When I woke up the next morning, I was laying on the couch, curled up with a blanket.

I groaned as the sun shined, hitting my eyes.

"Paul?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.

I got to answer, so I got up off the couch and made my way into the kitchen.

I found a note magnetized to the fridge. I grabbed it and rubbed my eyes before reading it.

Bella,

Sorry I couldn't be there when you woke up. I had to go to work.

Call me when you get up, maybe we can catch lunch together.

Love your brother,

Paul.

I smiled and looked at his messy writing.

Love your brother. I still couldn't get over those words; I don't think I ever would. I loved hearing and seeing it. Having a brother. It was the best feeling in the world.

I went over to the phone and dialed Paul.

"McGrath." He answered.

"Hey." I smiled.

"Bella! You finally woke up?" he teased.

I let out a chuckle and twirled the phone cord around my finger.

"Yup. Can you take a lunch break?"

"Yea. Sure. Did you want to meet me at Sue's Diner in about a half hour? I just have to finish up some things."

"Sure. Sounds good. How do I get there?" I asked, looking for a pencil and paper.

He gave me the directions, saying them slowly as I wrote them down. When I was done, we said our goodbyes and hung up.

Looking at the clock, I found I wouldn't have time to shower and eat. So I ran up the stairs and got ready for a shower.

When I was done, I ran a brush through my hair and let it air dry.

I slipped on a pair of jeans and a lace trimmed tank top with a leather jacket.

When I was ready, I slipped on my converse and was out the door.

I followed Paul's directions and it let me right to the diner.

'Sue's Diner' it read in neon pink letters with a yellow background.

I hopped out of the car and walked in.

Paul was already sitting in one of the red booth's looking at the menu.

"Hey." I said slipping in the other side.

"Hi. Did you get here ok?" he asked concerned.

I nodded and grabbed a menu. "Yea, the directions were perfect."

A lady with Sandy blond hair came to take our drink orders and smiled at me.

"You must be Bella McGrath." She smirked, looking at me.

Paul cleared his throat, feeling uncomfortable as she used his last name for mine.

But it didn't bother me. I put on a kind smile and nodded.

"Yup. That's me. Sorry I don't really know you…"

"Sue Clearwater." She said, shaking my hand.

My eyes lit up. "Seth and Leah's mom?"

She smiled and nodded. "That would be me."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." I said.

"Well, the pleasure is really all mine Bella. I have heard so many kind things about you. From Seth and surprisingly Leah." She told me.

I let out a laugh and she took our orders.

When we were both done, I handed her our menus and thanked her.

She smiled, turning back to look at me. "You are so polite Bella. Teach a few manners to this one." She joked, nodding over to Paul.

He blushed and I let out a laugh.

When she walked away Paul looked at me. His gaze was so intense that I looked down at my paper placemat.

"Thank you. For not getting upset when she used my last name for you."

I shrugged my shoulders and looked at him.

"I didn't mind it. You are my brother after all."

His eyes lit up and a smile went across his face.

"That I am."

"So how's work so far? What do you even do?" I asked.

"It's good. I work as a fire fighter."

"Really?" I asked.

"Yea, it's just a summer job. There aren't very many fires though. Mostly we just make rounds and make sure the trucks are clean."

"Do you have a Dalmatian dog too?" I asked, quite excited over the dog.

He laughed and leaned back in the booth.

"If I said yes, would that make you really happy?"

I smirked. "I could do you one better. If you said yes, it would make my day."

He smiled and nodded. "Yea, we have the dog." He rolled his eyes as mine lit up.

"What's his name? Is it a he?"

"Yep. His name is Sheppard. We call him Shep for short." He said, crossing his arms, highly amused by my excitement.

I asked him another round of questions before our food came

"Why are you so excited about a dog anyways?" he asked as a waitress set our food down in front of us.

"Because I always wanted a dog, but my mom didn't want the responsibility or hassle. So we never got one."

He nodded and dug into his food.

We walked some more while we ate.

"So what's going on with you and Seth?" he asked, sipping his water.

"Nothing why?" I looked at him curiously.

"Because he called the house a few times before I left and then my cell."

I looked at him wide eyed. "He called? And you didn't tell me!"

"Well you said it was nothing…"

"He's my friend! And I told him I would hang out with him soon."

"Yea, soon. Not tomorrow morning." Paul grumbled.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I like Seth. He is really nice and sweet. So bug off."

He moved back a little, stunned. "Bug off? Bella, I'm looking out for you."

I rolled my eyes and ate my food. "You mean isolate me. Paul, its just Seth. You've known him longer than me. And by the looks of things, he seems like a respectable guy. Plus he is only 16. I'm 19. I'm not into that whole cougar thing."

Paul's anger and sadness faded away and he laughed.

"Good, I'm glad. Sorry I got protective there. I just don't want to see you moving so fast too quickly."

I stopped eating and smiled at him. "As much as I appreciate it. You need to use your head more and chill out. I can look after myself."

"I will try. But just to let you know, I'm your brother Bells. Whether you can look after yourself or not, I'm here and you're stuck with me." He lent forward to me and said with total seriousness.

"…Protectiveness included." He joked at the end of his little rant.

"This is going to take some getting used to." I groaned and sat back.

He let out a laugh watching me and paid the bill.