A/N

So, first of all, I love that so many of you know who Amy Vining is! Lol. Gosh, wasn't GH so great back in the day? (Omg, Frisco and Felicia in the 80's—be still my heart) I still have my little 45 record of Afternoon Delights rapping 'General Hospi-tale.' Who remembers that? "Amy Vining likes to blab, Richard Simmons helps fight flab, Susan's having Alan's baby, Noah wants Bobbi for his lady." (RIP Jackie Zeman!) Do yourself a favor and look it up on YouTube. You won't be disappointed. It's the gift that keeps on giving.

Let's see if we can get these kids back on the same page.

S. Meyer owns everything, Twilight.

Chapter 13

EPOV

I watch James's retreating form as he walks to the dart boards. Amy throws her head back as she laughs at something he says, and when she stumbles, his hand grips her waist tighter and pulls her close. She smiles up at him with buzzed eyes and giggles. When they reach the group, Amy flits to the board to pull out the darts, and James leans against the wall. A server approaches with a tray of drinks, and when she plucks a scotch and hands it to him, he leans in and whispers something in her ear. He stares at her like a predator before taking a sip, and that's when he looks over her head, locks eyes with me, and smiles slowly.

It's creepy as fuck.

I stare him down, my gaze never leaving his until Amy rushes up and hands him the darts. He takes them from her and finally turns his back on me to play the game.

"Emmett's right," Bella says.

I pull my eyes away from James to face her. She's looking down at her phone, swiping up with her finger.

"That guy seems like a total asshole."

Her dark hair falls over one eye, and I resist the urge to reach out and brush it away from her face. God, she's gorgeous. Most of the women in this bar are wearing short skirts and low-cut shirts. Everything about them is meant to draw you in, right down to their cosmetically enhanced bodies. But they don't hold a candle to Bella and the effortless beauty she exudes in her jeans and loose-fitting T-shirt.

I ball my hands into fists when I remember how James watched her earlier. He'd lounged in the chair, his posture casual as he draped his arm across the seat next to him and sipped from his glass. She had been nothing short of magnificent as she'd schooled him. Her voice was calm and controlled but held an underlying tone of 'fuck you' that I know James didn't miss. I couldn't take my eyes off her—and neither could he. He looked at her like she was a challenge he wanted to conquer, and I wanted to punch him in the middle of his smug fucking face.

I don't need Emmett to tell me that James is an asshole. I've been working with him for a few weeks and learned fairly quickly that he's the kind of guy who would roll his own grandmother if there was something in it for him. And while I don't have to like everyone I work with, I don't trust him—especially around Bella. Not that she needs protecting. One of the things I lov— um, I mean, I admire most about Bella is that she doesn't take shit from anyone. But that didn't stop the surge of protectiveness I felt toward her when James undressed her with his eyes.

I sit back in my chair and watch her as she scrolls. She's been checking her phone every fifteen minutes or so since she arrived, and I suddenly get a sinking feeling.

Maybe she's seeing someone.

My heart drops at the thought, and I have to know.

Don't do it. Do NOT do it.

I do it.

"Got a hot date?"

Her head whips up, and she looks at me in surprise. I'd blame the alcohol, but I'm driving tonight and have only had one beer.

"Wha—?"

"Who's got a hot date?" Emmett.

"No one," Bella says. She turns the phone over on the table and looks at me. "I don't—" She picks up the cocktail napkin in front of her and seems inordinately interested in folding it into a little square. "Sorry, I was checking my work email."

Emmett sits next to her and hands her another beer.

"Work email? It's like—" He checks his phone. "8:00 on Friday night."

Realization dawns on me, then.

"Didn't you get Paul's last email?" I ask.

Her face falls, and she looks completely defeated.

"We didn't get it," she whispers.

I'm already shaking my head and pulling my phone from my pocket.

"No, it's not that."

"But they said they'd let us know by today," she says.

I scroll through my email until I find the one from Paul Anderson. I know he copied her, so I open it up and look at the top.

"Well, that explains it," I say.

I hand her my phone.

"Paul's dad needed a couple more days. He had a few follow-up questions for Mr. V.—looks like he got your email wrong. BSaan instead of BSwan."

I watch as she reads it, and the color returns to her face.

"I think it's a good sign," I say. "It's got to be hard for his dad. He's handing over what was basically his entire life—entrusting someone else to take care of it the way he did—to love and nurture it, and that's scary. But it sounds like he's ready—even though it's probably one of the toughest things he'll ever do."

Bella watches me with her soulful brown eyes but says nothing. And it might be my imagination, but I think she's sitting closer than before I started speaking.

"That's …" she trails off as she stares into my eyes. "That's a nice way of looking at it."

"Cut the cord," Emmett says. "That's what I always say. A clean break. That's the fastest way to move on." He leans in towards us. "And you know what?"

Bella and I tear our eyes away from each other to look at him, and he wiggles his eyebrows.

"That's when you know the past is behind you, and you've got room for all the good stuff that's coming your way."

~!~

"Still want a ride Em?" I say.

I drove him here tonight, but he spent a lot of the evening talking to Carmen's friend, Lisa, so maybe he wants to stay. Lisa is recently divorced, but I don't know the whole story. She doesn't work for Volturi, but she lives close to the bar and hangs out with us from time to time. Emmett downs his beer.

"Yeah, I've got an early morning tomorrow. Doin' a 5k with Lisa."

I raise an eyebrow.

"What?" he says. "I made a new friend."

I raise my hands in supplication.

"That's great, man. Lisa's a cool girl."

Emmett pulls out his credit card and throws it in the billfold.

"She is. And this one's on me tonight, Ed. Thanks for driving."

I nod. My days of arguing over the check are behind me. If someone wants to pay, who am I to take that away from them?

"I just want to say bye to the boss," he says. "Where'd she go anyway?"

I smile at his nickname for Bella. She says it gets under her skin, but I'm not sure I believe her. How can you not like Emmett, even if he is a little annoying sometimes?

"She went to the restroom," I say.

"I'm heading there myself. If the line to the ladies' room is as long as it was an hour ago, chances are, she's in it. I was going to wait for her to come back before leaving."

Emmett gives me an appraising look and narrows his eyes.

"What?" I say.

He watches me for a minute and then shakes his head.

"Nuthin'"

"Emmett, what is it?"

The server comes to the table, and Emmett slides the billfold to her.

"Thanks, Rita. Catch ya next time."

She smiles at him.

"You got it, Em; great to see you."

I wait expectantly until he turns back to me.

"What?" I ask again.

"Well," he says. "I was just wondering."

"Wondering what?"

He shrugs into his jacket.

"I was just wondering if you and Bella ever dated."

When I don't answer him, he goes on.

"Because, you know, I've been watching you two—and not just tonight. Maybe it's only obvious to me, but dude, you guys are perfect for each other."

I look toward the bathrooms before turning back to Emmett.

"What?" he says. "Is there some kind of no-fraternization policy at Volturi or something? I thought I saw in the employee handbook that it was cool … not that I'm interested in anyone there, of course."

I still don't say anything.

"Dude, cat got your tongue or something? Are you suddenly nonverbal? What? What's the deal with you and Bella?"

I run a hand through my hair and let out a sigh.

"There's no 'deal' between me and Bella, Emmett," I say. "We work together. That's all."

He narrows his eyes at me again and leans back in his chair.

"So, then you're okay if I ask her out, right?"

I will mess Emmett's shit up if he goes after Bella. She deserves better than a casual fling, even if it is with someone as nice as him.

"Back off, Emmett," I say. The growl in my voice is surprising, even to me.

Emmett leans back further and smiles. And then he winks at me. The fucker winks!

"Go to the bathroom, Ed."

I start to walk toward the bathrooms but stop when I get about five feet away from the table. I stop and look back at Emmett, a frown between my eyes as I think about what he said. He waves his fingers at me and then leans down to sign the check that Rita has returned.

What does he think he's doing anyway? Is he trying to push me to make a move on Bella? I already tried that. I told her how I felt, and she turned me down. And rightly so. But maybe Emmett's thinking isn't entirely flawed. I mean, tonight, it feels like Bella, and I might be building back a little bit of what we had before—our friendship. And who knows what could happen after that? Maybe that lug of a guy is on to something. I turn the corner and am surprised to see zero line at the ladies' room. The alcove is completely empty.

That's when I hear her.

"Get the fuck off me!"

If I thought I was angry when Emmett suggested he might go after Bella, the sight of James pressing her against the wall while his hand encircles her arm sends me into a blind rage. Bella pushes against his chest with her free hand, and he staggers back, clearly intoxicated. I'm on him then, slamming him into the wall and bracing my arm against his throat. He looks at me with bloodshot eyes and gives me a sloppy smile.

"Well, if it isn't the golden boy of Volturi himself—the old man's protégé—second in command. Waitin' for him to drop dead so you can have it all? Huh?"

I stare at him in disbelief, wondering how Corporate missed that this guy was a complete nutjob when they hired him. James's head lolls against the wall, and he turns to look at Bella.

"And that one," he slurs. "She's a fucking dick tease."

That does it. I hear Bella gasp beside me, and I haul off and punch James in the mouth. Blood spurts from his lip before he pushes me and tries to get a shot in.

"Whoa! Whoa! What the fuck?" Emmett is suddenly there and pulls me off. He keeps James pinned to the wall, shaking his head when James tries to move. "I wouldn't, buddy."

I turn to Bella immediately and take her by the arm, moving her as far away from James as possible. She comes with me willingly, but when I sit her down and look into her eyes, they seem distant, almost vacant.

"Are you all right? Did he hurt you?"

She doesn't respond.

"Bella, did he hurt you?"

She looks up at me quickly.

"What? No—no, he didn't hurt me. I just can't believe …"

She looks down the hall where Emmett and James are, and I move in front of her, blocking the view. Don't look at him. Look at me. When she does, I lift her arm—the one that James held and see a faint bruise beginning to form.

"Mother fucker," I whisper. "That mother fucker."

Bella looks down and runs her hand over the purple mark.

"I bruise easily," she says. "It's nothing."

I have to remind myself that going back down that hallway and sending his head through the drywall is not a good idea. But I want to—every fiber of my being wants to. There's a hand on my shoulder, and I turn around, ready to knock him on his ass.

"It's just me!" Emmett says. "Dude, calm down. Fucker's not worth it."

I look past Emmett's shoulder and see two bouncers and a manager talking to James at the end of the hall.

"They're kicking him out. Got him an Uber."

He looks at Bella.

"How ya' doin', boss?"

Bella gives him a weak smile.

"Oh, just fine, Em. You know, being manhandled outside the women's restroom just made my entire year."

I bristle at the remark and don't like her making light of the situation.

"Bella," I say. "He assaulted you; you can press charges."

She looks down the hall where the bouncers are escorting James to the doors before turning back and letting out a ragged breath.

"Honestly, Edward, I just want to go home."

She looks between me and Emmett.

"Can one of you drive me?"

~!~

I drop Emmett off first. He gets out of the backseat of my Volvo and comes around to the passenger side where Bella is sitting. She rolls down her window.

"Thanks, Em," she says.

He gives her a fist bump.

"You got it, boss. See you on Monday."

He leans his head in a little bit.

"See ya, Ed."

"Bye, Em," I say. "And thanks, man."

We watch him jog up the steps of his apartment building, and without turning around, he waves at us over his head and walks through the lobby doors. Bella turns to me as we idle by the curb.

"Edward?"

Her voice is soft, and I almost don't hear her. I watch her silently, wanting to give her all the time and space she needs.

"I just want to thank you, too. I think I was just so confused, angry, disoriented." She pauses. "I don't know what I was, but I should have thanked you right away."

Tears shimmer in her eyes, and I fight the urge to take her in my arms.

"I was really scared," she whispers. "Like, really scared." She turns to look out the window. "And there's not a lot that scares me."

My hands tighten on the steering wheel when I hear the tremor in her voice before I take them away slowly and flex my fingers. Bella clears her throat.

"I just want you to know I appreciate what you did."

"I wish I did more," I mutter. "Fucker deserved to lose most of his teeth … at minimum."

Bella chuckles, and when I look down, her hand inches closer to mine on the seat—our pinkies are almost touching.

"Edward," she says. "Um, you know, I was thinking—"

We pull our hands away quickly when our phones chime simultaneously. She fishes hers out of her jacket pocket, and I pull mine from the console where it's charging. The car is silent for a full minute while we read the message.

And then Bella smiles at me, and I almost forget everything that happened tonight. Because that smile right there, well, it lights up my entire world. I smile back, and we laugh when we talk over each other at the same time.

"We got it."