First, I'd like to start off by saying I love reading each and every review you all send in…they make me laugh and smile. I love how invested you all have become in Coffee Girl and her Eddie. It makes my heart beat faster when I see all your lovely thoughts about my words.

There were two main comments and questions that were asked by a few people that I'd like to address. First, there will not be an outtake of the Cullen Thanksgiving dinner after the Swans left simply because I think you all will get the gist of it as the story continues and it really would simply involve Esme saying she is disappointed in her daughter. Secondly, the way I write my characters is my prerogative. Switching things up keeps you all guessing and wondering what will happen next. Hope that helps and keep the questions coming.

As always, without Team CG, none of this would be possible, so thank you to Brie, Kitchmill, Jen, Kelly, and Kim for their hard work and support.

This next one will make you all laugh...When Save the Last Dance came out in 2001 I was immediately taken with the movie and developed the biggest crush on Sean Patrick Thomas. His smile was so contagious and yeah… Anyways, his wife got into a car accident and they needed a rental. I was the one who got to deliver the car to them. More or less call seniority just so I could meet him. I was a bumbling fool and they were so sweet. And his smile…sigh, yeah, it's even better in person. But I'm starting to believe that everyone in Hollywood is short. Most of the male stars I've met don't even cross over six feet!

Chapter Thirteen

Things had only gotten better after my dinner with Edward's family. It was decided that we would spend Christmas Eve together at my parents house, that way they could spend Christmas morning together as a family. I had been invited over obviously, but spending any more time in Alice's company than needed wasn't worth the drama that could possibly follow.

I had finals next week and couldn't wait for them to be done. I was counting down the days until I had wrapped up this semester. I had been dying to say goodbye to Business Law, but more importantly, I couldn't wait to start my internship.

I had gone to a couple of interviews last week, and had one later on today with Riley Biers from Universal Music Publishing Group. He was the vice president of new talent, and stood between me and my dream job. I had been studying up on the company ever since I knew what I wanted to be when I grew up.

UMPG had been founded in 1962, and with over sixty thousand songs in their catalog, I knew it was exactly where I belonged. There was not one single genre that they didn't have a hand in. Artists from Shania to 50 Cent, anybody who was ever anybody got their music and lyrics from someone at UMPG. The bottom line was—if they didn't have it, they would get it made for you. It was my dream job and I was determined to land it.

The office was located in Santa Monica, and was basically a hop, skip, and a jump away from the beach. Well it was about twenty blocks from the ocean, but still way closer than I was now. The drive would suck, but I would be able to smell the salty sea every day if I landed this internship, and that was a bonus even I couldn't turn down.

My nerves were shot while I got ready. I had no intention of walking in looking like Courtney Love no matter how laxed their dress code was, so I settled on a mix between bohemian and rock chic. A pair of black, faux leather leggings hugged my legs and made them appear way longer than they actually were. The top I chose was a flowy and brightly colored chiffon number that I had stolen from my mother's closet a few months back. She had had it since the late eighties, and with the way trends tended to work, it had made a comeback and was in style again. I didn't over accessorize because I drew a line at sounding like a pinball machine when I was talking since I had a tendency to speak with my hands. The clanking of bracelets was the last thing I needed to distract my interviewer.

When I had my ankle boots in place, I grabbed my portfolio of songs that I'd written and my purse before I yelled out a goodbye to my mom as I ran out the door. With the unpredictability of traffic, I wanted to allow myself plenty of time to arrive. Being late would not have made for a great first impression.

The drive turned out not to be too bad, but I attributed it to the fact that I was going against the flow of traffic. It was a bit cooler down there by the beach than in the valley. I cinched my wool coat a bit tighter after I slipped a couple of coins into the meter—another reason to be grateful for the change tips from work. I carried my portfolio up to the large glass doors.

The building was all glass and stone and steel. Sharp angles and smooth curves made up the exterior of the structure. The interior was a designers dream; tall ceiling and modern furnishings helped break up the crisp, clean white walls and glass windows.

The Universal logo was proudly displayed behind the receptionist's desk. The woman behind the counter was a few years older than me and of Native American descent. Her shoulder length ebony hair was cut bluntly and as shiny as a Tahitian black pearl. She exuded confidence as I gave my name and informed me that someone would be right with me.

She offered me a bottle of water and I declined. I went over to the couch and slid off my coat, shaking out my long curls in the process. My makeup had been applied a bit thicker than I would normally wear, bringing out the rocker chic look that I hoped would make me blend in and stand out in equal parts.

I hadn't been waiting long when another woman approached me and began filling me in about what would be happening while simultaneously pointing out things I already knew. She said her name was Bree and I was shocked by how similar our looks were—if you counted long brown hair, brown eyes and slender builds as the same. She seemed nice, a bit reserved and proper, but nice nonetheless.

She led me into a large conference room where three people were sitting behind a large oval table. There were talking amongst themselves, but quieted when we walked in. Bree introduced me and I shook their hands. She made sure they didn't need anything and then left us alone, closing the door behind her.

"Isabella, my name is Victoria, and this is James and Riley." Her flaming red hair was the first thing I noticed about her; the second was how she commanded the men beside her like a dominatrix would her submissive.

James was handsome, if you liked creepy men with long blond ponytails. Riley was gorgeous, albeit at least ten years my senior. Besides the start of laugh lines, he still had a boyish charm about him and made me blush under his watchful gaze. I wasn't attracted to him, but I could acknowledge his good looks. I don't think I could find anyone as beautiful as Eddie now that he was in my life.

"What brings you to UMPG?" Victoria asked, ending the small talk and getting straight to the point of the interview.

"There is nowhere else I want to work. Learning from some of the greatest writers in music today has been a dream of mine since I was still playing dress up in my mother's clothes and singing into hairbrushes."

They chuckled at my response. "It's a cutthroat business. What makes you think you have the talent to become one of the greats?" She wasn't holding back—Victoria that is, but I wouldn't be either because I wanted this.

"Music speaks to me in ways others cannot even begin to fathom. The emotion I pour into it will either make you cry, fall in love, or want to dance. I give myself over to the process completely when I sing and write."

"You not only write, but sing too?" I nodded. "Why not become an artist in your own right?"

"I love to sing, but I don't think I have a very original voice. It's good, that I don't deny, but I'm no Adele or Christina or even Celine."

"Prove it. Sing us something you wrote." James leered when he voiced his opinion. I swear the man must have been hungry with the way he looked at me like I was a plate of fried chicken with all the fixings. Crap, now I was hungry for some crispy chicken.

"Now?" I was completely unprepared for that. I hadn't thought that would be part of the process. "A cappella?" I asked as I tried to determine what I should do.

They all nodded.

I shuffled through my portfolio and pulled out my favorite song before I pushed back my chair and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths before I drowned myself in the melody of the song I'd decided to sing.

I poured everything into the song as I sang. Every emotion, every bit of what the words meant to me...I sang about first meeting Edward, our love, my hopes, and my fears. As I let the last note fall, lingering on the last syllable, I opened my eyes for the first time since I began. They were silent, James had a shocked look on his face, Riley awe, but Victoria, she gleamed with something that scared me...greed.

"If you had auditioned for The Voice with that, every chair would have turned around, completely stunned by your power and pitch. You would have won, that's how damn good you are," Riley praised as I wiped away the tears that had fallen while I sang and I hoped my makeup wasn't too messed up.

"Thank you, but it wasn't that good. I missed the high note and my voice broke at the end." I was still very patronizing of myself when I sang.

"If you missed a note, we didn't notice it and your voice broke because you felt every single word you sang." Riley was fierce and completely serious when he spoke. "You are going to be the next big thing."

"No!" I shouted, surprising not only them, but myself as well.

"What do you mean no?" James hissed, sounding more feral than like the refined man he was supposed to be.

"All I want is the internship. I am six months away from being the first college graduate of my family. I want to be able to get my diploma like everyone else and have my parents sitting and watching me proudly. That's my dream, not becoming a superstar."

If I had stunned them with my voice, my desire to not have a record deal flabbergasted them.

Victoria was the first to speak; I could see the wheels in her head spinning. The look on her face said this wasn't the last of our conversation about me singing. "Fine. You can have the internship. We expect to hear from you after the first with your schedule so we can set up the hours you will be working. Our expectations will be high, Isabella."

Although I didn't necessarily trust any of them, they were standing between me and my dream job, so I sucked it up. "I won't let you down."

"We'll see." James was ominous when he spoke. I knew they wanted more, but this was all I could give...for now.

Bree showed me around before I left for the day. When I was safely in my little car, I squealed like my mother. I had done it. I had landed my dream internship. My phone vibrating brought me out of my happy dance.

"Hello," I greeted, smiling the whole time.

"Hello, coffee girl. You sound very exuberant. Did everything go well for you?" Edward's voice was laced with desire and I shivered. This man...God, I loved him.

"I got it!" I resumed my happy dance bounce.

"Congrats, love. I knew you would." He was so damn sweet he gave me a sweet tooth. "What are you going to do now?"

"I figured I would hit the promenade...search for a present for my boyfriend. He's very hard to shop for, you know…seeing as he can buy himself anything he wants."

He chuckled at my comment. "You don't have to get me anything. You're the only thing I need."

"Well you already have me. Besides, if I don't get you anything then you can't get me anything. Fair is fair."

He whined. "That's not fair, I already got you something."

"Then deal."

"Fine," he huffed. "But I'd rather have you in my arms right now."

I sighed. "Me too, Eddie. Me too. But you're almost done with shooting, then we have my entire break and yours before you leave again to spend together."

"The timing for our meeting may have been off. What with me being gone so much, but I'm so grateful that I have you in my life now. Soon I'll be done with these commitments and I won't sign on to anything without checking with you. I can't wait to see you again." A loud voice shouted in the background on his end of the line.

"Good. Now, I can hear them hollering for you back on set. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Of course. Have a good night, my love."

"You too. I love you." I really did.

"I love you more." He blew a kiss into the phone, which I returned, and then hung up.

Now what to get the man that has everything? I wondered. Maybe me...in lingerie.

~o~o~o~

I spent the last week before break hunkered down with finals. Some were brutal and some were a walk in the park. Edward had finally finished his movie with Rose and we began spending more and more time together. Our secret dates picked back up the minute his plane touched down. Dates that were so well planned we never ran into the paparazzi. It was wonderful. I was enjoying our time together immensely and was going to hate the moment that he had to leave again. It would be torture all over once more.

I shook my head and cleared out all of the negative thoughts. Tomorrow was Christmas Eve and the entire Cullen family—minus Alice and Jasper—was coming over to our house for dinner. I couldn't wait to spend time with them all.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. Don't forget the Toys For Tots Compilation Besides Coffee Girl there will be many more great stories to read, like a Tip of the Spear Outtake, a new oneshot from Prillylove25 and many others that I'm sure you all will love. Link to their site is on my FFn profile.

xx Dee