Bella's POV
The beginning of the week passed much like Sunday had. We took a break on Tuesday to drive my things over, minus the clothes and toiletries I was using before leaving for the final time. Aside from that and trips to the store for more packing materials, all day Monday and Tuesday had been the same.
Early afternoon on Wednesday, we were taking a break for lunch when the doorbell rang. Ben answered the door and came back holding a vase filled with white calla lilies and yellow roses, along with a small envelope with my name and a larger envelope with Angela's and Ben's names on it.
"What in the world?" I wondered aloud.
Ben handed me the flowers and small envelope and gave the larger one to Angela.
"Read yours first, Bella," Angela said, grinning.
I gave the flowers one last good sniff and then set the vase on the table and opened the envelope. My eyes filled with tears when I slipped the card out and read it silently to myself.
Bella,
I know this is probably a very hard week for you, and I wanted to let you know that I was thinking of you.
The yellow rose means friendship. Know that even after Angela and Ben move, you aren't losing them forever. Also, I hope you agree that you've gained five new friends in my family and myself. We'll all be here whenever you need us.
The white calla lily means beauty. The first day I saw you outside the shop, that was my first thought. "She's beautiful!" Just ask Emmett. He still hasn't quit teasing me about being unable to say anything other than that.
Anyway, I know Friday after they leave will be especially hard, so if you want some company for dinner, a glass of wine, or simply a shoulder to cry on, you simply need to call, and I'll come right over. I'd hop through the window if I could, but I'll probably stick to the doors for now.
You have my number. Use it, please. I want to help if I can.
– Edward
Angela wrapped her arms around me after brushing away my tears. "Bella, wanna share, or is it too private?" she asked quietly.
I gave her the card, and she and Ben read it quickly.
Angela got misty-eyed and cleared her throat. "Well, it seems like we're leaving you in good hands," she said, smiling. "Now, what in the world did he say to us?" She grabbed the larger envelope, which contained a card and a smaller envelope.
Pulling out the card, she read aloud the good luck and best wishes on the front before opening it to find a short note in Edward's handwriting.
"Angela and Ben,
I know the two of you have been friends with Bella for a long time, so as great an opportunity as the move is, I'm sure it's quite hard, as well. Please know that my family and I will watch out for her and not only keep her safe, but make her feel loved and cared for since you can't be there every day to do it yourself.
I also know how expensive it can be when you're buying a new house, especially in the Seattle area. Please take this gift as a thank you from my family and me for being such true and loyal friends to Bella. As I'm sure you're well aware, she is a very important and wonderful woman. Enjoy it and use it to help furnish your new home. That way, when Bella visits—as I'm sure she'll be doing as often as she can—you all can be happy and comfortable.
Bella has my number. Feel free to call anytime if there's ever anything I can do for either of you. Good luck and best wishes on the move, the new jobs, and the wedding.
– Edward Cullen (along with Alice, Rose, Emmett, and Jasper)"
Angela pulled out the small envelope and handed it to Ben, who opened it with shaky fingers. Out fell a gift card to Home Depot, and on the front was the amount of five hundred dollars. He stood there, jaw nearly to the floor, while Angela and I danced around, screaming and laughing.
After we'd gotten ourselves under control, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called Edward, my fingers tracing the delicate petals on the flowers. Unfortunately, his phone went to voice mail, so I was betting he was busy with customers or teaching a piano lesson. I decided to leave him a message.
"Hi, Edward. It's Bella. We got the gifts. Thank you so much. The flowers are lovely, and Ben's still in shock, I believe." I chuckled as Ben shoved a note under my nose. "He said to tell you thank you very much for the thought and the well wishes, but there's no way they can accept the gift card because it's just too much. Anyway, give me a call sometime. Bye," I said, feeling stupid as I hung up the phone.
We went back to packing until my phone rang.
"Hello?" I answered, not bothering to look at the Caller ID.
"Hey, Bella. It's Edward."
"Oh! Hi," I said, glad he couldn't see the blush that immediately spread across my cheeks. "Thank you again for the flowers. They're really beautiful."
"My pleasure. I'm glad you liked them," he answered, sounding almost shy. "Could I speak to Ben for a minute, please?"
I raised an eyebrow and said, "Sure. Hold on just a second, and I'll take him the phone."
"Thanks, Bella."
I walked into the kitchen, where Ben was pulling something out of the freezer to make for dinner. Holding the phone out to him, I mouthed that it was Edward, and when he took it and gave me a questioning look, I shrugged and went back into the living room.
I tried not to listen in to the phone conversation, just hearing a few words every little bit, and was surprised when Ben walked in and handed me back the phone.
"He wanted to talk to you again." He smiled and then walked back into the kitchen, leaving me to have a bit of privacy.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Bella. Before I hung up, I just wanted to re-iterate that I'll be there for you if you need me on Friday. Alice and Jasper will be in town, so she and Rose would love to come over if you need a softer shoulder. Just let us know, okay?"
I smiled softly, pleased that he was so concerned. "Thanks, Edward. That really does mean a lot. I think I'll probably just wanna be alone, though. I'll definitely let you know if that changes. See you soon, I'm sure. I'll be at my place Friday after they leave, so I'll stop in and say hello."
"Great! See you then. Good night, Bella."
"Good night," I said softly before closing the phone and going back to packing.
Over dinner, I asked Ben what he and Edward had talked about earlier.
He shook his head and laughed. "He's a stubborn guy, that's for sure. He said there was no way I was giving the gift card back. If I did, it was going in the trash, so we might as well use it. I tried to convince him that it was too much, but he said between the five of them, it really hadn't been that bad. I finally gave up and just thanked him several times."
Angela bounced in her chair excitedly, already planning in her head what they would use it for. "Oh! Bella, I forgot to mention earlier. Ben and I are gonna make a day trip down to Forks tomorrow to say goodbye to our families. Everything is pretty much packed, and all that's left to do is the kitchen stuff, which we'll finish tonight, and then load the last few boxes and the furniture into the Pod on Friday morning. You're more than welcome to come down with us and see your dad and Sue if you don't wanna stay here."
I thought about that for a minute. "Actually, I think I'll use tomorrow to move the rest of my boxes over, call and get cable and Internet hooked up, and things like that. I'm also gonna go down to the newspaper and get an ad put in the paper for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, announcing the store re-opening on Monday, I think. So thanks for the offer, but I'm gonna have plenty to keep me busy!"
"Okay. We plan on leaving around nine in the morning, in case you change your mind," she said, smiling.
The rest of the evening was spent cleaning up the dinner mess and then wrapping all the dishes and other kitchen breakables, boxing them up, and splitting the food items up into things I wanted, things to donate, and things to trash. When we finished, it was close to one in the morning, but aside from a few odds and ends, everything was packed and ready to move into the Pod on Friday.
We said good night and all quickly fell into bed. Exhausted, physically and emotionally, I was asleep almost before my head hit the pillow.