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Chapter 26

When Monday morning arrives, I find myself at the office before the sun rises. At home, it was too quiet, giving me too many opportunities to overthink things — like why I'd only heard from Edward once and why it was a rushed conversation where he'd told me he'd "dealt with it." After our date and the kiss we'd shared, I'd felt optimistic about the way things had been progressing. Tanya couldn't have been further from my mind.

The bubble we were in back home has well and truly burst.

Now, my heart's constantly in my stomach, her platinum blonde hair occupies my every thought in some way, and I'm wondering whether Edward's changed his mind about what he wants.

Who he wants.

The office is dark when I arrive, making it eerily quiet. It's been months since I've been in this early, but I need the distraction. I leave most of the place in darkness, choosing to only have my office light on.

It feels like only minutes later when the streets below slowly come alive, with the sound of car horns and yelling filtering through the windows. The sun appears, and the shadows begin to dance across my office floor. Below me, doors slam, people laugh, and phones ring, which signal the start of the work day.

And I can't even bring myself to open my emails.

Instead of plowing through the stuff I'd missed, as I had hoped to do, I successfully manage to sit and wallow at my desk, something I could've done at home. I groan, lean forward, and rest my head on my desk, cursing myself for getting in this mess in the first place.

I should've just said no to dancing with Edward that night in O'Neills.

As soon as I think it, I know I'm only lying to myself. I think back to the few moments we've shared, to our date at the winery, to the kiss that makes my stomach flutter just thinking about it. I think about how soft his hair is and how much I enjoyed running my fingers through it. How his appreciative moan made my stomach clench and how I want to hear him make that noise as often as possible.

Saying no to Edward was never an option.

I glance at my phone — again — in the hope of something from Edward. A text. A phone call.

Anything.

Instead, my blank screen stares back at me, almost as if it's taunting me. I push away the doubts that are starting to creep in, wondering if I should make a move and text him. Is he still giving me the space he thinks I need?

"Why am I not surprised to see you here? And what are you doing?"

"Wallowing," I mumble.

"Okay… Why?"

I look up. "Because I'm going to be ruined today."

Jess rolls her eyes as she enters my office and sits opposite me. "He's definitely finished it, then?"

I nod. "Yeah. He told me he dealt with it."

She frowns, automatically sensing my tone. "Dealt with it how? What does that mean? Is he always this cryptic?"

I chuckle, shaking my head. "No, he's not, thankfully. We didn't get to talk much. Wherever he was, there was something going on in the background, and he got pulled away."

"Do you think he was with her?"

I do now.

I shrug. "No idea."

"He better not have been. He's already on thin ice with me, and if he's still with her and messing you around — again — he's in trouble."

"God, I missed you." I laugh.

"What? I'm being serious."

I laugh even harder. "I know. And that's exactly why I missed you."

ooOoo

Shortly after Jess has gotten settled, she comes into my office and closes the door behind her. The phones are on forward to voicemail for now so we can have a quick briefing. It's not ideal, but the interviews for our new assistant aren't scheduled until later in the week.

"Where do you want me to start?" She sits next to me with a notebook in her hand.

"Right. Well, I think we need to leave the Turner wedding until last, as that's going to take the most time for now. Fill me in on what I missed. Any new clients? Any pissed off current clients?"

"Thankfully, no. I think one pissed off bridezilla's enough for now, yes?"

I gesture at her notebook. "Let's get on with that. You can push for details later."

She rolls her eyes, making me smile. "Well, no pissed off brides. They all want to meet you, or us, soon. Check your calendar, as I made a few appointments for you. I confirmed with the brides and told them you'd be in touch if something was wrong with their appointment."

"That's fine. What about the new clients you said were interested? You're happy to take them on?"

She grins. "Yes. I've been waiting for this!"

"I'm just checking!" I nudge her shoulder. "When are they for?"

She flips through her notebook. "The first couple's older; both are widows and on their second marriage. They want something small, family only, but out of the city. I'm still scoping venues on that and meeting with them next week. It's for two years' time, and a date's yet to be confirmed, because he wants a winter wedding and she wants summer."

I nod, reading through her notes. "Push for winter. If it's a small wedding, we don't want a peak date taken. We can still be available for a larger wedding in the summer."

"Okay. The other wedding… I can do it, but I know I'll have a few questions. It's a large wedding; she's from New York with a huge family, and he's Irish. Big wedding, big party."

"Big budget?"

She grins. "Yep."

"Perfect." I push my chair away from my desk so I can face her. "So, eye-rolling and joking aside, how did you find it?"

She sighs. "Well, I can see how you manage to work so many hours." She holds her hands up to prevent me from cutting in. "Don't get me wrong. I loved it. All of it. But yeah, it's hard to turn off and not take any home with you."

"Jess, I don't want you to taking work home with you. If I'd known you were this busy, I would've come straight back to Chicago."

"That's exactly why I never said anything. You needed that break. You look like a completely different person."

"I just—"

"You just nothing. It happened, it was busy, and I coped. End of."

"Have you always been this bossy?"

"Yep."

"Fantastic," I murmur, sarcastically. "Wish I'd known that before promoting you."

She grins. "You'll grow to love it."

I chuckle. "If you say so."

"So… Are you going to tell me what happened? And what's going to happen with work? Should I call security and warn them?"

I try to smile, but it falls flat. "I have no idea. I don't know what Edward's told her, whether he mentioned me or whether he just ended it."

"It's weird she hasn't canceled."

"I know," I reply quietly. "It makes me nervous it's not actually canceled."

"She could be simply trying to save face. Maybe she's not taking him seriously."

"Maybe…"

She stands, patting down her skirt. "I'm sure that's it, sweetie. From what you told me, he's made his decision, and it's you."

"I just wish I'd heard from him. The not knowing is making me think the worst."

"So? Call him. You don't need to sit and wait around for him. Ask what's happening and make sure you aren't going in blind."

I glance at my phone. Again. "You're right."

She leaves the office. "I know I am."

Feeling slightly better, I open my laptop, and while it's booting up, I decide to call Edward. It rings a few times before there's an answer.

And it's not Edward.

"Bella, is there a reason why you're calling Edward instead of me?" Tanya's tone shoots right down my spine and makes my heart drop to my stomach. She sounds pissed, her voice curt, and I can only imagine the stony look on her face.

I feel sick.

Just as I'm trying to think of an excuse, Jess rushes into the office with a frantic look on her face. If it wasn't for the situation, it would almost be comical.

Ignoring Tanya on the line, I look to Jess.

"You have an email from Tanya. She says it's urgent and wants to talk to you," she whisper-yells. "Who's on the phone?"

I roll my eyes and mouth Tanya's name to her.

"Shit," she says, not even trying to whisper now.

I clear my throat. "I'm sorry, Tanya. I accidentally dialed the wrong number. Our new assistant's been working on your file, and she must've swapped the numbers. I'm sorry."

Jess chokes out a laugh at my lame excuse, covering her mouth with her hands when I glare at her. I point to the door, gesturing for her to leave.

Once she does, I focus back on what Tanya's saying to me.

"Really, Bella. You should hire better staff than that."

"It's a trial run, and her mistake's noted." I try to keep my voice smooth, hating the fact she's practically telling me how to run my own business.

"I take it you're calling about the email I sent you last night?"

"Yes…" I open my emails, clicking on the most recent one from Tanya, and skim it as quickly as I can. "You'd like to meet up?"

She sighs. "Well, since I have you on the phone, there are a few things I'd like to run through."

"Okay." I grab a pen so I can make some notes while she talks. "What would you like to go over?"

"Where would we stand with our suppliers if we postponed the wedding?"

"Post— Postponed?"

"Yes." She huffs. "It seems Edward has cold feet or whatever—"

"And you definitely want to postpone, not cancel?" I can't help but cut her off. My pulse is racing as I focus on every word she says.

She laughs, but it's cold, distant. "No, of course not. I'll make him see sense."

I hate her.

I tighten my grip on my pen, biting my tongue against everything I want to say to this vile woman.

"I'll need to check. This far out, we could be safe. Nothing would've been ordered, yet. You may lose the deposit with the hotel, though, and possibly pay a new one when confirming a new date with them."

She scoffs. "Please. Like I care about that. Just find out what you can and call me back. On my phone this time." And with that order, she hangs up.

I'm still staring at my phone when Jess comes back in.

"What did Miss High and Mighty have to say?"

"She, uh…" I lick my lips and clear my throat before looking up to her. "She wants us to look into 'postponing' the wedding for her."

"Son of a bitch. She's not canceling?"

"Apparently, she can still... convince him to get married."

She shakes her head. "She's delusional. What did Edward say when you called him?"

"Nothing. I mean… That was Edward's number I called. She answered." I could cry. My heart sinks farther into my stomach as all kinds of explanations cross my mind, none of them favorable.

"Well, shit. What the hell's she doing answering his phone?"

ooOoo

Thank you for reading!

Fic Rec: The Empty Bag by krnycorn - After the disastrous birthday party that injured her arm, Bella can see that Edward is pulling away from her. Tired of staying away while Edward distances himself, Bella decides to start the conversation a day earlier than he had planned. But will it change anything? New Moon AU