"Whatever you think is fine. I'm pretty flexible."

Realizing what I had just said, my cheeks flushed. I knew he hadn't missed my choice of words, and I looked over, expecting him to smirk at my now red face. It seemed to have an entirely different effect on him; he looked at me intensely with those dark green eyes. It gave me a strange feeling in my chest.

He hesitantly brought his gaze back to the road. "Ah – Bella …"

"Mmhmm?"

"I don't want you to think that I don't want to take you out to lunch. I don't want you to think that I came to see you with only one thing on my mind. But right now…"

"My house," I blurted out.

"What?"

"Alice is at work right now. My house is closer."

He caught on right away and we drove on in silence, the air in the car now thick with something else – anticipation.

I know he showed up late in the game, but I had some other stuff to get out of the way before they met up again. And BOY, what a reunion they are due.

This was the longest chapter yet, I think. It takes me a little longer to get things where I'm happy to post them since I don't have a beta. I do lots and lots of edits and rewrites, things that didn't happen when I had a fresh set of eyes to look over my writing. Anyway, please let me know what you thought. I've already started working on the next one, and the ending of this one should give you some idea of where it's going. Show some love and it'll help me get it out sooner!