A/N: Thanks to everyone who is reading, alerting, and reviewing! I love you all! Here is Chapter 9; I hope you all enjoy a bit of a mellower chapter.

Thanks as always to my pre-reader and ficwife, EternallyCullen, and to my fantastic beta, Jenny Cullen, aka Jenrar, for their help and encouragement. Muah!

"Bella?" Edward interrupted the war going on in her head.

"Sorry. Daydreaming," she partially explained. "Did you say something?"

He smiled that crooked smile that was quickly becoming her favorite. "Yeah, I said that we're going to Port Angeles, as long as that's okay with you."

She returned his smile, a bit of shyness making hers fainter. "Yeah, that sounds great. What are we doing, anyway?"

"I told you, we're working on the project."

"Then what's in Port Angeles?"

He turned his emerald eyes upon her. "A place where we can get to know each other a bit better and hopefully start over?" He phrased the last part as a question.

Don't be an idiot! she screamed at herself. "I-I think I'd like that."

He unleashed the power of his eyes upon her, occasionally glancing at the road. "I'd like that, too." He held his hand out to her. "I'm Edward Cullen; it's nice to meet you, Isabella Swan. Or do you prefer Bella?"

She shook his hand, a small smile on her face. "I thought they only did that in movies," she teased with a laugh.

He prolonged holding onto her hand a bit more than necessary, his own long fingers wrapping around her smaller ones. "Not always," he replied with a smile.

Her laugh had caused his stomach to clench, and he vowed that his objective for the evening was to get one of her rare, genuine smiles – just for him. Right now, she's actually being civil. Wonder what I've done differently to spare her wrath…

"I will say that your manners are impeccable. It's refreshing."

He nodded. "My mother was always tough on us when it came to our manners. Of course, I don't know how much of it stuck with my older brother, Emmett."

She smiled. "Tell me about your family, Edward."

I'm going to give him a chance… give him a chance… give him… Breathe, girl, breathe! Again, Edward had turned his jewel-toned eyes upon her, and she felt as if he could see all the way into her soul.

He twisted his head back to the road and laughed at the thought of his brothers. They had all turned out so different, yet were very similar and always had each others' backs.

"Well, Emmett's a year older than me, and he's currently going to the University of Washington on a football scholarship. We all figure that he'll end up as a draft pick."

She gasped. "You mean that he'll play professional football in the NFL?"

Edward smiled. "Yeah; we're all really proud of him."

"I can imagine. So, is he your only brother?" she asked, genuinely interested.

He shook his head. "No, I also have a younger brother, Jasper, who goes to Whitman College in Walla Walla and is majoring in psychology."

"Wow," she whispered. "That's impressive." But I guess when your dad's a doctor, you can afford to send three kids to college, all with new cars and cell phones… "They must be very proud of all of you; you're going to be a doctor, one of your brothers will be a psychologist, and the other will be a pro football player. Those are really major accomplishments." She found herself wishing she could send Mathew to college, but there was no way she could afford it. She hoped he would be eligible for financial aid, when the time came.

"They're happy as long as we're happy," he said with a direct look at her. "You've met my father, but I'd like for you to meet my mother. I think you and she would get along great."

Meet his mother? Meet his father outside of the work setting? What is he playing at? She made a noncommittal sound and turned to watch the greenery flashing by.

Edward allowed a few minutes to elapse in silence, before he spoke again. "What about your parents and family? I know your father, of course, but I don't think I've seen your mother around here."

She shook her head, clenching her hands together in her lap. "No, she lives in Jacksonville with her husband. I came here when I was fifteen, after she got married and wanted to go on the road with Phil."

"Is he a musician?"

"No, he played minor league baseball at the time. He's a coach at a local school now."

"How often do you see her?"

She shrugged. "About every Christmas. She and Phil fly up here for the holidays, since I can't afford to go to them."

"Oh. So she's not very involved?"

Bella shrugged again. "She's as involved as she can be to live across the country. She was very upset with me when I told her I was pregnant. Told me I was throwing my life away."

Edward sighed. "Bella, you've done a wonderful job with Matt and with your life."

"Thanks, but there are things I would have done differently. I had plans to go to college, but obviously, that didn't work out. Where are we going, anyway?" she asked, trying to shift the focus off of her.

He grinned at her. "We're going to Bella Italia, an Italian restaurant in Port Angeles."

Was Angela right? Is this a… date? "Am I dressed all right?" she asked, looking down at the pants again and brushing some imaginary wrinkles out of the fabric.

"You're dressed perfectly. In fact, you look beautiful tonight."

Bella felt her face flush hot again. She was not accustomed to being complimented. "Uh, thank you."

He gave her that favorite, crooked smile of hers. "You're welcome."

By then, the first houses and businesses were beginning to slide by the windows. They remained in companionable silence, until he parked on the street in front of a charming restaurant with a sign that said "Bella Italia."

"Here we are," he said. "We have reservations for six. I hope you like Italian food."

She let out a full laugh at that statement. "Isabella, remember?" she asked, pointing at herself. "I love Italian food."

He smiled a wide smile. "Excellent." He shut the engine off and walked around to open her door. As he had parked close to the curb, he offered his hand to assist her out of the car.

The moment her skin touched his, she felt that same electric current buzz through her hand and up her arm. What the hell is this guy doing to me? She wondered if he had felt the same feeling, but his masked expression gave nothing away.

"Shall we?" he asked, offering his arm to her.

She suddenly felt giddy, as if she had stepped back in time, to when men had proper manners and feminism had yet to take off at a galloping speed. "Yes." She took his arm a bit tentatively, expecting the jolt of electricity again, but this time, there was nothing. Then she realized she was touching his jacket, and not his skin.

He escorted her into the restaurant, making sure to hold the door open for her. They walked up to the hostess, who stared breathlessly at Edward.

Bella gritted her teeth. She knew that Edward was unusually attractive, but could this hostess not see that he was with her? Bitch. She bit her tongue, so as not to lose her temper.

"May I help you?" she asked, the sexual undertone blatantly clear in her voice and double entendre. She openly ignored Bella.

Edward appeared as if he were oblivious to the hostess' invitation. "We have a reservation. Cullen."

"Ah, yes. Mr. Cullen. Just the two?" she asked, tossing a glare at Bella.

Bella glared back.

She jumped when she felt Edward's arm snake around her waist. "Yes, and we'd like a private table, if you don't mind," he said, slipping a green bill into her hand.

Bella could not see how much he'd tipped the girl, but from her wide eyes and instant escort to a corner table in an empty area of the restaurant, she could only imagine how much it had been.

The hostess laid two menus on the table and sauntered away, throwing one last, longing look at Edward. He pulled Bella's chair out for her, and then sat.

"So, what's good here?" Bella asked nervously, trying to calm the shaking of her voice. Mundane conversation was what she needed now to ease her nerves. It certainly felt like a date.

Edward picked up his menu and glanced over it. "Everything is delicious here. I've never had anything that wasn't good."

"So, you come here often?" she asked innocently, wondering how many dates he had brought to this very restaurant. She could only imagine.

He continued to read. "Yeah. This is my mom's favorite restaurant, so anytime we're all at home, we always come here."

Oh. She couldn't figure out how to mention previous dates – and was unsure why she should care – so she continued to study her menu. The mushroom ravioli sounded especially good.

Suddenly, a waitress was at their table. Bella could tell the hostess had informed her of Edward's perfection, as she basically ignored Bella. "Welcome to Bella Italia," she said. "What can I do for you?" she asked Edward, causing Bella to roll her eyes. Give me a break!

Edward looked at Bella. "Bella, what would you like to drink? Order anything you'd like."

Typically, in the rare events that Bella was able to eat out, she ordered water, as it was free, but Edward had said anything. "I'd like a Coke, please."

"Make that two," Edward told the waitress, keeping eye contact with Bella. "Have you already decided what you'd like to eat?" he asked her.

She nodded.

"We'd like to go ahead and order, if that's all right," he said to the waitress, turning his eyes onto her and pouring on the charm.

The waitress took a shuddering breath. "Of course. What would you like?" she asked Edward, a smirk on her face.

It took all of Bella's self control to keep from taking the salt shaker and knocking the woman in the head.

"Bella?" Edward asked. "What would you like?"

She didn't miss the slight flash of yearning in his eyes, but dismissed it, knowing it was not meant for her. "Um, I'd like the mushroom ravioli, please."

"I'll have the same," Edward said, continuing to look at Bella.

The waitress wrote their order down with a sigh and left. Bella wondered if she had finally gotten the hint. Bella could not understand how Edward was able to ignore the woman, who was very attractive.

She was right back with their drinks and a basket of bread. Bella just stared at the bread, her stomach in knots. She took a sip of her Coke, instead, enjoying the fizzing sweetness in her mouth. "So," she said, her voice quivering, "what are we here for?"

Edward gave her his now famous crooked grin. "Well, I thought it would be good for us to get to know about each other, as it will help the project go much smoother. Plus, I was hoping we could bury the hatchet."

Bella took another sip of her Coke, trying to steady her shaking hand. If they were just going to talk, could this really be a… date? "That sounds good to me. Let me apologize to y—"

Edward interrupted her. "Bella, I am the one who owes you an apology. I came into this project with stereotypes already in mind, and I've learned a valuable lesson from that. I'd like to try to explain, if that's okay with you?" he asked, his eyes pleading.

She nodded. "Of course."

He sighed. "Bella, I was born into a very easy life. Everything came easy to me. I learned quickly, never had to study in school… it was as easy as breathing. I've always looked up to my father, and wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember. I would see my father come home every day, and he would be so happy that he had helped people. I wanted that satisfaction.

"So, I made school my priority. From the time I was little, I wanted to help people – help them get better. I didn't socialize much in high school; I was too worried about studying for the ACTs and SATs, so that I could get into a good medical school."

"Where did you go to high school?" she asked, knowing he had not gone to Forks High.

"I went to a high school in Philadelphia, which was where we lived before we started college. Mom hated living in the big city, and when we kids were accepted to several schools in Washington, Mom and Dad made the decision to move to Forks. Mom loves the small town life now. Dad likes it, too. I think he likes the smaller medical practice, where he can get to know his patients."

She took another sip of her Coke. "So what do you plan on doing when you're out of med school?"

"I'll probably go into practice with my dad," he replied. He looked at her intently. "I'd like to stay in Forks."

"Hmmm. I guess I thought you'd enjoy the big city better and might stay in Seattle."

Edward shook his head. "Nah. At first, I thought I would, but after being in Forks and getting to know some families, I've decided I like small town life, too. Bella, working in the big hospitals in Seattle had made me a bit prejudiced toward some people, such as patients on Medicaid. From what I saw, they were people who didn't want to work and came into the hospital all of the time, just because. They didn't care; they weren't paying for it.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to know your situation first. I didn't take this project seriously, and instead, I made assumptions, and I realize I was very condescending toward you. I shouldn't have done that, and I hope that you will accept my sincere apology. Please believe me when I say that I am sorry."

Bella blinked quickly so that the tears that had built up in her eyes would not fall. She had never expected such a sincere apology – especially from someone like Edward. They were worlds apart. He's so much better than I am. Surely this couldn't be happening.

"I owe you an apology, too," she said. "I shouldn't have reacted as sensitively as I did. I know that you weren't trying to be mean. It's just difficult for me to trust anyone after what James did."

Suddenly, the waitress was back at their table with their entrées, along with more drinks. She silently set the dishes in front of them, smiled at Edward, and sauntered back to the kitchen.

"This smells incredible," Bella said, trying to break the tension. She speared a ravioli and popped it into her mouth. "Oh, my God," she murmured.

"Is it good?" Edward asked with a smile.

She nodded and continued to eat. As long as she had food in her mouth, she didn't need to talk. Edward's heartfelt apology had left her close to tears, and she needed some time to regroup.

He ate a few bites, and then laid his fork down. "Bella, I hope that my explanation helped a bit. I know it's no excuse, and I hope that you will forgive me for my previous ideas."

She chewed for a moment. "So, you don't think that now?"

Edward shook his head. "Hell, no. I've never met anyone like you, Bella. You are such an incredible woman – working, raising your son alone, and never complaining."

Bella was stunned. Surely he wasn't complimenting her again!

She still couldn't get past their social class differences, however. Why would he, of all people, admire her? She was plain, had a child who was unwanted by his father, and was on public assistance. He was a rich medical student, who was so beautiful, he could be a model. He could have any woman he wanted, so she knew his interest in her was only educational. She did, however, appreciate his heartfelt apology.

"Thank you," she whispered. "And I accept your apology. I'm sorry I was so mean to you."

"You weren't mean," he said with a laugh.

She laughed again. "Yes, I was. I was a total bitch to you."

He nodded slightly. "Okay, maybe a little, but I forgive you. I can understand why you reacted the way you did. It was my fault."

She smiled at him – close to one of the smiles he wanted, but still guarded. "Okay, I think we've both apologized enough for one night. You said this was project related, so what do we need to do tonight?" she asked, grabbing a breadstick from the basket in the middle of the table.

"That was all for now. I just wanted to get you alone so we could air things out. Plus, I thought you might enjoy a night out."

It's not a date… it's not a date…

Quit feeding yourself that bullshit, Bella. He took you out to dinner, you're dressed up… It's a date.

No, it's not.

Yes, it is.

No, it's not.

You wanna ask him?

Oh, hell no. That would be weird, especially if he said it wasn't.

But don't you want him to say it is?

Yes. I mean, no! I mean… I don't know what I want.

She looked up to see Edward looking at her intently.

What's he thinking? she wondered. Is he thinking it's a date?

She chuckled to herself. She had never obsessed this much over a man before. Not even James, once she thought about it, and that thought left her full of fear.