A/N:

So...when we left Ch. 5, B and E were "dating", and Edward was trying to make Bella cave...she's a pretty tough cookie, so we'll see if he can succeed...

If it was me, I would have already gave into him, so I give our Bella mad props.

As usual, big thanks to my co-conspirator Emmy415 and our lovely beta Sweek539...she makes us look good. :-)

On to Chapter 6...

Chapter 6 (EPOV)

"Unoriginal!? She said our food was unoriginal!? I don't get it! What is so unoriginal about it? Our menu is classic. Timeless. I could just...scream!" I was pacing the length of the kitchen at Masen's, newspaper in one hand and tugging at my hair with the other. I was sure my face was a deep shade of red from my anger. Jasper was leaning on the counter, munching on some potato chips and watching me with amusement as I wore a hole in the floor. He picked up his copy of the paper off the counter and read over Bella's review again.

"Bro, it wasn't all that bad. She said a lot of nice things. She pointed out how professional our staff is and how good the food was. She even complimented us on the atmosphere and decor. Being unoriginal isn't that bad. Quit getting your panties all in a bunch over it."

I stopped in front of him and slammed the paper on the counter. "But we're friends. Why would she say something like that? Is she intentionally trying to get a rise out of me?" I didn't know if I was being irrational, but damn it, Bella and I were friends again. I wouldn't do this to her if our roles were reversed.

Jasper rolled his eyes, still the perfect picture of calm. "Edward, it's her JOB. She gets paid for this. I'm sure she's written reviews that were A LOT worse than this. Don't sweat it." He grabbed me on the shoulder, looking straight in my eyes. "And DON'T take this out on her and ruin what you've already built back up."

Hopping up onto the counter, I picked up the paper and read the Bella's review again even though I had read it and re-read it at least a dozen times that morning. I didn't expect it to hurt so much. Then again, I hadn't expected the first review of my restaurant to be written by Bella. If it had come from anyone else I could have handled it. I probably wouldn't even have cared. Okay, that was a lie. I definitely would have cared, but the fact that Bella had used the word 'unoriginal' to refer to something I put my heart and soul into was kind of a buzzkill.

"Dude, seriously," Jasper said, yanking the paper out of my hands. "It was ONE review. It wasn't even a BAD review. I swear, if you're going to mope around here all day and be a total downer, I'll send your ass home and I'll finish prep by myself."

"Fine, whatever," I grumbled, sliding off the counter. "Let's just get this shit over with."

As I was walking towards the back of the kitchen, I felt something smack me in the back of the head then saw the balled up newspaper on the floor. I spun around and glared at Jasper. "What the hell?"

"I told you to knock it off!" he said, clearing a space on the counter for us to work.

I flipped him off as his back was towards me then moved into the walk-in refrigerator to pull out everything we would need for dinner service that night. As we were prepping, Jasper laid his knife down on the counter and turned slightly towards me. "So, uh, I talked to your sister last night."

My hand stilled, and I turned my head slightly to glance in his direction. "Talking to me about my sister when I have a knife in my hand is probably not the best idea, Jazz."

He picked his knife back up and started working again. "We actually talked for a really long time. I like her, Edward. I know she lives thousands of miles away; I just wanted you to know that. I felt like the right thing to do was tell you."

I sighed. "Thanks for getting it out in the open. And I have no doubt in my mind that you'll meet someone else by next week, so I'm really not worried about it."

He huffed, and turned to me again. "Goddamnit, Edward. Don't you have faith in ANYBODY?! You're down on me for not being able to keep a girlfriend, you're down on Bella for doing her job, and Christ, you're even down on yourself for thinking that this place isn't the best damn restaurant in New York City. I don't get you. I thought you would be happy with the way things are going right now. Masen's is up and running, you have your best friend back, and someone likes your sister that isn't a total douchebag."

Sighing deeply, I set my knife down on the counter and dropped my head. "I'm sorry, Jasper. I just...my mind has been running like crazy ever since I ran into Bella again. I have feelings right now that I don't know what to do with, and it's scaring the crap out of me. I really don't mean to take it out on you."

He laughed. "Well, keep doing what you've been doing with her, because if last night was any indication, she feels the same way you do. You know me: I'm usually pretty damn good at tuning in to people's emotions."

I chuckled, remembering how flustered I made her in the car on the way home, and her face when I told her that I wouldn't actually mind her mounting me on the table.

Maybe Jasper is right, and if he is, I might have to step up my game a little bit.

We worked on prep for another two hours, and then I headed out to run some errands before I had to be back for dinner service. I looked down at my watch and noticed that it was 11:00. Smiling, I pulled out my phone and shot a quick text to Bella.

What are you up to? -E

Laundry. Be jealous. Aren't you at work? -B

I'm out running errands. Care to join me for lunch? -E

You work in a restaurant, jackass. Don't you have food there? -B

Yes...but I want Panera. Meet me there at 12? I'm pouting, see? :( Please, Bella. -E

Fine. You've twisted my arm. You're paying Mr. Restaurant Owner. See you in an hour. -B

I grinned, and stuffed my phone back into my pocket. I headed over to one of my suppliers, placing an order for my next couple of meat shipments, and then headed to Panera. It was only about half full, and most of the crowd was on their laptops. Does anybody go anywhere without those things anymore? I checked the time and noticed that it was only 11:50, so I sat down on a chair close to the door and waited for Bella to arrive. I had my back to the door, and was busy scrolling through text messages, when I was startled by the voice behind me.

"You know Edward, pouting isn't going to get you everything you want."

I spun around to see Bella, clad in jeans and a t-shirt, standing over me. I looked up at her through my eyelashes and grabbed one of her wrists. "It got you here, didn't it?" My eyes raked over her torso. The t-shirt she had on was tight enough to show off her curves, and I marveled at how beautiful her body had become. Her hair was pulled up into a simple ponytail, but it showed off the delicate curve of her neck, and her big brown eyes, framed once again by her thick black-rimmed glasses. I stood up, and noticed that she was quite a bit shorter than she was last night. I looked down at her feet and noticed she was wearing flats.

"Feet hurt?" I joked, leading her over to the counter to order our lunch. She stuck one of her feet out and wiggled it. "Very funny. They feel fine. I just wasn't getting all dolled up when we're just eating lunch."

"Sure, sure." I smiled down on her. "You look beautiful anyways. So since I'm funding this lunch, what do you want? I'll order it and you can go get a table." I said, nodding towards some empty tables by the window.

She blushed furiously and started chewing on her bottom lip. It was something I had seen her do dozens, if not hundreds, of times. In that moment, however, for whatever reason, it was one of the most erotic things I'd ever seen in my life.

"Ummm...just the chicken Ceasar salad, please." she replied quietly, suddenly looking very shy. She turned around and walked away from me, heading towards the tables by the window, and I took a second to ogle her ass before I turned around and placed our order. When did I turn into such a perv? Must be Jasper's influence.

She was smirking at me as I placed the tray of food on the table and sat down across from her. "What?" I asked, looking down to make sure I didn't spill anything on myself.

She nodded towards the girl behind the counter, who was blatantly staring at me. "She wants a double scoop of Edward, with whipped cream and cherries on top." She leaned forward and put her chin in her hand. "Doesn't it get tiring having girls fawn all over you?"

I pondered her question for a bit, taking our food off of the tray and setting it in front of us. "I don't really notice, usually." I looked over at her. "Doesn't it get tiring having men fawn all over you?" I asked, turning the tables on her.

Her face turned bright red again. "They do not, Edward." I shot her an annoyed look, and she sighed. "Okay fine, maybe one does. Jake is an asshole though, so he doesn't count."

"You honestly don't believe that he's the only one, do you? I've been out with you in public Bella, I see the men look at you."

She smiled, and patted my hand. "Aww...are you jealous that I get more attention than you now that you're hanging out with me? Don't worry, honey, blondie over there would go out with you. You could take her to Chuck E. Cheese and let her play in the ball pit. What is she, 16? 17?"

I shook my head and bit into my sandwich. As I was chewing, Bella placed her hand on mine again, and looked me in the eyes. "Edward, did you read the paper this morning?" I nodded and she sighed.

"I'm sorry if I seemed harsh in my review. I know it probably wasn't the best thing you've ever read about yourself, but you need to understand that it's my job, and I was pretty bitter about you when I wrote it. I was actually fairly nice compared to what I really wanted to write. I knew it was all emotion-driven though, and I couldn't do that to you."

I nodded again, and smiled softly at her. "I know, Bella. To tell you the truth, at first I was pissed and really offended, but Jasper knocked some sense into me. He told me the same thing. I'm such a girl sometimes, I swear."

"Remind me to thank Jasper next time I see him. Besides the whole 'telling Jake that we're dating' thing, he seems like a pretty good guy."

"Yeah, when he's not trying to get in your sister's pants," I grumbled, picking small pieces of bread off of my sandwich and crumbling it onto the plate. "He said he talked to her last night for a long time. He told me today that he likes her."

Bella's eyes got wide, and she covered her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. "Playing the overprotective brother card, are we? Need I remind you that your sister is thousands of miles away and he can't touch her from the opposite side of the country? They talked on the phone, Edward. Big fricking deal. We've done more than that, and is there a problem with that? No. It's called being friends. We talk on the phone, we even make physical contact, but do we want to get in each other's pants?"

I choked on my water trying not to laugh at her statement. "Right. Of course not. I mean, that'd be really weird, yeah?"

She snorted. "Really, really, weird. Could you imagine?! We'd kill each other," she said with a laugh and then winked. She winked at me. What the hell was that supposed to mean? She tucked a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, and I couldn't help but watch her fingers as they slid down her neck. Her hand stopped just under her ear, and she rubbed the skin there gently. My mouth started watering as I imagined putting my mouth there. My eyes instinctively shot to her lips. They were slightly red from chewing on them, but they were full and pouty and I tried to imagine what it would be like to kiss her. I heard her say my name, and I shook my head to get out of my daze.

"Yes, Bella?" I replied, my mind still slightly dazed.

"I asked you what your plans were for the rest of the week."

My hand ran through my hair, and I racked my brain trying to figure out what I was doing for the rest of the week. "Well, I'm going to work the dinner shift at Masen's tonight through Thursday, but I have Friday off. I go in on Saturday again, and then I'm off on Sunday. I'm trying to hire a sous chef, to help out in the kitchen, that way I can concentrate more on the business side of things. I'll still cook, just not as much as I do now."

She suddenly looked a bit sad. "Oh, alright. Well, do you want to get together on Friday? You can come to my place, and I'll cook for you. Granted, it probably won't be as good as your cooking, but I owe you dinner after the fabulous one you made me the other night."

I nodded vigorously, happy that I would get to see Bella after my long week of working. "I'll bring us some wine, and I'll pick up a movie on the way over." Glancing down at my watch, I groaned. "I really have to be getting back now. Jasper will have my head if I'm not back in time to finish prepping for dinner service tonight. Hey, if you get a chance, bring Em and Rose by for dinner one night this week. My treat."

We piled our trash on the tray, and I picked it up, dashing to discard it in the trash can. I got back to the table just as Bella was slinging her bag over her shoulder. She took three steps towards me, and threw her arms around my neck, standing up on her toes to hug me. I squeezed her tight around her waist, and dipped my head down briefly to kiss her on the cheek.

"Bye, Bells. Have fun with your laundry. Would you mind doing mine too?" I joked. She pulled back from me slightly and shot me an annoyed look.

"No way, honey. Your mama taught you how to do your laundry, and I am not your maid. Do it yourself." She giggled, and released me. We walked out into the sunshine together, and parted ways on the sidewalk.

"Bye, boyfriend!" she yelled from over her shoulder as she walked away from me. I laughed out loud, and shook my head, turning and beginning my walk back to Masen's. My smile was stretched so far across my face that it almost hurt. I found myself in the same predicament every time Bella and I were together. I felt like skipping down the sidewalk singing show tunes, but figured that would do absolutely nothing to help my waning masculinity. It wouldn't be all that weird in New York, but I was already acting too much like a girl for my liking. Why did seeing Bella suddenly turn me into a sap? It needed to be fixed, or Jasper would never let me live it down. Maybe I needed to go out and drink some beer, shoot some pool, and talk about boobs. I made a point to talk to Jasper about a guys night when I got back to the restaurant.

I rounded the corner, and entered the front doors of Masen's, heading to the kitchen where Jasper was still buzzing around.

"Where in the hell have you been?" he asked as he pulled some glasses down from a shelf.

I looked down at my watch. "I wasn't gone that long. I went to get lunch."

He smirked. "Did you tell Bella I said hi?" At the look on my face, he doubled-over in laughter. "Oh man, you DID have lunch with her. You've got it bad, dude. It hasn't even been 24 hours."

My phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket, and I dug for it, chuckling when I saw Alice's name pop up on the screen.

"Hello, my beautiful sister," I said, pressing the phone to my ear. Jasper's head shot up when I got to the word 'sister', and then he looked down at his feet and blushed. Jasper blushed. Never thought I'd see the day.

"What do you want, Edward? I'm not ordering all of your stuff again...it's your restaurant, you need to learn how." She sounded frustrated and a little bit sad, so I decided not to tease her too much.

"I actually just did that, Alice, and you called me. What do you need?"

She was quiet for a brief moment, something that usually didn't happen, so I knew something was bothering her. "Ummm...Jasper is one of your good friends, right?"

"Yeah, why?" I was pretty sure I knew where the conversation was headed, so I held my finger up to Jasper, indicating that I needed a moment, and slipped out of the kitchen and into my office.

I heard her take a deep breath on her end and I waited. I plopped down in my leather office chair. "Spit it out, Alice."

"Look, I know me and Jasper only met the one time while I was in New York but we hit it off really great. I mean really great, Edward, and that almost usually never happens for me--an instant attraction like that. It's like we were meant to find each other or some crazy shit. I know you probably think it's the most ridiculous thing ever and the fact that it's your baby sister and your best guy friend is probably NOT the best feeling in the world. Edward, I like him. I can't explain it. I..."

"Alice!" I shouted into the phone, cutting her off and laughing. "Jesus Christ, take a breath."

"I'm sorry," she sighed. "But it's true. I think he could be my soul mate."

As much as it weirded me out for my sister to be telling me these things about Jasper, and knowing that Jasper felt the same way, I understood. I knew exactly what she was going through, because in a lot of ways I felt the same about Bella. We were just meant to be in each other's lives, regardless of how or why.

"Well," I started, trying to process everything Alice had just told me. "Jasper informed me of his feelings for you. However, I didn't realize they were quite on that level. Aren't you concerned about a long distance relationship though? We're not just talking living a few hours away, Alice, you live on the complete opposite side of the country. I would just hate to see you get invested in something that might not work out. I don't want you to get hurt."

She scoffed, and I could almost hear here rolling her eyes at me. "Do you really think Jasper is stupid? I mean really Edward, come on. Give him a little credit. He is not going to cause any harm to his best friend's sister and risk death. I know you're just trying to be a good big brother and look out for me, but I'm a grown up now. I'm capable of taking care of myself. I do appreciate it though, honestly. I always have. Even that one time back in high school when you got suspended for kicking the shit out of Marcus because he made me cry."

"Hey," I said as she giggled. "Don't think I wouldn't hesitate to do the same to Jasper if he ever did that to you. I don't care how good of friends we are."

"I know, Edward. Please be nice to him...for me. You should be thankful that it's him and not someone you don't know and trust. I know you trust him...you wouldn't let him run Masen's if you didn't. I also wanted to tell you something else."

I braced myself for any other big news that she was going to drop on me. "I'm thinking about...ummm...moving to New York." She spoke so quietly that I almost didn't hear her.

"You WHAT!? Why, Alice?" I groaned, putting my face in my hand on my desk.

She huffed on the other end of the phone. "Edward, I need to get out of mom and dad's house. I'm out of college now, and New York is the perfect place for someone with a fashion degree. Plus, you're there...and Jasper, and now Bella. I just think it would be good for me...please be supportive about this. I thought you would be happy to have me nearby."

She did make a good point. She would be better off starting her career here, and she would have tons of opportunities. I sighed in resignation. "Of course I'm happy, Alice. And if you want to stay with me until you get on your feet, I would love to have you. I'm hardly ever home, so you would have the place to yourself most of the time."

"Fantastic!" I could here her clapping in glee on the other side of the phone. "Oh Edward, it's going to be so perfect! Alright, I'm going to get going. I'll call you later in the week. Bye!"

After mumbling a quick goodbye, I hung up the phone, and my head dropped onto my desk. This has been a crazy couple of weeks. Opening my restaurant, seeing Bella, and Alice moving here. I need a drink--or five.

I straightened my shirt, and grabbed my chef's jacket from the hook by the door, sticking my arms through the holes. I walked into the kitchen, and Jasper immediately pounced.

"Was that Alice? What did she say?" He ran up to me, and was almost bouncing on his toes.

I slapped my hand down on his shoulder to get him to hold still, and chuckled. "Down boy. She just wanted to clear the air about you, that's all." I didn't want to bring up the moving issue, in case he didn't already know. I didn't want to be the one to reveal that bit of information.

"I have to say," I continued. "As weird as this will more than likely be for me, I honestly can't think of a better man for my sister."

He started to speak, but I put my hand up to stop him. "But just because you're my best guy friend, don't think I won't rip you to shreds if you hurt her. Are we clear?"

"Clear as crystal," he replied, and for a very brief moment he actually looked terrified. I smiled inwardly and patted him on the shoulder, satisfied that I was able to put the fear of god in him. To be honest, it felt kind of good to stick up for my little sister. It had been too long since I was able to fulfill my brotherly duties.

"I wouldn't act so smug just yet," he said as I turned to walk away. I stopped mid-step and turned my head towards him.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, confused.

He grinned. "It means that you'll get that same speech from Emmett soon enough. You can count on it."

Before I could respond to him he brushed past me and walked out to the kitchen. I obviously hadn't put much thought into that. Emmett was huge. I wasn't scared of him necessarily, but if it came down to it, he'd beat me into a bloody pulp. Bella had always told me how protective her brother was of her and that he had scared off plenty of guys.

Was I willing to go head-to-head with Emmett for Bella?

Yes, with the passion of a thousand fiery suns. Yes.

A/N:

Edward handled the Jasper/Alice situation pretty well, huh? I like the little side romance between them...next chapter, we'll go to dinner at Bella's place.

Links to all of the outfits in this story are in my profile.

Thanks for reading!