All grown up
And you don't care anymore
And you hate all the people that you used to adore
And you despise all the rumors and lies of the life you led before
All Grown Up – Elvis Costello
Bella lounged languidly in bed the next morning. She had flicked only a sheet over her legs and left the window open, the muggy air making it difficult to breathe.
When she finally stood up, sheet wrapped around her shoulders like a cloak, feet bare on the wooden floors. She crossed to the window and pulled the curtains back, the scene outside as lazy as the one inside, kids lounging on lawns and shop fronts thrown open, employees soaking up the sun.
After pulling on some clothes, Bella dragged on some sneakers and pulled her hair into a ponytail, grabbing her purse as she headed out of the kitchen. Her one day off a week was her day for running errands, but the heat had sucked all of the motivation out of her.
Shutting her apartment door, she waved to Angela as she walked past her on the way to her truck. The engine came to life with a noisy growl when she turned the keys in the ignition, and she backed carefully out of the parking lot.
Bella dashed around the Stop&Go, piling groceries haphazardly into her cart. She was sorely tempted by the cool allure of the ice cream freezer but resisted, knowing that it would merely melt in her truck while she ran the rest of her errands.
As she steered the cart around the corner, she saw Jasper lazily examining the labels on cartons of instant noodles.
"Hi!"she said, making her way over to him. She stopped to grab some eggs from the shelf to the left before closing the gap between them.
"Miss Bella," he said, tipping his hat to her, "how are ya?"
Bella laughed. "Hot!" She glanced into his basket and couldn't help but notice it was piled high with instant food. "Say, I don't suppose you've got great cooking facilities at the B&B?"
Glancing down ruefully at his basket, Jasper replied, "Not really. Not sure that it'd make a whole loada difference if I did though."
Feeling sorry for the obviously lonely man who was clearly hundreds of miles away from his family, Bella reacted impulsively.
"Why don't you come for dinner tonight?"
Jasper looked surprised at her invitation, reaching a hand around to the back of his neck and rubbing.
"Well, if you're sure that's okay. I haven't had a decent meal in weeks."
Assuring him that it was fine, Bella rattled off her address and directions. She started to push her cart toward the checkouts, but then she turned back to the tall Texan behind her.
"Hey, Jasper?"
Jasper looked up from his perusal of the noodle labels, eyebrow raised at her.
"What's your favorite food?"
He grinned widely. "Mexican."
The doorbell rang just as Bella reached in for the enchiladas. Shoving the oven door closed with her foot, she yanked the hair tie out of her hair and rubbed an arm over her face to eradicate any traces of tomato sauce.
Pulling her apartment door open, she saw Jasper leaning lazily against the doorpost, a six-pack of beer dangling from his fingers.
"Hey," she said, pulling the door wider, "come on in. We're just waiting for Mike and Jess, and then we can eat."
Jasper walked into the small living area, dropping the beer on the table as he passed, before turning to face her.
"I appreciate this," he said, a smile fluttering at the corners of his lips. "Think my stomach was startin' to forget that food other than dehydrated noodles existed."
Bella giggled nervously, a hand fiddling with her necklace. Now that Jasper had arrived before Mike—her intended safety barrier—she was feeling unsure, not used to being alone with an almost stranger.
She waved him toward the sofa, tossing a can of beer from the fridge at him, grabbing his off the table and slotting them into her half-empty refrigerator. Snatching herself a can of Diet Coke, she parked herself in the chair opposite the sofa.
"So, tell me how a Southern boy like you stumbles into our small Midwestern town," she queried, tucking her feet underneath her.
"Broke down on my trip cross country. Tyler was the only mechanic in a fifty-mile radius who'd let me work off the cost of repairin' my truck." He fiddled with the ring of the can, running his finger under it three times before popping it off. He poured the amber liquid carefully down the side of the glass, sucking the foam off the top. He crushed the can in his fist, before putting it on the coffee table in front of him.
Bella nodded absent-mindedly. From the tick in his jaw she could tell that it was a blow to his pride having to work off the repairs, and she wished she could do something to make his life easier.
Mike and Jess arrived not long after, and the four of them decamped to the dining table, Bella seating Mike and Jess next to each other while she and Jasper sat at opposite ends of the table.
Watching Jasper banter with Mike, keeping up with his notoriously sharp tongue, and allowing the sarcastic insults to slide off his back, Bella decided that Jasper was a good fit for her ragtag group of friends.
"Say, Miss Bella," he said with a smile, turning away from his conversation with Mike, "you don't sound as though y'all're from round these parts neither?"
Jess sat up straighter at his question, her gaze darting to Bella as Mike shook his head slightly at Jasper, who opened his mouth to apologize.
Bella waved him off. "No, I'm from Washington," she said, a hand going up to fiddle with a lock of hair. "Came down here about a year ago, soon as I graduated high school."
Dropping her hair, Bella picked up her and Jess's plates, then scooting her chair back and standing. "Anyone for cobbler?"
Jess smiled sympathetically at the abrupt change of subject, rising and grabbing the boys' plates. Jasper looked momentarily confused before Mike engaged him in conversation about the Cowboys' chances next season and the subject was forgotten.
Jasper and Mike left together at about ten, Jess stayed behind to chatter and help Bella clean up.
"So when are you gonna admit you like Mike?" Bella teased, dunking a plate into the sink one last time before passing it to Jess, who was waiting with a towel.
"I've told you, it'll never happen." Jess rubbed the towel briskly over the plate before reaching up to place it in the cabinet just above her head. "We tried once in high school. He lasted a week before he had Alice Brandon in the back of his truck again. That girl has her claws into him well and good."
Bella shook her head pensively, "you know, I think you're underestimating him. She's been in New York close to a year now, without a word. I think he's seeing her the same way you and all the rest of his friends do now."
Jess' gaze lingered a little too long on the glass she was drying.
"I don't know, Bells. I don't want to ruin what we already are."
Pulling her hands out of the water and drying them on Jess' towel, Bella smiled ruefully. "I can understand that, Jessie-Lou, believe me."
Tugging the towel away from Jess, Bella grabbed her hands and shoved her toward the sofa. "You pick the movie, I'll grab the popcorn."