The rest of lunch, following Tanya's declaration, was mostly quiet. I was focused more on eating then talking and Tanya seemed content to sit silently with me. I couldn't finish my food but I was able to eat about half the gyro.

Tanya was nice enough to pack up the rest of the appetizers for me… well for Charlie she said, so I could get him to try it. I was touched by her thoughtfulness. Charlie seemed just as important to Tanya as he was to me. It did make sense. If she wanted to make me happy and prove herself to me, then Charlie had to be a part of that. While the others had cared about Charlie, he was mostly an after thought when it came to any of their plans, like when I had to leave due to James.

I decided, here and now, that regardless of what happened with Tanya, I wouldn't lie to Charlie anymore. I wasn't sure if it was worth telling about vampires now. I was leaning toward yes because of my…relationship with Tanya and Irina. He was bound to notice how similar they were to the Cullen's after all. For now, I had no intention of telling him about the Cullen's. Not because I wanted to hide it from him but because that part of my life was over.

My eyes moved toward the bite mark on my arm. I kept it covered as much as possible. Partly to keep Charlie from ever seeing it and partly because I didn't want to see it. It was an awful reminder of what could have been.

"Does it bother you?" Tanya questioned.

I glanced at her, trying to figured out what she was talking about. We weren't heading back to the shop just yet. There was a boba place right next door to the Greek restaurant that Tanya wanted me to try. As I wasn't eager to get away from her I agreed.

"The bite," Tanya clarified. "Does it bother you? I have to admit I've never heard of someone being able to suck the venom out before the person turned."

It's colder than the rest of my skin but it doesn't hurt. I don't like looking at it. I don't like what it reminds me of.

"A reminder of them?" Tanya questioned softly.

I shook my head. I moved to the side of the sidewalk so I could write. No. It's a reminder of what I could have had. I wanted to turn but he didn't want me to. This scar is a reminder that he never truly loved me.

Tanya touched my arm. I flinched and she quickly withdrew it. "Bella," she started. "He's done some questionable things regarding you but I don't think his intentions were bad." I met her eyes, confused by what she was talking about. "I talked to my sisters after leaving your house last night. They both agree that it's likely the reason he wanted to keep you human is because he knew you would realize you didn't belong together. He didn't want to lose you Bella. It doesn't excuse his behaviors, but I can understand how he felt."

If he really loved me, he wouldn't have said the things he did before he left. You don't hurt the ones you love.

"What did he say to you?" Tanya asked softly.

I shook my head again. I couldn't repeat those awful words. I could barely think them without wanting to fall apart. It doesn't matter what he said.

Tanya studied me for a minute. I resisted the urge to squirm under her stare. Finally, she nodded. "Okay," she said.

We walked into the boba shop. There were several people in line so it would be a few minutes before we could order. You mentioned Kate has her own auto shop and Irina has the coffee shop. Do you have your own business? What about your other coven members?

Tanya laughed. "I do not own my own business," she answered. "I merely help Kate and Irina as needed. Mostly Irina since I know very little about cars. Speaking of which, your truck could use a trip to the mechanic."

I didn't like the sound of that. Vampires were always quick to try and replace my truck. I wasn't going to allow it. I'm not replacing my truck.

Tanya frowned. "Who said anything about replacing your truck?" She shook her head. "There's no need to replace your truck. It's in good condition. I talked to Kate about some of the issues I noticed, like how loud your truck is. Kate would like to take a look at it. I'm sure there are needs to be a few things taken care of, possibly a new transmission and fresh coat of paint couldn't hurt."

Really? You want to help me fix up my truck? You're not using it as an excuse to break it so it can be replaced?

Our conversation was put on hold as we were next in line. Tanya ordered a matcha green tea boba while I picked out the mango colada. Tanya paid and we stepped over to the side to wait for our drinks.

"Why are you so worried about me breaking your truck?" Tanya questioned. "It can't be because of my strength, otherwise you would be worried about being near me at all."

He hated my truck. Actually, they all did. He tried to get me to let him buy me a new one for my birthday but I refused. I love my truck. My dad bought it for me when I moved to Forks. I don't want to replace it.

"I know it may not mean much to you, but I promise I won't do anything to your truck," Tanya said. "All I want is for your truck to be as safe as possible. You need new tires at the very least."

My dad mentioned needing new tires, I admitted.

"Will you come to Kate's shop with me sometime?" Tanya asked. "We can have one of her mechanics do the inspection, that way you know for sure Kate and I aren't trying to sabotage your truck."

Okay. Maybe next weekend? I won't have much time during the week. Will it be okay until then?

"It should be fine," Tanya said. "If something seems off just text me and I can pick you up and make sure it gets checked out sooner."

Tanya's name was called and she walked over to pick up our drinks. She handed me my drink and we left the shop. We slowly walked back to the coffee shop. I took a small sip of my drink and was once again surprised by how good it tasted. I don't know what it was about Alaska but the food was always so good.

"Want to try mine?" Tanya asked offering me her cup. I glanced at the cup. I did want to try it as it looked good but there was always the concern of venom being transmitted. Tanya leaned closer to me. "You won't turn by sharing a drink with me." I blushed. I was still easy to read. "Venom isn't like saliva. I can control if and when I allow it to be used."

I shifted my whiteboard so I could grab the cup from her. I took a small sip and nodded. It was good but mine was better. I handed it back. It's pretty good but I like mine better. I thought about offering her a sip of my drink but decided against that. Her words made me think of something. Does that mean you can bite someone without injecting venom?

Tanya looked surprised by the question. "No," she answered. "Tasting blood automatically triggers the venom. There's nothing that can stop that as far as I know."

Tanya held the door open for me and we walked back into the shop. It was empty which wasn't surprising. This was part of the lull in customers. Around three it would pick up again for an hour or so.

I wondered if Tanya would stay until then. I hoped so. I actually enjoyed talking to Tanya and it was a lot easier to get her to tell me things.

"How was lunch?" Irina asked, tossing the towel aside.

Tanya took my box of leftover food to the staff fridge. Hopefully I would remember to grab it before I left.

It was delicious. My first time eating Greek food and I loved it. I'm hoping to get Charlie to try it sometime.

"That restaurant is rather popular," Irina commented. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. How did it go with Tanya?"

I glanced at the door to the staff room. Tanya was taking far longer than she should be. Either she was giving Irina and I some privacy, or she was up to something.

It was good. I rather enjoy talking to her. Irina grinned. Don't get too excited… it's just, she seems like she will be a good friend.

"I know Bella. I'm just teasing you," Irina said gently. "Now come on, get back to work."

I sat my drink down by the espresso machine and went to the back to get my apron. I frowned when I saw Tanya wasn't there. There was a door that lead to a shared alley for trash. It was possible she went out that door but why?

I focused on the feeling I got from Tanya's presence. It was still there which meant Tanya was still here. I frowned. That made no sense. If she hadn't left then, where was she?

I got my answer when I walked back into the main area of the shop. Tanya walked back through the front door at the same time. "I took the chains off your truck," Tanya explained. "You won't need them today. I also made a list of things for Kate to check out when we take your truck to her. The tires definitely need to be replaced, sooner rather than later." She handed me the list she came up with.

I blushed. Even with this job, I don't know if I can afford all of this. It's not fair for me to ask Charlie for the money either. It was hard to admit but these fixes could cost thousands of dollars.

"Don't worry about that," Tanya said firmly. "Kate won't charge for the labor and I'll cover the cost of the parts." I took the cop off my marker to start protesting but Tanya put her hand gently over mine. "This is about your safety Bella. While I understand, and support, your desire to be financially independent, especially in regards to us, I will not put your safety at risk."

"Let us make sure you're safe," Irina pleaded. "We can have one of the mechanics tell you what needs to be done for safety reasons so you know only the most important things are being taken care of."

Any of my original protests died with their words. I hated people spending money on me, even Charlie. But the fact that it was about my safety and not just an excuse to spend money on me made it a lot easier to accept.

I nodded in acceptance of their gift.

"Thank you," Tanya said grateful that I accepted without argument. She looked out the window. "Claire is here."

I glanced at my watch and sure enough it was just before three. Time flew by considering I hadn't worked too much. Do you mind if I stay a little longer? It doesn't feel right to be paid for the whole shift when I was gone for almost three hours.

Irina glanced at the board. "That's fine with me," she agreed.

Claire walked into the shop and looked back and forth between me, Irina and Tanya. "Hello Tanya, Irina, Bella," she greeted.

"Claire," the two greeted. I simply waved.

"Did I come at a bad time?" she asked concerned.

"Not at all," Irina said. "Tanya stopped by to bring Bella some boba. I believe she was leaving soon."

Tanya glared at her sister for a second. "Yes. I wanted to say hi to Bella. I should be going though. I still need to talk to Kate." She walked over to my side. "I felt the bond this morning," she started in a whisper. "I know you were struggling to sleep. Please text me if you need me, even if you want me to drop by for a few minutes until you fall asleep."

I nodded, unsure if I would follow through. If I had another night like last night then I would have no choice but to text Tanya but for now I wanted to see if I could do it on my own.

Tanya touched my arm. It calmed me rather than upset me this time. "I'll see you later Bella," she said. "I'll have Irina let you know about Kate."

Tanya muttered a goodbye to Irina and Claire before leaving the shop. "Was it something I did?" Claire wondered.

"No, it's not you," Irina assured her. "Tanya was already planning on leaving when you showed up."

"Alright," Claire said, though she looked unsure.

She moved to the back to the shop to drop off her things and get her apron. When she came out, Irina excused herself to the office to get some paperwork done, leaving just Claire and I to run the shop.

A customer came in just as Claire was going to ask me something. He ordered a latte and I got to work making it. It turned out Claire didn't have much time to ask me anything as that was the start of the afternoon rush.

An hour passed before we had a minute to talk. "How did you meet Tanya?" Claire asked curious.

She grabbed a rag and started cleaning the counter while I focused on my section. She was at the barbeque I went to yesterday. We started talking and she mentioned she was Irina's sister.

"Have you met Kate?" Claire asked. I shook my head. "Oh, sorry I overheard something about Tanya talking to Kate for you."

My truck. Tanya wants to take it to Kate to look at. She's worried something might happen.

"That's…nice of her," Claire said slowly.

That caught my attention. Do you not like Tanya? It seemed the Denali's were well liked here. Even the cops liked Tanya.

"I like Tanya," Claire assured me. "It's just… well I've never seen her interact much with anyone. She's always polite but she's a bit distant, much like Kate. Irina's the only one that is naturally friendly."

I didn't know how to respond to that. Luckily, I didn't have to as more customers came inside. We were almost done with the mass of customers when the door opened again. I didn't look up as I was busy making a latte and a regular black coffee.

"Bella," a familiar voice called.

I almost dropped the cup in surprise. I looked up and there was Charlie, staring at me in concern. I winced when I realized it was now approaching five and I hadn't told Charlie I was staying at work longer. He must have been so worried.

"Go ahead Bella," Claire said walking over to me. "I'll finish this up."

I walked over to Charlie, already scribbling a message for him. I couldn't believe I forgot to let him know I was staying. I'm sorry Dad. I should have texted you.

"Yes, you should have," Charlie said. I glanced at his face and saw he wasn't mad. The tugging was back which meant Tanya was close. Did Irina tell her about Charlie coming here? Or did she feel it from me? "Bella, after what happened when they left… you were missing for hours. I can't go through that again. The only reason I didn't have the entire police force looking for you was because I knew you would still be here."

I looked down. I felt terrible for what I put Charlie through. Even if it was entirely unintentional. The tugging settled and I knew Tanya was in the staff area. She knew I needed her and was here. I appreciated it even if I wouldn't say anything.

Charlie took a step toward me and wrapped his arms around me. "I'm sorry Bells," he muttered.

I pulled away from him so I could write. It's okay Dad. I didn't mean to worry you, not like last time. I offered to work a few extra hours. Then we got busy and I forgot.

"It's okay Bella," he said gently. He rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, since I'm here can I get some of those biscotti's?" he asked hopeful.

I laughed. Sure Dad, I'll get a dozen ready for you. Do you want some coffee too?

"Uh, yeah sure," he agreed. He walked over to the register to pay while I went back behind the counter to get his coffee.

I handed him his coffee and Claire put together his biscotti's. He bought half of what we had. I didn't bother restocking the biscotti's as it was unlikely that they would be sold out before the end of the shift. From what I noticed, the only people that came by this late were night shift workers or people passing through town.

Tanya was still here. I could feel her. I assumed she was waiting for me. Or she was here to offer me comfort in case I needed it. Either way, I appreciated her presence. It kept me calm and grounded.

"You can go," Claire muttered to me. "I can handle the rest." I nodded. I glanced at Charlie and she understood. "I'll let him you you're getting your stuff."

I removed my apron and made my way to the staff area. Tanya was there waiting. "Bella," she exclaimed, running to my side with her vampire speed. "Are you okay? I felt…devasted by something and I knew it had to be you."

I looked around, realizing my whiteboard wasn't with me. Tanya disappeared and reappeared a second later holding it. I'm fine, I told her. I forgot to tell Charlie I was staying longer and he got worried.

Tanya nodded. She heard that much. "Can you… I mean are you willing to explain what your father meant when he said you were missing when they left?"

Not right now. I saw her deflate a bit. It's not something I like remembering. Maybe in the future, when I'm ready to tell you about the rest.

It was obvious Tanya still had questions but thankfully she let it go…for now. "You should go," Tanya said. "Your dad is getting impatient." She walked over to the fridge and removed my food from earlier. She carefully pressed it into my hands. "Are you sure you don't want me to come over later?"

I'm sure, I wrote with some difficulty. But if you could run by the house around 9, that would help. Tanya titled her head in confusion. The bond, or however you want to phrase it, it's easier for me to fall asleep when you're close by.

"I'll be by around 9," Tanya promised. "I talked to Kate. She'll have time Saturday morning for your truck."

I frowned. I work Saturday morning. I'm sure Irina will let me come in later but I don't want to leave Claire without help.

"If you're open to it, I could pick your truck up from here," Tanya suggested. "I'm more than willing to drive you around until Kate is finished with your truck."

I laughed. Of course, Tanya was willing to drive me around. All she wanted was to spend time with me. I nodded and she beamed. "Have a good evening Bella."

Charlie was munching on biscotti's when I stepped out of the staff area. He was chatting with Claire about something but I couldn't hear them. "Bella," he said when he heard me approach. He wiped his hand on his jeans. "It's not what it looks like." He eyed the container. "What's that?"

I went to lunch with Tanya. It was why I wanted to stay a bit later, to make up for missing time. It's Greek food, you should try it.

Charlie made a face at the mention of the food. "Sure, I'll give it a try," he said though he didn't sound thrilled. "Bye Claire, it was nice meeting you."

"You too Chief," Claire said. "Have a good night Bella."